Jobless Reincarnation: Emiya the Great Hero Must Show His True Skills

Page 168

But since he was there to accompany Paul, he was naturally willing to do things he wasn't used to.

"Gulu."

A glass of wine.

The spicy, pungent sensation lingered in my throat.

The alcohol in this world is obviously rougher than modern alcohol. At least Shirou vaguely remembers that when he secretly drank Kiritsugu Emiya's beer a long time ago, it didn't taste like this at all.

But he didn't care. He just silently swallowed the wine and, as if competing with Paul, drank one glass after another.

"You...you brat...you even have to take drinking seriously with me!"

Paul got angry.

He hadn't expected Shirou to drink so much in one go, and he showed an attitude that was both displeased and inexplicably worried, making him seem like a normal father.

Shirou laughed and said, "Yes, I've always been very serious, it's just that you can't tell on the surface. Actually, I've never been one to admit defeat, especially when it comes to you, Paul..."

"Ha, are you kidding me? You're only seventeen and you've already become a Sword Saint, you're much stronger than me."

Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, or perhaps it was Shirou's attitude as he drank with him, which made him seem like any drinking buddy you'd find in a pub, but Paul gradually became more talkative.

Shirou shook his head and replied, "No, to be honest, I've always felt I'm not as good as you, especially after this incident. It made me realize that you, Paul, are very strong, much stronger than me. Even though you were alone, you still managed to build an investigation team. Even though you had to take care of Norman, you still did your best to find your lost family. In terms of spirit, I'm not as good as you, really..."

Shirou spoke from the bottom of his heart.

He was expressing the fact that he was inferior to Paul.

Paul clicked his tongue and touched his face in response to Shirou's praise.

Being praised so highly by his outstanding son would naturally make a man of his character feel flattered, but he felt more than just that emotion; he also had a strange feeling.

He didn't know what that feeling was, but instinctively, his alcohol-numbed mind gradually cleared, and he even stopped drinking.

Of course, he wouldn't be so easily persuaded by Shirou. As if deliberately provoking him, he said fiercely, "If you think I'm right, you should come with me and we'll go find Senis and the others together. Then we wouldn't have started arguing in the first place."

"You won't start arguing? Really, Paul, do you really think that's the reason we're arguing?"

Shirou took a deep breath.

He went home last night and thought about it for a long time, recalling every word he had spoken with Paul.

He initially thought that the reason for his conflict with Paul was that they disagreed on whether to search for their families immediately.

But in reality, after careful reflection, Shirou realized that the situation was not like that at all.

First of all, neither he nor Paul knows where Senis and the others are.

There are absolutely no clues about its location.

Even if Shirou agrees to go with Paul to find his family, it will be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Even if Shirou and Alice walk all the way back to the Kingdom of Asura, they may still unexpectedly encounter clues about Senis and the others along the way.

Therefore, whether or not to go looking for someone is not a matter of behavior, but a matter of psychology.

The reason the two argued was that Paul believed Shirou hadn't put in enough effort to find his family, that he had completely forgotten about it over the years, and that Shirou was instead traveling and having fun with Alice, the Boreas girl. That's why Paul was so angry.

After Shirou understood this, he also realized what the solution was.

That method is actually not difficult.

“Paul, you probably haven’t gone to the Demon Continent to inquire about anything, so you don’t know anything about the Demon Continent, do you?”

Shirou suddenly spoke up about something completely unrelated.

"of course not."

Paul answered instinctively.

Shirou then said, "I see. So you probably don't know that there's a newly emerging S-class adventurer team on the Demon Continent these days, Black Wolf II."

"An S-rank adventurer team? Black Wolf II?"

Paul vaguely remembered what Shirou said.

He had heard similar stories from demons who came from the Demon Continent.

However, because he was in a decadent state of daily drinking at the time, he did not investigate the matter further, and did not even notice the strangeness of the name Black Wolf II.

"Wait? Could it be..."

"Yes, that's the adventurer team I built."

Shirou nodded.

During the years he, Alice, and Rijerud had been adventuring, their adventurer team had successfully advanced to S-rank. And because Rijerud and Shirou's strength far exceeded that of ordinary people, their reputation was quite famous even in the Demon Continent.

After Shirou's adventurer party had gained enough fame, he made agreements with adventurer guilds in various regions.

If anyone involved in the Fetoa territory relocation incident contacts you, use your adventurer card to reach you.

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get in touch with them yet, which means there may be no clues about our family members on the Demon Continent.

Shirou's decision to bring this up now is undoubtedly to prove to Paul that he has never forgotten his family, but only that Alice is just as important as his family, so he has to do two things at the same time.

"..."

Upon hearing Shiro's words, Paul realized that he might have indeed misunderstood him.

But he was too proud to admit his mistake and said decisively, "Even so, you should be able to do better. You've already become a Sword Saint!"

"Paul, do you think the Sword Saint is very strong?"

Shirou countered Paul, "Although you haven't reached the Saint level in any sword technique, you're actually no weaker than me. It's just that I used some unusual methods to defeat you."

"A win is a win, it's not like I can't afford to lose."

"Heh, if you weren't a sore loser, why would you be so upset?"

"you……"

Paul got a little annoyed when Stanton asked him a question.

Because he was indeed defeated by Shirou before his defenses were further breached.

