"Seeing that Holy Grail War again from your perspective was certainly a novel experience. I can understand your methods, and I understand why you made those choices at the time, but as one of the victims, I still can't help being wary of you. I also still harbor some negative feelings toward you."
After hearing Caelus recount that Holy Grail War, Artoria honestly admitted that she still felt some resistance toward him.
"So Saber was actually that serious back then? And you really followed all that chivalry stuff? I don't know, you don't really seem like that kind of person."
Stelle scratched her head. She had not spent very long with Artoria, but Artoria did not strike her as someone rigidly serious about everything.
"That Holy Grail War summoned the side of me that was more strongly defined by my identity as a knight. The Servants who participate in Holy Grail Wars are essentially offshoots of the Heroic Spirits themselves. Sometimes you can summon a Heroic Spirit as they were in their youth, or as they were later in life. The Heroic Spirit itself naturally possesses the personality shaped by everything they experienced, but a Servant manifestation, despite sharing those same memories, will have emotions and temperament closer to the period of life reflected by the summoned form.
"In that Holy Grail War, the version of me that was summoned was mentally closer to the person I had been while traveling and strictly adhering to the ideals of knighthood, rather than the Artoria who had already experienced everything and become the King of Knights."
After hearing Artoria's explanation, Stelle fell silent for a moment before saying, "Why does that sound like a setting designed so they can split one character into a dozen different versions and sell every single one separately to bait people into spending money?
"Come to think of it, Dan Heng already has two forms that could be sold as separate characters, and I've got several Paths myself. Maybe they could split those up and toss them into the gacha as high-rarity versions too. Wait a second! When Dan Heng changed forms, he even got a whole new outfit. I only switch Paths without changing clothes. And since I'm the protagonist, don't tell me all my different forms are just going to be free unlocks tied to story progression?"
Caelus ignored Stelle's blatantly fourth-wall-breaking complaint and turned back to Artoria. "Can you use your full strength normally in this universe? This universe is generally quite tolerant toward different kinds of power, and even abilities from other universes can function here without losing too much of their effectiveness. But because of the gift I previously gave HooH, the Equilibrium's suppression may be stronger than it used to be."
"That may be exactly why I can't absorb magical energy from the environment. I can only replenish the energy inside my body by eating large amounts of food."
"You're the only old acquaintance from that Holy Grail War I'm interested in seeing this time. I won't bother meeting Shirou Emiya. As a Counter Guardian, he'd probably get a headache the moment he saw me."
"Then are you going to participate in this Holy Grail War?"
"No. I only came because I heard that a Holy Grail War had somehow appeared in this universe, so I wanted to see what was going on. Now that I've confirmed there's nothing dangerous hidden behind it, I'm leaving."
Caelus shook his head. If he participated in the Holy Grail War, it would be nothing more than bullying children. Even if he did not personally take action, and even if Cyrene only used the abilities recorded in her Servant template, no one inside Penacony's Dreamscape could possibly stand against her.
After all, this place was constructed from memoria.
"Caelus! Aventurine's been wanting to thank you properly. He asked me to find out whether you have any particular preferences so he can prepare a gift and express his personal gratitude."
"I know. I'll go see him myself after a while. When I do, I'll collect the favor he owes me."
If Caelus wanted Qlipoth, Preservation's eternal wall-builder, to stop building long enough to turn THEIR gaze elsewhere, then he would need Aventurine's Cornerstone, a fragment of power granted by an Emanator of Preservation.
"All right. Got it."
Seeing that Caelus was about to leave, Robin hurriedly spoke up. "Sir, could I trouble you to pass a message to my brother?"
"Go ahead."
"Please tell him to take good care of himself. If he ever loses his direction and doesn't know where to go next, tell him not to forget that his family will always be there for him."
"All right. I'll pass it on. Goodbye."
Caelus stepped into a patch of shadow, and his figure gradually disappeared.
Amphoreus, Ladon City.
Sunday set down the stone tablet in his hands, then looked at Caelus, who had only just returned. "Was there something wrong with that Holy Grail?"
"It was just a normal phenomenon caused by two universes intersecting. There may have been some coincidence or another factor behind it, but there's nothing seriously wrong with the Grail itself. It won't have any major effect on Penacony."
"I wasn't particularly worried about the Grail itself causing a serious problem. After all, Old Oti personally organized the entire event. If something went wrong with the prize and damaged Penacony's reputation, that would be something he could never tolerate. That man values money more than almost anyone."
"What do you suggest for the next stage of her education?"
"We've already given her the knowledge and experience she needs. But if she truly wants to become a conquering monarch who can bring Order to this land, then the rest will depend on her own efforts."
As he said this, a complicated look flashed through Sunday's eyes. The road Cerydra was walking now inevitably reminded him of the things he had once done on Penacony.
After the Ena's Dream had been broken and he lost the power of Order, Sunday had attempted to carve out a new Path. It would have resembled Trailblaze in some ways while remaining fundamentally different, with himself becoming the Aeon of Conquest.
He had failed. In the end, he had fallen beneath Qlipoth's enormous hammer.
Or rather, beneath the hammer of IPC capital.
"You wanted to become the Aeon of Conquest because you intended to force the entire world to obey a single command, placing every living being beneath rules you had created so everyone could enjoy permanent peace. I can't say what a world like that would eventually become, but there's no doubt an Aeon embodying such a concept would overlap with the domains of other Aeons. That alone would prevent it from being born."
"You're right. Forceful conquest would ultimately awaken people's desire for freedom and push them toward Trailblaze. Others would devote themselves to Preservation in order to defend their own rules. Even a completely unchanging world would eventually draw the distaste of Elation. Perhaps my failure was inevitable."
After saying this, Sunday looked toward Cerydra, who was sitting not far away reading a book.
"She's similar to the person I used to be. If her thinking shifts even slightly, it would be very easy for her to move from Order toward Conquest. Or perhaps conquest simply comes naturally to anyone who rules."
"What happens afterward isn't something I intend to interfere with. I'm only trying to train her until she stands close enough to the Path of Order to draw an Aeon's attention.
"Once she becomes a genuine living person, whether she chooses to continue along the road of Order or walk the road of Conquest will be her own decision."
"That reminds me of something I wanted to ask. Why does it specifically have to be someone from Amphoreus who becomes a Pathstrider? If you need a Pathstrider of Order, I could replace her. I may be walking the road of Redemption now, but I haven't forgotten the power of Order I once wielded."
"Because I intend to use the authority of Creation to turn Amphoreus from a false world into something real. But Destruction has already moved to stop me from doing that, and Erudition may also be working against me from behind the scenes.
"If a native of Amphoreus becomes a Pathstrider and draws an Aeon's gaze, or even causes that Aeon to descend under my guidance, then that attention can be used to restrain Nanook. At the same time, the weight of an Aeon's gaze can help transform something unreal into something real."
(To be continued.)
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◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)