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IBHJ Chaptyer 679
🕑 Added 2024-01-20 03:23:19 +0000 UTCNight fell.
Thrud and the other Valkyries had no need for sleep, but Shirou was different. Though his current body was that of a Servant and could no longer be called human, he still kept to human routines out of habit. Sleep especially. After dying over twenty times from overwork, he had become particularly insistent on getting proper rest.
Having informed Thrud, Shirou wrapped himself in a plain sleeping bag made of black mud and gradually drifted off.
The giants continued their assault, the rumbling sound endless, but it couldn't disturb Shirou cocooned in his sleeping bag.
The night was noisy, but he slept soundly, looking as content as if he were having pleasant dreams. However, unbeknownst to him, the Mortal Awakening in the depths of his soul — the invisible whirlpool that even the Crimson Moon had failed to obtain — seemed to trigger something as it slowly spun...
"Shirou, Shirou..."
In a half-dream, half-awake state, he drifted in and out of consciousness, unsure how much time had passed. His mind foggy, he heard an extremely gentle voice calling out right by his ear.
Thrud? No, it couldn't be her. Her voice was quite firm, not this soft.
Salter? Also impossible. Saber might have a chance, but Saber Alter spoke with an extremely cold voice.
So whose voice was it?
Still groggy, he reflexively opened his eyes, only to be met with glaring sunlight that was too bright. Unable to clearly see his surroundings for a moment, he closed his eyes again as tears welled up.
When he was finally able to open his eyes and look around, he couldn't help but be stunned.
What he saw was a modern city district with tall buildings. He was lying on the grass in a park, with pedestrians walking the streets just outside the park and vehicles driving down the roads. Next to him lay an enchanting, fairy-like beauty of a woman.
Strangely, the pedestrians and vehicles passing by on the roads seemed to completely ignore them, acting as if they didn't even exist. Even more bizarrely, when people walked straight towards them, they would naturally detour around them instead of colliding.
"Awake now, Shirou?" A fragrant breeze blew by, followed by a tingling, tender chuckle from the alluring woman lying beside him that made his heart tremble slightly, though it also brought a frown to his face.
She was mature and charming with an enchanting smile on her pretty face. Her gentle yet smoldering wine-red eyes gazed at him attractively. His line of sight couldn't help shifting to her slender, elegant neck, pausing for a moment on her deep, snow-white cleavage. Between her smiles lay an innate sensuality that stirred a bestial desire to conquer her.
The woman lazily reclined on her side, flaunting her impressive figure. Supporting her cheek in one hand, her pair of wine-red bright eyes looked at him gently.
Seeing this graceful young woman, Shirou couldn't help but murmur in stunned disbelief: "Sca...Scathach?"
Indeed, this woman was none other than Scathach!
What on earth was going on? Shirou wondered. Hadn't he just been sleeping at the Jotunheimr Gate? How did he suddenly end up here with Scathach at his side?
Could she have invaded his dreams again?
But no, that didn’t add up. If this were a dream, there wouldn’t be such bright sunlight or modern high-rise buildings around them.
Glancing at the buildings, his eyes lingered on a familiar tall tower nearby. This had to be Fuyuki City.
He reached out and pinched the bridge of his nose, then suddenly paused. Slowly, he placed both palms in front of his eyes, frowning. What he saw was a pair of small, white, tender hands - free of any callouses.
These were not his hands!
His palms were not so petite. And from all his farm work and fighting in Britain, his hands had many calluses that even Magecraft couldn't remove.
Wait!
Shirou stood up and looked around, but couldn't find a river or anything to serve as a mirror. His gaze finally settled on Scathach reclining beside him. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her down.
Scathach: "?"
Faced with his sudden assertiveness, Scathach, who was like a big sister, didn't panic. Rather, she looked at him with confused concern over his abnormal behavior.
But he paid her no mind, staring intently into her eyes instead.
Her wine-red eyes were like mirrors, reflecting his childlike appearance back at him.
He saw a young boy with short red hair, wearing formal white clothes that contrasted with his slightly chubby, baby-faced innocence.
I see. So that was what happened.
Shirou understood now - this had to be a dream, or he was being manipulated by some kind of dream demon. Otherwise, how could he have reverted back to being six years old?
After all, a summoned Eternal King would start off overflowing with magical energy, not stuck in a child's form with insufficient mana.
Seeing Shirou pinning her shoulders, Scathach didn't get angry. She sat up, then reached out and pulled him into her arms. Stretching out her fair hand, she placed it on his forehead.
"Hmm, normal temperature," she said with a smile, retracting her hand and lightly flicking his nose.
Shirou was dumbfounded. "???"
Scathach placed him on her long, stocking-clad legs. Seeing his confused expression, she gently asked, "What's wrong, Shirou?"
Staring right at her, he said, "Scathach, that's enough,"
She looked at him strangely, a smile playing on her lips. "Being naughty, are we? You actually called me by name instead of 'Shisho.' Since that's the case, I suppose I'll be going now."
Shirou was confused. He had thought she invaded his dream to tease and provoke him as usual. But something seemed off – this Scathach was behaving differently than the one he knew.
A thought flashed through his mind, so he checked himself. To his shock, he found his black mud was gone!
Not only that, but Eternal King's records and many other records were also missing.
It was as if he had reverted to his childhood. No, that couldn't be the case, because there was one more thing left on him - a contract! A contract with Scathach, with only a single Command Spell remaining.
What was going on? This situation greatly exceeded his expectations. If Merlin or Scathach wanted to play a trick on him, they shouldn't have been able to hide his black mud or erase Eternal King's records. So was this a dream he was having by himself?
Was he dreaming about Scathach?
Impossible.
As he had told Crimson Moon, he had indeed harbored wicked thoughts and lusted after Scathach's body before awakening the mortal series. But those thoughts had been burned away.
So what on earth was going on?
Scathach reached out and flicked his nose again, smiling. "Don't be scared. I was just messing with you. I won't leave you before getting you victory in the Holy Grail War. So don't worry, Shirou."
Her tone was gentle, like a neighbor's big sister teasing her little brother.
But this made him even more confused.
The Holy Grail War?
The Fuyuki Holy Grail War?
The Fourth Holy Grail War?
"What's wrong? You seem off. Could it be because this is the final battle, so you aren't thinking straight? Are you nervous?" Scathach held him and he looked at his reflection in her eyes.
Staring into those bright wine-red eyes, he noticed something. The flame he usually saw in his eyes was gone.
Comments
JeanMartin Freites
Isn't this interesting.
Azelios Rosemile
You know, Now that it was mentioned, even Gilgamesh wanted his eyes. SO far he has two mtsterious things: His eyes and his His whirlpool. His whirlpool is capable of infinite growth as mentioned by Crimson Moon. It is not a dream that One day he could One shot Ultimate ones like Gun God and Beast of Humanity However it was the eyes that, for some reason, stop being mentioned in this story since the Holy Grail war Fuyuki...
