Two more years passed. Four years already, if counting from the end of the previous Holy Grail War. In that time, my life had hardly changed at all. My Mentor was still preparing me for the upcoming War, while Father's condition worsened day by day, and even the daily renewal of the Avalon projection had stopped having the proper effect on his well-being. Most likely, without the artifact, he wouldn't even be able to walk on his own...
Father tried not to show it, but I could see how he constantly drank the medicines prepared by Russell. Unfortunately, according to the Mentor, the medicines themselves were mostly useless and served merely as a sort of curse suppressant and painkiller, allowing Kiritsugu to lead a normal life.
For now, that was all we could do for him, and in turn, Father was doing everything in his power to ensure I survived the next war, passing on his experience as the Magus Killer. But beyond my training, he also tried to be a real father. That was evident in how he genuinely took interest in my successes at school or in magecraft, all while trying to hide his pitiful state.
But, as mentioned before, Father wasn't very good at the last part...
Kiritsugu also hadn't managed to reach the Einzberns—and thus his daughter. It saddened him greatly, but he held on and didn't give up his attempts. Recently, Russell had even said he planned to help him with that, which noticeably lifted the spirits of the elder Emiya.
But that was far from all. The Mentor had also informed me that Father wouldn't last more than a year in his current state, so the old man had begun making numerous recordings for my further study once he was gone. They mostly detailed stories from Kiritsugu's life. Numerous plans and examples of his work had been compiled by him for a long time, and it was safe to say I'd acquired my own highly detailed archive—"How to Become a Magus Killer"...
Unfortunately, after all that time, Russell still hadn't found a solution to cure Father. There had been the idea of freezing him, but that was only a temporary measure. The curse needed to be destroyed or at least neutralized to even talk about a cure, and that was extremely difficult. According to the Mentor, destroying the curse carried a high risk of disintegrating not only the Grail's "filth" but also part of Kiritsugu's soul, which would almost inevitably lead to death.
In short, even Russell, with his incredible knowledge and occasionally seemingly impossible abilities, wasn't confident he could handle curing the Old Man. So all I could do for now was project Avalon on time and believe Father would recover one day.
After all, if anyone could rid Kiritsugu of the curse, it would be Mentor Russell.
A little over a year ago, I also went through the first "formation stage." The procedure itself happened while I slept. I remember waking up that morning a bit disappointed. No, everything was fine, just... At first, upon waking, I didn't feel any particular changes in myself. The training-induced pain throughout my body was gone, and my senses seemed a bit sharper, but that was it. So I immediately "looked" at my stats, and that's when my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in surprise...
Shirou Emiya:
Number of magical circuits: 27, quality—(E) (19 units of prana/circuit)
Total prana units: 641
Strength: 79 (F+)
Agility: 84 (F+)
Endurance: 80 (F+)
Spirit: 89 (F+)
It turned out all my stats had nearly doubled! And all in one night! I had to admit, it was Incredible! Though a bit creepy... And no, I wasn't complaining or anything, just... It was strange...
Many dream of power or wealth falling into their lap without any effort. So receiving something like that myself was somewhat... Overwhelming.
Of course, up to that point I'd put in no small effort for my own improvement, but I was still shocked by such a sudden jump. No doubt, if the Clock Tower learned of these changes in my body, I'd get a Sealing Designation or worse in an instant...
And that was far from all my secrets. My Reality Marble alone was proof...
In any case, from that day on, Russell started giving me more tasks like "achieve this in so many ways within the allotted time or get hit on the head." For example, one required destroying a target behind a one-meter-thick, five-meter-high wall in three ways, one of which had to involve a direct breach through the obstacle followed by its destruction.
Naturally, failure meant "punishment" in the form of heavier training loads, after which the body pain that haunted me returned as if it had never left. Joy...
In general, I managed that task only after a week, and I had to admit I'd learned a lot in that time. Such assignments greatly helped expand my "Arsenal," as between attempts I had to create new tools to replace the old ones to reach the goal. Not to mention the dozens of tested theories on projection workings...
As a result, after many such tasks, I possessed a relatively large number of ways to use my highly specialized magical gift. Moreover, I was confident that my magical and non-magical arsenal was already significantly larger than that of any average mage.
Also about half a year ago, we obtained a bunch of used medical instruments. Why? Well, for instance, using advanced Structural Analysis on scalpels and such, I could "see" and, after some practice, "absorb" the experience of their previous owners. Even with the progressing System, I couldn't assimilate all the information quickly, but now I could consider myself a qualified surgeon—and that's undoubtedly a useful skill. Not just for peaceful purposes...
We pulled similar stunts in Fuyuki's museums. We were mainly interested in exhibits with ancient weapons and armor. There aren't many, but examining them gave me a better understanding of how to create quality weapons and how to use them.
And it goes without saying that after those trips, my combat and other skills improved significantly due to the absorbed experience of numerous warriors and especially blacksmiths. True, I first had to weed out the true masters from the many "mediocrities," as the Mentor called them, but the result was definitely worth it.
I just hoped they wouldn't curse me from beyond the grave for brazenly stealing all their secrets...
For creating "tools" and mystic codes, I mainly used Transmutation, but that didn't mean I had no need to know how to forge metal. On the contrary, it was a crucial part of making truly powerful items, as every hammer strike, every bit of effort invested made the weapon "better," even if just a little.
After all, everything from its creation history to the wielder's intentions gets imprinted in the blade. And that, in turn, gives it the necessary "conceptual weight." Even if the effect itself is minimal, it shouldn't be dismissed. Just recall that the power of most Servants stems from their fame and legend. Though I doubted my creations would ever reach that level.
Fortunately, Transmutation provided me with nearly unlimited high-class materials for mystic codes and greatly simplified their formation. Unfortunately, truly quality items required a proper forge and other tools, which I still had to create. But that was just a matter of time. For now, I simply tried to craft the "items" as precisely as possible until I reached a certain level. Once that happened, Russell would move on to the next training phase...
...As long as he didn't get carried away.
Saturday evening. Emiya Residence...
Right now, I was in my room, sitting at the laptop Russell had created. It was a portable computer that folded in half like a large flat book. Originally, we just used it to access the internet and download another song, since my teacher loved listening to music while watching my "progress," but soon I started using it to learn new culinary recipes too. True, relatively few people in my world used such things yet. But according to the Mentor, that would change in the next couple of decades, and people wouldn't be able to live normally without the "world wide web," becoming dependent on it...
And though the last part sounded quite ambiguous, I couldn't deny the usefulness of the tool in both everyday and magical life...
Quickly finishing with the newsletters that interested me, I headed to my Workshop. It was right under my shed and consisted of a fairly large basement holding almost all my materials and research results. The entrance to the Workshop was through a one-meter-diameter round hatch with a ladder going down. Sensing my palm and prana print, it began rotating clockwise and occasionally counterclockwise, with some segments turning randomly. After several dozen quick spins, the hatch lowered slightly and vanished into a special slot on the side.
Without wasting time, I descended, finding myself in a space that resembled a basement more than a mage's Workshop. It was clean, except for piles of various metals and gemstones I'd obtained via Transmutation stacked in the corner. The far wall was completely crammed with a huge number of blades, knives, armor segments, and other strange magical "trinkets" forming veritable mountains of successful and failed mystic codes from my hands. And yes, most of my creations were made right here from materials that many mages would burn me alive to obtain.
But to me, they cost almost nothing. Just a relatively small effort, and with Transmutation—magic that allows altering material properties—I obtained all the necessary "raw materials" for later use.
In general, the more I went on, the more reasons there were to seal/lock up/dissect/etc. me. After all, to mages, all my creations—even the failed samples—were valuable resources. Because of that, I periodically had to listen to Father's lectures on confidentiality and such.
The room also held mystic codes I'd already created that hadn't yet been moved to my inner world, where I successfully "lose" them during training...
And by "lose," I mean "use" them as intended to last at least an extra minute, after which they're destroyed from overuse. Later, I have to restore or upgrade them so the next training session isn't pure hell...
Russell effectively counters all my "tricks," so I'm forced to present something new each time, even if it's just an improvement on the old.
And I'll have to keep up that pace until I reach "Perfection," whatever that may be...
