Shirou's Grand Heroic Saga

"Don't worry, I haven't gotten to enjoy anything like this since I came here."

Rider's eyes widened. So this was when he was at his weakest?

Of course. At least back in Shimousa Province, Shirou could casually hammer out an A+-rank sword with a few strikes. After coming to Romania, he hadn't made a single decent B-rank item.

Even now, Shirou was entirely making a living off his own "assassination" skills.

"But the assassination part is real."

"Then can I go back first? At least let Swift Eagle get away first?" Rider panicked, wanting to flee with his eagle, but Shirou grabbed him in one swift motion.

"Neither of you is going anywhere. Your eagle can dematerialize first, but if you run off, how am I supposed to get back?"

"Uh... that makes sense. Then let Swift Eagle leave first?" Rider sighed and patted Swift Eagle.

"Wait."

"Hm?"

Shirou examined the eagle and came up with a good idea.

"Come to think of it, I specifically borrowed Heracles's arrow today. Say, if we surrendered with our hands raised, then stewed this eagle as an extra surrender gift and added some Hydra Poison, wouldn't the Red Faction's Master be dead as a doornail?"

"Oh—good point!" Rider exclaimed. "You're so smart, Assassin!"

Swift Eagle somehow felt that something was off.

In the end, weren't they still planning to eat it?

Terrified, Swift Eagle hurriedly dematerialized.

"Uh... Swift Eagle ran off first."

Shirou comforted him, "It's fine. It's your mount; we can summon it again and stew it later."

Swift Eagle nearly materialized again just to yell, "What the hell?!" How had it offended him again?

Following a stream, he forgot how far he had gone. Suddenly, he came upon a peach blossom grove stretching several hundred paces along both banks. There were