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IBHJ Chapter 427
🕑 Added 2023-08-19 02:52:06 +0000 UTCShirou cast a glance at his waning magical reserves, a trace of frustration tainting his words. "Whether it's Scathach or the other Knights of the Round, your manifestation as Caster drains too much of my magical energy. And now, I have no means of recovering it."
"But the effect isn't bad, right?" Merlin pointed to the black mist blocked by his sea of flowers on the sea's surface.
"That's a fair point, I'll give you credit for that." Shirou let out a chuckle, yet his smile held a hint of wryness as he observed his dwindling magical energy.
Gil shifted his attention to Merlin, a question forming on his lips. "How much longer must we wait for Solomon's arrival?"
"Hard to say... whether he will come is also a question." Merlin sighed, "For King Solomon, nothing can disturb him in the slightest. It's very difficult to predict his actions."
Gil let out an exasperated sigh. "Unfortunately, you're not wrong."
Shirou knew that his Noble Phantasm differed from Gil's, yet he quickly understood the situation. It was evident that Merlin had reached out to Solomon, attempting to lure him to Fuyuki City.
"We can't rely on him as a combat asset right now. Our priority is to secure the safety of the civilians," he asserted.
Merlin nodded in agreement.
Shirou organized the groups and used his Noble Phantasm to summon two hundred soldiers. He directed them to spread the information about the escape route.
At this moment, Artoria gestured towards Angelica and Beatrice, asking, "My King, how should we deal with them?"
Angelica regarded him calmly and said, "Please set us free. We're willing to offer our assistance."
"Oh?" He arched an eyebrow and asked, "Aren't you planning to take Miyu with you?"
Her gaze shifted to the slumbering dragon in the sky as she explained, "That thing has already emerged from Pandora's Box, which means Miyu's power is no longer useful."
"We can't trust them, onii-chan! They attacked us before!" Chloe interjected with an alarmed tone.
He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, then turned to Angelica, stating, "I believe your words, but I can't entirely trust your companion. So keep an eye on her."
With his directive, Artoria released their restraints.
The groups dispersed, preparing to spread the information about the escape route.
As they moved, he monitored his magical energy with a hint of concern on his face.
Despite the incredible might of the Eternal King, he had an insatiable appetite for magical energy. It could be described as charging for two hours, only to deplete it within two minutes.
Magical energy ranked high among his worries, and currently, the Evil Flower had ceased its function due to the massive creature in the sky, leaving him unable to absorb magical energy.
Releasing the class card was not a viable option either. Doing so would render his Class Card unusable for several hours. Beyond the concern of potential accidents, the crux of the matter lay in the fact that releasing the class card would cause Merlin to vanish, and the expanse of flowers that currently acted as a barrier against the boundless black mist over the sea would dissipate as well. The following outcomes were painfully obvious.
However, it was precisely due to these circumstances that the magical energy he had painstakingly amassed over these days was depleting at a noticeable pace, a cause for growing concern. Yet, he found himself devoid of any means to replenish his magical energy.
"My King," Merlin suddenly said, "there's actually a way to restore your magical energy."
Shirou came to an abrupt halt, casting a surprised glance at him, "A method to replenish my magical energy? This is news to me. What is it?"
Merlin gestured towards Miyu, who stood beside him, a smile playing on his lips as he explained, "The Holy Grail is right here, isn't it?"
Miyu pointed at herself, asking in confusion, "Me? Uh... Can I help Fujimaru-niisan replenish his magical energy?"
Shirou, though somewhat baffled, remained patient. He clarified, "Miyu can't use her abilities without a Holy Grail ritual."
Merlin shook his head, "That's not what I mean. I'm talking about magical energy transfer."
Shirou and Miyu were taken aback.
"Transfer... magical energy?" He stared at Merlin in disbelief.
"That's right, my King," Merlin nodded earnestly and explained, "This happens to be the only method available to restore your magical energy, and it's also the most efficient method. Most importantly, there's a ready-to-use Holy Grail at our disposal."
Shirou smiled, beckoning Merlin with his finger and said gently, "What a brilliant suggestion. Come here for a moment."
"What's the matter, my King?" Merlin leaned over, his face full of curiosity.
Shirou's eyes flashed with a cold light as he drew the Caliburn and lunged at Merlin, causing the latter to jerk back in startled alarm.
"What... what are you doing, my King?" Merlin asked anxiously.
"To think you'd use such words to insult me. Today, I'll strike you down!"
"Even if you were to strike me down, it wouldn't accomplish anything. You'd just needlessly lose some magical energy... Besides, I believe my proposal is a good solution for our current situation! Even if you don't like it, there's no need to come at me with a sword!"
He remained silent and swung the sword at him.
"Transferring magical energy..." Miyu muttered for a moment, then curiously looked at the blushing ruby, asking, "Ruby, what does this mean?"
"Oh my, oh my. It's about doing specific things with His Majesty to give him a good dose of magical energy... really shows the brilliance of my ex-magical girl, coming up with stuff that even I couldn't have thought of that easily," Ruby said, her tone carrying a hint of emotion.
"Doing specific things? What do you mean?" she asked, sounding puzzled.
Ruby let out a little laugh, "Oh, you're such an innocent one, Miyu. He's talking about physical relationship."
"Physical... relationship?" she was caught off guard.
Ruby pressed on, "Just like that book you were reading earlier, 'The Eternal King Can't Possibly Be a True Ancestor Girl.' It's about sharing bodily fluids..."
"No... don't say it!" Miyu's face turned crimson in an instant as the realization hit her.
Glancing at Shirou, who was in pursuit of Merlin, she blushed and hesitated briefly. Then, with a resolute expression, she looked at him and shouted, "Nii-san!"
Shirou came to a stop and faced Miyu. Despite her flushed cheeks, she met his gaze and said, "If it's you, I'm willing!"
His expression turned gloomy. What on earth is going through these people's minds? Have I become too agreeable? That's why they're all saying such shameless things to me, one after another?
"Fujimaru-niisan..."
Miyu was about to say more, but he stepped forward and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her along.
"Ouch... ouch..." she winced in pain.
Merlin asked curiously, "My King, she agreed to it. Why are you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Shirou reached out and grabbed his hair as well.
With Miyu on his left and Merlin on his right, he continued walking.
Merlin let out a sigh, "My King, your journey has reached a crucial point. You can't replenish your magical energy, and you can't display your complete form. The road ahead seems like a dead end."
"Enough talk! Consider yourself lucky that I don't have the luxury of time to argue with you!" he snorted, "And dead end? What an absurd notion. I put my trust in the path under my feet. As long as I keep moving forward, the way will unfold itself before me. I'll press on, even if the gods themselves try to stand in front of me; I'll overcome every single one of them!"
"It seems you haven't changed a bit. Just as serious as ever," Merlin sighed and then tugged at his own hair in frustration, "But well, my King has grown so twisted that he's resorting to pulling men's hair now. It's giving me a headache."
Ruby chimed in with a taunting tone, "Oh, I knew this would happen! It truly matches your charmingly unrefined behavior, Melly-chan~!"
Shirou led the two of them towards the city hall.
His mood had been quite heavy, and he felt slightly lost, but Merlin's words helped him sort through his thoughts, infusing them with determination.
Wasn't this the natural course of things?
Whether it was nine years ago or now, there was no path ahead of him—just a vast expanse of uncertainty and the unknown.
Looking back at the long road he had traveled so far, all that remained was the determination to keep moving forward.
However...
Comments
JeanMartin Freites
Yeah, I can see we our hero would be pretty hesitant to go with the best option.
