Bab 345: C345
Confusion spread among the onlookers as they exchanged glances, whispers of speculation starting to circulate.
"Geryonn initially planned to exploit the invited guest as a means to resurrect his deceased child—a sort of 'chrysalis,' if you will. However, he fell victim to someone else's manipulation. I even suspect that's why he was killed!" Waver retrieved the invitation letter and presented it, stating, "The invitation letter has been deliberately tampered with."
Curiosity piqued, someone asked, "What was altered?"
With a grave expression, Orlocke replied, "The Holy Grail..."
"Indeed!" Waver declared to the crowd. "The original guest and the main content of the invitation remain unchanged. However, a new section regarding the Holy Grail has now been added. Furthermore, a forged invitation letter for 'Tohsaka Tokiomi' exists, and I believe there's a forged invitation for 'Emiya Kiritsugu' as well."
Shirou interjected, "So, this is an attempt to replicate the Fourth Holy Grail War."
"Yes!" Waver nodded, affirming his statement.
"But what's the connection? I don't recall any invitation letter addressed to Emiya Kiritsugu."
"That's because the individual who should have entered last ended up entering ahead of schedule."
"The person who should have entered last?" The onlookers exchanged glances, their collective gaze eventually landing on Shirou.
"Are you saying that the problem lies with me?" Shirou asked.
Waver remained silent for a moment, recognizing the danger of divulging further information. However, he had no choice; this was the truth he had discovered.
"Whether it's the Heroic Spirits or the representatives of the Holy Church who have arrived for questioning, they have all been part of an artificial replication of the Fourth Holy Grail War. And the objective behind replicating the war isn't to bring back the Holy Grail, but rather to consolidate records," Waver disclosed.
"Consolidate records?" The crowd furrowed their brows, their curiosity intensifying.
In that moment, Orlocke Caesarmund froze, a realization dawning upon him. His forehead glistened with cold sweat as he stared at Shirou.
Luvia glanced at Orlocke, then shifted her gaze towards Shirou.
Sensing the weight of everyone's attention, Shirou furrowed his brows.
Waver continued, "Whether it's Tohsaka Tokiomi or the Heroic Spirits, their purpose is to consolidate the records of the participants in that Holy Grail War. And the desired outcome of this consolidated record is 'Fujimaru Shirou.'"
Orlocke, visibly shaken, stammered, "B-but, if the goal is to consolidate records and achieve Butterfly Magecraft by completing someone's record... B-but if that's the case, there's no need to invite the Dead Apostle Ancestors!"
"No," Waver replied. "Actually, it was already odd that Princess Altrouge was present while the other Dead Apostle Ancestors were not."
He then glanced at Altrouge. "If my guess is correct, it was one of the Princess' subordinates who informed you about the Holy Grail, right?"
Altrouge's eyes darted briefly towards Wallachia before returning her gaze to Waver. She asked, "What are you trying to say?"
Waver explained, "Princess Altrouge has a connection to the Eternal King, and the Barthomeloi family also has ties to the Eternal King. They all possess memories related to the Eternal King, like a record. The Fourth Holy Grail War is about consolidating the record of 'Fujimaru Shirou,' while the presence of the Ancestor of the Dead Apostles is about consolidating the record of the 'Eternal King'..."
Pausing for a moment, Waver continued, "The actual purpose of this resurrection ritual is to allow the Eternal King to completely occupy Fujimaru Shirou's body, to be fully resurrected and return to this world!"
The onlookers exchanged glances of astonishment and bewilderment. However, a few perceptive individuals found themselves drenched in a cold sweat, like Orlocke and Luvia.
If this truly was a resurrection ritual for the Eternal King, how could they possibly survive after being involved in it?
Shirou questioned, "Are you... Have you let your imagination run wild?"
Waver replied firmly as he gazed into his eyes, "Your Majesty, during the nine years that Fujimaru Shirou vanished from Fuyuki City, he must have encountered the records of the Eternal King!"
Shirou fell into silence. In a way, those lost years could indeed be seen as an encounter with the records of the Eternal King.
Because during those lost years, he had used the power of the "Root" to journey back more than 1500 years and achieve the remarkable feats of the Eternal King.
In that regard, it could certainly be argued that he had not only come into contact with but also fulfilled the records of the Eternal King.
