For the next stretch of time, Shirou basically spent it thinking about how to arrange Jessica's firearms training.
At the very least, he already had a vague idea in mind.
What interrupted Shirou's train of thought was a group of infected creatures they encountered on the road.
According to Franka, they had already alerted that pack of infected creatures over there. If they did not get out of the vehicle and clean them up, they would end up being chased the whole way.
Without knowing how fast those infected creatures could run or how dangerous they were, stopping ahead of time and setting up a defensive line to repel them was a pretty good idea.
They could also just speed all the way back to Rhodes Island and let Rhodes Island deal with it...
But they were mercenaries from Blacksteel Worldwide!
This level of threat was nothing more than a warm-up exercise!
They could also use the opportunity to improve Jessica and Vanilla's combat experience. With Shirou around, the two of them could slack off a lot more without worrying about failure.
"Ohh! That is a whole pack of big ones!"
While the Blacksteel team was setting up their defensive formation, Lappland, who had already woken up, held a pair of binoculars and looked at the infected creatures in the distance.
Seeing such a massive group, she became somewhat excited.
Unfortunately, she had not brought either of her greatswords with her. Shirou had left them back at the office.
After all, they were going for treatment, not for a fight, so there was no need to bring weapons. On top of that, the members of Blacksteel were accompanying them during the trip, so there was even less reason for her to join the battle.
As a result, she could only sit on top of the vehicle and watch.
"They are certainly huge. They kind of look like... oversized Originium Slugs? I did not know Originium Slugs could grow this large, and there even seems to be something resembling a cannon barrel on them..."
Looking at the creatures that resembled Originium Slugs, Shirou looked somewhat puzzled.
What puzzled him most was that these Originium Slugs looked... strange. Compared to ordinary Originium Slugs, they seemed to have some sort of additional tubular structure.
For a moment, he could not remember what they were, but they definitely looked dangerous.
"Huh? Cannon barrels? Columbian profanity Are not those Acid Originium Slugs?"
Looking through binoculars caused them to miss many details, but after Shirou pointed it out, Franka and Liskarm immediately raised their binoculars again and carefully checked. Sure enough, they saw something resembling cannon barrels.
That was not exactly good news for them. Acid Originium Slugs of that size...
It was not that they were difficult to deal with, but with creatures that large, their firepower alone would have a hard time suppressing them. If the fight turned into close combat, they would also need to worry about the damage caused by the acid.
Most importantly, the acid would corrode their equipment.
Still, it was too early to decide anything. The Originium Slugs were still some distance away. If they packed up now, they could probably still escape. Setting up traps immediately was also a valid option.
However, these were huge creatures. Killing them and handing the corpses over to Rhodes Island for processing was also not a bad idea.
On top of that, this road was a necessary route between Lungmen and Rhodes Island. If they did not deal with them this time, they would probably encounter them again in the future.
They might as well take advantage of having an invincible star-player trial card here and wipe out those Originium Slugs.
"Shirou, can we trouble you this time?"
Originally, they had planned to let the two reserves gain more combat experience, but plans never kept up with reality. As a result, Liskarm turned toward Shirou, their invincible star-player trial card, and asked him for help.
"Of course. Do you want me to wipe them all out?"
After receiving Liskarm's request, Shirou showed no intention of refusing.
After all, he was currently riding along in their vehicle. If he could help solve problems they encountered on the road, he was more than happy to do so.
He had been worrying about how to repay them anyway.
"Whoa... Shirou, could you maybe not say something so terrifying with such a refreshing smile? If possible, leave a few for Jessica and Vanilla to handle."
Hearing Shirou immediately ask whether he should exterminate them all, Franka could not help but complain.
He looked like such a gentle young man, so how did he suddenly become so terrifying the moment he opened his mouth?
"That is not a problem... Do you want the corpses preserved?"
After hearing Franka's request, Shirou nodded. Then he remembered that they seemed interested in the corpses, so he asked another question.
"If possible, preserve them as intact as you can. Rhodes Island should be interested in Acid Originium Slugs this large."
Faced with Shirou's question, Liskarm answered immediately.
None of them had the slightest doubt regarding Shirou's combat ability. Just the technique he used yesterday, suppressing enemies with a massive number of arrows, would already be enough to make the four of them suffer greatly.
At the very least, Liskarm still had not figured out how to defend against a rainstorm of arrows like that. And the arrows Shirou controlled did not simply fly in straight lines either.
They could turn.
The last person who thought hiding would keep them safe had ended up crying miserably after getting struck by those homing arrows.
"I understand—"
After confirming their requests, Shirou deliberately dragged out the final syllable. At the same time, a black longbow appeared in his left hand.
A blue arrow also materialized in his right hand.
Holding the bow and drawing the arrow, Shirou aimed at the group of Originium Slugs charging toward them, completely unaware of what they were about to face.
"No matter how many times I see it, I still think Shirou's ability is incredibly convenient... and also extremely beautiful and cool! !"
Watching Shirou fully draw the bowstring while the arrow in his hand emitted a blue glow, Franka genuinely felt that the ability was incredibly practical, while also looking unbelievably stylish.
She was a simple person. As long as something had flashy glowing effects, she approved of it.
As Shirou released the arrow in his hand, it streaked toward the Originium Slug swarm while dragging a long trail of light behind it. The single arrow split apart midway through its flight, transforming into countless arrows that rained down upon the swarm.
"And it is also clean, efficient, and highly effective."
Unlike Franka, Liskarm was far more practical in her assessment.
That was probably related to the difference in their fighting styles as well...
Franka's combat style was more straightforward and unadorned, while Liskarm constantly released electricity during battle, making her own fighting style visually overwhelming with crackling flashes of light.
Shirou's fighting style just happened to combine both aspects, which made the two of them somewhat envious.
"Hmm... Shirou, send a few more over here, will you? I want to loosen up a bit too!"
Watching Shirou fight made Lappland's hands itch for battle as well.
"You do not have any weapons, though?"
After wiping out the majority of the Originium Slug swarm in a single attack, Shirou did not rush to launch another volley. He planned to leave the remaining ones for the Blacksteel team to handle.
After all, leaving too few would not serve much training value, while leaving too many could easily result in disaster. Shirou felt that the current number was manageable.
Taking advantage of the brief pause, he responded to Lappland as well.
"You can just lend me a few, can you not? Even if you do not, it is fine. I can fight with my bare hands!"
Lappland had already thought everything through! It did not matter that she had not brought weapons with her. She could simply borrow two from Shirou.
She truly was a genius.
To prevent Shirou from politely refusing, she deliberately emphasized that she could fight barehanded. The meaning behind her words could not have been more obvious.
If Shirou refused to lend her some weapons, then she was going to communicate with those Originium Slugs using her fists.
"You really are... Just do not get yourself dirty."
Naturally, Shirou could hear the slight threat hidden within Lappland's words.
Although somewhat speechless, Shirou still agreed to her request and projected two of Lappland's greatswords for her.
"Do not worry!!"
Taking the two greatswords Shirou handed over, Lappland casually swung them a few times.
The feeling was excellent. She did not know whether it was just psychological, but the two swords somehow felt even sharper than her own.
"Miss Franka just mentioned it earlier as well. Those Originium Slugs use corrosive attacks, you know? It would not be good if you ruined the clothes you borrowed."
Hearing Lappland's completely unconcerned response, Shirou gave her another serious reminder.
"Alright, alright! You are so annoying!"
Unable to tolerate Shirou's nagging anymore, Lappland hoisted the greatswords onto her shoulders and prepared to charge forward.
"And another thing! Move farther away from the battlefield yourself. Do not interfere with Jessica's shooting—"
Watching Lappland rushing off impatiently, Shirou hurriedly added another warning.
In response, he received nothing but a glare from Lappland before she charged off into the distance.
"Seriously..."
At this point, Shirou had no idea whether she had actually listened.
He could only pray that she had.
"You really look exactly like an overprotective mother worrying about her children."
Watching the scene unfold, Franka quietly whispered her thoughts to Liskarm beside her.
As for why she did not say it directly out loud...
The Lungmen Guard Department and Miss Swire had already proven what happened when people used that particular word in front of Shirou. Franka was not stupid, so naturally she was not going to jump into that pit herself.
"Pfft—you really dare to say that."
Hearing Franka's comment, Liskarm nearly failed to hold back her laughter.
