Emiya Shirou Doesn't Want to Work Overtime [245]

We must rewind ten minutes before—

“So, you’re the Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter?”

Margery eyed Shana skeptically, inspecting her with vague interest.

Though she had lived a very long time, Margery had never personally met the legendary Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter. All she knew were secondhand tales and whispered rumors.

Of course, she knew quite clearly the girl standing before her wasn't the original Hunter, but merely Alastor’s new contractor, the latest inheritor of the legendary title.

After observing Shana briefly, she quickly lost interest.

The reason for this—

“If only I could have met the previous Flame Haze contracted to the Flame of Heaven. A little girl like you… it’s hard to feel excited about fighting you.”

To Margery, Shana was nothing but a rookie who’d just made her debut. Even if she had Alastor’s support, Margery could easily imagine her real fighting ability.

“…!”

Shana didn’t respond to Margery’s provocation. Instead, her gaze swiftly turned sharp, coldly determined.

She lifted the Nietono no Shana, preparing to strike at any moment.

“Oh-hoho!” laughed Marcosias, the book hovering beside Margery, clearly delighted by Shana’s reaction.

“Those eyes! That fighting spirit! Not bad at all!”

“Indeed. Anyone chosen by the Flame of Heaven must have some unique worth. Perhaps I shouldn’t underestimate you so quickly—”

Margery’s words sounded almost like an apology, yet Shana could sense no sincerity in them. To Margery, battle-maniac that she was, all she wanted was a reason—any reason—to start fighting.

“But still, whether or not you truly deserve the title of the Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter… how about I personally verify it?”

Margery reached out, grabbing the floating book and flinging it forward, catching it single-handedly in her palm.

Deep-blue flames erupted around her body, her powerful aura surging outward fiercely.

Witnessing Margery’s rising bloodlust, Shana refused to fall behind. Her own presence surged to a peak, crimson flames dancing furiously around her.

A battle was imminent.

“Wait!” Alastor quickly interjected.

He had no intention of preventing their inevitable conflict. A battle was unavoidable when faced with a battle addict like Margery Daw.

But first, he had to clarify one thing.

“What’s your purpose in coming to this city?”

Alastor didn’t believe that the Chanter of Elegies had arrived here solely for a chance to fight the Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter.

Margery’s surprised reaction upon seeing Shana already showed she had no idea the Hunter was in the city. Therefore, Alastor wanted clarity on why she had truly come.

“Oh, that’s simple—we’re here to hunt down that bastard, Lamies!”

Marcosias answered immediately, without any hesitation.

“Lamies?” Alastor paused thoughtfully.

“You mean the Corpse Retriever?”

Lamies—the Corpse Retriever—was what other Crimson Denizens mockingly called that particular Crimson Denizen.

He was quite renowned among Flame Hazes, largely because unlike most Crimson Denizens, he never devoured humans. He merely collected Power of Existence from Torches. Not only was he harmless to reality, but many Flame Hazes had even benefited from his assistance.

Lamies existed as a neutral party between Flame Hazes and Crimson Denizens. Usually, neither Flame Hazes nor Denizens troubled or attacked him.

Thus, Lamies became an exceptionally unique existence in both worlds.

“Lamies has never once devoured humans. Why would you choose to hunt him down?” Alastor asked in confusion.

A Flame Haze’s role was to maintain balance in the human world—not merely to eliminate Crimson Denizens. After all, Flame Hazes themselves drew their power from Crimson Denizens.

Therefore, the mission of Flame Hazes was never destruction, but stability.

Clearly, Margery didn’t share this philosophy.

Her voice became cold, disdain dripping from every word as she answered Alastor’s question.

“Can you guarantee he’ll never devour humans in the future? He hasn’t done it yet, sure—but when he eventually decides to consume humans, will you instantly be there to stop him? And if you fail to stop him, what about the humans who will die then? Crimson Denizens have always been a threat. Every single Denizen deserves destruction.”

“Exactly right!” Marcosias enthusiastically agreed, vulgar laughter booming from the pages in Margery’s hand.

“Regardless of what he’s done so far, he’s still a Crimson Denizen. Who knows? Maybe he’s secretly consumed countless humans already without us noticing!”

“Maybe no Flame Haze has ever caught him in the act. As Crimson Denizens, they all can feed on human existence. As exceptional partners, we must consider every possibility and eliminate threats before they emerge.”

“Instead of constantly worrying whether he’ll devour humans, isn’t it better to destroy him now? Solving the problem at the root!”

Alastor didn’t directly counter Margery and Marcosias’s reasoning. They had their logic—but logic and agreement were two entirely different things. Just as Alastor willingly trusted humans enough to contract Flame Hazes, he believed trust was necessary between humans and Crimson Denizens as well.

Zing—!

No more words were necessary. Whether or not they intervened in Margery’s pursuit of Lamies, conflict between the two sides was now inevitable.

Brilliant crimson flames enveloped Shana’s blade, the Nietono no Shana.

“Good!”

“That’s exactly how it should be!”

Margery, unwilling to waste another moment on talk, exploded into a blaze of deep-blue flames that instantly swallowed her entire figure, rapidly expanding in size and intensity.

“Fūzetsu—!”

Scarlet flames burst outward from Shana’s body, quickly enveloping the surrounding area. In an instant, the world around them froze, painted in vivid crimson. Within this barrier, everything except the two combatants came to a halt.

This would undoubtedly be no minor scuffle—it would cause massive damage. Yet Margery, obsessed solely with battle, hadn’t even considered deploying a Fūzetsu herself before recklessly unleashing her power.

In the heat of their fight, Shana failed to notice Shirou Emiya was nowhere to be seen.

By rights, Shirou’s speed should have allowed him to quickly catch up, yet he still hadn’t arrived. Even now, with the Fūzetsu deployed, Shirou remained absent.

Where could Shirou Emiya possibly be at this moment?

At the very moment Shirou moved to catch up to Shana, an elderly gentleman, impeccably dressed in an old-fashioned suit, had appeared silently before him.

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T/N: emiya... IS ABOUT TO GET JUMPED THIS ISNT JJK

This is a fan translation of 卫宫士郎不想加班 by 此世无存. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!