He never expected that despite his years of hard work, he still couldn't beat his opponent, which made him lose face as a father.

Shirou didn't continue to provoke him, but instead quietly said, "But I lost, Paul. I didn't do any better than you. Because of Alice's delay, I didn't have time to search for my family in more places or look for clues about Senis and the others, except for building an adventurer's party. In terms of caring for family, I am not as good as you."

Shiro silently acknowledged that he was inferior to Paul.

Paul felt inexplicably conflicted after hearing this.

Because he wasn't happy at all.

It was only at this moment that he suddenly realized that he had never actually seen himself as a father, and had never let go of his inner pride.

I failed to do what a father should do.

Chapter 230 I'm sorry, Shirou, I'm not a good father.

From Paul's perspective, everything happened so suddenly.

When he was in trouble and in pain, and could only numb himself with alcohol, Shirou suddenly appeared in front of him, and the family was reunited.

He was initially happy to reunite with the other person, but to his surprise, Shirou acted as if he cared more about his companions than his family.

Paul could not accept this attitude and, in a fit of anger, he fought with Shirow.

Tragically, he had never even fought one.

In his anger and anxiety, Paul subconsciously said some inappropriate things to Shiro, completely failing to act like a father, and even letting his daughter Noren see his disheveled state.

Afterwards, Paul naturally reflected on himself, his actions, and his behavior.

But all his reflections, when they all came together, were still influenced by his strong emotions and dissatisfaction, leaving him with no intention of apologizing. Instead, he began drinking heavily day and night the very next morning.

Paul didn't feel he had done anything wrong, or rather, he was unwilling to think about what he had done wrong.

Just pretend that nothing has happened.

If Shirou doesn't contact him, he might just continue to ignore him.

But to Paul's surprise, Shirou took the initiative to come to him.

Unlike my younger self, unlike the self who never went home or saw my father again after a fight and was emotionally affected by it.

Shirou came to see him.

In fact, Paul realized his problem in that instant.

He realized that his attitude towards Shirou was terrible and that he was a very bad father.

He clearly disliked those stubborn old men who talked to themselves and lacked the patience to put themselves in others' shoes when he was young, but he never expected that he would unknowingly become like that himself.

But he had actually been sensing it all along.

When facing Shirou, he rarely adopts the perspective of a father.

After all, Shirou had shown wisdom and talent far beyond his peers since childhood, and his keen attitude was often beyond even Paul's reach.

This caused Paul to gradually lose his dignity as a father to Shirow, and he often spoke to Shirow in an even more subservient manner.

As a result, Paul gradually developed a lack of self-confidence without realizing it, and when facing Shiron, he had unrealistic expectations of him.

He even forgot the most crucial thing.

That means he is actually Shirou's father.

As a father, he should not have such unrealistic expectations of his child, nor should he place such heavy responsibilities on his child.

A father should shoulder all the responsibilities and bear the most painful burdens himself.

This is the true responsibility of a father.

Once he realized this, Paul finally came to his senses.

Looking back on his situation, he suddenly realized that he had made many mistakes.

He forgot that Shirou was a seventeen-year-old boy. Thinking back to his own seventeen-year-old self, he was still running wild and had never experienced any real hardship.

However, due to a bizarre turn of events, the other party was thrown into the Demon Continent and forced to struggle for survival in that terrifying place.

Paul knew a little about the Demon Continent.

That was one of the most dangerous places in the world. With the magical energy sources so densely concentrated, it was practically teeming with monsters. Not to mention surviving in that place, even walking on the street could suddenly lead to a terrifying and powerful monster attack.

Paul had also heard of the demons' brutality and ruthlessness; they lacked the order of a normal society and were filled with villains who acted recklessly for profit.

If ordinary people affected by the Great Transfer end up on the continent of Milis, they will at most become slaves, but if they appear on the continent of Demons, they will almost certainly become food for monsters and beasts.

Shirou was able to survive in the Demon Continent not only because of his powerful abilities, but also because he overcame hardships that are unimaginable to ordinary people.

It was during that process that Shirou met his companions.

Whether it was the girl named Alice or the demon named Rijrud, they were both very important to him.

Paul once had such close and important companions, namely the adventurer team, the Black Wolf Fang.

After the Great Transfer, Black Wolf Fang's former companions traveled great distances to contact him and embarked on their own journeys to help find Senis and Paul's lost families.

If Paul had to choose between his lovely and reliable companions and his family, he would also find himself in a difficult situation.

"..."

A flood of thoughts flashed through Paul's mind, and his long-dormant alcohol-numbed brain finally began to function again, making him realize what he should be doing right now.

He rubbed his face and eyes, and suddenly realized that he looked really pathetic.

As the saying goes, one's appearance reflects one's heart. When a person looks extremely disheveled, it means that their heart is also in chaos and confusion, and their thinking cannot be normal, let alone make correct judgments.

"Um, could I go wash my face...?"

Paul hesitated before speaking to Shiro.

"of course."

Shirou nodded. He had actually hoped yesterday that Paul would take better care of himself, as his dejected appearance was truly heartbreaking.

It's estimated that the investigation team kept their distance from him precisely because of his appearance.

"Ahem, well, Vera, could you get me a washbasin and a mirror?"

Paul asked the female knight from the investigation team to help him prepare his things.

Shirou realized that it was the same scantily clad female knight from before, who was barely wearing any clothing.