I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

Sakura and Taiga's post-meal exercise seemed to be a snowball fight. What should Ritsuka do?

Ritsuka fell into thought...

Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Ritsuka went to the warehouse deep in the yard and casually turned on the light.

Cluttered items were piled up all around, mostly useless junk. Ritsuka had always used it to train Reinforcement Magic, and even if it wasn't damaged, it was close to falling apart under the onslaught of magic.

Closing the warehouse door behind them, the Crystal Dice floated out of their palm, one side flipping to face Ritsuka's line of sight.

[Alcides (Archer/Avenger)]

[Synchronization Value (0%)]

A dark-skinned giant. While his height wasn't overly exaggerated, he was at least two meters tall. The being named Alcides was quite strong.

Judging by his somewhat shrunken physique, at his peak, the person represented in the Crystal Dice's image was undoubtedly a powerful existence. Just standing there would exude an oppressive aura, especially since even his diminished form was filled with malice.

Like something filled with hatred, a vengeful spirit.

"I should check the data. I think I've heard this name before. Maybe it's someone who existed in history."

From the inner side of the warehouse, Ritsuka opened a rather hidden door and stepped into a place that could be called a library.

Due to Miyu's personal interests and abilities, a considerable portion of the money Ritsuka had earned over the years had been spent on books, leading to the current library.

Of course, liking to learn was a good thing. Not only did Ritsuka not stop her, but they were also happy for Miyu.

"Alcides... I wonder if he's in here?"

Muttering to themself, Ritsuka held the floating Crystal Dice in their left hand, while their right hand brushed past the spines of books, reading their titles. They must have heard the name Alcides in one of these books, having read it not too long ago.

"Olympians... Greek Mythology..."

Their fingers paused slightly, the tip of their index finger landing on a book titled "Greek Mythology." Ritsuka's brow furrowed slightly.

Casually taking the book from the shelf, Ritsuka's memory of this book was still from when they last read about Pandora. Why hadn't they seen any record of Pandora's Box?

At the time, they had thought that the mythology of this world was different from the previous one, and it seemed that the name Alcides had appeared in this book.

Taking out the bookmark tucked inside, Ritsuka flipped back. "The Box containing disaster and hope isn't here. As for Alcides... Heracles' real name?"

As a pseudo-scholar who was actually a slacker, Ritsuka's expression was a bit blank. They then began to reread it carefully.

The last time they read it, they had treated it like a storybook and hadn't paid much attention to the details.

Time passed unconsciously. After carefully reading the section about Heracles, Ritsuka was completely dumbfounded. They squatted in a corner in a state of bizarre silence, feeling rather complicated about the book.

With an equally complicated expression, they opened the book again and couldn't help but complain, "Heracles, meaning 'Glory of Hera,' but he's Zeus's kid."

"All children are Hera's treasures, except for Zeus's kids."

"What a brilliant name. Heracles and Queen Hera had such a bad relationship. Greek mythology is truly bizarre."

Ritsuka was speechless. Hera had even sent poisonous snakes to try and kill the young Heracles.

After all, Hera was Zeus's legal wife, while Heracles' mother, Alcmene, was the granddaughter of Perseus, and thus Zeus's great-granddaughter. She was the wife of Amphitryon, King of Thebes, and after being seduced by Zeus, she gave birth to the demigod Heracles.

In short, the matter was quite complicated, involving all sorts of forbidden elements.

Things like QB, YJ, LL, WY, NTR, etc. One could only say that Zeus lived up to his reputation, daring to do anything.

Not only did he dare to approach women, but he also didn't care about their status. Zeus was a man who dared to approach men too, not just anyone. He truly was a super strong man in a certain sense.

Even that guy named Zhang Chulan probably couldn't shed tears of envy towards him.

Greek mythology was quite chaotic. While Heracles couldn't be considered a paragon of virtue, he was much better than other Greek heroes of his time. At least he didn't seem to have forced any women.

