Chapter 757: Chapter 24: The Strategist’s Loyal Advice (Obscured)
Elmero the Second.
As a member of the pseudo-Servants, he is the result of the fusion between the military strategist Zhuge Kongming from the Three Kingdoms Period and Weber Velvet.
Although after discussion, it was decided that the latter’s thoughts and emotions would take precedence, the power inherited from Zhuge Kongming was also genuine, and he overcame the initial issue where Kongming couldn’t exert his full strength due to the incompatibility of Eastern and Western magic systems.
The strategist’s wisdom is naturally deeply trustworthy, and even the innate skills possessed by the Heroic Spirit template are inclined towards enhancement in this aspect—
Being able to analyze the battle conditions and provide useful advice on the situation for one’s side, the A+ level almost allows for a hundred percent prediction of unexpected events... and given that Weber Velvet was very knowledgeable about the Fifth Holy Grail War, the tactics devised based on this information were extraordinarily meticulous.
Very detailed and comprehensive, with contingency plans for almost every unforeseen event.
Despite many Servants leaving after Chaldea’s foundation was destroyed, and even the strategist’s tactical plan book was only half completed, it couldn’t be finished entirely... but that was unavoidable. At least with this tactical arrangement, the people of Chaldea felt they had a guiding principle for the next step.
So, after roughly determining the historical background of this parallel world, they decided to execute the plan decisively.
—Very decisively!
—After all, the sooner the better, to prevent long nights fraught with dreams!
But often, a small error can lead to a thousand miles of difference; precisely because the strategist’s plan was only half completed, there was no way to fully account for all unexpected situations. It even opened a bad start, which made Chaldea overlook the massive changes in this world’s Fifth Holy Grail War.
Because from the very beginning, when Tohsaka Rin summoned Fujimaru Ritsuka...
It indicated that some unforeseeable change had already occurred...
The strategist noticed this, but based his plan on this change. If everything went smoothly, he would later add conjectures on various unforeseen matters and things to be wary of, yet the plan was only half-done before he returned to the Heroic Spirit Throne...
Chaldea could only rely on the tactical arrangements he laid out to speculate how to resolve this Fifth Holy Grail War. Coupled with the fact that everyone had just gone through a significant upheaval, there was a general low morale and concern about events in their own world—
Compared to the whole Earth facing attacks...
Compared to a disaster no less severe than the incineration of human history...
Compared to the anomaly zones as troublesome as singularities...
These were like mountains weighing heavily on the hearts of everyone in Chaldea, almost making them breathless, leading them to subconsciously disregard the Fifth Holy Grail War happening here in a remote coastal city, after all, it was just an event in an isolated, small town.
But that was inevitable; after all, humans are not machines.
Besides, even machines can make mistakes and malfunction, which is understandable.
......
The road quietly winds ahead, under the sunlight, carrying a sense of solitude in its imagery. If one finds the right angle of light to capture a picture of the road quietly winding toward the unknown, with forests on either side seemingly forgotten in silence, the visual impact is almost palpable.
Even in the daytime, there are few vehicles passing by on the road.
It feels completely deserted.
Further illustrating the fact that Fuyuki City is indeed a remote little place.
A petite, loli-like Little Da Vinci stepped on the brakes, the vehicle maneuvering perfectly out of the road into an open area, stopping at the forest’s edge, concealed by several bushes... then the car door opened, and a group of people got out one after another.
"Heading approximately thirty kilometers west... it should be here, the Einzbern Forest."
A black-haired twin-tail girl assessed the vast primeval forest, nodding knowingly; as the land manager of Fuyuki City inheriting the Tohsaka Family’s role, she was naturally aware of the basics regarding the three great families, although this knowledge was superficial, but it’s hard to demand more.
After all, how could a magician family easily reveal their true strategies?
Knowing that the so-called foreign-funded enterprise owning this forest is actually the Einzbern Family having bought out the nearest spirit vein to Fuyuki City and using it as their base of operations is already impressive.
"The interior should be obscured by numerous illusions and barriers. In the past, people have accidentally stumbled in, such as curious children from nearby villages who came to explore, and lost hikers, among others. This has become an urban legend of sorts that is revisited every few years."
Tohsaka Rin thought for a moment and said:
"But that was a long time ago, it was on the eve of the Third Holy Grail War, roughly when the Einzbern Family had just set up on this land. There were loopholes in the defense, allowing ordinary people under very accidental circumstances to enter."
When this vast primordial forest was completely shrouded by the barrier and entirely isolated from the outside, nothing similar happened again. Let alone the possibility of accidentally straying into it, even after someone’s series of earnest land surveys within this primordial forest, not a single trace of artificial construction was ever discovered.
Because of this, the ancient city within the forest became an absurd urban legend.
From then on, it only appeared in the summer ghost stories special in Fuyuki City.
"Using magic to conceal the real stronghold, though to me, it seems breakable..." Little Da Vinci observed the traces of magic techniques present in this forest, then nodded confidently, speaking in a tone typical of a proud young girl.
Pressing her thin lips together, Fujimaru Ritsuka gave her a deep look and nodded, "Then please, Da Vinci-chan."
She already knew that Da Vinci-chan had not just shrunk, but rather...
Had already departed.
It seemed to be when Chaldea’s supply of magic power was attacked that Da Vinci-chan immediately sensed the problem, and when attempting heroically to turn the tide, was also attacked, eventually returning helplessly to the Heroic Spirit Throne... As for the little girl before her, it was the backup puppet activated after the death of the universal person.
Although she inherited all the memories from the prior Da Vinci, she was ultimately not the same person. The girl’s attributes slightly enhanced, her wordings gentler, sometimes mixed with the peculiar tone of a girl—
Such are the most obvious differences.
Though knowing it’s inevitable, if it weren’t for Little Da Vinci-chan being a puppet, there would probably be no way for her to be here. Though not entirely using the old-fashioned spiritual particle transfer technique, it’s improved technology that makes it possible for Chaldea’s members, originally unsuited to spiritual particle transitions, to escape.
However, servants alone seem to be impossible...
Before deciphering the mystery of the connection and intersection between the two worlds, servants can currently manifest only by relying on this world’s Holy Grail War framework, so they are quite limited.
Just as though they successfully transferred over, they’re restricted to Miss Tohsaka, just like the two goddesses bound to her.
"No worries, no worries, my body was endowed with the same abilities as the real universal person, though the numbers decrease significantly, the essence remains unchanged, these magic techniques can’t stump me. Furthermore, intelligence reports that this family’s expertise is in puppets..."
Little Da Vinci confidently stepped forward, waving her hand vigorously.
Everyone exchanged glances, then followed closely, gradually delving deeper into this vast primordial forest.
Many monitoring techniques were set around the periphery, mainly to trigger alerts. Besides, some illusion techniques majorly distract those entering the forest unconsciously, their senses and perceptions misleading them.
For instance, feeling they have traveled this road before, feeling this direction seems familiar...
In this way, they inadvertently lose their grasp of the forest’s internal area, merely circling the periphery without truly approaching the core area.
"There’s no dangerous technique, probably just serving as a deterrent. But when you think about it, if this forest constantly had many accidents, it would instead ignite people’s exploratory desires, which goes contrary to the Demon Path Family’s basic principle of keeping secrets."
As Little Da Vinci cracked the techniques, she steadily led the group towards the forest’s depths.
"Such handling is the best, satisfying people’s exploratory desires yet preventing them from reaching the core, eliminating unnecessary curiosity and gazes... But now, it precisely provides us an opportunity, being careful now, there shouldn’t be anyone noticing."
"Let’s hope..."
Tohsaka Rin exhaled, gently placing a hand on her chest.
According to these people, her current body is currently harboring the power of two goddess servants. However, after being transported here, due to Chaldea on the opposing world suffering a destructive attack and losing the supply of magic power, they can only reside within her without manifesting.
Otherwise, in this overly restrained modern world, just the magic consumption of two goddess servants would be enough to sap the modern top magician dry.
There’s a solution, namely to re-establish a contract with that quiet literary girl named Akai Hinako, letting her provide magic power...
—So what is going on?
—Participating in the Holy Grail War, only to inexplicably become a servant?
In any case, this development left Tohsaka Rin utterly perplexed. She felt more out of control of the situation, with the Holy Grail War’s rhythm getting stranger and stranger.
But to win, to fulfill the wishes of her father and ancestors, to restore the glory of the Tohsaka Family, she, like a gambler whose eyes are red with fervor, took step by step following Chaldea’s seemingly reasonable suggestions and still agreed to such a proposal.
After all, it’s the power of two goddess servants!
Given the chance of obtaining such support, why not?
