Shape Moon, The Road to the Magician

After meeting Arturia, the attitude of the old gravekeeper who was originally aloof and salty changed dramatically.

As long as you ask him questions, you can tell him everything you know.

Then Xia Yuan and Artoria followed him into this tombkeeper village that had been sealed in dust for thousands of years.

……

……

Judging from the number of houses, it can be estimated that the population should be only a little over a hundred. It is a village that may disappear at any time, but has spent a long time in sleep.

Most of the buildings are made of bluestone bricks, and I think they are at least a hundred years old. The entire Tombkeeper Village maintains a strong ancient British architectural style.

Dark red brick houses are dotted in every corner of the village. Since it is night, many people here have already fallen asleep, but this does not represent everyone.

"Oh, Lord Biersak. Who are the two people over there?"

A middle-aged male voice came from the black, and then a fat middle-aged man wearing a priest's uniform stopped a few people.

In fact, rather than saying that his figure is fat, it might be more accurate to call him chubby.. The over-inflated body looks like a human-sized fat ball, but the red robes he wears give people a very conflicting impression.

The profession of priest is not a role that should be associated with fat people. The repressed aura of this middle-aged man is not as harmless as it appears.

Behind the fat priest, there is also a childish young nun.

Judging from her appearance, she should be about 30 years old.

He is around 20 years old.

He has a pair of dark brown eyes, a few strands of blond hair hanging out from under his turban, and the light freckles on his face.

He is probably a disciple of the priest at this late age.

, I happened to meet two clergy members of the church stationed here in the village.

Xia Yuan found the reason was very intriguing.

Is it true that the Holy Church is also interested in the secrets of the Gravekeeper Village?

"Good evening, Priest Fernand."

Belsac called out his name.

"Good evening to you too, Mr. Biersak."

Then the old tombkeeper said:"These are my guests, can you let them in?"

"Oops, of course. After all, you are the owner of this place, and a guest like me certainly has no right to interfere with your decision."

Priest Fernand glanced at the old tombkeeper, and then looked at Xia Yuan and Artoria behind her.

When he saw Artoria's appearance, a flash of surprise flashed in his eyes. But he didn't say much, just smiled and shook his head.

Then Fernandez bowed slightly and asked politely:"This is the first time I meet you, I am Fernand Cruz. The first is Sister Ilmia. What should you call them?"

Seeing this round and shrewd fat man, Xia Yuan was sure that he had guessed something.

So he raised his hand to stop Artoria who was about to answer, and said to him:"Merlin, you can just call me Merlin. This is my traveling companion, Lily."

Merlin?

This answer surprised the old gravekeeper and the fat priest. After all, if this name is mentioned in this village...

After hearing the name reported by Xia Yuan, there was no obvious emotion on the priest's face.

In There is no one in England who has never heard of the name Merlin. Whether it is children's picture books or ancient classics, there are stories about this legendary name.

"Mr. Merlin, this is really a very legendary name. I was so scared that I thought the Flower Magician had really returned to this land with the legendary King Arthur."

"You were joking, just by chance. King Arthur is long gone, isn't he?"

Xia Yuan still answered with a smile on the fat priest's temptation.

"Haha, Mr. Merlin is, after all, a legendary figure who has passed away for fifteen hundred years."

"It's already getting late. There will be believers inviting me to give lectures tomorrow, so I'll take my leave now. Mr. Biersak, please entertain these two guests well."

"I know."

The old tombkeeper nodded expressionlessly.

"Then I'll take my leave first, Mr. Merlin and Miss Lily. Although the village here is not big, please don't be polite. If you need any help, you can always come to the church in the village to see me."

Priest Fernand nodded, and then left with the nun behind him.

However, the reason for this priest's departure was definitely not because of tomorrow's lectures. I am afraid it was for a more special purpose, because the direction of his departure did not add any details. Concealed, she was walking towards the outside of the village.

Sister Ilmia, who had been silent for a long time, pursed her lips and spoke to them as she left. If she read it correctly, the content should be:——

"Get out of here, intruder."

Then without looking at the two people behind him, he quickly chased the priest.

This scene made Xia Yuan very interesting.

The clergymen traveling at night, as well as the priests and nuns with completely different attitudes, the Holy Church Church The other side obviously knew something about this village. When the fat priest heard the false name he gave, he also knew why he came.

After all, there is a proverb in Britain: Merlin came for King Arthur..

But there are probably two reasons why the other party didn't attack them directly.

The first was that he couldn't do it openly for the sake of the gravekeeper Biersak. The second was that he might not be able to defeat him.. Although this speculation is a bit arrogant, seeing his fat appearance, it doesn't look like he is a ruthless person, so he is openly warning himself to leave quickly. Is it true that he has already gone out to ask for help?

A smart guy.

Xia Yuan couldn't help but think about it, but he didn't care. He was more interested in the secrets hidden in this village than the church's intervention, so he told Biersak not to worry about it and just go ahead as planned. Just take him around the village. If there is any problem later, he will take it outside the village to solve it. On Merlin

's honor.

:"？？！！！"

So at the request of Xia Yuan and Artoria, the worried Biersak continued to serve as a tour guide.

The pace of the few people was very fast. They were advancing through the village at the speed of exploration, not slow sightseeing.

They visited many ancient buildings in the Tomb Keeper's Village, such as churches, auditoriums, and stone monuments, but nothing too special was found in these places.

Xia Yuan stopped in front of a huge windmill and asked the old tombkeeper:"Who left this windmill?"

"What's wrong?"Artoria looked up at the windmill curiously, with a confused expression on her face.

"If you are not a magician, of course you will not be able to detect the mystery. In short, this windmill is actually very interesting."

At Xia Yuan's request, the old tombkeeper finally took him and Artoria to the huge windmill at close range.

The wind on the mountain was very strong at night, but the huge windmill showed no sign of turning. I don't know. Whether it was broken or not, there was a lot of space inside this windmill.

But what really concerned Xia Yuan was the skill used in its transformation. This was not a simple windmill, but a special type of magic fortress. The entire windmill can be planned as a magic tool

"This is a residence. There was a strange guest living in the windmill before. The abnormalities you see are probably left by him."

"Guest……"

Xia Yuan can probably guess who it is. According to the current timeline, it should be the dean of Atlas Academy who left it behind.

"So does he still live here?"

As the dean of the Atlas Academy, one of the three major branches of the Magic Association, Xia Yuan certainly wanted to meet him in person. He was very interested in this mysterious figure who was proficient in alchemy and the production of magic rituals.

Seven Handles of Destruction Weapons, and even the spirit transfer technology, imaginary submersible, and Sheba observation that will support Chaldean operations in the future are all technologies provided by Atlas Academy. It can be said that Astra Academy is the palace of alchemy, and even more so. The highest level reached by the integration of magic and technology in the entire world

"No, that guest has been away for a long time. Although he comes back occasionally, there is no regularity."Belsak replied

"The last time he came back was five months ago"

"Really...that's really a pity."

Hearing that the person left, Xia Yuan shook his head, feeling a little regretful.

He knew that if he missed it, it would be difficult to see him again. After all, it would be difficult to meet an elusive big man like Cibia in the whole world.

"However, that guest left a lot of things behind. Many information about our family is also placed here. I will take you to get it."

"OK, please lead the way."

Dong dong - the old tomb guard knocked on the door tentatively a few times and confirmed that there was no response. Then he reached out and took out a key from the old torn pocket and inserted it into the door lock.

He only heard"click"——"With a sound, the strange iron door under the windmill was opened.

"Please come in."

Pushing the door open, you are greeted by an unusually strong smell of ink. What comes into view is a dark room with parchments and books scattered on the floor. There are unused books on the table. But these were not the things that caught Xia Yuan's attention, but the strange instruments placed on the experimental table.

"What are these square crystals?"

Picking up the strange instrument that was incompatible with the surroundings, Xia Yuan looked at it curiously for a while.

It was a square octahedron, and it was hard to tell what material it was made of. The magic power flowing on it was also very interesting.

Is there anything else to see here? It is made of some kind of material and looks a bit like a commonly used mobile phone, but it does not have any buttons.

They are all unusual magic instruments. As expected of the scientific madman of Astra Academy, they bring them even in such a remote place. There were so many special instruments.

He glanced at the strange furnace in the corner, then touched the crystal cube floating in the air, and couldn't help but think.

Not only were the monarch-level magic furnaces brought, but also the special cubes used for calculations.. Are you leaving it here so easily? Are you treating this place as a temporary base?

"Don't mess with the equipment in the room, and leave when you find the information you want."

Xia Yuan glanced at the instruments in the room and the information on the table without looking through them.

The magic instruments in the Astra Academy are very attractive to any magician, but doing so without warning is plagiarism. Entering rashly It's already disrespectful to use someone else's stronghold, but it would be unjustifiable to touch other people's notes and instruments.

"Well, why?

Are you not interested in the research materials I left here, or have you noticed that I am observing this place?"

The words fell. Almost at the same moment when Xia Yuan finished speaking, another steady voice sounded from somewhere in the room.

"who?"

She didn't sense any breath, but the sudden sound made Artoria immediately alert.

"Rest assured, Your Excellency King Arthur, I have not hidden my head and tail. On the contrary, I have always been here."

Then there was dim light, and the crystal cube in front of Xia Yuan suddenly started to rotate. Strange magic power was running on its surface, and then it emitted a ray of light, and a light blue spirit projection appeared in the center of the room.

"And this is my base, isn't it? You are actually the ones who broke in."

This is a young man with long blond hair. He has a slender figure and wears a set of strange black robes. He looks like an aristocratic figure in a fairy tale.

The projection shows him covering his head with a look of regret on his face, somewhat Said distressedly

"It's such a pity that I left early because of boring trivial matters in the Astra Academy, causing���Missed the chance to meet the third magician. This is really a huge loss. You know, I am also very curious about the third magic."

"Are you the one from Astra Academy?"

Ignoring his tricks, Xia Yuan chose to get straight to the point and asked.

"Yes, it is an honor for you to know me, the successor of this generation of the third magic, the person who reaches the root and is in contact with the root at the same time. My name is Zibia Eltenam Atlasia, and I currently serve as the dean of Astra Academy."

Cibiya nodded and gave a noble salute to Xia Yuan, and then began to introduce himself.

Arriving at the root and contacting the people of the root?

This statement surprised Xia Yuan. He actually knew about the two rituals? Root-style walking In the human world, knowing this news is no small matter

"Sorry, I was too blunt just now"

"Maybe you are wondering why I know what happened between you and that one."Before Xia Yuan asked, Cibia explained first.

"But this information is not a secret to Tricusp Hermes. It is like a library that records the earth. As long as it exists on the planet, what happened or things can be easily detected."

"After all, you caused such a big commotion during the Fourth Holy Grail War, not only touching the second magician, but also giving birth to the Holy Grail Angel with the third method from the advent ceremony. Such a huge change has occurred in the direction of the world. Of course, the Astra Institute will conduct detailed investigations and records, so it is not surprising that I know all this."

"It seems that you know a lot, so have you investigated my situation?"

"……"

The question hits the nail on the head.

However, Zibia's expression did not change much. He just nodded and replied:"I have investigated it and know a lot."

"When I discovered your strange existence, I used the three-pointed Hermes to conduct a comprehensive investigation and search for you. It really surprised me to get the information, and it also made me more interested in you. but……"

He glanced at Arturia and Bielsak who were still in the room, and said slowly:"Please rest assured that your special information has not been leaked. I have now locked it into Astra with my authority." In the secret library at the lowest level of the hospital"

"……Yeah, forget it then."

Xia Yuan glanced at him, did not continue to ask, and stopped the topic in time.

"Let’s keep the story short, Mr. Zibia, I have something to ask you."

"Please say"

"Rather than so-called ancient documents, I would like to hear your opinions and research on this village as the dean of Astra. Of course, it also includes the resurrection of King Arthur and the ritual of the witch of the gods."

"It’s really a direct question."

Hearing this, Zibia smiled bitterly,"As the person in charge of Astra Academy, I don't want to get involved in the affairs of this village. After all, this village of gravekeepers involves rituals from the Age of Gods, as well as King Arthur and the Witch of the Island."

"So why do you stay here?"

Artoria asked.

"Hello, dear King Arthur, as a person who has just been resurrected as a heroic spirit, you may not know very well."

Zibiya shook her head, glanced at the old tombkeeper standing next to her, and then explained:"The reason why I appear here is because this village holds an important token [As Terra's Contract】"

"Those are seven important tokens written by Astra Academy when it was founded. As long as I hold that token, I can get the Astra Academy to fully assist me. This is why I come back here often."

"A long time ago, a gravekeeper in this village contacted me using a contract, and wanted to borrow [Logos React], one of the seven weapons of the Astra Academy, to complete some important plans. As a contemporary dean, I often stay here because I am worried about the operating status of that instrument. Although it is undeniable that I am also interested in the magic rituals left by the Goddess and King Arthur’s rebirth plan."

"According to my calculations, the witch's plan would be completed soon, within the next fifty years. After hundreds of years, King Arthur's witch was successfully born in the village of the tomb keeper. The girl has fulfilled her needs as a container. Next, she only needs to complete the synchronization of spirit and the summoning of King Arthur's soul to make King Arthur. resurrection."

At this point, he glanced at Xia Yuan and Artoria again, and said helplessly:"Originally, everything should develop like this, but your sudden appearance almost disrupted the entire world line, making the future a mess. Unable to figure it out, drifting in an unpredictable direction"

"And according to common sense, the outcome of your chaos should be corrected by the root, but the result is that you returned from the root and inherited the third magic, which shows that the root recognizes you."

"This also makes our so-called predicted orthodox future useless. Originally, you and I were definitely going to meet, but that was in the further future. Until some time ago, you took action to shake all the ground in the London area, and forcibly communicated with the Seat of Heroes to summon King Arthur as a heroic spirit. I felt that the meeting had to be put on the agenda, so I activated the projection here. see if you will come"

"You should be looking for the island witch, right?

Xia Yuan nodded:"Well, is she in this village?""

"Sorry to disappoint you, I found no trace of the witch in this village. There are only many traces of her left here"

"There are traces left. I understand. Thank you for the information. I will look for Morgan’s traces myself."

"You're welcome. On the contrary, I'm actually very happy to meet here. It was such a harmonious conversation. I'm really looking forward to the day when we can actually meet."

"I am looking forward too"

"By the way, I have something to ask you for help before I leave."

Before his luck, Zibia continued to add:"Because King Arthur has been resurrected as a heroic spirit, it is inevitable that the witch's ritual will fail. For an ending that is destined to fail, I have no reason to continue to help. Originally, I could stop its simulation program by remote control, but recently the intervention of some special force caused me to lose absolute control over it."

"So I would like to ask you to help me close the [Logos React] that is still running and terminate the simulation. Although it may get dangerous in there, it will probably be no problem for you and King Arthur."

"As for the reward...you can take away the instruments and the magic furnace I left in the windmill room. Logos React can also be left to you to use for a period of time, and then placed in a windmill when you leave. Are you willing to accept it?"

"The offer is very generous and I have no reason to refuse."

Xia Yuan nodded and agreed directly.

"Mr. Zibia, since the king has been resurrected, why has the curse of the tombkeeper family not been lifted?"

Realizing that Cibia was about to leave, the old tombkeeper who had been silent all the time asked hurriedly.

"Didn’t you say that when the king is resurrected, the curse that plagues the tombkeepers will disappear?"

"The curse of the tombkeeper clan."

Looking at the anxious old man, Zibia shook his head, and then explained:"The resurrection I am talking about refers to the completion of the ritual to resurrect King Arthur."

"The oath you, the Gravekeepers, are bound to is not King Arthur, but the land beneath your feet. Your ancestors signed a contract with Morgan Le Fay under the witness of their roots, and because of this they were bound to this land and could not be liberated for a long time."

"As long as you don't carry out the ritual and resurrect King Arthur as the witch prescribed, your curse will not be lifted. And this time King Arthur's resurrection was achieved with the help of the miracle of the third magic and the magic of London's leyline, so it naturally has nothing to do with you. That's why the curse will continue to exist"

"So how can we lift the curse?"

Artoria continued to ask in an excited tone.

"……Well, of course the easiest way is to follow the contents of the contract and continue to complete this magic ritual. However, this road is now blocked."

Zibia looked at Artoria and shook her head helplessly.

"What about other methods?"

"There are no other ways. To untie the bell, you need to tie the bell. Go find Morgan Le Fay. As long as you find her and get her to agree to tear up the contract connected to the earth, then the entire village of gravekeepers will be able to get it. truly liberated"

"Go find Morgan Le Fay……"

The old tombkeeper felt dizzy after hearing this outrageous answer. He took a few steps back, and finally managed to hold on by holding on to the wall.

Where to start when looking for a mythical witch from 1,500 years ago?

"Sorry, I can't help you."

Zibiya sighed, and then the figure composed of spirit sons gradually dispersed.

"Take it���The work is left to you."