Mephisto's Origin Story

"If I were a local, it would be really difficult. I could only try to obtain it from the Root, but the final effect would probably not reach the level of Cú Chulainn, and it would be severely restricted, making it difficult to expand this technique to other places..."

"However, if we're talking about converting it into True Magic, as long as there's a theoretical basis, it'll work. Durandal is out of the question, but if it's the Heavenly Cloud Sword... we could try transforming Heavenly Cloud Sword into the body of Yamata-no-Orochi. Although the Heavenly Cloud Sword isn't actually Yamata-no-Orochi, it was still extracted from its tail after all..."

"Hmm, Ritsuka- san is finally going to become a Kamen Rider? Maybe we should just call her Kamen Rider Yamata-no-Orochi from now on."

As Mephistopheles pondered this, he made up his mind that once he returned, he would definitely use Ritsuka Fujimaru's Heavenly Cloud Sword to study this technique. Failure was nothing to worry about, but success would be an excellent help to Ritsuka Fujimaru was still just an ordinary human.

Having uncovered this secret, Mephistopheles unhesitatingly threw a punch at the unconscious Cú Chulainn.

The Holy Grail emerged from Cú Chulainn's body and floated before Mephistopheles.

Mephistopheles reached out and grasped the Holy Grail, then looked at the woman not far away and smiled slightly, "Miss Medb, right?"

"What a strange human. Are you a Servant? I sense a Servant's aura emanating from you."

"I am human, but also a Servant, or rather, a Servant with some certifications. You can understand it that way." Mephistopheles looked at the woman, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Your plan failed, aren't you angry?"

"I've already finished being angry, since you defeated Cú Chulainn," Medb said, raising her head slightly in a haughty manner. "But I am the Queen, and I won't remain angry forever. Since this plan has failed, I'll let it go."

"I thought you'd made Cú Chulainn king and condescended to be a queen, but I didn't expect you to call yourself queen." Mephistopheles had barely finished speaking when a whip cracked and lashed across his face.

Mephistopheles did not dodge, but simply looked at the other person.

If the opponent really wants to hit, the whip naturally won't just swoop past. Of course, even if it does hit, it won't be able to break through the defense.

"I will always be the queen!"

"Alright, the Holy Grail has been retrieved. Next comes the restoration of the era. You should all go back now, but before that, let's take a picture." He took out a camera and started snapping away at Medb.

The woman, who was originally the mastermind behind this incident, was unusually cooperative, even striking a graceful pose, much like a celebrity.

The world has begun to tremble; everything is dissipating; time and space are beginning to disappear, moving towards the correct timeline.

As her body began to dissipate, Medb suddenly asked Mephistopheles, "Why are you taking pictures? Do you need my autograph?"

"Sure, if you'd like to sign." Mephistopheles said, walking over with a pen and his golden Grimoire in his hand. He turned to a page and grinned, "Sign here."

After receiving the book, Medb showed a surprised expression. This book was actually Noble Phantasm, and Noble Phantasm of the highest rank, definitely made by a god. And this person was asking her to sign such a precious book?!

However, she immediately thought of another possibility.

Could this person have taken a liking to me? Is that why they're signing something so precious?

Thus, Medb, whose self-esteem was greatly satisfied, signed the book with unusual ease. After returning the book and pen to the other party, her body disappeared.

Mephistopheles looked at the signature on the book and a pleased expression appeared on his face.

"Queen Medb's autograph—that can unleash a lot of power! Ha! I can use this to enhance True Magic related to Celtic mythology!"

As he spoke, the world collapsed, and he reached the last moment he could remain. With a teleportation, when Mephistopheles opened his eyes again, he was back in Chaldea.

Looking at Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight, who were checking their own condition, Mephistopheles asked, "How are you?"

"I've taken photos of all the Servants I met, and everyone was very cooperative!" Ritsuka Fujimaru said with a smile. "Moreover, everyone was surprised when they discovered that the world was starting to reset and they themselves had to return to the Throne of Heroes. It seems they didn't expect the problem to be solved so quickly."

Mephistopheles shrugged. "It was indeed quite simple, I beat it with just a few blows, and Medb, as the mastermind, was surprisingly easy to talk to, though that might be because the Holy Grail is already in my hands."

As he spoke, he handed the Holy Grail to Mash Kyrielight, watching as the latter absorbed Holy Grail into his shield.

Mephistopheles then fell into deep thought.

Ritsuka Fujimaru asked curiously, "What are you thinking about? Did something happen?"

Mephistopheles shook his head. "The Servant I encountered, Arjuna, was a Servant from the Hindu pantheon, and Karna, whom you encountered, is the same—a being from the same epic."

"I used some methods to study the Beast Lord's magical artifact, which is Shiva's artifact, and gained some inspiration..."

"Shiva's magic weapon?" Ritsuka Fujimaru was surprised. Even though she didn't read much mythology, she knew the name Shiva.

Mephistopheles has actually started researching Shiva's power! What is he planning to do?!

"The supreme masculine and supreme feminine represent 9=2 and 8=3 respectively, which are powers that reach the non-human realm. Isn't this path very difficult? Even if we use special methods to summon the power of Babalon and combine ourselves with it, the price is terrible. So I'm wondering if there's an alternative."

"Alternative?"

"Shiva also represents the supreme masculine aspect, while Kali, the opposite of Parvati, the Snow Mountain Goddess, represents the supreme feminine aspect. In Hindu mythology, their union represents the initial perfection, and they can be considered to correspond to each other."

"I can now try to guide Shiva's power and use it as a basis to draw upon Kali's power. I can't say I'll directly break through to the Upper Three Grand, but at least... I can try to reach the 7=4 realm."

"Or perhaps, relying on Shiva's power to manifest the power of matter, guiding oneself to communicate with the guardian archangel Sachiel... that might also be feasible."

Ritsuka Fujimaru asked cautiously, "Are you sure that summoning the power of Shiva and the power of Kali won't lead to destruction?"

"How could it be so simple? What power do I have? I'm just a lowly True Magic. How could I possibly possess the power to summon something capable of destroying the world?" Mephistopheles waved his hand. "The Angelic Power I've summoned so far has only destroyed one Earth. Destroying the world? Impossible!"

Upon hearing this, Ritsuka Fujimaru looked utterly helpless.

What do you mean by "only" destroying one Earth? Does that mean destroying Earth is something ordinary, something not worth mentioning?

However, she soon noticed something else.

"Is Sachiel the guardian of 7=4?"

"Yes, it's an archangel that's very helpful for learning, but you should take your time learning it first, since you haven't even been at the beginner level for very long."

After Mephistopheles finished speaking, he hummed a song and left. Seeing Mephistopheles's happy expression, Ritsuka Fujimaru blinked.

Mash Kyrielight, standing nearby, said, "Senior, it seems that Senior Mephistopheles has gained quite a bit of benefit this time, hence his obvious happiness."

"I think he was just having a lot of fun researching things." Olga Marie walked over, and without greeting Mephistopheles who was leaving, she simply said to the others, "You guys go and rest first. This operation was easy, but some problems arose. The Servants might not be truly willing to help us directly. We'll need to discuss this matter later."

Seeing the group leave, Olga Marie called out again, "Black Jeanne), wait a moment, I have something to tell you."

Black Jeanne looked at the other person with some confusion, not understanding why they were looking for her.

Olga Marie coughed slightly and said, "I need to know something about Mephistopheles."

Chapter 190 The Origin Story of Mephistopheles

Black Jeanne followed Olga Marie with some confusion to her private office.

Olga Marie is the director of Chaldea. In addition to her designated seat in the command center, she also has a private office with ample personal space.

However, the office didn't look particularly luxurious; it was similar to a regular office. If one had to point out anything, it would be that there were a lot of books in the room—a whole wall of books, which reflected the director's status.

This reminded Black Jeanne Alter of a quote from Mephistopheles.

High-ranking officials always like to place a pile of books where they meet people. Whether they read them or not doesn't matter; the important thing is that the guests who come in can see these books and show off their "erudition."

That's still considered good. If you go even further, you could have your subordinates choose a bunch of books and recite their titles like a menu during a speech. In that case, even an elementary school student could pretend to be a PhD and then rule a country.

When Mephistopheles said those words, his face was full of mockery. Although Black Jeanne did not know who he was talking about, she could clearly feel Mephistopheles's disdain for the person he was referring to.

As a general in the war between France and England, Black Jeanne had met many people, and she could only describe the person Mephistopheles was talking about as being even less than the lowest-ranking nobleman.

Looking at the books on Olga Marie's wall-sized bookshelf, she became curious about what kind of person Olga Marie was.

Is he a fool who uses these books to show off his knowledge, or a truly capable person?

Based on our interactions over the past few days, this woman is quite capable. Chaldea operating smoothly and getting better under her control. If it weren't for the current shortage of resources, Chaldea might have been able to live to its limit.

"That's..." Black Jeanne casually pointed to a book, a look of curiosity on her face.

"That book?" Olga Marie looked over and picked up the book casually. "It's about management, it has nothing to do with Magecraft. Before I took over Chaldea, I was just a Magecraft specialized in Magecraft. Although we were from a large family, we didn't really understand management."

As Olga Marie spoke, she looked at the book with a touch of nostalgia. Black Jeanne noticed that the cover was clean, but some creases could be seen on the edges of the pages.

"Back then, in order to learn how to manage Chaldea, I specifically purchased a batch of teaching materials written by ordinary people, and this book is one of them. Although they couldn't conduct research in Magecraft, they were very skilled in other areas. The establishment of Chaldea owes a great deal to the efforts of these ordinary people."

"Ordinary people? Humans are the ones who write human history, and ordinary people make up the majority of them. Magecraft are ultimately a minority," Black Jeanne said, now certain that the woman in front of her was indeed reading seriously.

Because she even saw a novel on the bookshelf!

People who want to flaunt their status usually wouldn't put their novels up there!

However, Black Jeanne did not forget why the other party had sought her out, and she asked with some curiosity, "Chief, what is it you want to see me about?"

Olga Marie fell silent. After a moment's hesitation, she cleared her throat and slowly said, "Actually, I'm just a little curious about Mephistopheles's current state!"

"Curious about Mephistopheles's condition?" Black Jeanne became even more curious. She looked at Olga Marie, whose eyes were darting around, and after a moment of confusion, she suddenly realized what was happening and revealed a wicked smile.

She was not Jeanne d'Arc, but a replica created by Gilles in his own delusions. She possessed Jeanne d'Arc of Arc's mischievous side, but was even more violent. Perhaps Gilles was too insecure and failed to input the idea that "she likes me" into her consciousness.

However, this also leads to differences in personality between Black Jeanne and Jeanne d'Arc. Unlike Jeanne d'Arc' Arc, she is not kind and gentle. On the contrary, she is more aggressive and enjoys teasing others.

So when she noticed Olga Marie's strange state and made a guess, Black Jeanne was immediately intrigued, but still asked with a curious expression, "Go ahead and tell me, I'll cooperate, after all, it's for my Master's sake."

Olga Marie was startled and quickly asked, "Are you also worried about Mephistopheles?"

"Of course, of course I'm worried about Mephistopheles. He's my Master, and we're very close. He only has me as his Servant!" When Black Jeanne said this, she deliberately turned her head slightly away, as if she were shy, while cautiously glancing at Olga Marie out of the corner of her eye.

Olga Marie's eyes widened immediately. "I... in my current state, I'm also considered his servant!"

"I don't think so. Although the structures are somewhat similar, you are actually a ghost, the director, his superior. He only did this to save you, didn't he? Unlike me, I was summoned because of the bond between us!"

"Bonds..."

