Although Shirou, Chen, and Hoshiguma all wanted to complain about Wei Yenwu, they held it in.
They had to give him some face.
"You have the same weapons and combat style as that person, and that person has been missing for a long time. It is reasonable for me to suspect you, right?"
Seemingly realizing that Shirou truly did not understand his meaning, Wei Yenwu laid everything out directly.
It was only then that he recalled that the information provided by Penguin Logistics had already stated this clearly.
When talking to Shirou… it seemed better not to be too roundabout.
It looked like Penguin Logistics had not tried to fool him with fake information.
"…"
Of course Shirou knew what Wei Yenwu was referring to, but he was thinking about how to respond.
The question was indeed complicated and involved many things.
At the very least, Wei Yenwu was definitely not someone on the list of people he would confide in.
The boss had said before that this man was extremely shrewd and ruthless. It was best not to let him know too much, or he would easily use it against you.
In simple terms, Wei Yenwu was the kind of person who would do anything for Lungmen.
"It seems there really is a connection between you."
Seeing Shirou remain silent, Wei Yenwu became certain that his assumption was correct.
He tapped the desk lightly, and Shirou immediately sensed the presence of eyes around him.
A sense of danger surged up, and Shirou instinctively stepped back.
"Shirou?"
Noticing his sudden vigilance, Chen and Hoshiguma also realized something was wrong.
Before coming here, they had considered many possible scenarios, but a situation escalating into a physical conflict was not one of them.
"It is fine… probably."
Faced with Wei Yenwu's sudden hostility, Shirou did not make any drastic moves.
He did not project weapons like the Ig-Alima or the Sul-Sugana, nor any Noble Phantasms with dragon slaying properties.
He understood that doing nothing right now was the safest choice.
"Probably? You actually said probably at a time like this?"
Even in such a tense moment, Chen could not help but snap at him.
Despite scolding him, she and Hoshiguma still moved to stand beside Shirou.
Wei Yenwu's hostility felt unreasonable. Even though they did not fully understand that strange title, it did not stop them from taking Shirou's side.
They knew there must be some reason behind Wei Yenwu's suspicion, but both of them trusted their own judgment.
Everything Shirou had done up to now could not possibly have been an act.
"Oh? It seems you trust him a great deal."
Watching the three of them, Wei Yenwu made no further moves, simply observing.
Then, with a loud bang, everyone's attention shifted.
The door had been kicked open, and a short penguin leg was still hanging in midair.
"Hey, hey, Wei Yenwu, quite the authority you have there huh. Are you bullying my people?"
The one who kicked the door open was none other than the Emperor, with Yith and the three members of Penguin Logistics behind him.
And following at the very end was Swire.
"You arrived earlier than I expected."
The moment he saw that short leg, Wei Yenwu knew that Shirou's backing had arrived.
It was sooner than he had anticipated, but upon noticing Swire among them, he roughly understood why.
One could say the penguin got lucky.
From the very beginning, Wei Yenwu had no intention of actually fighting. Deploying the Black Raincoats nearby had only been a test.
If Shirou really were a pawn sent by Kashchey, then just now would have been his best opportunity to strike.
Using the trust of two high-ranking members of the Guard Department, he could have drawn weapons with his ability, incapacitated them, and then attacked.
Wei Yenwu knew that Shirou had the capability to do all of that. Ever since Shirou first met Chen in the slums, he had already sent the Black Raincoats to monitor him from afar.
Now, it seemed… the results were mixed.
The good news was that Shirou was likely not a pawn of the Black Snake.
The bad news was that his identity was probably far from simple.
The Red Devil of Ursus… a being who had fought against several of the Emperor's Blades and even annihilated them.
"Of course, everything is under my control! And get those shadowy figures around you to back off. I do not like being watched by them."
Without waiting for an invitation, the Emperor casually walked in, pulled a chair over, and sat down as he spoke.
Of course, things were not exactly as he claimed.
If Penguin Logistics had not received intel that Shirou was coming to see Wei Yenwu while they were together, he would not have made it here so quickly.
By the time Yith reacted, Shirou might have already been completely figured out by that old dragon in front of them.
As for whether Shirou could be a pawn of the Black Snake and attack Wei Yenwu…
What a joke. If Shirou were really some spy sent by someone, the Emperor would laugh himself to death.
From the very beginning, he had already confirmed that Shirou was just a simple, straightforward person. Although there was no traceable background information about him afterward, his actions spoke for themselves.
A person's character could be seen from their everyday behavior and conduct.
Shirou had no idea that both Yith and Texas had been monitoring him. He simply lived his life as usual.
Aside from occasionally having a sharp tongue, he was essentially a thoroughly good-natured person.
As for why the Emperor acted as if he were all-knowing… ruining that old dragon's plans felt great. He enjoyed seeing carefully arranged schemes get torn apart.
Especially when he was the one tearing them apart…the sense of satisfaction doubled.
"Heh. Since you are all here, take a look at these yourselves."
Seeing the Emperor's arrogant attitude, Wei Yenwu did not say much. He gestured for the Black Raincoats to withdraw, then placed the documents he had taken from the drawer in front of the Emperor.
Letting him enjoy himself for a bit was fine. After all, Shirou was still a newbie in the Guard Department.
It would not hurt to arrange for him to handle some troublesome cases and individuals in Lungmen.
And if anything went wrong, Penguin Logistics could take the blame.
On the surface, it might look like the Emperor had scored a win and enjoyed himself, but Wei Yenwu never came out at a loss.
While the Emperor and Yith reviewed the documents, Wei Yenwu looked toward the others standing nearby.
"As for the rest of you… Shirou stays. Everyone else, step outside."
After some thought, Wei Yenwu decided to have everyone except Shirou leave.
Letting Chen and Hoshiguma stay earlier had only been to observe Shirou's reaction.
Of course, that was under the condition that their safety could be guaranteed.
"… "
The seven of them fell silent, exchanging glances.
The three from Penguin Logistics and Swire, who had just arrived, did not know what had happened earlier. However, seeing how the initial three had looked ready to fight, it was obvious the conversation had not gone well.
"Relax. The boss and I are here."
Sensing their hesitation, Yith turned and spoke to them before returning his attention to the documents.
Although the information was outdated, what was recorded there still intrigued him.
"Understood. We will step outside."
After hearing Yith, Texas nodded and dragged out Exusiai and Croissant, who still wanted to linger.
Chen and Hoshiguma cast one more glance toward the Emperor and Wei Yenwu before leaving together with Swire.
Things had changed too quickly for them to fully process.
But now that the worst-case scenario had been avoided, they did not mind anymore.
Whether it was questioning or pressure, it was better than Shirou and Wei Yenwu actually fighting.
"Then I will also…"
Seeing everyone leave so quickly, Shirou felt a bit pressured staying behind and wanted to follow.
As for the matter of the Ursus, he could confirm it later with Yith. Right now, he did not even have the chance to properly look at what was written in those documents.
"You are staying."
Without giving him the chance, Wei Yenwu cut him off.
Anyone else could leave, but Shirou absolutely could not.
After all, he was the person involved.
"…Understood."
Hearing the door close behind him, Shirou could only stand there properly.
On the bright side, at least Yith was still here, so it would not be too awkward.
"Interesting."
After quite a while, the Emperor suddenly tossed the documents aside.
There was nothing particularly confidential written on them, it was just descriptions of the weapons' effects.
A pair of twin blades that attract each other, a spiral sword with immense penetrating power, arrows that track and kill their targets…
If not for the note stating the person's height was around 180 to 190 centimeters, both he and Yith might have suspected Shirou to be that person himself.
Their abilities were simply too similar.
What really caught the Emperor's interest was one particular weapon, one that could release a beam of extreme heat capable of annihilating everything.
That sounded incredibly fun.
If used during a concert, would it not be even more exciting than fireworks?
"…Sigh."
Seeing the Emperor's carefree attitude, Wei Yenwu felt a headache coming on.
He wanted to light his pipe, but unfortunately could not.
"Stop sighing. You have been watching this kid for so long—do you not already have a clear idea of what kind of person he is?"
Seeing Wei Yenwu show a troubled expression again, the Emperor mercilessly mocked him.
"What if this is all just an act?"
Wei Yenwu never looked at things from a single angle. He always considered multiple perspectives.
If he only judged things at face value, he would never have reached his current position.
"If a villain spends their entire life pretending to be a good person, would you say they are good or bad?"
The Emperor adjusted his sunglasses as he asked.
"Is there any point in discussing something like that?"
Faced with the Emperor's question, Wei Yenwu refused to answer.
"As long as I think there is, that is enough."
Leaning back slightly in his chair, the Emperor spoke in his usual self-willed manner.
"I am responsible for the people of Lungmen."
Seeing that the Emperor would not let it go, Wei Yenwu responded.
There were many possible answers to that question, but he understood what the Emperor meant.
If he doubted someone who had consistently done good deeds, yet could not provide any evidence, then the problem lay with him.
A person who sees everyone as a villain likely has issues of their own.
Even so, he had to consider the worst-case scenario. That was his responsibility.
"Hmph. So you bully my people because of that?"
Seeing Wei Yenwu finally relent, the Emperor pressed on and steered the topic back.
"You know this. When it comes to that Black Snake, no matter how small the possibility, I will cut it off."
Now that the topic was laid bare, Wei Yenwu's expression turned more serious.
"Then it seems you picked the wrong target, Old Wei. You should also know that I hate it when people touch my people. If someone under me has a problem, I will deal with it myself. It is not your place to act."
Straightening up, the Emperor stared at Wei Yenwu through his sunglasses.
"Of course I know. Did I actually make a move?"
Wei Yenwu spread his hands.
He had only intended to test him. If there had been a problem, he would have dealt with it.
As for whether that would sour relations with Penguin Logistics… that would be something for his future self to worry about.
Besides, he had not actually acted, so the Emperor's words this time were more of a "warning."
"If you had made a move, I would not be speaking this calmly right now."
"You do not look calm at all."
"… "
Watching the two continue their verbal back-and-forth, Shirou quietly edged closer to Yith.
At that moment, Yith was repeatedly going over the documents in his hands, as if afraid of missing something, completely unaware that Shirou had approached.
"…So it is true?"
Looking at the diagrams and detailed descriptions in the documents, Shirou was now certain.
Archer had also come to this world.
The bad news was that he might have already been surrounded and eliminated by the Ursus army three years ago.
The report stated it clearly. During that operation, the Red Devil of Ursus wielded a golden sword, unleashing a blinding light that eliminated three Emperor's Blades.
The attack also triggered an avalanche that buried the army.
"What do you mean, 'so it is true'?"
Hearing Shirou speak behind him, Yith finally snapped out of his focus on the documents.
"It is nothing."
Shirou shook his head.
"Hm… Parts of this match the abilities I recorded about you, and the drawings are very similar. You are not actually that person, are you?"
Even though he knew it was unlikely, Yith still asked.
There were simply too many similarities between the two.
"No. But there is some connection."
"Oh? Care to explain?"
Hearing that, Yith immediately became interested.
"I forgot."
Faced with the question, Shirou shrugged, sticking to his usual amnesiac persona.
"…I should not have expected much from you. Still, can you use everything listed here?"
Seeing that Shirou did not want to answer, Yith sighed and changed the subject.
"I cannot use some of them but rest… I probably can?"
After briefly looking through the listed Noble Phantasms, Shirou did not give a definite answer.
He was worried that Yith and the boss would immediately ask him for a demonstration.
Leaving everything else aside, just projecting the golden sword alone would probably leave him bedridden for several days.