The Crusaders' Enigma, Part Two

'?'

'Possessing the identities of both king and father? It seems the Lionheart King holds significant weight in their hearts….'

But seeing the Magus speak so openly, Li Ye secretly reduced the Lionheart King's importance a little.

"Then what about their strength? Has the Lionheart King's power been displayed before you? Or, is the Lionheart King a Servant?"

Even having experienced the Grand Order of Fate, Li Ye knew very little about the Lionheart King, who had not yet appeared, regarding his Noble Phantasm or the possibilities of his class.

This was all under the premise that the Lionheart King appeared as a Servant. If he were a living person, the situation would be different. Although he wouldn't receive the boost from being a Servant, his own abilities wouldn't be restricted.

His armament and Noble Phantasm wouldn't be limited, and so on.

"The King's status is noble, but I can sense he is not a Servant—"

The Magus seemed to let go, spitting out information about the Lionheart King with barely any hesitation.

'Not a Servant, a living person?'

Even without specific information about the Lionheart King, Li Ye knew when he was active in normal history.

From 742 AD to 814 AD.

That was centuries before the current year of 1272!

Not everyone could merge with the Holy Lance like the Lion King to become a Divine Spirit and gain a long lifespan.

This made Li Ye even more suspicious of the identity of this so-called Richard the Lionheart.

Setting aside the Lionheart King, who was shrouded in mist, Li Ye was more interested in the current scale of the Crusader remnants.

As Li Ye was about to inquire about the current situation of the Crusaders, he paused slightly, gazing at the face that was identical to Aleka's.

"How long have you been born?"

Staring at the Magus's incredibly familiar face, Li Ye suddenly asked.

Judging by the Magus's proficient use of magic and her control over familiars, she didn't seem like a novice. Aleka also acted like an experienced Magus.

Li Ye wasn't sure if the Crusaders possessed abilities that allowed for rapid skill acquisition, but if even skills could be learned so quickly, he was curious about the Crusaders' ability to mass-produce.

Creating artificial life on a large scale and imbuing them with high-level skills and magic circuits, allowing them to obtain a group of powerful mages or warriors in a short period.

"Before three sunrises—"

In response to Li Ye's question, the Magus cooperated and answered, but only to the extent of the question. She would not offer any further explanation on matters Li Ye hadn't asked about.

'Three days?'

Upon hearing this, Li Ye raised his eyebrows even further.

Honestly, this timeframe was within Li Ye's acceptable range, but he couldn't help but be amazed.

"How many others were born with you?"

Since there was one Aleka, there could be two or three more.

After confirming the strong connection between the Magus and Aleka, Li Ye had initially categorized Aleka as one of the Magus's sisters.

"I belong to the second batch of births. Including myself, there were only seven of us who survived until the end."

The Magus's eyes focused, as if speaking about something important to her.

'Second batch, born three days ago. That means the first batch wasn't too long ago either—'

Li Ye stroked his chin and curiously asked, "Are all of your appearances the same?"

"Having used the same template, our appearances are naturally identical."

The Magus said this with a hint of nostalgia.

As if recalling a memory that brought her comfort.

'The same template? So there was an original [Aleka]—'

Li Ye immediately understood the connection between Aleka and the Magus, but new questions arose. "Then how did you grow to this level in just three days? Or are your other sisters the same?"

"Through basic exercises, we successfully obtained the [knowledge] that came with our bodies."

The Magus stated.

'Came with them?'

Hearing the Magus's unbelievable answer, Li Ye gasped and thought of the template the Magus had mentioned earlier.

If the original [Aleka] was used as the template for mass cloning, then being born with inherent [knowledge] would be within reason.

Li Ye, with his limited knowledge of magic, couldn't confirm this and didn't dwell on it. Instead, he continued to ask:

"Then what role did Magie Friedman play in your birth process?"

Before he finished speaking, Li Ye's eyes were covered in a gem-like color.

He had activated his Eyes of Death Perception.

The Lines of Death present on the Magus's body were all captured by Li Ye's sight.

Magie Friedman, whom Li Ye had killed yesterday, could remotely enter Aleka's body and operate seamlessly. Li Ye couldn't be sure if anyone else in the Crusader ranks possessed this ability.

Considering the Magus's own account and Aleka's, they both belonged to the second batch, totaling seven people. This suggests the first batch was around the same number, or even fewer.

The survival rate seemed very low.

Even so, over a dozen powerful Magus could be controlled like puppets, fighting in a self-destructive manner.

But it was also because of this that Li Ye felt there was a risk of error when conversing with artificial lifeforms like the Magus.

Just like with Magie Friedman, if Magie Friedman hadn't taken the risk to speak, Li Ye might not have realized Aleka had been replaced.

Therefore, Li Ye activated his Eyes of Death Perception, wanting to see if death points, similar to those on Magie Friedman, would appear on the Magus.

Naturally, Li Ye found no abnormalities on the Magus.

"Magie Friedman? Just an insignificant breeder. Someone who acts on the King's orders, unable to withstand even a single curse."

The Magus spoke as if describing a stranger, a character who was still a stranger even though she had created their lives.

So even as their creator, Magie Friedman is still an 'insignificant breeder' in their eyes. And the Lionheart King, as their King, is the one they see as a father figure, a way to emphasize loyalty?

Li Ye glanced at the Magus. Although they came from the same master template, apart from her appearance being identical to Aleka's, there was no other similarity. This secrecy regarding information alone was a stark difference.

"Now that Magie Friedman is dead, do you Crusaders still have the ability to create more lifeforms of your model?"

"The master template is dead. I am the second, and I am the last."

Hearing the news of the master template's death, Li Ye thought of a problem he had overlooked.

"So Heroic Spirit summoning is also within your inherent 'knowledge'?"

Unlike other magic knowledge, Li Ye was very clear about Heroic Spirit summoning.

This was by no means a super summoning circle that a single Magus could support. Just like someone in Jerusalem needed the Holy Grail to summon Ozymandias; only someone as powerful as the Lion King could support the consumption required for a Heroic Spirit summoning circle on their own.

Furthermore, Heroic Spirit summoning wasn't something that could be performed with just one summoning ritual. The complex technology behind it required a very powerful vessel to support it.

The Magus clearly did not possess such conditions.

"That is a summoning circle bestowed upon us by the King. It was not part of the master template's knowledge."

The Magus shook her head.

"Then how did you perform the summoning?"

"By using the ley lines to pay for the magic power required for summoning, and the magic power needed for activities."

The Magus honestly revealed the Command Spells on her hand. The crimson patterns intertwined, emitting a strange aura.