"Yes, onee-sama!"
Fenrir's mighty and imposing dragon body stood tall, like a towering mountain of dark metal. Its massive dragon head nearly touched the ceiling of the vast cavern.
Its answer came swiftly and firmly. As it nodded, the sheer movement of its jaw stirred a fierce wind in the cavern above. Yet its not-so-bright mind made this otherwise majestic promise feel more like a comical joke.
At least, that's how it sounded to Norton on the other end of the communication. All he could hear was the voice of an unreliable clown.
Looking at Fenrir's dopey yet adorable expression, Norton shook his head. "All talk and no action… just a fraud."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Xia Mi crossed her arms, irritation lacing her voice. She had no interest in standing around all day staring at the creepy container sealing the White King. "It's not like I've got nothing better to do than babysit a gloomy coffin."
Honestly, her silly big brother Fenrir was the better candidate for this job.
"The Greater Grail's seal cannot be compromised. And regarding Odin's schemes, we must immediately prioritize our investigation. Since you already made the Holy Grail War public, we must also carefully consider who the Masters will be—there's no room for error…"
"Our experiment's margin for error is razor-thin. You're not seriously thinking of letting the Greater Grail pick the Masters like the PR material says, right?" Propaganda is just words—it's only useful if it attracts enough Masters. No one who knows the truth actually believes it.
It's like how the Three Great Families always have pre-selected slots for Masters each time. Not getting selected? Not possible. They're the organizers—ever heard of backroom deals?
Xia Mi's temples throbbed from Norton's endless chatter. It was turning into a long-winded monologue.
"Enough already! Maybe Odin's whole setup isn't that complicated."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"From our past investigation into his so-called 'Valhalla' project, it's clear this guy is resisting the Black King by following a fated path. Whether or not he changes his mind after the Grail War, all his prior setups follow a 'traditional layout'—that includes his plans for the White King."
When Norton heard the words "traditional layout," his gaze sharpened. He instantly understood Odin's intent—an outdated strategy Norton had long since abandoned.
"…You mean Odin's only planning to devour the White King?"
"Maybe he's got some extra ideas mixed in, but that's the core of it. But here's the thing—we know Odin already captured the White King's soul in Shenzhou, and yet he still covets Japan. That's suspicious. Maybe there's another 'White King' in this country."
Norton looked stunned. "Two White Kings?… No, wait. We only have the 'soul.' Meaning the 'body' is still out there?"
"Exactly. Just like how the Black King once split his authority into four parts and handed them to four pairs of symbolic 'twins' representing power and authority, the White King—being closest to the Black King—likely had the same ability."
Xia Mi wasn't entirely sure, though. After all, dragonkind clearly remembered how Nidhogg had imprisoned, tortured, destroyed, and consumed the White King's body.
But as the master of spiritual elements and high priestess to the Black King, it made sense that the White King escaped early using her soul.
Still, her massive body couldn't have just vanished into thin air… Unless there was another escape plan?
"..."
The conversation hit a wall, and silence filled the massive cave. Even the air felt thick and sticky.
"Speculating like this is pointless," Xia Mi's voice suddenly rang out, shattering the silence. "Maybe this portion of the White King's body was deliberately hidden. There might be clues among the White King's bloodline in this country…"
Norton's voice came from the mercury screen, low and tinged with sarcasm. "Investigating hybrids? That sounds like a pain and a huge waste of time… Jormungandr, you should remember how many years it took you to blend into human society."
"Hey! I was learning and adapting to human life! Took way less time than you!"
Xia Mi snapped back, nearly stomping the alchemy circle beneath her in frustration.
Then suddenly, a spark ignited in her mind.
"Hybrids of the White King's bloodline… long investigation time… Wait! I think I know what Odin's plan is…"
She murmured to herself, a flash of clarity glinting in her eyes.
"If Odin already had souls of the dead from Japan among his collection, that means he woke up early enough. Long investigation time doesn't affect him. He could've infiltrated those families and found intel on the White King's hidden body!"
Norton was quiet for a moment before speaking slowly, "True… but I don't think Odin would bother doing it himself."
"He doesn't have to! Think about Odin's style—he always prefers to 'cooperate' with humans, right? So instead of getting his hands dirty, he'd control a pawn and use them to infiltrate the hybrid families. Totally fits his MO!"
