77. Fujimaru Ritsuka, Do You Want to Know Everything?
Leonidas I focused his gaze hard on the air, trying to ignore the man in front of him, clutching his cheek, and his group of sullen-looking companions behind him, seemingly ready to pummel him again.
Leonidas I cleared his throat, trying to make his voice as steady and forceful as possible:
"So... you all have come all this way to aid Uruk in combating the threat of the Three Goddesses Alliance?"
"That's about it—hiss! It hurts, it hurts!" Xiling began to speak, but a twitch of his lips tugged at the traces of care from his companion on his face, and he immediately grimaced.
"Serves you right." Elaina, her face still pale, crossed her arms, glaring at Xiling. The dizziness from the bus ride still made her stomach churn.
This beating was entirely his own fault. Even the usually gentle Luo Tianyi nodded in agreement, with a rare expression of composure.
"Haha!" Xiling laughed dryly and then, with a serious expression, said, "Aren't you all the ones who are complaining about slow progress? I'm just responding to public opinion and speeding up, delivering a quick and exciting direct route to our destination, and now you're complaining again... Sigh, being a good driver and tour guide is so hard!"
As he spoke, Xiling shook his head with a look of helplessness on his face.
His helpless expression instantly ignited the anger of the group of people who had just attacked him. Seeing this, Xiling immediately put away his expression and quickly made a big X across his chest, and spoke rapidly, "You've already beaten me once. You can't do it again. Hiss! It hurts!"
A certain hero, who was content with the way he and his companion appeared on the city wall, was just about to say his name when he was grabbed from behind by several ruthless hands. In front of Leonidas I and all the soldiers, they engaged in a physical exchange of love and justice.
Seeing that the others seemed to be about to complain and beat him again, Leonidas I quickly stepped forward and, with a resounding voice, intervened, attempting to bring the conversation back on track. As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Fujimaru Ritsuka. Xiling had previously explained to him that Fujimaru Ritsuka was a member of Chaldea.
"Everyone, are you all magi sent by Chaldea? King Gilgamesh, the Wise King of Uruk, has foreseen your arrival. He has specifically dispatched the Flower Magician, Merlin, to the designated location to greet and guide you. Logically speaking, you should have already rendezvous with him..."
Facing the other party's puzzled gaze, Fujimaru Ritsuka stepped forward and shook her head.
"We haven't seen the Flower Magician Merlin you speak of. Could you clarify your claim? You said King Gilgamesh knew we were coming?"
Leonidas nodded his head at Fujimaru Ritsuka's question.
"As I said before, the king knew you would arrive in this world long ago, so he sent the wizard Merlin to search for you."
Leonidas then paused, his gaze sweeping over Xiling and the others.
"However... your direction of arrival is completely wrong. The intended location is the relatively safe southern plains. How could you have come from the north, where the monsters are most rampant?"
As soon as these words were spoken, almost everyone's gaze snapped to a single person, and Xiling felt a tingling sensation.
Watching this, Leonidas's mind raced, but within two seconds, he gave up.
He bluntly said, "In any case, welcome to Uruk. If you don't mind, I'll arrange for you to meet the king. The king has been waiting for a long time."
"Thank you for your help," Mash said, bowing slightly. Just as Mash straightened up, Dan Heng stepped forward. His voice was calm.
"Sir Leonidas, we are not members of Chaldea. Is it inappropriate for us to rashly accompany you to the capital?"
Leonidas I turned his head, his eyes scanning the men, then slowly shook his head.
"I can sense it," Leonidas' voice was steady and powerful.
"You all exude an aura similar to mine—the spiritual vibrations of Servants."
"Although I have no way of knowing who summoned you heroes to this singularity..."
His gaze finally settled on Xiling.
"But I choose to trust you. In this time of crisis, I, Leonidas I, on behalf of the defenders of Uruk's north wall, implore you to join our battle!"
Leonidas I then turned his gaze once more toward the seemingly endless tide of monsters surging beneath the city walls.
"We need strength! We need the strength to break this suffocating predicament! Therefore, regardless of your final decision, I implore you to proceed to the capital and meet the King. If you are willing to offer even a small contribution to this era on the brink of collapse..."
"I, Leonidas, offer a warrior's highest respect and gratitude!"
The chat group members glanced at each other subconsciously, and finally, everyone's gaze turned to Xiling. Xiling caught everyone's gaze, shrugged, and said with a smile, "Then let's go."
Seeing Xiling nod, Leonidas's tense expression finally relaxed, a relieved smile spreading across his resolute face.
"Okay! Then, everyone, please follow me. I'll immediately arrange for us to go to the capital..."
"Don't worry," Xiling shook his head and walked towards the edge of the city wall. Looking at the large group of Demonic Beasts in the distance, he spoke slowly.
"By the way, Kevin and Tarnished, didn't you two say you learned new skills? Why don't you show them off?"
Hearing Xiling's words, Kevin and Tarnished instantly understood. After a light chuckle, they also walked over to Xiling's side.
"We really need to show them off," Kevin nodded.
"Then let's demonstrate it with the Demonic Beasts below." Tarnished took up his staff and gently tapped the ground...
Buzz! Purple, gravity-representing magic enveloped the Tarnished's form. The air beneath him seemed to solidify into invisible steps, lifting him gracefully into the air.
At the same moment, a heart-pounding, scorching aura suddenly erupted from Kevin's direction! The surrounding air distorted and rippled under the intense heat. The same deep purple gravity magic flowed and compressed around him, forming visible ripples. He, too, escaped gravity, hovering steadily in the air, almost level with the Tarnished.
Xiling took a final step, but it felt like stepping on invisible, solid steps, ascending with incredible ease.
The three of them formed a perfect triangle formation, hovering high above the city wall, overlooking the herd of Demonic Beasts below.
Everyone in the chat group silently covered their ears, knowing what was about to happen next.
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash also guessed what was about to happen and, after a moment's thought, covered their ears as well. Only Leonidas I and his soldiers, with utter bewilderment and intense anticipation, stared with wide eyes, breathlessly gazing at the three men in the sky—the stronger they appeared, the better for humanity!
At that moment! Three distinct lights, each imbued with destructive power, shone simultaneously from the three men!
The brilliance of the stars.
The silvery slash.
The merciless sun.
Three powers, in no particular order, descended simultaneously!
There was no deafening explosion. Only a single... horrifying sense of annihilation, as if the world itself were forcibly torn apart, twisted, and reduced to nothingness!
The light devoured every demonic beast in sight. When the retina-searing light faded and the gravitational ripples that distorted space subsided... a vast, bottomless crater suddenly appeared on the northern wall of Uruk.
It was as if a god had casually wiped out a piece of land. ...
A dozen minutes later
A sturdy carriage was rolling steadily along the road leading to the capital of Uruk.
Xilin, Kevin, the Tarnished, and Dan Heng sat on the carriage's roof.
In the sky, Elaina rode her broom, maintaining a steady pace. A little above and to the side, Ishtar sat on her skyboat, Maana. Her gaze kept drifting to someone on the roof below with a complex and unreadable expression as if she were pondering something.
Escape?
This thought had indeed been lingering in her mind ever since Xilin's physical persuasion, and she signed the humiliating contract prohibiting unauthorized departure.
But after witnessing the terrifying attack inflicted by the combined power of those three... Ishtar instinctively shrank back.
Forget it, for now... let's wait and see.
Inside the spacious carriage were the remaining five people: Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash, Luo Tianyi, Houraiji Kyuushou, and Lemuen.
"By the way, why are we going to see that king?" the Tarnished asked Xiling directly, his voice unmistakably low.
In the carriage, Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka pricked up their ears.
"Ah, they've already talked about that. Wouldn't it be awkward to say no?"
Hearing Xiling's response, Fujimaru Ritsuka frowned, but after a moment's thought, she stood up from the carriage.
"Senior, what are you doing?" Mash glanced at her senior.
Fujimaru Ritsuka turned around and gave Mashu a smile and a reassuring gesture, then reached the back of the carriage and attempted to climb onto the roof.
Using both her hands and feet, she scrambled to the roof's connection.
Just then, the carriage wheel ran over an uneven rock, sending the carriage lurching violently!
Fujimaru Ritsuka's climb was interrupted, her center of gravity instantly shifting, and she was about to fall over the not-so-low roof's edge!
However, the expected pain did not come. A gentle yet irresistible force lifted her, making her feel weightless like a feather, landing lightly and steadily on the wooden planks of the car's roof.
"What are you doing up here?" Xiling made room a little, looking at the Chaldea succubus in confusion.
Fujimaru Ritsuka blinked, realizing that Xiling had been responsible for helping her and preventing her from falling from the carriage. After recovering a bit, she took a deep breath and spoke solemnly:
"Who are you?"
"You seem to know... a lot. Far more than we realize. Could you please tell me a little?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka initially suspected that the other person might be another Servant, like other singularities. But after spending some time together and the other person's completely open conversation, she realized that the other person was probably not a Servant.
Faced with Fujimaru Ritsuka's blunt and serious question, Xiling smiled.
"I thought you wouldn't ask."
Fujimaru Ritsuka was slightly startled by Xiling's reaction, seemingly unprepared for such an opening. Xiling's smile faded, his eyes fixed on Fujimaru Ritsuka. His voice was solemn:
"But, Fujimaru Ritsuka, are you sure... You want to know now?"
"I'm the type of person who can't stop talking once I start. Once I start talking, I'll spill everything I know—about Chaldea, about the truth surrounding the burning of human principles, about the undercurrents of this era, even... about yourself, about the thorny road you might be treading in the future—all without reservation."
"The information I'm about to share... isn't harmless knowledge. It's both a key and a poison. It could distort your judgment and cause you to make a completely different choice at a future crossroads."
"A choice, or perhaps the same choice with different outcomes."
Xiling saw Fujimaru Ritsuka's slightly furrowed brow and slowed his speech.
"Even in this singularity, your future is already as uncertain as water after a stone has been dropped, fraught with uncertainty... but knowing these possibilities in advance can still be your greatest burden. Do you understand me?"
