Obviously, the other party believed in his script. Obviously, his goal had been achieved. These two happy things had come together, yet Locke couldn't be happy.
What a pity. It was truly a shame. Locke, who claimed to be an old actor, had failed to see through the performance twice—once with Tengen, and once now.
Faced with Gilgamesh's fervor, Locke struggled to suppress the inner emotions in his eyes, played his role, and said:
"What you see is the era before the onset of the Dark Ages. But in the end, I plunged humanity into endless suffering, which completely contradicts my original intention. I will not allow such a future to exist."
"What's wrong with that! You led humanity off this planet beneath your feet and allowed the brilliance of humanity to spread across the entire galaxy! What are you worried about? The prohibitions and human reason have no right to determine your future. You have surpassed them!"
Faced with Gilgamesh's fanaticism, Locke still insisted on his own opinion, because their next script was to abandon his current identity.
He wanted to fully evolve from a pioneer of mechanics into a mysterious pioneer.
"You said you saw a future where I have other possibilities. And I believe that if I had chosen the right path, all of this could have been avoided."
After that, Locke took out a gear with a lone face from his hand.
"I originally thought that through science and technology, I could realize my dream. And I truly led humanity out of the earth beneath our feet, broke free from the consciousness of Alaya and Gaia, and conquered the galaxy with our own strength."
"But I also caused irreversible consequences. The onset of the Dark Ages and the centuries that followed—humanity suffers in eternal agony. This is not what I want."
Gilgamesh had a completely different, even contradictory, view of Locke's almost paranoid feminine benevolence.
In the eyes of the oldest king, who had witnessed the rise and fall of human civilization for millennia, only through suffering and tempering could humanity break free from its shackles and complete a true transformation.
Even the most transparent rough gemstone in the world, without thousands of temperings and polishes, would not become a rare treasure for a hundred years. In his opinion, Locke's attempt to end suffering was a completely foolish dream.
However, Locke had already shown him how far he could go, and he had reason to believe that Locke had understood this in the future, and now he was just suffering because he was too young.
Therefore, to see the glorious future belonging to humanity, Gilgamesh made a choice. He decided to accommodate Locke and help him sort everything out.
And first, he had to do everything possible to stay with Locke and earn his trust.
"In that case, then the king has nothing to say. Tell me your goal."
Having achieved his goal, Locke rejoiced secretly in his heart and said seriously:
"I want to know all the futures you have seen."
"I want to find the most ideal timeline."
---
"Huh? Hasn't my dear little brother been living in your house?"
Fujimura Taiga stuffed a piece of freshly baked toast into her mouth, swung her crossed legs, squinted her eyes, and looked at Matou Sakura standing at the entrance. Her voice was full of gossip.
"Sister, I thought he had finally seen the light. What unspeakable things have you been doing with Sakura~"
"Fujimura-sensei!"
Matou Sakura's cheeks instantly flushed red, even the tips of her ears turning crimson. Her fingers holding the edge of her apron tightened slightly, and she shyly cried out.
Late last night, the explosion at the Kotomine Church had been in the storm. She had been restless all night, full of anxiety for Locke, who might be involved in the Holy Grail War. She had come to the Emiya house at dawn, wanting to ask Fujimura Taiga where Locke was, but she didn't expect that as soon as she opened her mouth, she couldn't help joking around with this sister who never lost her tone.
Seeing that Matou Sakura's head was hanging down and the tips of her ears were so red they were about to bleed, Fujimura Taiga realized her joke had gone too far.
She hurriedly waved her hand to apologize, handed her a freshly poured barley tea to appease the shy girl, and finally calmed Sakura's emotions. Then she grabbed her phone and walked to the entrance, dialing Locke's personal number.
"Miss!!"
As soon as the phone connected, a respectful and somewhat nervous voice came from the other end.
Fujimura Taiga was momentarily stunned, immediately pulled the phone away from her eyes, stared at the notes on the screen, and confirmed it twice. After making sure she had dialed the personal account that was rarely open to the outside world, she frowned and asked into the receiver:
"What's going on? Could my stupid little brother have taken the wrong phone when he went out today? Did he do something wrong to make Sakura sad, and he needs you to cover for him?!"
"Fujimura-sensei!"
"I'm very sorry, Miss!"
Before Fujimura could apologize to Sakura, the voice on the other end of the phone instantly became a bit more respectful, explaining:
"Last night, the young master had some personal matters. This morning, we bought out the repair shop and left. Before leaving, he repeatedly told us: if the young lady calls, we must help him check one thing—please check whether any strange patterns have appeared on Miss Sakura's hands."
Thinking that his little brother, who was almost unbelievably clever, had actually accurately predicted their every move, Fujimura Taiga suddenly got a bit angry. She pouted very displeasedly and turned her head to look at Sakura's right hand, which was hanging at her side.
On the back of the girl's right hand was a strange crimson patterned mark.
Matou Sakura blankly lowered her head, following her gaze, and realized that at some point, an "omen mark"—symbolizing the title of Master in the Holy Grail War—had appeared on the back of her right hand.
"Tch, I really did raise that kid right." Fujimura Taiga clicked her tongue, returned the phone to her ear, and asked into the receiver: "What else did my stupid little brother explain?"
"The young master ordered that Miss Sakura and the young lady stay at home and wait for his return with peace of mind." The voice on the other end of the phone was still respectful.
"He asked me to tell Miss Sakura:"
"Don't worry. Just wait for him at home. He will take care of everything."
Even though it was just a few words relayed through a phone call, Sakura's mind still uncontrollably conjured the image of Senior Locke saying those words.
He was always like this. Even if it was a promise spoken softly, it carried an undeniable confidence and gentleness, and an absolute sense of security that could instantly dispel all the wind and rain behind her, dissolving all the fear of the Holy Grail War and the anxiety about the people she cared about that had lasted all night.
Sakura's pale pink cheeks flushed red, and she slowly loosened her hands, her slightly whitened knuckles relaxing.
The brass key of the Fujimura family, lying in her palm, was still stained with a thin sweat from her palm. The cold metallic touch spread across her fingertips, making her thoughts uncontrollably drift back ten years—to that day when she was manually pulled back into the world from the hell of the Matou family, the scene when Senior Locke had reached out his hand to her.
"Don't worry anymore. It's all over."
"Don't worry anymore."
---
In the depths of the single-family elite district on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, in the underground magical workshop of Atram Galliasta, the original Caster of this Holy Grail War, filled with runic inscriptions and summoning circles, Locke stood quietly before the "King of Oil," who lay on the ground, his face full of disbelief.
His Caster, Mephisto, pointed one hand at the neck of the Caster Medea, while activating a vast psychic energy with the other, protecting all the children in the magic circle who were about to be used as materials, transforming it into a light shield.
And Gilgamesh, standing at the hole in the workshop, had his hands on his chest, coldly looking down at the one on the ground with eyes that looked at garbage.
Locke slowly leaned over. The tip of his metal cane softly tapped the ground before Atram. With a face full of pity, in the most pitiful tone, he shattered Atram's mind, leaving only fear in his heart:
"Whether it's the Holy Grail War or your life, you no longer need to worry about them."
"Because... it's all over."