IBHJ Chapter 956

Caught in a mental tug-of-war between the forced calm of the [Suggestion] spell and the primal urge to flee, the youth's mind simply couldn't handle it. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, out cold.

"..."

Morrigan's expression immediately froze.

Artoria glanced at her. "Sis, you scared him unconscious."

"But I didn't do anything!" she protested.

Shirou added mercilessly, "Oh please, your face alone is enough to send people running. Earlier, I bumped into an NPC who mistook me for you. The poor sod wet themselves and bolted before I could even open my mouth. Thanks to that, I'm still stuck with an unfinished quest." He paused, then added dryly, "Have you considered plastic surgery, sis?"

Her eyes widened. "But... but I look just like Artoria!"

"Not even close," he shook his head. "When Artoria smiles, it's like sunshine. When you smile, it's like the devil's about to collect his due. Anyone can tell you have ill intentions. You're doing that cute face a disservice. Seriously, consider some changes."

"..."

Artoria turned her head away, somewhat embarrassed, while Morrigan went to a corner to sulk.

Has my brother become biased? Is there still love in this world?

A pang of guilt hit her. Well... I suppose I did want to study the boy's eyes. Oh, curse my scientific curiosity!

Artoria's voice cut through the awkward silence. "My King," she said, her tone thoughtful as she studied the unconscious youth. "Judging by his reaction, it seems..."

"That eye of his has brought him nothing but trouble," he finished, nodding. His gaze shifted to Morrigan, still sulking in her corner of shame. "Hey, sis. Just how valuable is that third eye, anyway?"

Morrigan's eyes lit up, her earlier sulk forgotten. She sprang to her feet, flailing her arms about as she spoke.

"Valuable? It's priceless! In the world of magecraft, age and legend breed mystery. And this?" She pointed at the youth's third eye. "This is the stuff of legends."

She continued. "We're talking about a divine eye here - a mystery on par with the most sacred artifacts. For modern magi, it's the holy grail of magical materials. They'd move heaven and earth to get their hands on it." She began to pace, her excitement building. "And that's not all. Rumor has it this eye might be connected to a missing continent and long-lost ancient civilization, making it tempting to both Age of Gods magi and modern magi."

She paused, a wry smile playing on her lips. "And let's not forget the scientific community. If they got a whiff of this, they'd be all over it like vultures on carrion. After all, when it comes to an insatiable thirst for knowledge, modern science makes magecraft look downright tame."

He remained silent for a moment, mulling over her words. She had a point - the value of this third eye was astronomical. Even he couldn't deny his own burning curiosity about the lost continent and civilization it might be connected to. If it could give any clues about the mysterious Lord of Salvation...

He cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice casual. "Say, sis, is there any way we could... take a peek at his memories?"

Morrigan's eyes lit up at the question, but her excitement quickly faded. She shook her head, gesturing towards the youth's forehead. "I'm afraid not. See that divine eye? It's not just for show. It's like a fortress protecting his mind."

She crossed her arms, a hint of frustration in her voice. "We can manage some basic 'shallow suggestions' - like what we just did to calm him down. But anything deeper?" She made a dismissive gesture. "That eye would shut us out faster than you can blink."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Not even you can do it?" The idea that something could stump Morgan le Fay, whose magical attainment was second to none, seemed almost inconceivable.

She sighed, "I'm afraid not. This isn't just any third eye we're dealing with. It's the prototype of the 'urna' from Buddhist legend."

The tuft of white hair on the forehead was the Buddhist term for the third eye, said to be obtainable only by enlightened saints. Combining mysticism and biology, it meant that when reaching the other shore of enlightenment, humans could activate the pineal gland, thus becoming transparent inside and out, enlightened to the past and future, becoming sacred.

Of course, this was Earth's interpretation of Buddha. In reality, including the Enlightened One, the Bodhisattvas were higher alien intelligences similar to UOs and Gaia's super-ancient civilization, high-level beings who were roaming the stars. This could also explain the mystery possessed by the third eye. It was natural that Morrigan's mental interference magecraft was ineffective.

He listened intently, but something about Morrigan's detailed explanation nagged at him. His eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute," he said slowly. "You answered that awfully quick and decisively. Sis... had you already been experimenting on him?"

Morrigan's enthusiastic mood evaporated instantly. She turned away, suddenly finding the far wall incredibly interesting. "What? No! Of course not! I... I wouldn't do something like that..." she stammered, sweat pouring down her face.

He looked at her helplessly. Even if she had become an e-sports girl, she was still Morgan le Fay at her core - the witch he'd always known.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a chill ran down his spine. [Evil Blossom] instinctively absorbed malicious energy from behind him. A sweet scent drifted by, followed by a soft whisper in his ear: "She's always been a terrible person, hasn't she?"

The woman leaned in, her tongue darting out to tease his ear. But before she could make contact, Artoria whipped out her Holy Sword. The blade hummed as she swung it fiercely at the intruder.

With a whoosh, a flash of steel sliced through the air. When it passed, a thin, razor-sharp line was carved into the ground.

"Whoa, that was close!" The woman clutched her chest dramatically.

Tiamat rolled her eyes at the human-shaped trash angel beside her. "Maybe if you stopped poking the bear, Venus," she said with a hint of exasperation.

Artoria's face was tight, her eyes locked on Venus. "If you insult my king like that again, next time I won't be so forgiving."

"Ooh, like a lioness protecting her cub. How scary." Venus shivered theatrically.

"Isn't that because you keep poking fun at me?" Shirou turned to Venus, a headache blooming behind his eyes. "Even if you've copied some of Crimson Moon's personality, isn't this kind of payback a little childish?"

"Payback? I may have simulated him, but I'm not Crimson Moon." Venus put her hands behind her head, grinning. "I just like seeing you flustered. The more level-headed someone is, the cuter they look when they're teased."

He was speechless, while Artoria started to radiate a dangerous aura.

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up." Venus looked nervously at Artoria. This was a real lioness; best not to poke her.

"Speaking of which, where's Mordred? Didn't you bring her along?" Venus looked around, not seeing Mordred anywhere.

"One's too serious, the other's innocent as a lamb. Without that kid around, it's half as much fun," Venus sighed dramatically.

He raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you having fun with Hinako?"

"That girl's got a hell of a temper," she said with a sigh. "Always rushing in without thinking. It's exhausting to deal with her. Now Mordred, on the other hand... at least she keeps things interesting."

What a terrible thing to say. He looked at her flatly, then said, "Actually, I've been meaning to ask you both something."

Venus perked up. "Oh? What's on your mind?"

"It's about the continent of the three-eyed people. Either of you know anything about it?"

Tiamat and Venus exchanged glances. This wasn't exactly common knowledge he was asking about. The continent had vanished long ago. No one in the present world knew much about it, but Tiamat and Venus were different. Tiamat was an ancient spaceship from the stars, and Venus was a spore of UO. If anyone might have some knowledge about the continent or the origin of these three-eyed people, it would be them.

"Hmm..." Tiamat shook her head. "That lost continent might have been a civilization nurtured by one of my companions who returned to Earth. But unfortunately, when I came back, I was focused on spreading the seed I carried. And by then, that continent seemed to have already disappeared."