Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice III

Chapter 404

Shirou had been putting in work, training Illya and her team for over a week.

Out of the three, Chloe was definitely the most combat savvy. And when it came to smarts and leadership, Miyu took the cake.

Illya, on the other hand, with her possession of the Grail's Crystal, was like a cannon ready to go off. With his guidance, the trio started to find their roles, and their coordination just kept getting better.

He acknowledged their efforts, and as a result, Illya and the others couldn't help but break into smiles.

Observing this team of Illya and her friends, he felt a sense of pride knowing they represented the new generation. As their senior, all he could do was offer them training advice.

Today was the weekend, and he had a plan to take them into real combat.

"Real combat?" Illya asked curiously, "Who are we going up against? Is it Gil-kun?"

Sapphire chimed in, "Why does Gil-kun pop into your mind when it's about real combat, Lady Illya?"

Chloe smirked, "Because that guy has a villain's face."

Miyu took a moment to think and then turned to Shirou, asking, "Is this about the Class Cards?"

He gave a confirming nod.

Initially, when he came back to Fuyuki City, his plan was to take down all the Heroic Spirits from the Class Cards. But the whole situation with Ruby put a pause on that, and he had to shift his attention to keeping an eye on Ritsuka and the Ruby. After his talk with Irisviel, though, a new idea started to form in his mind.

As time went on, he discovered the truth about Pandora from Gil and Astraea, and this new knowledge sparked even more thoughts and ideas in his mind. His guidance to Illya and the others had a hidden, somewhat impure purpose behind it.

Beyond simply enhancing their powers and improving their odds of surviving the uncertain and mysterious future of 2004, he also wanted to prepare them to stand by Ritsuka and support her when the time came.

In the end, he was just strengthening the people around him.

For Illya and the others, the Class Cards' Heroic Spirits were excellent practice targets. For this reason, he hadn't even taken back Saber Class Card yet.

Saber, in her Class Card mode, proved to be an incredibly formidable opponent, perfect for their training sessions.

Surprisingly, Artoria was entirely supportive of this training. However, watching Illya and the others defeat another version of herself in combat gave her an odd feeling.

At that moment, Gray arrived with some food, only to discover Miyu and the others happily following Shirou towards the city.

"Um... What are you all up to?" Gray asked cautiously.

Miyu replied, "Fujimaru-niisan is taking us for some real combat."

Gray glanced at the apple pies in her basket, unsure of what to say. Initially, Artoria used to make the food, and Gray learned to do the same.

Throughout the week, she had been making various fruit pies and bringing them to feed Shirou and the others. She earned the money for this through her part-time job. It was all tied to her values; she disliked inconveniencing others and didn't want to be a burden to anyone.

Illya flashed a warm smile and said, "Gray, why don't you come along too?"

Chloe chimed in, "Yeah, come along too."

Gray hesitated for a moment, feeling unsure. "Well... I... I might end up causing trouble for you all."

Why had she been coming to feed them so often throughout the week?