Taking a deep breath, I stripped off everything above my waist and approached the black metal table where I usually worked. It looked massive and extremely sturdy, covered in a script of "symbols" with a circle in the center. The "table" was necessary for efficient material work, allowing me to spend less prana required for Transmutation. Though I could transmute one substance into another with different properties without the Workshop, that didn't mean I neglected it. Working in a prepared space made everything much easier, and magic was no exception.
Taking an iron bar from the side, I placed it in the circle's center on the table. Positioning both hands slightly above the iron piece, I circulated prana through my circuits. The familiar formula surfaced in my mind, and without uttering a word, I used Structural Analysis along with Transmutation. The symbols on the table glowed faintly, and the iron piece changed shape. The metal "melted" quickly without needing the required temperature, then took the form of a neat ingot, like living mercury.
The result was a different steel. A black-tinged metal ingot that conducted prana easily and had incredible durability compared to its previous form. Excellent material for a huge number of mystic codes...
Too bad even items made from such quality metal wouldn't withstand more than a few days of Russell's testing, with only a few passing the weekly threshold.
I still had a long way to go... —The thought flashed, and I immediately set to the work ahead.
Transmuting something so simple took barely a minute, and soon forty identical ingots joined the materials in the corner for my future projects, forming a decent "pile."
Wiping away the sweat from prana rushing through my circuits, I decided to call it a day. Sometimes even I wanted to just rest from the constant training—after all, even while sleeping, I had no time for that.
Besides, judging by what Russell was preparing for me, rest would soon be only a dream... Meaning, not at all...
Sighing, I headed to the bathroom, where I washed off the sweat and grime stuck to me throughout the day. Right after the water procedures, I went to bed. Fortunately, I didn't need to replenish the Arsenal right now, and Russell was simply busy, so that night I was left to myself.
And that was a good excuse to get a solid sleep.
Who knows, maybe I'd even see some dreams...
The next day. Fuyuki shopping district...
"What to buy today?" I muttered, heading through the shops near the shopping center and scanning the familiar surroundings, trying not to bump into random passersby—of which there were plenty at this hour.
Fuyuki was a fairly beautiful city. It was bisected by the Mion River, which in a way divided Fuyuki into two smaller cities. The Emiya Residence—my home—was in Miyama Town, which could also be split into two main zones: traditional and for foreigners. Houses in those zones were built in Japanese and Western styles, respectively. It wasn't uncommon to see an old Japanese estate next to a modern-built house. You could even say it was one of the city's unique features.
And by the way, our house was the most traditional Japanese "estate" with a grand history. And by grand history, I mean a truly grand one, stretching far back into Japan's past. It was surprising Father had managed to acquire such a place. I figured a sufficient amount of money and the right connections had helped with the purchase.
It must have cost him a round sum. Father had mentioned buying our house as a backup "base" in case the castle provided by the Einzberns was destroyed, but I'd never asked about the funds spent on it.
And maybe that was for the best. I still couldn't believe the sums of money Father once mentioned that could be gotten for some of my mystic codes. That was when I first realized my pockets were literally stuffed with gold. And as known, mages are willing to throw money around to get what they need, even if it's somewhat... excessive in my opinion.
In general, against that backdrop, my attempts to economize on groceries looked a bit strange, and since then I'd tried to buy the best possible. After all, I needed all the nutrients if I wanted to keep training my body at the current pace. It would be foolish to skimp on something like that when my life—and not just mine—was on the line.
After all, one couldn't forget that besides the upcoming Holy Grail War, there were plenty of other dangers like Father's haters or mage families that, like us, had lived in Fuyuki for centuries.
Speaking of which. According to Kiritsugu, several other mage families lived in the city. The Makiri, now calling themselves Matou, in the western Tohsaka zone, and Kirei Kotomine, a participant in the previous Holy Grail War, who was currently temporarily replacing the Tohsaka family's not-yet-grown heiress in overseeing the city's territory as its overseer. And naturally, I had to beware of all of them, since it was best if no one knew there were "illegal" mages like us in Fuyuki.
Thanks to Kiritsugu, the name "Emiya" had acquired many enemies, and we had no desire to greet a delegation of "Magus Killer hunters" at our doorstep...
"Thanks for shopping, come again!" said the young woman with a smile, handing me change from the purchases made in the store.
