IBHJ Chapter 968

Shirou and his group searched the village high and low, but there was no one left. All that remained was ruin.

"Those priests... they did this to our village." Charia said through clenched teeth, his fists clenched at his sides. "We had nothing of value. Why would they attack us?"

Shirou turned to the boy, his gaze thoughtful. In that moment, he realized Charia had no idea of the treasure he had—a secret that had unintentionally brought this calamity to his people.

As they picked their way through the rubble, Shirou suddenly stopped, his attention caught by something in the village's central plaza. Amidst the debris lay the shattered remains of a stone sculpture, its original form now unrecognizable.

"Charia," he called, gesturing towards the broken pieces, "what is this?"

The boy's eyes widened slightly in recognition. "That's the statue of our guardian god."

Shirou crouched down, examining the fragments more closely. Despite the extensive damage and apparent age, he could just make out a pattern among the pieces. They seemed to form a vague vortex shape, though the true design was lost to the destruction. He ran his fingers lightly over a shard, his brow furrowed in thought.

"What's the name of this guardian god?" he asked.

Charia shook his head. "I don't know. We only know it's the statue of the guardian god."

Shirou stood, brushing the dust from his hands. His eyes never left the broken statue as he pressed further. "Then why do you consider a vortex as your guardian god?" The concern in his voice was obvious because the Lord of Salvation also took the form of a vortex.

"I... I don't know," Charia admitted, shaking his head again. His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "The village chief only ever said it was our guardian god. We never questioned it."

Shirou sighed in disappointment. Escaping from the sunken continent to South America must have meant the Gandharan people lost a significant part of their history.

It seemed the village chief had known more, but tragically, the village had been destroyed, and the chief killed by the Age of Gods magi. The clue to the Lord of Salvation had slipped through their fingers.

It was truly a pity.

But there was still a chance. Many Gandharans had been captured by the magi. Among those captives, there might be some who knew about the lost continent and the Lord of Salvation.

"Charia, do you know who attacked you?"

Originally, he had planned to capture and question those four Age of Gods magi, but they had been assimilated and eliminated by the Lord of Salvation. He had asked Enos later, but she had just shaken her head and said that the current world was no longer the world she knew.

That night, Shirou and his group stayed overnight in the village. There were no intact houses, but there were a few less damaged ones, enough for everyone to sleep in. They set up a bonfire outside the village. Mordred was roasting wild game hunted from the dense forest, humming a tune. Charia sat on top of a house, gazing at the night sky, silently nursing the sorrow in his heart.

Shirou found a large boulder near the bonfire and settled onto it, his mind churning with the day's discoveries. The firelight cast flickering shadows across his face, highlighting the furrow of concentration in his brow.

"What are you thinking about?" Artoria handed him a skewer of roasted meat.

He came back to his senses, took the skewer, and replied with a smile, "Nothing."

Artoria's gaze softened. "That's because you're too good at keeping things to yourself," she said, settling down beside him on the boulder. She straightened her posture, cleared her throat, and said in a mature voice, "For each of us, there are pasts we don't want to forget, but the past cannot be changed, while the future perhaps can be. If there's hatred, regret, or anger in your heart... If no one understands, if you have no one to talk to, then tell me. I will listen carefully. Because I am a listener."

"Pffft—!" He choked on the roasted meat, gasping for air. She quickly reached out to pat his back, helping him spit out the meat until he could breathe again.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" he looked at her, a mix of amusement and exasperation in his eyes.

"How can I not say it?" she said with a gentle smile. "Isn't this exactly what you said to help me open up back then?" Her eyes softened with the memory. "I still think you were really cool at that time."

"Is that so?" He replied, a hint of nostalgia coloring his voice. He gazed into the fire, lost in memory. "Back then, I thought once the Holy Grail War was over, everything would be over."

"You've never seemed to like adventure," she observed, studying his face in the flickering firelight.

He shook his head, his expression wry. "What I don't like is danger."

A comfortable silence fell between them, broken only by the crackling of the fire. After a long moment, he turned to face her, his eyes serious.

"Artie, actually, not long ago, I saw Tethys."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Tethys?" she asked, leaning forward slightly. "What did she say to you?"

His brow furrowed as he recalled the encounter. "She only told me to be careful of the Lord of Salvation. She didn't say anything else." He paused, his voice lowering. "Maybe she's also worried that I might become one of the Lord of Salvation's monsters."

Her grip tightened around his hands as she looked into his eyes. "You absolutely won't! We will definitely defeat the Lord of Salvation!"

"Mm!" he nodded and gave her a confident smile.

But deep down, he had no confidence at all.

Just then, Morrigan walked over looking like a wilted flower, dragging her feet, her whole appearance dejected.

"What's wrong, sis?" Artoria asked curiously.

Morrigan let out a dramatic sigh. "Ah, nothing! Not a single eye!"

She collapsed on the ground, radiating an aura of gloom. "I thought I might find one or two, but after searching dozens of times, I couldn't find a single eye."

He rolled his eyes. "You're still obsessed with those Gandharan eyes?"

Morrigan executed a dramatic donkey roll, ending up on her back, staring up at him. "Aren't you interested in why the Gandharan eyes cause the Lord of Salvation to manifest?"

"Well... hmm." He paused, his curiosity clearly aroused despite his initial dismissal.

Morrigan's face lit up, sensing his interest. She pointed excitedly towards the roof where Charia sat. "Why don't we dissect him?" she suggested, her tone disturbingly cheerful.

"Please be mindful of your words, Dr. Morrigan," he said helplessly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Morrigan's shoulders slumped, and she shrank into herself, looking dejected. "But I'm really curious..." she whined softly. "It's not my fault, Morgan le Fay infected me with her curiosity."

He looked at her helplessly.

Artoria, however, perked up at the mention of Morgan le Fay. She leaned forward, her interest sparked. "Speaking of which, what exactly is the relationship between sister and sister?" she asked. Realizing how strange her wording sounded, she quickly backtracked. "I mean, I mean..."

"You mean the relationship between Morgan le Fay and me, right?" Morrigan asked.

She nodded eagerly.

"Morgan le Fay is me," Morrigan said cryptically, "but I am not Morgan le Fay."

Artoria's forehead wrinkled as she tried to understand the puzzling answer.

Noticing her confusion, he explained, "It's like Heroic Spirits and Servants. Morgan le Fay is the main body, while Morrigan is just one part of her."

She nodded, her eyes brightening. "I see. That makes sense." She turned to him with a smile, impressed by his clear explanation of such a complex idea.

But her curiosity wasn't fully satisfied. "If Morrigan is just one part of my sister, where's the real Morgan?" she asked.

He also looked at Morrigan, he was equally curious about Morgan le Fay's whereabouts.

"...I'm not telling you."

Morrigan made a face at them, then turned and ran away.

Artoria blinked in surprise. "I... didn't know sister had this side to her."

He nodded, "Maybe Morrigan is the part of her from when she still wet the bed."

Morrigan, who hadn't gotten far, stumbled at his words. She whirled around, her face red with anger and embarrassment. "Hey! That's going too far!"