章 55: Chapter 52: The River Of Time

Time passed by and shirou had scattered dream visions of Artoria`s adventure after she pulled out Caliburn. He witnessed her and Merlin create trouble across the land with Sir Kay solving all the problems they were making.

Merlin began flirting with any woman that caught his eyes and he had them chased by knights multiple times when he went and slept with the wives of the local lord or village chiefs. Artoria due to her ignorant education jumped into the fray whenever she witnessed something she considered evil.

It can range from things like unchivalrous behaviour to bandits doing blood sports with captured people as human targets. She jumped into the fray with her magic blade drawn and her always polished armour gleaming.

These visions were irregular for him and he also didn't see any more visions of his death once a month like he is used to from the last year. Kiritsugu showed a blatant lack of interest in King Arthur's actions and asked the boy to talk only about his visions when he started seeing the future again.

Shirou took another holiday from school and only Rin knew his real purpose for the leave, which was to visit Melvin. the next day after having breakfast that shirou cooked the father and son went to the the airport.

…..

Shirou`s glowing back went back to normal and Melvin injected the drugs that shirou needed to overcome the anasthesis. Only the last 2 pieces of the emiya crest were left from completing the crest with shirou.

Kiritsugu has nearly lost the ability to use magecraft now, he can't even use suggestions now. looking at the haggard-looking magus killer taking a smoke Melvin said

"So you still haven't told him about your impending death? Cough!"

before he could finish his sentence he erupted into a violent coughing fit and spewed blood everywhere. Composing himself with practised ease the white-haired tuner pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned the stains on his face.

Ignoring the surroundings that now looked like a murder scene due to him the democratic faction member said ignoring the prickly expression on Kiritsugu`s face

"So Mr Combat Help hired by the Einzbern family have you decided about the deal that i offered?"

"You don't have to tell me everything you know. I just want to hear what the holy grail was like from the perspective of someone directly involved in it. Tell me the story and I will forgo all the tunning fees and I will even look after the crest after you die."

"Ok fine I will tell you stop pestering me." answered kiritsugu with a tired sigh.

Hearing this Melvin grinned widely and a slight blush appeared on his face. Melvin might have looked charming if his teeth didn't still have residual blood on, making him look like a ghoul with his pale skin and white hair. He pulled out a geas scroll that he clearly had prepared.

The older emiya carefully read through the paper and both the adults argued regarding various clauses under the contract finally, after both parties accepted it they signed the paper. The paper rose up into the air and spontaneously burnt up making both the parties feel a kind of restriction as the geas took effect.

With the sleeping boy in the background, kiritsugu began describing the grail war from his point of view while withholding a lot of details that clued into the fact that he was the master or the facts that he learnt from shirou. The tuner looked like he caught on to the fact that information was being hidden from him.

But he didn't appear offended by that rather he was completely absorbed in the story of the Grail war. The story was not small enough to end in an hour so the men stopped talking when shirou woke up. Melvin said that it would be better if shirou tried to take the final 2 pieces of the crest next year.

He said that it would give the boy's body time to adapt to the crest and he would be able to voluntarily access the crest. They both agreed to do this and father and son left the mansion of the tuner.

...

This time while the father and son were discreetly leaving Britain shirou tapped his father on the leg thrice and whispered

"Dad I have smelled the same floral scent for the last 30 mins. Someone with mana is tailing us."

Showing an example of experience kiritsugu didn't even change his expression or even try to look back but after they had walked 4 km he said to shirou

"4 people are tracking us and from their behaviour, it seems they are not professionals but rather are following us on a whim."

"Do you have your pistol? If you do then be ready we will take out 3 of them and leave the one that looks like a butler to interrogate for information."

Hearing this shirou just calmly nodded his head, looking at the child easily jumping to violence and light approach to the threat of death and murder had kiritsugu worried. He wished for shirou to be strong but he didn't wish for him to be this hardened at this young age. While pondering on this the pair took a turn into a secluded alley as they had already led the people after them to the suburban area.

The father and son quietly moved into the alley, as soon as they took the turn shirou pulled out a Beretta 92FS loaded with subsonic bullets and fitted with a suppressor because using his desert eagle loaded with .50 AE rounds would announce their presence to everyone on the next block.

Kiritsugu pulled out his trusty Calico M950 and both of them took aim while hiding behind the buildings. Of the 4 people tailing them 3 stood at the front and a butler looking to be in his 60s stood at the last. The old man said

"Where are they? Why are you 3 useless guys standing here without catching them."

As the butler was berating the group of people and looking at this scene shirou was very confused. Why are these clowns chasing them, from the information he had collected the 3 young men were members of a magus family born with mediocre magic circuits.

The bullet that left Shirou`s gun hit the leftmost guy at his spleen and as the man bowed down due to the sudden pain another bullet hit him in the middle of his head and a splatter of brain matter fell on the road alongside the corpse of the man.

While shirou fired his shot kiritsugu opened fire with his submachine gun, the 9mm Parabellum ammo pierced the other two men and they fell dead with each full of 6 bullets. Surprisingly the old butler was unharmed, the magus killer had fired shots at the man`s legs to immobilise him but the shots were intercepted by a small leaf that enlarged to take the shoot for the man.

Upon immediate analysis, shirou saw the man didn't activate any circuits and his state of panic suggested a lack of training in using magic circuits. His eyes were also not glowing hence proving the lack of mystic eyes. Shirou was about to fire again but kiritsugu signalled him to stop and in one smooth motion pulled out the Thompson contender from his coat and took a shot at the man's knees.

The leaf again came to the man`s defence but was instantly pierced through the leaf and the shot shattered the knee, the father and son rushed forward as the magus killer stuffed his forearm into the waling elder's mouth while shirou dragged the 3 bodies into the dark displaying a strength unexpected from a 9 years old.

Then the old man was subjected to a small beating that made him cough up everything. The bullied elderly confessed that they were from a small family in the aristocratic fraction, and they were searching for a method to kidnap Melvin and use him as a bargaining chip with the democratic fraction.

By sheer dumb luck, they had witnessed the emiya family visiting Melvin thrice, hence trying to kidnap them after they found out they were eastern mages and they assumed that they were weak due to racism.

The emiya family quickly left the location to avoid the political shitstorm of Clocktower after Melvin came to the site after having received Kiritsugu`s call. Melvin along with a group of suited bodyguards watched the emiya family board a plane to Japan, melvin was in a very good mood as he was able to witness the spectacle of kiritsugu and shirou taking down the men.

(A/N: This showed the true nature of the nasuverse magus association. No place is safe in here, as once you come on the radar or are unlucky you will be killed like this. This is why kiritsugu is training shirou as he knows that with his abilities and future, shirou can't stay hidden.