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Shirou couldn't shake off Gil's words as they kept echoing in his mind. According to him, the odds of Shirou not returning from that parallel world were grim, at over ninety percent.

His Noble Phantasm could only see what was within his line of sight. However, Gil's Sha Naqba Imuru was different, so he had to take it seriously.

Initially, he had planned to amass magical energy up to A+ by tapping into the 'Evil' lingering among the citizens of Fuyuki City. Then, in his complete state, he intended to find the connecting point between the two worlds and enter the parallel world. However, he now felt it necessary to understand the secrets of that parallel world in advance before going there.

The one with the most knowledge about the parallel world wasn't Miyu, but rather the god of that world- Astraea!

Even though Miyu was the Holy Grail of that parallel world, she led a normal life most of the time and had limited understanding of its secrets. That's why seeking answers from Astraea seemed like the most appropriate choice.

As night fell, he sought out Luvia, who pleasantly surprised him by setting up a table adorned with exquisite delicacies. She had also arranged for Rin, clad in a black and white maid outfit, to serve fine wine, all set for a delightful evening with him.

Rin wore a discontented expression, but Luvia's generous offer of money left her with no choice but to reluctantly comply.

On the other hand, Luvia was overjoyed with the situation.

As for her feelings towards him, it wasn't necessarily love, but there was undoubtedly a strong sense of liking and admiration. Memories of the kind savior who had left a deep impression on her heart nine years ago, as well as the commanding presence of the Eternal King, both evoked admiration and longing within her.

The Edelfelt family held significant status as a major noble family in Finland, which naturally led Luvia to admire and yearn for the idea of a king. Becoming a queen was not an impossible thing to consider.

However, his specific request to meet Astraea by name left Luvia feeling somewhat frustrated. Meanwhile, Astraea experienced a blend of panic and unusual excitement.

In her world, justice had been lost, and the inevitability of being forgotten was her destiny. Yet, the Eternal King had made a promise to her, vowing to remember her for all eternity.

As a goddess, Astraea couldn't help but feel fortunate to have such a devoted follower. She was aware that this king didn't believe in gods; his kingship emphasized authority over divinity. Nonetheless, she couldn't resist indulging in godly fantasies from time to time.

With a glimmer of excitement in her eyes, Astraea listened intently as Shirou spoke. He didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

"Astraea, I have a question for you."

"Sure, go ahead," she replied, her eyes shining like a princess gazing at her prince.

Shirou: "..."

"Let me ask you first, are you the goddess of justice, innocence, and purity?"

"Yes," she nodded, a bit puzzled. "Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing," he shook his head, feeling somewhat relieved.

Throughout the day, he was surrounded by women vying for his attention, chattering away; it was such a chaotic battlefield that it had left him a bit doubtful about every woman's intentions. But now, after asking this question and receiving Astraea's confirmation, he felt much more at ease. 

After all, there was no way that the goddess of innocence and purity could fall in love, right?

'He's looking this way, he's looking this way!'

Under his intense gaze, Astraea's heart skipped a beat, especially when she saw the fiery passion in his eyes, which made her extremely excited.

However, as the Goddess of Justice, Astraea knew she wasn't supposed to harbor feelings of admiration, let alone entertain thoughts of love, marriage, or children. She understood that these emotions must belong to the host she was possessing.

And since she was possessing the host's body, there was nothing she could do about it. No matter what, she couldn't ruin the host's happiness just for her own selfish belief, Astraea thought.

In that moment, she finally understood why even the virgin goddess Artemis had fallen in love. It seemed like an unavoidable situation.

However, she reminded herself that she was different. Her emotions were influenced by the host.

Indeed, this must be the case.

Her thoughts were filled with clouds of pink bubbles,

Shirou spoke, "I'll be straightforward. Please tell me the true reason for your fall and about the Pandora of your world."

The sudden shift in topic jolted Astraea out of her lovesick daze.

She appeared a bit troubled as she gazed at him, "I never thought you'd come asking about that..."

"The connection between the two worlds was caused by me and Zelretch, and now it's already starting to affect this world. So I need to resolve this problem."

She looked at him, let out a sigh, and nodded, "Alright, if that's what you want."

After a brief silence, she asked, "Do you know the origin of Pandora's box?"

"Prometheus stole fire from the Olympian gods and gave it to humanity. As punishment, Zeus and the other gods filled Pandora's box with all sorts of disasters, including..." He hesitated for a moment.

"And hope, which I placed in there," she gently added. 

He nodded.

The story of Pandora is widely known. It all started with Prometheus stealing fire for humanity, a noble act, but one that angered Zeus and the other gods. In retaliation, they filled Pandora's box with endless catastrophes - earthquakes, floods, hailstorms, and plagues - causing untold suffering and claiming the lives of countless people.

Witnessing this scene, Astraea was filled with anxiety. She pleaded with Zeus to forgive humanity and offered to take the punishment on their behalf. As human hope was locked away in Pandora's box, Astraea willingly donned the chains, enduring punishment on Olympus' cliffs, praying for hope to descend upon humanity. Eventually, she transformed into the constellation virgo, protecting humanity. 

