60 Chapter 60
(T/N: Going on a 1 or 2 week hiatus to correct my grammatical error. If you can't wait that long the original is in the synopsis like it's always been. Anyways, I'll be correcting grammatical errors starting tomorrow)
Eastern time, March 16, 2004
Nine o'clock in the evening.
Nagazora City, Emiya family.
After casually messing around with dinner, Shirou went to the bathroom and took off the hoodie he was wearing.
In Nagazora City it was late winter.
This port city near the ocean won't become too cold in winter but after midnight the mild climate during the day suddenly becomes less gentle.
Ignoring the chill that pierced his muscles and bones, Shirou turned his body sideways.
Facing in the direction of the bathroom mirror.
He looked at himself in the mirror and whispered to himself
"Sure enough, this... is not a simple illusion."
Due to the original angle, it was impossible to see the whole imprint but under the reflection of the mirror, it was clearly displayed.
'Did this exist on this body before?'
Shirou frowned, thinking silently.
No, before he lost consciousness...
He couldn't stay focused for some reason, right?
The reason seemed to be—
Suddenly, as if a light bulb had been turned on, a flash of light flashed in Shirou's mind.
"—That's right."
—Those strange threads that had been his thinking process seemed to be invisible now.
'Although I didn't feel very comfortable when I just woke up, that uncomfortable feeling was just the inevitable result of lying on the cold and stiff ground for a prolonged amount of time.'
Now after eating dinner his originally numb body has recovered.
Even the dizzy feeling of the low-grade fever has been completely dispelled as the body has been replenished with nutrition and energy.
"Very strange."
Because of sleeping, the abnormal phenomenon in the body has been alleviated—
Although Shirou wanted to make such a judgment and then treat it as if nothing happened at all, another more difficult reality was still clearly placed under his nose.
After all, he is not the real owner of "this body".
To be honest, if he woke up and found that him "suddenly coming to another world" was just a simple dream, he might be able to simply ignore the encounters he faced.
However, after waking up, he was still in the sobering reality of "Nagazora City" so it was impossible for Shirou to simply ignore these strange situations.
In addition to the abnormality of his body and being transmigrated to another world, there is also a strange feeling of "forgetting something important"
A strong sense of anxiety invisibly surrounded his consciousness.
He frowned, searching his memory carefully.
Even if his memories during the day were a little blurry, Shirou was still able to narrate his experience every minute and every second with great certainty.
Nothing was missing in his memory.
'But if I didn't forget anything, what is this strange feeling? It can't be after falling asleep—'
"Wait a minute."
—It is common sense that even if you recall what was happening in your dreams, you can't retrieve the memories gained from said dreams.
But it is clear that the so-called "Mother Simulator" is not something that can be understood with common sense.
Therefore, when Shirou began to retrieve the memories he saw when he was asleep.
Everything he encountered in his dream suddenly came to his mind.
A pure white space, a simulator that simulates life as a game.
An assistant who explains the functions of the simulator and the choice to accept the rules of the game and enter the simulated world—
All of these things were recalled by Shirou at this moment.
"But haven't I just dived into the simulator world? Why did I return to my home after waking up?"
Shirou was a little puzzled.
After hesitating for a while, he closed his eyes and tried to confirm in his head—
'That... are you there?'
[I am here, what do you need?]
The moment he got the response, an inexplicable feeling arose.
But the only thing that is currently "reliable" was this assistant lady.
After confirming his thoughts Shirou immediately expressed his doubts bluntly
"Well, what is the situation now? If I remember correctly, I should have accepted your proposal?"
[Yes, the player accepted the simulated world and completed the simulation task with an excellent evaluation]
[The simulation reward has been sent to the player's point account. Would you like to check the point account balance immediately?]
"...?"
Shirou was stunned.
He tilted his head, pondered for a long time, and couldn't help asking
"What do you mean by completing the simulation mission? I don't seem to have any memory of what I did."
[I have reported the player's abnormality]
[The system self-test is in progress]
[Retrieval complete—]
[I'm sorry, player Shirou, after checking and confirming through the system the memory of the player is missing]
[Which was caused by the failure of the recall system]
[Because the player was forced out of the dungeon by a third party, the player's simulation records and memory are completely lost after leaving the simulation]
Shirou blinked
"So you mean, I have memory problems? But I have completed a simulation copy, right?"
[Yes, the player has completed the novice simulation world, so the rewards have been sent to the player's points account]
"..."
After receiving the answer from the assistant, Shirou couldn't help but feel a strange feeling.
In many cases, human fear and anxiety come from the unknown.
Therefore, after figuring out that he was indeed missing part of his memory, Shirou quickly accepted this fact.
However, before he could completely put this matter to the back of his mind, Shirou still has one last question to ask -
"The child who lost her parents, did I take good care of her?"
[Sorry, because of the lack of records, we are temporarily unable to confirm the simulation object's evaluation of the player]
[But—based on the rewards received by the player, we have reason to believe that the player did give the simulated object a wonderful and happy childhood]
"Yes, that's good."
Shirou breathed a sigh of relief.
Shirou is not the kind of person who takes his memories lightly, but he also doesn't take his memory seriously.
The so-called memory is something that is easily lost.
Now that he has completed the goal given by the system and successfully given that unknown child a happy childhood.
The memories belonging to him are no longer important to Shirou.
It is not the first time Shirou has done this kind of thing.
He temporarily put the matter of "amnesia" behind him and asked another question
"Speaking of which, does this imprint on my shoulder have anything to do with you?"
[Except for the absence of memories, all abnormalities of the player's body have nothing to do with the system]
"Then you can see—no, check out what this is?" Shirou asked.
[This simulator can provide players with a comprehensive physical examination service. Would you like to spend 20 points for an immediate physical examination?]
"How many points do I have?" Shirou continued to ask.
[Player Points Account: 25413]
After hearing the number, Shirou was stunned
"How much?"
[25413]
The assistant said in a flat tone.
"Is the reward for the copy simulation so exaggerated?"
Shirou couldn't help taking a light breath and then said without hesitation
"Physical examination."
The moment his voice fell, he felt as if he was falling from the sky.
Before Shirou could make an emergency call, the assistant lady responded very quickly
[The physical examination is completed]
[The system identifies the engraving on the player's shoulder]
[It is the visible consciousness, the totem of the soul]
"Visible consciousness?"
Shirou couldn't help but cast his eyes on himself in the mirror.
He raised his palm and lightly touched the flower on his shoulder
"You mean, what's living in here is alive?"
[The player can understand it in this way] The assistant said coldly.
"Then how do I get it out?" Shirou asked
"A person is living in my body... this is too strange."
[According to the inspection results, the soul in the engraving is currently in a deep sleep state]
[The player can wake up the consciousness by replenishing the second or third element for this soul]
"Second or third element... I remember Kiritsugu told me that these two elements should be spirit and soul, right?"
Shirou frowned, a little confused
"Although I understand and want to add these two elements to the soul, I have a question. Where should I find these two elements?"
[This kind of knowledge can be obtained by players through the corresponding items in the point store]
"For example?"
[Props Type: Magic Crest]
[Prop name: Einzbern Magic Crest]
[Exchange price: 2600 points]
[Note: The system provides free porting services for all Magic Crests redeemed by point stores, but the risk of transplantation must be handled by the player himself]
Shirou's face turned dark all of a sudden.
He doesn't know anything about the Einzbern, but even a rookie magus like him knows that a Magic Crest is not something that can be transplanted at will.
The Magic Crest is the accumulative achievement of each family.
It is also a "book" unique to the magus family.
Listening to Kiritsugu's introduction, Shirou knew that a Magic Crest is very convenient.
But he also knew that the so-called Magic Crest must be inherited by blood relatives of the family.
Transplanting other people's Magic Crest will lead to rejection.
It's no joke.
Shirou had no intention of giving up his life for such a boring reason.
"Forget it, if someone owns a piece of land, someone else will live there."
He sighed faintly, and put on his clothes again.
At this time-
[If the player is unwilling to take the risk of transplanting the Magic Crest, the simulation system can provide the player with a contract spell]
As if joking, the assistant spoke another plan in an emotionless voice.
Shirou stopped putting on his clothes.
"Contract? After signing the contract will the person in this engraving get out?"
[Short answer, no]
The assistant lady said calmly.
[Formulating a contract can convert part of the player's magic power into the fifth element, which flows to the soul stored in the imprint]
[When the concentration of the fifth element reaches a certain threshold, the soul can appear in the form of an entity]
"Then you still say... ah~"
Shirou suddenly understood,
"Then if I keep inputting magic power into this engraving, how many days will it take at the earliest for it to come out?"
[About ten years]
"Ten—?!" Shirou opened his mouth
"Is there a mistake?! Why did it take so long?"
[This is normal time]
The assistant said lightly.
[The player will be surprised at just how much energy is required to manifest a soul]
Shirou was choked up by the assistant lady's straightforward and correct remarks.
His expression changed rapidly for a while and he lowered his head dejectedly.
"Well, compared to the side effect of losing my life, ten years is ten years."
Shirou sighed longly.
"Contract, how do I sign?"
The moment his voice fell, a huge magic square appeared under Shirou's feet without any warning.
"Huh?"
Shirou didn't have a chance to be confused.
As the magic square appeared out of thin air, his body was brutally transformed into parts for the unfolding technique.
An incredible phenomenon is happening, the connection between matter and soul is generated out of thin air.
Invisible airwaves are mixed with interlaced lightning and thunder roaring.
Ceiling lamps, bathroom mirrors, and closed windows all shattered into crystal-clear fragments with a crisp crackling sound.
In the next moment, all the incredible phenomena disappeared as if they had never happened before.
In the dark bathroom, Shirou's legs softened, and he squatted down uncontrollably.
His face was covered with cold sweat, and with the beating of his chest, irregular gasps leaked from his mouth.
