Just as they were about to enter the central section of the Atlas Institute, this sentence from Holmes made people feel both surprised and that it was a matter of course.
After all, for a detective like him, suspecting Romani Archaman was a very normal thing.
However, while some felt it was normal, others felt it was not.
Type-Moon/Fate World, Sixth Singularity, Sacred Round Table Domain.
"Eh? Why?" Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka were clearly stunned at this moment, completely not expecting why Holmes would say such a thing.
Did he appear before them only because Chaldea could not see this place?
"...As expected." A gleam of wisdom flashed in Da Vinci's eyes. She looked at Holmes on the screen and said calmly, "After all, there are indeed secrets about Romani, so it is normal for Holmes not to trust him."
"But the doctor is very kind." Fujimaru Ritsuka naturally defended Roman. In her impression, Roman was not someone unworthy of trust or a target of suspicion.
On the contrary, he was the person most worthy of trust.
After experiencing so many things, Fujimaru Ritsuka naturally trusted Roman very much, because he was helping her and Mash all the time.
Just as Da Vinci said, Roman was clearly an ordinary person, yet he was always pushing himself, keeping himself in a state of high-load operation.
While others were resting, Roman was working non-stop.
It was as if he were a machine too busy to stop.
"Yes." Mash also firmly believed this, but looking at Holmes's serious expression on the screen, she couldn't help but waver, saying, "Roman is very reliable; there must be some misunderstanding."
Mash did not disbelieve Roman; she felt there must be some misunderstanding that caused Holmes's deduction to be wrong.
This was not impossible, but... the vast majority of Holmes's deductions were correct.
"Then, we will know if we keep watching." Da Vinci smiled. She looked at Holmes in the video and said, "I would like to hear what kind of evaluation he has for Romani."
"However, Romani is probably very sad right now, because he is also someone who likes Holmes very much."
"Ah~" Fujimaru Ritsuka showed a rather subtle expression. She imagined Roman's expression at this moment and could probably guess it.
Right now, Roman would probably be very sad, just like when King David spoke of King Solomon.
And when the Demon God King appeared, when Roman was distraught.
"The scene has already appeared in my mind." Mash also showed a rather subtle expression when Da Vinci said this.
For some reason, Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka already had in their minds what kind of expression Roman would have inside Chaldea.
He would probably go to Magical Merli to complain first, then get lectured by her, and then regain his spirits, right?
Thinking of this, Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but smile. Although Roman was hiding some secrets, she still trusted him very much.
Unless... Holmes produces some key evidence next to prove that Roman has major suspicions.
Detective Conan World.
"As expected, he is the real Holmes."
As an old fan of Holmes, Kudo Shinichi could be said to know 'Holmes' very well, unlike his partial understanding of King Solomon.
At the very least, at this moment, Kudo Shinichi could say with absolute certainty! No one! Knows! Holmes! Better than him!
As soon as the other party spoke, analyzed, and with the small actions in the video, Kudo Shinichi felt it. It's back! Everything is back! Compared to the Holmes in the books, this Holmes in the video...
…simply gave Kudo Shinichi the feeling of his favorite character having a spin-off after many years.
"However, has he already investigated to this extent in secret?" Kudo Shinichi became serious at this moment; he wasn't shipping couples anymore.
After all, how could shipping be more important than analyzing a case?! Especially now!
As the heisei holmes, he finally had the opportunity to compete with the real Holmes across the screen, which gave Kudo Shinichi a unique feeling.
If his dad also saw this video, he probably wouldn't care about his mom, but would focus on solving the case with Holmes.
Solving this, [completely killing primates through Human Order Incineration], is simply a myth-level murder case!
And what made Kudo Shinichi admire was that if it weren't for the beginning of the plot, where the video showed the world as seen through the eyes of Romani Archaman...
…and the conversation between him and the first director Marisbury, which also made people feel a bit strange.
If it weren't for these things, then no one would think that this otaku doctor who seeks the help of the virtual streamer Magical Merli every day would be hiding any secrets.
But Holmes is different. Although Kudo Shinichi doesn't know what he found out in secret or what kind of intelligence he mastered...
…the fact that he could immediately lock onto the degree of suspicion of Romani Archaman is enough to prove that his methods are very impressive.
"Are you starting to deduce across space and time?" Kudo Shinichi showed an interested smile in the comment section of this video.
Although he hadn't communicated much with Fujimaru Ritsuka, she had appeared in previous videos, so he had more or less paid attention to her messages.
At the end of the last video, when Fujimaru Ritsuka was chatting with someone in the comment section, she said that she might not be flooding the comment section for a while.
Because she went to Sixth Singularity to meet Arash.
Counting the time, she should have just arrived at Sixth Singularity and hadn't left the desert to meet King Hassan yet.
In other words! At this time, Holmes might also be watching the video, although I don't know how he feels about seeing himself appear in the video.
But Kudo Shinichi would definitely not miss this opportunity to 'clash' with his idol. Before this video ends, he must deduce the true cause of the Human Order Incineration and the true identity of Romani Archaman.
Kudo Shinichi put away his smile. He sat up straight, his eyes fixed on the omni-anime projection screen, and his brain was already running fast.
Based on the various intelligence available, various puzzle pieces were quickly put together.
Now he has to race against time, although he doesn't know whether Holmes will be able to get the most important puzzle piece after watching the video.
But now Kudo Shinichi's competitive spirit has risen; no matter what, he must compete with the other party.
The video continued to play.
After Holmes finished speaking, the atmosphere at the scene became somewhat subtle, but facing the incoming defensive mechanism...
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash swept away their previous distracting thoughts, prioritized dealing with the defensive mechanism, and then entered the central section of the Atlas Institute.
The magnificent building before their eyes, as well as the "sky" at the very top, made Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka temporarily forget what Holmes had said.
"This is the central section of the Atlas Institute." Mash looked at the sky in a daze, her expression very surprised. "Although it is underground, there is a sky?! Master!"
Bedivere looked at the surrounding environment and was also very shocked. "A space nearly the scale of a city... to be able to build such a large void underground!?!"
Obviously, Bedivere was shocked by the scene before him, although he also knew that Magus had their own methods to build unimaginable wonders.
But the scene before him now, even for Bedivere, this Knight of the Round Table, felt very shocking. At the same time, he looked at other things around him and said with some disbelief, "This place really seems to be an academy; everything necessary for human life is available."
"As long as they are here, the apprentices' hearts can be very comfortable, even if that sky is not real, but artificial."
At this moment, Bedivere sighed with emotion. This Atlas Institute is truly amazing; it has considered factors in all aspects.
Holmes looked at the building in front and calmly popularized knowledge to the people around him: "The obelisk located in the central part is the Atlas Institute's largest recording medium, the Pseudo-Spiritron Computer, Trismegistus."
"It is the prototype of the Spiritron Computer sent to Chaldea, Trismegistus."
A picture flashed in Fujimaru Ritsuka's mind. She looked at the building in front with some shock and muttered, "That is the prototype?! In that case, the design here..."
Mash looked at the surrounding environment and quickly said, "That's right! The design here is the same as Chaldea's Control Room!"
Yes, the design here has a high degree of similarity to the Control Room of Chaldea at the beginning of the video.
Obviously, Chaldea was modeled after this place.
"Alright." Holmes stepped forward to operate something. He looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash, and the others and said, "Access rights have been recovered. Originally, I should have greeted the staff here..."
"But as you can see, this is an unmanned ruin. Although I am sorry, I have no choice but to use it without permission."
"Hmm..." Mash looked at Holmes with some confusion. "But why are there no staff? Although it is buried in the sand, all the machines are operating normally."
Even in a Singularity, it's not like Mash hasn't seen survivors. London's Clock Tower was only breached because of other Servants.
There were no Servants attacking here, because if Servants had attacked, then they would probably only have seen a pile of ruins and debris on their way here.
"The answer is simple." Holmes looked at them and said calmly, "Because this is the Atlas Institute of 2017, which is an existence from your era."
"The Atlas Institute from our era?!" At this moment, Mash remembered Da Vinci's words and said, "Come to think of it, Da Vinci did indeed say that."
"She said that in the Egyptian territory of a different era, there is an anomaly from an even more different era! This must be it, right?!"
Holmes nodded slightly. Having someone explain it for him in advance was a good thing. He continued calmly, "That's right. Although the Magus have all burned out, the Atlas Institute itself has not disappeared."
"Alright, let us get to the point."
Holmes now intended to tell the whole truth. He looked at Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka and said, "Trismegistus records all phenomena."
"For us who are not Atlas Magus, even if we cannot know everything, we should know the simple facts... we should know the results."
"Just like looking only at the answers to a math problem."
"What are you investigating?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked sharply.
"Ah, it's shameful to say." Facing Fujimaru Ritsuka's question, Holmes said somewhat helplessly, "It is a record that even I cannot trace back; it is a record of something that has been concealed."
After speaking, Holmes looked at the Trismegistus in front and said quite loudly, "Trismegistus! Bird flying in the underworld! Answer my question!"
"Tell me about [a certain incident] that was erased from all records and accounts! The ins and outs of the Holy Grail War that took place in Japan in 2004!"
Upon hearing this, outside the video, everyone was stunned at this moment.
The Holy Grail War in Japan in 2004?! This... isn't this the war that the first director Marisbury participated in?!
The other party had won a Holy Grail War once, and judging by the circumstances of Chaldea's establishment, they had only built Chaldea after winning that Holy Grail War.
In other words, is Holmes trying to investigate this matter?! Is this the origin of the Human Order Incineration?!
At this moment, countless clever people seemed to realize something.
Because at this moment, they remembered that line from Marisbury: "What is your wish?"
Besides Marisbury, there was another assistant by his side.
Inside the video.
"A Holy Grail War?!" Mash looked at Holmes with some surprise and asked, "Could it be about Singularity F?"
"No, that's not right, although the Director did indeed say that a ritual called the Holy Grail War was held at Singularity F."
"But could that be the truth behind the Human Order Incineration?! No... is it the cause?!"
Mash was no fool; on the contrary, she was very intelligent and immediately recalled the Singularity F the Director had mentioned.
"No, it is not the cause," Holmes looked at Mash and said calmly, "but it is a significant factor. The Holy Grail War is a grand ritual where Servants are summoned to fight, and the remaining Magus and Servant receive the Holy Grail."
"You should be familiar with this knowledge, Fujimaru Ritsuka."
As he spoke, Holmes looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka.
Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded slightly, indicating that she understood this matter; after all, Mash had told her about similar things before.
"Very good." Seeing Fujimaru Ritsuka nod, Holmes nodded slightly and continued, "And this ritual was indeed carried out, with the last one taking place in a local city in Japan in 2004."
"I investigated the records of this battle, but no matter what, I could not figure out its process or outcome. All I could trace back were the materials from the beginning of the Holy Grail War."
"As well as the roster of the seven Magus who gathered to pursue the Holy Grail."
As he spoke, Holmes looked at Mash, his voice carrying a hint of inexplicable emotion as he said, "At the same time, among the seven who participated in this Holy Grail War, there is someone you also know."
"To be precise, you know that person's daughter."
"Could it be..." Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately thought of something. She looked at Holmes and said, "The former Director of Chaldea?!"
"That is correct." Holmes nodded and calmly recounted, "The father of Olga Marie Animusphere, the late former Director of Chaldea."
"As a Lord of the Clock Tower, he was the one who secretly traveled to a local city in Japan to participate in a bloody ritual."
"His name is..."
Just as Holmes was about to say that name, a notification sound came from the Trismegistus beside him, interrupting his conversation.
"Hmm? It has already replied with the answer. There was no startup sound; it's a bit lonely, isn't it?" Holmes focused on the message coming from the Trismegistus.
He looked at it for a moment, then said in a calm tone, "But what is pleasing is that the content is completely consistent with my speculation. Thus, one problem is solved."
"The victor of the Holy Grail War that took place in Japan in 2004 is Marisbury Animusphere."
"According to Trismegistus's records, he killed six Magus and obtained the Holy Grail, the omnipotent wish-granting machine."
At this moment, everyone was stunned; this news was too explosive.
Mash was even more stunned, standing there blankly as she looked at Holmes and said, "Obtained the Holy Grail?!"
"Before the Human Order Incineration occurred, under the conditions before the Spiritron Transfer?"
Obviously, this was a highly shocking situation. In other words, the first Director, Marisbury, had won the Holy Grail War and had also conveniently obtained the Holy Grail.
"Yes." Holmes nodded, looking at the records, and continued, "Additionally, the records contain further details. During the Holy Grail War, Marisbury brought an assistant. In the year following the Holy Grail War, that person was brought into Chaldea as a staff member, as a special case."
"Becoming the head of the Medical Department at the age of only 22 is an extraordinary promotion, one that would make it hard for anyone to publicly claim this was a normal personnel transfer."
"..." Fujimaru Ritsuka was slightly silent. She said calmly, "The head of the Medical Department."
Mash looked at Holmes, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly spoke that name: "It's Romani Archaman, isn't it?"
"The Doctor... did he know the former Director before coming to Chaldea?"
"Yes." Holmes looked at the record and frowned slightly, "And there is something even stranger. Everything about Romani Archaman's background is unknown."
"No matter how I investigate, I cannot find any records before the Holy Grail War. If I could use Trismegistus further, I should be able to understand..."
At this point, Holmes wore a rather distressed expression and said, "But if I were to search for one person's profile among the billions of people whose data is updated every year, there is simply not enough time."
Having finished speaking, Holmes looked at Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka, his voice very serious, "This is the reason I do not trust Romani Archaman. He is undoubtedly a human; although he is not a Magus, he is hiding something, and it is something extremely huge, something quite close to the truth."
"..." X2.
Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka fell into a slight silence. Clearly, they were unwilling to believe Holmes's words, but the facts were right before their eyes, and they had no way to refute them.
"Excuse me... may I interrupt?"
At this moment,Sanz spoke up. She looked at Holmes and Fujimaru Ritsuka with a subtle expression and said, "It is not because I am tired of remaining silent that I am interrupting you."
"His name is Marisbury, right? He got the Holy Grail, right? What exactly was the wish that person made?"
Sanz's interruption cleverly eased the awkward situation on the scene and went straight to the essence, wanting to know what exactly Marisbury had done back then.
"Who knows?" Holmes shook his head and said with some regret, "Unfortunately, Trismegistus did not record the individual's wish; all that remains is the result."
"According to Trismegistus's records, after that, Marisbury achieved great success as a Magus."
"At the Clock Tower, the theories of Chaldea and Animusphere were looked down upon and regarded as 'nothing more than empty talk'."
"But after successive successes, this evaluation was overturned, and the Heroic Spirit Summoning System was established."
"Not only was it possible to observe the future, but even Spiritron Transfer, a method of interfering with eras, became a possible hypothetical experiment."
"Starting from 2004, Chaldea, which was originally just an astronomical observatory, obtained various equipment comparable to research facilities. Judging by common sense, Marisbury's wish must have been wealth."
"He had no reason to wish for the Human Order Incineration. According to the data, his nature was 'wise'; he possessed the desires of an ordinary person, the jealousy of an ordinary person, and loved the happiness of ordinary people—he was that kind of person."
Speaking of which, Holmes frowned slightly, as if thinking of something, and continued, "If so, he must have been used by a third party, or... he stepped on a landmine of destruction without realizing it himself."
Mash said with a somewhat dejected expression, "A third party... is it Professor Lev?"
"Lev L. Euler was appointed to Chaldea in 1999." Holmes looked at Mash's expression and analyzed calmly, "This coincides with the period when the Near-Future Observation Lens, Sheba, was provided."
"Lev L. Euler is a subordinate of the Demon God King; this is beyond doubt. Actually... this is the part that gives me the most headache."
"Lev must have targeted Chaldea and infiltrated it."
"In other words, some kind of problem had already appeared in Chaldea before the Holy Grail War in 2004."
Holmes continued his analysis, "There is a possibility that the 2004 Holy Grail War was merely a channel for Marisbury to obtain funding and had nothing to do with the Human Order Incineration."
"In that case... although it is difficult to say, Romani Archaman is..."
When mentioning Romani Archaman, Holmes frowned again; he seemed to be thinking about how to evaluate the other party.
Finally, after pondering for a moment, Holmes helplessly evaluated, "A mysterious figure who is insignificant, only causes trouble for others, and has no relation to the incident, although it is unclear why." That is the conclusion I can draw."
Hearing such a comment, Sanz couldn't help but smile, "What is this? It's so strange."
Even Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled at this moment. She said somewhat helplessly, "It really is Dr. Roman's style, an insignificant, mysterious figure."
"Yes." Mash was also amused by this funny comment and couldn't help but say, "It is very much Dr. Roman's style."
"~~"
Seeing everyone laughing so happily, Holmes shrugged and continued, "However, for me, he remains a very important suspect. Please do not tell him the content of our conversation here."
"Until his secrets are uncovered, he cannot be trusted."
Perhaps fearing that Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash might feel compassion, Holmes looked at the two and instructed, "At the very least, Romani Archaman remained silent with you while knowing the outcome of the Holy Grail War."
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash were silent, but at this moment, they nodded slowly, indicating that they understood.
Outside the video.
Type-Moon/Fate World, Chaldea.
