A half-Magus was still a Magus. Her abilities naturally could not be underestimated.
By the time Shiki had treated his eye injury, the Saintess had already swiftly sorted through her mind and returned to her original state.
However, when he saw Justitia restored to her true nature, wearing a faintly unhealthy smile, Shiki could not help but mutter inwardly, Come to think of it, she was actually more pleasant when she was acting like a girl just now.
"Shiki~ There shouldn't be any problems now, right?"
The Saintess, seated properly across from Shiki, spoke.
At that moment, she somewhat understood the dangers of directly absorbing knowledge.
Recalling how she had behaved as a girl just now, she could not help but blush in embarrassment.
That behavior, the feeling of embracing the boy, the faint flutter in her heart, the joy, and even speaking in a coquettish tone were all experiences she had never had before. She even felt a little reluctant to let go of those feelings.
However, when facing Shiki, she still tried her best to conceal those thoughts.
She hid them well. Shiki did not notice anything unusual, only vaguely feeling that the Saintess before him had changed slightly.
But he thought that was normal. After absorbing someone else's knowledge, some changes were inevitable, as long as they did not go beyond reason.
"Very good, Justitia. You're much better now."
"Then, Shiki, let's talk about the Eye of the Moon Plan~"
The Saintess eagerly proposed.
"..."
Shiki was speechless. The Eye of the Moon Plan again.
Seeing the Saintess's uncontrollably excited expression, he thought, Could you tone down that expression a little?
But with no other choice, he could only accompany Justitia in discussing the plan.
In any case, this world did not have a Divine Tree, so carrying it out would be extremely difficult. Ideally, he could talk the Saintess out of it.
Yet evidently, the Saintess was far more determined than Shiki to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan.
She explained everything she knew to Shiki one item at a time, discussing the feasibility of implementation with him and gradually building up ideas.
From the World Tree of Norse Mythology, the Sycamore Tree of Ancient Egypt, the Tree of Life of Central America, the Bodhi Tree of India, to Jianmu and the Fusang Tree of the Heavenly Dynasty, as well as many legendary and mythical giant trees Shiki had never heard of.
Starting with the characteristics of those trees and the mysterious traits they represented, she ultimately reached a conclusion: as long as they could combine the essential characteristics of those trees, they would certainly be able to recreate the pillar of Earth in Shiki's plan—the Divine Tree.
As she spoke, the Saintess became immersed in her own vision.
Meanwhile, the boy's mouth twitched.
"Heh heh, heh heh, very good. Then we'll take it slowly. First, we need to win the Holy Grail War, deal with the Greater Grail, and see whether we can open a path to the 'Root.' If we can, things will be easy. If we can't, we'll use that enormous amount of magical energy to build the framework of the great tree, step by step."
As she went on and on, even Shiki was nearly persuaded by her. Fortunately, he still retained a shred of reason and was not completely led astray.
The Saintess said with complete confidence, "Mm, Shiki makes sense. We're not in a hurry. We can take it slowly. After all, Shiki and I are both long-lived beings. We have all the time in the world."
"Hm? How am I a long-lived being? Why didn't I know that?"
Shiki's face was full of confusion. He was nothing more than an ordinary Earthling—not some inhuman race, nor a humanoid race such as an elf or a Dead Apostle. How had he become a long-lived being?
But the Saintess said with certainty, "Don't worry, Shiki. I will definitely communicate with the Root in this Holy Grail War and become a Magus who has mastered the Third Magic. Then, I'll recreate the Third Magic within Shiki. That way, you'll become an ageless, immortal long-lived being."
"Heh heh, then do your best, Justitia."
Shiki knew full well that communicating with the "Root" was not so easy.
The Counter Force's obstruction still remained. It would not be easy for the Saintess to use the hole opened through Heroic Spirits to reach the "Root," unless he helped her.
But he did not want to dampen the Saintess's enthusiasm, so he let her return first.
After all, for the Saintess, who lacked a physical body, manifesting in the outside world with a Soul Materialization body consumed a great deal of energy.
Just as had been said before, a complete human required all three: body, soul, and spirit. None could be lacking.
After the Saintess had talked to her heart's content, she obediently returned to the interior of the Greater Grail through the altar.
Before leaving, she did not forget to remind Shiki, "Shiki, you absolutely must not forget. End the Holy Grail War quickly and set me free."
"OK, I understand. Don't worry, Justitia," Shiki replied.
"Shiki, let us reach the 'Root' together and begin our dream."
"Yes, yes, I know."
After saying goodbye to the Saintess, the Saintess lying on the altar turned back into Irisviel.
Seeing Irisviel's somewhat exposed body, Shiki quickly turned his head away, but could not help stealing another glance. He secretly sighed, Mm, as expected, Irisviel is much fuller than Justitia.
The Black Knight found a cloak from somewhere and gently draped it over Irisviel, fully displaying a knight's gentlemanly virtue.
"Master, Miss Irisviel...?"
Seeing Irisviel still asleep, the Black Knight was somewhat puzzled. Hadn't the Holy Grail already been extracted? Why had Irisviel not awakened yet?
Shiki let out a long breath. His adolescent body really was easily stirred up. He explained to the Black Knight, "Sir Lancelot, didn't Justitia say it earlier? After the Holy Grail was removed, a huge hole was left inside Irisviel's body. Right now, her body is adjusting itself as well. It will take a long time."
After hearing that, the Black Knight nodded as if suddenly enlightened.
Although he had not fully understood, he roughly grasped that Irisviel was not in serious condition and merely needed time for her body to recover.
Seeing Shiki's exhausted expression, he hurriedly advised, "Master, you used too much magical energy today. Controlling such an enormous amount of magical energy would also consume considerable mental strength. Why not rest for a while, so you may handle the situation ahead?"
Shiki rubbed his forehead. At the Black Knight's words, he also felt his fatigue and his dwindling energy.
Overusing the Mystic Eyes really was exhausting.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Sir Lancelot. Go prepare things. I'll lie down on the altar for a while first."
"Yes, Master. Please wait a moment."
After saying that, the Black Knight went to prepare a bed.
Shiki lay down on the altar beside Irisviel, intending to nap for a while. But the pleasant scent coming from beside him suddenly reminded him of something.
"As expected, a Soul Materialization body has no scent."
Thinking such slightly rude thoughts, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep within seconds.
When the Black Knight had prepared the bed, he saw that Master was already sound asleep. He could only quietly take out pillows and blankets, covering Master and Irisviel respectively.
Looking at the two of them, the Black Knight could not help discovering in surprise, "These two, when asleep, are both as innocent as infants."
Of course, there was another sentence he did not say aloud: the two of their auras strangely suited each other, harmonious and natural, as though they belonged together.
Thinking of that Winter Saintess, then looking at Irisviel lying beside Master.
You two, this Master...
"It seems the things I'm concerned about are somewhat unnecessary."
After realizing this, the Black Knight quietly vanished into the air.
At that moment, within the Great Hollow, only the occasional falling droplets made dripping sounds, as if declaring their own presence.
Other than that, there was only the steady breathing of Shiki and Irisviel, matching one another—orderly and harmonious.
Before you continue