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IBHJ Chapter 552
🕑 Added 2023-11-02 03:18:15 +0000 UTCBut the young man didn't pay attention to such trivial matters; he completely ignored the coffee stain on his trousers. His eyes widened, peering through some sort of terminal, while he meticulously observed Mash, who was situated in a completely different world.
"Ah... Thank goodness. We've finally established contact, Mash!" he sighed in relief. Despite his evident exhaustion, a sincere smile graced his lips. "We've been trying to reach you ever since your distress signal came through. I've been incredibly worried."
"I'm sorry, Doctor."
The young man's gaze shifted around, as if searching for someone else, and he asked, "Where's your captain? I don’t see her with you."
"I... we got separated. I landed in Romania, while the captain landed in London."
"I see..." he nodded, his expression turning serious. "Mash, you mustn't act recklessly until you reunite with your captain."
"I won't, Doctor. The captain gave me the same advice. But don't worry too much about me. We went over this before we left, remember? The 'connection depth' of this connection point is classified as E. Sheba has already surveyed the basic situation here, deeming it the most suitable connection point for a newbie like me."
"Even so, you mustn't let your guard down," he insisted, his expression grave. "There have been Masters in the past who have lost their lives in connection points, thinking the same way as you. Remember, always stay vigilant! First, reunite with your captain and avoid taking unnecessary risks."
Mash wasn't one to rebel; she nodded earnestly in response to the young man's repeated warnings. "I understand, Doctor. Please don't worry about me."
Satisfied with her response, he nodded before his expression shifted, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "The readings here are a bit unusual... Your mana seems to be fluctuating. Did something happen on your end?"
"Yes," she nodded. "I've formed a contract with a Heroic Spirit here in the connection point."
"Oh, wow! So you’ve finally taken the first step to become a Master of Heroic Spirits, huh, Mash? Lev is going to be so happy when he hears about this," the young man exclaimed, a warm smile lighting up his face.
She asked curiously. "What about Professor Lev?"
"He? Oh, he's off helping with the investigation at the third connection point. But he'll be back before you know it," he reassured her, his smile never fading.
"And hey," he continued, "what class does your Heroic Spirit belong to?"
"An Assassin."
"Assassin?" The young man's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you don’t mean Hassan, do you?"
"No," Mash shook her head, explaining, "It's a Heroic Spirit named Fujimaru Shirou... Mr. Fujimaru mentioned that he has been summoned by Senpai in the past."
"Fujimaru Shirou..." The young man frowned, deep in thought. "Why does this name sound so familiar...? I feel like I've heard it somewhere before... But there’s no famous hero named Fujimaru in Japanese history, right? And Ritsuka summoning him before..."
His gaze turned serious as he looked at her, "Mash, you might have been deceived by your Heroic Spirit!"
"Eh?" she blinked, taken aback.
The young man spoke with a stern urgency, "As far as I know, the only Assassin-class Heroic Spirit that Ritsuka has ever summoned is King Hassan, and that was at the first connection point. There haven't been any others... You might be getting deceived. Summon your Heroic Spirit right now and let me see!"
"Th-that... They're in the middle of a party right now. Let me take you to see them," she stammered.
The young man raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled. "Why go through all that trouble? You can just summon your Heroic Spirit directly through your connection."
"S-Still... I'd rather not."
Reflecting on Shirou's earlier prank, Mash quickly shook her head in refusal.
In all honesty, the joke he made about betraying his previous Master still sent shivers down her spine.
And that ominous black mud... it had left an indelible mark on her memory.
Mash extended her hand, retracting the virtual projection back onto her bracelet screen, and then made her way toward the camp.
The young man adopted a serious tone, "Mash, this is your first mission at a connection point. Don't forget the guidelines in the rookie handbook. They're the hard-earned wisdom of your predecessors, created through blood and tears. Inside the connection point, you can't trust anyone completely, not even the Heroic Spirit you've contracted. After all, you can never be too sure if your Heroic Spirit might be the mastermind behind the scenes."
"A Heroic Spirit I've contracted... being the mastermind? That’s a bit far-fetched, isn’t it?" she asked cautiously.
The young man shook his head, "You need to study old cases more thoroughly. Situations like this have occurred three times at previous connection points. I don’t need to spell out the disastrous consequences they led to. Just remember, always be on your guard. You can't afford to fully trust even the Heroic Spirit you’ve contracted with. You're still inexperienced in these matters, so let me help you check."
Mash gave a nod of acknowledgment.
"About your Assassin... As of now, the Assassins on record, King Hassan aside, are generally not very powerful. To be honest, you might be stronger than most of the Assassins after you become a demi servant, so I think it would be better for you to dissolve the contract," he advised earnestly after checking some data.
Not very powerful?
Mash was taken aback, her mind flashing back to Shirou effortlessly decimating those giant octopuses and summoning massive swords longer than 60 meters...
She felt that the doctor was talking nonsense!
Upon arriving back at the camp, Mash noticed the bonfire still flickering, casting its warm glow into the night.
However, the singing had stopped.
Was the party already over?
A pang of disappointment washed over Mash. Missing out on her own Servant's singing performance felt like a failure on her part as a Master.
But... something was clearly wrong.
"What’s going on here?" Mash looked bewildered at the side of the bonfire.
She wasn’t the only one in a state of confusion; even the doctor observing through the equipment was also confused.
By the bonfire, bodies were strewn about haphazardly. From Ruler to the colossal Spartacus, everyone was incapacitated.
They lay there, eyes rolled back and frothing at the mouth, as if they’d been subjected to a biochemical attack.
Jeanne was in the worst state of all, her body twitching occasionally as if trapped in a nightmare, her expression twisted in discomfort.
"Did I just walk into a hospital?" Mash murmured to herself.
"Eh? Oh, Mash, you're back." Shirou, who had been standing in front of the bonfire using a broom handle as a microphone, smiled as he approached her.
Mash asked anxiously, "Mr. Fujimaru, did we get attacked while I was gone?"
"Nope, nothing like that." He shook his head.
She pointed to the collapsed patients, "Then what happened to them?"
Shirou made a helpless gesture. Although he usually maintained great self-control, he couldn't help but lose himself in the music once he started singing.
"They were just intoxicated by my beautiful singing." He sighed with emotion, "It’s a real shame you missed it, Master. My singing might not be on par with my piano playing, but it's still pretty heavenly."
Shirou was dead serious.
Just how captivating was his singing?
It was beyond words—even he couldn’t resist getting intoxicated by it.
Shirou had never considered himself special or believed in the youthful fantasy that he was the center of the universe. However, when he lost himself in his singing, he felt as if he became the center of the universe, with the worlds revolving around him because of his music.
It was an exhilarating and unmatched sensation—the realm of music was his kingdom.
Despite this...
Mash glanced at Jeanne, who was twitching and foaming at the mouth, then turned back to Shirou with a serious expression. She took a deep breath and cautiously asked, "Is... is that right?"
Shirou pointed to his own eyes, "Master, what do you see?"
She hesitated before responding, "Your eyes?"
"No. What you’re seeing is the overflowing sincerity in my eyes."
Mash was rendered speechless.
"I... I understand. If you could, please let me know the next time you decide to sing, Mr. Fujimaru," she replied earnestly.
Truth be told, she was curious and wanted to experience his remarkable singing for herself, just as he had described.
Shirou responded with a smile and a nod. He appreciated genuine and appreciative audiences.
Back in his original world, before his transmigration, his friends would relentlessly mock his singing. They compared it to the painful wails of ghosts or the howling of wolves. They joked that while singing at karaoke cost money, his singing was so dreadful it could cost lives.
But Shirou never saw it that way. After all, that's just what friends do—they tease and jest, but it’s all in good fun.
The closer they are, the more they tease each other. Even if it sounded good or his music was addicting, they would definitely not admit it out loud. That's just the nature of friendships, and Shirou understood that. He understood the playful digs and mockeries, which is why he valued genuine reactions from people like Mash.
As Shirou continued chatting with Mash, the young man watching them on the screen couldn't believe what he was seeing. His eyes widened, staring at Shirou's face, and he quickly rubbed his eyes, pressing his face closer to the screen for a better look.
"Wait, just a minute... This can't be right... How is he a Servant?" The young man muttered to himself, completely dumbfounded.
His shocked expression didn’t go unnoticed by Mash. She glanced at Shirou, who was still lost in his musical reverie, before moving aside to discreetly cover her wristband.
Leaning in, she asked the young man on the screen, "Doctor, what's going on?"
"Mash..." The young man spoke earnestly, "You... you might have formed a contract with an extraordinary Heroic Spirit!"
"Extraordinary?" she echoed, her eyes widening.
"Yes, a Heroic Spirit on par with King Hassan!"
"Are you... are you suggesting... a Grand Servant?" she gasped, covering her mouth in shock as she turned to look at Shirou, who was still completely immersed in his music.
The young man wore a grave expression as he murmured to himself, "If he's become a Servant... does that mean he was defeated?"
Comments
JeanMartin Freites
At least we're getting somewhere with Chaldea.
Lucas
Como esperado do rei... só com sua voz ele pode causar tal desastre umu
DatPerson
NP not even needed too
DatPerson
Man’s can become an assassin though his music 💀
Duck
At this point, it’s a passive trait on par with Artorias Spirit Core.
Tyler McGiver
Nope, he just gained a troll attribute, or was it always part of him?
