The shuttle in the second dimension

　"I understand." For some reason, Dongtang Daohua felt that the boy he met for the first time was not as annoying as before. Looking at him, he always felt like an older brother, which was very strange.

　-

　[Wakaba's House] is one of the orphanages in the welfare facilities under the Guideyuan Group, which specializes in adopting homeless children. Dongtang Daohua, who is standing next to Lin Xuan, is a member of this orphanage.

　As soon as Lin Xuan entered the orphanage, he saw a silver-haired boy running towards them. "Dao Hua, you're finally back."

　However, when the boy ran up to Dao Hua, he saw some stains on Dao Hua's body from the previous fall. He covered his forehead helplessly and said, "Did you fall again while walking on the road?"

　Being exposed by his companion, Dongtang Daohua felt a little embarrassed and turned his head away, not looking at the silver-haired boy in front of him. "No way, how can I wrestle properly, Bubble."

　Seeing Toudou Daohua's guilty expression, the silver-haired boy, the one Toudou Daohua referred to as "Foam," sighed and said, "You~~~really, even if you want to quibble, you should have some confidence."

　Looking at his companion helplessly, Paopao shook his head. Only then did he notice Lin Xuan standing next to Dongtang Daohua. Lin Xuan's unfamiliar face made Paopao ask in confusion.

　"Daohua, who is he?"

　But before Dao Hua could introduce himself, Lin Xuan had already spoken. "Lin Xuan, my name is Lin Xuan. As for my identity, I'm a passerby who felt sympathy for a confused kid who fell even on flat ground."

　Lin Xuan's unique introduction made Bubble stunned for a moment, but when he glanced at Dongtang Daohua, he laughed and said, "Is that so? Thank you so much. Just now we were worried that a little confused girl might get lost and couldn't come back. Thank you for sending her back."

　Looking at the two people who were clearly cooperating perfectly despite meeting for the first time, Dongtang Daohua blinked in confusion. She always felt that something seemed to be wrong. After a while, Dongtang Daohua realized that something was wrong and shouted.

　"No, that's not right. What do you mean I'll get lost and can't go back? What do you mean he sent me back? It was clearly me who brought him here. Bubble, don't talk nonsense."

　"So, you don't deny that you are a little confused~~~" At this time, Lin Xuan praised without hesitation.

　With a puffed-up face, Dao Hua glared at Lin Xuan fiercely and complained. "No, no, I'm not a little confused! I..."

　Seeing that Dao Hua was about to continue speaking, Lin Xuan lifted the bag in his hand and changed the subject, "Okay, Dao Hua, if you delay any longer, these things will be cold~~~~"

　"Oh, I forgot." As soon as Lin Xuan reminded Dao Hua, he remembered what he had forgotten.

　"What are those?" Since the bag Lin Xuan was holding was opaque, Foam couldn't tell what was in the bag for a moment.

　"We'll know soon. Let's go in first." Lin Xuan shrugged and said. After that, Lin Xuan followed Dao Hua into Ruoye's house.

Chapter 2: Wakaba's House

　"Sister Daohua~~~You're back~~~"

　"Brother Bubble~~~"

　"Who is this strange brother?"

　"Will this brother live with us from now on?"

　"..."

　As soon as Lin Xuan, Dao Hua and the other two entered the orphanage, a group of children surrounded them. Suddenly, dozens of childish voices rang in Lin Xuan's ears.

　Being surrounded by so many children enthusiastically at once was, to be honest, a first for Lin Xuan. Although it didn't make him panic, he still felt a little uncomfortable. Looking at those young faces filled with joy, the original feeling of discomfort in Lin Xuan's heart suddenly lessened a lot.

　"Here, you take it and distribute it. I'm not used to this." It seemed that he was still not used to those enthusiastic children. Lin Xuan did not distribute the takoyaki he brought, but handed the bag in his hand to Dao Hua and let her do it.

　"Eh!? Okay." As if sensing Lin Xuan's discomfort with the scene before him, Dao Hua took the bag from Lin Xuan's hand and responded.

　After handing the bag in his hand to Dao Hua, Lin Xuan used clever techniques to "escape" from the encirclement of the children.

　Looking at the group of children surrounding Dao Hua, Lin Xuan shook his head and murmured self-deprecatingly, "It seems that I really can't adapt to this kind of atmosphere~~~"

　"Thank you."

　"Hmm?" A sudden thank you from the side drew Lin Xuan's attention. He saw that the silver-haired boy named Bubble had escaped from the children's encirclement at some point.

　"Although I don't know your identity, I still thank you. Even though it's not something expensive, I really appreciate the food you bought for those children." Looking at the group of children beside Dao Hua with joyful smiles on their faces, Bubble said with emotion.

