Shirou's Return from the Fae Kingdom

Zouken Matou, impatient, came to find her himself.

"Didn't I tell you to come see me immediately?"

"I'm sorry... Grandfather, I'm coming now."

Sakura Matou quickly lowered her head and followed the old man's steps.

What a shame, looks like I won't be able to talk to Shirou today.

Volume 1, Chapter 008: Trace On

"Shirou~ Are you still awake~?"

Around 8 PM, a wild Shinji Matou appeared.

"Not sleeping, what's up?"

Shirou, who had been lounging on the bed with his legs crossed, staring at the ceiling, sat up.

"Look at this."

Shinji handed a Walkman to Shirou.

"Tch, showing off again?"

Shirou felt this kid was becoming more and more like a character from the sci-fi anime he'd been watching recently.

He was called Suneo, wasn't he?

Shinji shook his head, "It's not showing off, this thing seems broken."

"Oh."

Shirou took the Walkman and examined it in his hand.

Shinji sat down next to him, "How is it? Can you fix it?"

Shirou frowned slightly, "Hey, what do you even take me for?"

Do you think I'm Doraemon?

"You can't fix it?" Shinji asked dejectedly.

"I didn't say I couldn't fix it."

As soon as Shirou said that, Shinji's eyes lit up.

"Amazing! Then I'll be counting on you, Shirou!"

"Cut the crap, don't get so close, it's hot, move over a bit."

Shirou touched the damaged plastic with his finger.

The Walkman.

"Britain" clearly didn't have similar technology or creations; this was Shirou's first time encountering such precision machinery.

But, not having seen it doesn't mean I can't fix it.

Even faults that professionals would find difficult to solve could be easily handled with Magic.

Shirou Amamiya closed his eyes, using his sense of touch to feel the inside of the Walkman, reading its internal structure and sketching out a design.

He remembered when he first explained this technology to Morgan, the Paradise Fae's eyes widened.

"Morgan, you can do this too, right?"

"H-how could I possibly do that!"

It seemed this was a super rare talent unique to Shirou, something even the omnipotent and invincible genius witch couldn't do.

Morgan smiled and said, "So from now on, Shirou will be in charge of maintaining the team's weapons and equipment."

That guy, he probably lied to me just to get me to work, didn't he? It's not a rare talent at all!

Oh well, thanks to this talent for deconstruction, Shirou later developed a series of combat methods.

For example, because Shirou possesses the Origin of "Sword," he can analyze all the prototypes (swords) he's ever seen, store them within himself, and replicate them when needed.

But for now, all he can do is find the fault in the Walkman and complete the repair.

Right, instead of being a chef in the future, how about opening a car repair shop?

Lost in thought, Shirou finished repairing the Walkman.

"Shinji, it's done."

Shirou turned around and found that Shinji wasn't beside him at all, but was staring blankly out the window.

Kids his age had poor concentration; he couldn't stand waiting for long.

The seaweed boy gazed at the city night view and muttered, "Sakura is really cute... Her quiet and obedient demeanor is just like a doll~"

"What are you suddenly talking about?"

Shinji turned around, clenched his fist, and said, "Shirou, I've decided! I'm going to be a brother that Sakura respects!"

"Yeah, then good luck... Here, don't break it again."

Shirou stuffed the Walkman into his chest.

"Whoa, you actually fixed it. I knew I could count on you, Shirou."

Shinji excitedly held the Walkman, shouting, "I'll buy you a Ramune Soda tomorrow!"

Shirou stood up from the bedside. "Fixing machines is easy, but if a person breaks, they're not so easily fixed."

"What's that? Something a famous historical figure said?" the seaweed boy blinked.

Shinji Matou said he wanted to become a great older brother, and his words were clearly from the heart, without a hint of falseness.

But Shirou didn't think it was something that could be easily achieved.

The seven-year-old boy didn't realize: his position in the Matou household had quietly changed with Sakura's arrival.

When the sensitive and proud Shinji discovered he was actually superfluous in the family, and that his sister, whom he wanted to protect, was the family's hope—

What kind of change would his mindset undergo?

Good luck, Shinji, I won't help you.

The seaweed boy looked towards the door. "It's so late, where are you going?"

Shirou waved his hand with his back to him.

"To pee. Don't follow me."

Sakura Matou's training ground was in the basement of the mansion.

Passing through layer upon layer of dense, solid Magic Barriers, they arrived at the workshop Zouken Matou prided himself on.

A stench of decay permeated the air, a green darkness like the deep sea.

Seeing the hellish scene covering the ground, Sakura Matou covered her nose, her pupils trembling.

"G-Grandfather, what is this place... What are these bugs?"

Several meters in front of the girl was a huge pit.

Within the abyss, countless black shadows writhed.

They were insects with extremely ugly forms and sucker-like mouths.

Covered in slime, they gathered together like a black, velvety carpet.

These were the Incubus Worms bred by Zouken Matou—monsters that craved human bodily fluids, brain matter, and bone marrow.

Once the Incubus Worms crawled onto a person, if it was a man, his spine would be crushed, his brain sucked dry, turning him into a complete invalid.

If it was a woman—the worms would choose to parasitize her body, control her nerves, and turn her into a beast craving bodily fluids.

As a result, a woman taken over by the worms would have her body and mind completely violated and destroyed.

To transform the Tohsaka Family's daughter into a nature more suitable for Matou Magic, bodily modification was necessary.

"So, let's start quickly."

"...Grandfather, no."

After hearing Zouken Matou's explanation, tears welled up in the girl's eyes, and she let out a despairing, hoarse cry.

"If you're going to resent someone, blame your father for sending you here... Oh right, isn't Tokiomi no longer your father?"

The old Magus cackled and came beside the girl.

"Go on, become the true Sakura Matou."

"No!!!"

The girl screamed, her legs lost strength, and she collapsed onto the ground.

"Oh dear, oh dear... Sakura, you can't be like this. Don't make it too difficult for me."

"No, no, no... Ah--!!!"

Zouken Matou walked over, grabbed her hair, and dragged her all the way to the edge of the pit.

Just as he was about to throw Sakura Matou in, "------Trace On."

Following a low boy's voice, the first cluster of flames ignited in the dark, lightless world of insects.

"What... Ughhhhhh!"

Zouken Matou turned his head, but accustomed to the darkness, he was blinded by the sudden, dazzling burst of fire.

"Wh-What is that!?"

He cried out in pain, instinctively.

"You ask about this in my hand? Ah, their name is..."

Shirou Amamiya raised his arm, tightly bound by chains, and looked with longing at the two beloved swords to his left and right.

"Blades of Chaos."

Volume 1, Chapter 009: I am a Sword Bone

The explosive flames that illuminated the darkness gradually subsided, and Zouken Matou quickly regained his sight.

He saw clearly the intruder in this Magic ritual.

Calling him an intruder wasn't quite accurate, as the person was a guest invited to stay at the Matou residence.

Shirou Amamiya.

Zouken Matou was greatly shocked.

How was this possible?!

Someone had infiltrated the Matou workshop, the Magic domain, and he himself had been completely unaware?

Even though he was long past his prime, he was still one of the best Magus in this country.

Especially in the field of Curses, there were very few Magus who could compare to Zouken Matou.

Dozens of barriers and Curses were set up around this workshop for protection, and a large swarm of Winged Blade Insects was deployed for reconnaissance and defense.

To Zouken Matou, the Winged Blade Insects were like an extension of his senses; he should have felt even a slight breeze in the underground passages, let alone a living person?

He, the old man, actually allowed him to arrive behind him without a sound?

More concerning than that was Shirou's appearance.

Circles upon circles of chains were wrapped around the slender arms of the red-haired youth, the chains even embedded in his soft skin.

In the small palms of the red-haired youth were two scimitars burning fiercely, like never-extinguishing flames illuminating the dark insect hell.