In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

"Master." Mash, who had gone to the wilderness to gather information, has returned.

"Did you find anything?" Ritsuka asked, and Nero also cast an eager glance at her.

"It's the same news as before; many people are saying that an ancient god has appeared."

call out--

Zuo Cun landed from the air, his face grave: "The information I received is the same."

"Ugh, what's going on? How many times have I received this kind of news in the last two days?" Nero was so angry that her ahoge (cowlick) stood on end.

Lawrence pinched his chin.

Ancient gods... does this refer to the Age of Gods, or something else...?

"According to the information Mashu sent me beforehand, it seems that an ancient god has appeared on an island in the Mediterranean," came the sound of Dr. Roman typing away on his keyboard.

“An island? Is that really what they say?” Camilla frowned. “That’s a bit too specific for a rumor.”

"Specifically... it seems like someone deliberately leaked the information," Hijikata Toshizo said as he walked.

“Yes, it’s like someone deliberately released it.” Camilla nodded.

“Gallic countries are located on the Mediterranean coast, so it’s not surprising to hear such news, but it’s really quite strange to hear the same thing over and over again,” Lawrence said.

"Ritsuka, what do you think?" Roman asked Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Hmm... how should I put it, I'm a little bothered by it..." Fujimaru Ritsuka closed her eyes and thought seriously, then suddenly thought of something, "Do you think it might be related to the Holy Grail?"

Everyone's expression turned solemn.

“What Ritsuka said is indeed possible, but… if, as His Majesty Nero said, the purpose of uniting with the Roman Empire is to divide Rome, then there is no reason to operate outside the Roman Empire, let alone on an island.” Dr. Roman shook his head.

"Moreover... there is a magician on the enemy side. Although it cannot be confirmed yet that it is Rafe Lenore, that guy probably wouldn't go to the Mediterranean... but it's possible that he would call himself a god."

“Could it be a real god?” Lawrence wondered, whether he was joking or serious, “an ancient god who descended upon the first century, long since the age of gods has faded away.”

"The manifestation of a deity..." Dr. Roman frowned. "The possibility is not high, or even... impossible. This era cannot be mixed with such a large [other object] as a deity. You know, singularities also have their own limits."

"What's the difference between Heroic Spirits (Servants) and Gods?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked疑惑地.

"The difference isn't as big as you might imagine, but if I had to pick the biggest difference, it would be the [position]," Lawrence chuckled.

"The embodiment of nature, the gods who bestow power upon those in power, the gods... most likely do not exist. The world we live in now is undoubtedly ruled by humankind." Roman hurriedly changed the subject.

Lawrence and Zuocun exchanged a smile but neither spoke.

Fujimaru Ritsuka listened to Roman's somewhat confused explanation with a puzzled look on her face, but she understood Lawrence's explanation perfectly.

"So, what descended there might actually be a real god?" She seemed to understand something and held up a finger.

Snapped--

Dr. Roman slapped his face, and Leonardo da Vinci hid behind him, chuckling.

Nero was getting a little annoyed by the topic: "Just sorting out rumors here won't solve anything. Since you and I are all so concerned about this matter, if it really is information released by the enemy, then they probably want me to go, right?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at Nero: "What are your thoughts, Your Majesty?"

“My fighting strength is sufficient, and the advantage is in my hands, so why not go!” Nero proudly clutched his chest and raised his head.

"Your Majesty's insight is brilliant." Ritsuka chuckled.

Well, no matter how you look at it, this is probably the final result...

"Your Majesty—" Suddenly, a soldier rushed over from behind.

"What happened?" Nero asked seriously.

"Many monsters have appeared in the rear! Our army is struggling to resist!" The soldier said with a frightened expression.

"Mr. Samura, Ms. Camilla!" Ritsuka looked at her two fastest Servants.

"understood."

"Leave it to me!"

The two of them instantly moved towards the back of the group in their own ways.

"Doctor..." Mashu said speechlessly.

"I'm...sorry, I was so busy chatting that I didn't notice the magic radar..." Dr. Roman apologized guiltily.

"Please, Mr. Hijikata and Ms. Simonetta, go too."

Hijikata Toshizo didn't say anything, dismounted and ran back, while Simonetta nodded obediently.

"In that case, there's nothing to worry about." Fujimaru Ritsuka breathed a sigh of relief.

“Everyone here is a very reliable Servant.” Mash smiled.

A short while later, the group returned.

"They were just a bunch of magical beasts. Don't worry, they've all been dealt with." Hijikata Toshizo's expression was blank, yet his every move exuded composure and domineering aura.

“There are still some undead. We need to report the mission results in more detail.” Camilla looked at Hijikata Toshizo.

“Then there are still some undead.” Hijikata Toshizo said again.

"Now that everyone is back, let's talk about the results of our discussions, esteemed guests." Nero sat on the ground and smiled.

"Please speak, Your Majesty." Samura nodded and sat down behind Fujimaru Ritsuka.

“I’m going to personally verify the identity of that god in the Mediterranean!” Nero said seriously. “Although I don’t know exactly what this ancient god on the island is, I’m still a little uneasy. What if he really is one of the gods?”

"This is not impossible, because we in Rome have such a legend."

"Our ancestor, the founding king Romulus, ascended the long stairway to godhood amidst thunder and lightning, and became a god."

"If we go back in time, there are many more things like this, so you see—"

"If it were our Roman gods, and they were taken away by hyenas who came upon hearing the news—that is, the pseudo-emperors of the United Empire—that would be terrible!"

"Is that so? What do you think, Master?" Samura asked Fujimaru Ritsuka with great interest.

“Since His Majesty is so interested, how can we, as his subjects, not obey?” Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded. “Moreover—if it really is the Holy Grail, we can’t just sit idly by.”

------------

Chapter 444 (444) The God Stheno

After Nero finished speaking, he fell into a daze again.

His eyes were serious, as if he was thinking about something.

But Lawrence sensed something was wrong.

A faint wisp of magic flashed by and disappeared.

“Miss Nero?” she asked.

Nero, who was in a daze, was instantly jolted awake: "Huh? Ah? What's wrong? Oh right, I've made up my mind, so let's set off!"

Lawrence recalled that when he left Gaul, Boudica had specifically pulled him aside to talk about this matter.

“You should be a Caster who is good at sensing magical energy. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Nero sometimes spaces out, and when he does, there’s a slight amount of magical energy appearing. I’m a little worried about this, so please keep an eye on him.”

Now it seems... Boudica was absolutely right.

What exactly happened?

Previously, Lawrence's perception spells had not paid much attention to Nero, and he had been focusing on Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash. Simonetta also distracted Lawrence. In addition, Nero was not a Servant, but a human emperor who actually lived in this era. Therefore, Lawrence never focused his perception of magic on Nero.

Furthermore, Lawrence had not had any close contact with Nero within a meter in the past few days, so he had not noticed anything unusual about Nero before.

But now that Lawrence had focused a small portion of his attention on Nero, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

Is it an innate talent for magic?

No, it doesn't seem like it...

...I won't tell the Master yet.

Lawrence thought he should investigate it himself first.

......

After setting up camp and resting for a night, Nero led his group to the nearest port.

"Let me show you Yu's steering skills."

Ritsuka believed it, and that's the result.

“yue——”

Ritsuka swayed as she stepped off the boat and onto the beach, where she spewed out a rainbow as she lay down on the ground.

Mashu used her shield to keep herself from falling.

“Even if my semicircular canals have been strengthened, would this still result in this outcome…” Mashu’s face was pale and covered in cold sweat.

Samura patted Hijikata on the back; he was fine, but Hijikata Toshizo was vomiting expressionlessly.

"So can't you even show some expression...? Vomiting like that with such a serious expression is terrifying—ugh!"

Lawrence sighed, gave each of the seasick people a mental treatment, and looked at Nero with a hint of fear in his eyes.

“The soldiers are all too weak to get out of the ship… poor thing…” Dr. Roman shuddered, a hint of fear in his voice. “Lawrence, thank goodness you’re here. I can feel the dizziness even from this side of the ship.”

"Oh dear, we've finally arrived at the legendary island inhabited by gods." Nero seemed perfectly fine, and in fact, appeared quite pleased.

After being comforted by Lawrence, Fujimaru Ritsuka stood up and coughed twice: "In short, we've finally arrived at this island—"

"Zuocun!" Lawrence suddenly shouted.

"Be on guard, this is—the Servant's reaction, no, this is!" Dr. Roman's magic radar also reacted, and a bead of cold sweat appeared on his face.

Nero had already drawn his crimson longsword and was looking towards the forest.

“That’s right, I am a Servant.” A very young-sounding female voice came from the forest. “But I am not an ordinary Servant.”

"Servants? Could it be that this island has also been occupied by the Allied Forces?" Nero looked in that direction with a serious expression.

“I don’t know anything about the Allied Forces you’re talking about, young lady. But—” A rather petite-looking woman emerged from the woods, “Welcome to my humble abode in this era, which is… the Island of Form.”

Lawrence sensed the other's magic.