Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice II

Chapter 245

Shirou groaned and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was an intense pain in his back, as if someone was trying to snap his spine in half. He instinctively reached for his lower back, wincing as he propped himself up on the bed. As he tried to sit up straight, a wave of dizziness washed over him, making him feel like he had just emerged from the depths of the underworld.

"What the hell happened?" he muttered to himself, feeling very uncomfortable. Had he been sitting in the same position for too long yesterday? He tried to remember, but all he could recall was finishing up the last of the paperwork before falling asleep.

Shirou couldn't understand why his back was hurting so much. He had sat for a whole day before without any discomfort. Could it be an accumulation of fatigue?

He tried to stand up, but the dizziness intensified, making him sway on his feet. He steadied himself on the edge of the bed and took a few deep breaths.

Shirou used the black muds, which quickly restored his physical strength. He stood up, but his head was still spinning.

Despite its ability to repair physical wear and tear, black mud could do nothing to heal Shirou's mental fatigue. The influence of [Vampiric Evil] and the corruption of the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad left him feeling mentally drained and wanting nothing more than to lie down and go back to sleep.

Despite his weariness, Shirou knew he couldn't afford to be lazy. As the king, he had a lot of work to do. So, he gathered his strength and made his way back to the Throne Room.

As he entered the room, he found it empty, save for Guinevere, who was on all fours, frantically writing at the table.

Taking a seat on the throne, he asked, "Where is everyone? What time is it? Has any paperwork been brought here yet?"

Guinevere replied, "They all arrived early, and I've sorted everything out." But as she looked up at Shirou, resentment flashed across her face.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

"It's been two whole days! You've slept for two days straight!" she exclaimed resentfully. "All your work has piled up on me!"

Shirou's frown deepened as he pointed to himself and asked, "You're saying I slept for two days?"

She nodded, her expression resentful. "The situation is stable now, and everyone assumed you were too exhausted, so no one went to check on you. They thought you were just sleeping."

"That can't be right..." he muttered, shaking his head. "I remember only sleeping last night."

Camelot was still a new city, and the walls were not yet fully built. Many administrative departments had yet to move from Cornwall, making the palace seem relatively deserted, with only two or three guards standing watch. The others had been sent by Shirou to do labor work.

As a result, the palace was empty, and there was no one around to wake Shirou up. He had always relied on his own self-discipline to maintain his daily routine.

However, the fact that he had slept for two whole days didn't make sense.

Shirou couldn't believe he had slept for two whole days, as it went against his self-discipline and well-established biological clock. Even when he had crawled out of the Land of the Dead, he hadn't disrupted his routine.

But then, a memory surfaced of Morgan Le Fay smiling as she offered him a bowl of chicken soup. Combined with Guinevere's mention of sleeping for two days and the continued dizziness, a terrible thought struck him.

Shirou's hands and feet turned ice-cold as the terrible thought consumed him. He glanced over at Guinevere, who was humming a tune and poring over documents. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "G-Guinevere...have you heard any strange noises in the palace over the past two days? Specifically, in my room?"