You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Normally, such an important device is indispensable to Chaldea, but that is "normal", and the Chaldea that Iori encountered is not normal in any way...

Give it a try, what if he agrees?

"..."

"Well, forget it if you don't have it." Seeing Merlin silent for a moment, Iori felt a little embarrassed. After all, what he wanted was much more valuable than simple magic resources.

Unexpectedly, Merlin blinked and asked with a strange expression, "Is this the only thing you need? If you can accept second-hand goods, Gary has a lot of them. You can choose whatever you want."

"……what?"

"Come with me."

Merlin took the surprised Iori through the corridors and the Heroic Spirit dormitory area and met many Servants, including some unfamiliar faces, which made Iori very curious. He wanted to know how many scam servants Type-Moon had released.

But business was more important, so Iori withdrew his gaze and followed the Flower Magician to a deserted area where no one was active.

It feels like we have walked a long way. Maybe we are at the edge of Chaldea?

"Signage plate... [Abandoned hole]?"

"This is a place to store old things and miscellaneous items that are no longer useful."

Merlin led the way in front. The area was not small. There were neatly arranged room doors on both sides of the long corridor, and each door had its own number and identification name.

"Including materials dropped by monsters, damaged costumes, invalid relics, and replaced parts... Although they could have been thrown away directly, many of them were very memorable, so they were preserved. Over time, this area was gradually formed."

"I see. But this number is too many." After roughly estimating the number of rooms on both sides, Iori frowned.

He was the kind of person who put everything into his backpack when playing RPG games and would not sell it unless necessary, so he was not surprised by the "waste hole" itself that was used to store miscellaneous items...but the scale of this was a bit beyond common sense.

"I can't help it. This much happened without me noticing." Merlin scratched his head.

"Ah, here we are! Let's go in."

"...Old Chaldea?" Iori looked at the name sign on the room and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Merlin opened the electronic door and the room was a little dim. When Iori walked in, he found that the interior space was much larger than he had imagined. It might be due to the application of space folding technology.

In the dim light, tall silhouettes stood there quietly, and the boy slowly opened his eyes and subconsciously held his breath.

"Wait a minute, I'll turn on the light..."

bass!

bass!

bass!

Bright lights gradually illuminated the room, revealing the true appearance of the items on display:

There were globes that looked like huge stone balls, dull and dim, damaged snow armored vehicles that looked like they had been bombarded by missiles, ancient discs whose specific uses were hard to discern, and large cross shields covered with a thick layer of dust...

I see - Iori now understood why this room was called "Old Chaldea".

Almost all of the items displayed here are closely related to Chaldea, and can even be said to be symbolic... but now each one is buried by time and dust like waste.

"This is?"

"It's 'corpse'."

Merlin stopped laughing this time, and examined these things calmly: "The world line we observed, the one we tried to save but failed, and the one that finally came to an end... these are the relics of Chaldea.

We can’t ignore it, it’s useless to us, but throwing it away is not a good idea either, so we can only put it in a corner.”

"…It's so heavy." Iori felt heavy-hearted, but he smiled inexplicably—perhaps he really didn't know what expression to use to face it.

"Will you find what I want in here?"

"Don't worry. For an abandoned and obsolete being, being discovered, trusted, and used again... is a kind of happiness."

Merlin smiled slightly, very open-minded: "At least, their existence can help people remember the eliminated 'Chaldea'."

"It makes me not know what to say." Iori did not act pretentiously and accepted everything in front of him calmly.

"Thank you for your help, Caster."

"You're welcome, you deserve it~"

…When the two came out of the room, Iori had a silver-white suitcase in his hand.

"What's that over there?"

Iori noticed that this was not the end of the area, and there were several rooms further inside, so he asked curiously.

Merlin glanced over there, his expression indifferent: "It's a relic of the 'Masters', no different from this place."

"..."

Iori took a deep look, but did not ask any further questions, nor did he suggest going in to take a look... There was always a feeling that once you go too deep, you will never be able to turn back.

"Thank you again, Lord Iori."

On the way back, Merlin said sincerely: "You have helped us a lot."

"Just one singularity?" Iori said unconvincingly, "It's nothing to you, right?"

"Honestly speaking, in terms of the 'completeness of the plot' of the singularity, you can only be considered average. After all, you are a novice... It is amazing that although the singularity is not excellent, after coming into contact with you, the Chaldea of ​​that world line suddenly exploded with many possibilities, far beyond the normal value!"

Merlin smiled with satisfaction and said, "This situation is rare. I can only say that you are our lucky general."

"Um, you're too kind... maybe I'm just lucky."

Chapter 157: Don’t talk, kiss her!

In the projection image formed by magic, the orange-haired girl, the shield girl, and Atalanta teamed up to fight a huge silhouette surrounded by black air. Judging from the vigorous fighting style and the very eye-catching battle axe, this was none other than Asterios who had been defeated in the war.

The souls of the defeated servants escaped when Sera accomplished the "Third Law" and appeared in various places in Tolifas in the form of shadow servants. After Chaldea detected abnormal fluctuations, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mashu were transferred back again to start cleaning up the mess they had not cleaned up.

What they don’t know is that others are watching them with great interest as they fight hard - this is much more realistic than any Hollywood blockbuster.

"We have already dealt with Shuten-doji and Siegfried's Shadow Servants, and now it's Asterios... It looks like we can take care of it quickly."

In a cozy and warm cabin in the woods, Iori brought hot water to make tea, while Sera had already prepared biscuits and snacks. The two of them leisurely enjoyed their afternoon tea, using the magic scenes as props to relieve boredom, and discussed with laughter from time to time, appearing to be very happy.

"They are fighting hard over there, but we are here to make sarcastic remarks. Isn't that too much?"

"Really?" Iori thought for a moment, "Should we go and help them?"

"Forehead……"

Sera looked down at her loose home clothes and pajamas, then looked at the delicious snacks on the small wooden table. She pouted her lips, picked up the steaming teacup with both hands, and changed her words.

"I don't think that's necessary, because we've fought side by side before, so I trust them... They will definitely be able to get through this difficult time on their own!"

"Hey!"

Iori smiled mischievously, and Sera felt his playful gaze and couldn't help but turn her head away.

There was nothing she could do. It wasn't that she didn't want to help Lixiang, it was mainly because the temperature had suddenly dropped recently... This kind of weather was more suitable for staying at home and enjoying a warm bed and delicious snacks.

"It seems like you've become lazy... But in a sense, this is closer to the lifestyle of ordinary people, right?"

Iori put down the teacup and smiled faintly: "Seeing you like this, I can leave with peace of mind."

"..."

A circle of ripples appeared in the teacup. Sera remained calm and raised her red eyes calmly.

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it clear what I said?" Iori explained, "I will soon leave Tuliface. Strictly speaking, I will leave this world - of course, I don't mean going to heaven."

"I know... I had guessed that this day would come."

Sera blinked, thought for a moment and asked, "Is the Holy Grail taken to the place you are about to go?"

"Well, one of them."

Iori said frankly: "That's not my hometown... But to be honest, I can't go back to my real hometown. I'm currently traveling back and forth between several worlds."

"That's great. I'm sure you'll get to see a lot of new things, right?" Sera smiled gently.

The Type-Moon world itself has the concept of parallel universes, and the "Second Law" among the five major magics can freely observe and interfere with parallel worlds, so Sera was not shocked by what Iori said, but accepted it naturally.

At the beginning, when she saw Iori disappearing into thin air with the Greater Holy Grail, the silver-haired girl had already noticed something...

"I was a little worried about you at first, but now it seems that you are able to take care of yourself, so I feel relieved."

Iori put down the teacup, savoring the sweet taste between his lips and teeth, and said with satisfaction: "Maybe I am worrying too much. You are now half a third-level magician, so naturally you don't need others to worry about you."

"The third magician... I can't bear this title." Sera shook her head slightly.

Sera's condition is better than that of the Winter Saint. After all, she has also completed the materialization of her soul. Even if her combat power is not as good as that of a Servant, it is far superior to that of an ordinary magician.

Moreover, unlike Iori, as a creation of the Third Law, Sera, in addition to being "immortal", has also inherited the [Heavenly Grail] and possesses the magic circuits of the Winter Saint.

Although Sera cannot save all of humanity now, she has the ability to save individuals, just like she did with Iori - but without the help of the Greater Holy Grail, she would have to prepare for many years before she could save one person.

It is indeed a bit of an exaggeration to say that she is the third magician. After all, the Saint of Winter did not really reach the level of magician. But if she is said to be the inheritor of the third method, then it is absolutely the real deal!

"…I'm not as powerful as you think."

Sera hesitated and said, "I know the [Heavenly Grail] but not its reasons. My magic knowledge and combat skills are not as good as those of the seniors in the Clock Tower. This world is still very dangerous to me."

"Don't worry. The Holy Grail War has just ended. The Thousand World Tree is facing a post-mortem reckoning from the Clock Tower. This turmoil will last for a long time... As long as you keep a low profile, no one will notice you."

"If the third method is exposed..."

"Then you can only be more careful."

"you!"

Sera's breathing quickened, but she soon noticed Iori's mischievous look. She raised her eyebrows and bit her lower lip in embarrassment.

"Don't tease me, berserker."

"As you command, my master."

Iori leaned back on the sofa carelessly: "But you know the rules. If you want to communicate with me, the prerequisite is to be honest."

"……responsibility."

"what?"

"Responsibility...please take responsibility!"

Sera placed her hands on her knees, clenched her fists, and said regardless, "You made me what I am now, you must take responsibility for me!

Don't say anything like you're leaving... No matter where it is, you have the obligation to invite me to go with you, understand?"

"……Ah!"

Iori smiled calmly. Looking at Sera's performance, he felt a sense of accomplishment.

"Although it's a bit far-fetched, I'll just accept it for now."

"Iori!" A bright smile suddenly appeared on Sera's face.

"But if you say so...this matter is a bit difficult to handle?" Iori touched his chin, looking embarrassed.

"It's not easy to handle?" The girl frowned slightly, "What do you mean?"

"Although I can travel to different worlds, there is a prerequisite, that is, only myself and 'my belongings' can travel through. I cannot take away things that do not belong to me."

"...Ah?" Sera was slightly startled, "In other words?"

"You need to answer this yourself."

Iori stood up, leaned over to where Sera was, and pinched her chin roughly.

"Sera von Einzbern, are you willing to become my - Aizen Iori's - possession?"

"……Well!"

Sera's cheeks flushed slightly, and the boy's handsome face was reflected in her clear eyes. She felt her ears burning.

"Um……"

Should I close my eyes? Am I being too proactive?

"That's good."

Just after Sera was entangled for a moment, when she was about to close her eyes, Iori had already let go of her hand. The subtle atmosphere was no longer there, which made the girl pursed her lips in regret.

——I gave you the chance but you didn’t make any use of it!