And that's the story of Pandora - a tale of a goddess sacrificing herself to obtain the seeds of hope.

She sighed, "But Pandora isn't just some disaster inflicted upon humanity by the gods."

"Then what is it?" He frowned.

"Pandora is a restraint placed on humanity by the gods."

She continued, "Long ago, the gods existed in physical form as manifestations of nature itself, and they ruled over the Earth and its civilizations. The Deterioration began when invaders invaded fourteen thousand years ago. This wasn't limited to just one world—it happened in all parallel worlds." she explained, pausing for a moment before continuing, "With the Age of Men approaching, we gods didn't want to fade away. That's when the gods of Mesopotamia came up with the idea of creating the Wedge of Heaven to coexist with humanity. Unfortunately, the Wedge of Heaven betrayed them, leading to the eventual separation of humans and gods. As for us, the gods of Olympus, we thought of another way."

He frowned, "To use Pandora to destroy humanity and slow down the approaching Age of Men?"

She nodded. "Yes, that's one aspect of it. Another purpose was to showcase our divine power, leaving behind miracles. Zeus himself fathered numerous offspring in the human world. These actions were taken to increase those miracles, ensuring that we, the gods, would never be forgotten. In this way, our existence would become a permanent part of Pan-Human History. But my world..."

"I get it now," he mused, rubbing his chin. "You mentioned earlier that when Zelretch's Second Magic went berserk, your world was right at the moment when Pandora was being created. But before you could open Pandora, it disappeared because of the berserk Second Magic."

She nodded sadly, her eyes losing their sparkle. "Yes, in my world, all of us gods were completely forgotten."

"What about Pandora? What was inside the unopened box?"

"It was filled with anger, unwillingness, and pure malice, all formed from the collective consciousness of the forgotten gods—a pure intent of destruction!" she explained. "Inside that box, there was no hope, just disasters meant to destroy everything!"

"I see," he stood up and said, "Thanks for sharing this with me, Astraea."

"No problem," she quickly waved her hand then asked in a hushed voice, "So, are you leaving now, King of Men?"

He nodded. "It's getting late, you should get some rest."

After a brief pause, he turned to the maid beside him, giving her a gentle smile. "You too, Rin. Rest early."

Rin hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you still the same Fujimaru Shirou?"

"Yes and no." He turned around and left.

Astraea watched as his figure receded into the distance and whispered, "It would be so wonderful if we could all peacefully coexist like this... If only that day could come..."

"What are you talking about, Lady Astraea?" Rin asked curiously

"Ah, it's nothing, really," Astraea replied nervously.

Rin let out a sigh, "Honestly, I can't see any trace of a goddess in you, Lady Astraea."

Astraea's expression turned gloomy, and she said, "I'm sorry, I'm just a forgotten and useless goddess."

"I... I didn't mean it like that! I meant, Lady Astraea, you're really easy to get along with!" Rin quickly clarified.

"I see..." Astraea's smile returned. "Thank you, Rin."

...

Shirou made his way back home.

The night was late and very quiet.

Entering Ritsuka's room, he found her already fast asleep. Quietly, he took a seat beside her.

"You better handle your affairs properly before going to that world,"

Gil's words echoed in his mind, leaving him with a mix of emotions.

Sakura had the protection of Tiamat, so he wasn't worried about her. His only concern was his little sister, Ritsuka.

In this world, she was just a five-year-old girl, living an ordinary life, but fate had thrown her into troublesome situations.

Without any divine protection, class card, or magical energy beyond that of an ordinary person, she was delicate and vulnerable—a completely ordinary girl.

At her age, she should be enjoying her childhood, even if she was a bit silly. His greatest wish was for her to survive, grow up healthy, and be happy. That was what mattered the most to him.

But life has a way of defying his expectations. Once he goes to solve the invasion of parallel worlds, there's no guarantee that he can come back.

Indeed, fear has crept into his heart. Back when he was in Britain, he never experienced such intense emotions of fear or anxiety. 

But now, the stakes are higher. He has a family here, and that terrifies him.

He can't shake off the fear that he might not make it back, leaving his little sister vulnerable to something strange — such as the manifestation of the Alien God.

In the end, he can only see himself as a coward.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he replayed Irisviel's words in his mind. Right now, he could protect them, but he couldn't guarantee their safety for a lifetime. This realization left him feeling both disappointed and guilty. Yet, slowly, a newfound determination welled up within him.

If no one else could protect his little sister, he would take on that role himself.

His resolve strengthened, and the "Evil" within him churned. He then turned around, preparing to leave the room.

"Brother... Brother... Please don't destroy Ruby... she's my good friend..." Ritsuka murmured in her sleep.

"I would never do that," He responded without looking back and quietly left.

As he stepped out of her room, he met Miyu.

"You're still awake, Miyu?"

She nodded, hesitating for a moment before gathering her courage. "Fujimaru-niisan, I need to ask you for a favor."

Curious, he asked, "What is it?"

She looked directly into his eyes and said, "I want you to give Ruby to me!"

...

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