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

Page 116

Shirou took a deep breath, feeling indignant and angry at what had happened to Alice and Philip.

"It's alright, at least they can live well."

Philip gave a wry smile. "If I win, I'll take James's child away too."

In Bereas, all boys born into the Grerat family were raised by the next head of the household.

This measure is intended to prevent losers in power struggles from participating in the next generation's power struggles.

This means preventing the loser from supporting his son and participating in the power struggle.

This is a common occurrence; the former kingdom of Asura seems to have frequently fallen victim to this tactic, so taking the boy away is a countermeasure to prevent this.

Philip was simply following tradition by handing all the boys over to James, so that the children would think James was their father until they were old enough to understand.

Philip stated these facts in a calm tone.

But Shirou understood that the other person was only outwardly calm; his inner turmoil was far from peaceful.

After all, who can accept having their child taken away right after birth and then having to treat other people as their parents?

Even if Philip could have this mindset, Hilda, as his wife, obviously could not easily accept it.

That's probably why Hilda lost her composure at the banquet.

Perhaps the other person saw a reflection of their own child in Shirou...

Shirou finally understood the complex situation of the Boreas family, and he became more and more aware of what he needed to do.

But before he could take action, Philip suddenly looked at him and smiled, "Shirou, you should be interested in helping me, shouldn't you?"

"what?"

“You are Paul’s son, a strong heir to the Notos family, and Princess Ariel’s savior. With such trump cards at your disposal, if you join forces with me, I can support your return to the Notos family and find a way to wrest power from the current patriarch, Pilemon. Unlike James, Pilemon is not a clever man, nor is he particularly cunning; in fact, he is often too straightforward, making him easily manipulated. Once we can take over the Notos family, we will be able to attack the capital, Boreas, and even oust James from power.”

Philip's words didn't sound like a joke at all.

He genuinely wanted to join forces with Shirou to attack the royal capital.

Before Shirou could speak, Philip continued, "And you're very smart. Although you have an overly upright personality and don't like intrigue, that doesn't mean you can't see through many things. In fact, you've been aware of some of my behind-the-scenes actions for a long time, including the kidnapping of Alice, haven't you?"

"..."

Shirou couldn't refute it.

Because he had sensed Philip's intentions after the kidnapping of Alice ended, and discovered that the kidnapping was actually orchestrated by Philip.

Otherwise, how could a few outsiders have so easily captured Alice?

Not to mention the betrayal of that butler named Thomas; as the ruler of Boreas, Philip couldn't possibly be unaware of everything.

He actually knew everything; he was just deliberately taking advantage of it all.

The purpose was probably to give Alice a warning about her personality.

In fact, even if Shirou hadn't intervened, Philip could probably have easily won back his daughter.

Philip looked at Shirou's expression, smiled knowingly, and continued, "And most importantly, thanks to you, Alice has been able to grow so much."

"Even without me, Alice would probably have changed, right?"

"No, no, you have no idea how desperate I was about Alice back then."

Philip made no attempt to hide his frustration with Alice, saying, "So you understand now? I actually really hope you can marry Alice. If it's you, Shirou, you're definitely capable of being my help and taking back the Boreas family in one fell swoop. At that time, you can also take back Alice's brothers."

"..."

I never imagined that beneath Philip's seemingly calm face lay such a deep obsession.

Shirou was at a loss for what to do.

He could understand Philip's ideas, but he could never accept such crazy thoughts.

At least, Shirou didn't think that taking back the Boreas family required such despicable means.

“Philip, you’ve misunderstood something.”

Shirou took a deep breath.

"What, do you think Alice would disagree? I think she probably still likes you quite a bit."

Philip continued, "If Alice really disagrees, that's fine too. I can go and tie my daughter's hands right now and put her on your bed. I'll take care of the usurpation; you just need to sit there. Or, I can attach other girls to her."

"..."

Unexpectedly, Philip went to such lengths. After hesitating for a long time, Shirou finally said helplessly, "You're wrong! Philip, do you know what your biggest mistake is?"

"what?"

Philip looked confused when Shirou admitted he was wrong.

Shirou then quietly spoke up: "You underestimate Alice, Philip. Do you think Alice is just an ordinary girl, a puppet dancing in your palm? No, Alice is Alice. She's not a fledgling controlled by anyone, but an eagle that will soar into the sky sooner or later. Taking back the Boreas family doesn't require me to do it, nor does it require you to do it. These are not things we need to be involved in. It's Alice who will personally sever all grudges and karmic ties!"

"This……"

I never expected Shirou to make such a comment about Alice.

Philip was genuinely surprised.

As Alice's father, he didn't think his daughter, with her overly impatient personality, was capable of doing things that even he couldn't do.

Shirou knew that Alice wasn't trustworthy yet, so he took a deep breath and said quietly, "Then just watch, Philip. Live well, and see with your own eyes how Alice, as a fledgling bird yet to be molted, will break free of her shackles and soar into the sky. As for what happened just now... I'll just consider it drunken ramblings."

After saying that, Shirou turned and left without any hesitation.

Before leaving, Shirou heard Philip's voice.

"Perhaps, perhaps I'm wrong, but Shirou, I think even if Alice has changed, it must be thanks to you. Please don't abandon her, it's okay if you don't marry her, but at least, don't leave her alone."

"I will protect her, I swear."

Shirou sighed, not turning back to look at Philip's face, and went to find Alice.

He first went to Alice's room and looked around, but couldn't find her.

Confused, they began their search, but found no trace of Alice anywhere.

Frustrated, Shirou decided to go back to his room to rest. However, when he opened the door, he found that Alice was actually in his room. Moreover, Alice was dressed in a completely different outfit than usual. She was wearing a red onesie nightgown, which was obviously a specially selected style.

