"Kotomine Kirei, that priest actually deceived me," Dr. Hartless said, sounding angry.
"I think Kotomine Kirei probably didn't mean to hide it. You have to remember that everyone in this world has had their malice removed, including Kotomine Kirei. So, he shouldn't have the urge to deceive anymore," Waver said. "But if it were the old him, it's hard to say."
"Humph! That priest is no good. Kiritsugu said he was a cold person who only cared about his own pleasure," King Arthur added, mentioning Emiya Kiritsugu.
"Is that so?" Dr. Hartless's face darkened. "Looks like I picked the worst person to ask?"
"Anyone else would have given you more complete information, Dr. Hartless," Waver said with a smile.
"Hmph humph humph!" Dr. Hartless suddenly chuckled. "Yes, but I might not have had the chance to learn Tia's secrets. Why did she wake up now? And how could King Arthur use that shield? I only know these things because of that priest. Would anyone else know these things?"
"Then how did the priest know these secrets? We never knew about them," Alexander the Great pointed out.
"Um, maybe I know how the priest knew," Matou Sakura said, stepping forward.
Sakura and Rin had been quietly staying with Tia all along, so this was Matou Sakura's chance to speak up.
Everyone was drawn to Matou Sakura's words.
"Ten years ago, I sent Senpai away with the other me inside my body. Senpai's parents were there too. Back then... the other me said a lot of things to Tia's parents," Matou Sakura said. "Like Senpai's secret, and how to save the world. We even talked about using that priest, Kotomine Kirei."
"There's such a thing? Sakura, why didn't you say so earlier?" Tohsaka Rin said, surprised.
"What did they say?" Waver also wanted to know.
Everyone else looked on.
"Hey hey hey! I would have said it sooner if I could! Think about it!" Matou Sakura's expression and tone suddenly changed completely. It was obvious that BB-chan had come out.
"Huh? You're out?" Tohsaka Rin immediately realized it was BB.
However, when BB-chan saw Tohsaka Rin, she immediately hid again.
"Ehehehe~~" Matou Sakura smiled helplessly. "She went back."
"Tch~~ Seriously, why is she always so afraid of me?" Tohsaka Rin couldn't understand.
"Actually... the Origin that awakened in Tia for your sake is the natural enemy of that BB. You just don't know it," Waver explained to Tohsaka Rin.
"Why do you say that?"
"In Chaldea, there's a you from a parallel universe. In that universe, you're the original cosmic goddess who rules over a region of space. You can think of it as being the goddess of the entire Milky Way. And the Origin you've awakened, called Cosmic Galaxy, has connected you to the you in that parallel world. As for that BB, she's made some kind of deal with the Outer Gods. Outer Gods aren't just any non-Earth gods, but gods from beyond the universe, incredibly far from Earth. As the original cosmic goddess, you have a duty to drive them out, so those Outer Gods are afraid of you."
Waver explained to Tohsaka Rin.
Everyone present knew that Tohsaka Rin had awakened the Cosmic Galaxy Origin, except for Dr. Hartless. But only Waver, Tia, and Lancelot knew about the Tohsaka Rin from space. Oh, Alexander the Great knew too, since he was with Waver every day.
"Chaldea, Cosmic Galaxy, huh?" Dr. Hartless muttered. "Can't say it, why can't I say it? But they told me anyway. Now that I think about it, I've never actually wanted to say it. Why is that? Have I really been affected?"
"In this world, who can escape the disappearing malice?" Luvia said with a smile.
"Except for non-humans like us," King Arthur said, looking at the Skeleton King.
"Disappearing malice, what happened to the world?" The Skeleton King didn't know at all.
"You... don't know?" Gray asked, surprised.
"Why would I?" The Skeleton King asked back.
Listening to these people, Tia suddenly realized that the Skeleton King had been trapped underground the whole time and didn't know what was happening above ground. But it also showed that the disappearing malice hadn't existed since ancient times. Then...
"Dr. Hartless, don't you know about the changes that have happened in the world in the last 30 years?" Tia asked directly.
"I only know that up until 17 years ago, everyone in this world was kind. Then, one day 17 years ago, the world suddenly changed. Everyone was infected with malice to some extent. The Clock Tower also underwent a huge change that I couldn't accept. I wanted to change everything that happened, but then 10 years ago, the world changed again. Everyone seemed to have gone back to how they were 17 years ago. Since then, I've been investigating this world. Until I learned everything from that priest, I hadn't discovered any key information. That priest approached me," Dr. Hartless honestly answered Tia.
Tia was a little disappointed because she still hadn't learned from Dr. Hartless what had happened 17 years ago, nor did she know when the world started to change so drastically. It seemed she still needed to talk to the head of the Einzbern family.
"I used to think I was different from others, that I had never been affected by the so-called malice," Dr. Hartless said, looking at Tia, then stopping himself from saying more.
Dr. Hartless glanced at King Arthur, then at Gray and the Skeleton King, and finally focused his gaze on Matou Sakura.
"What reason is there for me not to be able to say it? If I can't say it, why tell me at all? Why not just hide everything from me like the Fantasy Tree and the Lostbelt? Why even have that priest approach me?" Dr. Hartless looked at Matou Sakura, but he was actually asking BB-chan.
I've had some things happening at home lately. I work during the day and have to go to the hospital at night, so I don't have the energy to write. Plus, this book doesn't have a detailed outline, and it's almost over. Basically, all the plot holes need to be filled, so I need to think carefully about how to write a good ending.
(End of The Chapter)