Right now, on Avalon city's wall, it's me standing there—Russell, advisor to the "king," mentor to a promising student, and incidentally the person responsible for this "World's" current state. Knowing all that, someone might even call me a god, and I wouldn't be too surprised.
After all, even I was stunned when I realized what I'd created...
And how much time has passed since I arrived in this new world? Accounting for the time flow difference between "here" and "there," it's... over seven? Hard to track time when it moves at varying speeds compared to the real world. I had to develop a special "translator" to properly perceive outside info when the time flow "here" changed. But it's no issue. Over the years, I've gotten used to my new life.
You get used to the good stuff quick. And no matter how you look at it—my new life is way better than my old one.
"Mark!" I said loudly, glancing over my shoulder. "Fancy some fresh air?"
"Gr-woof!" A loud bark answered, startling several nearby wall-patrolling guards. A second later, a wolf leaped out of nowhere, big enough to rest his head on a meter-high table. His thick gray fur couldn't hide the powerful muscles letting him cover huge distances in record time, and his piercing blue eyes gleamed with far-from-animal intelligence.
The creature was called Mark, and he was arguably one of the most perfect beings I'd created to date. Immense strength and speed paired with advanced intelligence and innate superior animal instincts. Only Julius, the condor who could outpace modern fighters, was the sole creature I'd raised able to beat Mark—while having far fewer combat abilities.
Even in my world, animals were bred as relatively cheap military force with huge potential due to their naturally greater strength and instincts. I never did it myself before arriving here, but even then I gathered all necessary knowledge from everywhere, hoping the "enemy" would finally retreat. Back then, it was just hard for me to accept the death of someone I'd cared for and raised, so I tried handling everything alone.
Anyway, that's not important now. I'm here now, free within Shirou's Inner World, and nothing will stop me from indulging my whims, big or small...
I quickly petted Mark, who grew even larger in seconds, then grabbed the thick fur of the big gray wolf and settled on him like a rider on a horse—sans saddle or tack. Without delay, we leaped from Avalon's majestic walls and raced off.
Forests and clearings blurred from our speed. Mark effortlessly dodged obstacles in our path, and mere minutes later, we arrived at our destination...
"There's more and more weapons here..." I thought aloud, smiling at the sight. "Wonder how many there are? This valley stretches to the horizon. Circling it entirely would take a significant amount of time..."
"Gr-Woof!" the "Gray Guardian" felt the need to voice his opinion.
"Agreed. I doubt we'll ever count them all. In the future, we need to find more weapons with history... Then this field could truly be called the "Memorial of Legendary Weapons."" I blinked several times, surveying the surroundings, and smirked at a wild thought. "Wonder if the Hero King would share something from his treasury if he were alive? Would be nice to place a hundred or two legendary blades here for variety."
I'd definitely not pass up studying a few crystallized legends...
I voiced all these thoughts while gazing at the landscape before my eyes. An endless green valley stretched out, seemingly littered with countless pieces of various bladed weapons, shields, and some armor that Shirou had either seen or personally forged.
No need to mention that after years of my mentoring, the younger Emiya had amassed a truly impressive Arsenal, most of it from Shirou's own skilled hands. And the most impressive part? He could actually use every one of them—otherwise, the guy might not have survived to now...
Serious trials await him. What kind of Mentor would I be if I didn't properly prepare my student for them?
That thought curved the corners of my lips upward as I ventured deeper into the Valley of Steel.
Since "settling" Avalon, this place had grown rife with rumors and legends. People even named it the "Valley of Steel." And hardly a better name could be found. An endless valley studded with countless blades, as if cleaving the world in two, and only rare daredevils dare cross its border, awed and trembling at the unreal sight.
I remember once watching naive bandits who wanted weapons for themselves discover in surprise that they wouldn't come out of the ground. The stubbornest one was outright killed by a resisting cursed blade. In the end, few dare approach the weapons directly, fearing consequences. And rightly so.
That said, most Avalon residents visit at least once a year, as the Valley itself poses no danger to people—as long as you don't try to take its blades. Some even thank it, like a protector...
And they're right in a way. After all, this Valley is the shield and sword of the child whose soul holds this entire world.
That said, his blade is still quite dull, and his shield—fragile. He has a very long road ahead if he wants to even approach fulfilling his dream.
But first, he needs to understand a few things about this world and his place in it...
"Wonder when Shirou will finally realize he doesn't have to appear so far out every time?" I said, smirking as I ran a hand through the soft mane of Mark, who'd settled beside me.
