Just as Morgan had predicted, Sakura, Ritsuka, Gray, and Mash traveled north through the Ozymandias territory in a sand buggy. Using the coordinates Chaldea had on the Atlas Institute, they searched the desert and, after a skirmish with monsters, suddenly fell into a massive pit.
Beneath the pit was an underground facility. They were now in a corridor.
They had reached the Atlas Institute—only to find soone had arrived before them.
His na was Sherlock Hols.
He claid to be the embodint of the concept of a detective, the incarnation of "one who uncovers the truth," and the final key that would guide them to it.
According to Hols, he had already made contact with Sakura through information.
The docunts neatly arranged in the underground archive of the Mage's Association during the London Singularity were his doing, intended to help those who ca later quickly find what they needed.
But more than that, it was Gray and Mash, both avid fans of Conan Doyle, who were caught off guard as readers.
They never expected a legendary literary figure to appear in a Singularity as a Servant—and to offer his cooperation.
"But given the current circumstances, this is truly an unprecedented murder case, ladies," Hols said, leading the way and speaking as he walked. "To think of it as an incident of 'wiping out primates through the incineration of human history'—an event of this scale, naturally I would be here."
"Then why did you co to this Singularity, Mr. Hols?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
Was the ability to travel across Singularities sothing a masterless Servant could truly possess?
Or was this a deliberate arrangent by the Counter Force—summoning Hols to various Singularities and preserving all his mories?
"Sa as you—I'm here to acquire knowledge," Hols replied. "However... it seems the one who should've co personally did not accompany you."
"You an my father?" Sakura asked. "He's currently being held prisoner in Calot by the Lion King."
"Captured, not executed?" Hols raised an eyebrow. "If soone qualifies to enter Calot, yet was taken instead of killed, there must be another reason."
Ritsuka quickly asked, "Then do you know why Professor Shiomi was taken?"
"That answer likely lies at the heart of this institute," Hols said with a warm smile. "And I have business there as well. A perfectly aligned collaboration with no detours—so, ladies, let's pick up the pace. The endless knowledge of the Atlas Institute awaits us."
Though he spoke with polished courtesy, his passion for knowledge and the unknown, hallmarks of a detective, still shone through. It made him feel just slightly different from the Hols they had read about in books.
Still, they followed him through the long underground corridors of the Atlas Institute, heading toward its center.
Along the way, they exchanged information with Hols about this Singularity and others.
When Ritsuka briefly explained their purpose, Hols asked to examine the Add that Gray was carrying. With her permission, he carefully inspected the cage.
"I see. So this is a replica of one of the Atlas Institute's seven great weapons. There's a rumor that the Atlas Institute once assisted Morgan in her plan to resurrect King Arthur. It seems that rumor is true," Hols said as he returned the cage to Gray, then looked at her. "But I'm surprised to hear you've t the last director of the Atlas Institute, Zepia Eltnam Atlasia."
"No… we only t briefly. The only one who had any deep conversation with him was Professor Shiomi," Gray shook her head.
She hadn't fully understood Zepia's actions in Blackmore Village.
All she knew was what Shiomi had said later—that Zepia had intended to reclaim the weapons the Atlas Institute had lent out under a contract. He used them to destroy the resurrection ritual, bringing that contract to an end.
"Again, that person?" Hols raised an eyebrow, as if he'd just caught a critical clue.
"Is there sothing wrong with my dad?" Sakura sounded a little displeased.
She knew this was likely Hols's instinct as a detective—to question anything or anyone cloaked in mystery. But for Sakura, who had never once doubted her father, it ca off as a bit offensive.
Anyone else might betray her, and she wouldn't be surprised. But her father? Never. Sakura was more certain of that than anyone else.
"No, I just rembered sothing. Miss Sakura, back at the London Singularity, you encountered the King of Magecraft. Thinking back on it now—was there anything unusual about the way he appeared to you and your father?" Hols asked.
Sakura furrowed her brow slightly. "If you're asking whether sothing felt off... then yes, it did. Strictly speaking, that was the first ti I saw the King of Magecraft—but it wasn't the first ti I had encountered him."
"Oh?" Hols leaned in, clearly interested.
The other three girls looked surprised.
"In 2004, I was sixteen. For certain reasons, I returned alone to my hotown, Fuyuki City, and participated in the Fifth Holy Grail War," Sakura said. "I didn't win the Grail, but I know that the final Servant was Caster—who was the King of Magecraft."
"To survive a Grail War where the enemy Servant was the King of Magecraft... that must have been quite the battle," Hols remarked. "Miss Sakura, would you be willing to tell us how you survived such a war?"
At that mont, Gray spoke up. "Because... Professor Shiomi returned to Fuyuki."
As a fan of detective novels, she had quickly grasped the heart of the conversation.
Tenkei Shiomi.
The person Gray respected most, who treated her like family.
Sakura and Caren's father.
Now, one of the key pillars of Chaldea's Human Order Restoration efforts.
But from the mont he first arrived in Gray's village, it was undeniable—he had always carried secrets.
Even so, he had earned the trust of soone as shy as Gray.
And now, he suddenly felt like a mysterious figure whose identity needed unraveling.
"That's right," Sakura said. "In the end, it wasn't
who confronted the King of Magecraft—it was my father and Lady Mother."
Hols didn't imdiately ask who "Lady Mother" was. Instead, he prompted Sakura to think:
"If that's the case, then your father has faced the King of Magecraft more than once. Looking back—was there any subtle mistake or reaction from either of them that struck you as odd? Even sothing that just made you go, 'Hmm?'"
Sakura froze for a mont, then spoke slowly.
"He had encountered the King of Magecraft before... and yet, that ti, the way he braced himself—it was like he was facing him for the first ti."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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