Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Shirou grabbed Atalanta Alter's arm and pulled her up from the ground.

"stop!"

Atalanta (Alter) struggled desperately, swinging her arm—

The sharp claws left three deep, bloody gashes on Shirou's chest.

"...Woo!"

The girl in dark skin stared wide-eyed.

"I...I'm sorry...I didn't..."

She shook her head and backed away, then suddenly turned and ran in a panic.

Atalanta's speed, now transformed into a demon, has increased explosively, to a level that would normally be imperceptible to the naked eye.

Fortunately, Shirou had already sensed her intention to escape.

"Time alter Hexagon accel!"

Before Atalanta could reach her maximum speed, Shirou leaped up and tackled her to the ground.

"Stop! Let go of me! ■■■! No!"

Ignoring the girl's resistance, Shirou gradually restrained her hands.

During this time, Atalanta Alter's fingernails left countless wounds on his body.

"What on earth is happening, Atalanta?"

"No...don't look at me...don't look at me...waaaah!"

Atalanta struggled desperately.

While struggling, she desperately suppressed her beastly impulses in order not to hurt Shirou.

After a few minutes of commotion, she gradually calmed down.

Atalanta regained some of her rationality.

"Haha...haha...haha..."

Atalanta Alter's voluptuous breasts, which had grown dramatically due to her demonic transformation, heaved violently like hills as she glared at the boy who was holding her down, her expression a mixture of humiliation and despair.

"Why...why do you have to do this! Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?!"

“Atalanta has suddenly become so strange, we can’t just leave her like this.”

Atalanta, in a fit of impotent rage, roared, "You...meddlesome bastard!"

Shirou said seriously, "Say what you want, but I just can't leave you alone."

"…………"

Atalanta was speechless.

She knew very well why she was infatuated with this man.

His body, as strong as steel forged through countless trials, won her over.

At the same time, Shirou's strong inner strength deeply moved the female hunter.

But... it's no longer possible.

I no longer have the right to like him.

Because Atalanta has become an absolute monster.

Monsters, of course, cannot fall in love with heroes—the same tragedy plays out every day in Greek mythology.

Atalanta Alter turned her face wearily.

"I must look very ugly to you now."

"Ok?"

Shirou blinked.

Atalanta scoffed, "Ha... Laugh if you want!"

The huntress, once adored by countless men, has now foolishly transformed into a hideous monster for the sake of one man—a truly pathetic end.

"Ugly... do you mean how you look now?"

"Yes what's the matter?"

Atalanta Alter frowned: "I am now the incarnation of the Boar Kalydon. If you understand that, don't get involved with me, or I'll bite you!"

Shirou was even more puzzled: "But all I saw was a beautiful cat-eared girl with gorgeous silver hair!"

"What... Don't tell me such an obvious lie to comfort me!"

"What I said is true."

Shirou reached out and stroked Atalanta Alter's cheek as if to confirm, then nodded.

"Yeah, I knew it. No matter how you look at it, she's a super beautiful girl."

If I were also born in Greece—

They'll surely be captivated by Atalanta's beauty and challenge her, only to become the unfortunate victims of your arrows.

“………………Waaah”

Atalanta Alter realized her cheeks were turning red, but she tried to remain calm.

"What you just said...were you serious?"

"It was half serious and half a joke."

Shirou scratched his cheek: "Because I don't want to die yet, so I probably won't easily participate in life-or-death trials."

"Hmph, what a cowardly man..."

Atalanta Alter looked displeased: "We must participate, no matter what. We absolutely have to participate."

If you'd like to participate, well... I'll try to go easy on you...!

"Okay, I'll leave it to you then."

Seeing Shirou's nonchalant attitude, Atalanta Alter said speechlessly, "You, as long as the other person is cute on the outside, you don't care what kind of monster they are on the inside?"

"No, of course not."

Shirou said earnestly, "Because I know that Atalanta is beautiful inside as well."

I heard that. Isn't your wish that all children in the world can be happy?

"...!"

Atalanta Alter parted her lips slightly.

