CH 44

Shirou had used his Suggestions on the director of the TV station, compelling them to disclose the Command Seals to the public. He knew that such actions were highly dangerous and could potentially cause a rift between the two worlds. Initially, he had contemplated using the TV station directly to unveil the Mystery but ultimately decided against it due to the potential consequences. Instead, he had opted for a more discreet approach.

He was uncertain about the outcome of his actions, but he knew that upon the revelation of the news about the Command Seals, the Supervisor of the Holy Grail War, Risei, would undoubtedly summon the Masters to eliminate him. To mitigate this, Shirou designated Ryuunosuke as a fall guy. As he made his way home, he pondered his next steps.

However --

Shirou was taken aback to find his house brightly lit!

Could it be a break-in?

He hurried back home and was shocked to find his family had returned.

Shirou was taken aback, could the [Suggestion] have been automatically lifted by their own willpower?

"Shirou! How could you steal money and come back home without a word? Do you have any idea how worried we were?" Mrs. Fujimaru scolded him as soon as he walked in. Shirou looked at his mother and saw that her face was teary and worn. Upon seeing her like this, he felt a deep sense of remorse and sadness. It was at this moment that he realized he had underestimated the powerful emotion known as parental love.

A family of four went out, but their child, born in October, was missing, the power of the subconscious broke the Suggestion imposed on the conscious mind.

Shirou was despondent, but he knew that there was no other choice. He once again used his [Suggestion] on the Fujimaru couple, retrieved a large plush bear from Sakura's room, and handed it to his parents. Then, he suggested to them: "This is your child, and you will go to Hokkaido for a vacation. You will not return to Fuyuki City until the end of Father's vacation. There is nothing left behind, so there is no need to worry."

When Shirou first learned [Suggestion], he had considered using it to move his family away from Fuyuki City. At that time, he believed that the Holy Grail War would not begin for at least three months, and he felt no urgency to act. He thought he had time and planned to leave Fuyuki City with his family for a happy vacation after Fujimura's work was finished.

In the midst of this economic bubble, finding work is incredibly difficult, thus, Fujimura's abandonment of his job as a result of the [Suggestion] would be a heavy burden for him in his mid-life as he would have no job or economic source to support his family.

Shirou fully understood this weight. As for whether it was possible to use [Suggestion] to assist his father in finding a job, he didn't even entertain the idea. He knew that [Suggestion] only acted on the conscious mind of the cerebral cortex and could not reach the subconscious. Once reality and memory deviated, the brain would automatically lift the [Suggestion], rendering it fundamentally useless.

He had obediently waited until his father completed his work and the family could travel. However, with the unexpected early start of the Holy Grail War, he no longer had the luxury of time to waste with his family. He was now in the midst of a war, and his priority was to survive.

The [Suggestion] was ready to be used, and Shirou was preparing to send his family away from the dangerous situation. Furthermore, he also had to use [Suggestion] on Sakura. But before that, there was something he wanted to know.

He wanted to know the reason for the advancement of the Holy Grail War!

Shirou was now aware that Sakura was a well-behaved and docile young girl and was certain that she would never run away from home. However, to confirm this, he used [Suggestion] to extract the truth from her regarding her running away from home.

"Daddy was telling Mommy that I have to be adopted by the Matou family. Mommy was unhappy with it, so she took me and my sister to the Temple to burn incense and worship Buddha. An uncle monk answered Mommy's question, and Mommy was no longer upset anymore, but I didn't want to wait for Daddy and Mommy's arrangement. So I run away."

"What did the monk say?" Shirou asked.

"He said 'The root of suffering is attachment. Holding on to things will only bring you pain. Letting go of things will bring you peace.'" Sakura replied.

Upon understanding the reason for Sakura's runaway, Shirou used [Suggestion] to guide her and his family to the Shinto subway station and arranged for them to leave Fuyuki City overnight.

Shirou then started to walk home.

The reason for Sakura's decision to leave home became clear - it was due to her encounter with a monk who was well-versed in Buddhism. The two phrases the monk said to her, which seemed to be from a Sutra, advised her to let go of her worries and attachments and reach a state of peace and serenity. While this made Sakura abandon her plan to resist Tokiomi, it also ignited a sense of rebellion within her.

Shirou was not interested in delving deeper into the monk's origin, surmising that he likely came from Ryuudou Temple and was possibly the father of Ryuudou Issei. However, he knew that Ryuudou Temple was a dangerous place for him to venture to, as it housed the Greater Grail and had been tainted by evil.

His musings were cut short as a loud, ominous crunching noise echoed from a nearby alleyway.

Hearing the noise, Shirou quickly turned his gaze towards the alleyway but without a second thought he made the decision to leave, his body pivoting as he prepared to depart.

Shirou knew that the strange noise he heard was something ominous and unsettling. He realized that it would be best to avoid it and not take any unnecessary risks.

Shirou firmly believed that safety should always come first and that it was better to err on the side of caution than to regret not doing so later. Furthermore, he knew that being weak was not a problem, but being weak and arrogant was a recipe for disaster.

But the next moment -- "Ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh--!!!"

A gruesome scene unfolded before him. A blood-covered figure stumbled out of the alleyway, screaming wildly as if she had just witnessed something truly terrifying.