　"It's nothing, I just did it by chance. However, you are really gentle~~~~~Daohua." Looking at Daohua who was distributing takoyaki to each child and the gentleness on her face, Lin Xuan raised the corners of his mouth slightly and said.

　When Bubble heard Lin Xuan's words, "Well, Daohua is just like that. She never tires of taking care of everyone, making everyone happy, and bringing everyone good memories. She's a really great person."

　"Is that so~~~" After responding, Lin Xuan looked at Dao Hua silently without saying anything else.

　……

　It was already noon when Lin Xuan arrived at Ruoye's House. At the request of the orphanage's director and Dao Hua, Lin Xuan stayed to have lunch with them. Dao Hua prepared all the food, and Lin Xuan even volunteered to help her in the kitchen. He also used the limited resources available to him to create a few of his signature Chinese dishes.

　"I didn't expect you could cook, and the food seems to taste pretty good. It's really unexpected." Dao Hua said in surprise as he looked at the plates of delicious dishes on the dining table.

　"When I lived alone before, I always had to learn how to cook a few dishes to get by." After placing the last dish on the table, Lin Xuan shrugged and said disapprovingly.

　Looking at Lin Xuan who didn't care, Dao Hua lowered his head and murmured, "One person..."

　At this moment, Dao Hua wanted to understand this boy who was about the same age as him. From his words, it was not difficult to hear that his past did not seem very good. And...

　"What are you thinking about? Little Confused." Lin Xuan raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile after glancing at Dao Hua who was in a daze and seemed to be thinking about something.

　"Nothing, nothing." Lin Xuan's sudden question interrupted Dao Hua's thoughts and made her wake up.

　"Is that so..." Since Dao Hua didn't say anything, Lin Xuan certainly wouldn't ask. They had just met for the first time, and their relationship was not close enough to where he could casually ask about other people's thoughts.

　Suddenly, as if he had discovered something, Dao Hua glared at Lin Xuan and shouted in dissatisfaction, "I'm not some little confused person!!"

　"You react so slowly, yet you still say you're not a little confused." Lin Xuan curled his lips and laughed.

　"Hmph!" As if realizing she couldn't win an argument with Lin Xuan, Dao Hua pouted in anger. She snorted softly. Dao Hua didn't know why. Even though it was only their first meeting, she didn't feel the same way about Lin Xuan. Instead, she felt like a longtime friend, like a brother. She didn't know why she felt this way. Perhaps it was Lin Xuan's initial attitude toward her, or something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

　……

　Lunch went by quickly. Although Lin Xuan was not very used to eating with a large group of children, he didn't dislike this kind of atmosphere in general. At least, the corners of his mouth were upturned while he was eating.

　After lunch, they should have taken a nap, but those energetic children would not take a nap quietly. They all ran to the small open space in front of the orphanage to play.

　Dao Hua and Pao Pao also joined them, as did a young lady. Lin Xuan vaguely remembered the identity of that young lady, a first-class noble in this country, the eldest daughter of the Guideyuan family—Guideyuan Bifang.

　Sitting quietly aside, watching the children playing together in the open space, Lin Xuan seemed to have no urge to join them in playing 603. In fact, Dao Hua and the others also came to invite him, but he was not a real child after all, so he declined Dao Hua and the others' invitation.

　"Why don't we go out and play together?" At this time, a gentle voice sounded from beside Lin Xuan, and then a middle-aged woman with a kind face sat next to Lin Xuan.

　The middle-aged woman's kindness was not like Maria's, which was full of falseness. Instead, it was a kind of kindness that made people feel very comfortable. Lin Xuan knew this middle-aged woman. She was the dean of this place. Lin Xuan had met her just now at dinner.

　"After all, they and I are from two different worlds and can't play together." Lin Xuan said calmly with his eyes half closed.

　"How can we know if we don't try?" As the director of this orphanage, she could clearly feel the difference between Lin Xuan and the other children there. Just like what Lin Xuan had said about our class, they were from a different world. Moreover, she could clearly sense a maturity in Lin Xuan that was not typical for his age, which was quite unusual.

　The dean knew that when a child had something that wasn't supposed to be his age, it usually meant he had a different past than most children. Therefore, the dean wanted to use Dao Hua and the others to make Lin Xuan more like a ten-year-old child, rather than his current state.

Chapter 21

　"Hey, Assassin, you've been watching for so long, aren't you going to come out and talk to me?"

　There was no one behind Lin Xuan, making him look like he was talking to the air.

