Chapter 15: That’s Something—I’ve Known for a Long Time

Everything had gone well. The days of battle were behind us, and he was here by my side. I couldn’t return to my original form, but it didn’t matter.

It truly is a wonder. “Happiness” doesn’t need any embellishments. You don’t need gourmet meals, overflowing wealth, or a beautiful, spacious home. Just being beside that one person—that alone turns the world into paradise.

I can’t take my eyes off his face. I find myself counting the fine lines that gather at the corners of his eyes each time he smiles. There are more of them than when he smiles at anyone else. It tells me that he’s genuinely happy to be by my side, too.

“Give me your hand.”

Shirou reaches out. There’s no hesitation, no thought of refusal—I naturally take his hand in mine. His free hand rests against my waist, and I shudder.

Where our skin touches, heat blooms like fire. It’s the best feeling imaginable. My chest aches with a deep, pulsing longing. I never want this moment to end.

There’s no need to say that aloud. He’s always like this—touching me, holding me close. It’s as if he can’t help but constantly confirm that I’m still here. He really is a helpless one.

A flood of affection wells up inside me. I place my hand against his cheek. The warmth and gentle elasticity of his skin are comforting. The presence of this man has an immeasurable impact on me. As that truth sinks in, tears begin to blur my vision.

There’s no guarantee that these feelings are mutual. For all I know, what he feels for me might not be the same. Even now, as I stay close to him, perhaps his heart isn’t racing like mine is. That thought alone nearly tears me apart.

“…What’s wrong? You look like something’s bothering you.”

Shirou asks, sensing my inner conflict. I’m searching for the answer to this lonely struggle within me.

How selfish can I be? Even counting my “previous life,” I don’t think I’ve ever been this greedy. And yet, I can’t stop these feelings from overflowing.

Just being beside him fills me more than anywhere else in the world ever could, and still—I want to know what’s in his heart.

I want him to feel exactly what I feel.

“…Shirou.”

What if he rejects me?

Maybe sensing my hesitation, he gives me a gentle, reassuring smile.

The corners of his eyes crinkle into a soft web of wrinkles. With that perfect smile, he suddenly transforms into the most handsome man in the world.

“What is it?”

“…I…”

I take a deep breath and summon all the courage I can.

“I…”

My eyes moisten. My heartbeat races. My cheeks flush. In that moment, he pulls me tighter into his arms.

And before I can resist—before I even think of resisting—he steals my lips.

“…Shirou.”

When our lips part, I can barely whisper, my voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.

“I love you…”

For a heartbeat, everything goes silent. I want to look up and see his face, but I feel like I’ll die from embarrassment.

What if he’s disgusted by me?

If there’s even a flicker of rejection on his face… I don’t think I could bear it.

“…Saber.”

His rough fingertips touch my cheek, lifting it gently until our eyes meet.

He holds my chin steady, locking me in his gaze. I can’t escape his burning eyes. My chest aches painfully.

“I love you.”

Those five words remake the world. Light floods in. The wind sings.

“…I don’t want to let go. Not ever…”

“Anyway, we should talk about what to do next.”

Rin brought it up while scooping soup with a spoon.

It had been an hour since Caster’s attack. The two of them were now seated in the living room of the Tohsaka residence, having a meal.

“We’re going to rescue Saber.”

“…I figured you’d say that, but I’m honestly amazed you can answer so quickly even at this point. Your nerve is something else.”

Letting out a sigh, Rin gave him a tired look, but Shirou shook his head.

“Even so, this is the conclusion I came to after thinking it through. I’ve been asking myself—why am I even in this fight?”

“And?”

“At first, I figured I had no choice since I got caught up in it. I became a Master, so I had to deal with this war somehow. That’s what I thought. But…”

Shirou spoke.

“I want to be a hero of justice. That’s why I want to protect people. Not just as a Master—just… protect the people who would be sacrificed in this war.”

Rin listened in silence.

“Saber’s one of those people too.”

“…So, Saber’s just another victim the hero of justice is supposed to save, is that it?”

“That’s… what I used to think.”

Shirou gave a powerless smile.

“…And now?”

Rin set down her spoon, clasped her hands together, and rested her chin atop them.

Her smile was warm and teasing. Shirou responded with a slightly sour expression.

“…Yeah. It’s different now. I want to save Saber… because I want to save her. Not because I’m a hero of justice.”

“Good. You pass. If you’d started saying something stupid like ‘as a hero of justice,’ I’d have tied you up and locked you in Grandfather’s archive.”