The girl's hair, makeup, and other details were carefully styled, making her look more feminine than her usual wild animal look.

"You...you're back...!"

Alice spoke in a startled manner, and her tone was inexplicably affected.

Shirou couldn't understand the changes in Alice and was about to speak when he found Alice suddenly standing in front of him and hugging him.

"Ai, Alice??"

"Well, Alice will be very good today, so please let Alice sleep with you..."

The girl said something that almost made Shirou's brain shut down.

He had already found Alice to be quite strange, and now it was confirmed that she was indeed unusual.

Shirou looked at the girl's face, which was flushed red with embarrassment, hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Did Philip tell you to do this?"

"No."

"Is that Hilda?"

"This……"

Alice is clearly not good at speaking.

Her momentary hesitation allowed Shirou to analyze the truth.

Hilda must still harbor deep longing for her son, which is why she went to great lengths to persuade Alice to make such a seductive move, attempting to force Shirou into becoming a member of the Boreas family and a substitute for her son.

Shirou could understand this idea; he often regarded Alice as a substitute for Miyu.

But it was precisely because of this understanding that Shirou knew.

This idea is wrong.

No one can ever replace another person.

That would only make everyone unhappy and plunge them into the abyss of tragedy.

Chapter 171 tells you a story about someone who gave up the world for his sister.

Shirou was being held by Alice as they sat on the bed, with no distance between them, and they could feel each other's breath.

During the process, Shirou tried to distance himself from Alice, but found that she was holding him tightly and wouldn't let go.

Shirou realized that his words at the banquet might have really hurt Alice.

While the reason the other party is doing this is due to the encouragement of her mother, Hilda, Alice must also have similar resentment in her heart, which is why she does something so unrestrained, using her actions to prove her own charm.

Shirou was quite helpless. He realized that he might indeed lack awareness in some things, and that his words often unintentionally hurt those around him.

But he couldn't possibly accept Alice here.

Leaving aside the fact that this matter itself is immoral.

Shirou himself would never dare to lay a hand on Alice, whom he considers like a younger sister.

Therefore, Shirou eventually pulled Alice away from his embrace, gently stroked the girl's head, and tried to tidy up her somewhat disheveled pajamas.

"..."

Alice offered no resistance during the process.

She seemed somewhat confused, or perhaps she was enjoying Shirou's care.

Alice used to not want Shirou to touch her.

It could be a young girl's sense of shame, or it could be simple arrogance.

However, one time, because the maid was busy, no one helped her comb her hair. Shirou, who often combed Miyu's hair before, had experience in this area, so he volunteered to comb Alice's hair.

Alice wasn't very trusting at first, but since she couldn't do the job herself, she had to ask Shirou for help.

As a result, after helping them, they couldn't go back.

Alice completely fell in love with the feeling of Shirou combing her hair. After that, she would often clamor for Shirou to comb her hair, and she even became more serious about her swordsmanship class because of this, hoping that Shirou could comb her hair after she finished her homework.

From then on, Alice almost completely lost her guard against Shirou, and even allowed him to come and go freely in and out of her room.

But the latter obviously wouldn't just casually enter a young girl's boudoir.

Right now, Shirou isn't combing Alice's hair, but his gentle care makes her feel genuinely comfortable, and she even squints her eyes happily.

"..."

Seeing Alice like this, Shirou was slightly taken aback, and for some reason, the image of Miyu overlapped with her in his mind once again.

He quickly shook his head, trying to stop himself from having that unrealistic thought.

Alice and Miyu are so different that they are not only different in personality, appearance, and hair color, but they can be said to be two different species.

Shirou knew that his feelings of treating Alice as Miyu were purely wishful thinking, an unconscious manifestation of his deep-seated longing for his sister.

However, such a thought would undoubtedly be disrespectful to Alice, and he would never allow himself to regard Alice as a substitute for Miyu.

Therefore, Shirou calmed himself down completely and began to patiently examine Alice in front of him.

Since Shirou first came to the Grellard family, Alice has grown a lot. Not only has her figure started to develop little by little, but because she practices swordsmanship every day, her hands and feet are also longer and more slender than the average person. And whether it's because she's wearing a onesie or because of her relatively tall height for a girl, she looks more mature than usual.

The thought of Hilda and Philip pouring their ugly adult thoughts and wishful thinking into this immature, budding child made Shirou feel utterly unacceptable, and he resolved to protect Alice no matter what.

At least until the other person has fully matured and grown into a reliable adult, you should do your best to protect and guide them.

In that instant, Shirou realized what he had to do.

This time, he took the initiative to pull Alice into his arms, which startled the girl, causing her to meow. She was both nervous and expectant, and her face began to turn red.

But Shirou didn't take any further action. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, "Alice, I want to tell you a story."

"story?"

"That's right, just treat it as a story."

Shirou's heart trembled, but he made a firm decision and silently began to tell the story, "There was once a boy whose family was destroyed by a disaster. In his most desperate moment, he was rescued from the ruins by his adoptive father. Seeing the excitement on his adoptive father's face when he saved people, he began to dream of becoming a person like his adoptive father and longed to become a hero who could save others."

"But the hero's story didn't happen. Instead, a little girl appeared before him, brought back by his adoptive father. According to his adoptive father, the girl's existence was a wish-granting machine that could save everyone, a key to realizing a truly beautiful world. But to the boy, she wasn't a wish-granting machine at all; she was just an ordinary girl, a girl who rarely smiled, yet clearly possessed human thoughts, capable of crying, laughing, feeling sadness, and being heartbroken—an ordinary child..."

Shirou made up his mind, and for the first time, he told someone in this world the story of what he had experienced in his original world.