Chapter 29.2 - For the Unworthy [2]

I give the bedridden girl a small wave before I leave the cabin, and the smile on my face drops.

Because she didn't have a fever. Well, Ritsuka was suffering a fever, but that was only one of the things she was suffering, and definitely the least harmful of them all.

I don't know when, how, or what happened, but suddenly, a dark, foreign entity struck Ritsuka's core and sent her unconscious. It seems eerily similar to the darkness that was creeping inside Kiritsugu's soul when Angra Mainyu tried to take the man out, but much darker, more malevolent, and more dangerous.

Kiritsugu's complexion gradually got worse, but Ritsuka fell to it almost instantly. It was...terrifying, to put it lightly, and definitely more terrifying for everyone else who knows Ritsuka better than I do.

Of course, purifying the taint trying to kill Ritsuka wasn't so hard, I've had prior experience after all, but I didn't want anyone to see what I was about to do. So I forced them out of the cabin, reminding them that they still had tasks to do. Reluctantly, they all left, and I was now free to do what I wanted.

My need of secrecy wasn't born from some feeling of shyness or caution, but from the worry that would arise, both for Ritsuka and for myself.

But they were gone, and I was free to continue.

So, with [Morningstar] activated, and [Stoicism] to make sure nothing goes too haywire, I reached into Ritsuka's core,

And pulled.

Slowly, I reached my magical energy into Ritsuka and began to pull the taint out, cutting off the webs it's built inside the girl as I went on. Pain came as the taint began attacking me, trying to cut off my influence, but I stifled the feeling down and pressed on.

After about an hour of pure concentration, I finally accomplished my task.

[Mysterious Taint]

-?-

A strange dark object that was pulled out from Fujimaru Ritsuka. It seems almost alive, feeding from the mana present in the air.

And there it is.

I...don't really know what to do with this thing. It isn't a material, at least it doesn't seem to be. It's not some consumable either, or even if it is, I'm not eating it. The only thing I can think of doing with this is to analyze it with my mystic eyes, but that's pretty much a given with anything new I get.

...Well, might as well do that.

"[Empty ID]"

A flash lights up around me, and all signs of living beings vanish, leaving me as the only occupant in this empty world. Smiling lightly, I walk over to a nearby open space and plop down a chair and a table, both created from prana.

Taking a seat, I place the [Mysterious Taint] atop the table and stare, watching as it slowly begins to consume the table, digging through the layers of prana I weaved to create the solid construct. "It's slow." I mutter softly. The thing eats very, very slowly, slow enough for the prana table to regenerate back to its undamaged form.

And isn't that weird? When it was inside Ritsuka, it was feasting on the girl's magic supply like there was no tomorrow.

Was this because it worked faster inside a living thing, or because my magical energy is just that hard to consume?

Hmm. Maybe I should try something else.

Picking up the taint, I let the prana table shatter before replacing it with an actual wooden table. From my inventory, I bring out one of the few prototype magic cores I created and place it on the table, then placing the taint over the magic core.

And...nothing. It's not doing anything. I mean, it is eating some of the magic it's generating, but it's hardly fast enough to keep up with the core's scuffed MP regen.

But this was clearly going nowhere. I won't be learning anymore without much to test it on.

So, taking a deep breath, prana flows into my eyes and my mystic eyes activate.

Near immediately, knowledge floods my mind, but I quickly make use of the 3 thoughts my [Mental Partition] has to break down the information into digestible chunks.

Except the information I'm getting is clearly fake.

I narrow my eyes slightly. The flood of information is just that, a flood with the purpose to overwhelm whoever is trying to analyze it. Some of the information says this comes from Tiamat, another says its from the grail, some other one says its from the remnant of Angra Mainyu, and then there's that weird one that says it comes from space or something.

It's clearly intent on misleading her.

But I refuse!

My memories of my time in my old life may be spotty, but I do remember the wonders and the horrors of the internet. I remember the slue of misinformation and opinions disguised as facts that crown the virtual space. I've already adapted to this kind of tactic, I've learnt how to pick through the misdirection to find the truth!

This kind of thing shall not stop me!

So, with the skill born from years of scouring the desolate lands of the internet, I begin to pick the flood of information apart, throwing away the ludicrous and storing away the possible.

With every portion of the knowledge cleaned, a new piece of the puzzle appears, and slowly it all begins to form.

From what I've gathered, this thing seems to be some sort of [Lahmu], or a portion of it, or an old form, or whatever. Simply put, it's one of those weird black monsters that Tiamat creates. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of these things spread all around Uruk.

Then, I freeze.

This thing went into Ritsuka to turn her, to transform her into a mindless doll working under Tiamat.

No, not just Ritsuka. I can see so many others through the telepathic connection it has with its brethren. I can see it feeding on the life of other humans, tearing them from the inside and turning them into husks to create an army. I can see the terror of those inflicted as their life fades, and the horror on the ones watching as they watched the one they love be taken over.

~~~

And they're doing this out of love.

Because Tiamat loves all things.

She loves all things.

Everything in this world is her children.

~~~

Her children.

All her children.

Why do they not love her?

Why?

Why?

WHY?

~~~

The feelings stop abruptly, and I bite my lips to quell the simmering anger. I take a deep gulp of air, and sigh.

In truth, there really isn't anything to get angry for. Tiamat is, and always will be, a mother. She loves all, even if that love has been skewed by time and rage. It was because of the ones of old that she became this way, because of their act to seal Tiamat away from her children in their irrational fear of her strength.

