Chapter 127: Chapter 127: The Protagonist Appears
[The correct answer to this question is C.]
[Congratulations to Waver, Chihiro, Emiya Kiritsugu, Tohsaka Tokiomi, Tohsaka Rin, Tohsaka Sakura, El-Melloi II, Achilles, Ishtar, Sola-ui, Fiore, and Chiron for obtaining 3 Saint Quartz and advancing to the next round.]
[Other group members will lose 1 Saint Quartz if they answered incorrectly.]
---
Darnic: "So I guessed wrong. I didn't expect this outcome."
Sisigou: "Is this what Servant battles are like?"
Leaticia: "Kotomine Shirou, why did you attack us? Can you explain yourself?"
Kotomine Shirou: "My apologies, everyone has their own secrets, and I have my reasons."
Darnic: "Ruler, it seems this man intends to act against the rules. If necessary, we are willing to assist you in eliminating him."
Jeanne: "No, thank you. I can handle it myself."
Darnic: "If you say so."
---
[Video continues.]
["The fight between the two was impressive."]
[Seeing Karna leave, Jeanne could only praise Siegfried to cover her embarrassment.]
[Siegfried, however, remained silent.]
[Gordes quickly interjected: "Ruler, will you come to the castle of the Yggdmillennia clan?"]
[Jeanne replied firmly: "No, that would compromise fairness."]
[Gordes: "But our castle is the best place to monitor the Holy Grail War. Please reconsider."]
[Jeanne: "My perception ability allows me to observe the entirety of Trifas. There's no need for that."]
[Trifas is the administrative region controlled by the Yggdmillennia clan in Romania. The city is similar to Sighișoara, but without notable tourist attractions. Few people outside of the association know of it.]
[The Holy Grail War would unfold here.]
["I see."]
[Realizing Jeanne wouldn't budge, Gordes suppressed his frustration, turned around, and commanded Siegfried: "Let's go, Saber."]
[Siegfried immediately shifted into spiritual form and vanished.]
[On the highway, a car from the Yggdmillennia arrived to pick up Gordes. He entered and departed.]
["Something seems strange about this Holy Grail War,"] Jeanne mused silently. ["But first, I need to get to Trifas."]
[She glanced at the side of the road, noticing her suitcase had been destroyed during the fight. Clothes were scattered across the ground, prompting her to let out a heavy sigh.]
Leaticia: "My clothes!!!"
These were all her belongings, and many of them were expensive.
Jeanne: "Uh... sorry about that."
Tohsaka Rin: "Jeanne seems rather unfeeling."
Jeanne: "Rules bind me. I cannot interfere in the Holy Grail War."
Tohsaka Rin: "But aren't you already deeply involved by the time of the video?"
Jeanne: "..."
Indeed, ever since the Red Team sent Karna to eliminate her, she was forced into the center of this war.
---
[The scene shifts to the basement of a castle.]
[The area is lined with culture tanks, each containing male or female homunculi.]
[Avicebron and Roche were inspecting the area. Their conversation revealed these homunculi served as the Yggdmillennia clan's primary source of magical energy.]
[The clan drained the homunculi's magic to power Avicebron's technology, producing a variety of golems in all shapes and sizes.]
[Most of the golems resembled stone giants and came in three sizes: large, medium, and small. Some were modeled after insects like spiders and dragonflies.]
[Those homunculi who perished from overuse were carelessly discarded by the Yggdmillennia clan, piled like trash before being processed.]
---
Irisviel: "Darnic, you…!"
This homunculus technology was clearly adapted from Einzbern research.
These beings were Irisviel's kin, and seeing Darnic waste their lives enraged her.
Darnic: "On the path to success, sacrifices must be made."
Darnic: "These homunculi lack true consciousness. They are tools by design. Their magic is their only value."
Irisviel: "You monster!"
Illya: "This uncle is a bad guy!"
Emiya Kiritsugu: "...Hmph!"
Though his anger simmered, Kiritsugu knew he could do nothing to confront Darnic, separated as they were across worlds.
Kayneth: "To think you devised a way to turn homunculi into magical batteries. How innovative."
Darnic: "The Mage Association is overly cautious."
Waver: "Your actions are dangerous. This sets a precedent that others—evil magicians, for instance—might exploit. What happens if they capture living mages to use as batteries instead?"
Darnic: "That's not my concern."
Darnic: "You wouldn't blame the inventor of a knife if someone used it to kill, would you?"
Waver: "You...!"
Kayneth: "As expected of someone who mastered manipulation, his arguments are as sharp as his ambitions."
Darnic: "I'll take that as a compliment."
---
[After Avicebron and Roche left, a homunculus within one of the tanks, a figure meant to remain unconscious suddenly opened his eyes.]
[Seeing the world for the first time, he was overwhelmed with fear.]
[The sight of his fellow homunculi dying, discarded as garbage by the magicians working nearby, only deepened his terror.]
["Escape…"]
[His magic circuits activated instinctively, shattering the glass of his culture tank. He stumbled free and began ascending the nearby stairs.]
[Video paused.]
[Question: What will happen to this homunculus in the future?]
[A: He is captured by the Yggdmillennia clan and executed for being uncontrollable.]
[B: He is captured by the Yggdmillennia clan but kept by Avicebron as experimental material due to his self-awareness.]
[C: He meets a kind-hearted Black Master who rescues and hides him.]
[D: He meets a kind-hearted Black Servant who rescues and hides him.]
---
Darnic: "A homunculus born with self-awareness?!"
Darnic: "Caster, can you determine which homunculus this is?"
Avicebron: "The video moved too quickly for me to tell, but it seems near the exit. We can investigate later."
He was intrigued. Could this homunculus be the core he'd been searching for?
Waver: "A homunculus with self-awareness... could it be…"
Irisviel: "It's very similar to me."
Illya: "I wish I could help him…"
Tohsaka Rin: "Doesn't this homunculus look familiar?"
Waver: "Now that you mention it…"
Kayneth: "Idiots. Look at yesterday's answer."
Tohsaka Rin: "Ah! This looks like Sieg, the heroic spirit from yesterday's Q&A!"
Sisigou: "Now that you say it, there's a resemblance."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "It must be a coincidence."
Gordes: "A coincidence. How could a mere homunculus ascend to become a heroic spirit?"
Illya: "Fatty, are you discriminating against homunculi?"
Gordes: "F-Fatty!?"
Illya: "If you eat too much, aren't you basically a pig?"
Gordes: "…(╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴"
---
[Ding! The time for answering questions is over.]
[Video continues.]
[Sieg dragged his exhausted body through a long corridor before collapsing at a corner.]
["Really, what does Master think of me…?"]
[Meanwhile, Astolfo, adjusting his outfit, walked through the area, grumbling about his Master.]
[Then he noticed the collapsed homunculus.]
["Hey! What's wrong with you?"]
[Astolfo hurriedly approached, lifting the homunculus off the ground.]
["Save me…"]
[The homunculus whispered before falling unconscious.]
["Don't worry, I've got this."]
[With a cheerful expression, Astolfo hoisted the homunculus onto his back and started walking toward his room.]
["But where can I hide him…?"]
["My room? No, no, Master will definitely find him."]
[Two magus entered the hallway, bowing respectfully. "Sir Rider, Sir Caster is tracking a missing homunculus. Have you seen—"]
["A homunculus?"]
[Astolfo stood up straight and replied, "Nope, haven't seen one."]
***
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