The sky over Fuyuki City was still shrouded in darkness, unchanged from before.
In the church located in a remote area, Luo Zhen and the others seemed to have gone to rest as well, leaving the chapel in complete silence.
"Click..."
At one point, accompanied by the faint sound of a door opening, the chapel's main entrance was pushed open.
Holding her shield, Mashu walked out of the chapel and slowly made her way to the courtyard.
"Fou!"
Standing on Mashu's shoulder, Fou let out a cry that sounded as though he were asking a question.
"Sorry, I just came out to take a look."
Mashu said this to Fou on her shoulder, then raised her head and looked up at the sky.
At that moment, a different light shimmered in Mashu's eyes.
That look was exactly the same as the lonely expression Mashu wore whenever she gazed at the sky in Chaldea. It made her seem both pitiful and exceptionally beautiful.
Under such circumstances, even Fou seemed unwilling to shatter the scene and obediently fell silent.
However, there were always people who failed to read the mood.
Before long, a second person walked out of the chapel.
Thanks to her status as a Pseudo-Servant, Mashu sensed someone approaching almost immediately. She reflexively turned around and looked toward the door behind her.
The next second, Mashu froze, then spoke.
"Senpai..."
The newcomer was none other than Luo Zhen.
Seeing Mashu standing alone in the courtyard, Luo Zhen walked over.
"Am I disturbing you?"
Luo Zhen came to stand beside Mashu. He lazily stretched his back and gave her a faint, insincere grin, clearly not thinking that he had disturbed her at all.
That familiar manner eased the loneliness on Mashu's face slightly, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Are you all right now, Senpai?"
Mashu asked with concern.
"Mm, I'm fine now. You know what my Magic Circuits are like. Even if I completely exhaust my magical energy, one night is enough for me to recover."
Luo Zhen shrugged and replied with a hint of pride.
That smug, childish attitude gave Mashu only one impression.
Senpai really is still Senpai. He hasn't changed at all because of the situation he's in now...
When it was time to be serious, he was more serious than anyone else.
When it was time to work hard, he worked harder than anyone else.
Usually, he seemed careless and unreliable, but at crucial moments, he was more dependable than anyone.
Even though his physical abilities were extremely poor, his mind was exceptionally sharp.
Then there was his rebellious streak and his childish side.
This was the Luo Zhen Mashu knew.
Whenever she was with Luo Zhen like this, Mashu would always relax without realizing it.
Even though she had no room to relax at all...
As Mashu pondered these things, she suddenly felt a finger press against the space between her brows.
"Your brows are practically wrinkled into a sandwich." Luo Zhen smoothed out the frown she had unconsciously formed and said helplessly, "What are you thinking about so intently?"
As he spoke, Luo Zhen looked directly at Mashu as well.
Under the gaze of Luo Zhen's eyes—which were not particularly deep, but were incredibly sincere and open—Mashu's heart fluttered uneasily.
"N-No... nothing..."
Before the words had fully left Mashu's mouth, Luo Zhen decisively denied them.
"Who are you trying to fool?" Luo Zhen said irritably. "With that face of yours, which can't hide what you're thinking at all, you couldn't fool anyone, let alone me."
Although his tone was full of exasperation, his words were extremely convincing.
Wasn't that the truth?
"In this world, there isn't anyone who understands you better than I do, my dearest junior."
Luo Zhen's teasing made Mashu's pretty face flush slightly.
But very quickly, Mashu's expression became somewhat lonely again.
"Senpai."
At last, when facing the person closest and most familiar to her, Mashu could no longer hold back and spoke.
"Am I useless?"
Anyone could tell from those few words alone what Mashu was feeling.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
"I clearly decided that I would help you, Senpai, but I've only been holding you back."
Mashu spoke dejectedly.
"Back in Chaldea, because of me, you were locked inside the sealed Control Room and nearly died."
"After I became a Pseudo-Servant, I should have been the one protecting you, Senpai. But in the end, you protected me and took Berserker's attack."
"You have the finest qualities for a Master. You should have formed a contract with the finest Servant. If you had, you definitely could have overcome our current predicament with ease."
"But instead, you formed a contract with an amateur like me."
Each sentence expressed the guilt in Mashu's heart.
Faced with Mashu like this, what could Luo Zhen say?
Comfort her?
That would be hollow.
Brush her off?
That would be foolish.
At a time like this, nothing he said would be likely to work, would it?
After all, the facts were right before them.
Luo Zhen was indeed acknowledged as the finest Master, without exception.
And Mashu was indeed an amateur. She had only obtained a Servant's power recently and had no combat experience at all.
Mashu was facing a serious problem.
"I don't even know the true name of the Servant who gave me my power."
Mashu spoke softly of this extremely serious issue.
That was right.
Mashu had no idea what the true name of the Servant who had granted her power was.
And this resulted in...
"I can't even use the Noble Phantasm I possess as a Servant."
That was proof that Mashu was still an amateur.
Unable to use her Noble Phantasm.
In other words, she could not unleash her trump card for turning defeat into victory.
As a result, Mashu's combat strength had undoubtedly fallen considerably.
"Do you know, Senpai?"
Mashu raised her head and looked at Luo Zhen.
"If you're acting as a Master, Senpai, shouldn't you be able to analyze a Servant's parameters?"
Upon hearing this, information instinctively surfaced in Luo Zhen's eyes.
Class: Shielder True Name: Mashu Kyrielight Alignment: Lawful? Good Parameters---- Strength: C Endurance: A Agility: D Mana: B Luck: C Noble Phantasm: - Class Skills---- Magic Resistance: A Nullifies magic circles and high thaumaturgy. Even a Magus of the highest rank in the modern era cannot directly inflict damage through magecraft. Riding: C Can skillfully handle mounts. Self-Defense of the Territory: C The power manifested when protecting allies or one's own faction. It can reduce damage beyond the normal limit of defense, but does not include the user herself. The higher the rank, the wider the area protected. Spirit Origin Inheritance: ? A special skill possessed by a Pseudo-Servant. It inherits one of the skills possessed by the Heroic Spirit serving as the host and sublimates it into the Pseudo-Servant's own style. The skill inherited here is "Mana Defense," a skill of the same type as "Mana Burst." It can directly convert magical energy into defensive power. If one possesses an enormous amount of magical energy, even becoming a divine wall protecting an entire nation would not be impossible. Personal Skills---- Currently Fragile Snowflake Wall: - Converts the user's mental strength into physical defense. The stronger the spirit and the more powerful the conviction, the greater the defensive power. However, it currently cannot display its true value. Misty Chalk Wall of Time: - Temporarily shifts the target out of alignment on the axis of time, thereby evading attacks. At high ranks, even higher-dimensional attacks can be avoided. Shield of Determined Resolve: - Rouses courage and refuses to yield the people protected behind her, no matter whom she faces.
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