Xia Mi could already picture the chessboard Odin had laid out.
"It's very likely that Odin is using one of his pawns to investigate the secret of the White King's body… But our Holy Grail War allows us to choose the Masters too—that's our chance to ruin Odin's plans!"
————
"The Holy Grail War? Victory is definitely mine!"
Shirou's fingers hovered above the mechanical keyboard. He clicked the mouse and finally logged into a chatroom he hadn't visited in a while.
As soon as the chat loaded, Charlotte's ID flashed with a gilded special effect. The moment he entered, he saw her overconfident declaration—as if the goddess of victory had already smiled upon her.
Shirou smirked. He hadn't paid attention to this group in ages. He only remembered it today because he'd been browsing employer listings on HunterNet, and suddenly recalled being in this little private group.
The recent buzz around the Grail War was off the charts. "Grail," "Heroic Spirit," "Command Seal"… the site was filled with posts packed with these strange, cryptic terms.
Not all these people were truly interested in becoming Masters. Most were just opportunists trying to profit. Their discussion threads floated through the deep web like sharks drawn by the scent of blood.
People like Su Enxi or middlemen were selling "classified intel" in fancy packaging. Some were auctioning shrouds supposedly soaked in holy oil, or scrolls said to carry Solomon's breath… Most of it felt like fake relic scams wrapped in buzzwords.
Then there were the bolder ones, trying to summon Heroic Spirits and capture them for research. They figured, "Hey, we have Command Seals, right? Servants are just obedient dogs…"
For that last group, Shirou could only say: ignorance is courage. These wannabe beast tamers would end up speedrunning the Grail War… by dying.
"Ojou-sama, don't tell me you wasted money on a fake relic? You might end up with a Louvre gift shop souvenir," Shirou typed.
"Eh?! Who are you? When did this nobody join our chatroom?" Charlotte sounded genuinely shocked. "Governor of Gaul, you know this guy? If not, let's just kick him!"
Strangely enough, the Governor of Gaul—the biggest normie in the group who rarely even surfed the web—just happened to be online.
"Yo, long time no see! You finally showed up. Charlotte's been complaining nonstop, saying you were dodging her because she's surpassed you at the Clock Tower and you didn't want to get shown up."
"Hey hey (#`O′)! We agreed to troll him together and now you're just betraying me?!"
Charlotte dropped an emoji in protest.
"Anyway, I'm not the same person I used to be! I'm now a top student, full of talent, with impressive academic achievements. They call me a 'prodigy'! My mercury AI is already in its third generation, now with a stylish English maid form. I'm not worse than you in any way!"
She sent a bunch of images—an elegant maid figure with a mercury sheen stood beside her, holding a silver tea tray with fine porcelain. One photo even showed Charlotte herself, golden hair smooth and tidy.
Shirou thought, damn, this setup looks familiar. What's your connection to Lainess from the El-Melloi family?
Before he could reply, the Governor of Gaul interrupted and objected to Charlotte's bragging—he was oddly acting like Shirou's spokesperson today.
"I disagree. There's still a big gap between you and her! Your reputation hasn't even reached your grandfather yet. It's only inside the Clock Tower. If you didn't brag about it here every day, I wouldn't even know."
"But!" the Governor's tone turned grandiose, like he was reciting a hymn. "Today, we welcome none other than the world-renowned 'Godslayer,' the one who slew the divine!"
The chatroom fell into awkward silence, stunned by whether this was chūnibyō nonsense or a sincere praise.
Shirou froze for three seconds. That nickname came from killing Odin recently. But… he hadn't revealed his identity online. How was it exposed?
"What are you talking about? I don't get it…"
"Come on, bro, don't play dumb! I recently read a trope in Chinese webnovels called 'pretending to be weak to surprise them later'—totally describes you. But honestly, that trick doesn't work anymore."
Shirou scratched his head. Wait, even Western noble kids are reading Eastern cultivation novels now?
"In this information age, it's nearly impossible to hide what you've done. Powerful families with the right connections can get data on anyone they want."
The Governor sent a finger-wagging emoji.
"Especially someone like you, who's done something mythic. These families can't afford not to know who you are. At the very least, they'll want to know your habits and preferences—either to avoid offending you or to find ways to win you over. This scheming stuff? It's their survival tactic."
Holy—box!
(End of Chapter)
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