บท 332: C332
Shirou's brow furrowed as he returned from another dimensional space.
"What's that card?" Waver asked.
"It's something from a parallel world."
Heine Istari and the other magi had met their demise at the hands of Lancer, but Shirou managed to see through the deception thanks to his second Noble Phantasm. Determined to recover the Class Card, he had taken Waver to the Mirror World and successfully eliminated Diarmuid.
However, to his surprise, the Class Card decided to self-destruct!
These Class Cards were unlike the ones Shirou had recovered in Fuyuki City, which had remained intact and were currently under Zelretch's observation in the parallel worlds.
Disposable? That couldn't be right!
Why were these Class Cards even appearing here in the first place?
Waver's astonishment was evident as he remarked, "Parallel worlds... I see. So that's why you went through all the trouble to track down Zelretch. You must have come across these cards in other locations as well, am I right?"
"Exactly. Two Class Cards showed up in Fuyuki City. Fortunately, I stumbled upon them early, so there were no casualties."
"So, you're suggesting that the Castle of Separation's isolation is a result of interference from parallel worlds?"
"I can't say for sure."
Waver's brow furrowed, "You're not omniscient. huh..."
"If you truly believe in such notions, you're setting yourself up for failure. The idea of me being omniscient is baseless. I don't possess all knowledge, and there are still countless things I'm unaware of. Just look at our current predicament. I can't see what's transpired within this castle, let alone figure out how to escape it."
"But haven't you been granted omniscience and omnipotence by God..."
Shirou let out a scornful laugh and replied with a look of disdain, "Oh, is that what they claim? I am the King who brought about the end of the Age of Gods and even killed gods themselves. Why would I worship yet another god? It's nothing but a tool for the Holy Church to exert control over the medieval era. During my reign, both magi and the Church's supposed divine authority had to bow before me, the Eternal Kings!"
Waver felt a chill run down his spine. It was clear that His Royal Majesty the King held a genuine contempt for gods deep within his heart.
The two of them carefully examined the underground workshop.
The owner of Adra Castle, Geryon Ashborn, was a renowned magus.
As Shirou and Waver explored Geryon Ashborn's hidden workshop beneath the castle, they came across a plethora of research materials belonging to the magus.
Simultaneously, they found themselves confronted by numerous angelic spirits and relentless attacks from Geryon Ashborn's monstrous creations.
However, while these spirits and beasts posed a significant threat to modern magi, they proved to be inconsequential before Shirou's power.
He didn't even bother to pay them any attention. With the autonomous counter-attack of his [Evil] attribute alone, he effortlessly annihilated these spirits, leaving no trace behind.
However, amongst Geryon Ashborn's research materials, the majority seemed to pertain to the magus's own magecraft, offering no clues about the Holy Grail.
"Do you want to take a look, Eternal King?" Waver presented the documents before Shirou.
"You can handle those research materials. No need to pass them on to me."
"Wait, are you suggesting..."
"Everyone should play to their strengths. Deduction happens to be your forte, recognized by the Clock Tower as their detective. It would be more efficient to have the materials at your disposal, enabling you to use your intelligence and solve the case. Rest assured, I will take full responsibility for your safety."
Waver: "..."
Although the words sounded grand and comforting, all Waver could hear were...
—I'm leaving all these tiresome tasks to you.
Suddenly, Waver felt an all-too-familiar pang in his stomach.
What in the world was happening?
Then, it dawned on him.
Every time there were matters of the El-Melloi faction that needed to be dealt with, his teacher, Kayneth, would always say, "Since you aspire to forge your own path in magecraft, you should be well-versed in handling faction affairs. Now, don't disappoint me, you fool. Take care of things responsibly and don't let my efforts go to waste." And with that, he would dump all the tasks onto Waver and happily go about his own business, indulging in his love for Sola-Ui or immersing himself in magecraft research.
And even Reines, every time she got into trouble, she would conveniently shift the responsibility onto him, leaving him to clean up the mess with a bitter expression on his face...
Waver realized that the source of this familiar stomachache sensation stemmed from those experiences.
"What's the matter, Waver? Why do you look so uncomfortable?"
Waver squirmed uncomfortably, "Oh, it's... nothing."
"Well, then, roll up your sleeves and get to work! You excel in this area, and I have complete faith in your abilities."
Waver: "..."
The pang in his stomach intensified!
Shirou thoroughly searched Geryon Ashborn's workshop but failed to discover anything else of significance.
However, he did notice that the underground fissures were emitting particles from the Age of Gods, including True Ether. This caused Shirou to furrow his brow, and he used the black mud to absorb and contain the Age of Gods particles before sealing the underground cracks.
After their exploration of Geryon Ashborn's magical workshop, the duo returned to the main hall.
Despite the late hour, not a single person had left the main hall. They all patiently awaited the return of Shirou and Waver.
Lorelei looked directly at Shirou and asked, "Fujimaru-sama, what is the truth behind this situation?"
"It was an attack from another space."
He chose to withhold the details about parallel worlds and instead offered an alternative explanation for Diarmuid's actions.
Lorelei's brow furrowed as she pondered, "An assault orchestrated by remnants of Heroic Spirits hidden within another space?"
Altrouge hurriedly said, "See, see! I told you! It wasn't me! It wasn't my doing!"
"Princess, please be more mindful..." Rizo-Waal Strout said helplessly. However, those standing by him, including Wallacia Night, showed little reaction.
While some individuals accepted the information provided by Shirou, others struggled to come to terms with it. Without having accompanied Shirou to witness the events firsthand, they couldn't help but harbor doubts.
Especially Heine Istari's sister, who cried and screamed, completely lost her sanity and even accused him of being the culprit. Yet, no one dared to voice agreement with her accusations.
The majority of those present had been terrified by the sheer force of Shirou's beam attack.
As for Lorelei's elite magi, seeing their leader's lack of response, they found themselves unable to say anything either.
Taking matters into his own hands, Shirou used a direct hypnotic suggestion to lull Heine Istari's sister into a deep sleep, rendering her unconscious.
He scooped up the little girl and asked, "Who can take her to a room and ensure she gets a good night's sleep?"
Altrouge's hand shot up hastily as she blurted, "I... I'll do it!"
He glanced at her and said, "Alright, I'll leave it to you."
He handed the girl over to Altrouge, who swiftly hurried away with her in tow.
Waver voiced his concerns, "Isn't it too risky to entrust a human to a Dead Apostle, Eternal King?"
"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, she won't dare to cause any trouble."
Recalling Altrouge's reaction, Waver thought to himself, "That's indeed true."
He then stepped forward and addressed the gathering, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, lives are on the line. To find a way out of here, I'll need your assistance."
Orlocke Caesarmund asked, "Young Lord, what kind of assistance do you need from us?"
Waver responded, "Currently, we're lacking substantial leads. As a temporary measure, we have to consider Geryon Ashborn, the owner of this Castle, as a possible suspect. I need each of you to hand me your invitation letters. Collecting all the letters may provide us with some valuable clues."
"I see," Caesarmund nodded and handed his invitation letter to Waver.
However, the others remained still.
One of the magi spoke up, saying, "Geryon Ashborn's invitation letter is tied to inheritance. If we hand over our letters to you, it implies we're relinquishing our eligibility for the inheritance."
"It's not just about inheritance anymore, it's..." Waver was about to argue, but Shirou raised his hand to silence him and calmly stepped forward.
All eyes were fixed on Shirou.
He projected Rhongomyniad and cast a piercing gaze upon everyone. Those who met his eyes couldn't help but lower their heads.
He spoke slowly, emphasizing each word, "Listen— I have chosen Waver Velvet as the one responsible for solving this incident. If you wish to leave this place alive, you must cooperate with him. Otherwise, it will be seen as a direct provocation to me. Those who possess the ability, step forward and witness the might of my lance."
The Lance of Rhongomyniad pulsed with a surge of magical energy, accompanied by thunder and storm-like intensity. Its presence caused the surrounding space to subtly shift and ripple.
Shirou's profile glowed brilliantly as the radiant lance illuminated him, casting an ethereal glow around him like a celestial being.
A wave of unease washed over everyone, causing beads of cold sweat to form on their brows.
Even Lorelei's fifty elite magi couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines. They were unable to conjure such a violent magical aura.
Shirou's gaze scanned the faces of Caesarmund, Luvia, and the rest of the onlookers. Those who met his eyes couldn't help but instinctively lower their heads, a gesture of submission.
Even Lorelei, who was usually filled with pride, couldn't help but bow her head in deference.
"Any objections?" Shirou asked, his voice carrying authority.
Silence greeted his question, as no one dared to offer a dissenting word.
"Follow Waver's instructions."
As a result, no one voiced any objections, and they willingly surrendered their invitation letters to the young lord.
Waver couldn't help but release a sigh. Things were proceeding far too smoothly.
His gaze instinctively drifted towards Shirou, who stood with the holy lance in hand.
"Don't worry about me. I have your back. You just need to make the best use of your skills, and leave the rest to me."
Waver nodded and took a deep breath.
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