Shirou had not revealed any details about his time travel to Waver, yet Waver managed to deduce it based on the limited clues he had. It left him with a pounding headache.
Luvia asked, "And what about the Holy Grail, then?"
Waver declared with certainty, "There has never been a Holy Grail in this place!"
"If there's no Holy Grail, then why are we unable to leave? If it's merely a matter of a spell, how could it stop someone as powerful as Lord Barthomeloi or the Dead Apostle Ancestors?"
Waver replied, "Because this is the final resting place of the Eternal King, as well as the tomb of the King of Knights—Avalon!"
"What?!" Everyone was left in utter shock.
Avalon...
The land of fairies, a utopia untouched by the constraints of time, space, or even the Five True Magics.
And they found themselves standing right in its midst?
Waver continued, "We're currently in southwestern England, specifically Tintagel, the birthplace of the Eternal King over 1500 years ago. It is intricately connected to leylines that stretch to Wales, Cornwall, London... and even the distant city of Fuyuki!"
Shirou voiced his doubt, "Are you suggesting that someone used Fuyuki's leyline to recreate the Holy Grail? That's impossible. The Greater Grail was already destroyed by me, and even its remnants were exploited nine years ago, rendering them completely useless."
Waver posed a thought-provoking question, "What if one of your subordinates appeared in Fuyuki during or after the Fourth Holy Grail War and managed to steal the remnants of the Holy Grail?"
Being the most knowledgeable about magecraft among the group, Lorelei quickly grasped Waver's implication and asked, "Are you suggesting that someone used the remains of the Holy Grail to replicate the Fourth Holy Grail War in this location? And then, they switched the spaces between Avalon and the Adra Castle, effectively sealing off this Castle...?"
Waver affirmed with a nod.
Frowning, she questioned further, "But who would even have the capability to pull off something like that? And let's not forget that Avalon is a legendary land, inaccessible to modern magi. Even if they somehow gained access, how could they connect it to the leylines of the Adra Castle for the swap? It's simply inconceivable!"
"Well, that's a question we should direct to..." Waver shifted his gaze towards the figure standing behind Altrouge, "...the person whose heart was stolen by fairies, Doctor Heartless!"
In an instant, magical silk cloth surged from every direction, tightly binding Wallacia Night. The elite magi surrounding Lorelei wasted no time, immediately casting their suppression spells on Wallacia Night.
Emerging from behind, Adashino Hishiri, who had been playing dead, stepped forward and addressed Waver, "Lord detective, I have fulfilled your request."
"What do you think you're doing, human?" Altrouge narrowed her eyes with an unfriendly glare. Seeing her subordinate being suppressed right in front of her was akin to provoking her.
Waver replied, "He is not your subordinate, Princess Altrouge. Your subordinate was killed nine years ago."
"What...?!" she was taken aback, her expression shifting to a mixture of surprise and disbelief.
"Although it's not the complete truth, it's not far from it either." Clapping his hands, Wallacia Night posed a question, "So, how did you discover my true identity?"
Waver's response was straightforward, "Because the person who connects Orlocke Caesarmund and Geryon Ashborn is none other than you, Doctor Heartless."
Shirou furrowed his brow, deep in thought. Logical reasoning wasn't his strong suit, and Waver's speculation seemed convoluted, suggesting that this ritual was meant to resurrect him.
But he hadn't died to begin with!
Wait...!
The purpose was to resurrect the Eternal King. But the Eternal King had never died. He was the Eternal King, and he's still alive and kicking.
How can you resurrect someone who's not dead?
Furthermore, both Arcueid and Altrouge not only possessed memories related to the Eternal King but also shared memories of a certain female knight. Not to mention that these two had a significant connection with that female knight...
As Shirou connected the dots, a single conclusion remained.
And he finally understood.
"This isn't a ritual to bring me back. It's a ritual to resurrect Artoria!"
The target of this ritual was none other than Gray!
The true purpose was to resurrect the King of Knights—Artoria Pendragon!
With this newfound understanding, his instinct drove him to rush towards Gray's room. However, just as he was about to make his move, Wallacia Night glanced at him and warned, "You can't do that, Your Majesty. If you disrupt this ritual, that woman will tear me apart."
Wallacia Night raised his head, his gaze fixed on an empty space, and shouted, "My lord! They are violating the rules!"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone