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IBHJ Chapter 540
🕑 Added 2023-10-26 01:18:58 +0000 UTCShirou, A-11072, and Mash soared through the sky, heading toward the homunculi's base.
The sensation of flight jolted Mash awake.
Her violet eyes regained their sparkle as she blinked away the grogginess. But the chill of the wind against her face snapped her fully awake.
"Wh-where am I..."
Glancing around, she realized she was suspended in mid-air by a gigantic black hand, her feet dangling above a sea of clouds. The sight scared her.
She let out a loud "Ah!" catching Shirou's attention.
He glanced over, his eyes meeting hers. "You're awake."
A-11072 shot him a puzzled look, thinking, Wasn't she already awake?
What A-11072 didn't realize was that Shirou was referring to the awakening of Mash's consciousness. With just a glance, he instantly understood that her mind had been controlled.
Hearing this, Mash looked at Shirou, her eyes wide with surprise. "E-Emiya senpai? Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be helping Miyu senpai with the third singularity?"
Singularity?
Shirou's eyebrow shot up.
That term piqued his interest.
And besides...
Emiya? Miyu?
What's happening here?
Shaking his head, he replied, "You must have mistaken me for someone else. I'm not who you think I am."
Mash studied him closely; she could never mistake that face. But on a second look, this person's hair wasn't the familiar red with a white streak she knew—instead, it was jet-black and fell over his shoulders. There were also no telltale burn scars on his face.
And then there was the giant black hand holding her. It was definitely not something she remembered belonging to the Emiya senpai she knew.
And most importantly...
This feeling... could he be a Servant?
He has to be, right?
But the Emiya she knew was still a living, breathing person!
"I—I'm sorry, I must've mistaken you for someone else," Mash stammered, quickly apologizing.
"It's okay; I actually have some questions for you as well. But this isn't the place to talk."
Mash didn't say anything, now more confused than ever.
The last thing she remembered was their base being discovered, and she inexplicably blacked out, as if hypnotized. Now she found herself suspended in a massive palm, soaring through the sky.
And the man holding her looked almost like a carbon copy of the Emiya senpai she knew so well.
But what on earth was going on?
'Ah, she was right—shouldn't have acted so recklessly at the singularity. But I didn't even do anything. Why did I get caught?'
Upon entering the singularity and landing first in Romania, Mash had set up a base in Vâlcea, near Trifas City. She'd been careful to follow orders and not act rashly.
Yet here she was, captured.
And not just captured, but by someone who looked quite... strange.
What made it worse was that she felt drained, both mentally and physically, as if she'd just been rescued from drowning and had no strength left to fend for herself.
"What is actually happening to me?"
Lost in her thoughts, Mash's eyes unconsciously drifted toward Shirou.
Oddly enough, even though he wasn't the Emiya senpai she knew, and even though he was a Servant, she didn't feel afraid. Instead, there was an uncanny sense of familiarity.
But what really got to her was...
This sense of familiarity. It wasn't just that he looked like Emiya senpai. She felt like she'd seen this person somewhere before, at some point in her life...
Just then, A-11072 pointed toward the ground below and said, "Mr. Assassin, we're approaching the base!"
Shirou nodded. The black wings on his back flapped powerfully, and the resulting gusts propelled them toward the ground.
After landing, he gently set A-11072 and Mash down.
The moment his feet touched the ground, A-11072 eagerly called out to the homunculi, "Hey, everyone! Mr. Assassin and I brought back food and supplies!"
At this point, Spartacus was sitting by the lakeside near their dwelling, teaching the homunculi how to fish.
Hearing A-11072's voice, the homunculi dropped their fishing rods and gathered around him.
"You're back, A-11072!"
"How was it? What was your first shopping trip like, A-11072?"
"Spartacus and Mr. Assassin both say we're just like humans. You've met other humans now—do you think we're the same as them, A-11072?"
The homunculi flocked around A-11072, peppering him with questions.
Meanwhile, Shirou started unpacking the supplies he'd brought back.
Spartacus set aside his fishing rod and lumbered over to him, towering at over ten feet tall. With a smile, he greeted, "Welcome back, noble king."
"Thank you, Spartacus," Shirou responded with a nod. "Teaching them how to fish?"
"Yes," Spartacus sighed as he nodded. "These unfortunate souls were forcibly instilled with modern knowledge and combat skills by the Black Faction's magi, but they lack even the most basic survival instincts. They are purely and simply war commodities."
His tone carried a mix of anger and a hint of resignation.
To him, it was a clear violation of their freedom.
As Shirou and Spartacus conversed, Mash couldn't help but tremble.
