Upon hearing Morpheus's words, both Olga Marie and Mash wore expressions that screamed, "You've got to be kidding."
But seeing Morpheus's calm demeanor and Romani's shocked face... looking as if he couldn't fathom why Morpheus would reveal this, yet not denying it... they were momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Fujimaru Ritsuka, however, widened her eyes and looked at Romani. "So, Dr. Romani has such an incredible background?!"
Clearly, she believed it.
Olga Marie opened her mouth, glanced at Da Vinci, and saw her smiling at Romani without a word. Doubt crept into Olga Marie's mind.
Could it be true? Was Romani really King Solomon?
But Romani was so unreliable, just an ordinary human... how could he possibly be King Solomon?!
"What I'm about to say is highly confidential. I hope everyone here can keep it secret. Can you do that?" Morpheus said suddenly.
Everyone turned to Morpheus, while Romani struggled to suppress the urge to roll his eyes.
What could possibly be more confidential than revealing he was King Solomon?
Seeing Morpheus's serious expression, Olga Marie temporarily set aside her doubts and nodded. "Fine. We can sign a contract, using its power to prevent leaks."
Morpheus shook his head. "No need. Honestly, this secret might come out soon enough anyway. I'm only mentioning it now to avoid unnecessary trouble."
The group exchanged glances and nodded slightly.
Olga Marie said, "Go ahead. What's the secret?"
Morpheus replied, "About the First Holy Grail War. You all know about it, right? The first Singularity we went to, the Fuyuki Singularity... the starting point of everything."
Everyone nodded. Fujimaru Ritsuka thought back to their experiences there and asked, "Is there something wrong with it?"
"Why is that fake Solomon so obsessed with destroying that place? We call the other Singularities critical nodes in altering human history, but the Fuyuki Singularity is clearly just as important."
Morpheus's words sent everyone into deep thought.
After a moment, Olga Marie said, "Are you saying the Fuyuki Holy Grail War is also a significant event in human history?"
Morpheus shook his head. "I'm saying it's more important than all of history."
Under everyone's puzzled gazes and Romani's silence, Morpheus continued, "Who was the official victor of that Holy Grail War?"
Mash answered, "The records state it was Saber and her Master."
"Right, that's what the records say. But those records are fake."
"What?!" Olga Marie's eyes widened, and Mash shook her head. "The records are fake?!"
"Yes, fake. The victor tampered with them, using the Holy Grail to deceive everyone. Understand?" Morpheus said.
The revelation shocked everyone. The intelligence recorded at the Clock Tower was fake!
"Director, your family suddenly acquired a massive amount of funding. Can you explain why?" Morpheus asked.
Olga Marie frowned. "Because we gained access to vast resources, which were exchanged for a fortune."
Morpheus pressed, "The timing?"
Olga Marie thought for a moment, then her eyes widened. "After 2004, but not long after the Holy Grail War ended!" She stopped, her eyes flickering, and after a long pause, she looked at Morpheus again. "Are you saying the victor of that Holy Grail War was my father?"
"That's exactly what I mean. The Holy Grail fulfilled his wish, and naturally, the wish of his Servant as well. The Servant he summoned was King Solomon, Caster class. Solomon's wish was to become an ordinary human."
Morpheus looked at Romani. "Am I right?"
All eyes turned to Romani.
He was silent for a moment before nodding slowly. "That's right. I wished to become an ordinary human, removing myself from the Throne of Heroes. The cost was giving up all the powers granted by the Lord... or rather, you could say I willingly returned them."
Mash and Olga Marie stared at Romani, still struggling to accept this.
The lazy, snack-stealing, idol-obsessed, robot-loving otaku was the legendary King Solomon!
But the reality was undeniable... he was indeed Solomon.
"By the way, he's just an ordinary human now, so we only need him to admit he's Solomon. Nothing else matters; he's not going to the battlefield," Morpheus said, patting Romani's shoulder. "You've already proven that guy isn't Solomon. Your job's done!"
Olga Marie, however, was still pondering other matters. "So, my father won and used the victory to gain massive funding, building Chaldea as we know it today? While Chaldea was established long ago, its real growth happened in recent years…"
"Exactly. I don't know his exact goal, but one thing's certain: the current crisis facing humanity stems from Solomon's self-exile." Morpheus glanced at Romani. "Don't worry, I'm not saying your choice was wrong... just that you lacked safety awareness, like leaving the gas on when you leave the house."
Romani sighed and nodded. "It's my fault. You're right."
Olga Marie asked, "So who is that guy?!"
"Goetia, the collective entity of the seventy-two Demon God Pillars. The Pillars are a highly autonomous magical system created by Solomon to guide humanity on the right path. But it required Solomon's oversight.
"When Solomon chose to become human and returned his powers, the system went out of control. Now, they aim to destroy human history, return to the planet's birth, and replace its primal consciousness.
"In other words, Goetia wants to go back and become the planet's sole god... whether a planetary god, a nature god, or an artificial one. With its immense consciousness, it could possess divine power before life even emerges, guiding all development on the planet."
Morpheus explained in detail, and Olga Marie, after thinking it over, said, "You mentioned the Demon God Pillars' purpose is to guide humanity?"
"Correct."
"So, Goetia's goal is to destroy current human history, return to the past as the sole god, and guide newly born humanity on a path it chooses?"
"Exactly. It believes this is for humanity's good, a redemption of its future. As a system meant to guide humanity, it thinks current humanity is rotten," Morpheus said, smirking. "I'm sure if Jesus showed up, he'd punch Goetia in the face."
Olga Marie steered clear of the Jesus vs. Goetia topic and closed her mouth.
"So, can we analyze any intel on Goetia now?"
"Its most powerful Noble Phantasm is the one it showed this time. It spoke the truth... billions of attacks equivalent to Excalibur's release. But since that power fuels its plan, we won't face that full force.
"Romani and I discussed this. The plan is simple: we quickly clear the remaining Singularities, storm its exposed base, and destroy the light bands it's painstakingly gathered. That'll foil its plan.
"Without the light bands, Goetia's just a slightly stronger Servant. No big deal."
Seeing Morpheus's casual tone, Olga Marie looked at Romani, who nodded. "Morpheus and I talked about it. Goetia won't use the light bands lightly. Our only challenge is destroying as many as possible before it notices.
"But Morpheus says he can wipe out most of them instantly. I think we can trust him. That Durandal he's holding contains terrifying power."
Olga Marie recalled that Morpheus had forged a Durandal, which allowed Jeanne to unleash top-tier Heroic Spirit power, not just that of a clone Servant.
Her eyes lit up. "How effective was Jeanne Alter with your Durandal?"
Morpheus replied, "About the same as regular Jeanne."
"So, giving Durandal to Jeanne Alter could pose a massive threat to Goetia?" She'd seen the data... Jeanne with Durandal had displayed power worthy of a Grand Servant, the kind only the strongest Heroic Spirits could achieve.
With humanity's survival at stake, Jeanne or Jeanne Alter wielding such power could significantly suppress Goetia, right?
Romani quickly asked, "But without Durandal, how will Morpheus destroy the light bands?"
Morpheus smiled. "You want Jeanne Alter to distract Goetia, giving me more chances to target the bands?"
"Exactly. Goetia's power is immense, so we need someone strong enough to hold its attention. Fujimaru Ritsuka, with Ame no Murakumo, can fight on par with Servants, and Mash can help, but it's not enough. We need someone who can make Goetia feel threatened... Jeanne Alter with Durandal is perfect."
Olga Marie hesitated, looking conflicted. "But that means you'd lose your strongest attack method."
"There's another way," Morpheus said.
"What?!"
A light appeared in Morpheus's hand, slowly coalescing into a sword.
Olga Marie stared, stunned, before saying, "Excalibur?"
"Yes, but this is a magical construct, not the real sword. It's based on the concept of the Sword of Promised Victory that slew an ancient civilization-destroying beast. With my current strength, this spell can unleash even greater power. With proper preparation, I could deliver a strike capable of cleaving a planet."
"Really?!"
"Really. But I need materials. I'll make a list. They're not too rare, and I'll include substitutes for each. If you can't find something, use the substitute. Once I have them, I'll spend a few days crafting a mystic code, so I won't have time to train you."
"Fine. I'll arrange for the logistics team to assist you," Olga Marie nodded, then looked at Romani, hesitating before saying, "You're still Romani to me. Calling you Solomon feels weird."
Romani paused, then smiled. "I'm just Romani. Always have been."
"Oh, and Mash, Fujimaru Ritsuka," Olga Marie turned to the Master and her sidekick, "you two should train as much as possible and try summoning more Servants. We need more to handle any surprises."
Mash nodded quickly. "Understood, Director."
Fujimaru Ritsuka added, "No problem."
Da Vinci spoke up. "Morpheus, when you're crafting that mystic code, can I watch?"
She quickly added, "Don't worry, I won't disturb you!"
Morpheus nodded. "Sure, no problem."
"Can I ask what you're making?"
Morpheus grinned. "Just tools to streamline my spellcasting. Like something to quickly summon angelic power or make it easier to control. If I normally wield angelic power at a level of 1, these tools could push it to 1.5 or even 2."
Da Vinci's eyes lit up. "I get it! You're boosting your angelic power limit to enhance the Sword of Promised Victory spell's strength!"
"Exactly. And since Goetia's the evil destroying civilization, the Sword of Promised Victory is perfect for countering it!" Morpheus's lips curled. "Getting countered in this world is brutal!"
***
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