Despair

"I can't really say. I've never met anyone from Chaldea before, so how can I offer a fair judgment on people I've never met—"

"From my personal perspective, Doctor Roman is a good person. As a normal human, Roman did his best when faced with the Incineration of Humanity—"

Li Ye spread his hands.

Holmes wasn't discouraged. Seeing Li Ye's reluctance to say more, he continued, "Roman undoubtedly lived as a human. Although he's not a Magus, he hid something—something enormous, something very close to the truth."

"Chaldea is full of hidden talents, though—"

Li Ye exclaimed.

"How do you know about Chaldea's internal affairs, Mr. Li Ye?" Holmes suddenly asked.

It was a strange yet not entirely unexpected question. Before this, Li Ye had already displayed an amount of information almost equal to Holmes'. Even his current familiarity with Chaldea wasn't outside Holmes' predictions.

But it still prompted Holmes to ask.

"I have good eyes, Mr. Holmes—"

After a moment of silence, Li Ye raised his hand, his index finger tapping his temple.

"Oh?"

Holmes couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, meeting Li Ye's direct gaze.

"That Marisbury fellow obtained the Holy Grail, right? What did he wish for?" Nitocris asked curiously, having listened for a long time.

Holmes shrugged. "Who knows? Unfortunately, Hermes didn't record Marisbury's wish, only the outcome. After the Holy Grail War, Marisbury achieved great success as a Magus. His magical research, initially overlooked at the Clock Tower, and later the establishment of the Heroic Spirit summoning system, not only allowed for the observation of the future but even made the method of Spiritron Transfer to interfere with eras a feasible hypothetical experiment."

Spiritron Transfer!

Li Ye's pupils contracted, nearly interrupting Holmes' explanation. He suppressed his excitement and continued listening.

"In 2004, Chaldea, merely an observatory, acquired equipment comparable to experimental facilities. Based on this, we can infer that Marisbury's wish was for wealth. He had no reason to cause the Incineration of Humanity. According to the records, his nature is 'Prudent.' He possesses ordinary desires, ordinary jealousy, and loves ordinary happiness—Marisbury is that kind of person."

Li Ye looked at Trismegistus and continued, "A person like that wouldn't destroy the Human Order. Therefore, he was either manipulated by a third party or unknowingly opened Pandora's Box—like Professor Lev Lainur, who blew up Chaldea."

Holmes' lips curved into a smile. "Lev Lainur took up his post at Chaldea in 1999, coinciding with the period when the observational lens Sheba was provided. There's no doubt that Lev Lainur was under the Magus King. Infiltrating Chaldea as the Magus King's subordinate, Lev Lainur was likely after something. Clearly, Chaldea had problems even then. Looking at it this way, it's possible that the 2004 Holy Grail War only provided funding for Chaldea and had nothing to do with the Incineration of Humanity."

"That's right. Although it's hard to admit, Romani Archaman—he's a mysterious figure who, while unaware of the full picture, was completely unrelated to the whole incident, a superfluous person who only caused trouble—"

"The Doctor would cry if he heard you say that—" Li Ye chuckled. "Even if we've never met, someone who steps up when Chaldea is in danger can't be all bad. The Doctor was trying his best, after all."

"Regardless, Romani remains an important suspect in my eyes. Please keep this confidential, Mr. Li Ye. Do not discuss this content about Chaldea with others. Until Romani's secret is uncovered, he cannot be trusted," Holmes said calmly.

Li Ye nodded, unable to refuse the request.

"Alright, my questions have been answered. Now it's Mr. Li Ye's turn—" Holmes smiled and made space, allowing Li Ye to face Trismegistus directly.

"My question—" Li Ye looked at the giant obelisk with a calm expression.

Keywords flashed through his mind—

Spiritron Transfer Technology Interfering with Eras Human Order Correction

Information about Singularities scrolled through his mind. This was the content Li Ye truly wanted to inquire about. Even if King Hassan hadn't pointed him toward the Atlas Institute, Li Ye would have tried to come here. After a Singularity disappears, everything returns to normal, but the people who died in the Singularity do not revive; they simply vanish from history, a correction from the Human Order. Chaldea Masters could use Spiritron Transfer to leave a Singularity and return to Chaldea's base, which exists outside of time, thus avoiding the impact of the Singularity's disappearance.

But Li Ye couldn't. Li Ye was neither a native of the Singularity nor someone who arrived via Chaldea's Spiritron Transfer technology. When the Singularity was terminated, what would happen to Li Ye? Would he remain in the past history, or would he be killed by the Human Order Correction? Without any room for error, Li Ye had to consider all possibilities in the worst-case scenario. Li Ye didn't want his journey to end here, so he wanted to survive by any means necessary.

Having become the Lion King's knight between life and death, Li Ye gambled everything and met King Hassan, the Old Man of the Mountain. Afterward, he even obtained a Holy Grail he shouldn't have from King Ozymandias.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and Li Ye arrived here without a hitch.

Upon arriving at the Atlas Institute from 2017, he even met the world-class detective Charlotte Holmes, standing before Trismegistus with him.

After Holmes's investigation, Li Ye gained a deeper understanding of Trismegistus's functions.

The Spiritron Calculator, which recorded all phenomena, was an almost omniscient presence to Li Ye.

As long as it was activated, Li Ye's questions would be answered.

'Should I run away?'

Li Ye asked himself, the situation now clear.

As long as Li Ye uttered those questions, what awaited him would be a heavy despair.

Facing an inevitable fate, a despair where recovery was impossible.

His breathing quickened. Even without engaging in strenuous combat, just thinking caused Li Ye's heart to race, his Dragon Blood instinctively awakening, his magic power surging.

A dragon's might soared into the sky, permeating Trismegistus. It was like a raging fire, yet it flowed like clear water.

This abnormal behavior naturally drew the attention of Holmes and Nitocris.

Holmes stopped Nitocris, not allowing her to interrupt Li Ye, and instead stood quietly to the side, observing him.

Gazing at Li Ye's pale golden vertical pupils, Holmes narrowed his eyes slightly, his slender fingers gripping his pipe involuntarily tightening.

At this moment, Li Ye had no time to pay attention to Holmes, his entire being immersed in this despair-inducing decision.

Face death head-on or cling to a sliver of hope?

'Does that even need to be asked—'

His thoughts concluded, Li Ye raised his head, a smile on his lips, and shouted loudly:

"Hermes Trismegistus, bird that flies through the Underworld!

Answer my questions!

Information on Spiritron Transfer technology!"

"Tell me! The method for proving Spiritron Transfer aptitude!"

"Tell me! The principle of interfering with an era and proving one's existence!"

His voice, now raised, no longer held any hesitation. Li Ye had, for the first time, confronted his own death—

Beep, beep, beep, beep!!

An urgent alarm sounded instantly. Trismegistus, once a clear blue, instantly turned crimson.

Crimson light screens flashed past Li Ye's face, as if warning him of his ignorance and recklessness—