"I've won!"
A voice—childish yet full of solemn dignity—rang from within a suit of armor that seemed mismatched with its wearer's small stature.
A flash of silver appeared before Margery Daw's eyes.
In front of her stood Shana, flames surging fiercely behind her. She held Nietono no Shana pointed directly between Margery's eyes, gazing down imperiously, declaring her victory.
"This ends here!"
Alastor, hovering before Shana, also spoke out firmly. Flame Hazes were not meant to clash like this.
"Tch—!"
"Calling yourself a Flame Haze, yet fighting me just to protect a Crimson Denizen." Margery, collapsed on the ground, spat out her words mockingly toward the girl looking down at her.
"The mission of a Flame Haze is to maintain the balance of this world, not merely hunt Crimson Denizens. It just so happens that most Denizens threaten that balance."
Shana coldly countered Margery's taunt, seemingly unaffected by her sarcasm.
"You—!"
Margery tried to retort further but was brusquely cut off by Shana.
"I don't have the patience to argue further. No matter how justified you feel hunting the Corpse Collector, you've lost that chance—because the victor here is me!"
"Tch—!"
Margery's expression twisted slightly in frustration.
It was true. Unless Margery could rid herself of this nuisance called Shana, even finding the Corpse Collector in the city would be useless.
The Corpse Collector was no defenseless Denizen. Though perhaps not strong enough to directly defeat a Flame Haze, it had eluded Margery's pursuit for this long. Without dealing with Shana first, any chance Margery had of success was slim.
"[DISPEL]!"
Shana shouted sharply. Immediately, the crimson barrier surrounding the area vanished, and her armor swiftly reverted into a chained shortsword, quickly stowed alongside Nietono no Shana inside Yogasa.
Any collateral damage caused by their earlier fight had already been repaired by Shana using the Power of Existence.
"——"
"What's wrong?"
Seeing confusion etched across Shana's face, Alastor asked in concern.
"Where's Emiya?"
Shana swept her gaze around the area. Given Shirou Emiya's speed, he should have arrived here long ago. Moreover, Fūzetsu didn't impede his movements at all.
"Indeed."
Alastor replied quietly. From the moment their battle with Margery began, Shirou Emiya hadn't appeared at all. Such a situation was clearly abnormal.
While fighting Margery, Shana also hadn't sensed any other conflicts erupting in the city. Now, with their fight resolved, Misaki City had returned to a tranquil quiet.
Yet precisely because of this unnatural calm, Shirou Emiya's absence felt all the more unsettling.
"Ahahahaha, beaten by a little girl!"
Meanwhile, Margery—sprawled on the ground—had suffered no serious injuries. Shana had stopped immediately once victory was decided, leaving Margery only lightly wounded.
The floating grimoire next to Margery, however, openly mocked her defeat at Shana's hands.
"Grrrrr—!"
Already frustrated from being suppressed by Shana and now mercilessly teased by Marcosias, Margery swung her fist furiously at the floating book. The grimoire reacted as if genuinely hurt, spiraling dizzily to the ground.
"Interpreter of Condolence, can you still move?"
Knowing she had no other options, Shana quickly turned toward Margery, who had risen from the ground and was now dusting herself off.
Shana knew well her weaknesses in investigation. If she attempted to find Shirou Emiya by searching the city blindly, who knew how long it might take?
"Of course I can. Does the victorious Flame-Haired, Blazing-Eyed Hunter have commands for her defeated opponent?"
"You can call me Shana. Can you use an Unrestricted Spell to locate a human?"
Shana completely ignored Margery's sarcastic tone, fully aware now wasn't the time to exchange barbs. Shirou Emiya might be caught in a situation beyond her imagination.
"A human? I doubt it."
Margery frowned slightly. She hadn't expected Shana would ask her to find a human. Her Unrestricted Spell specialized in detecting Power of Existence—Flame Hazes, Torches, Crimson Denizens—not ordinary humans. Even if Margery sincerely wished to help, she lacked the capability.
"No, it's not necessary to search directly for a human. Just check for any unusual occurrences nearby."
Alastor spoke up gravely. Shirou Emiya's absence clearly implied he'd encountered something unusual.
And in this world, only Crimson Denizens could create such anomalies.
Shirou Emiya wasn't weak; it was impossible that he'd vanish without leaving traces behind. Whether it was signs of a battle or something else, something should remain detectable.
Tracking abnormal signs would be far easier than directly pinpointing a specific human.
"I see."
Margery didn't refuse. After all, using her Unrestricted Spell to investigate could also help her locate the Corpse Collector. Why wouldn't she gladly do something so beneficial?
A blue flame ignited in Margery's palm as she softly began chanting poetry incomprehensible to Shana.
One of the reasons Margery Daw was known as the Interpreter of Condolence was precisely because her Unrestricted Spells required poetic recitations to enhance their strength.
"There—there's an unusual ripple of Power of Existence."
It didn't take long before Margery pointed decisively toward a certain direction.
Shana quickly turned and hurried toward the location Margery indicated.
"It's indeed an unusual Power-of-Existence signature."
Alastor quietly noted as they approached.
Before Shana stood a strange circular symbol reminiscent of a magic circle. Its lingering, dense Power of Existence clearly indicated this circle had activated very recently.
"Hahahahaha, just what kind of human makes even the Flame-Haired, Blazing-Eyed Hunter panic this much?"
Accompanied by a grating, boisterous laugh, Margery gracefully descended onto the rooftop nearby.
Then she knelt, placing a hand onto the magic circle as if sensing something.
"This Unrestricted Spell...it teleports living beings across space."
Margery's expression grew grim. A technique of this complexity wasn't something an ordinary Crimson Denizen could achieve.
Yet what puzzled Margery even more was, given Shana's urgent demeanor, it was easy to guess the intended victim of this teleportation.
But all this trouble...for just a human?
Margery pondered silently. Meanwhile, Shana immediately spoke up with urgency.
"Where does this teleportation lead?"
"To the city I just came from."
---
T/N: SHIROU RIZZ UP MARGERY TO HELP U!
bonus chaps
100 stones → 1 bonus chap
200 stones → 2 bonus chaps
300 stones → 3 bonus chaps
and so on :3
100+ new chaps every week across all my TLs on the P website :)
hehe every 100 followers on either instagram or twitter = 5 bonus chaps...?
(for all ongoing tls)
website: wisetl.com
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl
instagram: hanbaowise
twitter: WiseKingOfUruk_