Yes, Shirou is undoubtedly smart and quick for his age, far ahead of his peers and, dare I say, many experienced magi thanks to his training. After our numerous organized trainings, studies, and trials, he's become a formidable magus by this world's standards, but... sometimes the guy is surprisingly dense. He can effortlessly appear right at home with light concentration before sleep, in any desired spot within his Inner World, sparing himself the need to run to Avalon from the Valley of Steel on foot every time. But for some reason, this simple fact escapes him, reminding me that Shirou is still just a kid...
Well, it'll be fun to laugh when he finally realizes his mistake...
Also, the guy finally found a friend. Though by some absurd luck, it's a Matou family member—formerly Makiri, one of the Holy Grail War founding families. The girl named Sakura surprisingly bonded quickly with Shirou, who protected her from bullies a while back. Though inwardly I was against such a connection, I didn't say anything to Shirou about it. Maybe it's for the best he has a friend from a magus family, but too early to tell.
Especially given what we found inside her...
A brief basic scan with Structural Analysis immediately showed results that even shocked Shirou, usually far more resilient to the sight of blood. I remember him talking much less that day; I thought maybe I shouldn't have shown him my "discovery," but soon Shirou recovered and asked the next day to continue studying Sakura's body to find a way to rid her of those worms if they harm her somehow.
Naturally, I saw no reason to refuse. At least until he grows enough to handle such work himself...
Since then, Shirou kept regular meetings with Sakura, letting me carefully gather info on her condition while avoiding detection by the magus controlling the "foreign objects" in her body...
Though the purpose of those "worm familiars" remains to be seen, I quickly learned Sakura undergoes some practice tied to those worms regularly. And if I'm right... Just the thought of someone enduring that makes my blood boil.
Too bad Kiritsugu had so little info on the Worm Bastard. The fossil knows how to hide his abilities from the world; even the most experienced Magus Killer had nothing on the old Matou head...
That said, as everyone knows—"Death comes for us all." But in my view, when it's hard for her to find a specific person, "kind" folks should lead her to the target themselves...
Sakura herself, as mentioned, quickly grew attached to the guy. She started visiting Shirou at home periodically and recently even brought her brother, who wanted to know where his sister had suddenly started going. Anyway, Shirou now has another "friend." Rough, prickly, overconfident, and clueless, but a "friend." Naturally, I gave him a brief scan too. Actually not so brief, since we got DNA samples...
Then it turned out unexpectedly that the guy isn't Sakura's blood relative at all and lacks magical circuits entirely, despite impressive OD quantities. And that's undoubtedly strange. If he's from a magus family, how can he completely lack any magical circuits?
I think further investigation awaits. Maybe the old Worm's magic negatively affects the bloodline itself. Hm... Shame Kiritsugu had so little Moonlit World "literature." Contrary to my initial impression from first encountering this world's magic, their practices have many nuances I still need to explore.
And no, I haven't recanted my words on the "shortsightedness" of local magi, but from Kiritsugu's info, I can't deny they had solid reasons for such narrow-focused research and magic development. At least their history has several impressively powerful magi whose achievements are undeniable even by my world's standards. They're the best proof their methods work.
That said, this "Moon World" feels more like a boiling cauldron filled with endless random ingredients to me. No one knows what "dish" will result, and only through trial and error does a magus gain the desired power. Or, as happens to most, dies trying—best case passing experience to the next generation.
Anyway, just my thoughts. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up the fool. But that's future me's problem. Current me deserves a well-earned rest, which is why I came here.
"Haaah... So much to do..." I ran a hand through my chestnut hair and lay back on the dozing wolf behind me.
Like Shirou, I can go with almost no sleep. But I still find it extremely pleasant, so no reason to quit.
"Good night to me..." Screw it being noon...
"Waf..." my improvised pillow yawned sweetly.
But before drifting to Morpheus's realm, I quickly checked my own stats and smiled in satisfaction...
Russell:
No. of magical circuits: 45, quality — (A+) (69 prana units/circuit)
No. of inherited magical circuits: 63, quality — (A) (62 prana units/circuit)
Total prana units — 12,942 units.
Strength: 545 (A+)
Agility: 568 (A+)
Endurance: 503 (A+)
Spirit: 611 (A++)
Soon, man and beast were asleep, with only the soft rustle of grass in the Valley of Steel accompanying their peaceful slumber...
Some time later...
And here I am again—Russell. Just Russell.
A week has passed since Father connected with Daughter and finally answered all the questions of the girl nearly desperate from loneliness. And from my own observations, Illya was happy. Or at least in high spirits close to it. Since then, Percival—the creature who pulled off the mansion infiltration—became her pet, to Illya's immense joy. Now Percy constantly keeps her company in the Einzbern Castle and maintains our link. The only exception is when she's not alone. Even then, he's always nearby to provide any needed support if necessary.
Naturally, including if she's in danger.
