Chapter 239: Chapter 239
That's right, Illya and the others rescued the wrong person!
The person they saved was not Shirou, but rather the hero!
To be fair, it wasn't entirely their fault. If you must point fingers, even the real Shirou bears a tiny bit of responsibility.
During the days Shirou was imprisoned in the Enzworth household, he never stopped shouting. No matter the time or place, after eating and drinking his fill, he would start yelling.
This caused quite a commotion in the Enzworth castle. Angelica, feeling rather annoyed, added a soundproofing effect to Shirou's cell.
And it wasn't just any soundproofing—it was a form of displacement magic! Simply put, Shirou's daily shouting was transported to some unknown corner of the earth!
Because of this, a strange news story emerged in a small town in a certain country recently.
A household in this town reported hearing a man's beautiful Japanese voice coming from their toilet every time they used it!
It's said that this family has since moved away.
In any case, during the midnight jailbreak, Illya and Saber, because of this, didn't realize that the real Shirou's cell was right opposite the one they found!
Thus, they missed him completely!
Watching the screen, seeing Miyu and Saber tending to the hero as if he were the real Shirou, and even Lancer feeling deeply sympathetic, Shinji didn't know where to start his commentary.
What would Shirou think when he finds out later? Would he feel neglected by Saber?
"Star of Creation!"
The sudden voice startled Shinji!
Turning around, he saw that it was coming from the Holy Grail tabletop card game he had developed. Shinji sighed in relief.
Although Gilgamesh and young Gilgamesh differed in many ways, their luck was the same. In most games, if Gilgamesh didn't cheat, the result was usually a tie.
But this was no ordinary situation—here, Gilgamesh was definitely cheating! Especially when facing a kid, losing would be a disgrace for Gilgamesh, something he absolutely couldn't tolerate!
Moreover, with his servant (in his mind) watching, if he lost to his younger self, they'd surely laugh at him for never growing up!
"Big brother, is that card unique?"
The young Gilgamesh pointed at the five-star Gilgamesh card and asked Shinji.
"Rider manages such things at the company; I'm rarely at home, so I wouldn't know."
Shinji shrugged, having already anticipated this outcome. Gilgamesh wouldn't allow himself to lose.
The young Gilgamesh, stripped of arrogance, dominance, and calling others mongrels, was what remained.
However, Shinji was puzzled. By Gilgamesh's nature, he should have been furious to find the invisibility cloak with Shinji, yet he wasn't.
Typically, touching his treasures would provoke his wrath. Even if it wasn't stolen, it would still be considered theft.
Why did he let it go?
Unable to figure it out, Shinji decided to observe quietly. If Gilgamesh wanted it back, he'd deal with it then. There was no point in giving it back prematurely.
"By the way, big brother, your physical training has really become a habit. It feels more like a programmed routine than a mere habit."
Doing one-finger push-ups with a thousand kilograms of weight, Shinji turned his head towards young Gilgamesh and casually retorted.
"And your unchanging personality is like a programmed routine. Do you think you're a complex machine too?"
"True, hahaha…" Young Gilgamesh laughed, scratching his head, unused to being countered this way.
Shinji continued, "If we're talking about machines, I'd say everyone in this world is a machine. With the Root and the Counter Force watching us, maybe our fate is predetermined. The people we meet, the things we experience, every coincidence might be inevitable."
"Maybe, but your case is different, big brother."
"Who knows? Concepts like causality, fate, destiny, coincidence, inevitability—if you think too hard about them, they're full of contradictions. But personally, I have no interest in such things. That's my individuality."
"I see…"
"By the way, can you create a bathhouse? I need a shower."
Shinji, having finished his disciplined workout, sat up and pointed to his sweat-drenched body.
"I'll see. I think there's a Noble Phantasm for that. Oh, it's too troublesome! Let's just place a castle here; I think I have one."
"Wow!" Shinji exclaimed, amazed that Gilgamesh's treasury really did have everything! Just using weapons all the time was a waste of its potential!
No one knew that in the void between worlds, a shiny golden castle, complete with living amenities, was about to appear!
"Moving house, moving house!"
...
Miyu's World, Fuyuki City, Abandoned School.
It was near dusk when the hero woke up.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw the smiling faces of a familiar golden-haired girl with ahoge and a silver-haired girl.
"Where is this…"
"It's alright now, Shirou."
Saber spoke, her eyes filled with guilt and relief.
"But what happened to your body? Didn't I tell you not to overuse your magic? That move, without sufficient magic, would drain your life! I warned you, yet you ended up like this, really!"
Illya crossed her arms, pouting adorably as she scolded the bewildered hero.
"Um… do you know me?"
After a while, the hero pointed to himself and asked.
Hearing this, Illya and Saber's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Illyasviel, Shirou he…" Saber stammered, her lips trembling, "Shirou has memory loss!"
"Calm down, Saber!" Illya replied, her expression serious. "It's probably an aftereffect of that move. I should have anticipated this! Damn it!"
Seeing the silver-haired girl full of regret and the golden-haired girl called Saber, the hero couldn't keep up with their conversation.
"So… are you also friends of Miyu?"
Disengaging his spirit form, the blue-haired Lancer appeared at the foot of the bed, shaking his head and sighing, "Too late. This kid only remembers the girl. It must have been a brutal fight for him to only remember his goal."
"What a tragic fate."
Bazett sighed, unable to bear the sight, and left the room.
"How could this happen…" Saber stammered, biting her lip, then stood up and patted her chest, "Shirou, I'm Saber! Your Servant! We fought side by side!"
"I'm Illya! It's me, Illya!"
Illya jumped on the bed, repeating her name, hoping he'd remember.
"Um…" The hero scratched his head, forcing a smile, "Maybe you've got the wrong person? I don't recall you…"
Illya and Saber stood frozen, unable to believe it.
"Shirou—!"
Before Saber could continue, Archer, standing by the window, couldn't hold back anymore.
"He's right. He's not the Shirou you know."
"Eh?" ×3 (Illya, Saber, Lancer)
Archer sighed, explaining, "You're so slow! He's this world's Shirou!"
"Eh?!" ×3
"Is 'eh' all you can say?! Can't you use another word?!"
As Archer turned to retort, the hero widened his eyes, staring at him.
"Heroic Spirit… Emiya!"
Hearing this, Archer felt a surge of frustration. His identity was revealed by the alternate Shirou, not himself!
"Heroic Spirit… Emiya?" ×3 (Illya, Saber, Lancer)
"Can you three stop being so synchronized?"
...
After hearing the hero's explanation, everyone realized the rescue mission was a mix-up. Though they rescued a Shirou, it wasn't their Shirou.
"Emiya, you knew it wasn't our Shirou, didn't you? Why didn't you say anything?" Lancer asked, puzzled.
"Just call me Archer…"
Archer sighed. Cu Chulainn's tone made it seem like an innocent question, but it felt deliberate.
"Well, Archer Emiya, why…"
"Just Archer is fine!"
"Alright, Emiya…"
"Do you want to fight?!" Archer snapped.
"Seriously, why are you men so petty? It's just a name," Lancer shrugged, unfazed. "Or do you like being called by your full name, Emiya Shir…"
"Enough! I mind! Just call me Archer! Besides, I didn't realize it either. Like Illya, I thought it was due to overusing that move. I only figured it out after we returned! Okay?!"
"This guy has a terrible attitude. Is he really that guy? He doesn't seem like it."
Lancer whispered to Illya and Saber, glancing at Archer.
"Experiences, I heard different experiences lead to different personalities. My Shirou would never turn out like this. I guarantee it!" Saber whispered back.
Illya nodded, "Yes, my Shirou is much kinder."
"Can you three not whisper loud enough for a fourth person to hear?!" Archer's veins bulged with frustration. An inexplicable anger rose within him, impossible to quell.
The hero raised his hand and asked, "So, you all came to this world because of Miyu, right? The other me arrived first and was captured by Enzworth…"
"Yes, that's correct. I'm… a friend of Miyu."
Illya nodded, introducing herself elegantly, "I'm Illyasviel von Einzbern. Just call me Illya."
"I'm Saber. Miyu lived with Shirou and me in our world."
"I'm Lancer. Though we didn't live together, I taught her how to use my skills."
"What's that got to do with you…"
Watching Lancer naturally introduce himself, Archer sighed and retorted.
Lancer wasn't pleased, "Hey! That's unfair! I'm like a mentor to her! Besides teaching her my skills, we even fished together!"
Saber, also displeased, argued, "Wait! Lancer! I was the first to train Miyu! Although unofficial, I'm her rightful mentor!"
"No! I taught her many things! I'm her mentor!"
Illya joined in, escalating the debate over who was Miyu's mentor.
"Stop it! Now's not the time to argue over this!" Archer's patience snapped, interrupting the three.
"Let me ask you."
Lancer looked seriously at Archer, "What did you teach her?"
Archer took a deep breath.
"Does it even matter?!"
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