Ridiculous.

There was no other way to describe it even after seeing it.

Japan's Prime Minister, Hisashi Abe balled his hands into fists while personally watching the seminar conducted by 'King Arthur.'

"-AAAAAHHHH!"

With firmly shut eyes, Hisashi listened to the screaming as he'd seen a man get sent into a tumble from a mere flick of a finger. Then there was the hailstorm of bullets that ricocheted in a spray of steel that appeared too calculated to be coincidence. None of the stray fire hit anyone, but was instead deflected to locations where no one stood.

Hisashi could accept everything that he was seeing. He was a reasonable man who believed what he saw, but what was truly giving Hisashi pause was that 'Arthur' had not taken a single step away from his initial spot. Rather, in a flurry of predictable punches, finger flicks, and bullet deflection, he was single-handedly decimating veteran soldier units.

With a wave of his hand, a tangible blue aura was projected forth that hit with the weight of a train. Not even those drawing close with riot shields managed to get away scot-free as the impact was more than enough to rattle their organs.

Through it all, Arthur was lecturing.

"Feeble," Arthur said without out a shred of emotion in his eyes. "Your forms are sloppy and loose. Your reliance on those metal arrows have dulled your sense of hand-eye coordination. Has warfare become so straight forward? Point and shoot? Then what happens when your 'guns' are no longer effective, and you can't even properly move your body?"

The answer was evident.

More and more groans filled the training ground as soldiers found themselves sprawled on their backs in disbelief.

None of this was going to Hisashi's plan.

The Prime Minister had been trying to instill Arthur with reality. Warfare was no longer the same as the past. Yet, what the hell was magic?

Even without Arthur deflecting the bullets with his supposed skill, the torch-like shroud of blue aura surrounding him proved impenetrable. There was no way through, and even then, the man was super human.

Reflexes, skill, reaction time, agility, all of it was impeccable. How such a man suffered a grievous injury in history was beyond Hisashi's understanding. Of course, it was also a subconscious attempt on his part to entertain the notion that past humans were just that strong when bolstered with 'magic.'

It was all too eerie if not.

As much as science had progressed over the years, each bullet fired was money down the drain. In the end, science in terms of military asset was finite. If one ran out of munitions, they were effectively crippled.

But what of Arthur?

Hisashi let out a long breath. The notion of a single man taking on an army had only ever been embellished in the history books, but now it would seem that whimsical accounts may hold actual merit.

"-You make it sound as if magic has an equivalent to wiping out a country…"

The words Hisashi had spoken in jest before came back to mind as Hisashi suddenly pictured the idea of a walking tactical nuke. Then, if the reports were anything to go by, Arthur also had a sheath that could recover him to full health? Even the amputated had purportedly regrown their limbs at Arthur's intervention in the medical ward in Alnus Hill.

The sound of a phone ringing jarred Hisashi from his thoughts.

Hisashi's gaze moved away from a screen recording Arthur's seminar live.

The phone continued to ring no matter how Hisashi tried to ignore it.

Diplomacy was calling, and Japan was not the world's super power.

Shirou let out a long breath while staring out at the decimated training zone. Numerous soldiers were passed out from exhaustion, and others were forced to rest due to injuries and bruises.

In the middle of it all, Shirou stood alone. Half-way through the session he'd already put his sword away, realizing it was practically overkill to continue using it. The point was already made, and most if not all the soldiers present were giving him dubious looks.

That should do it.

"To deal with magic, you should first remove any notion of common-sense during combat. A strike you think you've evaded may not be evaded, and a strike you think is not lethal could prove fatal."

"…That's so bullshit," a man groaned while rubbing his jaw. "Wind doesn't do that."

Shirou raised a brow, but it was Merlin who answered. "It does if you punch fast enough."

The person in question had evaded a flick to the face, but the shockwave of the punch had still smashed him to the ground.

"Your best bet to survive against a magus, or a practitioner of magic, is to keep at bay and analyze their craft. Recklessness is your own undoing. If you can't do even this, then remain out of the magus's range until he or she expends their energy. Magic is not infinite." Merlin stated.

"Then what about you?" Someone asked.

"The amount of magic one carries is determined through the vessel that enacts it. My vessel is particularly large, whereas all of yours appear atrophied from lack of use or understanding."

"Then we can-"

Arthur shook his head. "This seminar isn't about teaching magic, but fighting against it. That was the promise. If you want to learn more, you'll have to save it for another time. Dismissed."

"Ugh," several soldiers hung their heads at the answer, but none could raise a fuss considering what they'd just experienced.

No one stopped Shirou as he made his way to a temporary residence assigned to him in his stay in the military camp.

It was a stroke of fortune as Shirou wouldn't have to put on an act anymore, not that he was much of an actor. Most of it was Merlin, and Merlin lived for entertainment. Unfortunately, Shirou's hopes were dashed as he came upon someone already waiting near his accommodation.

The military wings were divided between men and women, and each had separate lodgings. There was however, a common area that lay in the middle ground of both.

Olivia Davis was waiting at the divide, impatiently staring at the time on her phone before glancing up at the sky to make sure it wasn't getting too dark out.

Evidently, she was waiting for him because her eyes lit up upon sighting him.

Drawing near, Shirou sat on a common room bench and then gestured for Oliva to sit next to him.

"Would you like to sit, lady Davis?" Shirou said, letting Merlin direct the flow of social conversation. "You look like you've gone through a long day."

Had she ever. Olivia appeared disheveled, her hair in disarray and smudge marks on her glasses. Even her breaths sounded hoarse from bickering all day.

"I'll take you up on your offer." Olivia did not beat around the bush. She'd had enough of that with the Japanese government. Worse, you couldn't retaliate against a person being polite to you. It was amusingly annoying the way the Japanese government was skirting the diplomatic issues as if afraid that Britain would claim a colonial right to the Gate. It made sense in a way considering the legend of King Arthur.

However, the colonial argument was outdated to be of any use. Rather, a first-settler's clause may fit the situation better, but that had its own can of worms considering the culture of the Gate's Empire resembling Italy's Roman's.

An ideal angle had still yet to be decided on, but pressure was mounting.

"It has been a long day. For both of us I presume."Olivia said while glancing at Shirou for any signs of fatigue.

"This much is nothing to me."Shirou said. "Training is paramount to establishing a honed knight order."

Remarkably, there was no sign of sweat or exertion from Shirou.

"The issue is that you shouldn't have to stay here." Olivia crossed her arms, lips curling into a sneer. "I mean the audacity of this all? If not for civil liberties and diplomacy, I would already be demanding a flight back to our country. Actually, I have been, but its like talking to the Royal Guard. Not a single answer."

"Ah, does that mean you know the way back to Britain?" Shirou said, using the implication in Olivia's answer.

"Of course." Olivia scoffed, her expression lightening as she realized her sense of modern normalcy differed from Arthur's. It was only natural. "I can point it out on a map for you."

"I don't see a map on you."

"See this?" Olivia produced a small hand-help item from her pocket. "It's a wonder of the modern century known as a smart phone."

Shirou already knew that- well actually it looked different from the blocky phones he knew from the early 2000's. Instead, it was a touch screen and came with many features and apps.

"What part of it is smart?"Shirou asked.

"Take a look."Olivia unlocked the phone, and as the screen lit up, numerous apps became available to use. The map setting opened an entire rendition of the earth. "With a tap of a finger, all the worlds information is made available to you. It even works for communication across vast distances by using a call function transmitted through radio waves and frequencies - Ah sorry, forget those terms, I'm afraid you may not know them."

"Interesting," Shirou said while Merlin continued directing the conversation. "It seems to function like a mystic code. Each a mystery to be unraveled."

"Mystic code?" Now it was Olivia's turn to grow confused.

"Think of it as a magic item with inscribed uses." Merlin said while using his magecraft to conjure a small rose petal in Shirou's hand. He offered the petal to Olivia and continued as she stared at it. "In my day, your science was the work of dis-proving magic. Like this."

Merlin leaned back, and then turned his head away from Olivia while an identical flower petal appeared by his lips.

"Can you hear me?"

Olivia startled, craning her head to stare at the petal she was holding. Merlin's voice had come from the flower in what was clearly a two-way relay network like walky-talkies.

"N-No way."

Merlin hummed, basking in the show.

"Maintaining a channel of communication across a battlefield was common practice for myself and my Knights." He spoke.

"But how?" Olivia was astonished.

"Told you, magic." Merlin willed the petals to fade with an air of mystery. "Science is imitation."

"If magic is so convenient, why are you still here?" Olivia suddenly played a different angle. The question wasn't accusatory, but purely curiosity.

Merlin indulged Olivia.

"Courtesy." Merlin said simply. As one who embodies the King of Knights, Merlin's repertoire and understanding of kingship was what was passed down to Arturia. "I imagine I could have eventually gained access to Britain's whereabouts, but the method would require unnecessary violence. I am not a bloodthirsty King, but one who stands on virtue and morals. Now that you've shown me that map, I could make my way to Britain on my own. But know that I won't."

"Because you can't. You'd need modern transport to reach Britain from Japan." Olivia interjected.

Merlin hardly blinked.

"I have a shield, Prydwen. It doubles as a magic sea vessel." Merlin said. With Arturia using it, the waves themselves would ferry her along. "At the distance you revealed from Japan to Britain, I reckon I can be there in a couple hours."

"...Really?"

"Yes."

"Then why aren't we leaving?"

"Principle. Once I've agreed to an arrangement, it's the same as giving my word. And a King does not take back what was said." Merlin broadened his shoulders and leaned his back to star crane his face towards the sky. "One should always lead by example, especially now. We cannot be blinded by greed or selfishness."

Olivia stared at Shirou. Feeling a surge of expectation, she was taken aback by the regality of an unwavering gaze.

"What's your purpose in coming back?" She eventually asked, already knowing that Arthur had been intent on fulfilling his promise. In fact, she realized the question was rhetorical and hastily changed it. "What happens after you fulfill your promise?"

Silence.

There was an almost captivating way the legendary King's broad shoulder and glistening armour attracted all light towards him.

"I am one who must stand at the world's end, carrying a weapon that grants hope. That is part of my oath and the broader scheme of a prophecy I cannot shy away from."

"The world's end?" Olivia echoed.

"..." Merlin did not answer, choosing to remain aloof and letting others come to their own thoughts.

Sometimes silence was one's greatest asset against over imaginative minds.

Olivia realized there was likely more meaning in Arthur's return than anyone expected.

If Arthur's duty was to stand at the world's end, then what did his presence now denote?

…

Olivia furrowed her brows.

Thanks for reading and Happy Easter! It was quite busy this weekend with family all over. I hope everyone's been doing well this holiday,

Cheers!

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