Back in reality, Ebner unlocked the spiritual seal on the washroom door and returned to the sunroom.
As he pushed the door open, he saw Vice Admiral Iceberg disassembling a radio, studying its internal structure.
Seeing Ebner return, she stopped what she was doing, pointed to the disassembled parts, and sighed with emotion, "This must be the radio mentioned in some of Emperor Roselle's manuscripts... I didn't expect him to have already realized it in this world of imagination."
At this point, Edwina paused, her light blue eyes full of anticipation as she suggested, "Perhaps, we should go to the 'library' in this scenario... if one exists."
"We'll have plenty of time to go later..." Ebner smiled, then briefly recounted what he had discussed with Klein above the gray fog.
Of course, he didn't mention the parts about "traps" and "lying flat"; some things were fine to discuss in the Sefirah Castle, but not safe on the first floor of the Dream Labyrinth Tower.
"So, Gehrman and his companion will be coming to meet up soon?" Edwina thought for a moment, then hesitantly asked, "Is he truly trustworthy?"
"Trustworthy," Ebner answered without hesitation.
"I understand." Edwina nodded, then suggested, "But before they arrive, we'd best summon the Heroic Spirit first."
"That's exactly what I'm going to do." Ebner replied with a smile, then walked to the ritual symbol formed by the bloodstains and placed the Staff of the Sun, which he had already taken out, upon it.
Through his Pure White Eye, Ebner knew that unlike the Holy Grail War in the anime of his previous life, this ritual itself did not require a special activation incantation. It only needed to be started by spiritually activating the Command Seal patterns on the back of the hand.
As faint phosphorescence emerged from the crimson patterns, a current of air suddenly arose in the room. It quickly escalated from a gentle breeze to a violent whirlwind, throwing the entire sunroom into disarray.
Vice Admiral Iceberg, observing this, waved her hand to set up a Spiritual Wall, preventing further damage to the room's furniture.
At this moment, brilliant light gradually rose from the center of the glowing ritual patterns, making it difficult to keep one's eyes open... But Ebner, with his Pure White Eye activated, still noticed a slender yet tall figure slowly ascending from the center of the "magic circle," as if emerging from water.
Soon, the wind imperceptibly ceased, and the crimson patterns that had just emitted light were now dim, appearing scorched and dry.
A young girl clad in black full plate armor appeared before Ebner and Edwina.
She wore no helmet, revealing a delicate face, with beautiful golden hair tied back, holding a thorny spear in her hand.
It's indeed transformed from that Pope's evil spirit; the aura is consistent... However, this appearance...
Is it Lancer-class King Arthur? Or the Alter version... Is it because that Pope degenerated into an evil spirit, which is why she manifests with 'black' armored 'skin'?
As Ebner observed and pondered, the "girl" transformed from that Pope knelt down again, just as she did upon their first meeting at the hot spring inn, addressing Ebner as "My Lord."
She wasn't instilled with the "Heroic Spirit" memory? And she still has self-awareness? Ebner was surprised internally, asking calmly, "Are you Auerbach, or King Arthur?"
Auerbach was the Angelic evil spirit previously residing in the staff, and also the second Pope of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun who fell before the position of Pope was completely abolished and replaced by a round table conference.
"Auerbach greets My Lord... I have indeed received the persona of a king named 'Artoria Pendragon'... but this cannot extinguish my faith in My Lord.
"In truth, when this sealed artifact—imbued with the powers of 'Profane Presbyter,' 'Wisdom Angel,' 'Discerner,' 'Sun-Chaser,' 'Calamity,' and 'Miracle-Invoker'—forged this 'imagined' shell to stabilize my condition and bestowed upon me personality, abilities, and authority... I would never have accepted it had I not sensed that the master it chose for me was You."
The "girl" replied respectfully and firmly.
Ebner was somewhat embarrassed by her fawning attitude, calling him "My Lord" repeatedly, but he didn't dare to directly deny it. He took a deep breath and began to ponder the information revealed in her words:
It seems the "Dream Labyrinth Tower's" influence isn't as strong on beings of Angelic rank, at least there's a possibility of resistance...
Also, 'Profane Presbyter,' 'Wisdom Angel,' 'Discerner,' 'Sun-Chaser,' 'Calamity,' and 'Miracle-Invoker'... the first five are all Sequence 2 of the "All-Knowing and Omnipotent Pathway"!
This must be leveraging the power of the "Chaos Sea," right? But if it can be leveraged, it means the "raw material" of this tower itself is extraordinary!
Its image is an "inverted tall tower," "Hanged Man," "White Tower"... Could it be that Roselle killed a 'Profane Presbyter' who herded "Wisdom Angels," and combined it with the "Chaos Sea" and Zaratul to create the "Dream Labyrinth Tower"?
Thinking this, Ebner chose his words carefully and asked, "What level of abilities can you use now?"
"Reporting to My Lord... I can now use all abilities from Sequence 9 to Sequence 3 of this pathway. And after unleashing my 'Noble Phantasm,' I can use my original Sequence 2 level powers, and temporarily control several authorities and skills temporarily granted to me by this 'Dream Labyrinth Tower,'" Auerbach answered without concealment.
Hmm, the Rider-class Medusa Klein described earlier, even without unleashing her Noble Phantasm, also had Demigod-level strength, but she could only use a few granted abilities, unlike this one, who is much more comprehensive... As expected of a "Heroic Spirit" summoned with a self-provided soul; this is far more powerful!
Ebner thoughtfully nodded, then pressed, "Can you manifest your mythical form?"
"After unleashing my Noble Phantasm, I can..." Auerbach nodded slightly, then added, "But if I do, this imagined shell will be damaged."
This shell is probably the "soul" that replaces you in the "Lesser Holy Grail," so the "mythical form" should only be a one-time opportunity, but this alone makes her much stronger than other Heroic Spirits without "Holy Relics."
Too bad it's a "Lancer"... But luckily, I'm a believer of the "Yellow-Black King who Wields Good Fortune," so it shouldn't be a problem... right?
Thinking this, Ebner, generally satisfied with his "Heroic Spirit," reined in his thoughts and nodded to the "girl" before him, "Very good, you may rise now... However, in this dream scenario, we temporarily need to hide our identities, so I will call you Lya normally, and 'Lancer' when there are enemies... Do you have any other questions?"
Lya is a diminutive of Artoria.
"Yes, My Lord! I have no questions, and I offer victory to you," Lya said with the fervor of a fanatic in her eyes, standing up and bowing respectfully.
Just as Ebner was about to say something more, his Pure White Eye suddenly detected a subtle disharmony. He immediately grabbed the "Magic Mirror," sidestepped a few paces to shield Edwina behind him, and then looked out the window.
At the same time, the "Lancer girl" also turned around, raising her hand to condense a thorny spear that was pure white and blazing white to the extreme, seemingly composed of pure sunlight. Within her own body, pure and clear light erupted, illuminating every corner of the surroundings.
Under the illumination, outside the French window, a small, masked figure appeared.
Hundred-Faced Hassan? A Heroic Spirit found us so quickly? Ebner frowned, but recalling Hundred-Faced Hassan's abilities in the original work, his brows relaxed.
After all, a Heroic Spirit who could split himself into dozens of individuals was indeed an excellent scout.
Just as the "Lancer girl" was about to throw the solar spear in her hand, a very magnetic male voice suddenly came in: "Your Excellency the Favored One, please do not act yet. I am not an enemy."
As the words fell, the air outside the French window rippled slightly, and then a man dressed in black priestly attire stepped out from within.
This was a man around thirty years old, with black hair and black eyes, handsome, and with an exceptionally distinguished demeanor.
In short, once seen, he would be hard to forget.
Observing the suddenly appearing man, Ebner was still pondering which deity the other party's "Favored One" corresponded to when Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina spoke first:
"Is that Professor Tayles?"
She used a question, but her tone was quite certain.
Tayles? That name sounds familiar, I think I heard it somewhere... Right, it was the night I was promoted to "Mysticism Magister," Closfia told me about it! The name of another "Mysticism Magister" she had helped as part of a "ritual"!
So this is what he looks like... No wonder Crossfia praised his charm even years later, and also said that Judy's father, Lord Loreto, really disliked this man back then...
It would be strange if he did like him!