Another Servant!
And this Servant...
She glanced at Spartacus, who was intimidatingly tall, and felt at a loss for words.
Sensing her gaze, Spartacus turned to her, offering a gentle smile. "Don't be afraid, young lady. I may look imposing, but I assure you, I have a gentle soul."
Mash: "…"
While Shirou and Spartacus busied themselves with inventory, Mash discreetly retreated to a more secluded corner, out of their line of sight.
Given the presence of two Servants, she didn't dare make a run for it.
She cast a sidelong glance at Shirou and Spartacus, who were handing out supplies and food to the homunculi. Then, lifting her right hand, she revealed a silver bracelet on her delicate wrist.
Centered on the bracelet were three buttons, labeled "-", "△", and "○".
Mash pressed the "△" button cautiously and waited. Nothing happened.
Growing anxious, she hit the button several more times. Still, nothing.
"Why isn't it working? Why can't I get in touch with the others? Is it broken?"
Frantically, she shook her wrist and jabbed at the buttons a few more times.
Unfortunately, still nothing.
"What's going on..."
Mash looked anxious.
Suddenly, a calm voice spoke from behind her. "Your device might've malfunctioned due to impact when you were captured."
"Is that so?" Her reply was almost automatic.
It took her a second to register the voice, and she tensed up, whipping her head around. There was Shirou, smiling warmly at her. Instinctively, she took several steps back.
"No need to be scared. I promise, I'm one of the good guys," Shirou assured her with a gentle smile.
"Who actually goes around saying they're a good guy?" Mash couldn't help but retort.
"You're quite sarcastic, aren't you, young lady?" He chuckled.
"No, I just..." Mash stammered, feeling a bit nervous.
"Don't be so on edge. Like I said, I'm a good guy."
Shirou walked over to a rock and sat down. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Fujimaru Shirou, an Assassin-class Servant. You can call me 'Shirou,' no need for formalities."
"Fujimaru? Shirou?" she was stunned.
He smiled, "Is there a problem, young lady?"
"No, no problem," Mash quickly waved her hands. She felt somewhat nervous, being at a disadvantage and under someone else's control.
"Alright, let's cut to the chase," Shirou said, locking eyes with her. "Where are you from?"
Mashu hesitated. Rule number one for newbie: never freely give away personal information to strangers.
After a brief pause, she started, "I'm from—"
He cut her off. "—Chaldea."
What? How did he know? Mash's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Next question, what's your name?"
"My name is—"
"—Mash Kyrielight," he interjected again.
How? How could he know all this? Mashu was dumbfounded.
Wait a minute. She'd been unconscious earlier. Could she have revealed everything while she was out cold? It seemed likely. The rookie handbook warned about exactly this sort of thing!
The realization made her even more anxious. She was worried she had unwittingly compromised herself.
"So, third question: what's a singularity?" He finally asked.
"It's an anomaly formed by the intersection of different worlds. If it's not neutralized, it'll cause a conceptual collision between the worlds, leading to their mutual annihilation starting from that connection point..."
Halfway through, she stopped short. Why did she just blurt that out?
He nodded, "You were doing great, why'd you stop?"
"Are you trying to trick me?" Mashu eyed him suspiciously.
Shirou looked genuinely surprised, exclaiming, "My goodness, you actually caught on!"
"Sir, please don't take me for a fool!" she retorted.
"I don't think you're fool; you just seemed really tense, so I thought a joke might lighten the mood," Shirou said, smiling.
"Really?" she asked, still wary.
He nodded, "You were about to be burned alive. I saved you."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Fujimaru, but I don't remember that," Mashu replied, bowing her head slightly in apology.
She didn't think he was lying; he didn't give off that vibe. Most importantly, someone with such clear, bright eyes wouldn't lie, right?
"Don't worry about it," He shook his head. "So when did you get to this world?"
Mashu answered, "Recently."
As expected, she's not from this world, Shirou thought, nodding in satisfaction at having confirmed another detail.
Slowly standing up, he extended his arm and pointed to the black ring in the sky. "Is that what you're after?"
Mash stared at him in amazement. "How—how did you know?"
"You told me," Shirou said, smiling at her obvious expression.
Mash was dumbfounded; she hadn't said a word.
Turning his back to her, he gazed at the black ring. "Final question. Are Eternal King and King of Knights the same person?"
"Absolutely not," Mash replied almost reflexively.
"I see..." He sighed, then turned back to face her. "Thanks for giving me an important piece of information."
"What?" Mash was utterly bewildered. What had she just given away?
Comments
JeanMartin Freites
That's a good question.
