The infinite sword system has been mastered, and you say this is the dragon clan?

Chapter 389 I Avoid His Edge? Sword, Come!

Emiya was completely unaware that a massive war concerning him was about to erupt.

After the music performance, he left the venue with Nero and followed the previously only known pope through the backstage passage to a somewhat secluded chapel.

It's not exactly small, but a lot of items and utensils take up space here.

Emiya saw many musical instruments displayed inside, from violins, cellos, and violas to flutes, oboes, trumpets, French horns, tubas, and so on. There were all kinds of string and wind instruments, each with an exquisite and gorgeous appearance, radiating an aura of magical craftsmanship.

It looks like it was made in Caster's workshop.

“All of this is thanks to what is said to be a follower from later generations,” Pope Joan said. “Including instrumental rehearsals and the atmosphere created for live performances, that noble lady named Elizabeth Bathory seems to have a knack for it, and I have also benefited greatly from her idol interpretation method.”

"Really? That would be very beneficial."

Emiya really wanted to complain: "If Pope Joan had actually heard Elizabeth's incredibly captivating live performance, he wouldn't be so full of praise."

Long Niang may seem to be very good at live performances, but it's unlikely that she actually is.

The death-themed electronic music of the prison city of Chachtis... is still too ahead of its time. Not only is it wildly off-key, but it might also be accompanied by the dragon girl's passionately unleashed, magically charged dragon roar, a Noble Phantasm-level attack capable of clearing the battlefield. Ordinary people probably can't handle it.

"Sword Emperor, that girl was indeed a bit too much."

Ruoan seemed to understand Emiya's tone, "But you don't know, Miss Elizabeth's suggestions on microphones, megaphones, smoke screens, lights, and sound systems were very pertinent."

"I adopted some of these suggestions and selected talented individuals from within the country to practice these skills—thanks to His Majesty's 'Servant Commission System' production policy, he assigned various projects to his Servants by imperial decree, promising that they could exchange 'Drops of the Holy Grail' for sufficient accumulated contributions. As a result, the venue was built and the necessary tools were manufactured in less than a week..."

Emiya was surprised. Indeed, to be fair, the excellent performance of modern music relies heavily on many complex electronic music devices.

The large number of followers essentially created a new type of advanced labor force. The Pope's rapid establishment of these musical instruments and groups for religious propagation can be seen as a manifestation of "follower productivity."

It is said that the forces within Constantine's territory were relatively weak, unlike the powerful Servant Legion under Julius Caesar next door. Therefore, he could only concentrate his efforts on what was most important, working hard to strengthen his country and accumulate more Holy Grail Drops to enhance his military strength.

As the two walked into a reception room while talking, Nero, who was being led by Emiya, had her crimson jewel-like eyes flash. She had just perked up her ears and had also caught quite a bit of information.

However, what Nero found most appealing about these words was the content related to music and art... Well, this girl is hard to change, still as enthusiastic about theatrical arts as before.

'Amplifier, sound supervisor, lighting crew... I had no idea there were so many intricacies involved in performing on stage!'

Young Nero vividly imagined himself singing on stage, captivated and awe-inspiring by the dazzling spectacle. He savored the image repeatedly, his heart surging with emotion.

At the same time, she also began to look forward to meeting the "Elizabeth" she had never met before, wishing she could immediately arrange a meeting to become her confidante and discuss the wonderful events in music and art...

Emiya probably never expected that despite his best efforts, Nero would still notice Elizabeth and her terrible music. At this moment, his attention was still focused on Joan, with whom he was having a conversation.

While the two exchanged seemingly casual pleasantries, Ruoan was actually using various indirect methods, including the completeness of the residence's facilities, the efficiency and quality of manufacturing and large-scale projects, to intentionally reveal Constantine's "governing strength" to Emiya in order to lay the foundation for a formal peace talks and alliance.

After all, how could they gain the favor of this powerful Sword Emperor if they didn't demonstrate their own value?

"Your Holiness, after all this talk, why don't we just get straight to the point?"

Emiya then added a timely urging, "As far as I know, the situation you and Constantine are facing... is not exactly pleasant."

It was far from being wonderful; it was practically the weakest of the Roman states.

“Hmm,” Joan said with a worried expression, “that brilliant and ambitious Emperor Julius Caesar sends his legions to invade the borders of His Majesty Constantine's territory almost every week. Such an urgent military campaign clearly reveals his ambitious intentions…”

"Hey! Wait a minute," Emiya waved his hand, interrupting Ruoan's narration.

"But this seems different from what I know, doesn't it? According to reliable sources, Caesar didn't actually pay much attention to your 'Eastern Roman' affairs. His main force was fighting Trajan on the western front the whole time, and the three legions that were sent here were just a detachment."

"However, this journey alone has already overwhelmed you! If it weren't for my presence as a variable that acts as a 'deterrent,' your Eastern Roman Empire would have been utterly ravaged by Caesar's arrogant and fierce army, with even more flesh and blood being torn from your already small territory."

Emiya spoke eloquently, causing Pope Ruoan to lose his composure in the blink of an eye. His once calm and serene face underwent repeated changes in expression.

This is the benefit of Chaldea's "casting a wide net," dispersing manpower and establishing intelligence networks throughout the Roman states.

He can gather information through the Servants spread out by Chaldea, compare the military forces he encounters here with those of other countries, draw more comprehensive conclusions, avoid being led by the nose during conversations, and easily control the pace of the conversation.

"I think that Constantine behind you is probably as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. So, although you haven't made any similar requests since the invitation you made when you first met, judging from all the overtures and the precarious external situation..."

Emiya looked toward the other door of the reception room. "You should be in dire need of an ally, an ally who is extremely capable in warfare but lacks the talent to govern. Only in this way can we achieve a win-win situation for both of us."

"Am I right, Constantine?"

As the last sentence fell, Pope Ruoan's expression changed drastically. At the same time, the side door made a soft sound, and when it was pushed open, a young man in military uniform exuding heroic spirit entered.

"As expected of the Sword Emperor, I heard that you have only been in Rome for a day, but I did not expect that you already have a great grasp of the situation of various countries."

"Your Majesty!" Joan was surprised that Constantine would actually come to the meeting in person.

"It's nothing. His Holiness the Pope has already done more than enough by going to such lengths for me. On the contrary, if I were to hide behind a mere woman even during negotiations, I'm afraid His Majesty the Sword Emperor would look down on me."

Compared to the somewhat flustered Joan, Constantine appeared remarkably calm, even smiling. After all, he was a man who had experienced the brink of national subjugation in his lifetime, and he would not be swayed by a mere passive situation.

Constantine glanced at Nero, who was being held by Emiya. The object the girl was holding looked very familiar. "Your Excellency the Sword Emperor is truly a man of character. You casually entrusted such a precious item as the Holy Grail to an ordinary girl."

He assumed the Lesser Grail belonged to Emiya, but Emiya, with his extraordinary confidence, casually handed it over to the girl to play with.

Unlike other Roman emperors, who all treated the Holy Grail as a national treasure, this one was different.
"Oh, this is my adopted sister. She's no ordinary girl; she's incredibly capable!"

Emiya gently stroked the head of Nero in his arms, and the little girl, realizing that Emiya hadn't messed up her hair this time, showed a cat-like docile attitude.

But after a brief moment of tenderness, she quickly broke free from his embrace, baring her teeth and glaring fiercely at him after hearing Constantine's description—she felt looked down upon! Besides, the Holy Grail was rightfully hers!

Suppressing the agitated Nero, Emiya said something pointed, "Also, Pope Joan, right?... Given your condition, no, your very way of existing, it's truly not suitable for a major conflict. It would be better to have Lord Constantine come and discuss it." Joan had been briefly mentioned during the meeting at Shadow Border last night, and Mashu's encyclopedia had quickly launched a barrage of attacks on this historical figure—

According to legend, Joan's story appears in the 13th-century Meston, which states that Pope Joan was chosen as the successor to Pope Leo IV in the mid-9th century, becoming the first female pope in history...

However, this person was actually proven to be nonexistent after the nineteenth century.

In other words, the Ruoan in front of us is actually of the same nature as the "Charlemagne" whom Emiya briefly met; he is a fictional character born from fictional literature.

No, Charlemagne was based on the real-life Karl the Great, while Joan was a fictional character without any real-life counterpart.

Her spiritual foundation... is probably extremely fragile.

As soon as Emiya finished speaking, Ruoan's face turned pale instantly. She felt as if Emiya's gaze had penetrated her outer garments and reached her inside, seeing through the true nature of her illusory spirit foundation.

Constantine's smile turned slightly bitter. "The Sword Emperor's intelligence network is truly amazing... he even managed to find out this."

Emiya pursed his lips. In the past, the intelligence network mostly relied on the jokes of those who had foresight, but this time they really put the intelligence network to use.

“You’re right, Ruoan… is not recognized by human history,” Constantine frankly told him. “But thanks to the vast number of stories that have been passed down, even a fictional heroic spirit, or rather, a ‘phantom spirit,’ may appear in the world under certain conditions.”

"Ruo An is such an existence. Although she is just a character in the story, she is still the 'Pope' in charge of spreading the faith in my Eastern Roman Kingdom. She has successfully appeared in the world because her followers spread the faith of our Lord."

"Does that mean Ruoan can only exist within the context of the Christian faith?" Emiya seemed to understand slightly. "Your cooperation with me is not simply about conquering more territory, but also about spreading the faith?"

Constantine said enthusiastically, “That is right. The more prosperous the Christian faith is in a place, the more extraordinary Joan can exert his power. Therefore, if he spreads his faith widely in this era, Joan’s ‘foundation of existence’ will also be elevated. Even though he is a fictional character, his faith is solid and real.”

It turned out to be the case.

Emiya instantly understood Constantine's idea: it was similar to Charlemagne's approach of gaining power by receiving the immense faith of the people.

However... this does not mean that Ruoan's existence itself will become stable.

Unless human history is overturned, Ruoan will never become real.

Just like Charlemagne, when he used that great power even slightly, his spirit foundation would quickly disintegrate. In order to deal with Emperor Karl, he had no choice but to hand over the power to Emiya.

Emiya glanced at Constantine, whose smile remained unchanged, and at Joan, who had retreated to the corner. He noticed a fleeting sadness in Joan's eyes and a subtle shake of her head, and suddenly understood something.

Is faith for those who live in illusions...?

His expression remained unchanged. If Ruan was intentionally concealing something, he couldn't immediately jump in and cause trouble. "Then, let's talk about the specifics of the alliance. Let's set the tone first: I'll be responsible for military unification, and you'll be responsible for civil administration—"

Speaking of that singularity that allows so many phantoms to be created, what was it in the FGO story again? Was it the Shinjuku Phantom Incident, a subspecies singularity...?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next day.

Cyprus, a Mediterranean island steeped in myths and legends, is a territory nearly half-ruined during the Holy Grail War waged by the Roman emperors, due to its location in the war zone.

"Be careful, Sword Emperor. Cyprus has recently entered the battle lines of Caesar and Trajan in the West. We may encounter a much larger main force than before!"

"Hmm."

Emiya listlessly brushed off Kiyohime's reminder.

The main force, huh? Well, that's exactly what I'm going to do! In the first battle, I'll make sure the Sword Emperor's name is known throughout the land!

"By the way, Kiyohime, is something wrong with you?"

"No, why does the Sword Emperor have such a question?" Kiyohime smiled sweetly as she walked, clutching Emiya's clothes tightly with her soft, white hands.

"Then...why are you standing so close to me?"

Emiya felt the fragrance of her soft, flowing blue hair and the ever-approaching, snow-white breasts, and wondered why Kiyohime's attitude had become so overly intimate after only one night.

"Ahem, that was His Majesty Constantine's order. To protect our important ally, the Sword Emperor, from injury, I volunteered to be his personal maid~"

As Kiyohime spoke, a suspicious blush crept onto her face.

Emiya was taken aback.

What on earth happened to turn Kiyohime into this?
Boom——!
As the distance closed, the distant roar of artillery fire grew louder. Countless chaotic figures flashed and charged across the battlefield, a scene of utter chaos. Every single one of them possessed Servant-level strength!

Sometimes, powerful artifacts would be unleashed simultaneously, and other times, azure light, like a Command Spell, would fall from the sky.

This is the edge of the most brutal imperial battlefield on the Roman continent... where even Servants are consumed by each other like ordinary soldiers or mere weeds.

Kiyohime's blush faded, her mood turned serious, and she instinctively gripped Emiya's arm.

"I believe this place is dangerous. Even if the Sword Emperor has extraordinary strength, he should not waste it here. I suggest avoiding their sharp edge, finding the military command, and striking at their heart."

Should I avoid their sharpest attack?

Emiya's eyes remained unchanged. If he avoided the attack, how could he obtain combat data from his Unlimited Blade Works and Training Ground system?

"Here comes the sword!"

A gleaming sword light flew out from his body, charging head-on into the battlefield!

(End of this chapter)