"You're welcome!" I waved the hand free of the massive—for my height—bags of groceries, readjusted the load, and headed for the exit.
At that moment, my eyes caught my reflection in the glass storefront, reflexively bringing a strained smile to my face. I was quite large compared to my peers. Broad shoulders for my age, and not short in height. Due to my "secret" activities, I looked somewhat older than my classmates or even older students. It often drew unwanted attention to me. And no, nothing bad happened! I just didn't feel like I could befriend them...
After all, despite us all being kids, I was simply very different from them. More precisely, my interests differed greatly from theirs, so I spent most of my free time at school alone. Though overall my relations with classmates were friendly enough, no one rushed to get closer, and I hadn't tried to change that yet. Fuji-nee had also recently gotten seriously worried about my lack of friends, but fortunately I'd managed to convince her everything was fine.
She had no need to worry about it. Someday I'd find someone, but if I didn't make it, it wouldn't matter in the slightest...
With such thoughts, I headed home. Sunday mornings saw plenty of people shopping, causing big crowds in the shopping center, and sometimes even a crush. Skillfully weaving through the mass of people and finally emerging from the throng, I pulled out the Mentor-modified player. Kiritsugu had bought it as a New Year's gift last year. Since then, I always had music—plenty loaded by Russell—along with headphones he'd bought too. Quickly playing a random song—mostly various rock—and inserting one earbud in my left ear, I continued toward home... But at one point, I had to stop when a strange smell hit my nose...
Sniffing, I quickly removed the earbud and slowly followed the scent. Mages sense magic differently. I, for example, smell it and distinguish it by scent. Gradually during training with Russell, I'd discovered this ability and often used it to detect magic and its sources, like hidden traps or enemies using prana. And I had to admit I'd gotten good enough at it to gauge the "intensity" of the scent, which in some cases could indicate a mage's intentions...
And right now, what I sensed urged me to act as soon as possible...
Deciding, I quickened my pace toward the smell. Russell was silent at the time, so he was probably fine with my actions.
Sweet, strong scent... Lavender?.. And like someone was preparing to use magic... —That was the first thing that came to mind when I caught an unfamiliar prana. Heading further, I tried to mask my own presence as much as possible from leaking into the atmosphere. Fortunately, the System helped with that too, not letting prana leave the body without command. More precisely, my body, after prolonged practice, prevented excess expenditure.
Soon I reached one of the city's many alleys, faintly hearing voices from it. Peeking inside, my eyes beheld three people: two boys a bit older than me and a girl with beautiful lilac hair.
"Shirou, that's her magic. And from the looks of it, the energy isn't fully under her control..." I heard Russell's voice as my mind processed the scene before me, a scowl automatically forming on my face.
Without responding to the Mentor's words, I headed straight toward them. The girl pressed against the wall, clutching the bag hanging to her knees that she held in her hands, while the two older boys hurled all sorts of insults at her. Hearing them, I immediately quickened my step.
They're bullying her! —At that moment, I was definitely angry. It happened from time to time when I encountered punks like this pair. Foolish and narrow-minded, they sought to boost their egos at others' expense, completely ignoring their victims' feelings. And the "funniest" part was that such actions were often caused by their own complexes or family problems.
Still, that didn't justify their actions at all.
Taking a short breath, I forced myself to calm down. Right now, they all needed saving. The girl from the punks, and the punks from the girl, whose magic scent was gradually growing stronger...
"It's you living in that rich house, right? Your parents must be super wealthy..." the older boy said loudly, while the second smirked sarcastically.
"What parents? Didn't you know she doesn't have any!"
"Really? So she lives in that huge house all alone?! Lucky her..."
"You don't understand anything..." the girl murmured barely audibly, not lifting her gaze, causing both punks to react sharply, and the older one shouted:
"No kidding?!" The guy loomed over the girl, trying to look as menacing as possible to intimidate his target.
But the only thing he got was her pitying look, causing the punk to freeze briefly before gritting his teeth and getting angry anew...
"What do you... Someone like you should just drop dead!.." The older boy reached for the girl's hair, completely oblivious to my presence...
"Hey!" I shouted loudly, clenching my fists tightly. The punks stopped and looked at me.
