Chapter 738

Everyone in the group: "..."

Graf's encounter perfectly illustrated the darkness of the mage world.

Although the cause was Graf's own rudeness, he had not taken things to the extreme.

As the saying goes: "Leave a line of retreat for others, so you may meet again in the future." Unfortunately, those mages intending to retaliate clearly did not understand this principle.

Regarding their deaths, no one felt sympathy. It could only be said that they brought it upon themselves.

Emiya Kiritsugu: "..."

No wonder he had felt that both Furiuga and Graf seemed somewhat familiar before; so they were that pair of master and apprentice.

He had not expected his Emiya family to have such a significant role in this story.

It was no wonder he hadn't recalled it earlier; after all, he had killed too many people to remember every single one. Not to mention, he had been living in a daze back then, and would have been even less likely to keep track of those he assassinated.

The reason he had a slight impression was that he had used up one Origin Bullet to deal with Graf at the time. Moreover, the assassination mission had a guide accompanying him.

That's right, that guide was precisely Furiuga.

【Because Graf had gone too far, he finally drew the dissatisfaction of the Zhong Ta. A certain noble secretly provided funding and hired an assassin to eliminate Graf.】

【The one hired was the mage-killer who was very famous in the underworld at the time, Emiya Kiritsugu.】

【Emiya Kiritsugu and Furiuga formed a team, pursued Graf all the way, and finally cornered the other party one night.】

【With Emiya Kiritsugu taking action, it was naturally a simple task.】

【Because Graf did not know Emiya Kiritsugu's background, he took the Origin Bullet head-on and thus successfully fell, his own magic circuits and magic crest destroyed to a pulp.】

【Furiuga seized the opportunity to rush up and deliver the final blow to Graf—of course, it was a fake one.】

【After that, there is no need to say more; Furiuga took the feigning-death Graf and had him hide in Albion to enjoy his twilight years.】

【As for Emiya Kiritsugu, perhaps he had seen through it at a glance at the time, but seeing that Graf was already ruined and his mission was considered complete, he let him go.】

【Furiuga also secretly investigated the person who hired them, but because there were multiple intermediaries between the assassin and the employer, he could not find the other party's identity at all and had to let it go.】

【Graf was a commoner who had risen through the ranks with a righteous foundation. Upon seeing the Zhong Ta nobles attempting to monopolize mystery and magic, he felt extreme disgust toward it. His rebellious mentality led him to ignore the established rules of the Mage's Association, and his actions were overly bold, perhaps even carrying some uncontrollable impulses.】

【In the end, he successfully paid a heavy price.】

【He lost his beloved disciple, lost the workshop he had meticulously crafted, and lost the magic circuits and magic crest he took pride in—he truly had lost everything.】

【Having been stripped of all meaning for survival, the fact that he could still live here in such a carefree manner meant he was already very strong-willed.】

Everyone: "Hmm!!!"

To think that Emiya Kiritsugu had a hand in this too.

Lady: "Kiritsugu, this..."

Emiya Kiritsugu: "Hmm."

He admitted it directly, without need for defense; he was just doing the job for money.

Waver: "Cough, cough, so that is the origin of Furiuga's title of 'Master-Killer'."

Shishigou Kairi: "The old man's life was truly full of ups and downs."

Caules: "His ideas were not wrong, but unfortunately, they were too extreme."

Waver: "Indeed. Even a fierce tiger cannot withstand a pack of wolves."

【After the group moved forward for a period of time, Furiuga stopped his footsteps.】

【They had entered a hilly region where strange stone pillars stood everywhere on the ground—some spherical, some triangular pyramids, or three-dimensional rocks with star-shaped protrusions—stacked in several piles, maintaining a highly unstable balance, looking very peculiar.】

【Furiuga pointed ahead and said: "That is it, the main labyrinth section of the Spirit Tomb Albion, also known as the Great Magic Circuit—the Vein Corridor 'Adra'. There are quite a few irregular entrances within it, which happen to serve as shortcuts. We have already arrived near the location marked on the old man's map."】

【Having said that, he reached for the knife at his waist, then paused, turned to reach into his bosom, and took out the knife Graf had just given him.】

【"Lead. me."】

【The knife was thrown out, stopping unnaturally in mid-air, and then sharply pierced into a stone tower not far away.】

A pitch-black opening, just large enough for one person to pass through, slowly unfolded from the spot struck by the small blade; it seemed to have some kind of illusion cast upon it. This technique, too, was likely learned from Graf.

Fulga checked it and said, "... Alright, it can still be used."

Waver said with concern, "I remember that inside Albion, the terrain changes from time to time. Is it possible for this entrance to become a dead end halfway through?"

"That's a gamble."

Fulga shrugged and said, "In any case, there's no way to reach the destination in less than twenty-four hours if we take the regular route."

Waver: "... That is indeed true."

"Then, let's infiltrate the Grand Magic Circuit."

Without hesitation, Fulga bent down and crawled into the opening, followed by Qingxuan, then Waver, and finally Luviagelita and Gray.

The group was instantly swallowed by the darkness.

Rin Tohsaka: "Just like that? I thought it would be some kind of teleportation formation or something."

Kayneth: "You're overthinking it."

Waver: "The terrain changes, which means we don't know if this path is still usable now, right?"

Shishigou Kairi: "But there's no other way; we have to gamble."

The group passed through the dark tunnel, arrived at a place resembling a tropical jungle, and then continued forward following the map.

Ferns covered the ground, towering plants obscured their vision, and the air was filled with steaming heat; even though it was the dead of winter on the surface, they were drenched in sweat.

Strange creatures darted by from time to time, and occasionally, when dangerous-looking individuals approached, Luviagelita would issue a warning in advance.

The vigilance method Graf spoke of seemed to have been truly optimized for Albion; despite the fact that a battle was almost imminent, they still managed to avoid contact.

They had only walked for about half an hour, yet the old man's teachings had already protected them more times than they could count.

It was because of that map combined with Fulga's experience that they were able to remain safe.

Waver: "I really can't believe there would be such a dense jungle underground."

Kayneth: "This is Albion."

After entering Albion, the landscape changed drastically many times in a short period, leaving everyone astonished, but there were still two common points.

One was the dense magical energy that made the body feel paralyzed to the lungs just by breathing, and the other was the peculiar light that swept across the ground.

Solemn streams of light emerged one after another, some flowing slowly, others hurriedly, toward the other end. The scenery was extremely magnificent, yet at the same time, it felt very intimate.

Gray: "This is... the Grand Magic Circuit."

Fulga: "That's right. Even if the dragon is dead, the dragon's magic circuits still survive like this, containing the mystery of the Age of Gods. That is precisely why this place is called the Grand Magic Circuit, also known as the Vein Corridor, Od-Berna."

Luviagelita: "Does that mean... could it be that the True Ether of the Age of Gods is still circulating within this magic circuit?"

Fulga: "Perhaps, but no magus can harm this magic circuit."

Waver: "This is the Grand Magic Circuit!"

Avicebron: "How miraculous! The dragon is dead, yet the magic circuits are still functioning!"

Gordes: "Albion, it truly is a surviving relic of the Age of Gods."

After walking for another stretch, Luviagelita spoke to Waver: "Hey, our destination is the Old Heart, right?"

Waver: "That's right. The Grand Resolution will also be held right next to it, won't it?"

Qingxuan: "Hartless's spell aims to bring about the advent of the god Iskandar, thereby reviving the magic of the Age of Gods... even magi wouldn't dare believe such a thing. However, the magic of the Age of Gods can directly connect to the authority of gods, and gods have a firm connection to the Root. In that case, doesn't that mean one wouldn't need to reach the Root?"

Luviagelita: "What, are you tempted? Do you want to follow him too?"

"Don't joke around."

Qingxuan said helplessly: "However, I think this is a beautiful dream. Instead of fulfilling the two-thousand-year-old wish of magi, it offers them an escape route where it doesn't matter if the wish is fulfilled. As a sweet dream to eliminate the pain of reality, there are few methods better than this, right?"

Qingxuan looked at Waver and said self-deprecatingly: "Risking your life to destroy someone else's dream like this? Ah, this is truly your style, Lord El-Melloi II."

Waver didn't care at all: "Yes, I feel the same way."

"Alright, I asked this because there is one thing I want to confirm."

Luviagelita interrupted them: "It's no coincidence that the Grand Resolution was proposed at this time. After all, only at this time, when the Fifth Holy Grail War is occurring, can Servants be summoned. And only now, when the levee of the Old Heart is opened for the Grand Resolution, is it possible to hold the ritual to summon the god Iskandar from that Faker using the spell you mentioned."

Waver: "Exactly."

Luviagelita: "Then, without a doubt, Hartless is in collusion with a Lord, or someone close to a Lord, am I right?"

Waver: "... Yes. Currently, my foster sister Reines is on her way to attend the Grand Resolution."

Luviagelita: "You really trust her. If things go wrong, you'll be making an enemy of a Lord—no, although I don't know if the other party is from the Aristocratic or Democratic faction, you'll be making an enemy of the entire faction to which the complicit Lord belongs."