Waver's Deduction, Hecate's Tactics!

"I don't deny that..."

The Lord El-Melloi II Prince stroked his shortened cigar with his hand, squinting slightly.

"But how much does Chaldea really know about the Holy Grail War that took place in Fuyuki City?"

"According to the records in Chaldea, the purpose of the Holy Grail War held in Fuyuki City was to obtain the Holy Grail, which is a 'wish-granting machine'... If you mean that the goddess Hecate wanted to achieve this goal through wishing, that's really absurd!"

On the other end of the communicator, Romani Archaman's tone was full of absurdity.

"It seems that Chaldea's investigation has only scratched the surface."

After hearing Romani Archaman's question, Lord El-Melloi II raised one eyebrow, clearly expressing his doubts about Chaldea's work attitude.

"Instead of making sarcastic remarks, you should hurry up and write a file for me after this incident is over and put it in Chaldea's archives, Mr. Deputy Director!"

"Pfft, cough cough..."

Coughing sounds, aggravated by smoke, suddenly erupted in an office in London.

"In short, the Holy Grail of Fuyuki City is no ordinary object..."

Having already realized something, the Lord El-Melloi II, while making a firm decision in his heart to "absolutely refuse," began to explain the essence of the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City.

"The Holy Grail that Mr. Wang's body transformed into was actually just a [key], a key used to unlock the real [Holy Grail]."

"The real Holy Grail? Could it refer to that extraordinary Mana Furnace located in the Great Hollow outside Fuyuki City?!"

At this moment, Romani Archaman suddenly recalled Ritsuka and the others' experience at [Singularity F], and the high-level Mana Furnace that Cú Chulainn called the [Greater Grail] was still fresh in his memory.

"You're not completely clueless, are you?"

The Lord El-Melloi II, having casually placed his cigar in the ashtray, then began his explanation.

"The so-called Holy Grail is merely a means to preserve the souls of Servant leave the Holy Grail War. When the war ends, the Holy Grail System in Fuyuki City will inject the souls preserved in the Holy Grail into the Great Hollow of the [Greater Grail], then use the power of the Servant returning to the Throne of Heroes to create a hole, and use the immense magical power accumulated in the Greater Grail to fix this hole, thereby creating a door to the 'Root'..."

The Root, located on the [Reverse Side of the World], is the ultimate goal that most Magecraft dream of, so Romani Archaman wasn't too surprised by the hidden nature of the Holy Grail War.

"But what does this have to do with [Return to the Age of Gods]? The Root located [Reverse Side of the World]... wait, could it be..."

"Have you already guessed it?"

Seeing Romani Archaman's astonished expression, the Lord El-Melloi II smiled wryly.

"The desire to [return the world to the Age of Gods] is meaningless in itself... The Age of Gods may have declined, but it has not disappeared."

The Age of Gods, as the name suggests, is the "Age of Gods." In such an era, it is not humans who rule over all things, but the gods. For example, if we interpret nature and concepts in a divine way.

There are gods in the sky, gods on the earth, and gods in the sea. Love arises from gods, hate arises from gods, and war and death also come from gods. The so-called laws of nature are the powers used by the gods. The world belongs to the gods, and the gods exist because of them.

Whether the gods mentioned in legends, beliefs, and religions around the world truly originated from a common source remains a subject of debate. However, in the eyes of modern Magecraft, these various legends are merely explanations for the actual existence of the divine. The gods do indeed exist.

However, with the arrival of the human era, the world, having adapted to human needs, forced the gods to quietly withdraw from the stage of history.

"However, exiting the stage of history does not mean the complete demise of the gods... Ruler, what was the trigger for you leaving Domrémy (Joan of Jeanne d'Arc's hometown)?"

"Naturally, it's because [the Lord] is calling me..."

Ruler, who hadn't expected to be called on, answered instinctively.

"Look, if the gods didn't still exist, wouldn't all the so-called 'holy sons' and 'holy daughters' in history have become charlatans?"

Sorry, Ruler, I just need some supporting evidence for my theory.

Realizing he had made an inappropriate remark, the Lord El-Melloi II immediately apologized to Ruler.

"It's alright."

Rluer shook her head. The other party didn't intend to blaspheme her faith, and Rluer was quite open-minded about that. In fact, she was quite curious about the Lord El-Melloi II's views.

"So that's why Mr. Lord El-Melloi II said the Age of Gods hasn't disappeared yet?"

"Since they can manifest their divine power before people, then the gods must not have perished; since the gods have not perished, then the disappearance of the divine age is naturally unfounded."

"So where did the vanished gods go?"

The Lord El-Melloi II shrugged upon hearing this question.

"Let's make an assumption... For example, the outer side of the world... perhaps because the outer side of the world is not without gaps, some gods might have seized the opportunity to exploit the occasional cracks..."

"As long as the hole leading to the Reverse Side of the World is opened, the gods among the gods will naturally pass through the hole and enter this world..."

Romani Archaman, his face turning extremely pale, muttered to himself.

"Once the gods return to this world, there will naturally be no need to use the Holy Grail to fulfill the wish of [restoring the age of gods]..."

"Mr. Lord El-Melloi II, I have a question—"

Shirou had been watching from the sidelines for a long time, raised his right hand like a student answering a question.

"The Holy Grail War has been held five times. If what you say is true, and there is always this risk in opening the portal to the Root, then why did the accident happen this time of all?"

"I have two points to make on this matter—"

While holding up two fingers, the Lord El-Melloi II didn't forget to give Shirou an admiring look.

Because of his experience as a teacher, he really liked students who asked the right questions.

"First, there's the issue of history. According to the information I've gathered, although the Holy Grail War has been held five times, there have only been three instances where the Holy Grail War has truly reached its final stage—that is, when the Holy Grail was used to open the portal to the Reverse Side of the World the Internet. If we include this time, there's a Chinese proverb that says 'things don't happen more than three times.' Although it has nothing to do with this event, it doesn't necessarily mean that 'three' is a very good number for opportunities."

Is this how the sentence "..." is translated?

Wang Xiaoming had to suppress his urge to complain for a long time.

"Secondly, it's a matter of time."

The Lord El-Melloi II said, putting down one finger.

"It's not that no one has ever been to the outer world, but there are no written records of their experiences after arriving. We know nothing about the outer world. If it is indeed vast and boundless, and given the short time the passage was open, it's possible that it had already closed before they even discovered it."

"That..."

"Therefore, they need an [anchor point], a [ritual] that can attract the attention of the gods Reverse Side of the World the moment the passage opens."

--That is, this [Holy Grail War]."

There should be more updates tonight.

(Above)

Chapter 416. The Lord El-Melloi II's Deduction, Hecate's Methods!

The Holy Grail War is a massive ritual system orchestrated by the Einzbern Family, Tohsaka Family, and Makiri families in their quest to reach the "Root."

To complete this ritual, the Three Founding Families spread the word that "the winner will receive an all-powerful wish-granting machine."

Thus, it gradually evolved into a battle fought by seven Magecraft, each leading a summoned Heroic Spirit, for ownership of the Holy Grail. The victor who survives will ultimately claim ownership of the Holy Grail.

This is the Holy Grail War that took place in Fuyuki City.

However, this Holy Grail War seems to be somewhat different from previous ones...

"These are the Servant participated in this Holy Grail War."

The Lord El-Melloi II pushed the chess pieces he had previously carved, along with the chessboard, into everyone's view.

Saber - [King Arthur]

Archer - [Ishtar]

Lancer -- [Enkidu]

Caster--[Medea]

Rider--[Agamemnon]

Assassin--[???]

Berserker -- [Cassandra]

"We'll talk about the Assassins whose real names are still unknown later; first, let's talk about these two—"

Saber and Archer...

The Lord El-Melloi II Prince reached out to the chessboard and picked out two pieces.

"Ishtar, the Mesopotamia mythology, and her very existence represents the antiquity and sublimity of the Age of Gods; the Queen of Britain, the Queen of the Sword throne, whose passing directly led to the end of the Age of Gods in the Britain Isles, much like the ribbon at the finish line of a marathon."

One was the glorious moment of the Age of Gods; the other was the setting sun of the Age of Gods.

If these two Servant, who witnessed both the height and the twilight of the Age of Gods, were to be used as ritual catalysts, it would undoubtedly be the best choice."

The Lord El-Melloi II's call to name made Artoria and Ishtar look rather uncomfortable. It wasn't directed at the Lord El-Melloi II; it was just an expression of their unease at realizing they were unknowingly playing a role in someone else's game.

"Then next up are these four..."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the Lord El-Melloi II King ignored Enkidu, the Spearman, and instead grouped the remaining four pieces—Warlock, Knight, Assassin, and Berserker—together.

Can you find any commonalities?

"Are they all Servant from Greece mythology?"

Indeed, whether it's Medea and Cassandra standing here now, or Agamemnon who has already left the stage, they are all figures recorded in Greece mythology... As for the Assassin, since his real name is still unknown, we will not consider him for now.

The Lord El-Melloi II neither confirmed nor denied this answer, but simply reached out and picked out the piece representing Caster.

"Since Caster is Servant summoned by our side, she will not be considered. So, what have you discovered about the rest?"

"..."

Faced with the silent scene before him, the Lord El-Melloi II did not feel embarrassed.

"If the sample size is insufficient, then we'll add the souls that have already been sent into the Lesser Grail..."

As he spoke, the Lord El-Melloi II produced three more chess pieces from somewhere, each engraved with the names of Medusa, Achilles, and Penthesilea.

"Based on Mr. Wang's previous experiences, Medusa should be the first Servant you defeated, whose soul was absorbed into the Lesser Grail. Therefore, such an experimental sample should naturally be removed..."

With that, the Lord El-Melloi II Prince picked out the chess piece engraved with Medusa's name again.

"So, what about the rest..."

"You mean...[the Trojan War]?"

Wang Xiaoming, noticing the anomaly, frowned instinctively as he looked at the familiar names on the chessboard.

"That's right." Upon hearing this answer, the Lord El-Melloi II raised an eyebrow.

"Agamemnon, Achilles, Penthesilea, and Cassandra, along with Hector, who has been transformed into the Holy Grail, are all characters from the Trojan War as recorded in Greece mythology."

As for the Assassin who has yet to appear, he should be included in this list as well.

"But what is the point of doing this? Is it to recreate that war?"

As someone who had personally experienced that war, Cassandra's face instantly turned grim.

"No need." The Lord El-Melloi II gently shook his head. "Her purpose was already achieved when you answered the call. Because you represent Troy."

The Trojan War, an absurd war that began with a woman and ended with a wooden horse, is a story of war that began with a woman and ended with a wooden horse.

Who would have thought that women would ultimately be no match for Gao Daxiang?

In reality, it wasn't just humans who were caught up in that Trojan Horse of War.

Humans, demigods, and even the gods sitting in the Temple of Olympus were all affected by the Trojan Horse to varying degrees.

"If we use a battlefield no less significant than Sarajevo in 1914 as an [anchor point], will those so-called [gods] on the Reverse Side of the World notice this place?"

"You said before that the passage to the [Root] is only open for a very short time..."

A question, tinged with a sense of wishful thinking, rang in the ears of the Lord El-Melloi II.

"Of course, if that were all, perhaps Fuyuki could still escape this predicament..."

The Lord El-Melloi II slowly picked up the chess piece he had previously "forgotten"—

"Enkidu of the Throne of the Spear, though he betrayed the gods, let's not forget that his essence has always been the Chain of Heaven, dedicated to 'returning the Son of Man to the gods'..."

If this person is used as the anchor link for a divine connection, then the consequences are self-evident...

With that, the Lord El-Melloi II Prince placed the chess piece representing Lancer on the chessboard.

However, the sound of the chess piece hitting the board was like a heavy hammer striking everyone's hearts.