Standing there, Shirou carefully surveyed the giants' surroundings - and couldn't help frowning.
Two of the rock giants held huge iron cages, inside which were humans.
Counting carefully, there were six people - four on the left and two on the right.
Shirou's brows furrowed. Salter drew her sword, ready to charge, but he held out a hand to stop her.
"Aren't you going to save them?" She turned, frowning.
"Oh, we'll definitely save them. Just don't be rash."
Her frown deepened. "Those giants are nothing."
"It's not about the giants themselves. It's about getting information."
Salter looked surprised then realization hit her. He wanted to track the giants, observing their behavior to glean basic knowledge and information about this world.
Looking at his profile, she thought to herself. He really lives up to being the Eternal King. He managed to stay calm and collected at all times, always making gathering information the top priority.
Thinking of this, she added another line in her notebook.
——Focus on information.
However, this Eternal King reminded her of her former Master - Emiya Kiritsugu. Although the man was despicable, his calm demeanor was identical to Eternal King's.
Yet Eternal King and Kiritsugu were complete opposites.
She first recalled Kiritsugu's underhanded, sinister personality, willing to use any means to achieve his goals. Then she pictured the light she saw when Eternal King fought the Beast. While both men had coldly rational minds, Eternal King and Kiritsugu were fundamentally different people at their core.
Just as she was thinking about these things, he called for her to get ready.
She looked at him in surprise. "Didn't you tell me not to be rash?"
"Plans must adapt to changing situations," he raised his palm toward the distant giants now gathering in the forest, kindling flames.
She followed his gaze, her eyes narrowing sharply. The giants were removing caged humans, lining them up by the bonfire, seemingly ready to roast and eat them.
Without waiting for his signal, she channeled mana into Excalibur Morgan. As energy filled the blade, it shuddered and hummed, emanating a faint black glow.
The surging mana converged to a point. As the rock giant reached for a human, she aimed and swung her blade down.
Her sword erupted with a thin column of black mana that charged at the giant. She held back and didn't use her Noble Phantasm because Excalibur Morgan's wide attack range would likely harm the captured humans as well. Instead, she released her mana externally.
The blast pierced through the giant's heart with a muffled boom, burning away its upper body. It crashed down stiffly.
"Ah!"
The death of the stone giant made the caged humans shudder in fear. Even the other giants were startled and furious.
The tallest frost giant stood with a long roar—"Gwaahhhhh----!!!"
It saw Salter and charged, seemingly wanting to avenge its fallen comrade.
Before she could act, Shirou behind her unleashed Rhongomyniad even faster, directly destroying the ten-meter frost giant.
Rhongomyniad's glorious light was about to bombard the rock giants and humans behind them. But he withdrew it immediately, and the terrifying scorching glow faded away instantly.
Salter looked on in shock. He could freely withdraw and release it!
She simply couldn't believe he had mastered Rhongomyniad to that extent.
It was absolutely impossible to retract a released Noble Phantasm, especially widespread ones like Rhongomyniad or Excalibur. Releasing them was like spilling water—there was no taking it back.
That was what Salter had always believed. But now, someone had broken this common sense!
She looked at him with complex expression, then breathed out in admiration: "As expected of Eternal King, able to easily accomplish what I cannot."
"Stop blabbering, go take care of those giants."
She nodded. If not for him stopping her earlier, she would have acted already. She charged forward and without him lifting a finger, she easily killed the remaining stone giants.
Of course, these stone giants were only 5 to 10 meters tall, generally weak. Even Shirou's soldiers could fight them blow for blow, even killing them outright without injury. Let alone Salter.
They're too weak!
After destroying them, he looked at the caged humans and said, "It's safe now, you can all come out."
"Don't come out!" someone shouted loudly.
Rather than relief at surviving, these humans had distraught expressions.
"It's over, it's over... You killed them. The village...it'll be destroyed!" One of them grabbed their head, looking utterly devastated.
Seeing this, Shirou was taken aback, and his expression gradually became heavy.
"It's safe now. You can..." Salter began, stepping forward, but Shirou held up a hand to stop her.
