[FDJ]Chapter 70: Open Book Examination

Suzuki Yuki was escorted back to his room by the guards of Chaldea. As expected, there were signs of rummaging in the room, but it had been rearranged. Suzuki Yuki quickly glanced around and saw that most of his belongings were still there.

The room door closed automatically, and Suzuki Yuki hurriedly went to his bed and checked his waist pouch. The copper mirror inside was intact, but there was still no trace of the chess piece.

After confirming everything, Suzuki Yuki placed the waist pouch back on the bed and prepared to lie down.

"What are you looking for?"

Standing at the far end of the room was a brown-haired woman with a single eyepatch. Her expression was cold, and she gave Suzuki Yuki a feeling of keeping her distance.

Suzuki Yuki saw the woman's appearance and vaguely remembered her name, but he couldn't recall it completely at the moment. He was certain, however, that she was also a member of Group A.

"I am Ophelia Phamrsolone. I have been instructed by the captain to ensure your safety," said Ophelia, the brown-haired woman with a single eye.

Her purpose was not merely to protect his safety; otherwise, she wouldn't have remained invisible all the time. Suzuki Yuki maintained a certain level of vigilance and dared not divert his attention. Someone who could intrude into his room without permission could also do a lot of other things, especially considering that Suzuki Yuki's room had no hiding space and its condition was visible.

"Your wariness has increased significantly since you returned. Good. To be honest, I think it's only natural for a mediocre magus like you, a Master of low caliber, to die in some forgotten corner of the past. But you have come back twice, which truly surprises me," Ophelia spoke with the same coldness as the ice and snow outside. In her description, Suzuki Yuki was nothing more than a fortunate "waste."

"What is your purpose?" Suzuki Yuki didn't immediately call for the guards outside. He felt that if the other person intended to harm him, she would have already done so when she brazenly entered his room. Moreover, she was also a member of Group A and claimed to be here on behalf of the Group A captain.

"What is my purpose? Don't worry, I don't need to force you to remember like Beryl did. I may be the first person in Chaldea to have noticed the anomalies and have unraveled most of the mysteries so far," Ophelia said while pointing at the room door. "I sneaked in while the director was searching your room, waiting for your return. I have set up a simple soundproofing spell on the door, and I have also dismantled the newly installed cameras in the room."

She spread open her left hand, revealing two small pen-like electronic devices. "Your level of vigilance is not high enough, or perhaps you lack a systematic understanding of modern technology? It doesn't matter. Today, I will ensure your safety until the negotiations between Wodime and the director are over."

Ophelia spoke casually and threw the dismantled camera into the trash bin. Suzuki Yuki had no idea how to deal with the presence of another person in his room. He was averse to being sent off to be studied with various devices and instruments, but he also didn't like being stared at by an expressionless, cold beauty. "Isn't Chaldea a safe place?"

"Hmph, you truly are an unfinished product with only knowledge of the Holy Grail War and lacking common sense. Do you doubt my intentions? Fine, I'll be on guard in the next room. Also, let me tell you one more thing. If you're ready, go back to the Central Control Room. The longer you stay in this illusory world, the more it will affect your memories," Ophelia walked to the wall and quickly drew a magic circle with her fingertips, allowing her hand to pass through the wall, which became like a water surface.

Suzuki Yuki couldn't immediately understand the final advice from Ophelia. He hurriedly stopped her. "Illusion? What do you mean? And going to the Control Room when ready, does that mean I should transfer my consciousness again?"

Ophelia stopped her "wall-passing" action and pondered for a few seconds before answering Suzuki Yuki. "Think back, where have you been in the past few days? Do the Servants you encountered in that Holy Grail War still remember their true names?"

Of course, Suzuki Yuki remembered that he had participated in a major battle between the Huns and the Western Roman Empire on the plains of Gaul in the year 451. Apart from Saber Jeanne d'Arc, he could recall the appearance and true names of the other seven Servants. He even remembered the patterns engraved on the pottery jars where Attila stored sugar.

"Judging by your expression, you still remember them. What about the previous encounter?" Ophelia seemed to be able to see through Suzuki Yuki's thoughts. While he was recalling, her magical eye under the eyepatch also delved into his memories, catching glimpses of the true forms of many Servants.

Suzuki Yuki didn't hesitate and tried to recall, but this time he could only remember very few memories. He couldn't even recall which Servants he encountered in that Holy Grail War. The only person he vividly remembered was a surviving Master named Matou Shinji, who seemed to have a female Lancer-class Servant.

"That's all I can remember," Suzuki Yuki said, feeling a headache and the resurgence of fiery hallucinations.

