(Volume VI: The Demon Lord Marches Under the Hero's Flag!)
On a dark night, outside Aachen Cathedral in Germany.
A group of people crept furtively towards the church. They hid in the shadows, expertly avoiding the patrolling priests, and only poked their heads out after the coast was clear.
Oh, at this point in time, Aachen Cathedral wasn't technically German territory. Germany wouldn't be officially founded for another few hundred years. This area was still part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
"Senpai, are we really doing this? I feel like this is a bit too..." Mash said, trailing off as she looked at Mo Wang with a strange expression. She wanted to stop him, but she didn't know what to say.
Beside her, Cu Chulainn, Archer, and a certain Saber-faced Morgan looked like they wanted to complain but didn't dare.
"Yeah, Mo Wang, I think there must be another way," came the hesitant voices of Romani and the Director over the comms. "Like, we could just go find a Servant in France. Isn't this a bit much?"
"What are you talking about? We've come all this way! Is there any turning back now?!" Mo Wang snapped, looking heartbroken. "This is for the great cause of saving humanity! How can you be so fainthearted? Can't you endure a little hardship for the sake of humanity?!"
"I think putting 'grave robbing' and 'saving humanity' in the same sentence is already a bit of a stretch," Romani said, unable to look at Mo Wang.
The man was currently decked out in full grave-robbing gear: a Diamond Umbrella, a Phosphor Tube, a Whirlwind Shovel, a corpse-softening incense, and even a Luoyang Shovel. He even had a Mojin Xiaowei-style necklace hanging around his neck.
[T/N: Various fictional and real tools used for grave robbing in Chinese folklore and stories. The Mojin Xiaowei are a famous sect of tomb raiders from the novel series "Ghost Blows Out the Light".]
He looked every bit the professional.
Behind him, Mash and the others were holding sticky rice, black donkey hooves, grave-probing claws, and peach wood swords. It was unclear whether they were there to rob a grave or kill a Jiangshi. [T/N: Jiangshi are Chinese hopping vampires.]
Yes, the reason Mo Wang's group was here was to find the tomb of the legendary Charlemagne, the "Father of Europe" and a top-tier Servant, who was said to be buried here.
Charlemagne was a big deal. Whether in real history, in legend, or in the convoluted history of the Nasuverse, he was a powerhouse.
As one of the most important rulers in European history, honored as the "Pater Europae," and in the Nasuverse, the concept of the "first king" who united the Germanic, religious, and Roman elements into the community of Western Europe, he was basically the progenitor of Western Europe.
If they wanted to hype him up, they could easily put him on the same level as a certain Roman progenitor.
The moment Mo Wang arrived in France, the first person he thought of was this incredible figure. Basically, no one in Europe, except for the constantly retconned King Arthur, could stand against this emperor in his fully awakened state.
So, as soon as they landed, he had dragged everyone to Aachen Cathedral to find Charlemagne's remains and use them to summon the man himself.
This method, however, had left a large portion of the group wanting to voice their complaints.
"I never thought I'd see the day I'd be reduced to robbing graves," Cu Chulainn muttered from the back of the group, his feelings incredibly complicated.
"It's fine. If you don't want to do it, you can just tell him," Archer said.
"No thanks. I'd like to live a little longer," Cu Chulainn replied. He knew that if he complained, Mo Wang would probably just make him dig up the grave all by himself.
Having spent some time with Mo Wang, he knew the man's character all too well. For his own sake, he decided it was better if Charlemagne's grave got robbed. The guy probably wouldn't mind anyway.
"Is this really necessary, Senpai? If we dig up his grave and take his stuff, he's definitely going to be angry, right?" Mash asked.
She imagined them summoning all these Servants by digging up their graves. If the Servants asked how they were summoned, they couldn't exactly say, "Oh, we dug up your grave and used your bones," could they? They'd probably have a rebellion on their hands.
"Don't worry. I'll have the Command Spells. I guarantee he'll be obedient," Mo Wang said confidently. "If he really acts up, I can just send him back to the Throne of Heroes. No problem, right? Under my command, you either become my lackey, my slave, or I send you back home to your mommy. You really think I can't handle a few measly Servants?!"
"What kind of chaotic evil statement is that? Are we the good guys here?" Cu Chulainn had no energy left to complain. Why did it feel like they were hurtling down the path of villainy? And by Mo Wang's logic, did that mean they were his slaves and lackeys too?
He quickly pushed the thought out of his mind, afraid of what might happen if Mo Wang caught wind of it.
Mash sighed, seeing Mo Wang's eager expression. The only person who could stop him, the Director, wasn't even here. Mo Wang was a runaway train, and there was no stopping him.
"Alright, the priests are gone! Let's go!"
Seeing the coast was clear, Mo Wang gestured for everyone to hurry into the cathedral.
As soon as they entered, they were greeted by an air of magnificence. Despite being centuries old, the cathedral was still incredibly opulent.
As a church built by Charlemagne himself, it held a special significance, which was why it had been continuously maintained and preserved.
"So, are we just going to start digging here?" Shirou-Morgan asked hesitantly, looking at the grand interior. They couldn't just dig up the entire cathedral, could they?
"Don't worry. As a veteran Mojin Xiaowei, I have my own special techniques!"
Under the deadpan gazes of the others, Mo Wang pulled out his Mojin Talisman and a compass and began to chant.
"Fa Qiu Seal, Mojin Talisman, Mountain Movers and Barrow Raiders' Dragon-Seeking Formula." [T/N: More references to grave-robbing sects from "Ghost Blows Out the Light".]
"To find the dragon, a thousand mountains you must see; each winding peak holds a mystery."
Holding the compass, Mo Wang paced back and forth, muttering incantations as if performing some mysterious ritual.
His steps were sometimes hurried, sometimes slow, his eyes fixed on the compass needle. Mash, Cu Chulainn, Archer, and Shirou-Morgan stood by, completely bewildered.
"Is he doing some kind of ritual dance?" Cu Chulainn couldn't help but mutter, his lip twitching.
"Don't ask me. It's my first time seeing this too," Archer said with a helpless shrug.
Mash watched with concern. "Senpai... is this really okay? It seems a little unreliable..."
Just as they were murmuring amongst themselves, Mo Wang suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on the ground beneath his feet. A confident smile spread across his face. "This is it!"
"Here?"
Everyone looked down at the floor tile he was standing on.
"That's right, right here!" Mo Wang said, pulling a Whirlwind Shovel from his bag and handing it to Cu Chulainn. "Here, Lancer, you're strong. Start digging from here!"
Cu Chulainn took the shovel, looking bewildered. "Wait, are you sure? This is the cathedral floor! We're just going to dig it up?"
"Duh! How else are we going to find Charlemagne's grave?" Mo Wang shot him a look before pulling out a few candles and arranging them on the floor.
"What are you doing now?" Mash asked.
"Man lights the candle, ghost blows it out; dowsing for the star peak, a tomb raider's route," Mo Wang chanted as he lit the candles. "It's tradition, you understand? This is a proper Mojin Xiaowei operation. We can't break the rules of our ancestors!"
"Proper?" Archer facepalmed. "What kind of decent person digs up a grave in a cathedral?"
"Stop talking nonsense and start digging!" Mo Wang urged, adding, "And be careful not to break the tiles. These are historical artifacts."
Cu Chulainn sighed and began to dig. Archer, seeing no way out of it, joined in.
"Um, what should the two of us do?" Shirou-Morgan asked, standing beside Mash with nothing to do.
"Oh, you two just stand there and watch. And hold on to those black donkey hooves. We might need them if something happens."
"Need... need them?" Shirou-Morgan and Mash exchanged confused glances, having no idea what the strange items were for.
As they dug deeper, the texture of the soil beneath the tiles began to change. Mo Wang's eyes lit up. "I knew it! I knew Charlemagne's grave had to be here!"
"How did you know?" Shirou-Morgan asked, her curiosity piqued once more.
