"You've been asleep for a whole day and night! And you say you're fine?" Erza's tone carried a lingering fear. "If you hadn't woken up soon, I was really going to get the Master!"
A day and night?
Shane was startled and subconsciously looked out the window. The night was thick, exactly the same as when he fell asleep.
This illusion actually lasted so long?
He suppressed the surprise in his heart and tried to make his expression look more relaxed, reaching out to smooth the girl's somewhat messy long hair.
"Don't worry, it's just the effect of a magical breakthrough. I'm fine."
Hearing this, Erza nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
She had a strong character to begin with. Seeing Shane's expression as usual, her tense shoulders instantly relaxed a bit.
However, although Shane appeared calm on the surface and even had the energy to comfort the girl, his heart was already in turmoil.
His thoughts uncontrollably sank back into that wasteland of fire and broken swords.
Senji Muramasa...
He never expected that the Saber's True Name revealed in the illusion this time would be this person who should have been impossible.
What made it even harder for him to understand was the name of the last sword forged by that swordsmith—Tsumukari Muramasa!
If it were "Myoho Muramasa," he could barely understand.
That famous demon blade engraved with dragon patterns and the "Lotus Sutra" on the blade body would be quite suitable as Muramasa's Noble Phantasm in terms of fame and spread.
"But 'Tsumukari'... are you kidding me?"
The Sword of Tsumukari!
In the legends of the Kojiki of the island nation, this name pointed to the divine sword taken from the tail of Yamata no Orochi after it was slain—the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi!
This prefix held a supreme status in the mythology system of the island nation. How could it possibly be used to name a weapon forged by a swordsmith?
Moreover, Muramasa... no, Senji Muramasa.
In historical records, they were merely several generations of swordsmiths living in Kuwana, Ise, from the Muromachi period to the Edo period.
The swords they forged were known for their sharpness and were later branded as "demon blades" due to the Tokugawa clan's taboo against them. But in the end, they were just outstanding craftsmen among mortals.
Perhaps they left a small name in the history of swords, but in the long river of history, they didn't even count as a conspicuous wave.
How could it be possible... how could it be possible to forge a divine artifact named "Tsumukari"?
Shane gritted his teeth in confusion, his fingers tightening unconsciously. He had lost count of how many times he had said "impossible" in his heart.
Furthermore, what puzzled him even more was that the illusion usually presented the most representative anecdotes or legends of the Heroic Spirit's life.
But Shane searched through the knowledge in his mind and had never heard of any tragic rumor about "Muramasa forging a sword with his body for the human world."
In history, wasn't Muramasa just a group of... blacksmiths forging lethal weapons? How could it be that magnanimous, compassionate old craftsman in the illusion?
Doubts surged into his mind one by one.
"Something's wrong..." Shane unconsciously whispered in his heart. He felt his brain was a bit overloaded, and even his eyes were drifting toward a dead fish look.
The Heroic Spirit called by the Book of Heroic Spirits this time was nine out of ten wrong.
Just as his mind was in turmoil, Erza's weak voice came to his ears:
"Shane... can you, let go first?"
Shane came back to his senses and found that while deep in thought, he had pulled Erza to the bedside at some point, his arms around her, making her upper body almost completely sink into his embrace.
The girl's warm body temperature came through the thin fabric, her soft body pressed tightly against him. He could even smell the faint scent in her hair, like hay dried in the sun.
However, Shane had no romantic thoughts in his heart, nor any intention of enjoying this good touch.
Hearing Erza's request with a trace of embarrassment, his eyes lit up, not shocked but happy.
Erza actually feels shy because she's in a male's embrace?
A sense of gratification like "my student has suddenly grown up" arose spontaneously in Shane's heart.
After teaching the girl common sense between men and women so many times, she finally took a little bit to heart!
It wasn't in vain that he racked his brains and emphasized it whenever he had time.
"Cough, you're right." Shane released his arms in a good mood and said encouragingly, "That's it, Erza. Keep it up in the future!"
Unexpectedly, Erza lifted her face and looked at him with pure and puzzled eyes, asking strangely, "Keep what up?"
As she spoke, light flashed on her body, and the sleeveless dress convenient for movement instantly disappeared, replaced by a pure cotton white nightgown.
Then, she climbed onto the bed very naturally, found a comfortable position beside Shane to lie down, pulled the quilt, and instructed seriously:
"The weather is cold now. It's fine if you want to sleep together. But you must change into pajamas before sleeping. Sleeping in daytime clothes is uncomfortable and easily dirties the bed."
Shane: "..."
He looked at Erza beside him, who had already closed her eyes and looked ready to sleep, and was speechless for a moment.
After a long while, Shane, who really couldn't tell if she was joking or genuinely thought so, rubbed his temples hard.
Does she still think she's great at taking care of people?
No, my head hurts so much.
Shane could now somewhat understand the Master's usual mood.
Erza, who had guarded him all day, had been mentally tense. Relaxing now, sleepiness surged like a tide.
She mumbled in a daze, her body unconsciously scooting toward the heat source. At the same time, she didn't forget to reach out and press accurately on Shane's waist to prevent him from switching to the foot of the bed like last time and pointing his feet at her again.
After doing all this, her breathing soon became even and long, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Shane looked at the instantly asleep Erza, feeling a bit envious of the girl's excellent sleep quality.
He had planned to immediately test the newly acquired ability, but now...
Shane's gaze moved down. Even though Erza was asleep, one hand was still unconsciously clutching a corner of his pajamas, with quite some force, as if afraid he would run away.
Sneaking out of bed was impossible. Shane looked at her defenseless sleeping face and finally gave up struggling.
"Forget it..." he whispered to himself, adjusting his posture to sit against the headboard.
"Consider it returning the favor for your care today. I'll keep watch for you."
Only Erza's steady breathing remained in the room, interweaving with the occasional faint insect chirps outside the window into a peaceful nocturne.
---
Early morning, the sky outside the window just showed the white of a fish belly.
Faint light penetrated the room. Erza only felt that this sleep was exceptionally solid and warm, as if snuggling next to a small fireball that wouldn't burn.
She opened her eyes lazily, her vision still carrying the haziness of just waking up.
Just at this moment, she met Shane's face close at hand, and the raging crimson flames dancing in his eyes.
Erza sobered up instantly, sleepiness completely gone, pointing at him and exclaiming:
"Fire! Shane, why are your eyes on fire?"