Because Excalibur had disrupted the joy of Shirou and Artoria's reunion, even though they hadn't been apart long, it was understandable that Artoria reacted this way, considering she had just experienced the end of her life.
Drawing her familiar sword, she habitually tried to store it, only to suddenly realize that she was no longer a Servant. Many of the conveniences she had enjoyed as a Servant were now gone.
For example, the ability to turn her full armor and sword into "nothingness" and then summon them when needed was exclusive to Heroic Spirits or Servants. Now that Artoria had returned to human form, she couldn't do that anymore.
Of course, she could still use abilities inherent to the Sword of the Lake, such as concealing the blade with Invisible Air.
"The armor and weapons aren't a big problem. They're easy to deal with."
"Are you leaving again?"
Cú Chulainn watched Ethan's movements and knew they were preparing to leave. He didn't know where they were going or what they were doing, but not being brought along still annoyed him for some reason.
"I'll be putting Shirou and Illya through a series of training sessions for a while. Once things settle down, I'll bring you along next time."
"Hmph, come talk to me when I'm on vacation."
Cú Chulainn waved them off, signaling them to go already. Then, before Ethan and the others left, he packed up and headed out to work.
"Didn't he say earlier that he had the afternoon shift today?"
Artoria looked up at the sun. It clearly wasn't noon yet.
Seeing this, Shirou scratched his face and smiled awkwardly. "He's just mad that we didn't invite him to come with us... Anyway, how are you feeling now?"
Changing the subject to Artoria's physical state, she immediately shifted her attention.
"Well... how old should I be considered now?"
If she were manifested as a Servant, she could still be said to appear in her prime. Though she had always participated in the Holy Grail War with her real body, her physical age had long since been frozen in her youth.
"You don't need to worry about that. Age doesn't really matter to us."
Shirou forced a bitter smile. Ethan's words once again reminded him of the massive gap between them, and he couldn't shake the feeling that Ethan had forgotten he was just an ordinary person.
He didn't say anything, and he didn't know that Ethan hadn't overlooked his situation at all.
As for Shirou's belief that he was just a regular guy... maybe only he would think that. In Ethan's eyes, his potential far exceeded several members on the ship.
Putting aside Evelyn and Annette, even talented fighters like Selene and Ada, who already had considerable ability, might not surpass Shirou in terms of potential. Shirou was someone who could be selected by the Counter Force and chosen to become a Guardian based on his own ability and ideals.
After returning to Artemis, everyone immediately focused their attention on Artoria.
"You don't look any different."
Rin circled around her, observing carefully. She couldn't see any noticeable change in Artoria from before. She knew Artoria's case was unique, but there should be at least some kind of difference.
"There is one. I can't freely store this set of armor and weapons anymore."
Normally, she could only wear her armor and carry her weapon by hand. And because the scabbard Avalon was placed inside Shirou, she couldn't put the Sword of the Lake back into it either.
"That's not a big deal."
Having lived on Artemis with Ethan in the Harry Potter world for over two years, she had come into contact with and even used many of the ship's tools. She knew that everyone here was equipped with very convenient storage items, including a one-click outfit change function that allowed them to switch attire and gear instantly. It could completely solve Artoria's issue.
"Is that how it works?"
"That's amazing."
Besides Artoria, Sakura also expressed amazement. She kept glancing at Artoria, now fully treating her as her biggest rival.
Although Illya was responsible for teaching Shirou various things, he hadn't started interacting with the equipment on Artemis yet. He had been in the Arthurian world with Artoria, and during his free time, he was either helping Artoria or catching up on basic magic theory.
He also learned from Illya, his older sister, that Ethan intended for him to join this incredible team. Though he didn't fully understand what kind of team it was, Ethan had supported him from the beginning, and he wasn't against the idea.
Of course, Shirou knew that with his current strength, he wasn't qualified to "join" yet. He still had a long way to go.
"From now on, I'll be relying on you to train me properly."
Ethan nodded. It was indeed time to begin one-on-one supplementary training for Shirou.
"No problem."
He turned to Illya, Rin, and Scáthach.
"If you're bored, I can send you somewhere fun for a while."
"No need. This island is nice. It's perfect for relaxing."
The island was designed as a vacation retreat. Ethan suggested that, like Logan, they could each build a house in a spot they liked on the island.
"That sounds good."
This gave everyone something to do. When tired, they could swim or sunbathe at the beach, or hike up the mountain and soak in the hot spring. The mountaintop was too cold for Rin and Illya, though.
As for Shirou, he would now begin intensive training under Ethan's guidance. Besides revisiting the fundamentals of magic theory, he also needed to sharpen his combat skills.
In other words, he was going to be thoroughly beaten by Ethan.
Artoria also joined the training. She needed to readapt to her current body, having grown used to fighting as a Servant. Now she had to relearn how to use her own body.
On the surface, it looked like she was trying to share Shirou's burden by stepping in to help, worried he would be beaten too badly. In reality, she wasn't thinking that much. She simply wanted to get used to her body again. Once she had readjusted, she immediately turned around and started beating Shirou herself.
Without the life-or-death urgency of the Holy Grail War, Shirou couldn't unlock his full potential. Even though Emiya had "shared" his battle experience and skills with him, Shirou couldn't instantly turn them into actual combat ability.
He needed to keep fighting over and over, gradually digesting all the knowledge in his body and mind. For now, the weapons he projected weren't strong enough and were often shattered by Ethan's fists or Artoria's gauntlets.
Still, Shirou was clearly making progress. At first, he couldn't even fight back. Gradually, he began exchanging blows with Artoria, and the strength of his projected weapons steadily improved. Everything was heading in the right direction.
But Ethan still noticed an issue with Shirou. So after a full month of intense training, he didn't spar with him that day and instead started a discussion about Projection Magecraft.
"You're relying too much on the skills and experience you got from Emiya."
"Aren't those techniques the best fit for me?"
Shirou had inherited Emiya's knowledge of Magecraft and combat. He had been training constantly to master it all.
He thought he was on the right path, but Ethan's expression said otherwise.
"The techniques Emiya mastered are best for him, not necessarily for you."
"But... is there really that big of a difference?"
Though they were from different timelines, in terms of magical and combat talent, what worked for Emiya should have worked for him too.
"Normally, that would be true. But your situation is different now. Emiya never experienced what you're going through."
Abandoning the Magecraft system of the Moonlit World, which connects to the Root, and instead learning a broader and more complex form of magic, Shirou could still use Projection due to Ethan's adjustments.
However, when Shirou now used magic, the foundational aspects were completely different from Emiya's. He had already begun walking a path Emiya never took, so the techniques Emiya used were not fully compatible with his current self.
"You can use Emiya's skills as a reference, but if you cling to them too rigidly, your future achievements might end up being lower than his."
The more they diverged, the greater the conflict would become. Shirou quickly realized this.
"Then what should I do?"
"You're already solid on the basics. Next, you need high-intensity battles. Through real combat, you'll find the path that truly suits you."
"Real combat... oh..."
Even though he had been through a few things, Shirou was still a high school student. Being suddenly told to enter real combat left him understandably nervous.
"Don't worry, Shirou. I'll be with you."
Ethan looked at Artoria and didn't object to her words.
Shirou was still a complete novice and did need someone capable to watch over him. Artoria, who had fully readjusted to her body and could now fight without being limited by a Master's magic output, was perfect for this role.
With her support, Shirou settled down and no longer felt anxious.
"So, what kind of world are we going to? What kind of battle is it?"
"There's a demon king who wants to conquer and rule the human world. And a young samurai named Sanada is doing everything he can with his companions to fight back against that great demon king."
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)