"Doesn't hurt you either, does it? If that kid succeeds someday, you'll have built a bit of goodwill now. And if she fails, it won't affect you at all. You really don't have a reason to refuse, do you?"
Inori waved a hand.
"You've been watching for ages—you know it as well as I do. That kid can't possibly have any designs on this world. Even if she gains knowledge of the ROOT, she won't be a threat to you. And hey, you could even use this to squeeze a few other benefits out of her… Hm. When you put it that way, it's all upside, no downside!"
The silver-haired girl's smile stayed in place, but a chill flashed in her eyes—those deep, ocean-dark irises fixed straight on Inori.
The air turned heavy for a moment.
Inori didn't seem to care. She simply held the girl's gaze.
"Hey. Right now, Big Sis… you're completely dead, aren't you?"
Inori's eyes flickered faintly. She only smiled, offering no answer.
After a long time, the girl let out a bell-like laugh again, and with a light hop—almost like a dance step—she retreated, turning her back.
"Heeheehee. Since Big Sis is putting it like that, I don't have any reason to refuse, do I? The ROOT doesn't do anything for me anyway. Letting that kid go play over there for a bit is fine."
"A wise answer."
Inori shrugged. Her figure slowly faded away.
"Is that really okay?"
After Inori's presence vanished completely, a voice rose—its age and gender impossible to tell.
"Heeheehee. Don't know. But doesn't Alaya think it's more fun this way?"
The girl's smile stayed radiant as she spun once, giggling as she spoke.
"The night has gotten too deep now. Next, will it be sinking into it… or turning toward the dawn? Which will it be, I wonder? Heeheeheeheehee…"
...
"That's how it is! Congratulations to this Big Sis for winning the grand prize in the first-ever 'World Creature Mega Draw'—a single-person ROOT Free Tour ticket! The direct shuttle is only available here, you know. Big Sis, would you like to depart immediately?"
Ophis said nothing, silently watching the one who called herself Gaia—a big loli whose face was unmistakably Lily's, just a few years younger—bounce and spin as she beamed and cheered.
Ophis had been traveling the world when, during one of her moves, she realized her coordinates had been forcibly rewritten. By the time she came to her senses, she was standing in front of this loli.
And then she'd heard that incomprehensible speech.
With the kind of power it took to tamper with coordinates, the name "Gaia" probably wasn't fake… and even if she wasn't Gaia, she wouldn't be any weaker.
But what mattered was her purpose.
"Why?"
In the end, Ophis tilted her head and asked.
She naturally ignored the "mega draw" part.
Sure, with the Luck she'd inherited from the Hero King, if there really were a raffle, it wouldn't be strange for her to win… but she didn't believe this girl would hold some random lottery for no reason, with the grand prize being entry to the ROOT.
"Actually… there are a few things I'd like to ask Big Sis to help with…"
Gaia stopped bouncing around and stuck her tongue out, looking a little embarrassed.
"But we can put that on hold for now. I'll advance the reward to Big Sis first. I'm generous, right?"
"…"
In truth, a trip to the ROOT would be an enormous help to Ophis.
More than it would be to anyone else in this world.
The Sha Naqba Imuru Ophis possessed now—honestly, calling it a "star" was less fitting than calling it a seed.
In practical terms, Sha Naqba Imuru didn't have many functions yet, but it had extraordinarily high analytical power, along with the ability to contain, integrate, and synthesize all kinds of information.
Its upper limit was fused with Ophis's own nature—Infinity.
Even if Sha Naqba Imuru was only an empty shell right now, it could continuously absorb information and integrate it into new inferences and projections. The old Ophis, even if she gained a pile of abilities and traits through Self-Reference, probably wouldn't have been able to juggle them all—she'd have had to pick and choose. Sha Naqba Imuru could make up for that.
Normally, even the greatest magus in this world would probably only grasp the most surface-level truths upon reaching the ROOT—what legends call the Five True Magics.
But Ophis was different. Ouroboros's independent nature meant she wouldn't be assimilated by the ROOT, and Sha Naqba Imuru would let her absorb what lay within it to the greatest possible extent.
Or rather—right now, the thing that could help her the most was the ROOT itself.
The problem was, by Gaia's own words, this entry into the ROOT was a deal.
The old Ophis would likely have hesitated for a long time—and odds were, she would've refused.
Going into the ROOT might look like nothing more than this loli opening a door, but given how much it would help Ophis, the price she'd be asked to pay in return naturally wouldn't be small.
Besides, Gaia had said "a few" things. Who knew how many "a few" really meant?
And Ophis disliked trouble. She hated pointless extra tasks. If she simply wandered outside for a few hundred more years, she'd naturally gain the power to beat Great Red with certainty… even as she was now, her odds against Great Red were already over thirty percent.
For Ophis, the ideal scenario had always been: finish Great Red sooner, then crawl back into a quiet nest and sleep—at least, that had been true for the old Ophis.
There's no such thing as a free lunch… and people really do get craftier with age. Those sayings weren't wrong.
Ophis, temperamentally more of a well-behaved sort, wasn't going to toss aside Inori's last wish—but she would've leaned more toward letting things take their course, slowly strengthening herself. Inori, it seemed, wanted her to be more proactive.
Inori hadn't made Ophis swear any contract. She hadn't put any compulsion on her. What she did was simple.
She left her obsession behind.
Maybe Ouroboros's power simply couldn't fully grind down an obsession that strong… or more likely, Inori had done something herself. Either way, that terrifying fixation on "omniscience and omnipotence" hadn't vanished with her—it had been branded into Ophis's heart… and along with it, a trace of that nasty sense of humor and that bizarre personality had probably been left behind, too.
In short—
"I accept."
The ROOT is too big a temptation. I really can't refuse…
"That's wonderful!"
Gaia's innocent smile brightened even more.
"Oh, right, right! There's no concept of time in the ROOT, you know. Big Sis might go in and come out to who-knows-when. Why don't you make a clone first to help me out? It'll be more efficient, right?"
All of a sudden, Gaia clapped her hands, brimming with excitement.
"Alaya seems to trust that kid called… called Emiya? Probably Emiya. But I can't be that relaxed, you know. I was thinking of sending Little Jeanne instead, but based on projections from other worldlines, Little Jeanne seems kind of unstable… and there's also the possibility of running into a homunculus over there… Well! Now that Big Sis can help, that's even better. I'll be counting on you, Big Sis~"
Watching Gaia hop and bounce as she rambled, Ophis had the distinct feeling that the peace she'd been chasing was drifting farther and farther away…
---
T/N: EMIYA MENTION!!! did you guys know demeter considers EMIYA to be an EX tier mama, alongside Boudica and Irisviel, oh right Tiamat gets 16 and Raikou gets 19 LMAOOOO DOUMA GETS 61
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