"You must have gone to speak with the surviving miko for clues, didn't you?"
Leaning back into his chair, Alexander crossed one leg over the other, his piercing golden eyes fixed on Alice as he asked, "When I first heard about this, I thought I must be hearing things. All the mikos involved in summoning the Heretic God survived? So, did you find anything useful?"
He soon noticed that Alice's expression had grown complicated, which left him both puzzled and intrigued.
"What is it?"
"Well…" Alice hesitated, settling herself on the sofa across from him. A polished, expensive-looking tea table separated them.
She gestured toward the tea Alexander had poured himself—likely out of boredom from waiting too long—but she made no move to pour her own. After all, Alice's current form was her spiritual body, and she could neither eat nor drink.
"The information I've gathered is quite significant, but… let me preface this by saying that what I'm about to share may sound unbelievable. I've verified it thoroughly, however, and I can assure you of its credibility."
Alexander's brow furrowed deeply. It wasn't often that Alice—who had bested him in strategy—showed such uncertainty.
As the only person to have ever outmaneuvered him, Alice held a measure of respect in his eyes, despite being an ordinary human rather than a Campione. This was why he valued her as an ally—he considered her a peer when it came to strategy.
Her current demeanor, however, was enough to darken his gaze.
After organizing her thoughts, Alice began, "First, the reason why that goddess appeared during Marquis Voban's summoning ritual… Initially, we assumed she was drawn there by the presence of Voban and the Heretic God he had summoned."
"Initially?" Alexander's curiosity was piqued. "Are you saying that wasn't the case?"
Alice nodded.
"Yes. We spoke with one of the miko who survived the ritual—a member of the Bronze Black Cross, Liliana Kranjčar. She's one of only two miko who witnessed the goddess firsthand."
Here, Alice paused for a moment, then continued.
"It seems that goddess didn't arrive with the primary goal of fighting Voban or the summoned god… but rather, to save someone."
"To save someone?"
Alice recounted the details she had learned from Liliana about her initial encounter with Artoria.
Alexander's face contorted with disbelief as he listened.
"A Heretic God… dining in a fast-food restaurant? Getting robbed by common thieves? And then being rescued by a passing magician? Are you joking?"
"When I first heard it, I had the same reaction. So kindly stop looking at me like I'm an idiot, thank you."
Alice sighed in exasperation before continuing. "We conducted a thorough investigation, of course. We inspected the jewelry store, the fast-food restaurant, and even interrogated those dim-witted thieves. We found traces of magic in all these places. Interestingly, those involved could recall a vague sense of someone extraordinary being present, but none of them could remember her face."
"What's more, at the fast-food restaurant, the goddess consumed all of the stocked ingredients in one sitting. Such an event should've drawn significant attention. Yet, in the eyes of the bystanders, it seemed like the most mundane thing imaginable. It was only through repeated suggestive questioning that the staff could recall anything at all."
"A goddess skilled in magic…"
Alexander tapped his gloved fingers against the back of his hand, his expression contemplative.
"But if she could make people ignore her presence, why not simply erase their memories altogether?"
"We don't know," Alice replied with a shrug and a wry smile. "After all, she is a goddess. Her thoughts aren't something we mortals can hope to fathom."
"But," she added, "it does seem like this goddess isn't entirely unreasonable. She didn't destroy the city in a fit of rage after being accosted by those thieves. And she even went out of her way to save a young miko."
Alexander snorted derisively. "You wouldn't say that if you'd seen her on the battlefield. Her fighting style is sheer brute force—overwhelming and destructive. She's like a dragon wearing the skin of a young girl."
The memory of their first encounter still irked him. When she noticed his reconnaissance, she had unleashed a massive light cannon without a second thought. Alexander, reacting a fraction too slow, had been injured.
The intense heat that could melt steel and the force capable of wounding a Campione were enough to make him wary of her every time he recalled it.
"At this rate, we still can't determine her true name. Do you have any more concrete leads?"
Alexander leaned forward slightly, his sharp golden eyes bearing down on Alice. "Two mikos reportedly saw her directly. Did either of them attempt to use Spirit Vision?"
Alice's gaze met his without flinching as she replied, "That's exactly what I was about to discuss. And it's the most baffling piece of information I've gathered."
"Oh? More baffling than a Heretic God being robbed and saved by a magician?"
"From a certain perspective, yes. I verified this repeatedly, just to be sure."
Alice's weariness showed in the faint furrow of her brow.
"According to Liliana, when she laid eyes on the goddess, her consciousness grew hazy. She saw a series of visions flash through her mind."
Alice began to recount them:
"The first vision was of a vast green field where someone pulled a radiant sword from the ground.
"The second was of an alabaster city, as if from a dream, where a figure was crowned amidst a gathering of knights.
"The third was a hill littered with corpses and broken swords, where the same figure stood alone, drenched in blood.
"The fourth was by a lake, where the figure lay peacefully beneath a tree, as if in eternal slumber."
As Alexander listened, his face froze in shock. A glimmer of malicious amusement flickered across Alice's lips as she asked,
"After hearing these visions, doesn't something about them strike you as familiar? Any thoughts, Lord Alexander?"
---
...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl]
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf