---o---
[Eriri Spencer Sawamura: Holy crap. I'm just... wow. Is this what being a lesbian is like? That's terrifyingly direct.]
[Eden: That's our Eli, the same as she's always been~~]
[Schicksal Overseer: The second-in-command of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. Her identity is even more astonishing than I imagined.]
[Theresa Apocalypse: The Thirteen Flame-Chasers? What's that? Grandpa, does this mean Elysia really is a human from the Previous Era?]
[Schicksal Overseer: It's just a guess, my dear granddaughter. After all, I only just learned of this title myself. The name 'Thirteen Flame-Chasers' doesn't seem to have been officially recognized in the records of the Previous Era.]
[Utaha Kasumigaoka: Is no one going to talk about who that white-haired man is?]
[Himeko Murata: The marks on his hand... is that a Command Spell? Could he be Assassin's Master?]
[Romani Archaman: H-how... how can it be? It's him—]
[King of Heroes: Uninteresting. Is this another participant coveting this King's treasures?]
[Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald: Marisbury Animusphere. One of the twelve noble houses of the Clock Tower, the Lord of the Department of Astromancy. Why would a magecraft ritual of this level attract his attention?]
As the white-haired man appeared on the screen, Kayneth was completely baffled. In his view, the so-called Holy Grail War was merely a minor ritual in the Far East. His own reason for participating was not out of any necessity or urgency, but simply to add the "glory of conquest" to his personal history. That was the extent of it.
But what was Marisbury's reason? Could there truly be secrets behind this Holy Grail War that he was unaware of? He didn't believe that the Animusphere family, with its deep foundation, or that the Lord of Astromancy, with his status in the Clock Tower, needed to prove his strength by participating in a ritual of this caliber.
Then... there was only one possibility. Marisbury also had a wish that required the Holy Grail to fulfill. That... must be why he chose to participate.
What wish could it be?
Kayneth was intensely curious. A wish that even the Lord of Astromancy could not achieve on his own would surely not be some mundane desire. Unfortunately, he was not well-acquainted with Marisbury, and the strict rules between magus families meant he knew nothing of the Animusphere's magecraft or philosophy.
He could only hope that this light screen would provide him with the answer...
---o---
In the light screen projection, despite being rejected, Marisbury did not fly into a rage. In his eyes, Elysia's existence could only be described as a miracle.
After all... even that King's clairvoyance could not see through Elysia's past and future.
For a magus, the allure of the unknown was too powerful. It was precisely for this reason that countless magi made reaching the Root their life's ambition. The Einzbern family was willing to break the rules of the Holy Grail War just to obtain the Grail and realize the Third Magic, thereby reaching the Root and fulfilling their family's generations-long wish.
Marisbury was naturally the same. He had his own Grand Order that he absolutely had to complete. Originally, he was certain of victory in this Holy Grail War. Everything was proceeding according to that King's predictions. He only needed to wait patiently, and he could win the war without lifting a finger. But now, a person that even that King could not predict had suddenly appeared.
When Elysia appeared, Marisbury's first thought was not to eliminate this unforeseen element, but to wonder, Why could she evade that King's predictions? Why does such a wondrous person exist in this world? That was why he had invited Elysia to join his yet-to-be-founded Chaldea.
"Since you've refused, it can't be helped. However, I believe we will certainly meet again one day," Marisbury said in his gentle voice. After speaking, he departed.
It had to be said, the aristocratic aura surrounding Marisbury was incredibly potent, a quality that seemed innate, one that could unconsciously draw people in. Unlike Tokiomi Tohsaka's deliberately cultivated elegance, Marisbury's was as natural as breathing.
Even Elysia had to admit that it was easy to develop a favorable impression of this white-haired young man. Among the men she could think of, quite a few were more handsome than Marisbury, but very few were more elegant.
However, Marisbury's appearance served as a reminder to her. Although Elysia did not want to intervene in the Holy Grail War, nor did she wish to influence this world too much, something akin to fate seemed to be quietly influencing her. No... it was influencing this entire world...
She could feel that the progression and existence of the Holy Grail War was of paramount importance to this world. It absolutely could not be interfered with lightly!
---o---
[King of Heroes: An eighth Servant? It seems another mongrel who calls himself a king has popped out of nowhere~]
[Schicksal Overseer: Grand Order, Fate... A simple conversation and internal monologue contained a great deal of information and data~]
[L: Does a power called 'Fate' that manipulates the development of humanity truly exist in the world?]
[Conan Edogawa: I don't know about fate, but I do know that the waters of this Holy Grail War are getting deeper and deeper. If he knew about the King of Heroes and was still confident the Grail would be his, it means the Servant he summoned is unimaginably powerful.]
[Eriri Spencer Sawamura: Could it be Assassin? Or some other Servant?]
[Tokiomi Tohsaka: No, it could not possibly be Assassin. An Assassin-class Servant has already appeared in this Holy Grail War.]
In the Sea of Quanta, Kevin, who was waiting for Gray Serpent's rescue plan, was silently watching the screen. To be able to see his long-lost friend in the projection was a blessing for Kevin, even if they couldn't communicate. However... when the words "Fate" and "Elysia" appeared together, Kevin's attention was completely captivated.
Aponia once said that she could see the threads of fate. And yet, even when she exhausted all her strength and tried countless methods, she could not change the predetermined destiny. On the eve of the Final Herrscher's descent, it was precisely because of Elysia's sacrifice that the threads of fate quietly snapped.
And now, Elysia was once again entangled with something called fate. Could it be that the people of that world, just like them, would ultimately be unable to escape a destiny of destruction?