"No, no, no, no, no!!!! That's not it!!!!"
Dr. Roman looked at Holmes in the video and shouted, "It's not keeping silent, it's that you didn't ask!!!! If you had asked! I definitely would have told you!!!!"
The staff in the Control Room looked at the rather agitated Dr. Roman with some curiosity.
However, by this time, they were almost used to it, because at this point, they also knew that Dr. Roman and entities like Da Vinci possessed something they could not see.
That thing seemed to be some very unique existence; regardless, they didn't quite understand it, but this wasn't the first or second time Dr. Roman had been like this.
So everyone just went back to their own business and stopped paying attention to Dr. Roman's unusual behavior.
Realizing he had been shouting, Dr. Roman immediately lowered his voice, his expression somewhat aggrieved.
After all, how was he to know that the cause of the Human Order Incineration was that Holy Grail War?
Moreover, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash had never asked him. If they had asked, Dr. Roman would have told them every detail, except for his 'true identity'.
"Ah." And thinking of Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash in the Singularity having already seen this video, it was highly likely they would misunderstand him later.
Dr. Roman couldn't help but let his soul escape his mouth; this was truly despair-inducing.
As for whether Holmes trusted him or not, to be honest, Dr. Roman didn't care much.
But Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash were different; those two were very important existences to Dr. Roman. If possible, he wanted to protect them until the day he died.
He didn't want them to suffer any harm, but he also didn't want them to hate or reject him!!
Thinking of this, Dr. Roman immediately logged into Magical Merli's website without a second thought and typed quickly.
Dr. Roman: "Magical Merli! Help me!! I'm about to be hated by two of my juniors!!!!!"
Magical Merli: "Why would you be hated?"
Dr. Roman: "Ah~ It's probably because I hid some very important things, but that's not what I wanted. If they had asked, I definitely would have told them."
Magical Merli: "Is it the entire content? If so, it can be forgiven~"
Dr. Roman: "It's most of the content, not all of it..."
Magical Merli: "Then wait to suffer Tenken ☆~"
"Ugh!" Dr. Roman clutched his chest. At this moment, it was as if he had been dealt another heavy blow. Although it was his fault for hiding the crucial final details, he couldn't help it.
Because he was a coward who just wanted to live out this ordinary life.
No Game No Life World.
"I see. Most of the puzzle pieces have been gathered." Sora's eyes flashed with a peculiar light as he muttered to himself, "Dr. Roman is certainly not a simple person."
"Brother, we knew that from the beginning."
Shiro sat on Sora's lap; her eyes also flashed with a peculiar light as she said softly, "However, Holmes is really amazing. He truly lives up to the reputation of the legendary great detective."
"Yeah, that's true. He is amazing, but we have the god's-eye view." Sora revealed a rather mischievous smile, "For example, although he deduced that Dr. Roman is hiding a lot of things, he doesn't know whether the other party is trustworthy or not."
"And from our perspective, this Dr. Roman is completely fine. Although he is hiding something, his nature is definitely that of a genuinely good person."
Shiro nodded slightly, agreeing with what her brother said.
Because anyone watching the video could tell that Dr. Roman was definitely a good person.
"However..." Sora recalled the segment and couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect that in Marisbury's dream, that assistant was actually Dr. Roman, not a Servant?"
"That is quite a surprising thing. I thought that background man was Marisbury's Servant."
From the information Holmes has obtained, a small answer can be derived: Dr. Roman indeed helped Marisbury, this Chaldea Director, during the Holy Grail War back then.
Although it is unknown what role he played, he knew the general situation of that Holy Grail War and gave Marisbury some help.
Otherwise, Marisbury wouldn't have so readily handed over the Medical Department to Dr. Roman to manage later.
Besides valuing his ability, it must have been his extreme trust in him.
"However, this can be considered a payoff of foreshadowing." Sora stretched, not expecting that Marisbury's dream would pay off the foreshadowing in this state.
"At the same time, the plot has become more complex. It's getting more and more interesting."
A smile appeared on Sora's face; it was like the joy of watching JoJo back in the day! He loved this kind of mysterious atmosphere that gradually led to the truth.
The video continued to play.
After finishing the conversation about Dr. Roman, Holmes also informed the other party of the true name of the Heroic Spirit inside Mash.
Although Bedivere tried to stop him during this process, Holmes made Bedivere shut his mouth with the words: "At this point, everyone knows. In this situation, refusing to face the truth is the act of a fool."
At the same time, Mash also hoped to know the true name of the Heroic Spirit who had once saved her at Chaldea and entrusted everything to her.
Regarding this, Fujimaru Ritsuka expressed that although it was not very romantic, since Mash wanted to know, she should be allowed to.
Then, Holmes revealed the true name of the Servant residing within Mash.
That Servant was named Galahad, one of the Knights of the Round Table, the holy knight who succeeded in finding the Holy Grail through his own power alone.
Upon hearing this, Mash collapsed to the ground, deeply moved that she now knew the true name of the Servant who had saved her.
And she wondered, had her battles thus far brought any shame to that name?
Mash reached out to stroke her shield, her face filled with a gentle expression, while Bedivere and Holmes stood by, smiling as they witnessed the young girl's rebirth.
Holmes then exposed what the Artoria Pendragon had been doing; while everything she had done was for the sake of humanity, it was also not for humanity.
The so-called "Holy Selection" was not about selecting upright and honest humans, but rather those who would always do the right thing, no matter what happened.
Furthermore, the Holy Spear could only house five hundred souls, and the city that appeared overnight was the [Holy Spear] itself. People sent into the Holy Spear were essentially being stored within it.
The Holy Spear, like this Atlas Institute, was a sanctuary, but it left no room for living as a biological entity; everyone would be managed as 'elements of good humanity.'
The Holy City would eventually shrink and turn into a tower, a tower containing nothing but a compressed hell. People were not gathered there to live in an ideal city.
Rather, they were collected as ideal human (specimens).
Bedivere was filled with anger and shock at Holmes's words; this could no longer be called the actions of a human.
However, Tawara Touta, standing nearby, expressed a different opinion, though he would not comment on the Artoria Pendragon's actions.
But it was undeniable that she had truly protected her people.
Sanz declared that this was definitely wrong!! How could it possibly be right?
Tawara Touta continued, explaining that once the Artoria Pendragon's Holy City turned into a tower, the city would vanish, the army would vanish, and the Knights of the Round Table would vanish. In this way, the war would end.
The People of the Mountain would no longer need to fight the Artoria Pendragon to the death, and everything would come to a perfect conclusion.
Holmes, however, shook his head, saying it would be nice if that were the case, but once the Artoria Pendragon succeeded in doing all this...
This world would turn into the end of the world, and everyone except for the five hundred citizens within the tower would die!
The one who created this Singularity was no longer the Demon God King.
It was the god-like Artoria Pendragon, who was willing to sacrifice the foundation of human history just to claim an ideal city for herself.
This was the reason King Hassan, the First Hassan, had brought them here.
Beyond learning information about the Human Order Incineration, it was also to discover what kind of terrifying plan the Artoria Pendragon was orchestrating.
After learning everything, everyone naturally had to return to the surface.
However, just as Holmes had said earlier, getting in was easy, but getting out was difficult.
After some time of struggling...
"Senpai! I can see light ahead in the tunnel!!" Mash said, looking exceptionally happy. "It's sunlight."
"The return journey was surprisingly fast," Bedivere said, looking at Holmes with admiration. "This is all thanks to you, Lord Holmes."
"It is merely common sense, everyone," Holmes said, looking exceptionally calm. "When entering a labyrinth, one cannot rely on visual information; one must mentally construct a 3D map while moving forward."
"As expected of the great detective. Thank you, Holmes." Fujimaru Ritsuka was naturally quite impressed with Holmes.
"Hmm."
Hearing Fujimaru Ritsuka's words, Holmes raised an eyebrow and sighed slightly. "I am glad I could be of help to you in the end. I shall bid you all farewell here."
"..." Mash looked at Holmes, her expression slightly sad. "Are you still unable to trust Chaldea?"
"Hmm." Holmes shook his head. He looked at Mash seriously. "Chaldea does indeed still have mysteries, but I myself have others I need to track down. They are called Phantoms..."
"No, this is not the time to speak of that."
Holmes returned to his old habits. Having just revealed a slight detail, he cut himself off and quickly said, "Then I shall take my leave. Fujimaru Ritsuka, let me leave you with one final puzzle."
"This is the simplest question regarding the Human Order Incineration."
Both Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash put on serious expressions, indicating they were all ears.
Holmes looked at the two of them, his tone very calm. "I am wondering, why did this happen starting from the year 2017?"
"Eh?" Mash was slightly stunned.