"No need to lie to me for now. You don't remember most of what happened, right? It's like dreaming. When a person just wakes up, they can recall most of the things that happened in their dreams, even if they have no logical connection. But trying to remember a dream from a week ago is something that people without specialized magical training can't do," Ophelia skipped another question. She didn't like playing the role of a nanny to someone with poor magical abilities. Answering questions with conclusions that could be immediately proven lacked the thrill of exploring secrets. She passed through the wall, which returned to its original state.

Suzuki Yuki walked up to the wall, and when he touched it, it remained a solid and intact structure. The wallpaper on the surface didn't show any signs of damage. Considering Ophelia's warning, Suzuki Yuki put aside his suspicions and organized his personal belongings. According to her, the next time he goes to the Control Room, his consciousness will be forcibly transferred by an unknown force, in the absence of a working Chaldea Spiritron Transfer system.

Suzuki Yuki wasn't fully prepared to go back to Gaul in 451 AD. Besides wearing combat clothes that could save his life, many of his items remained unused, such as his cell phone, medical bandages, sprays, emergency rations, and water purifiers. The items that seemed useful were far less valuable than finding Attila and gaining her trust. If he managed that, he wouldn't have to worry about food and drink, and he could gather information without effort. Moreover, if he encountered danger, there would be little need for post-battle medical treatment since Suzuki Yuki would likely be instantly killed if he got caught up in a fight with Servants. Bandages and similar items would be meaningless.

Chaldea's issued combat clothes were limited in number. Suzuki Yuki opened the closet, and the damaged set of clothes remained hanging there, untouched for investigation. This time, he chose a set of clothes without basic offensive magecraft, as the ability to quickly evade on the battlefield was more useful. The design of the clothes resembled the uniform of a certain magical academy and possessed a rare short-term immunity to magical attacks, automatically nullifying curses of Rank 2 or below. The cuffs of the clothes also had a device for analyzing residual magical energy. However, this set of clothes would deplete its magical energy after a few magecraft uses, so it couldn't replace the abilities of an actual magus.

Suzuki Yuki felt that clothes specialized for magecraft would be more useful overall than clothes with a broad focus.

In his waist pouch, he kept only a roll of bandages, a can of spray, and a bottle of nutrient solution. He replaced the rest of his items with ones that would be useful in magical combat. Suzuki Yuki didn't fully agree with the doctor's praise of technology, but he was willing to try and believe. Since he couldn't use magecraft, relying on Chaldea's technological items that resembled magecraft might provide some assistance.

After finishing his preparations, Suzuki Yuki noticed that there was an A4 paper with writing on it on his desk. He was certain that before he discovered Ophelia, there was only a book titled "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" on the desk. Someone must have quietly placed the paper on the desk while he was focused on organizing his belongings.

Suzuki Yuki immediately turned his gaze towards the room door, the only exit. It remained closed. He cautiously walked up to the desk and lightly touched the paper with the pen on the table, but there was no response.

A list of names was printed on the A4 paper. Suzuki Yuki quickly scanned through it and realized they were brief biographies of European historical figures who lived in the 12th century. There were more than 40 names densely written in English letters that seemed to possess a unique magic, firmly capturing Suzuki Yuki's attention and preventing him from looking away. The pen he used earlier didn't trigger anything, but when he tried to read the specific contents, the magic on the paper was activated.

The nature of the magecraft remained unknown, and it took Suzuki Yuki ten times to read through it before he snapped out of the magical influence. The A4 paper faded away simultaneously as if it had never existed in this world.

"What's happening?" Suzuki Yuki felt like something was forcibly stuffed into his mind. He momentarily lost his balance and anxiously sat down on the chair to catch his breath. He didn't need to recall; Suzuki Yuki could remember the names and brief life stories of the more than 40 individuals on the paper, particularly the first name on the list, the focal point of the Middle East in the 12th century, the hero of Ayyubid dynasty, Saladin. It seemed that the other party especially wanted Suzuki Yuki to remember this person, as even after he read it ten times, he was prompted to go back and read Saladin's brief biography once again.

The professors at Chaldea had mentioned the heroes of the Middle East, and Saladin certainly wouldn't be left out. However, Chaldea had not observed Saladin as a Heroic Spirit manifesting in the role of a Servant. The books they compiled mentioned a "possible existence of the Ruler class compatibility." There was no way to know why the professor who wrote that passage speculated about the Ruler class, just like someone mentioning the possibility of rolling a seven when guessing the number on a die. Based on Suzuki Yuki's knowledge, kings and generals without legendary weapons often manifested as Caster or Rider class.

Without dwelling too much on this matter, Suzuki Yuki quickly regained his composure and opened his personal computer on the desk to access the stored data on the local network. It was more efficient for him to directly search for detailed information in the archives rather than relying on his memory. The information on the more than 40 individuals was easy to find. They were all connected to the event known as the "Crusades," specifically the Second and Third Crusades.

As Suzuki Yuki focused on researching the information, the invisible eyes of a crow were also watching him from somewhere.