Hmm… how should this be put?
The characteristics do match, but the person is not someone he knows.
It feels… a bit subtle.
"There should be a few more photos from combat…"
Seeing Shirou's expression, Amiya realized that the two sides… really might have made a mistake here.
But perhaps the two had not seen each other for a long time? Looking at a few more photos might reveal something else.
"Let me take a look…"
After hearing Amiya's words, Shirou followed her suggestion.
At the same time, the curious four members of Penguin Logistics and the three from the Guard Department also gathered around to look.
"Hiss, that gun design is pretty nice. This person has great taste."
Looking at the later photos, Exusiai, who loves guns, naturally focused on the pair of gunblades in the other person's hands.
A black and a white massive handgun, each with blades attached, they looked extremely cool.
"Be quiet."
Texas immediately covered Exusiai's mouth, preventing her from commenting further on the guns.
They were clearly discussing something else, yet she was talking about the person's taste in firearms?
Could she focus on what actually mattered?
"It does seem somewhat familiar… Did the other party leave anything behind? Perhaps I can find something from it."
Shirou did not pay attention to the commotion behind him. As he flipped through several photos, he began to feel that he might have seen this person somewhere before.
It should not be from before he crossed over… those memories were still somewhat blurry.
It seemed to be at the very beginning after dreaming of a series of scenes, the final image of standing back-to-back with Archer.
He had not paid much attention to it at first, but now…
Could it be he got this appearance after being drenched in black mud?
Looking at that somewhat familiar blackened figure, Shirou thought so.
After all, Saber had also turned pitch black after being bathed in black mud…
With that idea in mind, Shirou felt that this possibility made sense.
Then the question now was: could he trust this person?
…There was no need to worry so much. No matter how much he disliked that guy, the other party was still Emiya Shirou.
Someone who had given so much for the ideal of being a partner of justice, there was no reason not to trust him.
After all, the other party could distinguish between public and private matters. He would not set traps in a situation like this.
Moreover, the other party might not even know that he would be here.
Still, to be safe, Shirou asked Amiya whether the other side had left behind any projection items. Perhaps something useful could be obtained from them.
"Um… I still have something he left behind. Would this work?"
Seeing Shirou's expression grow more serious, Amiya suddenly remembered that she still carried something left behind by Nameless. She had been keeping it on her as a kind of charm.
She took out a small cloth pouch from the inner pocket of her coat, then retrieved a black stone from it. Faint golden cracks could be seen running across its surface.
"This is…"
Returning the terminal in his hand to Rosmontis, Shirou quickly shifted his attention to the stone in Amiya's hand.
The moment he saw it, he felt an intense sense of danger.
As if something were warning him to stay away from the stone.
But… at the same time, the stone seemed to emit something that drew him closer.
Caught in this contradiction, Shirou decided to investigate further.
After all, it was just a stone. What danger could it possibly pose?
He extended his left hand. When it was only a few centimeters away from the stone, a strand of black magical energy shot into his hand like lightning.
Immediately after, Shirou felt something connect.
Blood everywhere. Bodies strewn across the ground.
It was similar to the nightmare from that morning but the difference was that Shirou could now clearly see the person reflected in it.
The one holding the black and white twin blades, drenched in blood… was himself.
He could clearly feel what that "himself" was thinking at that moment.
Regret over slaughtering the innocent, and disgust toward himself for having done it.
Then, it felt as though he sank into some kind of liquid, continuously descending.
The unknown liquid poured into his nose and mouth, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
Even when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing.
Fear…Shirou could clearly feel that he was afraid.
The man's fragmented memories flowed into Shirou's body along with the liquid, continuously eroding him.
Chasing that bewitching woman, and in order to corner her, he had no choice but to kill those innocent followers.
In the end, the man fell into the path of demons into the abyss driven solely by the desire to kill that bewitching woman.
From the very beginning, he had been mistaken. The other party was not an Archer bathed in the Holy Grail's black mud, but rather Emiya Shirou himself, truly a version of him that had burned out completely in pursuit of the ideal of being a partner of justice.
Even in death, he had not found rest. Instead, he became a Guardian, an agent of will.
Although Shirou gained a great deal of combat-related experience from it, he did not feel even the slightest bit of joy and all he felt was an overwhelming sense of discomfort.
It felt as if… something was about to burst out from within his body.
"Shirou?"
Although it felt like a long time had passed for Shirou, in reality, only a few seconds had gone by since he came into contact with the black stone.
Even calling it "contact" was not entirely accurate. The moment his hand was struck by the black lightning emitted from the stone, it stopped, still a few centimeters away.
Shirou stood there, frozen.
Just as the others were wondering whether he had been stunned by the shock—
Amiya, who stood directly in front of him, noticed that something about his condition was clearly wrong.
At that moment, his eyes had lost focus, and an immense amount of negative emotion was radiating from his body.
"Amiya, get away from Shirou!"
Hearing Amiya's confused voice, Kal'tsit immediately realized that the stone left behind after Nameless dissipated was affecting Shirou.
"…!"
Upon hearing Kal'tsit's warning, Amiya quickly stepped back several paces until Blaze caught her.
Only after Amiya moved away did Shirou begin to react.
"Ha—ha—ha—"
The discomfort he felt within his consciousness manifested in reality. Shirou clutched his left chest tightly with both hands, gasping for breath.
"…Shirou?"
Seeing his condition, the members of Penguin Logistics immediately rushed forward to check on him.
"Go get a doctor!"
Noticing that something was seriously wrong, Chen shouted, stepping in between Rhodes Island and Shirou.
She had not forgotten that Rhodes Island had doctors, but Shirou's condition had clearly been caused by something from their side. There was no way she would allow them to get close to him again.
This was different from the earlier verbal conflict and this time even she could not understand what had just happened.
"Chen—I am fine. I just saw something unpleasant. It is not Amiya's fault."
Although Shirou was still in poor condition, he forced himself to explain in order to prevent a conflict between Chen and Rhodes Island.
"You do not look fine at all."
Chen did not believe him. No one would trust someone drenched in cold sweat, pale-faced, and trembling, claiming to be fine.
"…I really am fine."
Shirou felt that he was simply not trusted in this regard. It had been the same yesterday when he had clearly said he was fine, yet they still insisted on a full examination.
The discomfort had only lasted for a short moment. Shirou could feel the holy shroud on his right hand releasing magical energy, suppressing whatever was inside him.
All he needed now was a brief rest to recover.
"Let the doctor take a look. Um… Doctor Kal'tsit? Could I trouble you?"
While wiping Shirou's face with a handkerchief, Sora could clearly feel that his body temperature was slightly low.
Compared to Chen's distrust of Rhodes Island, Penguin Logistics did not overthink the situation.
They trusted their boss's judgment and Shirou's own words.
If Shirou said it was not Rhodes Island's fault, then it was not. Overanalyzing it would only complicate matters.
"Open your eyes wide."
After hearing Sora's request, Kal'tsit stepped forward and examined Shirou closely.
Chen did not stop her this time, but she watched her every move carefully.
Meanwhile, Hoshiguma and Swire had already gone to find a doctor.
Shirou cooperated with the basic examination, temperature, eyes, oral cavity, and pulse, simple checks that did not require instruments.
"There is no major issue. Just temporary weakness caused by high-intensity exertion… What is the relationship between you and that black stone?"
After confirming that Shirou was not in serious danger, only somewhat weakened, Kal'tsit asked.
This was important. After all, Amiya carried the stone with her at all times. If there was any risk, no matter how much she valued it, it would have to be stored elsewhere.
"It is simply… a crystallization of magical energy. I just absorbed the residual magic within it and saw some things. At least, I can confirm that it belongs to someone I know."