"Hm?"
Noticing the commotion over there, Shirou jumped down from the top of the vehicle with a puzzled expression on his face.
However, the moment he looked toward them, both women immediately put on perfectly serious expressions, not revealing the slightest flaw.
For some reason, looking at the two women in front of him gave Shirou the sudden urge to shoot suction-cup arrows at them.
Still, he managed to suppress the strange impulse and instead shifted his gaze toward Jessica.
This was a good opportunity to observe how she fought...
There were many things that could not be seen during training, whereas situations like this revealed quite a lot.
Only actual combat clearly exposed a person's problems.
"Well?"
Seeing Shirou focus his attention on Jessica in the middle of combat, Liskarm decisively sent Franka over to support the front line while she remained beside Shirou and tried to hear his thoughts.
"It is obvious that she is still somewhat nervous right now, but her shooting is very stable. The locations she hits are generally very close together. Against creatures with obvious weak points, she should be able to strike those weak points very effectively."
After watching for a short while, Shirou felt that Jessica did not really need his guidance. Her biggest issue was her personality.
And honestly, Shirou truly could not do anything about that. He was not a psychologist. This was not his area of expertise.
Furthermore, judging from what Liskarm had told him, Jessica had joined Blacksteel specifically because she wanted to change that side of herself.
At the very least, she had been willing to take that first step.
The results, however... were somewhat unsatisfactory.
"...At this distance, you can actually see the damage from a small firearm hitting the Originium Slugs?"
After hearing that Shirou's assessment matched her own, Liskarm first nodded in satisfaction before suddenly noticing the strange detail hidden in his words.
With the Originium Slugs' pitch-black shells, how exactly was he seeing the bullet holes?
"I can see them, yes, but that is not really the important part here..."
Hearing Liskarm's question, Shirou replied helplessly.
"Ahem... My apologies. The issue you mentioned is more or less the same conclusion I reached before. It is just that Jessica is currently facing a swarm of Originium Slugs, so things still look manageable. If the numbers increased further, or if the pressure became even slightly greater, she would very easily start making mistakes."
Realizing that she had focused on the wrong point, Liskarm hurriedly coughed twice before voicing her own thoughts.
"Pressure, huh... Jessica! Do your best! Liskarm is watching you!"
After hearing Liskarm's words, Shirou immediately decided to observe how Jessica behaved under pressure.
And the method of creating pressure was very simple.
All he had to do was let her know someone was watching her.
"...You are just as devious as Franka."
Watching Shirou pull that stunt, Liskarm immediately placed him in the same category as Franka.
What an unexpected discovery.
"These are special circumstances! If we miss this chance, there will not be another opportunity to observe her."
Faced with Liskarm comparing him to Franka, Shirou did not seem particularly bothered.
Even he felt that what he was doing was somewhat inappropriate.
It really did feel like he was bullying Jessica...
After hearing Shirou's reminder, Jessica's firing speed noticeably slowed down, and her accuracy dropped quite a bit as well.
Most importantly, was that expression of hers that looked like she was about to cry actually serious...?
Even Shirou himself started feeling a little guilty.
Maybe later he could ask Lappland for some snacks to give her...
Although Jessica's condition had visibly worsened, it did not have much impact on the overall battle.
After all, Lappland was still holding the front line. If other factors were ignored, she could probably handle the entire Originium Slug swarm by herself.
Right now, though, she was simply enjoying the chance to move around and fight a little.
Jessica's condition also gradually stabilized afterward, so the problem was not particularly serious.
"Shirou! Where are my buns?"
After exercising a bit, Lappland started feeling hungry, which reminded her of the buns Shirou had confiscated earlier.
"I left them at your seat. And remember to wash your hands before eating."
Looking at how completely clean Lappland still was, Shirou felt very satisfied.
"..."
Watching Shirou, Liskarm suddenly remembered what Franka had said earlier.
He really did resemble one...
Still, the idea of a "male mom" felt incredibly strange.
"Now that I think about it... etched ammunition is not cheap, right? If Jessica uses it to deal with these Originium Slugs, can you even make the cost back?"
After confirming that Lappland had properly taken water from the back seat and washed her hands, Shirou finally withdrew his gaze and asked Liskarm beside him.