Unusable Noble Phantasm

Fuyuki City's sky remained a heavy, unchanging black.

Inside the secluded church, Luo Zhen and the others seemed to have retired for the night, leaving the chapel in silence.

"Click..."

With a soft sound, the chapel door opened.

Mashu, shield in hand, walked out of the chapel and into the courtyard.

"Fou!"

Perched on Mashu's shoulder, Fufu made a questioning sound.

"Sorry, I just wanted to come out for a bit."

Mashu spoke to Fufu on her shoulder, then looked up at the sky.

A unique light flickered in Mashu's eyes.

It was the same wistful expression she wore when looking at the sky back in Chaldea, making her look both pitiful and exceptionally beautiful.

Even Fufu seemed reluctant to break the moment, remaining silent.

However, there are always those who lack tact.

Before long, a second person emerged from the chapel.

Thanks to her Pseudo-Servant status, Mashu immediately sensed someone approaching and reflexively turned towards the door behind her.

In the next moment, Mashu paused, then spoke.

"Senpai..."

The newcomer was Luo Zhen.

Seeing Mashu standing alone in the courtyard, Luo Zhen walked over.

"Am I disturbing you?"

Luo Zhen stood beside Mashu, stretching lazily and offering a half-hearted smile, clearly not thinking he was bothering her at all.

This familiar behavior eased the wistfulness on Mashu's face, and she offered a faint smile.

"Are you alright now, Senpai?"

Mashu asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You know my Magic Circuits. Even if I completely exhaust my magical energy, one night is enough to recover."

Luo Zhen shrugged, saying it with a hint of pride.

His somewhat smug, childish demeanor only made Mashu think one thing.

(Senpai is still Senpai, he hasn't changed at all because of the current situation...)

He's more serious than anyone when he needs to be.

He works harder than anyone when he needs to.

He usually seems lazy and unreliable, but he's more dependable than anyone when it matters.

Even though his physical abilities are very low, he's incredibly intelligent.

And then there's his rebellious streak, his childishness.

That's Luo Zhen as Mashu knows him.

Being with Luo Zhen always makes Mashu feel relaxed.

Even though she has no room to relax...

Mashu was lost in thought when she suddenly felt a finger press between her eyebrows.

"You're going to wrinkle your forehead into a sandwich." Luo Zhen smoothed out the frown that Mashu hadn't realized she was making, saying with a helpless tone, "What are you thinking about? You're so lost in thought?"

As he spoke, Luo Zhen looked directly at Mashu.

Being watched by Luo Zhen's eyes, which weren't deep but were very sincere and open, Mashu's heart fluttered slightly.

"N-nothing..."

Before the words could fully leave Mashu's mouth, Luo Zhen cut her off.

"Who are you trying to fool?" Luo Zhen said, sounding annoyed. "With the way you can't hide anything, it's not just me, you can't even fool anyone else."

Although his tone was annoyed, his words were convincing.

Isn't that right?

"There's no one in this world who knows you better than I do, my dearest kouhai."

Luo Zhen's teasing made Mashu's cheeks flush slightly.

But soon, a hint of wistfulness returned to Mashu's expression.

"Senpai."

Finally, facing the person closest and most familiar to her, Mashu couldn't help but speak.

"Am I really that useless?"

That single sentence was enough to reveal Mashu's current state of mind.

However, it couldn't be helped.

"I already decided to help Senpai, but I've just been holding you back."

Mashu spoke those words with a heavy heart.

"At Chaldea, Senpai was confined to the restricted control room because of me and almost died."

"After becoming a Pseudo-Servant, I should have been the one protecting Senpai, but instead, Senpai protected me and was attacked by Berserker."

"Senpai possesses the most outstanding Master aptitude and should have formed a contract with the most outstanding Servant, which would have made overcoming the current predicament much easier."

"But instead, you formed a contract with a half-baked Servant like me."

Each word expressed the guilt in Mashu's heart.

Faced with such a Mashu, what could Luo Zhen say?

Comfort?

That would be empty.

Evasion?

That would be foolish.

At this moment, no matter what he said, it would be difficult to be effective, right?

After all, the facts were right in front of them.

Luo Zhen was indeed recognized as the most outstanding Master, without equal.

And Mashu was indeed a half-baked Servant, only recently acquiring the power of a Servant and possessing no combat experience.

Such a Mashu was facing a very serious problem.

"I don't even know the true name of the Heroic Spirit who granted me this power."

Mashu whispered this extremely serious problem.

Indeed.

Mashu simply didn't know the true name of the Servant who had bestowed her power.

This led to…

"I can't even use my Noble Phantasm as a Servant."

This was proof that Mashu was still a half-baked Servant.

Unable to use her Noble Phantasm.

In other words, unable to unleash her trump card to reverse the situation.

Such a Mashu undoubtedly had greatly reduced combat power.

"Does Senpai know?"

Mashu raised her head and looked at Luo Zhen.

"If it's Senpai, as a Master, you should be able to analyze a Servant's stats, right?"

Upon hearing this, a message reflexively appeared in Luo Zhen's eyes.

Class: Shielder

True Name: Mashu Kyrielight

Alignment: Lawful Good

Stats————

Strength: C

Endurance: A

Agility: D

Mana: B

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm: —

Class Skills————

Magic Resistance: A

Nullifies magecraft of A rank or below. In practice, the Servant is untouchable to modern magi, so it would not be an exaggeration to title the Servant a 'Mage Killer'.

Riding: C

Proficient in riding mounts.

Self-Defense: C

The power exerted when defending one's own side or allied forces. It can reduce damage beyond the normal defensive limit, but does not include the user. The higher the rank, the wider the range of protection.

Inherited Possession: ?

A special skill possessed by Pseudo-Servants, inheriting one of the skills of the Heroic Spirit they are possessed by and sublimating it into their own style. The inherited skill here is 〈Magic Defense〉, a skill similar to 〈Mana Burst〉, which can directly convert magic power into defensive power. If one possesses vast magic power, even becoming a sacred wall to protect a nation is not a problem.

Personal Skills————

Now a Fragile Wall of Snowflakes: —

Able to convert the user's mental strength into physical defense. The stronger the mental strength and the greater the belief, the higher the defense. However, it has not yet realized its true value.

Then a Hazy Wall of Chalk: —

Temporarily shifts the target on the timeline, thereby avoiding attacks. At a high level, even high-dimensional attacks can be avoided.

Shield of Resolute Courage: —

Mustering courage, never yielding the rear to anyone she is protecting.

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