Other Greek heroes were roughly equivalent to thugs and bandits. In a sense, Greek mythology only had two types of heroes: Heracles and everyone else...

Tucking the bookmark back in, Ritsuka closed the book and returned it to its place on the shelf, then turned off the light and left the warehouse.

Now that they knew who Alcides was, they also had some understanding of his abilities. After all, the Crystal Dice's only current function was to replicate the abilities of the people within it onto Ritsuka, even if there was originally only one person named 'Emiya Shirou'.

He was a rather handsome man, but he always gave Ritsuka the impression of 'Why does this guy look like he's constipated?'

Being of the Emiya lineage, perhaps this being had some connection to them, even though this person couldn't be found in Japanese history.

Ritsuka walked back to the hallway, treading on the snow, their mind constantly racing.

Alcides, Heracles, the ancient Greek great hero who completed twelve impossible trials, the embodiment of a Greek mythological hero.

After death, he was elevated to demigod status and even became a star constellation, a divine being. But his strength was probably terrifying, as he was someone who had once held up the sky.

However, what did the suffix to this name, (Archer/Avenger), mean?

Emiya Shirou also had Archer after his name, which means archer in English. As for Avenger, it means a revenger, which was quite intriguing.

In the yard, three girls of various sizes were running around. Ritsuka noticed that Miyu, who had been quietly studying, seemed to have been dragged into the snowball fight and snowman building. After all, it was a rare heavy snowfall; it had never snowed this much before.

Walking inside the house, Ritsuka, who had turned off the kotatsu, suddenly froze.

Miyu's learning progress was too fast. It seemed to have skewed her perception. It would be good for her to play more at this age.

Having energy is what children should have. Miyu, who was only ten years old, was too reassuring, too mature for her age.

She didn't really have the right to say that about Miyu, though.

The Crystal Dice were taken out again, and a short-barreled musket and a box were placed on the table. Ritsuka opened the box, took out the bullets inside, and began to polish them one by one.

These were Kiritsugu's mementos, and his entrustment to Ritsuka. That guy, who was like a father to her, had asked her to take good care of Miyu. She had probably done a good job of taking care of her, right?

Chapter 24: A Promise to See the Sea Together

At the edge of the warehouse, a few small snowmen and castles were gradually being built. Taiga's excited voice could be heard even from inside the house.

In the reopened kotatsu, Ritsuka, with her legs tucked inside, sat by the kotatsu and polished the Origin Bullets. Each bullet could inflict great damage on a being known as a magus.

This was also why Kiritsugu had been known as the 'Magus Killer' in the past.

She cleaned the bullets along with the Mystic Codes, put them into the Crystal Dice, and the crystal-clear trinket flew directly into her palm, disappearing into a speck of light.

Alcides's power could not be used for the time being due to the low synchronization value. It seemed she had nothing to do at the moment.

She suddenly found herself with free time.

Picking up the steaming teacup, Ritsuka took a gentle sip of black tea. The warm sweetness circulated in her mouth.

Footsteps sounded, and the door was pushed open. Miyu walked in, shaking the snow off her clothes.

She saw Ritsuka sitting by the kotatsu and paused slightly. "Sister, aren't you coming to play?"

"No, I'm not interested in snow. It always gives me a bad feeling."

Ritsuka shook her head, a sense of unease rising in her heart.

She couldn't quite pinpoint the reason, but this heavy snowfall made her feel somber, as if something was weighing on her chest, as if something bad was about to happen.

"Sister?"

Miyu sat down beside Ritsuka and tugged at her sleeve.

This action reminded Ritsuka of when Miyu was little, always clinging to her sleeve and following her around, her eyes and heart so empty back then.

Reaching out, Ritsuka gently patted Miyu's head and smiled. "It's nothing. Maybe I haven't been resting well lately, my brain's not working properly."

"That's a relief."

Miyu breathed a sigh of relief. Ritsuka's grave expression had been quite oppressive for her too.

Stretching out her legs, Miyu, no longer wanting to play in the snow outside, sat next to Ritsuka by the kotatsu. A warm feeling enveloped her lower body.

"Mmm—"

She let out a comfortable hum, took out the book she had just bought and placed it on the table, and Miyu resumed her studies, which had been interrupted by Taiga. The room fell silent for a time.

Ritsuka quietly took another sip of her black tea.

"Oh, right. If you have time, Miyu, do you want to go out and play?"

"...Sister?"

Suddenly remembering something, Ritsuka gently placed her cup back down and turned her head slightly.

Miyu's eyes widened in a daze, a mix of excitement and confusion rising within her. The Emiya household was a place of routine; school and the Emiya residence were Miyu's world.

This was because Miyu's identity was too special.

Unable to meet the needs of a normal child, Ritsuka, who had to go out and work to earn money, always felt a sense of apology towards Miyu.

But when she recalled the enemy that even Kiritsugu couldn't suppress, she could never bring herself to make up her mind. Even though Miyu's power as a Divine Child had vanished long ago, she still didn't dare let Miyu linger outside for too long.

Seeing the fleeting excitement on Miyu's face, Ritsuka fell silent.

"I feel like it's really unfair to Miyu. Children should be allowed to play freely."

"I'm sorry for suddenly saying this. It must be troubling for you, since it's always been school or home..."

"I want to go see the sea."

Ritsuka's voice abruptly stopped as Miyu, her face full of excitement, interrupted her.

The excitement on the little one's face was impossible to suppress, like a child who had studied hard for an exam, gotten good results, and successfully asked her parents for a gift.

The wish to see the sea must have been rooted in Miyu's heart for a long time...

"Okay, then we'll go see the sea. It's not far from here, either."

Getting up, Ritsuka went to the television, took out a map of Fuyuki City, and returned to the kotatsu with the map.

Spreading it out on the table, the blue color representing the sea captured Miyu's attention. Fuyuki City was coastal, and the ocean could be seen from both the docks and the harbor. Ritsuka and Kiritsugu had returned to Fuyuki City from the docks.

Crossing the Fuyuki Bridge, it was a distance that could truly be reached on foot.

"Let's make a promise."

Sitting opposite Miyu, Ritsuka extended her right hand, her little finger sticking out.

"When the exams are over and we have a break, we'll go see the sea together, okay?"

Their little fingers hooked together. In the warmth of the kotatsu, Miyu's cheeks flushed slightly.

Ritsuka placed her slender right hand on Miyu's hair, gently stroking it. Then, she took out a Pocky and handed it to Miyu.

"Hey, hey, wanna come play? You should get more exercise..."

Taiga burst into the room, taking the lead with a leap, making quite an entrance.

But the next moment, a pocky stick was thrown by Ritsuka, hitting her squarely on the forehead. The energetic Tiger of Fuyuki collapsed on the spot.

Sakura followed close behind. Seeing Taiga on the floor with teary eyes, and then looking at Ritsuka, she couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

"Teacher Taiga, you're just as always."

Taiga's loud commotion caused Miyu, who had been asleep, to furrow her brows.

Ritsuka took another pocky from the box, placed it between their lips, and extended a finger, gently stroking Miyu, who was asleep on their lap.

Eyelashes fluttering, Miyu, curled up with legs tucked in the kotatsu, nuzzled their cheek against Ritsuka's smooth thigh.

"Ritsuka..."

"Shh, Taiga, be quiet."

"Tch, siscon."

Taiga pouted, the tear stains on her face already gone. Getting hit by a mere pocky wouldn't hurt her at all.

Ritsuka wasn't exactly a Demigod.

It was just that Taiga loved to make a fuss, like a husky.

"Oh right, Taiga, remember to wake Shinji up tomorrow morning, otherwise that guy will definitely be late."

"Ugh... so sleepy, why aren't they here yet?"