"Gruduk, Gruduk..." The sound of the horse's hooves echoed from inside the carriage Shirou was riding. He had placed all his rewards and meager equipment inside the carriage. The crystal stones he had collected were handed over to the [Guild] of Gusnansel. Now, the money in his possession amounted to 110,000 Valis.
"So, you're headed to Orario, huh? That's different from what you said earlier," Arther broke the silence from the driver's seat at the front of the carriage.
Hearing this from inside, Shirou blushed in embarrassment. "Uhh, I changed my mind. I think my abilities could be put to better use as a hero."
"Ahahahaha!" The old man laughed heartily, holding his large belly. "Kids these days, always so fickle."
"Even though I'm a bit sad that you won't be going to become a philosopher at [Silverleaf Academy, becoming a hero in Orario is a much better fit." Even from inside the carriage, Shirou could see the wide smile on the old man's face.
"Did you know that, besides being a philosopher, I also wanted to be a hero when I was young?" Arther started sharing stories from his youth.
Shirou felt a sense of déjà vu but listened intently to the man who had saved him once again.
"We'll need to take a break soon. Orario is quite far, so we'll need to stop at a few inns for a rest," Arther explained with a broad smile on his face.
"Alright, thank you, sir."
The two of them entered one of the inns after storing their belongings and horse-drawn carriage. The inn they stayed at was of lower quality than the ones Shirou had stayed in before. Even the price was higher, which Shirou understood, as the inn looked deserted and had only a few guests.
Shirou entered the room he rented, which was right next to Arther's room. "Good night, sir."
"Good night, kid. Sleep well, the journey is still long." Arther reminded him.
Shirou closed the door, lay down, and covered himself with a blanket.
A long dream had just begun.
The dream had just started, but Shirou knew it was a continuation of the dream from the previous night. He saw his other self, who had won the [Holy Grail War] alongside Saber. With their combined strength, they defeated Gilgamesh and destroyed the [Holy Grail].
In that dream, all he could see was Saber returning to the [Throne of Heroes, still unable to erase the regrets she had during her time as king. The two of them parted with smiles filled with unspoken words.
After the bitter end of the [Holy Grail War, Shirou didn't stop pursuing his dream. He and Rin traveled together to England, to the headquarters of the Mage's Association at Clocktower. While Rin was accepted as an apprentice of the [True Magic] user Zelretch, Shirou continued his father's legacy and became the [Second Magus Killer, efficiently hunting down criminals targeted by the Mage's Association.
In the dream, his relationship with Rin wasn't as close as he remembered in his previous world. Shirou, consumed by the dream he promised to his father, pressed forward without caring about the consequences. He killed criminals, exposed the scandals of nobles at Clocktower, hunted vampires or [Dead Apostles, and did it all relentlessly. Every time he met Rin, she tried to remind him, but Shirou always ignored her, and eventually, she gave up on him.
It all came with consequences. The people who had supported him ended up betraying him. Shirou, who had always prioritized justice without favoritism, eventually felt the weight of his actions. All the factions he had wronged harbored grudges against him, while others saw him as a mad dog who couldn't be reasoned with.
His life ended with a false accusation. He was captured by the elite forces sent by the Mage's Association and sentenced for crimes he had never committed. His punishment was death by hanging. Shirou felt no regret, knowing that this was always going to be his fate.
As he was led to the gallows, he looked around. The people surrounding him glared with hatred, and Rin looked at him with disappointment. But Shirou still smiled, even as the noose was placed around his neck. When the lever was pulled and the floor gave way, his body began to fall, and his head hung.
In a whisper, he muttered, "Father, have I become a hero...?"
Shirou woke up, drenched in sweat. His tunic was soaked from the nightmare. He knew exactly what the dream was about—it was a glimpse of Archer's past.
"I won't have any regrets..." Shirou knew that he might end up the same way. Even though he was in a different world, his dream remained unchanged, and people's attitudes might still be the same. Who knows, his end might even be worse than Archer's.
Knock, knock, knock—there was a knock on the door.
Forcing himself to get up, Shirou opened the door. Through the window, he could see that the sun had already risen, and morning had arrived. Normally, he woke up before sunrise, but the dream had delayed his waking.
Slowly, Shirou opened the door, and there stood the old man with a broad smile. "Wake up, kid. You've got to get ready. We're leaving in a few hours."
"Thank you for the reminder, Arther-san."
That morning continued with breakfast prepared by the inn, a bath in the public bathhouse, and a trip to the market for supplies. Time flew by, and before Shirou realized it, he was back in Arther's carriage.
Time passed quickly as Arther kept talking. Throughout the journey, Shirou half-listened to Arther's stories and responded half-heartedly to the old man's questions. The dream from the night before continued to haunt him, souring his mood. The journey continued, and each night they either stopped at an inn or slept inside the carriage on the roadside. Nothing disturbed them, except for Shirou's recurring nightmares.
At the end of Archer's life, he was given the chance by the consciousness of humanity, [Alaya, to become a [Counter Guardian]. He thought that by becoming a [Counter Guardian, he would continue the dream his father had given him. Archer accepted [Alaya]'s offer with a grateful heart.
But what he had thought was completely wrong. He wasn't called to be a hero—he was summoned only as an executioner, a tool to kill without mercy. He was sent into war zones, killing everyone involved, eradicating infectious diseases by slaughtering all the patients, and burning their bodies until nothing remained. He destroyed mass weapon factories, even if it meant wiping out entire cities.
Each time he was summoned, he became more submerged in a sea of blood from his victims. Again and again and again. He did this for years, without counting his age.
The dream continued every time Shirou slept at night. Each night, Archer completed one or two missions in the dream, and with each one, Shirou came to understand why Archer had become so cynical. He had gone from a young man, full of optimism about his dream, to someone who despised that dream and loathed his younger self for never thinking about anything or anyone besides that dream.
The dream always ended with Archer being summoned as the [Servant] Archer in the Fifth [Holy Grail War, the same war Shirou had experienced as Saber's Master.
"Wake up, kid, we've arrived." Arther shook Shirou's body, waking him from his midday nap.
As usual, Shirou woke up drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked.
"You always seem restless when you sleep. Do you often have nightmares?" Arther asked, sounding concerned.
"It's nothing, sir. Just memories of the past," Shirou replied, giving a white lie. He didn't want to worry the man who had helped him so much. He already felt like he was a burden.
"Ahahahaha!" Arther slapped Shirou's shoulder and said, "New surroundings will make you nervous, but I'm sure you'll become a famous adventurer in this city." The old man said it with the intention of cheering Shirou up.
Shirou smiled and jokingly replied, "When I'm famous, I won't forget to give you an autograph."
"AHAHAHA!" Arther burst out laughing, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. "I'll be waiting for that, but don't take too long—I'm not getting any younger."
After that, the two of them parted ways with a hug. Arther gently patted Shirou's hair before heading off to take care of his own business in Orario. Shirou wondered if Arther saw him as his own son or grandson since the old man lived alone with no one else by his side. Shirou hoped he could fulfill the promise he had made to Arther, as he had failed to fulfill his previous promises.
From outside the city, Shirou could see a tall tower rising into the sky. He knew it was Babel Tower, which Arther had told him about during their journey. The tower reminded him of the Tower of Babel from ancient Babylon. Whether there was a connection or not, Shirou didn't know.
Entering Orario, Shirou immediately felt a different atmosphere. Orario was much busier than the previous cities he had visited. Many different races appeared to live peacefully here, and Shirou saw more races than just Elves. He noticed a Dark Elf woman preparing her arrows, a short, stocky man, also known as a Dwarf, with a thick beard, carried a hammer on his shoulder, while a small-framed young man lugged a large bag that was twice the size of his body.
'Those three must be in a group,' thought Shirou.
However, the most unique sight for Shirou was the Beast Humans, who had animal body parts. Most of them had animal ears, like those of cats, dogs, wolves, and many others.
Thud
Without realizing it, while Shirou was busy watching the people around him, he bumped into a girl directly in front of him. The girl had bluish-gray hair tied in a small knot styled into a ponytail. She fell to the ground, while Shirou remained standing, his right knee bent forward.
"Ouch..." the girl winced in pain, holding her head, which was adorned with a white maid's headband.
Feeling guilty, Shirou extended his hand. "Miss, are you alright?"
The girl took Shirou's hand and stood up with his help. She dusted off her white apron, which covered her light green maid's uniform. Without any hint of anger or frustration, she smiled sweetly and asked, "First time in Orario, huh?"
Shirou, who had expected her to be upset, froze for a moment. He felt like a country bumpkin who had never been to the city before. Scratching his head, he replied, "Umm, yes. Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
"Hmm, let me think..." The girl placed her index finger on the corner of her lips.
Flustered, Shirou quickly apologized again. "I'm really sorry! I'll do anything to make it up to you."
The girl's smile grew wider. "That's more like it. How about this—tonight, come to the [Hostess of Fertility] restaurant and order the special menu under my name."
Many questions popped into Shirou's head, from the restaurant's location to what the special menu might be, but first, he asked the most important question. "Err, ordering the special under your name... May I know your name?"
Without hesitation, the girl with the grayish-blue hair extended her hand. "Syr Flova. I'm a waitress at [Hostess of Fertility]. If you order the special, I'll get a bonus."
Shirou shook her hand. "Shirou Emiya. I'm just a traveler who recently arrived in this city."
As he shook Syr's hand, Shirou noticed something unusual with one of his senses. It wasn't his sense of touch that felt the softness of the girl's hand, nor was it his sense of sight that appreciated her beauty. It was his sense of smell that detected something out of the ordinary.
He wasn't a perverted guy who enjoyed sniffing girls, but his nose was sensitive to supernatural occurrences. During the [Holy Grail War, he was able to detect the sigils placed and hidden by Rider.
This time, he smelled the scent of flowers blooming in the winter coming from Syr. Shirou knew that the scent wasn't from perfume but rather from a supernatural aura emanating from Syr. He began to wonder, 'Could Syr be something other than human?'
Shirou had never smelled anything like this from Saber or Rin. Oddly, the scent reminded him of Rider, Berserker, and even Gilgamesh, though none of them had a floral fragrance.
"Uhm, you can let go of my hand now," Syr's soft voice snapped Shirou out of his thoughts.
Hurriedly, Shirou released her hand, which had been in his grip for too long. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it." He was worried she might think he was making excuses just to hold her hand.
"Hehehe..." Syr giggled at Shirou's panic. "So, what about my offer?"
Feeling embarrassed, Shirou couldn't possibly refuse the girl's request, especially since he had wronged her twice. "Of course, I'll accept, but I don't know where your restaurant is."
"That's easy. Our restaurant is pretty famous. Just turn right from the entrance to the Dungeon, and it's on that street. If you get lost, you can ask any of the locals." Syr explained the location with both of her fingers.
Shirou nodded. "Alright, I promise I'll be there tonight."
"I'll be waiting, don't forget!" Syr said, waving as she walked away.
Stiffly, Shirou returned the wave.