Fujimaru Ritsuka was the same, frozen in place.
It was a simple question, as simple as 1+1=2, yet at this moment, both Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash were stunned.
"Does no one feel puzzled by this?" Holmes did not seem surprised. He said very calmly, "The Demon God King incinerated the entire history of humanity."
"If that is the case, if it started from 1 AD, you wouldn't even have been born, and the world would have ended right then."
"But he started the incineration from 2017, backtracking from 2017 into the past to incinerate it. The fire of the Human Order Incineration is a flame that started from the 2017 you are currently in and burned toward the past~"
"Why do that? There is only one conclusion that can be deduced."
"The Demon God King had a reason to wait until 2017. Let us assume for the moment that his location is 1000 BC."
"From 1000 BC to 2017 AD, he had to burn through about 3000 years of history. Do you understand?"
"It is not that the Demon God King wished for it to be extinguished, so he made it be extinguished."
"Rather, it is because [there was a necessity, so he made it be extinguished]. Although the conclusion is the same, this distinction cannot be ignored."
Holmes's words seemed to open a new door for Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash, bringing a brand new concept.
"Is it not because of hatred for humanity?" Fujimaru Ritsuka was somewhat confused, but then she seemed to guess something, her pupils slightly shrinking. "So that means, the reason for the indifference is because..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka hadn't finished her sentence, but Holmes seemed to have already guessed what she would say next. He said calmly, "Correct. One cannot hold killing intent toward an object one is indifferent to."
"However... this investigation becomes very troublesome from here on. Of course, that is the question of what the [reason] is."
"One hypothesis is as I just stated: the length from 2017 into the past has value."
"And another speculation is..."
Saying this, Holmes paused again. He frowned slightly, as if considering whether or not to voice this possibility.
However, in the end, Holmes looked at the inquisitive gazes of Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash. He finally sighed and said seriously, "Even that King Solomon could not see anything past 2017."
"!!!!!!!"
This single sentence could be said to have plunged all the Servants present, as well as Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash, into shock.
Because the amount of information contained in this one sentence was simply too much.
Ignoring everyone's shock, Holmes continued, "King Solomon possessed Clairvoyance, which allowed him to see through time. If even he could not see the future of 2017..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka swallowed, looking at Holmes, her voice trembling slightly. "From the very beginning, humanity had no future?"
This possibility was too terrifying, so terrifying that if this conclusion were true...
Then King Solomon, at the very moment human history was about to be destroyed, had personally incinerated human history himself and gathered a massive amount of energy, though it was unknown what he intended to do.
"..." Holmes looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and sighed. "My conclusion is the same as yours. I can only pray that this is incorrect."
Having said that, Holmes smiled. Regardless of the pressure his previous words had brought to everyone, he smiled and said farewell. "Then, everyone, I shall take my leave! If we can meet again next time~ hmm!"
"It would be best if it weren't in the wilderness, but in a bustling city! I look forward to you all showing your skills in a metropolis comparable to London~"
With those words, Holmes departed, and after he left...
Fujimaru Ritsuka and her party arrived at the surface.
"Fou~!"
At this moment, Fou seemed exceptionally happy.
Seeing the 'long-lost' sunlight, Sanz couldn't help but exclaim, "Being able to come outside makes the cat happy, and of course, I am also filled with immeasurable joy; I'm so happy my lips are curling up~"
"Because the underground passage was too long," Mash said, looking at the surroundings as if making a report. "The sandstorm seems to have stopped. It is probably because this place is directly above the Atlas Institute; this is not the Sun King's territory."
"Now is not the time to just be happy!"
At this moment, Tawara Touta looked at the man in purple armor ahead, his expression wary. "To actually ambush us at the exit! What a patient man!"
Ahead, the man in purple armor looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and her party with an expressionless face. He did not speak, but his aura was so terrifying.
He was called Lancelot, a member of the Knights of the Round Table, also known as the strongest Knight of the Round Table.
"Knight Lancelot..."
At this moment, Mash looked at Lancelot with complicated feelings. She then raised the shield in her hand, shielding Fujimaru Ritsuka, and said seriously, "Master, we are surrounded."
"The game of running away ends here."
Lancelot spoke. He looked at Mash, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and the others ahead, his voice very serious. "You have nowhere left to run. Surrender obediently!"
The party from Chaldea, having just obtained part of the truth about the Human Order Incineration and the Artoria Pendragon's true purpose, encountered a crisis once again.
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