I want to just drift through life in Type-Moon.

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"Go home?" Olga turned to look at her servant, surprised that he would so easily reveal his past.

Ling silently looked at the map, pointing her finger at various locations, and said in a very ethereal voice, "This is where I just started junior high school for a semester. It's called Private Sakakino Academy. Makoto isn't there, so it's no wonder it didn't become a global phenomenon. Tsk, I should have known better than to take the train. Even though it's past rush hour, it's still so noisy..."

"Noisy? Not really?" Olga glanced at the carriage where the two were. There were fewer than ten people in the carriage. Although some people were chatting, their voices were not loud, and she couldn't hear what they were saying.

"This is the library where I usually like to hang out. I've already read most of the books here. Ahead of here is Ueno, which is one of the core commercial areas of Tokyo, almost on par with Ginza, Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro. Every Sunday, my grandfather would take me there to stroll around, buy some fresh fruit, or look for old books. Let me tell you, fruit in Japan is super expensive, and it's very crowded and noisy there, probably just like it is now."

Ling was lost in his memories, telling Olga about his past daily life. Olga could clearly sense that he was not normal now, so she listened silently. If she could learn about Ling's past through this, she could endure it no matter how boring it was.

"This is where my family lived. My grandfather and I ran a Chinese restaurant, and business was alright. But shortly after my grandfather died, I took over the restaurant on my own until my worldview was turned upside down, and a series of events happened in quick succession, ultimately leading to my death. Looking back now, I realize that for those fourteen years of my life, I only ever stayed around Tokyo. I didn't even go on a graduation trip. But I remember that we were on an organized trip to Kyoto, and during the tourist season, it must have been very crowded. The sound of the flowing water and the noise of people around Kiyomizu-dera Temple must have been quite irritating."

Ling's expression hadn't changed at all since the beginning, but Olga could still clearly sense his growing unease.

"Ling." Ling didn't respond when her name was called, and Olga started to worry. She tried to grab Ling's hand, but quickly pulled it back when she touched the back of Ling's hand. Her palm had just been pricked by something like a needle, and when she saw what had hurt her, her expression changed slightly.

Those were black patterns, moving across Ling's skin like living things despite being inanimate. Olga looked around and found that no one was paying attention to them. The suggestive magic she had cast on the two of them when she came in was still effective.

So she boldly raised her voice and shouted in Ling's ear, "Ling! Wake up!!"

Ling maintained the same expression and turned to look at Olga. Her eyes, which should have been bright like rubies, were now a murky black, filled with chaos and unsettling emotions. Just looking into those eyes made Olga feel a strong sense of dizziness.

This was a stark contrast to the eyes Olga remembered from the past, and now she saw in those eyes an emptiness of lost self.

Knowing she could no longer let things continue, Olga grabbed her right wrist with her left hand and used all her magic to communicate with the Command Seal on her hand. That ridiculously shaped Command Seal was the only way to resolve the current situation.

Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!

Olga silently recited the command in her mind, staring intently into Ling's eyes. If anyone could see under Ling's clothes, they would find that the twisted, flame-like patterns covered his entire body. The cause of this evil was not the will of Angora Manu, because that will had been destroyed by Yustissa. What was affecting Ling now was an existence even more vile than the evil of this world.

Through the Command Spells, Olga could hear suppressed whispers, voices that she could not listen to, much less try to understand. As the Star Maiden, she knew very well what would happen if she got caught up in these voices, so she tried her best to ignore them and kept communicating with Ling's heart.

Clenching her right wrist tightly made her feel the pain clearly, which helped her concentrate. Soon, her face was covered in sweat, and the Command Seal on her hand was getting hotter and hotter. Fortunately, the pain was not in vain. After thirty seconds, Ling's eyes regained their light. He looked at Olga, who was covered in sweat, and couldn't help but reach out and wipe her smooth face, sweeping away all the sweat from her cheek.

"It's all right, Olga. No need to call anymore, I heard you." Ling said softly, then flicked the sweat from her index finger onto the ground. "It's all set, thank you."

Seeing that Ling had regained consciousness, Olga finally breathed a sigh of relief and loosened her grip on his wrist. Then, with a "smack," she slapped Ling across the face.

"Do you know you almost didn't make it back?!" Olga rubbed her wrist after slapping her, trying to improve blood circulation.

"It was an accident." Ling sighed as he took the hit without avoiding it. He touched his swollen left cheek, blaming himself for his carelessness while also being thankful that Olga was with him this time.

"An accident?! You call that an accident! Do you even know what that is?! How dare you let that thing invade your heart! How dare you listen to them speak!" Olga stood up excitedly from her seat. This time, even her suggestive magic drew the attention of everyone in the carriage.

However, they quickly ignored the scene again and went back to doing their own thing.

Just now, Ling's fingers twitched slightly twice, and now he and Olga's figures have disappeared from the sight of ordinary people. Although he cannot use the Dream of One Cooking and the Illusion of One Drunkenness, he can still use small illusions. He inherited this skill from Merlin, the half-dream demon who was a candidate for Grand Magician and the highest master in the field of illusion.

"No, compared to many people in this world, they are harmless. As for your suggestion that they invade my mind? That's a misconception." Ling ignored Olga's anger, her tone as calm as if nothing had happened.

"I didn't invade them into my heart, but rather locked them inside. Don't get excited. I've already separated them, but for some reason, I still have a connection with the separated part, which is why I was affected for a moment due to carelessness." Ling looked at Olga's murderous expression and made a gesture of surrender.

Olga didn't understand why Ling had the courage to touch those things. However, she didn't know that it wasn't Ling who went to them, but rather they who came to Ling. In order to obtain the trump card, Ling also hit it off with them.

From the moment he heard his own voice telling him to kill him, it was clear that it was the part of him that was not himself in the post-apocalyptic world. The power of the Key to the Gate had been influencing him ever since Ling left the world of Chaldea, and he could roughly guess the reason.

On one hand, the Chaldea worldline, as part of the main body of the Type-Moon world, is second to none in terms of stability and defense. In addition, Olga here has become the Star Maiden of Earth instead of the Alien Maiden, so the alien species have no chance to interfere.

On the other hand, the "non-self" in the post-apocalyptic world must have become very close to the "Key to the Gate" who is gradually regaining its power. So when Ling came to the current timeline, he was once again affected by the power of the alien god. And this time, the one who turned his attention to him was no longer the more peaceful "Yog Sothos".

Because in the great void of Mount Yuanzang, he absorbed the evil of this world, and that chaotic and disordered magic power attracted the one who was sleeping on the seabed.

The evil of this world has no specific personality; it can be understood as being awake but actually dormant. As another form of collective consciousness, its enormous size easily attracts spiritual attention that transcends human existence.

This is why, after Ling absorbed the evil of this world, and with the aura of the [Key to the Gate] that he already possessed, the one who was sleeping in the South Pacific found him through the shift in the phase universe. The evil of this world kept whispering in his ear, but this remained stable at a balance. After all, what was fighting against these whispers was not only Ling's consciousness, but also the evil of this world that represented six billion people.

However, Yustissa suddenly intervened, causing the consciousness of evil in this world to enter a state of dormancy. At first, Ling did not realize the danger until the whispers in his ear gradually became clearer, and he realized that he had been tricked.

These past few days, he had been pondering what Yustissa really wanted to do. It was obvious that she had no ill intentions towards him, but that didn't mean she was on his side. And Ling had found the answer to that question during their eye contact on the plane: Yustissa was forcing Ling to go to her.

On the other side, those calls were becoming increasingly clear, especially when he was lost in memories because of that map. His mind became a little confused for a moment, and that feeling of gain and loss created a gap in Ling's heart, which was then affected and invaded.

If Olga hadn't noticed something was wrong and used her Command Seals and her identity to borrow the planet's power to bring him back to his senses, the likely outcome of letting things continue might have been that he would have had to seek help from the "non-self," but he couldn't predict what the consequences would have been.

He certainly couldn't tell Olga the truth, otherwise she would definitely try to completely sever her connection with the Outer Gods herself, but Ling didn't want to do that at all. "Olga, can you understand the pain of pursuing power?"

"..." Olga took a deep breath and calmed down a bit to listen to his explanation.

“I want to know the truth, but the obstacles I face are too great. The title of Second Magician, I think you understand the significance of that title better than I do,” Ling said earnestly, looking at Olga.

"Magic is something that is done using the laws and limits of the modern world, or rather, the current world. Magic, on the other hand, is like traveling to other worlds, using completely different laws and breaking through completely different limits to achieve something."

"Magic is human intellect, human wisdom, and the laws of the world. But magic is not included in it; it is a solitary existence beyond the heavens. For this reason, magic is the divine law of the heavens, and to Gaia, it is a great disaster capable of destroying planets. It is an absolute miracle in this world."

Chapter 378 The Demon Who Knows Despair (Part 2)

"There's a saying in the underworld that's very true: the only thing that can deal with mystery is mystery itself. Mystery is above all else. If I'm going to face the old man with the gem in the future, then the only thing that can counter magic is magic. But I know very well that the pool of magic users is already full!"

Olga's lips moved, as if she wanted to say something, but under Ling's intense gaze, she swallowed her words.

“Since the path of magic has been blocked, I can only seek other ways out, and the power of the Outer Gods is one of them! As long as I can obtain this power that is different from the laws of Earth, I will have a chance of winning even against the Second Law!” Ling grabbed Olga’s arm.

"Actually, without wishing to the Holy Grail, if I wish to the Key to the Gate, He also has a way to let us return directly to the Chaldea timeline. However, His power is not enough right now. This world is too small to fully contain Him. So, if you agree to create the Lock to the Gate, His clone can open that door and let us go back."

“This is betrayal,” Olga said coldly.

“That’s only true for you.” Ling also looked coldly at Olga. “I don’t belong to this world. And don’t forget, you belong to me. Use everything you can to make my plans unaffected.”

“No, you don’t even know what you want to do, let alone what kind of plan you have.” Olga brushed Ling’s hand away and took two steps back. “I won’t grant your request. I can only stay out of it. I will absolutely not help you until you tell me everything.”

Hearing this, Ling's expression softened a little. "That's fine too. We'll continue as usual."

Then, an enigmatic silence enveloped the two of them once again.

"Aren't you going to ask anything?" Ling asked softly, looking at Olga who had sat back down next to her.

“I’m used to what happened earlier. Just consider it as your intermittent bouts of erratic behavior.” Olga bent down, picked up the fallen map, folded it neatly, and placed it back in Ling’s hands.

"What do you mean by intermittent seizures? I'm a normal person, okay?" Ling Tian shamelessly smiled. Of course, he knew about his abnormality, but he would never admit it.

"Yes, yes, you're a normal person now, okay?" Olga glared at him irritably, then leaned on his shoulder. "Having a Servant like you is the biggest mistake of my life."

"Oh dear, you've really had a hard time." Seeing Olga suddenly become so proud, Ling hesitated for a moment, then reached out and wrapped her arms around Olga's waist, bringing the two closer together. "Olga, I won't let you die."

"It feels disgusting that you suddenly said that," Olga muttered, closing her eyes.

"I will protect you. This time, I will definitely not let Rafe succeed." Ling had been examining his relationship with Olga, from ignoring her at the beginning, to the changes after she came to this world, and now to slowly trying to accept her. This process was actually simpler than he had imagined.

"Is it really okay to say this? Aren't you afraid that Chaldea will hear?" Olga closed her eyes, a certain suspicion in her heart was confirmed, and her mood became very low.

The fact that the person who had always supported her after her father's death wanted to kill her saddened her.

"It's alright. Shion has already taken the Emerald Record, and the substitute made by Da Vinci hasn't been activated yet. We can say whatever we want now." Last night, Shion told Ling about her departure from Chaldea and also explained the [Three Wise Men of the East] system made by Da Vinci to Ling in detail.

When that system is activated, their wristbands will give a notification, because these wristbands are fixed-point transmitters. If they pay attention, they can speak more boldly about certain things.

In fact, Ling had considered leaving the bracelet at the hotel. Without Shion's assistance, Chaldea would only be able to see the scene within a 500-meter radius of the bracelet. However, after thinking about it, he decided to keep the bracelet with him. He couldn't afford to lose it, and if something happened to it, he would regret it.

Ziyuan wouldn't lie to him, and Da Vinci had his own considerations. Even if he said something wrong, he believed that the intelligent Da Vinci would preserve the image. In that case, he felt at ease talking to Olga about some things.

“Let me explain first, Olga. Rafe doesn’t hate you, but he hates Animusphia. So he not only destroyed your body with a bomb, but also threw your soul into Chaldea, which represents the ultimate achievement of Animusphia, and decomposed your soul to the molecular level. That’s why you were born.”

Having listened to all of Olga's memories, he was able to deduce the reason for Olga's birth. This Olga was a discrete aggregate, existing as a simulation of Earth's soul. As a high-density intelligence entity, Chaldea connected to higher dimensional realms, meaning that its interior was connected to the Inner Sea of ​​Stars and the Imaginary Sea. Therefore, Olga was able to miraculously survive. However, the parts that had been scattered due to countless deaths were also attracted to each other and were eventually guided by Gaia into the world line where the Listener descended.

He told Olga about this deduction, and Olga listened in silence the whole time.

"Why does Rafe hate Animusfia so much?" Olga asked after a long silence.

“Perhaps as a representative of ‘mercy,’ he couldn’t forgive what you Animusphia had done.” Ling stretched out her other hand, playing with Olga’s soft hand. “After all, your Animusphia family has quite a few black marks on your record. Although I only know about the extremely inhumane Heroic Spirit fusion body experiments and the 128 Battery Humans in that so-called celestial chamber at the Seraphine Ocean Oil Base, judging from these two incidents alone, your Animusphia family has already crossed the line.”

"I don't know anything about what's going on inside Seraphines." Olga's voice was filled with fear and unease.

“But that is Animusfia’s sin. From the moment you were born into the Animusfia family, you could not escape the reckoning they brought.” Ling raised her head and said in a somewhat helpless voice.

"But what right does Rafe have to judge us?"

“Because you are magicians, as the originators of modern magic, you are certainly qualified to do so,” Ling explained slowly to Olga, looking at the roof of the car.

"Professor Rafe's full name should be Rafe Lenore Floros, and he has three personalities: Rafe Vallée representing the past, Lenore Gushin representing the future, and Floros representing the present. What comes to mind when you hear this name?"

"Seventy-two demon gods—" Olga smiled bitterly.

"Yes, the Trinity, the awakened demons. The seventy-two demons who witnessed King Solomon's inaction but did not understand Solomon's predicament, a group of pitiful and pathetic, yet somewhat adorable stubborn beings."

Whether burning human reason is good or evil is irrelevant. Even as a human being, when I see those behaviors that cross the line of morality, I also have an impulse to destroy my own race.

However, things cannot be viewed from only one side. Human beings, as intelligent life forms, are inherently chaotic. One moment they can sacrifice their lives for truth, goodness, and beauty, and the next moment they can succumb to temptation and fall to the lowest level of humanity.

Such an event can only be described as an arrangement of fate. The diverse trajectories of the Type-Moon universe are due to the existence of parallel worlds.

"Ling, tell me the truth, can you beat Rafe?" Olga's voice was soft, but to Ling, those words carried great weight.

"No, not just me, even a fully-powered Leonardo da Vinci couldn't win, let alone other magicians," Ling replied with certainty.

"If I go back, won't I be doomed?"

“I won’t stop Rafe’s plan, because I need his plan to shake up human history so that Chaldea can function to its fullest potential and gather the power I need. But I won’t let you die either. It’s not hard to fool Rafe. I’ll be ready for you.”

He held Olga's hand. "A body can be rebuilt if it's gone, so to fool Rafe, you have to start with the soul. And coincidentally, I know a brilliant conman, and I myself have the ability to restore you even if your soul dies, so you don't need to be afraid."

"I'll believe you for now." Olga looked up, wiped away her tears, and said with a hint of grievance, "Also, your purpose in participating in this Holy Grail War isn't to let us go back, is it? What exactly do you want?"

"As I said before, I'm really gathering my strength. There are two things I absolutely must obtain in this Holy Grail War: the scabbard Avalon and the R'lyeh Text. The scabbard can be obtained from the Einzbern family. Although Kiritsugu Emiya needs it to summon King Arthur, and Irisviel's body also needs it to support it, I must get the scabbard before facing the Marshal for the sake of the R'lyeh Text. Anyway, the Marshal is the second to leave the battlefield, so I just need to bury the scabbard into Irisviel's body before that."

Upon hearing the word "R'lyeh Text," Olga's brow furrowed again. Seeing this, Ling, whose arm was around Olga's waist, touched her brow and smoothed out the wrinkle.

"The R'lyeh Text is used to suppress the ancient gods' words I hear and as a trump card to turn the tide, so I must obtain it. The owner of this book is troublesome. Without stripping the book from the soul level, that Noble Phantasm cannot be taken away. Copying it is the best solution, but reading the book will corrupt the reader with madness. That's why I need the protection of the scabbard. Before that, treat Saber to a few good meals and let her recharge the scabbard. Then things will be much easier to solve."

Olga wasn't stupid; she could tell that Ling was only speaking so lightly to avoid worrying her. But she had no intention of stopping him now. Since she knew exactly what Ling was facing, she might as well think about how to help him. If there were other alternatives, she believed Ling would definitely not choose such a dangerous option.

When the train arrived at the station, Ling and Olga got off and walked hand in hand down the quiet street like any ordinary couple.

“The changes are really significant,” Ling would remark from time to time, then point to a spot and tell Olga what used to be there, before taking a few more steps and pointing to another spot.

After a long time, Ling finally stopped and stood at the entrance of a street.

"Ah, nothing has changed here."

Olga looked at the street corner, which was no different from the alleyway she had just walked through, and she already knew that this should be where Ling's "home" was located. That was why Ling hesitated and did not go any further.

"Aren't you going to go take a look?" Olga asked, looking at Ling's conflicted profile.

"Honestly, I don't think this is my world line," Ling said, as if trying to comfort herself. "Actually, there's no point in coming here. I just wanted to see what the differences are between worlds. Maybe we should go back."

"You're so long-winded." Olga knew Ling's tendency to want to escape, so she pulled him forward. "Now that we're here, why not be brave and go take a look? Maybe there's a surprise waiting for you."

Ling didn't answer, but just looked helpless as Olga pulled him forward. He was thinking to himself that it was actually quite nice to have someone by your side, at least sometimes, that person could give you a push.

With this indifferent attitude, Ling was pulled forward by Orl, then straightened her steps to stand shoulder to shoulder with her, and finally took half a step forward to lead her towards that direction deep in her memory.

Three minutes later, the two stopped in front of an open space with a wooden sign that read "For Sale". Ling looked around the open space with amusement at the old buildings that were exactly the same as in her memory, and then pulled a familiar-looking middle-aged woman who came out of a nearby house and asked, "Excuse me, was there a Chinese restaurant here before?"

The older woman looked Ling and Olga up and down a few times, and figured that since they were both so pretty, they probably weren't bad people, so she said reassuredly, "No, this used to be an izakaya, but there was a fire before, and the family has moved away now."

At this point, the older woman tentatively asked, "Are you here to visit relatives? Are you related to Mr. Takeda and the others?"

"No, maybe I'm mistaken." Ling shook her head, then gave the old lady a hint.

Watching the older woman leave with her shopping basket, Olga looked at Ling with concern.

Ling looked at the empty space and chuckled, "Ha~ So it really doesn't exist."

After saying that, he turned around without looking back, pulled Olga along, and walked back. "There's nothing more to see. Let's go on a date, Olga."

Chapter 379 The Demon Who Knows Despair (Part 2)

For the rest of the day, Ling took Olga shopping, eating, and watching movies. During this time, he didn't bring up any sensitive topics. The reason he didn't mention anything was because he had already seen the green light on his bracelet turn on, indicating that Chaldea could see them. He wasn't in the mood to cause trouble today; he just wanted to relax and let Olga, who was visiting Japan for the first time, have a good time.

Ikebukuro is one of Tokyo's most bustling areas. The area around Ikebukuro subway station is filled with upscale department stores and skyscrapers, creating a vibrant urban scene. Stepping off the train at Ikebukuro station, you're immediately greeted by dense crowds, making the already narrow streets of Ikebukuro even more congested.

They were previously in Chihayacho, which, compared to Chikawacho near Ikebukuro, is mostly inhabited by long-time Tokyo residents and lacks bustling commercial facilities. People who enjoy nightlife would never come here at night. Therefore, in order to have fun, Ling naturally wanted to go to the most bustling Ikebukuro.

Among these people are not only Japanese, but also many from other countries who come to shop and travel. They can be seen everywhere, especially in the major department stores. Ikebukuro is one of Tokyo's most bustling areas, with department stores of all sizes lining up side-by-side, catering to the shopping needs of many.

Upon exiting the platform, the first thing I saw were Tobu and Seibu department stores standing opposite each other on the left and right. These two department stores have always been rivals in Tokyo, seemingly competing to see who can defeat the other. Today, Ling and Olga came here to buy clothes.

Speaking of which, both he and Olga were dressed in clothes that were somewhat out of place in today's society. The clothes they were wearing were prepared by Einzbern, and while they were nice, they were rather unrealistic. Even though they used suggestive magic to keep outsiders from noticing them, Ling still felt it would be better to change into something different in this environment.

So when the two came down from the fourth floor of Tobu Department Store, they had changed into appropriate clothes, removed the suggestive magic, and blended into the crowd with ease.

Olga conjured a bright green long-sleeved shirt with a pretty black tie, paired with a blue and white checkered skirt that went past her knees. Her socks were the long white bubble socks that Japanese girls love, pulled up to near her knees, covering up a lot of her private parts. She completed the look with a pair of leather boots, making her incredibly cute.

Ling, on the other hand, was dressed casually in an EDWIN denim jacket and jeans, with a pair of new sneakers on her feet. She also wore a sun hat and had her hair braided into a scorpion tail that swung back and forth.

The area near Nishi-Ikebukuro is home to Rikkyo University, one of Japan's most prestigious universities. Although Rikkyo University is surrounded by lush greenery and is a Christian university, it doesn't mean that its students are celibate. In fact, there is a wide variety of entertainment options available, including food, drinks, and entertainment.