Ease was the first thing Shirou felt after handing command over to Rhodes Island.
It was just like his time doing newbie work at the Lungmen Guard Department. There was no need to think about anything else and he only needed to focus on dealing with the enemy.
Everything else would be taken care of by others.
"Up ahead is the designated location. Mr. Scout, do you see anything suspicious on your end?"
As the group drew closer to the target point, everyone became more cautious.
However, the route they had taken along the way had not been stealthy at all. It had been a full-on rampage.
Whenever they saw enemies, they fought them. If the enemies were beaten to the point of being unable to resist, they tied them up. Whenever they saw drones, they shot them down and turned them into scrap metal.
Blaze expressed that she would like to have more operations like this.
Just as Shirou felt much more at ease with Rhodes Island's cooperation, Rhodes Island could also assign tasks based on the abilities Shirou had displayed so far.
That was how teamwork worked. What was needed in the middle was simply an excellent commander to coordinate everything.
Without command, things would likely only become more disastrous.
"The position they chose is not easy to observe through a sniper scope, but I can confirm that there are indeed people moving there. I can faintly see human activity."
Scout reported what he had observed.
"Understood. Given the current situation… we are probably already exposed to their line of sight. Mr. Emiya, your deliberate actions were meant to draw attention and make it easier for the Lungmen Guard Department to act, correct?"
Taking advantage of the relatively safe moment, Amiya analyzed the current situation for everyone.
The others had already noticed Shirou's intentions, but since they had insisted on following him and he had already done his best to cover for them, they had no standing to blame him.
Bringing it up now was only meant to ease him so that he would not continue to go out of his way to protect them.
What awaited them next was a direct confrontation. If he was burdened with psychological pressure, that would not be good.
"Ah! Sorry…"
When Amiya suddenly brought it up, Shirou thought she was going to reprimand him, so he apologized first.
He knew he was in the wrong, so apologizing was only natural.
"There is no need to apologize. We are not trying to blame you. From here on, please just focus on the enemy, Mr. Emiya. We chose to follow you on our own. You do not need to spend so much effort worrying about us."
Amiya interrupted him directly.
"We are professionals, you know?"
Blaze added with a wide grin.
"…Mm."
Even Rosmontis, who had barely spoken throughout the operation, nodded.
"…I understand."
Although Shirou had many retorts in mind regarding Blaze's claim of being professional, he still understood their intentions.
He had originally thought they would blame him for dragging them into the role of bait, but instead, the situation had taken a complete turn.
This development was something he had not expected.
Still, he did not dislike it.
"That is more like it! You wiped out most of the enemies by yourself earlier. I did not get to enjoy myself at all!"
Seeing Shirou agree, Blaze burst out laughing.
She was immediately struck by Ace with his shield.
"We are still in the middle of an operation. Pay attention."
"…Oh."
"Ahaha… sorry. Blaze is always like this, but she is very reliable in combat."
Looking awkwardly at the two of them and then at Shirou, Amiya could only laugh dryly.
"…It is fine. I do not mind that sort of thing. But do not act like this in front of Officer Chen or you will be scolded badly."
Rubbing his forehead, Shirou felt that the earlier touching moment had gone to waste.
Still, he kindly reminded them, just in case they behaved the same way in front of Sir Chen later.
If they were caught like that, combined with their earlier unauthorized actions…
He wondered whether Rhodes Island or Aak could treat eardrum damage. Also, he was not sure whether Chen's throat lozenges were strong enough.
"Wow, hearing it from you, Emiya, that Chen sounds quite scary."
Blaze stuck out her tongue. Ever since meeting Shirou, he had kept emphasizing not to provoke Chen.
"???"
Hearing Blaze's words, Shirou froze for a moment, then hurriedly said:
"I did not say that, I did not mean that, do not twist my words! I was only reminding you that when you get scolded later, you should lie flat and put on an expression that shows you know you were wrong!"
"Haha, do not be so tense. I was just joking to lighten the mood… ouch! Ace, what are you doing!"
Seeing Shirou's flustered reaction, Blaze laughed, only to be quickly punished by Ace again.
"Sorry about this. The young one here does not know better and speaks carelessly. Please continue on your side."
As he spoke, Ace placed both hands on Blaze's shoulders and pressed down hard with his thumbs, causing her to grimace while addressing Shirou and Amiya.
"They are discussing follow-up tactics over there. What are you interrupting for?"
Shirou could faintly still hear Ace scolding Blaze.
"…"
Amiya could only respond with an awkward smile.
"It seems that you all have it tough as well."
Looking at Amiya, Shirou thought for a while before saying that.
However, those words only made the awkwardness on Amiya's face deepen.
"…Yes, Chen… no, Sir Hoshiguma's side is already urging us. Let us head over quickly."
After thinking it through, Shirou felt that trying to comfort her might not be a good idea, so he borrowed Hoshiguma's name as an excuse to continue moving.
He had originally intended to use Sir Chen's name, but then realized he had used it too many times. If he continued, Sir Chen would practically become someone who was always frowning and scolding others in the eyes of Rhodes Island, so he quickly switched to Hoshiguma instead.
At the moment, they had stopped here to let Scout conduct reconnaissance and to take a short rest.
After all, they had been fighting their way here the entire time.
Shirou recalled that on the way over, Amiya had asked an interesting question: why were the residents here holding popcorn by their windows? Was this some unique Lungmen custom?
How should he put it… it really was a unique custom, in a sense.
A strange kind of custom where people would risk their lives just to watch the excitement. Good children should not imitate it.
"Understood."
Hearing Shirou's words, Amiya nodded obediently.
Shirou did not know why, but he always felt especially comfortable talking to Amiya. She always seemed able to understand his emotions and say exactly what he most needed to hear at that moment.
At such a young age, yet already so articulate. It was likely that the leader of Rhodes Island was not merely a figurehead, but someone who was truly reliable as an individual.
Shirou had no intention of commenting on that.
It was just… placing such a heavy responsibility and ideal on one person, especially a child, was that really acceptable?
Especially an ideal whose future could not even be clearly seen.
"…"
During the operation, Shirou thought about many things, Amiya, Rhodes Island, and the Infected.
Humans tend to overthink whenever they have a moment of free time, and especially after Amiya explicitly told him not to deliberately cover for them, Shirou found his own movements becoming even easier.
However, that did not mean he completely abandoned the idea of protecting them. He simply was not taking everything upon himself as he had before.
Just look at Blaze's bright smile right now. In this cold night, it was that smile that brought warmth to everyone.
A very literal kind of warmth.
As they continued causing chaos throughout the entire slum district and drawing a great deal of the enemy's firepower, they finally arrived near the designated location.
It had never been a precise point to begin with. Being close enough was sufficient.
Their current position was one Scout had found. It offered them a good field of view, while making it difficult for enemies to detect them.
"Regroup and take a short rest. Mr. Scout, please keep watch of the surroundings."
Looking at everyone, Amiya said.
"This is Shirou. We have reached the target location."
On the other side, Shirou used his damaged communicator to try to contact Sir Chen. Although the microphone was nearly broken, he spoke slowly, and fragmented sounds still managed to convey the message.
It did, however, put Sir Chen's hearing to the test.
"Understood. You have reached the location, correct? The commotion on your side has been quite large. I can feel it from here. We will begin the operation in five minutes. Use this time to adjust your condition."
After receiving the message, Sir Chen replied.
"The operation will begin in five minutes. Stay alert."
Turning his head, Shirou relayed the message to the others.
After confirming that everyone had heard it, Shirou crouched down and touched his right hand.
The shroud of the Holy Remains was still wrapped there. Shirou infused it with magical energy.
This way, if needed later, it could be activated immediately. It was similar to chambering a bullet in advance, so that when needed, one only had to pull the trigger.
The activation would be slightly faster, but in return, there was a risk similar to an accidental discharge.
"…"
At this moment, everyone was organizing their equipment and adjusting their condition. No one spoke. The only things Shirou could hear were a few faint breaths.
Aside from that, there was the sound of several drones flying, along with the explosions caused by Scout sniping them in the distance.
At such a moment, Shirou had no other distractions.
He quietly thought about the oddities in this operation.
He felt that this matter was extremely important, important enough to affect what came next.
Excluding the possibility that Rhodes Island had been targeted, the only explanation Shirou could think of was that his own methods of gathering intelligence had been too crude, exposing himself in the process.
Otherwise, it was difficult to explain why he had been continuously targeted by drones, even after interrogating the people who had ambushed him and obtaining no answers.
It was not that those people were tight-lipped and refused to speak. Rather, the orders they had received were simply to stay there and attack any red-haired individual who passed by.
Their testimonies were highly consistent, and Amiya had also confirmed that they were not lying. That was truly all the information they had.
Therefore, Shirou was certain that he himself had been targeted.
The reason he needed to think through all of this was to determine the enemy's objective.
Since the other side already knew that he and the Lungmen Guard Department would come knocking, was it possible that this was not a transaction site at all, but rather a trap set to ambush them?
Of course, this was only Shirou's speculation.
Whether it was true or not did not really matter. They still had to push forward and break through.
If all of this was merely a smokescreen meant to make them hesitate and avoid advancing, then abandoning the operation would play right into the enemy's hands.
If there really were numerous traps waiting inside…
Then it would likely turn into a tough battle.
It was not as if Shirou had never encountered such a situation before. However, back then they had far more manpower than they did now, and with Sir Chen's precise command, it had been dangerous but manageable.
Shirou believed that Sir Chen had already noticed this situation long ago. Yet she had not issued any order to retreat, which meant her stance had not changed.
"What a hassle… all this plotting and counter-plotting."
After thinking for a long time, Shirou felt a slight headache, as if his thoughts were becoming tangled.
He truly was not suited for this kind of scheming. No wonder in one gate Archer directly defected to the enemy's side as not only would that allow him to strike from behind at the right moment but it would also give him more accurate access to the enemy's intelligence.
Although, looking at the whole process, it seemed less like being an ally of justice and more like some kind of ultimate villain.
"Mr. Emiya, what are you thinking about? What scheming?"
In the quiet environment, everyone had naturally heard Shirou's muttering, so Amiya, as the commander, stepped forward to check on him.
"Do not call me Mr. Emiya, just call me Shirou. I was thinking that since the enemy knows we are going to launch an assault, there might already be a large number of ambushes or traps inside. Bringing you all in like this might not be appropriate."
Shirou voiced his thoughts and concerns.
What he was worried about was not whether he himself would be ambushed, but whether the members of Rhodes Island would be injured because of it.
Even though they had told him not to worry so much, Shirou was not the kind of person who could change that mindset just by being told.
On the way here, he had still provided a minimum level of support, just not as obvious as before.
"I am glad that you are thinking of us so much, Mr. Emiya… Shirou. But as I said before, we or rather Rhodes Island, act for the sake of the Infected."
"And battles of this level are not particularly difficult for us. We have experienced even harsher and more painful operations. We have our own standards for judgment. If we truly cannot handle it, we will not force ourselves."
After hearing Shirou's concerns, Amiya decided to lay everything out clearly.
Shirou was acting out of goodwill toward them. He simply did not want them to get hurt.
Amiya could clearly sense this through her Originium Arts.
But as she had said all along, they, or rather everyone at Rhodes Island, would not retreat because of this level of difficulty.
They had always been fighting against it, against this land that discriminates against the Infected.