She also got to meet Shirou, her stepbrother. At first, Illya was wary of the boy despite all Kiritsugu's stories about him, but he won her over with homemade cookies we successfully delivered via the same Percival.
No need to say that after tasting my student's cooking, she warmed to him much more.
I also kept my promise about the "phone" screen we use to connect. Since the device is essentially a blend of tech and magecraft, it only took a couple hours to get the desired result. Percy helped gather all needed info on the Einzbern bounded field, letting me confidently provide father and daughter a secure "phone" with no chance of interception.
And I must admit, this ancient family's "modern" magecraft was somewhat... outdated to me. But as I said before, that's not necessarily bad. This world has no need for constant, rapid, efficient, innovative advancement in magecraft and tech. In my home world, even before I was born, hordes of scientists, magi, and specialists in every field researched nonstop for any edge against the Devourers. Enhanced ammo, explosives, and any conceivable or inconceivable weapon were such edges—without which "humanity" would've fallen years earlier.
Meanwhile, this world's magi all try to replicate Age of Gods magecraft via self-hypnosis detour. The fact twitches all my facial muscles, but nothing to be done. Their methods stem from different goals and circumstances. That said, to be fair, they do have True Magicians capable of outclassing nearly all from my world. Impressive achievement undeniable.
Though completely shunning "normal human" tech is, in my subjective opinion, overkill...
Time marches on, and we must keep pace, or sink in its sands...
As an example, one of my home world's best inventions, which I've fully integrated into Shirou: The System. Back then, it could've been a turning point in the "world war" if the enemy hadn't already hit critical mass and our forces weren't on the brink of annihilation. Augmented, fully equipped, supported soldiers, warriors, and magi could only hold the line to a degree until our ranks thinned to a handful of the strongest.
Constant retreats didn't help either, though we preserved max forces possible. Resources simply weren't enough for prolonged war. Even mass Transmutation couldn't meet humanity's vast needs. Then, with inevitable land loss, resource shortages became acute. Transmutation became a panacea for united humanity, yielding resources from near-nothing, but it still wasn't enough, and...
Ahem... I digress a bit...
Anyway, this world's magi are severely limited by their research and constant magic concealment... They don't properly use their Origin and chose to shrink the user base for personal gain. The System maximizes human potential and soul capabilities, constantly refining them. Result: one uses their own "Origin" and traits far more efficiently, limited only by planetary influence—in this case, Gaia.
Shirou, for instance, can use his magic without words, gestures, or even self-hypnosis. A thought or sensation suffices for known, accessible skills and spells, though the latter's efficiency is low due to his unique closeness.
The guy, by the way, continues his training, constantly ramping up the pace despite all the difficulties. For some time now, I've only been giving him advice and checking his work for quality, hardly interfering with the training at all, becoming something like a personal "examiner" in preparation for the clash with the Servants. And it's bearing fruit.
Even though I'm a "master-creator," that doesn't mean I can just lead him by the hand along the entire "path," showing off my arsenal and not hiding its history. He must be able to learn and create on his own, or it could lead to unexpected consequences for his training.
And by unexpected consequences, I mean mindless copying of my creations—and not only mine—while forgetting about his own self-improvement.
With Kiritsugu, unfortunately, things are quite depressing. Even though he's finally met his daughter, that doesn't change the sad fact that the man will die soon. The periodically projected Scabbard of Excalibur by Shirou does help improve his well-being, but it barely affects his actual condition. The maximum the head of the Emiya family can hope for is a year and a half. And the last few months will be pure torment for him...
Fortunately, at the moment, I have a few ideas about his survival. But they all start with "preservation" and assume further study of proper treatment options, which means Illya will have to say goodbye to her father again for an indefinite period.
And speaking of the girl. To my surprise, I've managed to get quite close to Illya. Although at first she was suspicious of me, after Kiritsugu told her that it was because of me their reunion happened, the girl quickly changed her mind. She even started calling me "uncle" when I showed her magic "tricks" using Percy.
Now I have to teach them to her...
But the cherry on top of our acquaintance was the tour of Avalon I conducted. I had to acquaint Illya with Shirou's inner world using a special flying camera that transmitted the image to her phone. Shirou choked when he saw me in the city, telling his "slightly" enthusiastic stepsister about the sights of Avalon.
Soon the guy himself took my place, as a "big" brother should. Illya's surprise deserves special mention when she learned that it all existed in Shirou's Reality Marble. I had to spend a considerable amount of time answering her questions about this... and that...
Now I have to figure out a way to bring her to Avalon...
God, why does every interaction with her end like this? This girl is too sociable. Definitely not like her father. It's scary to even imagine what it would be like if I met Illya with her mother...
Hm...
...
...I think I shouldn't tell her that I have a few more "cute" animals...
Yeah, definitely shouldn't...
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan