"You're travelers who came here?" A man with a weary face and a stern expression asked Morpheus and the others.
This man was Gilles, the swordsman. Morpheus had already encountered him in another world.
But at this moment, Gilles didn't seem crushed by Jeanne's death... perhaps because Jeanne had been resurrected as a witch. Morpheus thought Gilles's mental state might even be better than in the original history.
At the very least, Jeanne was indeed a witch to him now.
"That's right. We're wanderers traveling this land without purpose, guided here only by the will of the Lord," Morpheus said with a smile, addressing Gilles.
Hearing Morpheus's words, Ritsuka and Mash exchanged glances, marveling at how effortlessly and sincerely he could lie.
"The Lord's guidance, huh?" Gilles sighed. "If that's the case, I believe you'll surely play a role here, just as you so easily dispatched those monsters earlier. You'll be invaluable in the battles to come…"
"So, we can stay here?"
"Of course. We can provide food and shelter. If you need it, we can offer monetary compensation as well. Though money has little value now, once we defeat those demons, it will regain its worth.
"As for other matters… you can decide for yourselves. Since you say it's the Lord's guidance, I trust you'll seek out what's happening here, right?"
Morpheus grinned. "What are you getting at?"
Gilles looked at him, his voice low. "Is Jeanne truly a witch?"
"You think she might not be?"
"Perhaps it's a trick by the devil, making us believe Jeanne is a witch."
Morpheus smiled but said nothing. Just as Gilles was about to speak again, Morpheus cut in.
"Since you, as Marshal, feel that way, I think we should investigate. Who knows? We might even find the original Jeanne."
"The original Jeanne?!" Gilles's eyes widened, but he quickly shook his head. "No, that's impossible. She's already dead…"
"Maybe. But we need to look into it. We might find her."
Though reluctant to admit it, Gilles was moved. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "You're free to leave, go elsewhere, or return as you wish. I'll ensure no one stops you."
"Thank you. I believe peace will come soon."
After bidding farewell to Gilles and leaving the command center, Morpheus, Ritsuka, and Mash stepped outside.
"Is it really possible Jeanne is here?" Mash asked immediately.
"Very likely. Since an evil Jeanne... let's call her Jeanne Alter... has appeared with the goal of destroying this place, the Counter Force won't just stand by. If human civilization collapses, so does the Counter Force.
"Moreover, summoning so many monsters means she must have a Holy Grail; otherwise, the mana supply wouldn't suffice. If that's the case, the Grail's rules apply. It will summon an equal force to oppose her, likely a Servant specifically meant to counter Jeanne Alter... like the real Jeanne."
Morpheus's explanation made Mash and Ritsuka nod repeatedly. Among the three, Morpheus had the most experience with the Holy Grail.
"You two scout around. Pretend you're in danger or something. The real Jeanne, if she's hiding, might show up. I was too impulsive earlier... I shouldn't have wiped out those enemies so quickly."
Ritsuka looked puzzled. "Why?"
"Because if I hadn't acted, and those people were in danger, the hidden Jeanne might've revealed herself," Morpheus said with a shrug. "Go on, you two. I've got other things to do. Not only do I need to figure out how to create Durandal, but I've got other stuff to research."
…
Mash and Ritsuka walked through the streets, accompanied by a soldier acting as their guide.
Mash seized the chance to ask, "Is it true that Saint Jeanne has been resurrected?"
"Absolutely. I saw her with my own eyes.
"Her hair and skin were different, but it was undoubtedly the Saint. When we heard she was captured by the English and burned at the stake, we were furious.
"But she came back... and made a deal with demons…"
"You mean those monsters from before?"
"Not just those. We could handle them. Even with wyverns, it's dangerous but manageable. The real terror is a dragon. I don't know how such a creature appeared in this world."
"A dragon?" Mash's expression shifted... not to fear, but to something odd, as if recalling something amusing.
"Yes, a dragon… They say it turned the capital into a world of fire overnight."
After more conversation with the soldier, Ritsuka and Mash continued down the street, observing the people around them while discussing what they'd learned.
"A dragon is dangerous, but if I remember correctly, dragons are vulnerable to anti-dragon traits, right?" Ritsuka asked.
"Yes, and the stronger the dragon's bloodline, the more effective the suppression," Mash confirmed.
"Then, doesn't Morpheus have a strong anti-dragon trait?"
"The strongest. His anti-dragon trait comes from slaying Typhon in ancient Greece, the purest primordial dragon," Mash explained, her expression relaxing. "So, I think this mission will be manageable, maybe even easy, when it comes to dealing with enemies."
"Because the dragon is Jeanne Alter's biggest asset?"
"Exactly. If we can neutralize her greatest strength, we're halfway to victory. I can handle some enemies, Morpheus's own strength can deal with plenty, and it's highly likely the real Jeanne is here too. Plus…"
"Plus what?"
"Based on Morpheus's explanation of the Grail, to counter the dragon, the Counter Force might send a Servant with anti-dragon traits. Even though Morpheus can already handle the dragon, such a Servant would likely be powerful in legend and could be very useful."
Ritsuka felt this mission might be surprisingly easy... perhaps even like a subsidized trip to France.
France during the Hundred Years' War, no less!
…
Morpheus cast a flight spell, soaring into the air at high speed.
His velocity was incredible, and as he ascended, the air grew thin. Yet his clothing's protective enchantments shielded him, even supplying air to prevent suffocation.
Soon, he reached the orbital region, nearing the radiant halo.
The massive halo spanned the continent, brimming with immense power.
"Pure heat accumulation? No, that's not it. This isn't just heat collection… I vaguely recall from my past life that this is something Goetia created by gathering the heat of incinerated Human Order... essentially the energy from humanity's destruction.
"But that's not the key. The key is the temporal power within this halo… Is this based on the Fifth Magic? It's likely a manipulation of time acceleration. Let's consider Goetia's goal… returning to the past to become a god? That would explain it. With this halo, once it's complete, he could go back in time…
"And to prevent parallel worlds, he'd need to collapse all of human history, destroying it from the root.
"In other words, the Nasuverse is fundamentally anthropocentric."
Morpheus's lips curled slightly as he mused.
"What a rare opportunity to see something tied to the Fifth Magic. This is clearly Goetia's work. Since he's been so generous, I'd be remiss not to take advantage!"
His hands moved to specific positions, and magic activated. The four archangels manifested around him, enhancing his control over the elements.
He wasn't here to fight or dismantle the halo. He only wanted to study it, analyze the concentrated light within, and uncover its foundational theory to absorb it.
Such time-based theories often intertwined with space. Mastering this could enhance his magic.
The study took just a few hours. Morpheus took a deep breath, exhaled, and reached out with his right hand. Unfazed by the halo's rays... each with destructive power rivaling Excalibur... he gently plucked a single strand.
The light seemed tangible, unable to escape his grasp. He manipulated it, breaking it down into its fundamental particles.
"It's definitely time-based power. The so-called heat is just energy to fuel the process. The true goal is to use this vast energy to reverse time. The further back, the more mana required."
Morpheus rubbed his chin and snapped his fingers. The immense power of the four archangels converged in his hand. Light particles gathered, reforming into the dismantled rays, which intertwined and returned to the halo.
It was as if time itself had reversed.
Yet this vast mana consumption didn't come from Morpheus... the archangels covered it all.
"Phew, it actually worked. But Goetia's plan has flaws. If I were in his place, I'd collect the heat emitted by the sun over millennia of human history. That's far more than burning humanity…
"Not only could you wipe out human civilization, but you could also siphon heat from other planets, leaving their Ultimate Ones high and dry. Hmm, does he have something like a Dyson Sphere? He's posing as Solomon, so he should have similar magecraft, right?"
Morpheus muttered to himself, though he grew less certain about that last thought.
"Solomon probably had something like that… maybe…"
Landing on the ground, Morpheus sought out a blacksmith's forge. After revealing his identity, he easily convinced the smith to leave. Taking up a hammer, he began forging.
Crafting a sword's body was simple, something even an ordinary blacksmith could do.
Soon, Morpheus had forged an ornate longsword, its hilt extravagant, bordering on ostentatious.
But he didn't rush to assemble it.
The next step was the critical one.
"Durandal, the sword of legend, said to contain the spearhead of Longinus, the holy lance. The blade of the knight Roland, infused with relics of Christ's disciples… But how many know, from the oldest records, that these are one and the same? Oh, France's femme fatale knows, and so do those old-timers."
Morpheus murmured, raising his hand.
The four archangels reappeared behind him as he began chanting a spell. His body transformed.
He grew healthier, stronger, more refined.
A unique aura emanated from him... one that compelled others to kneel in reverence!
He was undergoing sanctification!
The archangels stood around him, as if blessing the son of god.
The magic Morpheus used was Sanctification Magic, designed to bring a person's physique closer to that of a saint... not a disciple of Jesus, but Jesus himself.
This magic was immensely difficult, with a low floor and an extraordinarily high ceiling.
In theory, it could grant the user all of Jesus's power, but Morpheus knew of no one who had reached that level.
He slowly shed his clothes. A cross materialized behind him, pressing down on him. Though ethereal, it carried a weight far beyond its size, nearly forcing Morpheus to his knees.
But this was not the end.
Nails emerged from the cross, piercing his palms, anchoring him to it.
These were stigmata, marks of Jesus's flesh, drawing Morpheus ever closer to the original.
Since his mastery of the magic was incomplete, he sought every means to approach perfection.
At this moment, the holy aura around him intensified, sanctifying the entire forge.
A ten-centimeter metal model of a lance, prepared in advance, floated upward, swiftly piercing Morpheus's side.
Blood flowed from the wound but didn't spill to the ground. Wrapped in mana, it hovered, seeping into the sword's body.
The blood-stained lance model gently settled to the ground.
Silently, it awaited its next fate.
***
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