"Instinct!" Mo Wang declared confidently. "As a veteran Mojin Xiaowei, my instincts are never wrong!"
"Instinct..." Everyone was speechless. This guy was getting more and more unreliable.
Just then, Mo Wang pulled a peach wood sword from his bag and handed it to Mash. "Mash, you take this. If anything strange happens, just start swinging!"
"Swing... at what?" Mash asked, looking lost.
"Zombies! Ghosts! Whatever!" Mo Wang said with a serious expression. "We're digging up a grave. Who knows what we might find!"
"Senpai, are you sure we're not filming a horror movie?" Mash couldn't help but ask.
"Less talk, more work!" Mo Wang waved his hand dismissively before pulling out a handful of sticky rice and sprinkling it at the entrance of the pit. "This is to ward off evil spirits, understand?"
"Ward off evil spirits..." Archer facepalmed again. "Why do I feel like we're performing some kind of evil ritual...?"
The group's understanding of Mo Wang's unreliability had just reached a new level.
After another five or six minutes of digging, Archer and Cu Chulainn uncovered a magnificent coffin.
"No way, we actually found it?" Cu Chulainn stared at the coffin in disbelief. Mo Wang had just muttered a few words, and they had actually found something. It was too absurd.
And based on the coffin's design, even if it wasn't Charlemagne, it had to belong to French royalty. Did Mo Wang really have such skills?
"Move aside, let me see!" Mo Wang jumped down into the pit and, without a moment's hesitation, pried open the coffin.
Inside lay the body of a man. Though he had been dead for many years and his body had decayed, he still exuded an air of majesty. In his hands, he clutched a unique and beautiful sword.
"Joyeuse! It really is Charlemagne's grave! We found it!"
The moment Mo Wang saw the sword, he knew. It was the legendary personal weapon of Charlemagne. Joyeuse was one of the most famous swords in history, featured in The Song of Roland.
The name meant "joyful" in French, derived from the battle cry of the Frankish army. It was said to have been forged by the famous blacksmith Galas over three years.
The deified sword was said to possess magical powers, shining brighter than the sun and blinding enemies in battle. It was believed that whoever wielded it could conquer Europe and rule the world.
That was even more impressive than King Arthur's Caliburn, which just made you the king of England.
Seeing the sword, Mo Wang couldn't resist reaching for it. It was one of the three most famous holy swords in European legend.
Though its power was said to be on par with Durandal, it was one of the few anti-king Noble Phantasms in FGO.
But as he reached for the sword, he accidentally tore off Charlemagne's arms along with it.
The atmosphere became incredibly awkward as Mo Wang stood there, holding a sword with two skeletal arms dangling from it.
"Um, ahem, if I said this was an accident, would you believe me?" Mo Wang asked, calmly putting the arms back in the coffin and pretending nothing had happened.
"You know, I'm incredibly grateful for one thing right now," Cu Chulainn said to Archer.
"What's that?"
"That I was summoned before he could find my grave." The thought of Mo Wang digging up his grave was enough to make him shudder. He was starting to think that coming to Chaldea of his own free will was the best decision he'd ever made.
"Heh." Archer just snorted. He wasn't worried. It was debatable whether he even had a grave, and if he did, it was in the future, a place Mo Wang couldn't go.
"Ahem! Well, the process was a bit unexpected, but at least we got Charlemagne's Noble Phantasm. Now, we should..."
Just as Mo Wang was about to say they should fill the hole and get out of there, a magic circle suddenly appeared beneath Charlemagne's remains.
"Wh-what's happening?"
Everyone froze, stunned by the sudden turn of events. Before they could figure it out, Charlemagne's skeleton was enveloped in a bright light.
A moment later, a young man, much younger than the skeleton, appeared before them.
"I am Saber, Charlemagne. Might you be my Master?" the young man asked, greeting Mo Wang.
Mo Wang just stared, his mind completely blank.
Okay, what do you do when the occupant of the grave you're robbing suddenly pops out? Can I use the peach wood sword to put him back? Asking for a friend, it's urgent.