Chapter 202: Clouds Leave No Trace 『 Part One 』
「 "March? March?"
At the sound of Stelle's voice, March 7th slowly opened her eyes. Only then did she realize she had disconnected from the Matrix of Prescience and returned to reality.
Rubbing her head, March felt nothing but a dizzying haze… She looked at Fu Xuan beside her in confusion. "Ugh... Miss Fu Xuan, why did the simulation just cut off like that?"
"The Matrix of Prescience ceased operation for a split second just now."
Recalling the recent anomaly, even Fu Xuan found it hard to believe. In all her years as the Master Diviner, she had never encountered such a phenomenon. She asked curiously, "March, from the moment you touched that ice, I could no longer observe you. What exactly happened?"
"Well…" March 7th recounted her conversation with the Messenger to the two of them in full detail.
"Glowswather... You mean Fuli the Remembrance? Are they Star God connected to my past?"
"No, we cannot assert that with certainty yet…" Fu Xuan rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. "All I can say is that it was very likely a Star God that sealed away your memories... but not necessarily Fuli."
"Perhaps the 'protection' the Messenger mentioned implies that Fuli is not the culprit behind your sealed memories. Instead, the Glowswather wasn't the one who sealed away your memories. They are interfering to shield you from these very memories."
Although this venture failed to unveil March 7th's past, they had at least secured a clue regarding the Garden of Recollection, so it wasn't a total loss. Little March remained quite optimistic about this; after all, the road ahead was long, and she would surely have future opportunities to illuminate her history. 」
「 .....」
〜A Certain Magical Index World〜
The setting sun dyed the sky a deep tangerine, the evening breeze brushing past the tips of their hair. Misaka Mikoto leaned against the railing, her fingertips unconsciously toying with a small coin.
"The people from the Garden of Recollection sure are tight-lipped. They'd rather forcibly sever her connection to the Matrix of Prescience than spill even a drop of information."
Mikoto let out a soft, dissatisfied hmph.
"In the end, we didn't get any useful intel."
"When facing those unspeakable existences, silence is the best policy."
Touma glanced at her sideways.
"Just looking at the Garden's attitude toward this matter, it's not hard to deduce the sheer weight of March 7th's past memories."
"…Even a Star God had to intervene. It seems the implications of March 7th's memories are massive."
"Yeah. Speaking of which, I have a question."
Mikoto looked at the Omniscia on Fu Xuan's forehead displayed on the light screen.
"Fu Xuan and the Matrix of Prescience couldn't help March find her past because the Garden intercepted them. But is there a possibility… that Fu Xuan's direction was wrong? That she shouldn't have started with 'memories' in the first place."
"What do you mean?"
Kamijou Touma didn't catch on immediately.
Mikoto decided to rephrase the question:
"'March 7th's past hides a secret that compelled even a Star God to act'—who do you think would be most interested in this topic right now?"
"Hmm…"
Touma pondered with his head down for a moment before a person suddenly came to mind.
"Madam Herta?"
"Exactly. Scientists are monsters made of crystallized curiosity; she wouldn't be uninterested."
Mikoto nodded, gazing at the blurred silhouette of Academy City in the distance.
"Nous, the Star God of Erudition. Theoretically, it possesses all information in the universe and can calculate all things, answering all questions. If Madam Herta, as an Emanator of Erudition, were to present March 7th's dilemma to Nous, do you think Nous would provide the solution?"
—
「 Not long after Stelle and March 7th returned to the Express, they discovered a letter from the Xianzhou.
The letter contained phrases like "Upend the ancient sea upside down" and "return to old ground," clearly intended for Dan Heng. When Stelle handed him the letter, Dan Heng noticed it lacked a signature, or even a time and place for the meeting.
Faced with such a bizarre missive, Dan Heng sent Stelle away. He then used Cloudhymn magic on the paper alone, and sure enough… the original handwriting vanished, replaced by a different line of ink—
"Of five people, three must pay a price."
Dan Heng immediately realized the gravity of the situation and decided to head to the Seat of Divine Foresight to gather clues.
.....
The scene shifts to the interior of the Seat of Divine Foresight.
Jingliu surveyed her surroundings, looking at the Cloud Knights who stood ready for a fight to the death, and smiled coldly. "Having been away from the Luofu for so long, it is heartening to see that the killing intent within this manor has not diminished, but grown."
Misinterpreting her words as a sign of imminent attack, Yanqing immediately stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"Relax — you needn't be so cautious,Little brother, there is no need to be so on edge. I am simply reminiscing about the old days." 」
「 .....」
〜Type-Moon World, Carnival Phantasm Worldline〜
Emiya Household—
"I thought I would be able to witness her divine technique again. A pity, truly a pity…"
Sasaki Kojiro shook his head in regret. Although his "Monohoshizao"—over three shaku in length—differed greatly in form from Jingliu's sword, he could still glean a thing or two from the exquisite intricacies of her swordplay.
After witnessing Jingliu's technique that severed the moonlight, he had become utterly captivated by the memory of her moves. Now, presented with a chance to see her swordplay once more, Sasaki Kojiro was more excited than anyone.
"The price of witnessing a divine technique might just be the lives of everyone present, you know?"
Lancer swirled the beer in his can.
"If that woman really decided to get serious, she could probably slaughter everyone there except Yanqing in an instant, couldn't she? That kid might manage to block a few strikes, but if Jingliu truly intended to kill… even he wouldn't walk out of the Seat of Divine Foresight alive."
As he spoke, a look of regret also surfaced on Lancer's face.
"I actually wanted to see more of Dan Heng in action. But after he transformed, he stopped using his spear for close-quarters combat entirely. He just spent the whole time toying with that orb. Sure, the power output is massive, but I still wanted to see him spar with Jingliu using his spear."
"…I think you just want Dan Heng to die, don't you?"
Saber glared at Lancer, who was clearly enjoying the chaos. She recalled the battle between Dan Heng and Blade; although Dan Heng had been on the defensive the entire time with no will to fight, it was obvious that his High Elder form represented the peak of his power.
To fight Jingliu with nothing but the Cloud-Piercer… that felt like forcefully sealing away seventy percent of one's power and then actively seeking death.
—
「 Just then, Dan Heng walked in slowly, stating he had matters to discuss with the General. However… sensing the atmosphere of swords drawn and bows bent within the room, it was undeniably awkward.
Qingzu whispered a reminder from the side, wanting to ask if he remembered the white-haired swordswoman before him. To this, Dan Heng remained quite composed. After dropping a simple "I don't know her," he prepared to turn and leave.
Qingzu called out to stop Dan Heng from leaving, introducing the past experiences and glorious battle records of the white-haired woman. However, when speaking of the later years, her gaze couldn't help but dim; after all, no long-life species could escape the Mara-Struck condition.
"It is said that Master Jingliu eventually succumbed to madness and went on a killing spree, becoming a felon who fled beyond the stars. With her capabilities, no one should have been able to bring her to justice. Yet, for some reason, she has returned to the Luofu alongside a suspect disguised as a traveling merchant, claiming she wishes to surrender and admit her guilt…" 」
「 .....」
( Translator-kun: This is the last part of the Vita Infinita Companion Mission, and the Author-san glazed on Xianzhou will continue... Well, it'll be done before you know it, and Penacony is just around the corner. )