Super God: If I punch you, you will die

"Then let's go. It's alright, we still have plenty of time!"

"Understood. Then please lead the way."

"Ok!"

After Ruler finished speaking, he pulled Lin Yan's hand and started walking forward. Lin Yan didn't resist and followed behind Ruler. He said to Ruler, who was walking ahead with great enthusiasm:

"Um, Ruler. Let's talk as we walk. I'd like to ask you some questions."

"Hmm, what is it?"

Ruler asked, puzzled. Lin Yan explained what he had just sensed, and then asked:

"What exactly is this so-called world?"

"This is a fundamental question."

Ruler seemed quite pleased with herself. Then, she intertwined her fingers with Lin Yan's hand and, facing him, said:

"Everyone knows about the world. They have learned about it as knowledge and accepted it as reality. However, what is incredible is that... no one has ever seen the world itself. They simply understand and accept themselves and their surroundings as the world. Even the kings who rule the country are in a similar situation."

"But that would be too strange."

"No, that's not surprising at all. Humans are creatures that survive by constantly adapting to the world within themselves and the world that is open to the outside. Humans are lonely, but at the same time connected to everyone in the world. That's why tragedies are heartbreaking and can cause anger. And of course, there are some people who cannot adapt. Some people see their inner world as absolute and reject the outside world... while there are also people who try to change it."

"Is that an evil act?"

"That's hard to say... Although it may be heretical, it's not evil. At least I believe so. The desire to change the world is universal, and if it can develop in a positive direction, the world will change its own form because of it."

"Is the so-called world something that cannot be seen with the eyes, cannot be touched with the hands, and has no fixed form... Is that true?"

"Yes. And even so... it is still something that truly 'exists'."

The world exists. It truly exists in this world. If everyone were a complete individual, there would be no conflict. But instead, they certainly wouldn't have any communication.

"Does that mean that permanent peace is impossible?"

"That's how it is for now. But... perhaps someone will come up with a way to achieve it in the future. If it's a good method, probably everyone will follow that ideal."

"This is truly pathetic."

"No. If the world doesn't exist, it means there are only six billion independent individuals on this planet. I think that's even more tragic."

Ruler wore a complicated expression and pondered. Lin Yan still didn't understand why the situation of everyone ending their own lives was tragic.

But... I hope I'll understand someday, the boy thought.

Torifas is a small city. But even so, it's not a place you can explore in a few hours. So, naturally, you can only wander around the key areas in a whirlwind tour... This patrol method seems a little different from what the girl had imagined.

"There are five entrances and exits to the city wall, one of which is under repair due to a collapse. This is the northernmost point of that entrance and exit. Even if you walk up from here, there will be no gaps in the city wall, so you must be careful."

The city walls divided Tolfas into two parts: the old town and the new town. However, because the walls were semi-circular, they had multiple entrances. To defend against Ottoman Turkish invasions, the walls were built exceptionally high. Perhaps this imposing presence attracted the passion of young people, as reckless individuals would occasionally climb onto the walls via rooftops… Although injuries and deaths occurred occasionally, they never seemed to learn their lesson.

In short, from a historical perspective, this is quite valuable, and it looks quite magnificent, but Lin Yan did not feel that way.

"Alright, let's go to the next place."

"Good, good."

After confirming, Lin Yan immediately turned and walked away. In his hand was a map of Torifas city. It was a small, illegible piece of paper, the map portion mostly dark. Ruler hurriedly caught up, tugging at his sleeve.

“That, that.”

"what happened?"

Ruler gave a slightly forced smile and pointed to a coffee shop on his right. It appeared to be a converted old stone building, with large glass windows forcibly installed after breaking through the stone walls.

0287 Tavern [Please Subscribe]

From the outside, it looks more like a pub than a tea restaurant. However, the building's sign says "coffee" and includes a note that it does not serve alcoholic beverages.

Outside the window, Lin Yan noticed several cramped outdoor tea tables.

“I heard from the nun who took care of me that the coffee at that shop is delicious and quite sophisticated.”

"I see..." Lin Yan nodded. Ruler had a beaming smile on his face.

"Then, let's go to the next place."

Ruler's shoulders slumped suddenly. He seemed disappointed, but Lin Yan found it inexplicable.

"what happened?"

"Lin Yan... Jun~ If it's alright, would you like to go to that shop for a cup of coffee? It's almost noon."

Before they knew it, it was already this time. Although Lin Yan didn't feel hungry, he knew that Ruler had a big appetite. It would be troublesome if he fainted from hunger again like before, so he decided to go along with her wishes for the time being.

"I...I didn't mean that at all..."

But Ruler was still frustrated for some reason. Lin Yan really couldn't figure out what that meant.

Aren't you hungry?

"Ah, no. It's because I'm hungry!"

Then there's no problem... Lin Yan thought to himself. Even based on the remaining time until evening and the places he had just visited, it would be more than enough to grasp the layout of Torifas City.

"Then let's eat."

"Ok!"

After ordering coffee and sandwiches at the shop, the two chose to sit at an outdoor table. Although the tense situation in recent days had resulted in almost no customers at night, there were still quite a few passersby during the day.

The weather was lovely, and quite a few people opted for the outdoor seating. Even so, there were still empty seats. The two of them waited comfortably for their coffee under the parasol.

"Awaited."

The waiter bowed respectfully and then served coffee and sandwiches.

Since Lin Yan had never drunk coffee before, he ordered the same thing as Ruler. He stared intently at the obsidian-colored liquid, completely absorbed in its flavor. Meanwhile, Ruler expertly added a generous amount of cream and sugar.

"Aren't you going to add butter and sugar?"

"The cream has no taste, but I already know the taste of the sugar."

Filled with curiosity, Lin Yan wanted to taste the pure flavor of coffee, so he picked up the cup and took a sip. Ruler's eyes widened immediately as he stared at him.

The moment Lin Yan gulped down his coffee, his expression immediately crumbled.

"What's going on? This smell..."

Such a comment, coupled with her expression that seemed completely out of place with Lin Yan, made Ruler burst into laughter. Seeing her laugh like that, Lin Yan turned his face away as if in a huff… The girl immediately apologized:

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"From a taste perspective, I think this expression and feeling are appropriate."

As Lin Yan, who was making a slightly agitated defense, Ruler suppressed a laugh while adding a generous amount of sugar and cream to the boy's coffee cup.

The originally pure black coffee immediately turned brownish-red.

Please have a drink.

Like soil… Lin Yan thought to himself, but didn’t say it aloud. Despite a somewhat awkward expression on his face, he couldn’t resist Ruler’s gaze, so he picked up his cup again and took a sip.

In an instant, his expression changed. Even his faint sense of taste could discern that it was a flavor created by a strong sweetness mixed with a subtle bitterness.

"It's delicious, isn't it?"

Lin Yan nodded, still looking surprised. So that's how it is… Lin Yan finally had a deeper understanding of the fact that "coffee is a beverage loved all over the world."

"I can finally relax."

Ruler's face immediately lit up with a smile. Lin Yan was a little confused by this unusual expression. Perhaps noticing that Lin Yan was observing her face, the girl shyly turned her face away.

"How peaceful."

"That's true."

The children were running around. They didn't seem to have any particular destination; they just kept running around the perimeter of the shop. A particularly young girl among the children was running desperately to catch up with the others, but she tripped and fell to the ground.

Ruler was about to stand up, but quickly sat back down. The children who had been running ahead had run back to help the girl up. They first helped the sobbing girl up, checked her wounds, and then told her it was just a minor scratch.

The girl quickly stopped crying. Seeing her like this, the children smiled wryly and carried her on their shoulders, while another supported her from behind, and they started walking again.

"Nothing has changed, regardless of the era."

Ruler gazed at this idyllic scene with an expression that was a mixture of nostalgia and tenderness.

Did you also experience that kind of era?

"Yes. I have three older brothers and sisters. Back then, we were basically doing farm work while playing. We were constantly running around until we were covered in mud."

Ruler spoke with deep nostalgia not of her past as Joan of Arc, but of her past as an ordinary girl from the village of Domremy.

"Because androids don't have a childhood, it's really hard to imagine your childhood."

Strictly speaking, it's more accurate to say they don't grow up, rather than having no childhood. While Lin Yan is an exception among exceptions, it's hard to say whether he'll grow up at all. Of course, if it were the Einzbern family, the alchemical dynasty that originated from the technology of creating artificial humans, they might be able to create artificial humans that are somewhat closer to humans.

But that would probably turn into a rather twisted life form...

"Even without childhood, I believe you are still growing."

Ruler said it casually. His gentle voice held a warm, inclusive quality.

Is that really true?

Lin Yan didn't have that awareness. He always felt that he was no different from when he escaped from the mana supply tank. Indeed, he had become stronger. But that was all because of the heart given to him by "Black" Saber, and also because he had obtained the Command Seals.

"No, you are indeed growing. Lin Yanjun has undoubtedly become stronger."

She clenched her hands tightly, gazing silently at herself from the front. Her eyes shone with unwavering sincerity.

"It's not just physical growth; you're growing mentally too... That's why I hope you can survive."

0288 Freedom [Please Subscribe]

Why?

"Because Lin Yanjun is free. After this war ends, you may achieve great success as a magician, or you may be buried in the world as an ordinary being, or you may save the world, or you may destroy the world, or you may do good or evil. You have all sorts of possibilities and can explore all sorts of paths."

"Ah, I think so too. There are definitely too many options to choose from."

"You can worry as much as you want, you can stop and look back. The most important thing is not to go back. After this Holy Grail War, I will return to my throne, and the same will be true for the Black Rider. That's right, in the end, all that's left in the Holy Grail War is wish. So, you, who have been redeemed, are a very precious existence to us."

A twisted life, a twisted spirit, yet an innocent soul still struggles desperately.

Rider "Black" saved him with pure prayer, while Ruler saw his strong will and decided to stand by him.

However, both of them were dreaming. They were dreaming of the homunculus who, having established their own "world," embarking on a journey after the Holy Grail War ended.

"Thank you."

Lin Yan smiled and shook Ruler's hand in return. He felt nothing but boundless gratitude for the kindness shown to him by Ruler and "Black" Rider.

But while they desperately wanted to live, Lin Yan was constantly plagued by fantasies of death. Wasn't death his destiny, the only thing waiting for him on his path?

Every time Lin Yan saw the black Command Seals, this thought would surface in his mind. He tried hard to ignore that vivid, intense, and stubborn idea. No matter when he was going to die, he had to do what he could before that happened…

"Oh, right, there's something else I wanted to ask you..."

Ruler finished speaking in a slightly altered tone, then cleared her throat with a "cough." Judging from her slightly embarrassed glance away, it seemed to be a difficult question to ask.

"What is it?"

"No, well. It's a bit embarrassing because it was a rather abrupt question..."

She fell silent at this point. Lin Yan, unsure what she was going to ask, couldn't react and could only stare at her speechlessly. After a while, as if finally making up her mind, she asked:

"Um, this is about Rider."

"Well?"

The Rider she was referring to was, of course, Astolfo from the "Black" side... which is Lin Yan's Servant.

"What's wrong?"

"No, well, actually, I've been a little concerned about this for a while now. Lin Yanjun, do you like Rider?"

"Of course. Rider is my Servant and my savior. He owes me an immeasurable debt of gratitude. There aren't many people I would entrust my life to without hesitation."

After Lin Yan said this with absolute certainty, Ruler revealed a somewhat ambiguous expression.

"Ah, um. No, that's part of it... but not entirely. So, from a human perspective, what are your thoughts on Rider?"