The moment Elen and her two companions entered the Great Forest of Jura, accompanied by the Guild Master of the Freedom Association, Emiya Shirou had already sensed them.
Their position was clear.
He ordered his familiars to follow them discreetly and calculate their route. Nothing intrusive. Nothing excessive. He wasn't some kind of twisted voyeur, after all.
So he hadn't been constantly observing them.
Which was why he didn't expect to encounter them here.
Only when he sensed combat nearby-specifically, someone fighting an Armored Spider with Spear Legs-did he reconnect to his familiar's vision out of mild curiosity.
And then he saw it.
The four of them.
"...As expected," Emiya Shirou muttered with a smile. "It really is you three. The trouble-making trio."
He changed direction and headed over.
Deep within the central region of the forest, the situation was tense.
Elen and her two companions weren't the only ones fighting the Armored Spider with Spear Legs. The mercenary Youm and his group had been dragged into the battle as well, entirely against their will.
But against such a monster, most of Youm's companions were helpless. If they tried to join the fight, they would only become liabilities.
As a result, the ones actively engaging the Armored Spider with Spear Legs were only six people.
Elen and her two companions.
Youm.
And the mage Rommel.
Despite their combined efforts, the monster showed barely any damage. Its armored body repelled their attacks again and again.
Meanwhile, fatigue was starting to set in.
"If this keeps up, we're going to be dragged to death..."
Fitz, the Guild Master of the Freedom Association, clenched his teeth as he assessed his remaining strength. There was no winning path here. He knew it.
"What do we do...?"
Urgency tightened his chest.
Then-
Footsteps.
Dense. Heavy. Numerous.
They echoed from deep within the forest.
Both sides reacted instantly.
Elen and the others halted.
The Armored Spider with Spear Legs also paused, its many eyes turning toward the sound.
From between the trees, figures slowly emerged.
Monsters.
Riding wolves.
At that sight, Fitz and Youm immediately raised their guard. For humans, encountering powerful monsters in the depths of the Jura Forest was nothing short of despair.
But Elen reacted differently.
She bolted forward.
"Shirou-senpai!"
Her voice rang out, filled with disbelief and relief.
"I can't believe I'd meet you here!"
Meeting the knight who had once saved her at a moment like this made her heart race.
This wasn't how she imagined it would go.
As Elen rushed toward him, Emiya Shirou calmly extended one arm.
He pressed down on her head.
And pinned her in place.
"Honestly," he said coolly, "every time I see you three, you're being chased by monsters."
His gaze sharpened.
"It seems you haven't learned anything from my training."
Elen's body stiffened.
A sense of doom crept in.
And then-
"It looks like I was too soft on you," Emiya Shirou continued. "This time, I'll raise your training difficulty."
"To Gobta's level."
"...Gobta's?"
Elen screamed internally.
"No, wait-Gobta's training difficulty!?"
As former training partners, Elen and her companions knew exactly what that meant.
Push-ups and squats while carrying tons of rock.
Punching solid stone until it shattered.
Weapons so heavy they couldn't even lift them.
Compared to that, fighting the Armored Spider with Spear Legs almost sounded preferable.
"I see," Emiya Shirou said, reading her expression easily. "In that case, I'll take my leave."
He turned slightly.
"I'll leave this spider to you."
"No! I was wrong!"
Elen grabbed him instantly.
"Shirou-senpai, we'll train! We'll accept the training!"
Her tone was desperate.
She'd made the calculation.
Compared to training, this monster was far more dangerous. One mistake here, and they would all die.
Compared to death, everything else was negotiable.
"Good," Emiya Shirou said with satisfaction. "Your choice."
He turned to Gobta, who was riding beside him.
"I'll leave the Armored Spider with Spear Legs to you."
"Let them see what your daily training has amounted to."
"Yes, Master!"
Gobta lifted his chin confidently and kicked the sides of the wolf beneath him.
The Ranga Wolf lunged forward.
"Get back!"
Gido and Cabal shouted at once, retreating rapidly. They knew Gobta's strength.
The Armored Spider with Spear Legs roared as Gobta charged.
Gobta didn't slow down.
He urged the wolf forward, raised his spear-
And thrust.
The spear pierced straight through the monster's head.
In front of everyone present, the Armored Spider with Spear Legs-after hours of battle without meaningful damage-collapsed.
Instantly dead.
"...So strong."
Fitz swallowed hard as Gobta returned, spear already put away.
The tension in his body lingered for a moment-
Then eased.
"Hey," a familiar voice said. "Isn't that Fitz?"
"Gobta?"
Recognition dawned.
Fitz relaxed fully.
They knew each other.
"Oh?" Emiya Shirou glanced between them. "You two are acquainted?"
"Yes, Lord Emiya," Gobta replied. "I've met this human before."
"Earlier, Lord Rimuru sent me to the human lands to inform Cabal and the others about the defeat of the Orc Disaster. That's when I met Fitz."
"So that's how it is."
Emiya Shirou recalled the incident.
When Dwarf King Gazel had first arrived in the City of Emiya, everyone assumed it was related to the Orc Disaster. But Rigurd had confirmed no notice had been sent to the human nations.
Someone must have been dispatched afterward.
Likely Gobta.
"That explains it," Emiya Shirou said, nodding.
He turned to Fitz.
"You're Fitz, the representative of the Freedom Association, correct?"
"That's me."
Fitz's posture was impeccably respectful.
He wasn't foolish.
The gap in strength was obvious. And from Elen's earlier account, he also knew that Emiya Shirou was human.
A human with this level of power.
That alone made him someone worth befriending.
"You must be Mr. Emiya," Fitz said earnestly. "The one who trained Elen and the others."
"You're incredibly young. To possess such strength... truly the mark of a hero."
"You flatter me," Emiya Shirou replied lightly.
Then he asked, "Since we've met here, why don't you travel with us for the rest of the way?"
"We're heading back to town."
"This way, your safety is guaranteed."
Fitz didn't hesitate.
"We will follow your arrangements."
"Good," Emiya Shirou said.
"Then let's go together."
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