Chapter 447

"Are you a fictional... the Demon King who kidnaps children? Or the father protecting children? Or perhaps a child who is about to die?"

"That's just a narrative."

"But that's the foundation of your existence, isn't it?"

"Who knows? I just don't know."

"I see..."

For some reason, Erice smiled. "You don't even know what you are? Anyway, all you can do is laugh at me. How pathetic. Come on, get on my body. I have something to tell you."

"... What?"

Listen up, I'm not called 'Eri' or 'Eriri', I'm Erice — Utsumi Erice.

Erice answered Novia with her true feelings.

That's right, it's a fictional existence, meaning it's always been the existence of one person.

That is to say... just like myself.

Erice recalled that during Lucius's explanation, there were several guesses about the identity of this Demon King. If he wasn't the creator himself, he was either the embodiment of one of the three characters in the Narrative Poem —father, child, and Demon King —or the manifestation of the Demon King from the Narrative Poem...

After all, this kind of operation is not unusual in Throne of Heroes.

An inner impulse made Erice close her eyes, bypassing Novia's control and tightly hugging her own now-silver-haired self.

The child's small hands crossed and hugged her slender shoulders, as if tightly embracing this Wicked Spirit.

"And also, if you were Servant... Servant who belongs to me... how wonderful that would be..."

Chapter 467 The Never-Ending Holy Grail War.

"Erice- san."

After another day of school, Erina was walking home when several girls her age invited her to join them.

"Want to go to a restaurant for dinner together?"

This situation is now quite common for Erice, because of the Novia she possesses.

Perhaps due to her youth and a certain trust in Novia, the 'Wicked Spirit Demon King,' Erice sometimes surrendered her body to him when she really didn't want to listen to the lessons at school, possibly also to escape the nagging of the Wicked Spirit.

But Erise, Erice just wanted to slack off, never expected that this Wicked Spirit Demon King would gain a foothold in the school so easily. It was her cheerful demeanor that led to her extremely high popularity, which was completely at the opposite extreme from her own aloof personality due to not having Servant.

In fact, children are quite easy for Novia to deal with, and most of them are very curious about Erice. After all, people without Servant are really rare in this era. However, Novia also understands that it is normal for Erice be like this, since strange looks can really drag a person's self-esteem down.

But this didn't put much pressure on him. Not to mention that he was actually quite old, and that preaching on the way to Rome a long time ago required eloquence and a thick skin, which were basic skills for him.

"Hmm..."

The black-haired Erice shook her head hesitantly, too embarrassed to say no, so this was the only way she could express her resistance.

Seeing this, the girls who had originally invited her didn't insist too much, but simply smiled and waved goodbye.

They had long been accustomed to Erice's taciturn nature, and also to her "dual personality"—sometimes lively with silver hair, sometimes gloomy with black hair.

This peculiar phenomenon even became a small "City legend" at the school. Some people said that she was actually possessed by Heroic Spirit, but their Servant did not sense any Servant aura from Erice.

"Why wouldn't I agree? This is a great opportunity to build a friendship."

Upon hearing the familiar Wicked Spirit voice, Erice casually pulled a tablet from her bag and swiped it with one hand.

"There's no need. Anyway, it was you who came looking for me, not me. I can't be bothered with them."

I'm starting to regret it.

This guy is just a complete disruption to my life, but my classmates get along with him quite well. He has indeed made my life a bit easier during this time, but it's pointless to compare how friendly you are with someone who's probably an old man.

Although Erice kept telling herself this, she might also have felt a little Jealousy or annoyed at the same time.

After all, it's a girl's regret that something of her own has been seen by others, and the fear that she will gradually become dependent on this Demon King and lose her independent self.

"Then just let me out when the time comes."

"How about trying this?"

Seemingly ignoring Novia's words, Erice selected a shop on her tablet, explaining, "This place happens to be very close to where I need to buy something, so eating here is convenient on the way."

"I'm fine with that, but aren't we going to get a beating from Lucius today?"

"... Don't worry about that."

Erice looked at the empty space beside her. "Lately, for some reason, the murmurs of Evil Spirit have decreased a lot, so I can relax a little."

"Okay... a mapo tofu that's ten times spicy? Erice, you'd better watch out for all the mucous membranes in your body, or you'll end up rolling on the ground in pain. After all, the aftereffects of this spiciness the next morning are even more unbearable—"

"Never mind, this is still more suitable for you to eat; it'll all end up in my stomach anyway."

Erice another gesture, revealing a pancake that could be held in one hand and eaten in five seconds.

"It's your body, why don't you eat better?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Eat it or don't, I know my own body."

Erice as she walked along the elevated road, heading towards the bustling area filled with commercial facilities, following the gentle slope of the road.

The Food Street was bustling with people in the afternoon, and the mouthwatering aromas of spices wafted from the various shops. Street performers attracted a thick wall of people, and young Erice felt a little out of place in the crowd, but actually not many people were paying attention to her; it was just that she was being overly sensitive.

"You're not the main character in that Competitive Fighting, so relax. There aren't that many spectators watching you."

The thought that this damned Demon King treated her like a child made Erice feel incredibly heavy-hearted.

After all, this guy is neither an experienced and respectable Heroic Spirit, nor a cold and shrewd Heresy demon. He's just a guy who, apart from being a little cheerful, simply enjoys watching the drama unfold. How dare he talk about me like that?

"Oh, right, extend your hand slightly to the left."

"What."

Although she was internally complaining, Erice still naturally reached out when she heard those words.

"I'm trying to hold your hand, just like the adults you admire holding children's hands."

"... Are you an idiot? You don't have a physical form; I can only feel the air flowing in my hands. You might as well just possess me."

Even so, Erice didn't pull her hand back; her fingers were slightly bent, as if she were actually holding something.

Perhaps, deep down, the girl also hoped that this nagging demon Demon King could actually appear by her side, rather than just existing as a voice.

"Seriously, isn't life a bit boring these days?"

Novia suddenly asked, "Is all you do every day just slack off, sleep, eat, and then get beaten up by Lucius?"

"Then what else do you want?"

Erice said with a hint of helplessness, "I may be an oddball, but I'm still an ordinary person."

"I was thinking, why don't you go participate in that, Erice?"

There's a giant screen on the wall of the building facing the Food Street, playing images at a very loud volume.

Young Erice had initially dismissed it as a regular advertisement and hadn't even glanced at it, but upon hearing Novia's voice, she involuntarily looked over—

On the screen, two Servant are locked in a fierce battle, with footage from multiple cameras edited together into a fast-paced sequence.

The scene of Servant unleashing their Noble Phantasm is accompanied by dazzling and exaggerated subtitles.

Whenever the swirling aftershocks of Noble Phantasm attack reached the Gallery, the screen would always activate at the last second, blocking the aftershocks and causing the audience who escaped unscathed to scream and cheer excitedly.

Drone camera flew overhead, capturing a panoramic view of the battlefield where multiple Servant' figures intertwined.

It was a meticulously crafted stadium modeled after the Rome Colosseum, and its scale was far larger than the original Colosseum ruins.

This is the Holy Grail Elimination Battle, a unique event of the New Era.

Simply put, it's a sport. Players compete against each other according to established rules. It's a safe and legal game. Under the approval and control of the Holy Grail by the program administrators, participants can use powerful weapons and even unleash Noble Phantasm.

However, for Erice, who could only struggle and dread in the darkness, this activity was the world furthest removed from the girl.

Because.

"You're right, but I don't have Servant."

Erice's voice carried a hint of self-mockery.

"Don't worry, don't worry. You can fight Lucius to a standstill, so ordinary Servant are no match for you."

"You mean I, with my bruised and swollen face and collarbone constantly being broken, am actually a formidable rival to the Holy Lance Longinus? Wow, you're giving me far too much credit."

Erice coldly retorted, "If I go up to participate, the Holy Grail will probably think I'm a delinquent trying to harm the City."

"Wicked Spirit possession isn't out of the question."

"Why are you making such a fuss? If you love showing off so much, why don't you go find someone else? You really think you're Servant? You're just a fictional being! You have no other body to use without me!"

Erice couldn't help but get impatient because she wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible, but that was indeed her true feeling.

"And this Holy Grail Elimination Battle? It's utterly absurd! It's just a game, child's play, isn't it? I really don't understand what those people who treat Heroic Spirit like rare animals for their amusement are thinking. The contestants are being used as tools to attract customers. How can you distort the most precious inner world of Heroic Spirit, or expose their inner self so openly? And treat the combat techniques they've spent their entire lives learning as a performance? Is that right? Heroic Spirit aren't our slaves!"

"What? Does someone's death make you so great? It has to be a national catastrophe, a dramatic shift in the times. If it doesn't have that kind of impact, it's just a joke for children? Aside from so-called historical achievements, all other accomplishments are insignificant, right? You're far too enamored with Heroic Spirit, Erice. Heroic Spirit also come from among humans."

Novia paused. "I once heard a saying that the nearly three-hundred-year-old Inheritance and legal system of the Bourbon Dynasty should not be more noble than a baguette on a commoner's table."

Erice wanted to argue, but a bitter feeling of regret overwhelmed her anger.

In her view, calling Fictional Demon King fictional was like calling an orphan a unwanted bastard—even though she herself was pretty much like that, she still said it in a fit of anger...

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"Of course I know, that's just your personality. And what's there to apologize for? That's how we both talk."

Because she doesn't have Heroic Spirit, Erice's excessive longing for Heroic Spirit is vastly different from that of the New Humanity who have Heroic Spirit. This is why she is withdrawn within the Academy and always interprets others' kindness as 'entertainment'.

To put it simply, Novia felt like she was raising a child who would explode at the slightest provocation.

Then, he possessed the Erice and touched her forehead with his small hand.

"This isn't the first time we've argued, but that doesn't mean we don't understand each other, right? You don't owe me anything, so don't act subservient."

After saying that, the silver-haired Erice clenched her fist and shouted to the sky.

"Okay, it's decided then."

I'm only seven years old, so I'm not eligible to register and will be eliminated.

Erice said this in a telepathic connection.

"We've pretty much figured out Shinjuku together, so we can just use any means necessary."

Novia smiled and walked toward the shop with the 'Borgia' sign hanging on the building. Erice didn't argue anymore.

She knew in fact that this strange Demon King always had a way of persuading her, and that she herself was the one being unreasonable.

Borgia is the surname of Pope Alexander VI, the infamous figure who debated with Luther during Novia's time in Central and South America.

"I'm telling you, it's been so long, aren't Manazuru going to do anything about that Evil Spirit Demon King inside Erice?"

Lucius stood before Manazuru Chitose, who was holding a book, his sharp gaze fixed on the unmoved woman.

"You and I both know who Erice's mother is, and Servant could defeat or trap her in the Holy Grail War-- "

The ability to defeat Izanami, the God of the Underworld, on Japan's home turf during the Holy Grail War, and to force Utsumi's father to make his young daughter drink the Waters of Forgetfulness, thus erasing her memories of Tokyo, is truly rare in this world.

"Are you already afraid, Lucius Longinus?"

"There aren't many things in this world that can frighten me, and this wretched place couldn't possibly have any. Don't forget how much hardship you and I went through to defeat Ouroboros, the Dragon Kind of this Present World..."

Lucius adjusted his white hat. "But the concepts of death and the Demon King are far too broad. Erice will leave your protection sooner or later, and that unknown death will come for her one day. I'm a little worried that the Demon King might become one of the reasons she succumbs."

"No, it won't."

Dressed in Black Sailor Uniform from the Meiji Era, Chizuru Misasagi's voice remained indifferent, "The Demon King (Erlko Nig) really likes children, how could he tolerate her, the embodiment of death, submitting to him?"

"You're talking like you're trying to kidnap a child. I feel like your attitude towards the Demon King is a bit strange. But you know what, the silver-haired Erice really does look a lot like you."

Chizuru did not answer. Her gaze remained fixed on the book in her hands, the cover of which featured a snake with a circular pattern on its surface. She seemed to be pondering something, while unconsciously touching her chest, feeling the heart beating within—the Primordial Holy Grail.

She and Lucius were the ultimate victors of the Holy Grail War, a duo who ushered in New World and ended the old.

"The Holy Grail, as Wish-Granting Machine, continues to exist and distribute."

To ensure the Holy Grail's function as a wish-granting device is perpetual, and that everyone has an equal right to use it.

Even now, Chizuru Misasagi still doesn't understand why the Holy Grail would make it impossible for airplanes to fly again. Although the war was too brutal, it was by no means her wish. Moreover, only a little over ten years have passed. The feats of 'Moon Landing' and 'Interstellar Exploration' in the memories of the Old Humanity have gradually been degraded to fictional legends, and the New Humanity regard them as impossible fairy tales... Even with the resistance of the older generation, it was just too fast, just as the instinct of the New Humanity is to isolate themselves.