IBHJ 1005

"Even I don't know everything," Tethys replied, feigning ignorance. "And some things are best left alone. Besides, you might cross a line. Curiosity can be a dangerous thing."

Tethys's feigned ignorance was met with a cold snort from Gilgamesh, who finally dropped the subject.

Mordred watched the young man as he cheered up Misaya, his face bright with a warm smile. For a moment, she saw a bit of her younger self in him.

But there was a big difference. She had cloaked herself in thorns, pushing everyone away with her coldness. He, on the other hand, kept his true feelings hidden behind a cheerful smile.

As if feeling her stare, the young man turned to the group, looking confused. "Why's everyone looking at me?" he asked. Then he grinned. "Is it because I'm so good-looking?"

"..."

Mordred's face dropped. Forget it, she thought. He's just full of himself.

Still, she couldn't help but smile. The mighty Eternal King acting silly? It was a side of him she never thought she'd see, and she found it kind of amusing.

...

To prevent Manaka from escaping this past timeline, they had to defeat her here and now. To win, they needed to summon Saver, but that wouldn't be easy.

Before, Shirou had used the immense magical energy of the Holy Grail by forcing all the Servants into it, completing the Grail ritual. Replicating that process here seemed impossible.

"We can use the leylines," Misaya suggested. "By tapping into the Shinjuku leyline, we can draw out sixty years' worth of magical energy from this land. It would be like a massive, concentrated burst, similar to the Grail ritual. But it would come at a cost. Like draining a pond to catch a single fish, this land would never again be able to host a Holy Grail War."

"Then that's what we'll do," Fujimaru said with a nod. "If it means ending this cycle of disaster, it's a price worth paying."

To use the vast power of the leyline, they needed permission from its guardian family. Fortunately, the Reiroukan Family held that responsibility.

"But it will take time," Misaya cautioned. "We need to isolate the Shinjuku leyline, severing its connection to the surrounding areas and concentrating the magical energy at its core. Otherwise, we won't be able to gather enough power."

Everyone nodded in agreement and quickly dispersed to carry out their tasks.

Fujimaru, Gilgamesh, Mordred, and Misaya left to handle the leylines. At the same time, Ayaka, Saber, and Arthur took Kiara and Tethys with them to try and get Berserker and Assassin on their side.

Manaka might be watching them in secret, so sticking together would've been safest. But it would also slow them down too much.

Right now, every second counted. Being ready early was the best way to deal with surprises. Plus, with Saber by Ayaka's side, even if Manaka couldn't help attacking Ayaka, Saber would grab most of her attention. This would give everyone a chance to escape and at least keep Tethys safe from being sacrified to the mud.

In other words, they were using Saber as a meat shield. So even though Ayaka's group seemed to be in the most danger, they were actually the safest.

With the plan set, everyone quickly split up to get to work.

After being attacked by Demonic Bodhisattva, Sancraid Phahn had used a Command Spell to hide Berserker's aura and stopped moving at night. This meant they had to search for him during the day, when the streets were busy.

So, Ayaka and her group decided to rest that night.

Tethys snuggled up to Ayaka, asking about the future with playful curiosity. Saber was interested too, so he joined them as Ayaka slowly told the story of what was to come.

"The Council, Chaldea, Connection Points, UO, the Wager, Tiamat... it's all turned into quite a mess, hasn't it?" Tethys sighed, her face gloomy.

"That's not the main issue, Lady Tethys," Saber said. "What exactly is this Lord of Salvation?"

Tethys's expression froze.

"Is it hard to answer?" He pressed gently.

She frowned. "Don't ask about things I don't want to talk about!"

"I understand, Lady Tethys," he nodded, his tone softening.

"But why did Fujimaru Shirou become the Eternal King?" Saber continued, looking puzzled. "Even though I'm not in the Throne of Heroes yet, being summoned as a Servant gives me a vague sense that in British legend, there's an Arthur who finished what I started, called the Eternal King. I never thought it'd be Fujimaru Shirou." He paused, furrowing his brow. "What I don't understand is, how did he become 'Arthur' instead of 'Gilgamesh', since Gilgamesh is his Servant?"

Tethys sighed. "Eternal King isn't a specific Heroic Spirit. It's a vessel, just a position."

"What do you mean?" Saber and Ayaka were startled.

Perseus and Medea listened intently. Nobody could ignore Tethys's words, not even the gods. One look at her gave a sense that she had deep connections to the Throne of Heroes.

In fact, if Shirou were here, he could tell them plainly that Tethys created the Throne of Heroes, and no one understood it better than her.

Tethys explained, "As I said, Eternal King is a vessel. My power is linked to the Root, which is why Fujimaru Shirou can enter the Root and alter established history and records."

She paused, gathering her thoughts, "If Fujimaru Shirou had traveled through the Root's passage to Mesopotamia and accomplished great deeds as a king in Uruk, then Eternal King would have become his 'Gilgamesh' version. But it seems my legends in Britain were too deeply rooted, which led him towards Britain instead."

The group exchanged glances, and Ayaka spoke up, "You keep mentioning this 'vessel.' What exactly do you mean by that, Lady Tethys?"

"Eternal King," Tethys explained, "is a container for the power of the vortex. When that power awakens, Eternal King will return to his true form."

"And what's that?" Ayaka asked.

Tethys shrugged. "I don't know. I just know it has the power to solve all calamities."

"You... don't know?" Ayaka and Saber were taken aback.

Tethys bristled. "Oh, be quiet. If I knew, don't you think I'd have awakened that power myself? I could fix everything on my own, and there'd be no need for any of you to be here."

Ayaka was stunned. "But... isn't it your power? You can't awaken it yourself?"

"La la la, I can't hear you," Tethys sang childishly, clapping her hands over her ears.

"Lady Tethys," Saber looked at her helplessly.

Tethys sighed, her gaze drifting to Saber before she spoke. "Just being able to carry the vortex is hard enough, let alone using or awakening it. To carry the vortex, you can't be part of the Root. But the Root is like a fertilized egg—everything comes from it; it's the origin of everything."

She paused, searching for the right words. "In ancient Greece, a man named Archimedes had a theory. He believed the world couldn't truly see itself, so it made living beings to be its eyes. The Root works the same way."

Tethys leaned in. "Think of the Root as a master cell. It created everything, and everything returns to it. It sees itself through all of us. We are that 'everything' - we are the 'Root'. To carry that power, your record can't be in the Root. The same goes for the Lord of Salvation."

Ayaka's brow furrowed. "'The same applies to the Lord of Salvation'... What exactly do you mean by that?"

"The power of the Lord of Salvation and my power are really just different sides of the same coin," Tethys explained. "My vortex is positive, while the Lord of Salvation's is negative. Only beings whose records aren't in the Root can inherit and use it."

Tethys continued, "But beings whose records aren't in the Root simply don't exist. So, the Lord of Salvation decided to create a vessel that could use Its power. That vessel is your sister."

Ayaka frowned. "But my sister is connected to the Root..."

"Yes, because the Lord of Salvation doesn't need a successor, just a vessel," Tethys explained. "It only needs to connect the Root with the vessel, and then It can manifest Its power through that vessel. I've tried to create vessels for my power too, but they all failed. The Lord of Salvation probably knew this, so when It created the anomaly that is Manaka, It didn't contaminate her. Instead, It made her a blank, hiding her from my sight. It wasn't until eight years ago that I realized what the Lord of Salvation had been doing in secret."

Tethys paused, then looked at Saber. "The Lord of Salvation didn't corrupt her. But eight years ago, when the vessel's body had matured enough, It let her corrupt herself. It made her seek out the Lord of Salvation on her own, and finally become Its vessel. When she summoned Beast and was killed by Arthur's sword, that's when I figured out Its plan and also discovered Fujimaru Shirou."

"Fujimaru... I remember he was still in elementary school in Kobe at that time, wasn't he?" Ayaka asked.

"Elementary school student? That was just how he looked," Tethys said, rolling her eyes. "But thanks to Arthur's sword killing your sister, I discovered the Lord of Salvation's trick and found Fujimaru Shirou... It's hard to believe there's actually someone whose record isn't in the Root. He's the only exception, a true anomaly. I was thrilled at first, wanting to make him my vessel, to inherit my power, but he always said no."

"But Fujimaru eventually accepted your power, became Eternal King, and obtained powerful abilities. He should be thankful to you for that," Ayaka pointed out.

"No—," Tethys shook her head. "Fujimaru Shirou's uniqueness is only in his form of existence. Otherwise, there's nothing special about him. I don't know what he's like in the future, but from what you've said, he clearly doesn't use the vortex power, nor has he awakened it. That means all his strength and power in the future came from his own hard work, overcoming many difficult obstacles. But how much pain and suffering did that involve? That's why I hesitated."

"To put an uninvolved child through such a hard and painful journey, to solve the grudges of old ghosts—how am I any different from the Lord of Salvation using your sister as a vessel?" Tethys asked, her voice filled with doubt.

Saber and Ayaka fell silent, unsure how to respond.

What began as a lively tale about the future had turned into Tethys's deep self-questioning.

Just then, Kiara Sessyoin stood up without a word and walked away.

Ayaka looked at her with concern.

Saber gently nudged Ayaka from behind.

She turned, looking at him with confusion.

"Go on," Saber said kindly. "She's just like us—feeling lost, in doubt, with her own conflicts she can't solve. You're her friend, aren't you?"

"Of course," Ayaka nodded and walked towards Kiara.

"The future Ayaka has really changed a lot. She used to be so indecisive and timid," Tethys remarked.

Saber's lips curved into a smile. "You should have seen her earlier, the way she convinced Rider and Caster. She was so lively and sure of herself, I almost thought she was Manaka."

"She's certainly come out of her shell," Tethys agreed. "Even went as far as dyeing her hair a brilliant gold."

Saber's brow furrowed. "Gold? It's still black, as it's always been. Ayaka's not the type to dye her hair."

"Hm? Is it an illusion from the overlapping past and future?"

Tethys turned to look at Ayaka's retreating figure. In the soft moonlight, a head of hair as golden as sunshine fluttered in the breeze.