Shirou couldn't help but groan inwardly, questioning why he always found himself in these kinds of situations. As he looked down at his own "Luck E," he couldn't help but reflect on the irony of his situation. Had he not only inherited the abilities of the Heroic Spirit Emiya but also his misfortune and bad luck?

As the blood-covered figure continued to scream, Shirou knew he couldn't just stand there, he had to act. He quickly turned around, not daring to expose his back to an unknown opponent, his mind racing as he prepared to defend himself.

"Thud thud thud"

The ground beneath Shirou began to shake slightly as if a giant were stomping on the ground. Anxiety gripped Shirou's heart as he fused with the Saint Graph and slowly began to retreat.

A familiar giant man emerged from the alleyway. The giant was covered in blood and milky fluids, with fragments of organs sticking to his massive body. His face was smeared with blood, and yet he wore a loving smile.

He patted the shoulder of the young girl he brought out from the alley, "Weakling, the path to freedom is open. Go. Go toward freedom."

The young girl in white, also drenched in blood, stared blankly ahead, her gaze empty as if her spirit had been broken. She trembled like a marionette as she walked forward.

Seeing the state of this young girl, Shirou couldn't help but close his eyes, the image of her disheveled clothes and the broken hands of the woman who had fled earlier fresh in his mind.

He understood, or at least he should have. The hero of the weak is the sword and shield that protects the weak, overthrowing the oppressors who bully and exploit the weak. But in this modern world, the oppressors are not just the ancient heroes of the past, but also the people of today.

And especially in the midst of an economic depression, where people are fighting to survive, the poorest places become the most chaotic and lawless. In these dire circumstances, there are an especially high number of vengeful oppressors.

Oppression, bullying, and revenge, are all born from the pure evil within humans, as they vent their confusion and fear about an uncertain future.

These are the people that the sword of the weak, Spartacus, must fight against. They are the enemies that must be overthrown to protect the innocent and the weak!

As he approached the entrance of the alley and peered inside, Shirou covered his mouth in surprise. What he saw was a scene of desolation that could only be described as hellish. With an indescribable amount of blood and gore, it felt like a shadow hand was gripping his heart, making his stomach churn and unable to breathe.

Spartacus possessed an EX Class Skill known as Mad Enhancement, which boosted his physical abilities but also caused him to lose control of his reason. In the absence of reason, Spartacus's instincts took over, compelling him to declare, "I am the sword of the weak, the shield of the weak, I will open the path to freedom for the weak." This instinct drove Spartacus to rescue victims and rebel against oppressors, but without reason, he was unable to control this instinct, this kindness.

Uncontrolled kindness, in a way, is equivalent to uncontrollable evil. Without the balance of reason, it could lead to unnecessary violence and destruction.

No one is purely good, and no one is purely evil. Everyone has a mixture of both qualities, and it all comes down to whether one's reasoning can keep a balance between the two. Even the most vicious bandits can have some redeeming qualities, and even the most virtuous people can have some flaws. 

Sadly, Spartacus has lost a significant part of his reason, which has made it challenging for him to maintain this balance. His ability to control the boundaries between good and evil has been severely impaired, and as a result, his actions have become increasingly unpredictable and dangerous.

Whether it's a mythological hero or a hero of the weak, these so-called "Heroes" are nothing but powerful thugs in today's society. They are violators of the law, destroyers of order, and disturbers of civilization. In reality, modern society has no use for them!

Even though many believe that these heroes are merely violent thugs, Shirou couldn't help but make a heartfelt plea to the hero of the weak.

"Although I may be weak, can you become my shield and sword? Will you stand with me as I fight for my freedom?"

Despite being deemed irrelevant in modern society, the weak still cling to the hero, seeking a glimmer of hope. And the hero of the weak's response is straightforward, "Weakling, I will carve a path toward your freedom!"

Isn't that obvious?

The sword and shield of the weak, even if the reason was lost, his body remembered that he was a hero who defended the weak, how can he refuse to help the weak?

Shirou firmly declared, "Let us join forces, with you as my sword and shield, and me as your eyes and mind. Together, we shall live and survive!" He reached out and grasped Spartacus' hand.

And Spartacus's response was -

"Ahh--! The stench of oppression and injustice!" Spartacus' eyes blazed with love as he turned around, dragging Shirou along with him.

"Hey -? Hey hey hey hey -?"

Spartacus' grip on Shirou's arm was like iron, his muscle strength and quick movements causing Shirou to be swept along as if caught in a typhoon. Shirou's body was propelled forward.

Despite the whirlwind of emotion, an agreement between them was established. The weak had found his sword and shield, and the Hero had found his eyes and mind. However, what destiny awaited them as they set forth on this perilous journey?

The king adorned in gleaming golden armor, stood at the top of a tower, surveying all that lay before him. Since the very moment the flame was ignited, he had been a silent observer, carefully monitoring every move, every action. As long as the flame burned and Shirou's journey remained unfinished, the king would keep watching, observing, and waiting.

That flame, he too had burned with when he was young. But the flames were different.

He was the instrument forged by the gods themselves. Possessing godly strength and wisdom, he was the very embodiment of the divine hero - the beacon of hope that marked the end of the Age of Gods and the beginning of the Age of Man. Yet, he defied his divine creators, leading a revolt against the very beings that gave him his power.