Chapter 498

Therefore, when Novia heard Tiamat ask such a question, the corners of Novia mouth turned up slightly, intending to tease the young Tiamat.

"My child's child."

"... Huh? The child's child? Novia, you mean, the grandson?"

"Right."

"Wh-what?"

This Answer must have been completely unexpected for Tiamat; her expression froze.

This might be the first time Tiamat has shown such an embarrassed and surprised expression since she met Novia.

Grandson? Could it be Enki?! That naughty kid??

Tiamat seemed unable to suppress her burgeoning curiosity.

"Even Deity couldn't easily manifest themselves in this world, right? Even if they could, perhaps they shouldn't have been able to find it so easily—"

Tiamat was able to immediately recognize that the Yama who came in the morning was the India Death God Yama? His Spirit Origin and Authority had all disappeared, making him difficult to identify. But upon closer inspection, he was, after all Primordial Mother Goddess.

Novia, not expecting her joke to be seen through so easily, honestly replied:

"Although it wouldn't normally be considered normal, he probably wouldn't deny it if I said so."

"... Yes, that's right too."

Tiamat's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. She covered her mouth with her hand, lowered her head, and whispered, "Although I'll be on tenterhooks, I'll still treat you well."

"The present world likely originated from the Global Holy Grail War that ushered in New Era. It was a large-scale war, involving Deity from various regions."

"Really?"

Enki's here, so maybe Little Ma is coming too?

"Really? Haha, you're so surprised to see Tiamat. It was worth telling you about this."

Tiamat immediately gave an awkward, wry smile, sensing that something was amiss.

"But is this situation really alright...?"

"It's fine."

"How about we look around a bit more before we go wait?"

"We're not here to go shopping, Tiamat."

For a while afterward Tiamat remained silent, Buddha Statue in a situation where High School was caught playing on her phone at night by the head of the grade and then waited for the homeroom teacher... However, when Novia took her around the bustling shopping street, she had completely returned to her usual attitude and became happy again.

The shopping street was bustling with people in the afternoon. The mouthwatering aroma of spices wafted from the food carts, and street performers attracted a thick wall of people. Novia, who had originally intended to sit and wait for Yama, looked at Tiamat who was looking around and then led her into the Akihabara Department Store under the railway viaduct.

It was a street lined with countless small shops selling Magecraft supplies. In the past, it was a place that sold electronic products, and the name Akihabara Department Store was just a code word among them at the time.

In the New Era, people obtained highly practical Command Spell, and after they began to come into contact with Magecraft, they shared information with each other and established a unique Magecraft culture.

To orthodox Magecraft, these are nothing more than laughable, ridiculous, and banned amateur activities. However, the Holy Grail and the City management AI allow these activities to exist. On the surface, they are just local specialty shops catering to tourists, but in reality, they sell strange-looking amulets, cursed items, and decorative items to display in rooms.

Among these items, there are some that can actually exert a slight effect as long as the user consumes Command Spell. These items can be said to be like a door, determining the direction and nature of the Od manifested by the Command Spell.

As you enter the Labyrinth- like depths of the department store, the surroundings change dramatically, and even the customers seem a bit eerie.

The most outrageous of these are the shops run by Caster- Class Heroic Spirit. They sell unique items that they made from scratch or cursed items that have been modified and adjusted from existing ones at extremely high prices.

As they walked, Novia noticed that Tiamat's steps seemed to have stopped, or more specifically, her forehead bumped into something, causing her to stagger.

"It hurts, it hurts so much here..."

"There are walls here; neither Servant nor humans are allowed to enter without permission."

I remember this Novia; I came here with Erice about five years ago to buy some things.

"Hey? What's wrong with this family's child? Why are they being guarded so closely? Mom, I'll be very sad."

"This place sells ancient artifacts, art, and tomb raiding items—it's basically a shop specializing in relics."

"Clothing?"

"No, it's a medium for summoning."

In other words, this shop specializes in buying items that can be used as mediums for summoning and then selling them to customers. The shop was run by an elderly Magecraft supplies buyer and a Heroic Spirit was known as a wealthy merchant in the old Human History. At that time, Erice was with the Demon King and had not given up on summoning Servant. She would come to buy them whenever she saved up some wages.

Tiamat's eyes lit up after hearing this.

"Wouldn't that mean there are many children from different regions inside?"

Do you want to go in?

Although the shopkeeper wouldn't just let Tiamat, Servant, look at the goods, Novia knew that the other party was also a businessman, and if the negotiation went well, the situation could easily change.

"It's such a shame that I can't help you look after the baby, Novia."

"... Um?"

Tiamat said something that sounded very strange to Novia, which confused him for a moment.

"Because, Novia, didn't you want to see the children? Aren't there many children here? They come from all over the world. If you miss them, you'll have to see them one by one."

Upon hearing this, Novia nodded with a very ambiguous attitude, while Tiamat looked at him with a somewhat serious expression and said, "Hey, Novia... speaking of which, didn't you just give me that 'Oh, so there's another way?' look? You definitely did, you can't hide it from me."

"There is indeed another way..."

"Novia said, holding Tiamat's hand."

The infant Tiamat's hands were so small and delicate that anyone who saw her would think she was taking care of a child.

"Novia's got a screw loose! You were just lecturing me, saying we weren't here to shop, honestly."

"I'm so sorry."

Just as the two were about to leave to wait for Yama, a small screen outside the shop was playing a video at a very loud volume. It was then that Novia noticed that there seemed to be a faint barking sound coming from inside the shop.

Novia treated it as a regular advertisement and didn't pay much attention, but Tiamat seemed to have noticed something, her puzzled gaze following the movement of the image.

"... Isn't that Erice? Hmm, she's cute."

The image on the screen was of Eri Sei, the silver- Erice, defeating Karna to win the Shinjuku championship in the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament a few years ago. Novia was surprised that even after all these years, it was still being played on repeat.

Novia understood what Tiamat was trying to say: why was Erice from the Kuonji family acting so strangely?

Novia, upon returning, naturally understood this perfectly. The Erice from Tunguska was not the current Erice. They looked so similar, and at that time, it was the Japan Taisho in Japan. Shinjuku, as a nostalgic City, was decorated in the Taisho style.

Therefore, Novia understood some of the reasons why Manazuru Chitose, who always wore Black Sailor Uniform and was known as the Sacred Nails, was able to summon Lucius.

It's all because of myself.

So he went along with Tiamat's words. "Yes, very cute."

Perhaps not getting the answer she wanted, or perhaps sensing Novia's perfunctory attitude, Tiamat's eyes showed displeasure. She bit her lip, then sighed softly and said, "Of course children are adorable, all children are like that, Novia."

Novia nodded and said nothing more.

Then he heard voices coming from inside the store.

"The movies here are so short, and the style is completely different from those in India; there are far fewer song and dance numbers."

"Woof."

"You say I just want to enjoy the air conditioning? I won't deny that, it's true after all. After all, without our powers, we're no different from ordinary people or dogs. Let's hurry and wait for Lord Novia. Anu, you better behave yourself. Go to that Xiumu's bowl where he's busking and get some money. I want to treat Lord Novia well. And remember, don't let that Xiumu find out. I don't want to spend the whole night drinking with him, that would be the death of me."

Immediately afterwards, a black-screened phone was suddenly held up in front of Yama, reflecting his face.

"Here! I want to go to this shop! Mom, I want to eat grilled squid!"

Chapter 514 Tiamat is the MVP!

Next, Yama and Anubis took Novia to a restaurant, also because Tiamat wanted to eat 'grilled squid'.

The restaurant is surrounded by old-world potted plants, and the space is very open, allowing you to chat and laugh freely. The environment is somewhat dim, as if even the floor might be painted black. The tall partitions are arranged like Labyrinth, allowing each guest to immerse themselves in the world of food.

Then Yama, with a kind smile, leaned forward and said, "It is an honor to sit at the same table as Lord Novia."

This is the truth. Although Yama was somewhat flustered when he saw Goddess from other regions beside his own Aspected God, he was genuinely honored from the bottom of his heart, after all, it had been many years since he had seen them.

"Enough with the small talk, just get to the point."

"... Alright, but may I ask first, was Asto Vidatu dealt with by you, sir?"

Yama added cautiously.

Novia crossed her arms and nodded. "That's right."

This instant made him realize that Mot had been using them years ago. If Kavia, the Aspected God, were to discover this, the fear and anxiety emanating from the depths of Yama's heart made him suddenly take a sip of red wine, then take a deep breath. Just as he was about to say something apologetic, Novia pushed the plate towards him.

"I roughly know the cause and effect, so there's no need for you to be nervous. You should hurry up and finish this so you can go back and see Yami. Just tell me what you know, that's what you wanted to hear from me, right?"

... How should I put it, sir, rather than going to see Yami, I feel it's better to stay here.

That's what he thought, but Yama still didn't dare say it aloud, so he honestly recounted their situation and intelligence from the past Global Holy Grail War.

In 2011, Third World War broke out.

The direct reason is simple: the previous year, in 2010, the Greater Grail Disassembly War between Lord El-Melloi II and the Mage's Association, was declared a failure, and the Holy Grail War failed to come to a true end. Since then, all Magecraft have known that the Holy Grail can lead to the Root.

The failure of the Greater Grail Disassembly War caused the world's Leyline to become unstable. The so-called Dragon Vein are mysterious symbols of the existence of Planet, the lifeblood of the Planet. From a practical point of view, this means that various resources are diminishing at an indescribable speed. Whether it is oil or trees, they are all turning to '0' at an extremely fast rate.

