Shirou's clones number 30 million

Aoi Tohsaka paused slightly, thinking to herself:

What does "homeless" mean? Does it mean running away from home?

Just then, a voice suddenly came from the side:

"Ouch, that looks so painful! Whose child is that girl? She's amazing."

Hearing the voices of the other guests beside her, Aoi Tohsaka subconsciously looked up and was immediately startled.

In the projection, Xiaolin seemed to have just fallen, her sportswear covered in weeds and mud, and there were a few leaves in her hair.

Meanwhile, her rival, Taiga Fujimura, had long since vanished without a trace; only the footprints she left on the road proved that she was ahead.

"Rin...aren't you going to give up yet?"

There was clearly no hope of winning.

Under her gaze, Rin Tohsaka in the projection fell down again, her hand hitting a rock beside her, leaving a scratch about five centimeters long.

"Why not give up? The outcome is already decided."

“It’s impossible for me to give up,” Shirou couldn’t help but say. “Rin is no longer just after the prizes from the competition; there’s no way she’ll give up.”

Aoi Tohsaka fell silent for a long time.

If Shirou can see it, she can naturally see it too.

At that moment, she felt a strong sense of self-reproach.

My daughter is working hard, but I've done nothing but watch. This is my dereliction of duty as a mother.

Thinking of this, she immediately got up.

"Shirou, if Rin comes back later, please tell her that I need to see Kariya about something."

"Ah... oh."

Shirou quickly realized what she meant, nodded slightly, and watched her leave, all the while trying to guess what she was planning.

Taking her daughter back from the Matou family? Impossible, she's not that kind of woman with guts.

Inquiring about his daughter's situation in the Matou family? That's quite possible, but it's uncertain whether Kariya will tell the truth.

Chapter Sixteen: Roman Treasures, That's it?

Section 16, Chapter Sixteen: Roman Treasures, Is That All?

An hour later, the citizens' competition had reached the final stage.

"Next up is the final of the Nero Festival Citizens' Contest, with the two contestants being Taiga Fujimura and Irisviel."

"Through a draw, the competition will be a singing contest. There are no restrictions on the songs; you can sing whatever you are best at."

"I hereby declare the competition—begin!"

After Nero retreated to the sidelines, Fujimura Taiga immediately cleared his throat, and his singing began.

After a couple of lines, he started singing off-key, and then he became increasingly unrestrained.

She suddenly stopped when the song was only halfway through.

"Huh...? What's next?"

Upon seeing this, Irisviel smiled and said:

"Well then, it's my turn next."

"Wait a minute! I haven't finished singing yet. I just suddenly can't remember the lyrics. Let me think about it some more."

"No, this is a formal competition."

"Woooo..."

Fujimura Taiga looked dejected, but the next second, he perked up and smiled:

"I've sung half of it, now it's your turn. If you haven't sung half of it yet, then I win."

"Ms. Fujimura, I'm about to begin."

Irisviel chuckled softly, closed her eyes, and began to hum a tune.

As the emotions intensified, the singing gradually grew louder.

Unlike Taiga Fujimura, who sings off-key, her lullabies are very beautiful, making people unconsciously recall their childhood and giving them a feeling of wanting to close their eyes and take a nap.

As the music ended, Nero, standing on the sidelines, walked forward while clapping continuously.

"It's so beautiful! Your singing reminds me of my childhood memories."

"Then, the outcome is decided! I hereby declare the winner of this year's Nero Festival Citizen Contest to be Miss Irisviel."

At this point, she snapped her fingers.

The next moment, several Roman soldiers carried boxes from outside the arena.

"Miss Irisviel, the prizes are right here. Since there are quite a few, I'll have them take you all the way home."

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty Nero."

Irisviel glanced at the box beside her, picked up the small bottle from the plate, and said with a smile:

"I will accept the Fountain of Life, but please take the gold back. I don't need such things."

"In exchange, would I have the honor of hearing you sing?"

Nero immediately laughed triumphantly, and after a long while, he said with a smile:

“My singing voice is the most precious treasure of the Roman Empire. I must say, you have chosen the best prize. Very well, I grant your permission.”

"Now, listen carefully to Yu's beautiful singing voice."

As a shower of flower petals fell from the sky, Nero's song began to play simultaneously.

The scene was breathtaking, and everyone in the city stared intently at the projection.

However, compared to the beautiful visuals, the singing was truly unbearable, a complete synonym for being tone-deaf.

Irisviel stared at her blankly, her mouth involuntarily agape, her face full of astonishment.

Rome's most precious treasure, an artist comparable to Apollo, and this is it?

Were the Romans' aesthetic standards really that low?

Although there are historical rumors that Nero was actually just a self-proclaimed artist.

But the Nero who appeared before them wasn't a middle-aged man, but a cute girl who looked exactly like Saber.

Therefore, Irisviel had actually been looking forward to it.

She even considered asking Saber to sing with her later, and through comparison, she might be able to make a few jokes about her.

However, the illusion was completely shattered.

Moreover, since I made Her Majesty Nero lose face like this, I wonder if she will try to harm me later?

After a long while, the song ended, and Nero said with a smile:

"Well then, let's applaud my unparalleled talent!"

"Does His Majesty Nero think he sings very well?"

"Of course! My singing is the best."

"Um... if, if someone said something unpleasant, what would you do?"

"People who don't appreciate art can be found everywhere. I won't take such a trivial matter to heart."

"Um... there's a rumor that you once coerced or bribed the referee to influence the outcome of a match. Is that true?"

"I did do that. Those guys were so infuriating, saying my singing wasn't good at all. Since that's the case, I had to win the championship to prove to the world that they just didn't know how to appreciate it."

Is that really the case?

Irisviel stared at her speechlessly, thinking to herself:

This person was not an artist comparable to Apollo at all; she was just an ordinary girl who was overly narcissistic.

I've solved a historical mystery, but it doesn't seem to make much sense.

"Your Majesty Nero, may I leave now?"

"Of course, do you really not want the gold?"

"No, another prize is enough."

……

Meanwhile, the city streets were bustling with noise.

"Wow... that's His Majesty Nero's singing voice! This is so amateurish!"

"An artist comparable to Apollo? This is it? It makes Apollo seem less impressive. Do you think Apollo was tone-deaf?"

"This is almost as good as Fat Tiger's... Speaking of which, those two women competing for the championship just now, I think their event was singing? I wonder how well they sang?"

"It must be excellent. No matter what, it can't be worse than His Majesty Nero, right?"

"Don't you think Her Majesty Nero looks incredibly beautiful when she sings?"

"It's beautiful, but it doesn't sound good at all. It's like a primary school student rapping."

"Perhaps His Majesty Nero actually sang very well, but when it was transmitted to our ears, there were some errors, which made it sound rather unpleasant."

"Don't you feel guilty saying that? Ha..."

The projector could only hear Nero's voice, not the contestants' voices.

Therefore, everyone has their own opinion on Fang Cai's singing.

Overall, more people were disappointed.

After all, I thought I was going to hear heavenly music, but it turned out to be just elementary school students rapping.

This sudden turn of events is really bad for the heart.

At the stall, Shirou kept his ears covered until the changes in the expressions of those around him indicated that the singing had stopped, and then he lowered his hands.