~~~

Do they not understand her plight?

Do they not care for her love?

Do they not care!?

~~~

I wince.

The feelings are growing stronger, more invasive, probing into my mind, but I continue on. I still need to find how this little one managed to get Ritsuka. There's still some things I need answers to.

My mystic eyes grow brighter.

Okay, so...sometime after she woke up, Ritsuka went out to practice her magecraft. She felt frustrated as she failed once more, but soothed the burning feeling when Mash gave her a warm cup of tea.

...Wait, it got into her through the tea?

Okay...uh, was not expecting that. How the hell did it hide through the tea?

Either ways, it remained dormant for a while, mostly spreading its influence over Ritsuka's magic circuits to maximize the amount of prana it can take in, before finally activating.

The rest is history.

Well, that's one thing answered. Now, why is it struggling so much to consume min-?

Ah, okay, my second theory is the right one. This [Mysterious Taint] is [Demonic] by nature, so it's weak against my prana's natural affinity towards [Light] and [Holy].

"Fuu…" With all my questions answered, I close my eyes and lean back against the prana chair, gently massaging my head to nurse the headache the entire thing gave me.

Well, not the entire thing. Usage of my mystic eyes doesn't hurt me too much anymore, but it was that episode and burst of emotions coming from Tiamat that truly knocked me sideways.

Still, headaches are headaches, and they're the worst.

Thankfully, the same drink I gave to Ritsuka came in handy, and I let out a sigh of relief as I can feel it taking its effect. It almost feels like a balm, placed onto my brain to soothe the scalding ache it's being put under.

Of course, no medicine, herbal or manufactured, would be able to work this fast. This one's made from magical medicinal herbs I bought from the [Obelisk]. I would've created one myself, maybe even get the [Alchemy] skill while doing it, but the ingredients to create it isn't sold in the [Obelisk], and its source is millions of kilometres away from [Dun Stadia].

Now, if I have some sort of healing skill, this won't even be an issue, but alas, here I am. Don't know what's up with healing skills, but they're crazy hard for me to replicate. I searched through the [Item Shop] for several hours last night and found no healing-based skills, and trying to replicate Shirou's [Avalon] wasn't doing anything either.

And I know there's a reason for this. I know there's something holding my progress back, but there's just this...block in my head, and the answer just gets stuck.

It's, to put it very mildly, immensely frustrating.

If I'm to take a guess, it's either because of one of my skills or just a fault in the [Gamer System] I'm using. But I have no evidence for either, so they're merely wild guesses.

Well, at the end of the day, what's done is done, and I still have to help Merlin and Da Vinci set up the automatic system we've planned up. Questions like that can be saved for a later date, until enough data can be gathered about this unknown issue.

So, as the [Empty ID] shatters, I store the table into my inventory and stand, letting the prana chair break into motes of magic dust before entering back into the real world.

~~~

If there's one thing that confuses Mash about Hanami, it's the carefree way she goes about her days. Even with the limited interaction she's made with everyone, Hanami treats them like they're a long-known friend, smiling and laughing and joking with the rest. She gives weapons and items, at the level of powerful Noble Phantasms, to people she'd only met for about a day or two.

Such carefree acts aren't born from pride or confidence. She doesn't act as such due to pride, nor does she do it because of her confidence, even though she rightfully has both.

And Mash wonders. She questions.

But alas, she is far too shy to speak up to her. Not from fear, though she readily admits that Hanami's casual show of strength does frighten her somewhat, but from the inadequacy she feels when compared to her.

It's rather hard to put into words what Mash feels when she receives such devoted attention from Hanami, receives comforting words and jokes from someone like her.

A night ago, she'd told everyone of her special mystic eyes. Eyes that were capable of looking into the past, present, and future. Eyes that were capable of reaching towards the swirl of the root, to reach the gate of truth and see, perhaps only a small glance, but nonetheless see into the origin of everything.

If so, then surely Hanami knows of her, and Mash can only wonder why?

Why bother with a girl like her, when her senpai is so much better?

Why bother with her, when two kings are desperately seeking her attention?

Why bother with her, when she clearly has so many more things to do?

Why bother with her?

Why bother with a girl who barely has a year to live?

Why?

She hears a gentle voice in the back of her mind, telling her that she has worth, that no matter who, no matter how small or different, everyone is worth something. And Mash knows it's true, she knows that. She's lived and fought against hundreds of other heroic spirits on the ground of battle.

However, she still can't help but push that voice away, drowning it. She can't help but feel that she's still that girl, bleeding as the fires of Chaldea burnt through her skin. She can't help but remember that this power she holds is not hers but someone else's, remember that she's only holding the potential of Sir Galahad back.

"Walk with me, Mash."

But then Hanami suddenly speaks up, and Mash snaps out of her thoughts, nearly dropping the clay cup she's nursing in her hands.

"...sorry?"

"Walk with me." Hanami repeats, eyes pointing towards a long road stretching towards nowhere.

"B-But," Mash begins, quickly placing down the clay cup to make sure she doesn't inevitably smash it. "But you-, we still have things to do!"

"Hmm." The magician hums for a moment, before she shrugs. "Yes, I do. I should probably help Merlin in finishing the [Transport Chain]." She says and smiles. "But that can wait. This is much more important."

"So, walk with me, Mash."

Hanami says so with kindness, her smile one of gentleness, but there was a deep strength behind it, and before Mash realizes she nods.