Chapter 44: Day 9 ⑦

"Ow… ugh… wait, what?"

Feeling a throbbing pain in my forehead, I grimaced but managed to push my upper body up.

I shook my head and looked around; I was in my own room. I tried to grasp the situation, only to realize that my memory cut off right when I returned home yesterday.

"…I see. I collapsed again, didn't I?"

My consciousness gradually cleared. As I fully woke, the memory of my blunder returned, leaving me slightly depressed.

Lately, it felt like I’d been collapsing and causing trouble for everyone far too often. The last time I passed out was when Tohsaka made me swallow that jewel—and that was only three days ago.

I tried to get up from my futon, but my body naturally tilted to the side, and I stumbled. I felt like I had slept quite a bit, but it seemed I wasn't back to full strength yet.

I placed my hands firmly on the floor and stood up, carefully verifying each movement. Collecting myself, I checked the clock; it was nearly noon. A basin filled with water sat by my bedside, and a wet towel lay on the floor next to my pillow, likely having fallen off when I tossed in my sleep.

Who had been nursing me? Was it… Alto?

Lia seemed like the type who would watch over me the whole time, but I couldn't quite imagine her preparing a wet towel.

Tohsaka… how about her? To be honest, she seemed like the type who might do it, yet also the type who might not.

As for Shinji—well, sorry, but he’s not even worth considering.

Occupied with such trivial thoughts, I finished changing out of the clothes I had been wearing since yesterday.

With the basin and towel in one hand, I walked toward the living room with slightly unsteady steps. I made a conscious effort to plant my feet firmly as I walked, my mind working to figure out our plans for the future.

…Actually, forget plans; I hadn't even established a basic guideline yet.

Between dealing with the Bounded Field at school—the immediate threat—and the consecutive battles against Caster, I hadn't had the luxury of planning anything.

That didn't mean I’d have the freedom to plan things from now on, though. Since we didn't even know where the other Masters were, our options seemed limited.

At any rate, I figured I should just wait until I met up with everyone before thinking about it.

"Uh… morning? Also, what is all this?"

It looked like they had just finished lunch; Tohsaka, Lia, and Alto were all gathered in the living room. It was the usual sight.

However, something felt unnatural. Objects that had no business being in a normal household—blades and swords—were scattered across the floor and the table.

"You say 'morning,' but it’s already noon."

Tohsaka, who was intently examining one of the items in her hand, replied without even looking up.

"I know, but saying 'good afternoon' right after waking up feels weird, doesn't it?"

"That is true. In that case, what would be the appropriate greeting?"

"I believe 'good morning' is perfectly fine."

While Lia was seriously considering the question while staring at the object in her own hand, Alto, who looked somewhat haggard, answered weakly beside her.

"Anyway, back to the point. What happened here?"

Exactly. This was the cause of the disharmony in the room. I asked Lia and Alto while eyeing the weaponry that shouldn't be lying around a regular home.

"Rin said she wanted to confirm Alto's abilities…"

"Eh? Alto's ability involves these swords?"

I set the basin I was still holding onto the table for now and, following Lia and Tohsaka's lead, picked up one of the swords discarded on the floor.

Its shape… was an extremely old model following the lineage of the Gladius. Chronologically, it was likely from early medieval Europe. It was double-edged and made of iron, so the blade was wide to compensate for strength—a common weapon used by mercenaries or soldiers. Since it was designed for mass production, it had zero ornamentation.

Holding it, a thought occurred to me. I had seen something identical to this once before.

"Hm…?"

I was reading the structure of this late-model Gladius almost subconsciously (Structural Analysis). That’s when I noticed… this was "inferior to the ones I had seen in museums before."

Of course, the one in my hand didn't have the rust or degradation from the passage of time like the museum pieces. In terms of current performance and strength as a weapon, the one in my hand was undoubtedly superior.

It wasn't something on the surface, but the make of the object itself. How should I put it… there was a minute, almost imperceptible "void" nesting within this sword.

However, it was perfectly fine for use, and depending on the piece, its durability and sharpness were superior to others of the same type. It wasn't that the sword itself was "inferior" in a practical sense.

What I felt wasn't a fragility as a weapon, but a fragility of its very existence.

But even when I tried to put it into words, it didn't come out right. I couldn't find the perfect word to describe it. But this feeling—I definitely felt it yesterday when we fought Kuzuki-sensei, too…

"I see… So being able to manifest swords you had a connection with in life means this. On top of that, there's no limit to the number of blades. However, I can barely sense any Mystery (Shinpisei) from them, and they lack magical enchantments, so they probably won't be a decisive blow against a Servant."

Reacting to her voice, I shifted my focus away from the sword and looked at Tohsaka. She was holding a pair of identical short swords, one in each hand.

…No, those weren't short swords. Normally, they would be double-edged, but these were single-edged. Seaxes, perhaps? Their origin was also European. I recall reading somewhere that the name Seax comes from the Saxons.

