Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"........."

Qi Huang listened in silence.

"After all, if humans are creatures that coexist with sin, and God is good, then from His perspective, all humans are equally evil."

He said, "At that time, no, it was the same for everyone. Whether they were so-called sinners or not, very few people who were given death obediently waited to be punished. Everyone believed that they had value, and no one wanted to die."

"Based on what you've said, it can be deduced that you were already contemplating suicide at that time."

The black-haired girl spoke with a blank expression.

"Death may be painful, but this pain is unavoidable. To be honest, if I'm going to lie, I'll lie to the end. It's enough for me to bear the pain caused by myself. That's the premise that I am who I am. No, maybe that pain is the price I have to pay for that moment?"

If one day I forget this and think it doesn't matter or is unnecessary, then I'm afraid I've already been changed without even realizing it.

Without realizing it, the silver-haired youth's lips curled up, he cracked his knuckles with a hint of regret, closed his eyes, and quickly chanted:

"Haha, I'll make your eyes, nose, ears, internal organs, and even your bones all leave you, leaving you to live like this, replacing all your blood with the most unbearable death poison in the world, and then using bone regeneration to fix your soul in place, so that your soul can continuously extract essence to repay your sins. I won't let someone like you get involved—"

"Aaaaaah, please stop talking!!!"

The black-haired girl, whose 'dark history' had been exposed, was so ashamed that she could hardly maintain her composure and shouted with a flushed face.

Novia opened her closed eyes, smiled gently, and continued:

“Every single part wasted… You’ve finally come to this, Qi Huang. Now, do you even remember me?”

"...Yes, Lady Novia, I remember you."

The black-haired girl's answer was so-so, and it just didn't sound quite right.

For her, the person Novia held in a place of longing and reverence in her heart was perhaps no exaggeration to consider her as the 'Adam' of the Garden of Eden.

Therefore, she couldn't help but think that there might be other feelings she couldn't understand.

"In short, thanks to you for helping the Pale Knight take care of Xiaochun. If you need any help in the future, you can come to me."

Novia got up to leave, having done everything she needed to do at the hospital.

"that......"

Just as he walked up behind the girl, he felt his clothes being pulled.

Although it felt like too much of a coincidence, Novia still turned her head to look at her.

The black-haired girl's lips moved slowly; she wanted to continue speaking, but she couldn't utter a word.

Like a lost child unable to say his own name, he lowered his head again, as if even the air had become heavy.

Just then, a voice came from behind the girl—

"Sister Qihuang said she has been imprisoned by the Holy Church for several years, so she wants to escape. She hopes that you can help her, and if possible, take her in, because Sister Qihuang has always been alone."

"......Eh?!"

It was only then that Qi Huang realized that Xiao Chun had woken up. When she turned around in disbelief, she saw the girl who had just woken up on the hospital bed smiling encouragingly at her and giving her a thumbs up in an optimistic manner.

Then, the girl took a deep breath, straightened her back, her cheeks flushed, and nodded vigorously while biting her lip.

Perhaps it was because he knew this matter was easily seen through, and he felt deeply ashamed, or... excited?

"...Is that so?" Novia patted her shoulder and said solemnly, "In that case, let's go."

Then, watching Kihara being led away by Novia, Tsubaki Kumagai smiled slightly from her sickbed.

She was thinking to herself that Qi Huang, who had been comforting her in the dream with a string of sharp words, was actually completely harmless to her older brother.

186: Charlemagne's wish and the sphere that looks like a fly's egg (4k5)

Police station, chief's office.

"Your Excellency, could you tell me more about Francesca and Fadius?"

Charlemagne, having reached a cooperation agreement with Alexandre Dumas, looks toward Police Chief Orlando Reeves, one of the masterminds behind the Snowfield Holy Grail War.

"I'm sorry, although I discussed this Holy Grail War with them before, I only knew that Francesca was a magician who had lived for many years, and that Fadius had the support of the government. I didn't know much more about the situation."

Although the three are in the same faction behind the Holy Grail War, they do not trust each other. For the sheriff, it is enough to protect all the residents of Snowfield City during the Holy Grail War.

In other words, if Francesca, Fadius, or anyone else were to take up the Holy Grail and destroy the city and the entire country, Orlando would not back down and would fight back against destruction at the cost of his life.

"I see. So what do you think of Bazdilot Cortiglio, who brainwashed your subordinate and turned him into a spy?"

"Bazdilot Cortiglio, an Italian mafia loyal to his gang, is determined to overthrow the entire country, even at the cost of his life, ever since the former leader was eliminated by the government. In short, he is a thug."

"Oh, I see. Just hearing you say that, Sheriff, I can feel the determination he has and his willingness to destroy himself. Heh, if Richard were here, he would probably smile sadly and say that there is a lion, or rather, a lionheart, who has taken a completely different path from him?"

Charlemagne muttered to himself, then rested his chin on his hand and continued to ask the sheriff,

"Sheriff, you must have something else to say, right? Say it."

"...I am not someone who cannot accept the death of my subordinates."

Orlando's eyes were filled with a quiet rage, the source of which was not directed at anyone else, but at Bazdilot, who had twisted his subordinate and made Hercules the Master of the Avengers.

The sheriff felt guilty for letting them and their families into getting involved in magic and mystery as their leader, and most importantly, he felt he should have taken better care of them but hadn't noticed that.

Orlando and Alexandre Dumas vaguely remember the expression and words of the father of Western Europe when Charlemagne was taken to the police station after appearing on television:

"Kneel down and shed tears of joy, for I am the salvation, I am the end, and the embodiment of the world's will."

Then, Charlemagne looked at the twenty-eight policemen constructed from Dumas's Noble Phantasm, waved his hand, and the entire police station was instantly bathed in blue light.

“Look, look at this blue radiance, this is the universal light, the radiance of the Holy Spirit, spreading love to every corner of the world, the ideal that the Roman Empire should have embodied but failed to achieve, the truth that should have brought eternal prosperity to mankind… You should not betray it.”

Under the unparalleled authority, one of the twenty-eight police officers, who had been twisted into a spy, suddenly broke down.

Seeing this, Orlando instructed Alexandre Dumas to remove the Noble Phantasm ability that allowed his police officers to become 'heroes,' and instead contacted the father of Western Europe, ultimately reaching a peace agreement with him.

"It's also thanks to you, Charlemagne. After all, although I can filter dust, I didn't notice it at the time." Dumas shrugged, remained silent for a moment, and then said fiercely, "Brother, I'm sorry. I should have been more careful when I used my Noble Phantasm to add pens for everyone."

“No, this is not your fault,” Orlando continued. “If it were just Bazdilot’s distortion, that would be fine… but I’m afraid that old dog used illusion magic to cover him up. In order to make it easier for his existence to be mistaken for mine, he used illusion magic to distort the magic he controls.”

"Old dog?"

Charlemagne asked curiously.

“My brother is referring to Francesca,” Dumas explained. “Francesca’s idea was probably ‘it looks interesting, so I’ll lend a hand,’ which Fadius probably knew, which is why Bazdilot Cortillio was exchanging information with him.”

“By the way, just now a mercenary who calls himself Sigma contacted me. He’s going to take care of Fadius.” Orlando said thoughtfully, then nodded affirmatively. “Later, I will also personally seek justice for my subordinate. I will personally deal with Bazdilot Cortillio, that Italian mafia boss.”

"Hahaha, my brother is a complete hero, though I'll just laugh as I watch him die."

Dumas, in an exaggerated tone, spread his arms wide in front of Orlando and sang as if he were an actor on stage. Then he straightened up slightly and bowed respectfully to Charlemagne in an elegant, aristocratic tone.

"But right now, our main concern is dealing with Novia. I don't have any expectations for the Holy Grail. As a playwright, I'm already quite satisfied with seeing a great story. What do you think, Charlemagne?"

"...Let me think about it."

Charlemagne answered with a wry smile.

Originally, Charlemagne was different from Dumas; he wanted the Holy Grail and believed he had a high chance of success... until Novia's arrival.

"If I said I did it so my sister could get out, would my brother-in-law give me the Holy Grail?"

Charlemagne stroked his chin, muttering to himself uncertainly. At the same time, he saw his reflection in the mirror and sighed once more.

"...Ugh, this is such a hassle."

After all, he should normally appear as the elderly Charlemagne, who reigns over all of Europe, not as the young 'Charlemagne' on his journey.

The relationship between Charlemagne and Charlemagne was quite different from the usual, normal relationship between an old man and a young man, which is typical of a follower.

For Karl the Great, the Twelve Knights were his elite forces; the Holy Sword, magical beasts, and witches were not part of his reign.

In simpler terms, Charlemagne's experience was a 'daydream' interwoven with fantasy and reality, while Charlemagne used all his power and wisdom to establish the 'reality' of the European archetype.

In other words, it is absolutely impossible to summon Charlemagne in the Holy Grail War, because Charlemagne's overwhelming 'reality' in human history has overwhelmed Charlemagne's fragile 'daydream'.

The fact that Karl the Great could appear in his youthful appearance, that of Charlemagne, was a miracle even he could not have imagined.

At first, he only sensed El-Melloi's overwhelming fear, and remembering that his brother-in-law had been El-Melloi's ruler and thus was born before Richard the Lionheart, he figured he might as well do him a favor...

However, it turned out that it wasn't one of El-Melloi's people, but rather someone who was an incarnation of El-Melloi's magic furnace.

"Ugh, no matter how I look at it, I have absolutely no chance of winning!"

Charlemagne, without any regard for decorum, covered his head and shouted in front of Dumas and Orlando.

Perhaps it was because he appeared in the world with a youthful attitude that Karl the Great's mentality returned to the cheerfulness of his youth, rather than the hardened heart that had become difficult to be swayed by the various experiences he had gone through. This is probably why he referred to himself as Charlemagne rather than Karl the Great.

Being young means having the vigor that comes with youth.

"Even the alien key isn't reacting at all, how am I supposed to fight this... no, it's simply impossible to fight..."

In fact, besides the wish to save humanity, Emperor Charlemagne had another wish, and the reason he wanted to obtain the Holy Grail was simply because he wanted his brother-in-law and sister to be reunited.

In the distant past, Charlemagne, traveling through the incredibly cold Himalayas, entered the ruins of the giant god with his knight Astolfo. When he touched the stone tablet, he saw a very lonely brown-haired girl named Attila.

The girl looked very lonely, trembling alone, waiting for someone.

Then, through the alien key, the words that Avia had carved here entered Charlemagne's mind.

Those were the words of the silver-haired man who wanted Attila to no longer be alone.

Even though the passage of time will turn the ocean into mulberry fields, and countless heroic deeds will be buried deep in the dust of time.

A civilization that was once as vibrant and colorful as a profusion of flowers may one day disappear without a trace.

However, this affirmation and expectation placed upon him will surely remain forever beneath the Alps, silently awaiting Charlemagne's arrival, as long as the alien bond remains intact.

"You will succeed, I have no doubt about that, not because of some so-called destiny, but because of your tireless efforts to bring peace, and your friends. Yes, that's right, I also think that people who work hard are very cool."

In fact, Charlemagne had already killed people by that time. It was only natural for him to follow in his father's footsteps; that's what a knight is like on the battlefield.

He felt content just being able to joke around with Astolfo and the others and help people in need.

However, because he was a prince, he could not do that.

The only option was to kill, kill, and kill relentlessly, burning and looting to defeat the enemy.

On the battlefields of that era, so-called knights had no concept of chivalry whatsoever.

Charlemagne felt very unwilling and did not want to continue killing. He just wanted to fight the enemy openly and honestly, to spare their lives if they surrendered, and to fight a war to defend peace, regardless of their status. He wanted to be able to drink and talk with anyone, and to make friends with people of different faiths. He originally hoped to be that kind of person.

No, he genuinely wanted to be that kind of person, and that might just be the point of contention between Charlemagne and Karl the Great.

Charlemagne pursued that kind of world in his imagination, while Karl the Great used countless means and spared no expense in reality to become the father of Western Europe.

Even so, both share a common desire—

To allow Avia and Attila to be reunited.

I want these two people to stay together and live happily ever after.

Both of them felt that way.

"...If all else fails, just let my brother-in-law make a wish. Whatever the wish may be, I will support him."

Charlemagne, having thought long and hard but unable to come up with any good ideas, said this.

......

Meanwhile, underground in the snowfield history.

When Sigma arrived there, there was absolutely no sign of anyone around.

However, although there was no one there, the atmosphere was so relaxed that visitors could fully feel the resentment that people harbored.

"Don't let your guard down, buddy. The magic here is distorted, and the observer's eyes are unreliable."

Under the old captain Shadow Mage's words, Sigma, panting, looked at 'that'.

It was like red and black lava, on the hollow outer wall, with a scaffolding that circled around the modern steel frame, which could be seen from all directions as the vessel of the Great Grail.

The underground natural cavity existed before the streets of Xueyuan City were built.

This place, considered a forbidden sacred site by the family of Tiny Cerque, the Master of the King of Heroes, is a great spiritual land through which a massive dragon vein passes, and is also the place where preparations are being made for the coming of the Greater Grail.

Earlier, Sigmar had to deal with Fadius, with whom he had a close relationship, before he could deal with Francesca. When he arrived at the monitoring room of Fadius's private prison, he found it full of corpses, and Fadius himself was also dead, apparently killed by a Servant.

He then went to the place Francesca had mentioned to him, intending to see if he could meet her and kill her.

but--