East Village sits behind the mountains.

After Shirou and the others encountered Hassan of the Cursed Arm, Arash led them over three mountains before they finally reached the East Village.

By that time, the sky was already very dim.

"You okay, Fujimaru?", Shirou, out of concern, asked.

Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled, "Of course. Although Emiya-senpai hasn't changed much, I'm not the same person who'd get out of breath after walking two steps anymore."

"Is that so," Shirou smiled.

For Fujimaru Ritsuka, they probably hadn't seen each other in a long time; for Shirou it had only been about a week.

'No change would be normal… yeah right!'

'I am a muscular macho man now, how is there "no change"?'

'Did a crow fly off with the water in your eyes?'

"What an impressive village."

Bedivere sighed, "You couldn't tell before entering, there's no magic barrier either, how did they pull this off?"

"That's the wisdom of mountain villagers."

Arash looked ahead at the extremely simple buildings and said briskly, "They used the mountains to cleverly hide the village on the far side. If you don't know this place, you'll never find the village."

Shirou thought that was too absolute.

Always leave a one-point-one-percent chance for anything.

"Benefactor," Salia hesitated a long while before saying, "how about you rest at my place for one night; your lodging might not be ready until tomorrow morning."

Those words drew the attention of three people.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash, and Olga Marie.

Lion King: "..."

"Is there not enough food here?"

Shirou scanned around and found the village very desolate and dilapidated; although they wouldn't starve, there surely wouldn't be surplus grain.

To take in so many refugees under such conditions…

Sure enough Salia looked a bit embarrassed, "That's right, the village's food has never been enough… but don't worry, benefactor."

She hurriedly said, "Rushd and I are not hungry, you can combine our portions for the two of us—"

"Not enough."

Shirou shook his head. He wasn't thinking of himself first; he prioritized, "So many refugees, after marching this long, have they had anything to eat?"

"Well, Da Vinci has been arranging things for us,".Fujimaru Ritsuka answered instinctively.

Shirou nodded, "Da Vinci? Just her alone?"

"Uh…"

"…"

Shirou looked up, his usually cold face rare with surprise, "You're telling me it's really only Da Vinci preparing the food?"

"Roman?"

"Olga?"

In response to the question, the comms were silent. Awkward, to be exact.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash also awkwardly looked away.

Shirou slapped his forehead, "You guys really are…"

He sighed, "Even if Da Vinci is an all-around genius, you can't always rely on her."

"What can we do, who asked me to be so versatile?"

Da Vinci stood behind Shirou and laughed lightly, "But it's not as exaggerated as you think, I can refine water, and as for food, getting by with a little less will do."

"And now?", Shirou asked while thinking.

"For now," Da Vinci thought and answered truthfully, "Water'll be plenty, but food…"

"Let's go hunting," Shirou decided, "We can't just sit back and reap the benefits; to get their help we must show sincerity."

"I remember on the way here we saw quite a few… wild beasts?"

"Wa-wait, Emiya-senpai!"

Mash was shocked, "Are you sure those are mere beasts and not monsters?"

Entirely red flags, ominous signs, how could that be beasts?

Shirou affirmed with a professionalism even he believed, "Relax, they're edible!"

"Will it… be a little gruesome?", Fujimaru Ritsuka began to sweat.

"I actually think Shirou's right."

Arash laughed, "Usually the village supplements food by hunting those beasts."

"Yes, Miss Mash."

Bedivere was even more earnest, "Don't you remember Round Table: Arthurian Aphorism Eight?"

Mash swallowed, "Sir Bedivere, should I know that?"

It wasn't Mash's fault; Bedivere looked puzzled that she didn't know, and at the same time a bit serious.

"Arthurian Aphorism No. 8?"

Shirou asked with interest, "What does it say?"

"Even monster meat is nourishment!"

Bedivere said it in a tone worthy of a knight about to duel.

"I see," Shirou acknowledged, "Very much in Saber's style."

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash fell silent at once.

"Hahaha!"

Da Vinci couldn't help laughing, "Looks like we're the strange ones, Fujimaru. In that case, majority rules."

"In that case I'll help too."

Arash said with a smile, "I know the terrain pretty well, I can lead you around."

"Benefactor."

Salia said worriedly, "Isn't it dangerous so late?"

"Emiya-senpai is great, there won't be any danger!", Mash said bluntly.

Her gaze fixed on this woman.

'Plotting something against Emiya-senpai… don't even think about it!'

In the end, Shirou, Bedivere, and Arash went hunting.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash stayed behind to help Da Vinci refine water.

———

About an hour later.

Arash's eyes were surprised, "I didn't expect you, besides your superb archery, to have such high skill in hunting."

"Luck, luck," Shirou looked calm after taking down ten beasts with system cheating.

Arash and Bedivere were more balanced, each bringing down three or four beasts.

"Thanks to you, the village can definitely hold a feast."

Of the three, aside from Bedivere, Shirou and Arash nabbed almost eighty percent of the game.

Hearing Arash talk of a feast, Shirou asked, "Aren't you going to process and store the leftover food?"

"Unfortunately, that's impossible."

Arash said matter-of-factly, "This era is already at its limit, and besides, if the Lion King finds this place she would not hesitate to descend her judgment."

"Having experienced it firsthand you should understand, that's a power neither humans nor Servants can withstand."

"So storing food is relatively meaningless."

Arash's meaning was obvious.

Heaven and death, no one knows which comes first.

In such circumstances, the only option is timely enjoyment.

"..."

All the way back, Bedivere and Shirou didn't say much.

Bedivere was pained by the King's actions and remorseful for the mistakes he made.

Shirou, on the other hand, realized the Lion King's actions weren't wrong.

To preserve this era's life isn't wrong.

But it's too extreme and merciless.

If the Lion King's approach is followed, it's like the kind of radical sacrifice where one abandons the few to save the many.

Implementing that thoroughly can't be called wrong, but Shirou found it hard to accept.

And he finally realized he had a problem.

'Arrogance!'

As his power kept growing, he began to become blind.

He vetoes others' ideals and imposes what he thinks is right on others.

That might be exactly why Saber didn't want to see his original self.

What she needs is never interrogation.

But rather answers.

A king wouldn't feel confused about what she does, nor think it wrong.

Because she is a king.

If even she begins to waver and reject herself, then how can she save this era?

At that point, Shirou gazed at the starry sky.

The stars twinkled.

At the same time.

Artoria looked up and saw the congregation of stars.

In that moment, the sky seemed to connect them.

Shirou let out a sincere, soft sigh, 'So, we were both wrong… Saber.'

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