And I recognized these Seaxes as well. I’d been interested in blades since I was a kid and had researched them, so I must have seen them somewhere before.

"Hmm, if we weren't in the middle of a Holy Grail War, this ability would be practically cheating… Alto, do you have anything else? Let’s see… can you bring out the swords that Emiya-kun Projected?"

"Ah, yes."

Tohsaka's gaze locked onto me. For some reason, Alto looked at my face and hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Lia and closed her eyes. Her lips seemed to be weaving something, but I couldn't tell if she was actually making a sound.

"Shirou."

"Eh? …Oh, Lia."

Since they spoke with the exact same voice, I thought for a second that Alto had spoken to me.

"You seemed to be wondering, so let me explain. Since you were unconscious, you probably didn't know, but it seems Alto possesses a special ability that I do not have."

"Uh, based on the conversation, are you talking about these swords?"

"Yes. It appears Alto is able to bring weapons she owned in her past life to her hand. Since Alto herself only recognized this ability yesterday, Rin is currently having her manifest various swords to see if any might be useful."

"…I see. So that’s why the living room is full of swords."

I looked around the room once more.

Most of the swords here were types used in Europe. If Alto owned them in her past life, does that mean she’s a hero from the European region?

Well, she has blonde hair and fair skin, so I’d already guessed as much, but I had no clue about her True Name… The only female hero I know who fits that description is Jeanne d'Arc, so I'm stuck.

Ah, wait, Tohsaka did call Alto a "King," didn't she? If she’s a Queen, a few names come to mind, but… no. I can't think of anyone. Now I'm even more confused.

Thinking that far, I looked at Alto again. In her hands, she was already gripping the two swords from last night—Kanshou and Bakuya.

I wanted to see the moment she manifested them, but it seemed I had missed it. There’s something bothering me about these swords. Well, they aren't things that exist in the modern era, so I guess it’s natural for them to feel "off."

"…Heh, as I thought, these are in a league of their own."

Tohsaka let out a voice of admiration as she took Kanshou and Bakuya. Just as she said, those two definitely stood out among the rest.

"Wait here for a second."

With that, Tohsaka handed Kanshou and Bakuya back to Alto and left the living room.

Left behind, Lia, Alto, and I naturally looked at each other.

""Is Shirou alright now?""

Th-the voices were in stereo. And since they have the exact same tone, it felt like my ears were playing tricks on me.

I can distinguish between Lia and Alto if I hear them individually, but when they overlap, I honestly can't tell who is who.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Sorry for making you all worry. By the way, where’s Shinji?"

I couldn't see Shinji, who usually took up a corner of the table. It was almost noon, so it wasn't likely that he was still asleep.

"Shinji? He woke up once during the morning, but then he wandered out of the living room. I haven't seen him since."

"I see. Well, Caster did say she’d stop targeting Shinji, so I'm not too worried, but… did he say where he was going?"

"As far as I know, I haven't heard anything from him."

Lia shook her head, while Alto answered with a hand on her chin as if trying to remember.

That guy doesn't have any means of defense right now, so he’d be helpless if he were attacked. But then again, Shinji doesn't have any Command Spells. From his perspective, staying in this house might actually be the most dangerous place to be.

"Alto, sorry to keep you waiting."

While I was thinking about that, Tohsaka returned with a book in her hand.

It was a fairly thick hardcover, and the words written in gold on the cover were "Holy Grail." Uh… "Seihai," right? There was also a silver cup depicted on the cover.

I peeked at it from the side, but the contents seemed to be written in English. Aside from basic words you’d find in a textbook, I couldn't understand most of it.

Tohsaka flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. She turned the page toward Alto and said:

"Can you manifest this one, or maybe even this? Oh, and what about shields or accessories?"

She started placing orders as if she were browsing a catalog. In response, Alto looked somewhat troubled, and Lia, peeking at the page from the side, whispered something into Alto's ear.

Sigh… it might be a bit late to say this, but being the only one who doesn't know Lia and Alto's True Names makes me feel terribly left out and a bit lonely. Besides, I can't really join in when they talk about this kind of stuff, and since I don't know if I'm even allowed to hear it, I can’t carelessly approach them.

"It seems that bringing accessories to my hand is impossible. Furthermore, those swords belong to the knights, not to me, do they not?"

"I was just asking. If it were accessories, I might have been able to use them too… but I guess it’s not that simple."

"…Rin, as Alto mentioned, manifesting weapons also consumes Magical Energy (Prana). Surely you consumed quite a bit in yesterday's battle as well?"

"Eh? It’s fine, you know? It seems she hasn't used her Noble Phantasm, so I’m only feeling a little sluggish. …Actually, you’re right. It’s not like we have energy to spare, and there are still other enemy Masters out there, so we should probably stop here. —Oh, Alto, this shield belongs to you, doesn't it? What about this?"

"Ah, uh… that is…"

"Rin, were you not just saying you were going to stop?"

Leaving me behind, the three of them began to talk in earnest.

…I guess I’ll go put this basin away.