The next day, noon.
Inside the Great Cavern of Mount Enzou.
Standing in the vast, empty cavern, Marisbury gazed at the strange scenery before him, unable to hold back his admiration. "I never imagined Fuyuki City had a place like this. Was it formed naturally? Or man-made? Could it really be, as the legends say, that a dragon once nested here?"
"No way. The only dragon still on the world's surface today is the spirit tomb of Albion you mentioned, and even that's a dead dragon. A remote place in the Far East like this has already lost its magical foundation, and there's no mystery significant enough to sustain a dragon species." Solomon said, shaking his head in dismissal.
"It's most likely a relic left by ultra-ancient Magi in this area."
"Magecraft in the Far East, huh? It's a pity it vanished long ago, with no chance of revival now. Truly regrettable." Marisbury sighed. "So, as Lord Natsukawa said, the thing we need is here."
The great cavern beneath Mount Enzou—this was the main site of the Greater Grail ritual itself.
This morning, just as Marisbury woke up, he received a message from Naoki delivered through a familiar.
Though curious why Naoki didn't come in person to inform him, Marisbury had no reason to stay away since he now knew the Grail's location. After all, the Holy Grail was practically useless to anyone but him. In the agreement Naoki reached with Solomon, they had also tacitly agreed that the right to use the Holy Grail belonged to Marisbury and Solomon.
"Well, King? Can you sense the Holy Grail's presence?"
"The Holy Grail isn't a tangible object but a massive magical ritual—it's right here."
As Solomon spoke, he raised both hands. The ten rings on his fingers lit up in sequence, and powerful Mana accompanied them, spreading through the cavern, seeping into every corner like water soaking into dry soil.
Numerous lines spread across the cavern floor, and at their intersection, on a platform in the center of the great cavern, golden light began to gather, gradually forming a large golden chalice.
Walking to the platform with Solomon, Marisbury looked at the golden chalice before him. "This is the Holy Grail? They say when it appeared ten years ago, it caused significant damage in Fuyuki City. I didn't expect its emergence this time to be so quiet."
"The Holy Grail War ten years ago held many secrets, and the incidents it caused pale in comparison to what we've experienced this time. Plus, I intervened during the Grail's emergence, so it appeared with such minimal disturbance."
Secrets—rumor has it that after the Holy Grail War ten years ago ended, two of the three main families that established it nearly vanished. The remaining Tohsaka family was left with a single heir, and the infamous Magus Killer of the mystic world disappeared without a trace. Lord El-Melloi and his assistant, who returned from the battle, revealed no information, and soon after, a strange existence like Naoki appeared.
It's impossible to believe there were no secrets behind it.
But those are stories from ten years ago, no need to dig deeper now, nor is it possible to investigate. The most important thing now is—the Holy Grail has fallen into Marisbury's hands.
"This is the final step. The long-cherished wish of the Animusphere family finally has hope of being realized."
"I, Marisbury Animusphere, hereby wish upon the Holy Grail—"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
On the first-floor sofa at the base.
Setting down the novel in his hand, Naoki stood and approached the window. "It's started—the wishes of those two."
Marisbury's wish was boundless wealth.
Solomon's wish was to become human.
Now, both of their wishes would soon be fulfilled. Perhaps in a few years, news would spread of a massive facility being built in Antarctica—no, it's likely already been built in secret and will be announced soon.
The Chaldea Security Organization, the core that will save human history twice in the next ten years.
(The incineration of humanity, then the freezing of humanity… There's still much to do, but that's ten years away. There's plenty of time to prepare.)
For now, Naoki would rest for a day or two. Perhaps because Rei drained so much Mana from him yesterday, he kept feeling drowsy today. Even standing, he could feel an incessant wave of sleepiness.
"Master."
"Uh… Naoki-sama."
A voice came from behind. Naoki shook his head to clear his mind and turned. He saw Artoria and Okita Souji standing at the doorway. Both had changed out of their Servant attire and were wearing modern clothing.
Smiling, Merry appeared behind them. "Well, King? Didn't I dress them up adorably?"
"Merry, I'm really not used to such light clothing." Artoria said.
"Too much is exposed… It's utterly unbecoming of a samurai's dignity!" Okita added.
Both Artoria and Okita blushed, protesting to Merry—they were now dressed in pink and white outfits, adorned with details heavily emphasizing girlish traits. It felt like costumes a magical girl protagonist in a children's anime would wear.
Not that they weren't beautiful, but for the knight and samurai, such attire was hard to accept!
Facing their protests, Merry just wagged a finger. "Hmph hmph~~~ You don't get it. To live in this era, this kind of style is just the basics. This isn't your time anymore—the social structure is different."
Indeed—Artoria and Okita were now Servants staying in the modern era.
Okita, due to Rei's intervention, had signed a contract with Naoki early on, ensuring she wouldn't vanish even after the Holy Grail War ended. Naoki's vast Mana forcibly sustained her Servant form.
Artoria's case was special—after fusing with Naoki, since it was her first time fusing without being the primary subject, their separation wasn't perfect. Though they were individually separated, a stronger bond now connected them compared to before.
Metaphorically, if Naoki and Artoria were once linked by a fishing line, it had now evolved into a chain, one neither could break.
Thus, Artoria was forcibly kept in this world.
Morgan and Mordred were delighted about this.
"Uh… Honestly, I think a suit would've been enough for me." Artoria said.
"Same here, a kimono would do." Okita added.
"No way!" Merry rejected their requests outright. "You two are so beautiful—you have to dress up! Naoki, rate them… Naoki?"
Naoki didn't respond to Merry's question. The relentless drowsiness flooding his mind left him too exhausted to speak. His vision blurred, as if covered by a layer of mist.
(This feeling is…)
"King? Are you okay? I didn't curse you this time." Merry said.
(I know it's not you, and it's not an effect on my body, just making me sleepy… Who's doing this?)
As he thought this, Naoki's legs suddenly gave out, and his entire body collapsed uncontrollably to the ground.
"Naoki!"
"Master!"
"Naoki-sama!"
Their shouts were the last sounds Naoki heard before falling into a deep sleep.