After thinking for a moment, Shirou answered.
Although the magical resonance this time had been far from pleasant and had almost left him traumatized, he had still gained something.
At the very least, he could confirm that the one on Alina's side was Archer, while the one on Rhodes Island's side was someone else.
Combined with the four fragments of memory he had seen… Shirou began to wonder whether Emiya Shirou existed in far too many versions.
It was excessive, to say the least.
"Magical crystal… In that case, I suggest you come to Rhodes Island for a checkup immediately. Our experience in this field may not be extensive, but it is still better than that of ordinary doctors."
After confirming that the black stone or rather, the magical crystal only affected someone like Shirou who used magic, Kal'tsit made her recommendation.
As for treatment in this area, Rhodes Island only had limited experience but it was still far better than doctors who knew nothing about it.
Moreover, the medical facilities on Rhodes Island were very well equipped.
"Alright! Let's go immediately! How far is Rhodes Island from Lungmen?"
Just as Shirou was thinking about how to refuse their goodwill, Exusiai spoke up and agreed on his behalf.
"…Hmm?"
Shirou turned his head toward Exusiai, letting out a questioning sound.
"We were going there sooner or later anyway! Might as well go early, get checked, and come back early!"
Exusiai expressed her reasoning.
It was surprisingly reasonable, and Shirou could not find any fault with it.
Even the others thought it was a good idea.
"I think it works."
Texas felt, for once, how reliable Exusiai could be when she actually made a sensible suggestion.
"Then I will inform the boss. We can set off shortly!"
Sora immediately took out her phone and began contacting their boss.
"What about my opinion? I am the person involved here."
Shirou voiced a small protest, but it was quickly drowned out.
"We heard your opinion, but unfortunately you are the patient, so we will not be adopting it."
Hearing Shirou's protest, Croissant teased him.
"… "
Hearing that, Shirou began to wonder whether he had been too lenient with her lately.
Chen did not intervene either.
Although she did not trust Rhodes Island, she would not force others to share her distrust.
Besides, Doctor Kal'tsit had already mentioned that they had experience dealing with magic-related treatment.
Afterward, Shirou underwent another examination by a doctor from the Guard Department. The results were similar to Kal'tsit's earlier diagnosis.
However, while Kal'tsit had examined him with her bare hands, this doctor used auxiliary instruments making it clear just how skilled Kal'tsit truly was.
As for Penguin Logistics, they initially wondered whether Rhodes Island was too far from Lungmen. However, they soon realized it was closer than expected.
It was roughly located between Lungmen and Ursus. With a vehicle at full speed, a round trip within a single day was possible.
And this time, they would not even need to drive.
Amiya had offered to let them travel using Rhodes Island's transportation.
At first, they wanted to refuse, after all how could Penguin Logistics set out without driving their own vehicle?
But Rhodes Island's transport was simply too tempting.
It was a flying vehicle.
That was undeniably cool.
Not only Penguin Logistics, even Shirou himself felt tempted.
Originally, he had been worried that leaving suddenly for a period might affect the operation of the Fuyuki shop, and that he should at least inform the others.
However, Chen, Hoshiguma, and Swire assured him that they would help look after things, telling him not to worry too much.
After half a day of rest, Shirou, the members of Penguin Logistics, and the people from Rhodes Island boarded the aircraft and prepared to head to Rhodes Island's main ship.
Of course, Shirou did not forget to bring Rope along for treatment.
Even if he had not mentioned it, Amiya had already planned to arrange for her to go to the main ship.
However… aside from Rope, there was also an unexpected companion.
"Texas, do you want some chocolate?"
As they gathered, Shirou saw Lappland skillfully pull out a bar of chocolate from her coat and offer it to Texas.
If Shirou had not been mistaken… Lappland's pockets seemed to be filled with all sorts of snacks and biscuits.
He suddenly had a good idea of where Texas's Pocky addiction had come from.