Chapter 101

"Don't worry, nothing will happen." Artoria gave her Queen a gentle smile, intending to encourage him to lie down more confidently.

Lan Ze was still somewhat hesitant; he had a feeling that these people's smiles were a little... dangerous.

Suddenly, someone gently pressed his shoulder from behind and pushed him forward.

The woman's already quite ample breasts pressed against the back of Lan Ze's head. When he turned around, he saw Kishinami Hakuno pushing him into the hall.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen... Everyone is just trying to help you."

Half-heartedly, Lan Ze entered the hall. Then, he suddenly felt lightheaded. He turned his head and saw that Tiamat had picked him up and placed him on the table.

"How exactly are you going to help me?"

As a child, Lan Ze was naturally shy, and now that everyone was staring at him so directly, he felt a little ashamed and wanted to jump off the table, but Kishinami Hakuno gently pressed his shoulder down.

"Calm down. We'll use a hypnotic Magecraft to give you a good sleep. When you wake up, the Holy Lance's corruption might be completely gone, you know?"

Kishinami Hakuno's tone was very gentle, and her smile was also very gentle, as if she were bathed in holy light, making people feel exceptionally at ease upon seeing this scene.

Unfortunately, Lan Ze couldn't see her face at all, because his face Kishinami pressed down by Sesshouin's heavy breasts, making his visibility extremely low.

In the pitch-black darkness, Lan Ze suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him.

Without a doubt, this must have been a case of hypnotic Magecraft.

Lan Ze, lying on the table, couldn't help but yawn slightly.

However, he only yawned, feeling very sleepy. Although he felt sleepy, Lan Ze did not fall asleep at all.

"Why can't you fall asleep?" Kishinami Hakuno asked in surprise.

"My Magic Resistance is very high, so hypnotic Magecraft probably won't have much effect on me." Lan Ze said this with obvious pride, so much so that he proudly raised his head.

"Hmm... I see." Kishinami Hakuno smiled and stroked Lan Ze's face, as if scratching a cat, and slowly reached his hand to the back of his neck.

"In that case, let's use another method to put them to sleep..."

Lan Ze was taken aback, then felt inexplicably uneasy and asked, "What method?"

"To be honest, I actually have quite a bit of insight into close combat, more so than Magecraft..." Kishinami said with a smile.

"What are you doing?!" Lan Ze realized something was wrong and instinctively tried to get up from the table.

But at that moment, Tiamat rushed forward to protect Lan Ze, whispering, "Aaaaa (Don't bully my child!)"

As she spoke, she held Lan Ze in her arms.

The soft, warm touch made Lan Ze feel safe and secure, so much so that he relaxed completely and buried his face in Tiamat's arms.

As expected, everyone else was a liar, only Mother of All was the true love.

"But then our purification Magecraft can't proceed, Mother?" Sajyou Manaka suddenly said quietly.

"The Holy Lance's corruption is more like a curse, a living curse. So we need to make the target unconscious in order to try to find the specific location of the Holy Lance's curse and then remove those curses." Artoria added, already gripping the Staff of Selection tightly in her hand, waiting for the Magecraft to begin.

"Aaaa (No means no!)" Tiamat remained steadfast.

Lan Ze was even more moved. He looked up at Tiamat, who was also gazing tenderly at Lan Ze, holding him in her arms and gently stroking the back of his head.

Then--

Lan Ze suddenly felt a pain in the back of his neck, followed by a wave of dizziness.

"I'll do it myself."

This was the last thing Lan Ze heard before he fell into a deep sleep.

"Hmm..."

Lan Ze covered his forehead, feeling a slight discomfort in his body.

He slowly opened his eyes. The scenery in front of him was a little blurry at first, but it gradually became clear. It was a spacious and comfortable room, with large raindrops hitting the glass window.

The room was elegantly and classically furnished, with a Western-style decor. There was a table next to the bed, and three chairs next to the table. A person was sitting on one of the chairs, wearing a Western-style dress, with bare white legs and her feet swinging idly.

"You're awake? How are you feeling now?" Sajyou Manaka looked up and smiled gently.

Lan Ze rubbed his forehead, his mind still in a daze.

He remembered that he seemed to be thrown onto a table by a group of people, and then they were about to use some kind of Magecraft to help him.

After that... someone tried to put him to sleep using hypnotic Magecraft, but failed. Kishinami Hakuno then planned to use physical sleep to help him, but Tiamat stopped her.

Then... Mother of All knocked him unconscious herself.

Great, now all the memories have finally come together.

I never imagined my mom, who usually seems so innocent and adorable, always making Aika when she talks, could be so ruthless when she gets physical...

A sudden thought flashed through Lan Ze's mind: Wait, my thought process... seems to have returned to normal?

He remembered that when his body was first corrupted by the Holy Lance, his personality and everything else reverted to that of his childhood. It was as if his mind was restricted, and he didn't think about many things.

Now, his brain is clearly much more active.

This is proof that he has recovered!

"You really broke free from the Holy Lance's corruption?" Lan Ze asked in surprise.

His voice was still different from before; it didn't sound like the voice he would make when he grew up, but rather a little childish.

Strange, my voice still sounds a bit off... Lan Ze paused for a moment, jumped off the bed, walked to the mirror in the room, and looked at himself. His eyes widened suddenly.

"... My appearance hasn't returned to normal?!" he muttered to himself, staring incredulously at the somewhat cute-looking boy in the mirror.

"Because we weren't able to completely break free from the Holy Lance's corruption, but it seems that after breaking free of some of the corruption, you've recovered a little." Sajyou Manaka smiled slightly as she jumped off the chair, walked to Lan Ze's side, and gently placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely make sure you're completely back to normal."

"You're really getting addicted to being the older sister, aren't you?!" Lan Ze shouted.

"They just meant well and wanted to help you get back to normal," Sajyou Manaka said with a smile.

"Where are the others?" Lan Ze suddenly asked.

"Everyone said you should rest for a day, so you should all go back to your rooms to rest now."

Lan Ze was taken aback. He recalled his visit to the Root last night, and looking at Sajyou Manaka's delicate and serene smile, he wondered if what happened last night was really real or if he was dreaming.

"Then what are you doing here?" he suddenly asked.

"I was worried about you, so I came to check on you," Sajyou Manaka said matter-of-factly.

The so-called unease was nothing more than the worry that Tiamat and the others would sneak in at night to find him and do something while he was sleeping.

However, she had already waited until late at night, and still no one had disturbed Lan Ze, which meant she was overthinking things.

"Is there any way to completely break free from the corruption of the Holy Lance?" Lan Ze asked.

Sajyou Manaka nodded slightly, but quickly shook her head again. "It can be completely untied; there are two methods."

"First, you can wait for time to heal yourself. Judging from your current physical condition, it should only take three years to recover," said Sajyou Manaka.

Lan Ze was taken aback, thinking to himself that he would have to wait until the three-year period was over before he could regain his original form... He asked, "What about the other method?"

"We can seize the Holy Grail in the Holy Grail War," Sajyou Manaka said, "And by utilizing the Holy Grail's unique properties, we can also break free from the Holy Lance's corruption."

"The Holy Grail War, huh..." Lan Ze muttered to himself.

To be honest, he felt that neither of these things was very reliable, and the process would take too long. As for the other Holy Grail War... even if he wanted to participate, he would have to be qualified to do so.

Am I supposed to participate as Master...? Lan Ze thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile.

"The Spirit Origin you possess now is King Arthur's Spirit Origin," Sajyou Manaka said softly.

"So, you are currently a possibility that someone could summon you... provided you are willing to accept the summons."

Come to think of it, Merlin said a long time ago that there were two King Arthur, and I was indeed able to use the power of the Holy Lance back then... Lan Ze was still a little confused. "Why is my Spirit Origin related to King Arthur?"

Sajyou Manaka gently shook her head. "I don't know."

"After all, I'm not omnipotent," she said softly.

Lan Ze looked at her. It was rare for the little girl to show such a side of herself. She seemed a bit lost, or perhaps more like a literary youth. At this moment, she lowered her head slightly, and her soft hair fell down from her forehead, framing her fair face and making her look especially cute. It made people want to hug the depressed girl and gently comfort her.

"What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?" Sajyou Manaka raised her eyes, her previous gloom completely gone, replaced by a faint smile.

"It's nothing... I just wanted to ask you, do you know the person in that cave?"

Sajyou Manaka's smile visibly froze, then she sighed, "I don't know her, but I know that guy is pretty dangerous... You'd better pretend you don't know about that, and just let her continue to sleep there."

"Or are you curious about her identity because she's good-looking?" Sajyou Manaka suddenly asked with a teasing smile.

"I'm not talking nonsense!" Lan Ze rubbed his temples. "I'm just a little curious..."

He paused, then continued, "But since you've put it that way, I won't press you any further, even if I'm curious."

Sajyou Manaka smiled, her eyes narrowing, "Yes, I know you're a smart and good girl."

"Are you really treating me like a child...?" Lan Ze retorted.

"You're just like a child right now," Sajyou Manaka said matter-of-factly. She stood up, tilted her head slightly, and said, "You should rest well tonight. I'll take you back tomorrow, and then I'll try to get a Holy Grail for you from the Holy Grail War."

After saying that, Sajyou Manaka turned and left the room.

Even if it's Aika, is it really that easy to obtain the Holy Grail...? Lan Ze thought to himself as he watched the girl's retreating figure.

The Holy Grail is not difficult to obtain... at least not for Sajyou Manaka, but preparing for a Holy Grail War still takes a considerable amount of time.

Forget it, thinking about that now is unrealistic... At least the corrupting effects of the Holy Lance on me have mostly subsided, haven't they?

Lan Ze gently shook his head, listening to the pattering rain, and turned to lie back down on the bed.

On rainy nights, lying in bed is still the happiest place.

However, as soon as he turned around, Lan Ze suddenly felt as if a dark gaze was staring at him.

"Who?!"

Lan Ze's heart skipped a beat, and he turned his head sharply to look, only to see Tiamat in the rain, her hands pressed against the window, her eyes peering into the room.

"Mother...?"

Lan Ze realized what was happening and quickly went to open the window, then pulled Tiamat inside.

The woman shook her head rapidly, her two enormous horns swaying as if she were trying to shake off the water droplets on her body.

She looked soaking wet, which made Lan Ze feel a pang of sympathy. He quickly found a towel and helped her wipe the water droplets off her body, while asking:

"Why did you sneak over here so late at night instead of sleeping?"

Lan Ze pulled Tiamat into the room, made her sit on the edge of the bed, and then took out a towel to wipe her rain-soaked body.

Tiamat's Spirit Garment had already turned into light particles and disappeared. Her exposed skin was fair and translucent, with a healthy rosy glow. Her hair was wet from the rain as she had been lying by the bed, and two strands of fine blue hair slipped from her shoulders and clung to her snow-white skin. Although she looked a little disheveled, she exuded a pitiful and fragile charm.

She tilted her head, wanting to see the boy behind her who was drying her hair.

"Mother, don't move now!" Lan Ze quickly grabbed Tiamat's horns, stopping her from turning Tiamat head.

"Aaaa (Don't touch my horns.)" Tiamat said softly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

I've touched everywhere else, so why can't I touch your horns...? Lan Ze let go of my hand. "Okay, okay, I won't touch your horns, but you better behave yourself and wait for me to clean you up first."

"Aaa." Tiamat nodded reluctantly, which was considered a compromise.

Next, Lan Ze began to dry her hair with a towel, and then Illusion Manifestation.

It has to be said that, given enough Lan Ze power, this ability is practically invincible in the "game." He can casually conjure up Noble Phantasm during battles, and even casually use his computer or snacks in everyday life.

It's unclear whether this ability was invented by the system itself, or if it's an ability inherent to someone in Type-Moon.

On another note... why won't Mother of All let me touch the corner?

Lan Ze's attention quickly fell on Tiamat's pair of giant horns.

In my memory, when Kishinami Hakuno revealed her beast form, she also seemed to have a pair of horns.

To be precise, every beast should have a pair of horns?

Come to think of it, Goetia is still bald...? It's just that the horns on his head make his baldness less noticeable.