Fate: Emiya the Host

"Let's rest here for a while first," Shirou couldn't even tell what time it was anymore.

Under the firelight that could be seen everywhere, thick black clouds covered the sky, blocking out the sun.

There wasn't a single trace of sunlight.

"We're not continuing?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka was panting heavily, "I'm fine."

"Don't worry about it," Shirou said, "I'm the one who wants to rest. Since this is a decisive battle, going in with bad condition would easily lead to mistakes."

After all, he had just fought two Servants.

Both mentally and physically, he was extremely exhausted.

Not to mention, before coming here, his condition was already kind of bad.

This reason obviously couldn't be accepted by Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Thinking she was the one dragging them down, she pressed her lips together and said, "Sorry."

Shirou waved his hand and found a place to sit down.

Seeing him do that, the other two half-reluctantly sat down as well.

As a demi-Servant, Mash didn't feel anything. Which is why Servants really are the best fighters.

As long as they have mana, you can squeeze them however you want.

"Whew~", Fujimaru Ritsuka let out a breath as if she'd been saved, showing an expression of finally being alive.

From Fuyuki Bridge to here, it had taken almost three to four hours.

They hadn't drunk a single drop of water or eaten a single bite of food.

And they had been walking through a sea of fire. Bad conditions, uneven roads.

Fujimaru Ritsuka herself couldn't believe she'd managed to hang on this long without saying a word.

After sitting for a while, Shirou stood up.

"We're setting off already?", Fujimaru Ritsuka jumped in fright.

'You just sat down and already has enough rest? You still call yourself a human?'

"Don't misunderstand. I just need to take care of something… biologically."

"B… biologically?", Fujimaru Ritsuka's little face turned bright red.

"Shouldn't that kind of thing be restrained at a time like this?"

"?", When Shirou typed out a question mark, it meant either he had a problem or you had a problem.

"Senpai, what's wrong! Your face is so red, are you sick?", Mash even reached out and touched her forehead worriedly.

All that could be said was, this version of Eggplant was truly way too innocent.

"Idiot!", Olga Marie pressed her hand to her forehead, "How could you possibly… link it to that at a time like this?"

She herself was also extremely embarrassed.

'Why is everybody being so innocent it's kind of cute?'

Shirou had no choice but to let them imagine whatever they wanted.

He went to the bathroom.

After finishing, he noticed there was no water.

No matter. He projected it.

Very carefully, he washed his hands.

He had plenty of mana, so he didn't care about that bit.

When he came back, the three of them looked normal on the surface, so Shirou didn't think much of it.

He sat back in his original spot and closed his eyes.

'System-san, come out and sleep.'

One second later, Shirou lost consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, he found a face pressed right in front of him and was startled.

"Fu… Fujimaru…"

"Ritsuka!"

"..."

"I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka, please remember that, Emiya-senpai."

At this distance, Fujimaru Ritsuka's skin looked flawless.

Her large golden brown eyes didn't blink as she stared at Shirou. Her expression was very serious.

She thought Shirou had forgotten her name.

"Uh, well… what's the matter?", Shirou asked subtly.

"Emiya-kun" was still okay, but "Emiya-senpai".

In an instant he'd been upgraded from "classmate" to "senpai", which did feel a little awkward.

Speaking of which, Fujimaru Ritsuka scratched her head and glanced at Mash out of the corner of her eye.

Shirou understood instantly and took her to the corner.

"You want to know how to help Mash, right?"

"Y…yes," Fujimaru Ritsuka lowered her head shyly, "All along it's been Mash protecting me. So I want to at least lighten her burden a little bit, even if just a little."

She didn't hope to really help, she just didn't want to drag her down.

"Why do you think I'd be able to help you?"

"B…because you're an excellent magus, aren't you, senpai?"

"Excellent?", Emiya Shirou laughed easily, "Sorry, but right now I'm just a magus apprentice."

"How could that be…"

Fujimaru Ritsuka was stunned, "Even though you can fight a Servant, you still don't count as an official magus?"

"If I had to say, I might not even count as a magus apprentice."

Shirou said, looking out the window, "Strictly speaking, I'm the same as you, just an ordinary person."

"Emiya-senpai," Fujimaru Ritsuka was speechless, "It's fine if you don't want to tell me, but calling yourself an ordinary person is too much!"

She was genuinely angry. A guy who could go head-to-head against a Servant saying he's an ordinary person, then what was she? Disabled?

"That's not it," Shirou smiled, "I really mean it from the bottom of my heart. And besides, because I'm an ordinary person, Mash is willing to protect you."

"Eh?", Fujimaru Ritsuka tilted her head.

She never expected him to say that.

"Haven't you noticed?", Shirou said, "What Mash needs isn't a first-rate magus, but you, as her senpai."

"That's kind of a stretch…", Fujimaru Ritsuka puffed her cheeks, "What could she possibly need me for?"

"That's not necessarily true," Shirou knocked on her head, the hair tied into a bun on the left side.

"Ow!", Fujimaru Ritsuka held her head.

Only one meter fifty-eight tall, she looked far too small standing in front of nearly one-meter-eighty Shirou.

"You must have done something that made Mash acknowledge you, which is why she's willing, and from the bottom of her heart wants to protect you."

"Something that made Mash acknowledge me…?", Fujimaru Ritsuka muttered.

She recalled Mash's prayer in the great fire, and the tightly clasped hands.

"So that's how it is."

She suddenly understood, then said a little dejectedly, "Even so, I still don't count as a qualified Master. I don't even know Mash's Noble Phantasm. If I were a first-rate magus, I'd be able to figure out the Servant's true name just by checking the information."

"Wait a second, who told you that?", Shirou interrupted her.

"Eh? Isn't that how it is?", Fujimaru Ritsuka realized something was wrong and gave a sheepish laugh.

Shirou sighed, "Fujimaru, sometimes you need to listen carefully to what other people say. You were definitely dozing off when the Director was explaining it, right?"

"Hehe," Fujimaru Ritsuka stuck out her tongue.

Shirou patiently explained, "Even a first-rate magus can't learn a Servant's true name or Noble Phantasm from the status window."

"In general, a Master can only see a Servant's parameters, like strength, agility, luck, that sort of thing."

"To know a Servant's true name and Noble Phantasm, the Master uses a holy relic to summon them. In other words, they know what kind of Heroic Spirit might be summoned ahead of time. Based on the Servant's legends or history, they can make educated guesses."

"And ultimately, it's the Servant who tells them."

"So, not knowing the name of the Noble Phantasm isn't your problem. In fact, it's not a problem at all."

"Why?", Fujimaru Ritsuka was getting a little confused.

Shirou poked her forehead. "Focus! A Noble Phantasm is instinctive. As long as the Servant follows their heart, the radiance will naturally bloom."

"So the only thing you need to do is one thing, trust!"

"Trust…"

Fujimaru Ritsuka clenched her small fist.

"That's right. Trust your Servant. Believe in her, stand together with her. That's the only thing you need to do, and the only thing you can do."

"Senpai… is that how you did it?", Fujimaru Ritsuka covered her forehead with one hand, her big eyes blinking.

Shirou fell into a momentary recollection.

("Berserker is the strongest!")

A smile unconsciously floated onto his face.

"Yeah… I was trusted without condition."

Fujimaru Ritsuka stood frozen in place, staring at that smile.

"Senpai… smiled."

═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═

patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator

🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.