Olga Marie was immediately defeated. This description is correct. The reason why Black Jeanne was summoned was indeed because of the bond between Black Jeanne and Mephistopheles. The connection between the two was too close, which caused Black Jeanne to be summoned directly in the first Servant summon.

After all, back then, Mephistopheles chose to suffer in place of Black Jeanne, helping her bear the original sin that came with her birth!

But the thought of this made Olga Marie feel utterly dejected; she was listless and didn't know what to say.

Seeing Olga Marie so easily defeated, Black Jeanne curled her lip, realizing this wasn't funny. She muttered to herself that the opponent's defense was far too weak, and then said, "However, there are many people your Master is close to, such as Artemis, the moon goddess; Medea, the witch; and the legendary hunter Atalanta, etc..."

With each name mentioned, Olga Marie's expression darkened further, but in the end, Black Jeanne added, "Of course, she also has her strengths. After all, the Master and the Director have a contract, and she even protected the Director when he was almost dead."

"No, that's right!" Olga Marie, resurrected in all her glory!

"That's quite comforting..." Black Jeanne Alter thought to herself, watching Olga Marie instantly resurrected.

Then she asked, "So, what does the director want to ask?"

"Ahem, it's nothing, it's just that you and him are, after all, a Servant and Master relationship. Have you ever dreamed about anything related to him?"

"A dream?" Black Jeanne was taken aback at first, then the corners of her mouth curled up again. "I think this is a good suggestion. For the sake of Master's mental and physical well-being, let's tell each other what we dreamed about, and then look for anything we might have missed. What do you say?"

"Should I say something too?!"

"Of course, you must have dreamed about it too. And it's better for two people to think about it together than one person to figure it out alone. Or is it that the director didn't actually contact me for the Master's mental and physical well-being?"

Seeing the doubt in Black Jeanne's eyes, Olga Marie took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, let's do as you say, we'll both tell you what we dreamed about!"

"Then, let me start," said Black Jeanne, recounting what she had dreamed about.

It was a bright and sunny day.

Mephistopheles got out of bed as usual and stretched.

I'm ten years old now, a little adult.

He yawned, went to the washroom and washed up carefully, then ate a simple breakfast of bread and bacon with some fresh vegetables.

After finishing, he picked up his schoolbag and left home, where he was all alone.

The monotonous life, following the students' babbling and chatter, ended very early, so early that the sun was still high in the sky.

After leaving school and returning home, he finally saw another person in the family, his mother, that slightly decadent woman.

"You're back, my little one!"

Although dejected, the mother still smiled at Mephistopheles, waving the toy car in her hand. "Look, look what I bought you!"

Looking at the toy car, Mephistopheles had shown absolutely no interest, smiled and displayed the happy expression of any other child, "Thank you, Mommy, I love you!"

These words cheered up the previously dejected woman. She hugged Mephistopheles and gently kissed him on the cheek. "Mommy loves you too, baby."

Although he didn't like the toy, Mephistopheles could feel his mother's love, and he hoped that the woman could be happier.

However, the woman seemed preoccupied today. She kept glancing at Mephistopheles while eating, as if she wanted to say something but didn't.

His mother is a very young girl, actually only twenty-five years old.

She raised him single-handedly, and he always made sure not to cause her any trouble.

If it weren't for the decent child welfare and single-parent family subsidies in the Britain, this woman might have been crushed by life long ago.

"Is something the matter, Mom?" It was Mephistopheles who spoke, as if he had seen through everything, giving the woman a chance to speak.

"Well... you're not living very well here. I was thinking, should I send you to Academy City... you know, that Academy City in Japan? I heard there are a lot of espers there. Don't you like these weird and wonderful things the most?"

"Besides, I've heard that students there live very well. The technology is better than outside, and the standard of living is excellent. If you go there, you should be able to live even better, right?" the woman said, her face full of guilt as she spoke.

She had always wanted to give her child a good life, but so far, she felt that it was still far from good. If she had sent him to Academy City earlier, things might not be like this.