She turned to him, puzzlement crossing her face.
He shook his head.
Just then, the first girl who'd been grabbed by the stone giants stumbled over. She was cute - no more than fifteen - with flowing golden hair and big emerald eyes. Dressed only in a thin white blouse, her cheeks flushed red as she looked at them excitedly. "Are you...divine envoys?"
"Divine envoys? No, we're not-" Salter started, but Shirou squeezed her shoulder, stopping her.
Salter glanced at him, bewilderment in her eyes.
Shirou smiled warmly at the girl. "Yes, we are. We've come to convey the divine's will and save you all."
Although he tried to show a gentle smile, as an Alter bearing All the World's Evil, it came out grim and almost sinister.
But Gelda lit up with a bright smile, her emerald eyes shining even brighter. "Great divine envoys! I'm Gelda, from Village 23. It's an honor to meet you!"
She turned to the caged people with a bright smile. "Don't be afraid! They're divine envoys, here to save us!"
"Divine envoys?"
"Wonderful!"
"Great divine envoys!"
The caged people cheered loudly, their eyes finally lighting up as they hurried out to surround Shirou and Salter.
Salter was relieved to see them finally come out from the cages.
And Shirou also had a smiling face.
But...
Behind his back, his clenched hands were tightly fisted.
Crack crack crack!
Salter froze in surprise.
She was stunned.
...
Gelda called Shirou a divine envoy. While it was unclear if she meant that in the traditional sense or if the phrase had some special meaning here, he decided to go along with it for now.
Shirou's core beliefs centered on pragmatism and adaptability. Going along with Gelda gave him an opportunity to subtly plot against the Council and gather information about this unfamiliar world—a profitable exchange, provided his disguise wasn't exposed.
However, anger swelled within him as he observed the villagers' attitudes. He didn't fault Gelda and the people for their cultural norms around divine envoys; after all, every civilization had its own unique customs. What bothered him was the lifeless glaze in the villagers' eyes, their numb resignation towards their own lives.
Shirou was no saint, but as a former king and hero, such indifference and resignation towards one's own life naturally angered him.
However, he kept up his smile without verbal protest. Though behind his back, his tightly clenched fists didn't escape Salter's notice.
He suggested Gelda lead them back to the village. Gelda and the other villagers, believing the pair to be divine envoys, eagerly agreed to escort them with enthusiasm.
On the way, as snow continued falling from the sky, Salter wanted to ask Gelda if it was currently winter. But before she could ask, Shirou stopped her with his gaze.
This left Salter quite perplexed. However, his mind remained focused. As the supposed divine envoy in everyone's minds, how could he not understand the world's situation, let alone something as simple as the weather? Salter may not be sensitive to this, but unfortunately, he was someone very attentive to problems and quick-thinking.
Shirou stood by Gelda's side and spoke with the tone of a Lord surveying his land. He subtly fished for information from her - about the village, such as how the villagers referred to it as Village 23 Midgard and the forest they were in, as well as what lay beyond.
Just from the names of these places, he already knew where they must be.
Glancing up, he watched the snowflakes fall from the Black Ring overhead and land on his face.
This was... Scandinavia!
Midgard was what the Nordic people called the mortal realm, while beyond lay Jotunheim, the land of giants - home to mountain and frost giants.
And the reason he knew so much was not because of the now non-functioning All-Seeing Eyes, but because Shirou himself was a bit familiar with Norse mythology. He also had some knowledge of foreign historical events and mythological legends.
Of course, having access to so much knowledge also related to his experiences before being transmigrated to the Nasuverse.
After confirming this was Scandinavia, he also recalled who Gelda was - the girl whose ending had felt like a knife twisting his heart.
Then, could this be the Scandinavian Lostbelt?
It shouldn't be. Without a Fantasy Tree, Lostbelts could not exist.
And here, he did not see any Fantasy Tree.
More importantly, the enemy Chaldea currently faced was not the Gods, but the mysterious Council with unknown motives and goals.
At the same time, the missions they were undergoing and traveling through were not Singularities or Lostbelts, but Connection Points.
So was it possible for this to be the Scandinavian Lostbelt?