"And who the hell are you?" the older boy said, sizing me up with what he thought was a menacing glare, then grinned nastily, glancing briefly at the girl like a clichéd villain from a third-rate series. "Her boyfriend? Look at that! Two for the price of one! Ha-ha!.." He "jokingly" quipped and immediately laughed with his "henchman."
I silently approached the pair, meanwhile quickly scanning them, reflexively using Structural Analysis to check for any hidden weapons in their clothes...
"You're brave! Tai, let's take him... kHA!.." I don't know what he meant to tell his friend "Tai," but closing to within a couple meters, I swiftly closed in and delivered a solid straight left to his gut. The first guy predictably crashed into the second, and both, failing to handle the surprise, fell in a heap of limbs, with the "older" one curling up on his "friend" from the blow.
Looking at the punks, I sighed wearily. I'd managed to dose the force to take the "older" one out of commission without long-term damage, but inwardly I could only lament my hasty actions.
These guys were definitely guilty of their misdeed, but violence? That should be a last resort.
But since I'd started playing the "bad guy," I had to see the role through to the end.
"Scram..." I almost growled at the punks on the ground. "Tai" immediately crawled out from under the older guy and stood up, but didn't dare do anything yet, eyes wide in surprise toward me.
"I said SCRAM!.." My childish voice suddenly took on unnatural force for it, and "Tai," clearly scared, quickly dragged his friend aside, gave me one last look, hoisted him onto his back, and left as fast as his "load" allowed. Soon the punk duo vanished deeper in the alley, letting me finally relax.
Phew... Good. Who knows what might've happened if I hadn't intervened. Though next time I should try something besides threats and violence... —I thought and looked at the girl, trying to appear as friendly as possible.
"You okay? They didn't do anything?" I asked the girl softly. She seemed a bit surprised, her dull lilac eyes widening, but after a few seconds, she replied:
"Y-yes... Thank you..." The girl bowed reservedly, and I nodded right away. Fortunately, from her appearance, the punks hadn't managed anything. Just dirtied her light dress a bit.
"That's good..." I nodded in relief. "Next time, call for help or, as a last resort, kick 'em in the nuts. Works on guys every time..." I tried to lighten the mood and punched my chest for effect.
The girl just awkwardly tilted her head to the side, as if unsure how to respond.
I guess I still need to work on my speech...
"Ahem..." I cleared my throat awkwardly, breaking the sudden pause. "By the way, I'm Emiya Shirou! But you can just call me Shirou." I said, trying to ease the atmosphere somehow. The magic scent had diminished by then and nearly vanished, but it clearly came from her, so I was cautious, though I didn't show it outwardly.
"I'm... Sakura Matou... And thank you..." the girl said and bowed again, then turned without meeting my eyes and headed for the alley exit...
Matou?.. Isn't that one of the mage families living in this city? No wonder she has a "scent." Those guys took a big risk attacking her. Hmm...
"Uh, let me walk you home. Where do you live?" I asked and quickly caught up to the departing Sakura, who stopped again, lifting surprised eyes to me.
Russell might chew me out later for my rash act, and Kiritsugu would sigh heavily, no doubt leading to a huge lecture on who the Matou were and possible ways to eliminate them... But right now, she was just a regular girl bullied by punks. I simply couldn't leave her alone right after that. At least, I had to make sure nothing threatened her on the way home.
Being a Hero of Justice was sometimes quite tough...
"N-no... It's fine..." Sakura said quietly, shaking her head. "It's not far, and I can get there myself..." She finished and tried to leave, but I was firm and lightly took the bag from her hands, drawing another surprised look.
"No buts! I saved you, so I'm responsible for you! And the groceries are hostages, so lead the way..." I made the most serious "face" I could manage.
In my head, the line sounded much better... —I thought after saying it.
Meanwhile, the clearly surprised Sakura stood still, not taking her wide dull lilac eyes off me. We stayed like that for several unexpectedly long seconds, and I thought my plan had failed when the girl suddenly said:
"O-okay..."
...And for some reason after that, I couldn't hold back the smile that came naturally.
"Great! Then let's go..." I said, and soon we left the alley together, heading toward Sakura's house, to which she awkwardly pointed the way.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: patreon.com/Granulan