Her eyes were straight and honest. She truly accepted his decision.

And that—meant more to him than being acknowledged by anyone else.

“I want to save Archer too. Who knows what Caster’s doing to him right now. She might even be—training him…”

“…Hold on. What are you even imagining?”

Shirou couldn’t help but cut in as Rin’s cheeks flushed slightly.

She turned her head with a “hmph” and muttered dangerous phrases like “whips…” and “candles…” under her breath.

For some reason, Shirou felt like even his dignity was being damaged, and it left him exhausted.

“Anyway, rescuing the two of them from Caster is fine, but what’s the actual plan? Honestly, I have no idea what we’re supposed to do.”

“Well, there’s only so much we can do right now… Ah, I’ve got it!”

Rin clapped her hands, a spark of inspiration in her voice.

“Shirou, why don’t you try doing projection magic seriously?”

“Seriously?”

Shirou tilted his head, and Rin explained.

“You remember how I had you project a bunch of stuff? After watching those, I’ve figured out a few things.”

“When did you watch them?”

“While you were sleeping. I didn’t have much else to do. Anyway, the important part is—your magical attribute is ‘sword.’”

“Magical attribute?”

“It’s basically a marker for what kind of magic suits someone best. Your projection magic is especially good at reproducing swords. You managed decent spears, armor, even shields, so it’s not like you can’t make those… but blades are your specialty.”

“Blades… So that’s why Archer’s sword felt so different from the rest…”

“Exactly. The first priority is increasing your hand of cards. Once we finish eating, I’ll start teaching you everything I can.”

Just as she’d said, after cleaning up from dinner, Rin earnestly began explaining projection magic to Shirou.

“—So, even within projection magic, there are all kinds of restrictions. The easiest to understand is something called ‘existence strength.’”

“Existence strength?”

“Put simply, it refers to how well a projected illusion can endure in reality. Projection replicates an original based on the caster’s image, so its physical and conceptual strength also depends on that image. The greater the discrepancy between the caster’s image and reality, the weaker its existence strength becomes.”

Still not quite grasping it, Shirou tilted his head. Seeing this, Rin offered a simple analogy.

“For example, let’s say you project an ‘unbreakable legendary sword.’ But in truth, no such thing as a truly unbreakable sword exists. The idea of it being unbreakable just comes from how it's described in stories or advertising—its ‘personality,’ you could say. In reality, if it clashed with something possessing a greater mystery, it could chip, or even break.”

Rin continued.

“The problem is, when you project that sword, you believe it’s truly unbreakable. But if it breaks in reality, a gap forms between your image and what actually happened. That gap ends up denying your mental image of the sword. And when even the caster denies the illusion, it can no longer remain in reality—it vanishes. That’s what the restriction of existence strength means.”

Seeing the confusion fade from Shirou’s expression, Rin gave a satisfied nod and continued.

“That’s why the key to projection magic is eliminating that gap. Which is also why the first step in using projection magic is understanding the original. You should consider the materials, properties, and history of the object. The better your foundation, the less discrepancy there is between reality and illusion.”

“…I see.”

Shirou visualized Archer’s swords, which he had seen many times.

He deepened his understanding of the “Kanshou and Bakuya” he had once analyzed.

“—Begin projection.”

He kept Rin’s advice in mind as he projected Archer’s twin swords.

What was the intent behind their creation? What was their purpose? What materials were used, what thoughts went into them, what experiences were engraved within?

Just as in kyudo’s eight stages of shooting, he broke the projection down into distinct steps.

First, identify the concept of creation.
Second, determine the core structure.
Third, replicate the materials.
Fourth, imitate the production techniques.
Fifth, sympathize with the experience of growth.
Finally, reproduce the accumulated years.

Let’s call it the Six Steps of Projection. Following these steps properly, the result was a far more realistic replication than anything he had ever managed before.

“…This is amazing. You were right, Tohsaka! It’s way better than before—”

“You idiot!!”

His ears rang. Rin brought her tightly clenched fist down hard on Shirou’s head.

“What were you thinking, projecting a Noble Phantasm right off the bat?! There’s an order to these things! I was going to start you off with something like a kitchen knife!”

Rin scolded him harshly, and Shirou shrank back, chastened.

With a sigh of exasperation, Rin turned her eyes to the Kanshou and Bakuya he had projected.

“Well, it’s done now, so there’s no point in complaining. I can’t believe you managed to make something this accurate just from my advice… It’s honestly infuriating.”