Although her expression remained cold, the girl felt a burning, itchy sensation deep within her lower abdomen—

Not only that, but her legs were so happy that she couldn't help but squeeze them together.

"Hmph, since we've come this far—"

"From now on, you must take on the responsibility of being my master and tame this rampaging beast, okay?"

Volume 5, Chapter 250: A Troublesome Constitution That Guarantees to Find Women When Walking at Night (Protagonist's Correction)

Shirou successfully brought Atalanta Alter back to the castle.

Although the next few days were generally peaceful, various minor problems still arose. For example, Leticia and Atalanta had a big fight over the "right to use Shirou" that day.

Normally, Leticia isn't the type to argue with others.

However, Atalanta seemed to dislike her and was always trying to find fault with her.

Even when Shirou went over to ask, Atalanta just said impatiently, "I don't mean anything by it, but I just don't like that woman."

Sigh, I really don't understand women's thoughts.

The week passed quickly.

For the last six days, Shirou searched for the whereabouts of the last Servant in the human world, the "Red" Assassin Semiramis, but to no avail.

Not only have we found no trace of her activities, but even the pigeons that are essentially the Empress's clones haven't shown any particular activity.

"As for Assassin, maybe he's already disappeared?"

Atalanta said this.

"After all, the Master is no longer here. A magician like her can only maintain her existence by attacking ordinary people, right?"

But we can't find her anywhere. Her Noble Phantasm... "The Aerial Garden of Vanity," though still there, has become an enemy stronghold, which doesn't prove she remains in the mortal world.

It's more reasonable to assume that Assassin has disappeared, but Shirou doesn't think she's the kind of person who would disappear so easily.

……

……

I'm here today to have drinks with Lion Robber and Little Mo.

The location, of course, was the underground cemetery where the two of them lived in a cramped space, and the drinks were ultra-premium items stolen from Gold's collection.

Although that guy's magic skills are only second or third-rate, he has a deep understanding and unique taste in food and wine. Maybe he would be better off not being a magician and doing something else.

""cheers!!!""

The three raised their glasses in unison, savoring the last moments of peace.

"Sigh, in the end we didn't get the Holy Grail. It was a really bad deal. I shouldn't have accepted this commission in the first place."

After a few rounds of drinks, Shirou Kairi, like a middle-aged office worker, began a long rant, with Shirou and Mordred as his listeners.

"Hmph, I didn't expect Master to be more obsessive than I imagined."

"Of course, I'm serious about getting the Holy Grail!"

Mordred turned to Shirou: "Oh, right, Father! Do you know what this guy's wish is?"

"What is it?"

"Here's a hint: it's the same as the noble uncle from the Thousand World Tree."

Danic...

Shirou thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that our descendants will prosper?"

"You got it right! As expected of Father!"

Mordred laughed and said, "Isn't it funny? You have such a scary face, yet you want to make such a wish on the Holy Grail."

"I'm telling you, if you want to be as popular with women as Father, at least throw away those sunglasses and that old-fashioned leather jacket!"

"Shut up! This is my principle as a necromancer, what do you know, brat!"

The two drunkards started fooling around in front of Shirou.

After getting tired of making a scene, Lion Robber quietly took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled it into the air.

“My ancestors…the Shishikai family were not actually pure Japanese.”

Is this the start of a flashback sequence?

Ignoring Mordred's sarcastic remarks, Shiki continued his narration.

The Shishikatsu family appears to be magicians who migrated from Europe to Japan several generations ago, and the surname itself was adopted after arriving in Japan.

At that time, the family's magic crest had disappeared, and the children's magic circuits were insufficient. Under such circumstances, moving to Japan was undoubtedly a fatal blow to them.

For a magician, leaving the land where the "magic base" is located is such a fatal act.

Just like the Machiri family, Shirou thought.

As expected, before even a generation had passed, the descendants' magical skills declined drastically, to the point that they were no longer able to become magicians.

This won't do. Although the Lion's Den isn't a long-established, prestigious magic family, they're unwilling to sever their magical path just like that.

So they chose to sell their souls.