"Excalibur and Avalon!?"
Mash held the long sword in both hands, her eyes filling almost instantly.
Joy, admiration, pride.
All of it surfaced together.
Influenced by Galahad, Mash had always carried special feelings toward the Knights of the Round Table and toward King Arthur himself. Those feelings were quiet but deep. Reverent. Steady.
And now, in her hands, were armaments prototyped after the sword and scabbard of that very king.
Her excitement was inevitable.
"That's right."
Seeing her expression, seeing how clearly satisfied she was, Emiya Shirou let out a soft chuckle.
"Your combat skills and your fighting style are already close to perfect. If I gave you some unfamiliar weapon, it wouldn't raise your combat power. It would probably drag you down instead."
He understood Mash well.
If he handed her something, she would use it. Without hesitation. Without complaint. Even if it meant painfully retraining from scratch.
That kind of effort would affect her far more than it was worth.
"So after thinking carefully about your combat method, I realized what you were missing."
He paused.
"Output capability."
"Although you're a Shielder, if you possess overwhelming offensive power, you'd be like a tiger with wings."
"And this treasured sword, prototyped after Excalibur, converts magical energy into light and fires it outward."
He spoke calmly.
"To put it simply, it's a light cannon."
As a feature of the Type-Moon world, light cannons were practically inevitable.
With this sword, Mash could block an enemy's ultimate attack with her shield-and then end the battle immediately with a light-based strike.
After all, who would expect a Shielder to carry a light cannon?
"Light cannon...?"
Mash slowly drew the sword from its scabbard. The sound alone made her breath catch.
Her eyes shone.
In the previous Singularity, after witnessing the Knights of the Round Table and the Lion King version of King Arthur, her admiration for them had deepened into something heavier.
Something resolute.
Well. Except for a certain Lancelot.
During that journey, they had seen Excalibur carried by Bedivere.
They had seen its power.
Now, holding this sword herself, Mash felt strength surge through her body. Clear. Grounded. Certain.
"Now that the sword is explained, it's the scabbard's turn."
"When forging this scabbard, I considered your own defensive capabilities."
"So I reduced its defensive value and reinforced its healing function instead."
"Once liberated, the scabbard will split into multiple prism fragments that orbit around you. They'll block incoming attacks while continuously treating your injuries."
"And rather than calling it simple healing, it's more accurate to say it's a collection of multiple effects."
"Injury recovery. Stamina restoration. Status purification. Toxin removal."
"In short."
Emiya Shirou looked directly at her.
"Under its protection, you'll be in the safest possible state."
He tilted his head slightly.
"So. Are you satisfied?"
Mash nodded immediately. Repeatedly.
"I'm satisfied. I'm extremely satisfied, Senpai Shirou!"
Her voice carried no hesitation.
Emiya Shirou understood completely.
If someone had handed him equipment like this right after he obtained the Grace of God, he would have reacted the same way.
These were things no one could resist.
"Good."
He stepped forward, placing a hand on each of their heads.
His voice turned serious.
"Then work hard."
"Your journey is still long. In the future, there may come a time when I can't help you much."
"But right now, I can help you grow with everything I have."
"This is the best I can do."
"The road ahead..."
He paused.
"...will depend on you."
"Yes! Senpai Shirou!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash answered in unison.
Loud. Clear.
...
Although Emiya Shirou kept saying that aside from weapons, there wasn't much else he could help them with-
He still ended up acting as Fujimaru Ritsuka's temporary instructor.
Teaching her spear techniques.
Day after day, at the Absolute Demonic Front, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash trained without pause.
They fought continuously amid the demonic beast hordes.
And every night, when they finally rested, they would take turns visiting Emiya Shirou's tent to update the Grace of God and review their growth.
At first, they always went together.
But as time passed, their vigilance relaxed.
Or perhaps it was trust.
Eventually, they began coming alone.
Thus, under this subtle and unusual atmosphere, the relationship among the three advanced rapidly.
Then-
"Eh? King Gilgamesh's summons?"
Receiving the oral decree from the soldier who rushed over from Uruk, Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately began making preparations.
However, before they could depart, a dispute broke out between Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash.
"How can that be? I'm Senpai's Servant. I have to stay by Senpai's side at all times to protect Senpai!"
"But Mash needs to stay here and continue training, right?!"
"No. Training can happen anytime. Senpai's safety is the priority."
"No. To me, Mash's safety is the priority. Time is already extremely tight-we can't waste even a moment!"
"But-"
"There are no buts."
Their voices rose.
The argument escalated quickly.
Watching the scene, whether it was Roman and Da Vinci back in Chaldea, or Merlin, Ana, and Emiya Shirou on-site, no one could step in.
Because this wasn't a quarrel born of resentment.
It was the opposite.
It was because their bond was too strong.
The reason for their argument was simple.
They both cared too much about the other's safety.
Faced with something like that, persuasion felt impossible.
Both sides were speaking from the heart.
"Stop. Stop. Stop."
In the end, Emiya Shirou stepped forward.
He moved decisively, placing an arm around each of their shoulders and physically separating them.
His expression was serious.
"I understand why you're disagreeing."
"In short."
"Ritsuka is worried that Mash following along will waste valuable time."
"And Mash is worried that Ritsuka will encounter a Goddess or Enkidu and face a life-threatening situation."
"Yes."
"That's exactly it."
Separated now, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash answered quietly.
At this moment, Emiya Shirou's position in their hearts was absolute.
When he mediated, they listened.
"Since that's the case, let me propose a solution."
"This time, Mash won't go to the capital. She'll stay here and continue training."
"This mission of Ritsuka's, if nothing unexpected occurs, will still be an external operation."
He turned his gaze to Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"But I want you to promise me one thing."
"If you encounter a Goddess-ignore everything else."
"Call my name first."
"I'll bring Mash to you immediately."
He smiled faintly.
"Wouldn't that satisfy both sides?"
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