“Isn’t that a little unfair…?”

Shirou muttered, but was silenced when Rin raised her fist again.

“Anyway, let’s just say Shirou’s projection is usable to some extent now. In that case, next—”

“Our only option is to rely on the other Masters, right? Given the situation, Caster’s faction should be just as unacceptable to the other Masters. If it’s just for this time, I think we can form a temporary alliance.”

Rin nodded honestly at Shirou’s suggestion.

“You’re right. Shirou’s projection is definitely useful, but we can’t rely on that alone. The enemy has three Servants. Assuming that Saber and Archer are both under Caster’s control, we’re looking at Saber, the strongest in close combat, Archer, the long-range specialist, and Caster, who excels in mid-range combat and support. If we assume all three are opponents, we absolutely need allies. The question is—who?”

“Rider and Assassin are already out, so that leaves the Masters of Lancer and Berserker.”

“…Lancer’s Master is still unidentified, so we can’t negotiate. But there might be a chance with Illyasviel, Berserker’s Master.”

“Illya, huh… Yeah, she’d listen if we talk to her properly.”

You could call it a stroke of luck—but honestly, Shirou couldn't bring himself to ignore Illya either.

The last time they met, something about her had seemed... off. And her maid had said something rather ominous, too.

“—Idiot. That girl’s the most dangerous one for you… Not that it matters if I say it.”

“H-Hey… that’s a pretty loaded way to put it.”

“I mean, you’ve been out meeting her in secret so many times now, all while going on dates with Saber. No matter how much I try to warn you, you've already locked into this harmless-little-girl image of Illyasviel in your head. So at this point, we just have to take things as they come. Ideally, we manage to form an alliance with Illyasviel—that would be best. Judging from what Archer said, the witch’s true identity is likely Medea, daughter of King Colchis. If that’s the case, then Berserker should be her natural enemy. It’s frustrating, but even with both Archer and Saber working together, I doubt they could take Berserker down easily. I’m sure there’s a path forward.”

“—Then it’s settled. Do you know where Illya is?”

“Yes, I have a good idea. My father once told me—the Einzberns have a villa in the forest on the outskirts of town.”

“Then let’s head out right away—”

“Hold it.”

Rin stopped Shirou, who was getting fired up.

“It’s dangerous to go at night. That forest is basically Illyasviel’s backyard. If she attacks without warning, we’ll be at a severe disadvantage. Our visibility would be poor, and it’s just too risky. We should at least wait until morning.”

“…Yeah.”

Truthfully, he wanted to act immediately. But Rin was always calm, thoughtful—unlike himself. There was no room to doubt whose judgment to follow.

With a frustrated heart, he watched the night deepen.

“You’re all completely mistaken.”

Caster muttered as she ran a finger gently along the cheek of the unconscious Saber, her expression vacant.

“The connection between mind and soul is incredibly intimate. You can’t just mix and match them between different people.”

Two orbs of light—one red, one blue—rose from Caster’s palm.

“Even if you force them together, they’ll never truly harmonize.”

The red and blue lights merged for an instant—then separated just as quickly.

“So then, what exactly is this Saber? The key to that answer lies in the unusual nature of the Heroic Spirit known as King Arthur.”

Caster continued.

“—Try recalling what Saber herself said. King Arthur sought the Holy Grail and made a pact with the world. Until the day she obtains the Grail, she continues to exist at the moment of her end. In other words, she is and isn’t a Heroic Spirit. Normally, in Fuyuki’s system, a Servant is a sensory extension of a Heroic Spirit’s core, placed into a physical vessel according to its Class. But in her case, her actual self was summoned directly. That’s why she can’t become spirit form, and why she retains her memories every time she’s summoned.”

Her hand brushed Saber’s lips.

“But… precisely because of that, things that might’ve happened with another Heroic Spirit simply don’t apply to her. And yet, Emiya Shirou forced something impossible—something that only applies to her—to occur. Well, it’s not like the boy did it intentionally, but still…”

Caster smiled quietly.

“That’s what brought about this anomaly. Hino Satoru’s soul being drawn in was probably just a coincidence. An irregularity that occurred in order to forcibly normalize the ‘abnormal.’”

The witch turned her gaze toward Archer, whose face was twisted in anger.

“At this point… surely, you understand, don’t you?”

Caster’s voice was deliberately coy, but Archer replied with a scornful tone.

“I don’t need you to explain it. That much—I’ve known from the very beginning.”