Shirou's clones number 30 million

"This concludes the discussion. Does anyone else wish to speak?"

As soon as Artoria finished speaking, Shirou stood up and said:

"I want to speak!"

"Many of you here are probably already aware of what's happening on the other side of the door. That's right, it's another world thousands of years in the future."

"In that world, countless nations are weak, and the world is controlled by six integrated corporate conglomerates."

"These six conglomerates compete with each other, but they also cooperate frequently."

"In other words, once we go to war with the world behind the door, the enemy is not a single conglomerate, but an entire world."

"It is far too difficult for one country to fight against the whole world."

"Yesterday, I kept thinking about countermeasures, but I couldn't come up with a solution."

"But last night, I suddenly awakened a power similar to the Second Law, which allows me to share memories and abilities with my counterpart in a parallel world."

“I discussed this with my counterparts from other worlds last night, and they are all willing to send people over to provide support.”

"In other worlds, I am either the king of the United Nations of monsters, the prime minister of a country, the son-in-law of a galactic overlord, or I control the military power of most of the world."

"When we communicate with the world behind the gate, they will bring people over to provide support and help make a show of things."

That concludes my remarks.

Merlin looked excited; of all those present, he was the only one who truly understood the meaning behind Shirou's words.

The sharing of parallel worlds has far exceeded the limits that the Second Law can achieve.

No wonder I suddenly can't see the future anymore.

"In that case, the door is no longer a crisis for us, but an opportunity."

"A door that leads to a parallel world in the future—what kind of changes will this bring to this country? It's really exciting."

Chapter 474 The King Still Doesn't Understand People's Hearts

Chapter 474, Section 475: The King Still Doesn't Understand People's Hearts

“I’m looking forward to it too,” Artoria said thoughtfully. “Shirou, how many people will be coming? Is Camelot’s food supply sufficient?”

“Don’t worry about that. I have a modern version of myself, and I’ll bring my own ingredients and chef,” Shirou said with a smile.

"It's incredibly impolite to ask guests to bring their own ingredients."

"It's alright. That world is all about food. No matter what kind of conflict or interest there is, it can be resolved through a cooking competition."

Shirou paused, then smiled and said:

"A few months ago, I opened a culinary academy in that other world. The chefs who came this time were outstanding students and some teachers from the school."

"Although I am just a student, my cooking skills are not to be underestimated. In that academy, my cooking skills would only be at the level of a freshman."

"We will be responsible for providing kitchens and accommodations. Roughly estimated, at least a thousand people will come, so housing needs to be arranged in advance."

Upon hearing the words "culinary academy" and "world of gastronomy," Artoria's eyes gradually brightened, as if they were sparkling.

Although he pretended to be nonchalant, the expression on his face was hard to completely hide.

"A culinary academy? Once they arrive, can Camelot's chefs learn cooking from them?"

"Of course, I'll pass the word as soon as possible."

"Great! When do we officially make contact with the people on the other side of the door?"

"Let's wait for the reinforcements I've called to arrive. Before that, if we rashly make contact with the other side, and they discover that our strength is unexpectedly weak, war will be inevitable."

Artoria's face showed a hint of melancholy. Although what Shirou said was not pleasant to hear, it was indeed the truth.

Because she made a contract with the Counter Force and traveled to the future to participate in the Holy Grail War, she has some understanding of modern society.

Compared to the modern society of this parallel world, our overall strength is utterly insignificant.

One may not be afraid of the opponent when fighting alone, but war is not a battle, much less a game of exchanging pieces.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Shirou."

"Don't say such things. I am, after all, a member of the Knights of the Round Table."

The term "Knights of the Round Table" signifies that all knights seated at the round table are of equal status; theoretically, the king and ordinary knights are also equal.

Of course, this is not actually the case. The differences in rank, combat strength, achievements, and reputation are all measured by the knights themselves.

Because Shirou held multiple positions and was deeply trusted by King Arthur, he could be considered the second-in-command of the Knights of the Round Table.

Of course, this is only because the new Knights of the Round Table are mostly newcomers selected from the military and civilians.

If Gawain, Lancelot, and the others were still around, Shirou certainly wouldn't have been able to hold onto his position next to Artoria.

……

After the meeting, Artoria suddenly stopped Shirou and asked hesitantly:

"Shirou, aren't we lacking in combat power right now? What do you think about bringing Lord Lancelot back?"

“I have already divorced Guinevere, and there are no longer any obstacles between her and Lord Lancelot. If I were to personally go and invite him…”

"That's not the point!" Shirou shook his head slightly. "If you're asking about my stance, then of course I'm firmly against it!"

"Perhaps in your eyes, Lancelot is a victim, but in the eyes of onlookers and the general public, Lancelot is just a shameless traitor who seduced the Queen and murdered his colleagues."

"The former can be washed away, but the latter can't be washed away even if you jump into the Milky Way. In any case, the fact remains that he ruthlessly murdered his colleagues."

"If you choose to forgive him, what will the other Knights of the Round Table think? Isn't this openly telling them that the Knights of the Round Table can kill each other?"

Artoria paused, a hint of disappointment unconsciously showing on her face.

"I've never considered these things. I just thought that if I didn't mind, others probably wouldn't either. Is this what Chief Tristan often says about me not understanding people's hearts?"

"Huh...?" Shirou suddenly realized, "Speaking of which, in the Arthurian legend, Tristan left the Knights of the Round Table halfway through. Is he still alive?"

"I'm not sure, but he should still be alive. Does Shirou want to find Lord Tristan? He probably won't agree, will he?"

"Why? Just because of that sentence 'The king doesn't understand people'? In my opinion, it was just a casual complaint he made, I didn't expect it to spread so widely."

"So... Shirou means that Lord Tristan doesn't actually dislike me?" Artoria's face lit up with joy.

"Of course! He must regret that his own complaint caused the Knights of the Round Table to split up."

“It’s not Lord Tristan’s fault. I really don’t understand what they mean by ‘human nature’ and I’m often angry at my own stupidity. If only I were smarter.”

"You're overthinking it. It's just a grumble; there's no need to overthink it."

Shirou smiled and said again:

"Just like modern employees, when they are overworked or underpaid, they will complain: My boss doesn't understand human nature at all and doesn't know how to be considerate of his employees."

"Is that all?" Artoria asked, looking bewildered. "Then... why did Lord Tristan leave without saying goodbye?"

"Perhaps it's because of guilt and the inability to stay any longer. After all, a casual complaint he made was heard by everyone, and it even caused a terrible atmosphere within the Knights of the Round Table..."

At this point, Shirou paused and pondered for a moment before saying:

"I'll go and bring Tristan back. If there's anything you want to know, you can just ask him yourself, right?"

“No, these are things I can only say in front of Shirou.” Artoria shook her head slightly. “In front of others, I need to maintain the king’s dignity and cannot show any weakness.”

Shirou instantly realized that to the outside world, King Arthur was a perfect king, but also a cold and indifferent man who was devoid of human compassion, so it was impossible for him to confide in others.

"Why don't you just announce your female identity to the public? There have been queens in history, haven't there?"

"Absolutely not!" Artoria's answer was extremely decisive.

After a long silence, she added with a forlorn expression:

"Besides, to only now reveal that I am a woman would be a huge disservice to Guinevere and Lancelot, and to all the knights who died by Lancelot's sword..."

Shirou seemed to be deep in thought. It seemed that she had not made any effort to understand their current situation and was unaware that the two were not together.

That day, when she returned to Camelot with Artoria, Guinevere was extremely excited, and it was clearly a genuine joy.

Then, she received a cold "Let's get a divorce" from Artoria, who was dressed as a man.

To the outside world, she was banished from the palace by King Arthur because of her secret rendezvous with Lancelot.

Currently, she lives in a convent near Camelot and appears to be living as a nun.

Lancelot, on the other hand, shamelessly lived outside the monastery.

Of course, according to Shirou's investigation, the two haven't seen each other for a long time.

Even when they bumped into each other on the street, Gervir remained extremely indifferent.

Forget it, there's no need to tell her this. Let her just believe that the two of them have been living happily together for a long time.

Chapter 475 It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost

Chapter 476 It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost.

The search for Tristan did not take long. Although he had left the Knights of the Round Table, he continued to keep abreast of the changes in the kingdom.

With his Observation Haki fully activated, he covered the entire kingdom, filtering out those whose physique and magical power were above a certain level. After excluding the current Knights of the Round Table and Lancelot, the remaining people were naturally obvious.

When Shirou found Tristan, he was drinking in a small town near Camelot.

Of course, because he didn't know Tristan and was worried about failing to persuade him, Shirou deliberately had Artoria wait outside the tavern while he went in alone to test the waters.

This way, there is still some room for maneuver, and it won't be a complete failure if there is one setback.

"Lord Tristan, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Shirou Emiya, the governor of Camelot."

"Did the king...send you here?"

“No. The king believes you still dislike her, so I came here on my own initiative. Camelot needs people, so come back with me.”

Tristan stared blankly at the empty tavern door behind Shirou, his expression a mixture of sadness and confusion.

"There is no place for me by the king's side. I did something irreversible. Neither the king nor my own heart can forgive myself."

"That line, 'Does the king not understand human nature?' Indeed, that line can be considered the fuse that ignited the destruction of the former Knights of the Round Table."

Shirou shook his head slightly and said seriously: