C364

Shirou's brows furrowed as he gazed at the girl standing in front of him. She seemed to be around ten years old, her long black hair cascading down her back, and her faded white shirt giving her a slightly disheveled appearance.

Despite her timid and uncertain demeanor, her orange-colored eyes met his gaze directly, as if she was searching for something within him.

"Emiya Miyu," He whispered her name quietly in his mind.

Ever since the Class Card made its appearance in Fuyuki City, Shirou had a strong hunch that this world somehow had a connection with the universe of "Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya."

The events at Adra Castle, where he faced off against Astraea, only solidified his suspicions. Astraea herself had revealed to him the existence of Pandora and the parallel worlds, confirming what he had already suspected.

Therefore, when he came face to face with Emiya Miyu, it didn't come as a complete surprise. However, the fact that their meeting took place in London, right at Zelretch's place, did catch him off guard, albeit only slightly.

Miyu, a significant character from "Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya," held a special position as the creation of the Sakatsuki family. She could be considered the embodiment of a Holy Grail in the parallel world, possessing the power to fulfill the wishes of others. Unlike Illya and Irisviel, who were Lesser Grails, Miyu was a perfect Grail right from the start.

In this particular world, the focus of the Holy Grail War revolved around the Greater Grail. However, in that parallel world, the entire war revolved around Miyu herself.

Nevertheless, the question that puzzled him was how he had come across Miyu in that old man's room, of all places.

Was Zelretch perhaps observing the parallel worlds and coincidentally brought her along?

"Nii...san?" Emiya Miyu's voice trembled softly, her tone laced with caution, as though she held fragile illusions within a delicate glass.

He gently shook his head in response. "I am not Emiya Shirou, nor am I your brother."

Indeed. He wasn't her brother... Emiya Miyu's gaze grew dim as she said, "I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else."

Miyu couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment, although her expression remained neutral, concealing her true emotions.

"Hahaha... It wasn't exactly a mistake," Zelretch's hearty laughter echoed through the room.

Having emerged from the fractures of the world he had opened, Zelretch affectionately patted Miyu on the shoulder and gestured towards Shirou, remarking, "This guy is your brother, an alternate version from a parallel world, my dear girl."

Shirou glanced at Miyu for a moment before turning his attention to Zelretch, "So, what's the situation?"

"Hmph. With such a lovely girl around, you choose to ask such a boring question? You really do have a knack for being boring, Eternal King!"

"Oh please, don't even get me started on being boring. You're an old man who's still obsessed with magical girls. That's not just boring, it's downright disgusting!"

Zelretch clicked his tongue, "Tsk! You have now surpassed Merlin. Congratulations, you've become the second person I detest the most!"

"Well, I'm truly honored. Maybe I should pop open a bottle of champagne to celebrate this special achievement."

Miyu's anxiety grew as she watched the two of them confront each other, worried that they might actually come to blows.

Setting aside everything else, she wasn't exactly sure about the true extent of this old man's power, but she could tell he was far from weak.

Her concern stemmed from the possibility that her brother's counterpart from the parallel world might find himself at a disadvantage.

However, curiosity began to creep in. Her brother was known for being knowledgeable, kind-hearted, and easy to get along with—a bit of a pushover, to be honest. So why did his alternate counterpart seem so difficult to get along with?

And...

Eternal King?

Was her brother's alternate self actually a king?

Emiya Miyu was a little bewildered.

Zelretch let out a cold snort and spoke, "Hmph. Since you're so eager to know, I suppose I can enlighten you. Regarding this matter, Eternal King..."

"Wait a minute!"

Shirou quickly turned his head and called out to the door, "Lorelei!"

With a soft click, Lorelei pushed the door open and stepped inside. She first greeted Shirou with a noble gesture, then nodded respectfully to Zelretch. Finally, her gaze shifted to Shirou as she asked, "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

Zelretch snorted disapprovingly and sneered with contempt, "Has Barthomeloi once again become the Eternal King's lapdog? Hmph! It's just the kind of behavior one would expect from the Barthomeloi family."

Lorelei, however, appeared unperturbed by Zelretch's remarks and carried on as if she hadn't heard a thing. Meanwhile, Shirou pointed towards Miyu and instructed, "Take care of this child. Get her something to eat and find her some clothes as well."

"Understood!" she promptly took Miyu's hand and led her away.

Zelretch sneered, "You're being too soft. That girl is clearly involved in this incident, yet you've chosen to exclude her from it."

"No need to drag children into the conflicts of adults,"

"Hmph. Who cares about your feeling."

"Let's get to the point. What's the situation? Is it connected to the revival of the Age of Gods you mentioned?"

"Indeed, it is. And it's also connected to us."

"No need to bring up the fact that over 1,500 years ago, during our battle against Crimson Moon, you extracted immense magical power from that parallel world. I'm already aware of it."

"Oh?" Zelretch raised an eyebrow. "You already know about that?"

"During your absence, I came across a divine spirit—a goddess from that parallel world. So I have a basic understanding of the situation."

Zelretch listened intently as he quickly recounted the events surrounding the Adra Castle incident. 

The old mage stroked his chin thoughtfully, "I see, so I actually missed a divine spirit, Well, at least you're already aware of what happened, which saves me some trouble. But let me tell you, things aren't as simple as they may seem."

Taking a brief pause, Zelretch's tone turned solemn as he continued, "You could consider this incident as an 'invasion' from parallel worlds!"

"An invasion?" Shirou furrowed his brows.

Zelretch nodded and said, "About 1,500 years ago, during our battle against Crimson Moon, my Second Magic encountered an unexpected problem. It went out of control and absorbed an enormous amount of magical energy from a parallel world, which you called 'Ainsworth.'"

"So, you drained all the magical energy from that parallel world?"

"No," Zelretch shook his head, "This world is rich in magical energy. While I did extract a significant amount to counter Crimson Moon's 'Moon Fall,' it had an impact, but it wouldn't deplete the magical energy of an entire planet."

Zelretch paused, his expression growing solemn as he continued, "I made a mistake. It wasn't absorption, but rather the destructive rampage of my Second Magic that took place over 1,500 years ago."

"Destruction? Are you saying that you actually destroyed the magical energy in that parallel world? Like its structure or the balance mechanism, causing the depletion of magical energy?"

Zelretch shook his head, "If it were just that, I wouldn't be too concerned. I'd simply observe the civilization of that parallel world crumble from a distance. The issue is that my magic disrupted the boundary between that parallel world and ours!"