"Knowing the future itself is a huge distraction."
Xiling's gaze locked with Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"So, the Last Master of Chaldea, after understanding the potentially devastating consequences of all this, do you... still want to hear my answer?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka fell into a brief silence, her brows etched with obvious struggle and thought. The train was eerily quiet, the only sound being the rolling wheels.
Mash leaned halfway out of the train door, nervously watching the two people on the roof. Kevin, the Tarnished, and Dan Heng also cast their gazes at Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"A clairvoyant who knows the future?" Fujimaru Ritsuka finally spoke hesitantly, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
"That's about right, but not as amazing as that," Xiling said sheepishly, rubbing his head.
He only knew some of the plot, not the level of clairvoyance.
Fujimaru Ritsuka pondered the meaning of Xiling's words. After a few seconds, she looked up, her eyes clearer.
"You know my future... or rather, you know what I might have experienced?"
"Yes, I do."
"Do you think that if I knew that future, it might have changed?"
"Yes, I think so."
"...Then..." Fujimaru Ritsuka took a deep breath and asked the most crucial, most fundamental question.
"In your knowledge, the future I was supposed to experience... is it good... or bad for me?"
Xiling stared at her, not answering immediately.
After a few seconds, Xiling offered a complex yet truthful answer: "You will eventually achieve your wish."
"That's beyond doubt. But the path to that destination..."
Xiling's voice dropped, like a sigh: "...it's not going to be easy. It will be tiring. Extremely, extremely tiring. You will bear an unimaginable burden, feel lost, suffer pain, and struggle on the edge of the abyss."
"Is that so?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Xiling continued their conversation without reservation. Mash heard it, as did everyone in Chaldea.
Just then, a man's voice emanated from the device in Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand.
"Can we... trust you?"
Xiling's face returned to a smile. "If I say 'please trust me', will you believe me?"
To everyone's surprise, Fujimaru Ritsuka spoke without hesitation, "I will trust you, Xiling."
This unwavering declaration of trust made Roman seem to choke on the other end of the communicator.
Xiling looked at the young Master before him, whose eyes were filled with unwavering stubbornness, and asked solemnly again:
"So, Fujimaru Ritsuka, after all this conversation, after understanding the heavy burden that knowing the future may bring..."
"...Do you still want to know the truth from me?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled with relief, gently but firmly shaking her head.
"If..."
"Not knowing the future will make me more determined to move forward, and ultimately reach that destination..."
Her gaze seemed to pierce the barriers of space, taking in the worried eyes of her companions in the Chaldea control room, Mash's tense face, and the lights that belonged to humanity after the restoration of human order.
"So," Fujimaru Ritsuka looked directly at Xiling:
"No matter how many thorns and pain there are on that unknown road..."
Her voice was firm: "All of this will be worth it!"
Xiling looked at her quietly for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and rubbed Fujimaru Ritsuka's short orange hair vigorously, making it a mess.
"Why are you taking this so seriously, little brat?"
"What I said was just a possibility. Perhaps your future has already changed, and this change is because of what I've been waiting for."
"No matter what, in this singularity, I'll lead you this round. Just lie back and wait."
Fujimaru Ritsuka felt the heavy, yet resolute atmosphere just now shattered by Xiling's hand ruffling her hair!
Damn it! This guy!
Giving Xiling a fierce glare, Fujimaru Ritsuka climbed down from the roof and made a face at him.
Fujimaru Ritsuka huffed and slumped back to her seat next to Mash, looking unhappy.
However, in Mash's eyes, that reliable senior... Could she have been like this?
In Mash's memory, no matter how desperate the situation, no matter how deep the pain, she'd always gritted her teeth and stood up again.
She'd seen her tired, sad, angry, and lost, but she'd never seen her express her anger so openly as she did now.
So... could she have such a side to her?
Fujimaru Ritsuka hadn't even noticed the change she'd experienced, as if she'd returned to her days before joining Chaldea.
Back then, she'd been just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life.
"Why are you so quiet?" Mash looked at the others in the car in confusion. The people above her seemed to have fallen silent.
In the chat group.
[I Don't Want to Be a Hero Anymore] Compared to her, I'm just a new recruit.
[I Am the Savior]: From today on, I'm going to learn from her! That's so cool!
[Great Magician Tarnished]: She is just seventeen years old, right?
[Fire Moth Warrior]: The manga about high school students saving the world really didn't lie to me!
[I'm Not a Foodie]: Ms. Ritsuka is so mature!
[I'm Not Him]: Indeed.
[Wheelchair Sniper]: Perhaps only someone like this can save the world.
[I'm a Witch]: I agree. By the way, we seem to be almost there.
The heated discussion in the chat group was instantly brought back to reality by Elaina's last words.
Everyone, whether inside the carriage or on the roof, leaned forward, their gazes fixed on the horizon.
At the vast expanse, a majestic city wall rose majestically.
Again, busy figures and fluttering flags could be vaguely seen on the wall.
This was their destination: Uruk, the last human city of the Age of Gods, the heart of the reign of the wise King Gilgamesh.
Right before their eyes lay Uruk.