The Northern Wall of Uruk.
When Tomoe followed Merry back here, what she saw was the Demon Beast Front Line, fully repaired and restored to its original state.
"It's been repaired… Merry-dono, how long was I unconscious?"
"About three days, if I'm not mistaken."
The entire Northern Wall was repaired in just three days?
Tomoe recalled that the Northern Wall had suffered several breaches from the Demon Beast attack, with its surface damaged in many places. Repairing it would not only require significant manpower and materials but also a considerable amount of time.
Yet, it was completed in just three days?
"Did King Gilgamesh mobilize all of Uruk's workforce to the Northern Wall?"
"No, not at all. Actually, only a few of us here worked on repairing the Northern Wall." Merry explained. "But the one who truly completed the repairs was Naoki. His Imaginary Manifestation is just too convenient."
As Merry said, with Naoki's Imaginary Manifestation, even if the entire Northern Wall vanished, he could instantly create a new, identical one in its place. Repairing the Northern Wall was a trivial task for him.
"However, there are currently no human soldiers at the Northern Wall. Due to the previous battle, Uruk's forces are almost entirely incapacitated. Less than forty percent of the soldiers are capable of fighting normally. Some refuse to fight again due to psychological reasons. So, in reality, we only have less than thirty percent of our combat strength."
"Naoki felt that managing too many soldiers would be troublesome, so he sent them all back to Uruk to care for the wounded. After all, Uruk is also constantly short on manpower. The number of injured is so high that they can't be properly attended to."
"So, the only ones left at the Northern Wall are us Servants."
Merry explained as she led Tomoe toward the camp.
(The soldiers were sent back to Uruk to recover?)
No wonder Tomoe didn't see anyone. Compared to the bustling atmosphere before, the Northern Wall was now eerily quiet. Many pieces of equipment were left abandoned in place, like the forging tables once used for weapon maintenance, temporary shelters for resting…
Looking at the scene before her, marked by the "scars" etched into the Demon Beast Front Line, Tomoe couldn't help but recall the massive battle three days ago.
The all-out Demon Beast assault, with numbers so overwhelming that even the presence of multiple Servants was barely enough to hold them back.
"We're here."
Merry, walking ahead, stopped. In front of them, Tomoe immediately saw…
"Is that a Japanese-style house?"
Yes.
The only clean area behind the Northern Wall was occupied by a house filled with traditional Japanese style!
Merry laughed: "Since most of the Servants stationed here are Japanese, to make you all feel at home, Naoki built a Japanese-style camp. Though, since he doesn't know exactly what ancient Japanese architecture is like, it's basically a modern style."
In truth, Naoki had simply modeled it after the Emiya Residence in Fuyuki.
As she spoke, Merry opened the entrance door, and what Tomoe saw next was an ancient-style corridor that evoked a slight sense of homesickness. Stepping further inside felt like returning to the grand house where she had lived during her lifetime.
"To create a building that considers us so much… It must have been such a hassle for Naoki-sama."
"It's fine. For him, it's just a matter of moments—only the details need some thought—Hmm? This smell… Looks like we came back just in time."
Merry's nose suddenly caught the aroma of cooking. She immediately grabbed Tomoe's hand and ran down the corridor. After turning a corner, she slid open a closed door—
"Master, I've finished cutting the vegetables and meat."
"Oh, check out this soup I'm making. I'll prepare the stir-fry next."
Tomoe saw Naoki and Rei busy in a modern-style kitchen. Meanwhile, on the tatami mats in the center of the room, familiar Servants sat around a table, waiting for the meal being prepared by the two in the kitchen.
It was just past eleven forty, the perfect time for lunch.
Hearing the door open, Ushiwakamaru immediately looked up toward the entrance, then smiled and stood: "Tomoe-dono!? You're finally awake? Is your body okay?"
"Yoshitsune-kou…"
Hearing her former enemy call her so familiarly, Tomoe felt a bit awkward. After pursing her lips, she forced a smile and nodded: "Yes, I just woke up. Thanks to Merry-dono's care, my body is now fine. I'm sorry for making you all worry these past few days."
"No need to worry! I'm so glad you're awake! If you stayed unconscious, we wouldn't even be able to split shifts!" Nobunaga stood and slapped Tomoe hard on the back: "Starting today, you'll have to make up for all the shifts you missed!"
"Y-Yes!"
Though she didn't yet understand what "shifts" meant, Tomoe instinctively felt it was something very important and agreed with a serious expression.
Meanwhile, Naoki, cooking in the kitchen, turned around while taking a dish from the pan. After wiping his sweat, he said to Tomoe: "Welcome back, Tomoe. Looks like you've fully recovered. Thank goodness you're okay. Have a seat for now. Lunch will be ready soon. Since you're back, I'll make a few extra dishes to celebrate."
"No, that's too much… Naoki-sama doesn't need to go out of his way for me. Just the usual is fine."
"Eh? Naoki… sama?"
Tomoe's unusual way of addressing him made Naoki pause for a moment. The others in the room were also surprised.
"Why the sudden change in how you address me?"
"Well… it's just…"
"Ahem! Ahem!"
As Tomoe was about to explain, Merry suddenly coughed loudly twice, then lunged at Naoki: "Forget that, my King~~~~ I'm starving! It's been three days since I've had your cooking. I desperately need some Naoki Energy right now!"
"I told you, you… Alright, alright, get off me first."
After patting Merry's head with a hint of resignation, Naoki pulled her off him and tossed her toward Morgan, who wasn't far away. Then he said to Tomoe: "Sorry, Tomoe, I'll hear your explanation later. I need to finish preparing lunch now."
"Ah… alright, please go ahead."
Catching Merry's subtle signal, Tomoe temporarily held back from speaking and returned to her vacant seat.