　"Ignoring me? What an impolite fellow!" Lin Xuan shrugged with a hint of annoyance in his tone, and continued, "Since you don't want to come out, then forget it, just go to hell." With a sigh, Lin Xuan said with some regret. Then, as Lin Xuan spoke, a long (xhx) spear appeared beside him, floating. The tip of the long (hx) spear was engraved with runes. The spear handle was made of a branch of the World Tree (Yggdrasil).

　If Gilgamesh were present, he would definitely know the origin of this long (hx) spear. This long (hx) spear is exactly the Noble Phantasm that Gilgamesh once took out - the Great God's Declaration (Eternal Spear).

　He waved his hand, and then the floating spear turned into a meteor and flew towards Lin Xuan's back.

　The next moment, a gorgeous blood flower bloomed from the darkness.

　Lin Xuan did not turn around to admire the fleeting blood flower, but shook his head helplessly and said calmly, "After all, it is something that cannot be put on the table——"

　"But——————" As he spoke, Lin Xuan raised his head and looked at the cold moon hanging high in the sky. The corners of his mouth slowly opened into an icy arc, and he continued, "Lancer————you should leave first————"

　As he spoke, Lin Xuan turned into a gust of wind and rushed away into the distance, leaving only the ground around him swept by the wind.

　····

　Carrying Kenneth, Lancer was very anxious at this time. Looking at his lord carried on his shoulders, he felt deeply remorseful and guilty.

　Not only did he fail to complete the task assigned by his lord, but he also caused his lord to suffer such serious injuries. As a knight, he felt that he was a complete failure.

　"Master, please hold on a little longer. In a little while, you will be able to get medical treatment. Please hold on." Lancer kept encouraging Kenneth, fearing that if Kenneth gave up and let out a breath, he would lose his life.

　Running at his fastest speed, Lancer felt a little tired at this time, especially since he had a one-sided duel with Lin Xuan before, which made him feel tired. Then encountering Kenneth made him even more exhausted physically and mentally.

　However, Lancer, who was charging at full speed, suddenly sensed a dangerous aura approaching, forcing him to pause and observe his surroundings. He trusted his intuition, so when he sensed the approaching danger, he was already in combat mode.

　"Pa——Pa——Pa——Pa——" Suddenly a burst of applause came from behind him. This sound made Lancer quickly turn around and look vigilantly at the place where the sound came from.

　To his surprise, there was no one where the applause came from. As Lancer was pondering, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from where the applause came from.

　"Not bad, Lancer. Even while running at full speed, you were able to sense my killing intent and stop, instead of running into the trap I set for you."

　As the voice spread, a distorted light began to appear in front of Lancer, where the applause and talking were coming from. Suddenly, a strong wind spread out from that place, revealing a young figure. It was a teenager who was about sixteen or seventeen years old. The teenager smiled at Lancer. The teenager was very gentle.

　But Lancer felt endless murderous intent and coldness beneath that gentle smile.

　"Berserker————" Lancer's face was filled with bitterness as he softly revealed the identity of the person who suddenly appeared.

　That's right, the person who came was Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan chased all the way from the Einzbern family's beloved forest, and seemed determined to take Lancer's life. Lancer felt a life-and-death pressure on him, making him a little breathless.

　"I didn't expect you to chase after me, Berserker————" Lancer said to Lin Xuan with a bitter expression.

　"Really? It seems that my arrival really surprised you, Lancer, but..." Lin Xuan said with a grin.

　"What is meant to come will always come, for example——" Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes slowly, his eyes filled with icy coldness.

　"——————You will withdraw from the Holy Grail War——————" The cold words suddenly sounded in his ears, making Lancer widen his eyes and look at Lin Xuan who suddenly appeared in front of him in horror.

　"laugh----"

　But he didn't dodge. No, it's not that he didn't dodge, it's more that he couldn't dodge.

　Looking at his chest in disbelief, Lancer said weakly, "Is this your true strength? Berserker————"

　"Wow——" After saying that, a mouthful of scarlet blood flowed out of Lancer's mouth.

　Following Lancer's gaze, he could clearly see that the arm covered with red patterns pierced his chest and came out from his body.

　Slowly pulling his right hand out of Lancer's body, Lin Xuan looked at Lancer with cold eyes, telling Lancer a cruel fact: "You are not willing to let me use my full strength————Lancer————"

　"Is that so——" Lancer responded with a bleak smile. At this moment, his eyes had begun to blur, and it looked like he probably couldn't hold on for much longer.

　"What a pity——I haven't completed the unfinished duel with Saber, and haven't completed the mission of winning the Holy Grail for my lord. Wow——What a pity that you can't even use your full strength——Berserker——" With a distracted look in the direction of the Einzbern castle, and then at Kenneth who was carried on his shoulders, Lancer finally shifted his gaze to Lin Xuan and said miserably. After that, he disappeared...

Chapter 22 Eavesdropping