"Then I'll wait for your explanation, Senpai."
Staring at Roman, Shirou said resentfully, "I suspect you're getting back at me. No, you're definitely getting back at me over Magical☆Melly."
But before Roman could say anything more, Shirou brought up this world.
"Is there really no way at all to save this world? Even just prolonging its life would do."
Roman sighed. "I'll call you Shirou, then. Let me ask you this: what chance does a terminally ill old man, a candle guttering in the wind, have of surviving? Even if there is one, what meaning would another year or two have?"
Only then did he realize Shirou was staring at him.
He had been staring at him all along.
That look was just like Gudako's when she was trying to save the Human Order.
Roman's heart softened. Ever since he had experienced life as a human, he could no longer view every death in the world as indifferently as Solomon once had.
"What else did that guy Merlin tell you?"
"He only gave me a brocade pouch." Shirou took out the paper inside. There were two layers in total.
The first layer had "Magical☆Melly" written on it.
The second layer was a blank sheet of paper, with nothing on it.
But Shirou was certain it was not truly blank, because when Roman took the paper, his expression became extraordinarily vivid.
For a moment, his face cycled through every color of the rainbow.
Shirou made a rough guess as to why he had been unable to see it earlier—it was probably because the blank paper had undergone some magecraft treatment.
"Merlin really offered a price I can't refuse." Roman seemed a little discouraged. Merlin had him completely figured out. Was he going to squeeze every last bit of value out of