Therefore, due to practical reasons, another World War broke out.

Meanwhile, more than thirty Holy Grail War, secretly waged under the guise of wars and terrorism in various countries, are unfolding like time bombs at the junctions of major Leyline around the world.

Ayers Rock in Australia, the Altai Mountains, Qinling Mountains, and Wushan Mountains in China, and the dragon Dragon Vein in the South is forcibly cut off. North and South Korea each have one, and in Southeast Asia, except for Laos and Cambodia, they are basically all connected by one Dragon Vein.

As for India's Dragon Vein, they are located in the Ganges and India River, as well as the Himalayas Mountains, which are close to China. Theoretically, India, as an ancient region, should have as many Leyline as China, but they were all exhausted due to the Mahabharata.

The Europe countries are bordered by mountain ranges such as the Alps, Pyrenees, and Apennines.

Of the more than thirty Holy Grail War that followed, the Holy Grail War at Cape Canaveral, where the United States space facility was located, became the first to end. This brutal war ended without a clear winner; the victor of the Ritual was unknown, the Ritual itself failed to take place, and the Od collected by the Holy Grail vanished.

This made people at the time realize that the so-called Third World War was actually a breeding ground for countless Holy Grail War. In other words, everything had long since reached a point of no return. The number of creatures in the ecosystem was decreasing rapidly, and it would be a miracle if large mammals could still exist. At the same time, there were also heroic Heroic Spirit who would slaughter large numbers of people from time to time.

"When we met Mot, the Holy Grail War was still going on; it was truly devastating."

Yama sighed, raising his head to look sadly at Novia. "My lord, can you imagine? People's reverence for death has faded because the idea that 'death is a common occurrence' has become widespread, leading us, as the Death God, to fall into extreme sorrow."

Humans may cease to fear death due to immortality, and also due to the prevalence of death. Although gods like Yama were not born from human Faith, they would naturally suffer greatly from human Faith. However, all efforts are futile, as resurrecting the dead after the end of the Age of Gods is impossible.

"At that time, Mot found the only remaining Death God, which was the six of us."

Yama rested both arms on the table. "As the next god-king appointed by El, although he failed to ascend the throne, he thus possessed the special Authority of 'managing death,' which is the standard Authority."

Let me guess?

Novia blinked. "Mot's Authority is the authority to elevate death to the same level as Authority of the 'Eternal Exalted One'?"

"Yes, by elevating death itself to the status of Authority that devours all things, one can assimilate the concept of death from other mythologies."

As expected, Yama's answer was exactly what Novia had anticipated. Although he thought that Mot should not know that there was an El in the Holy Grail, Mot's painstaking search for so many Death God must be for the Authority of death, to command death in global mythology, which, to some extent, could be considered a step towards becoming the One God.

That's why I went Erice such lengths to find Erise, who has the bloodline of Izanami...

However, Novia also understood that the clue Sherlock Holmes left for them a few years ago, 'Manazuru Chitose, or Manazuru Chitose at the end of the Holy Grail War,' was by no means unfounded. There was definitely a period during the Holy Grail War when Chitose was acting abnormally.

Given Novia's familiarity with Chitose, he didn't believe that Chitose, with Lucius, would make a deal with Mot.

After all, the Holy Grail War ended and the world was at peace. From then on, the Holy Grail resided in everyone's heart because Manazuru Chitose, the victor of the Holy Grail War, wished for Holy Grail to continue to exist and be distributed as Wish-Granting Machine.

Yes, the survivors only knew the reasons, not the causes.

In simple philosophical terms, reasons are subjective, while causes are objective. Reasons are often prepared for others, not for oneself. For example, when asked for a reason, people often say, "I did this for a reason," rather than, "I have a justification for doing this."

People in the New Era know that everything they have comes from the wish made by Manazuru Chitose, and she probably believes so herself. But at some point, the reason and the cause must have become confused, leading to the confusion of words and the hostile Servant who disturbed Chitose at that time...

Now I guess I'll just have to ask her another day.

Yama cautiously stole a glance at Novia, who was deep in thought, wondering whether he should say that Mot had now turned the Himalayas Mountains into his own Temple... But he couldn't bring himself to say it, especially since it happened right under his nose. It was too embarrassing.

He barely touched the roast beef and squid that he had prepared for Novia, a stark contrast to Anubis and Tiamat, who were ravenously hungry.

So Yama quickly kicked Anubis, who was happily eating.

Immediately afterwards, Anubis grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and glared angrily at Yama. However, seeing Yama push the plate of roast beef towards him, Anubis calmed down and understood his meaning.

This guy wants me to speak? No? Isn't this your Aspected God? Why do I need to step in? Sigh...

Although speechless, Anubis, who was enjoying his meal, suddenly said this: