CH 7. Plans Moving Forward

Event List

Demonic Beasts, incidents where children are kidnapped.

Meili is the Beast Tamer, from the same organization as Elsa. Approach with caution!

White Whale and Petelgeuse Assault, a few days after the Royal Selection.

**Enemies**

**Petelgeuse:** Has invisible hands that are capable of destroying boulders and tearing apart people without difficulty. Immortal, has ten members connected to him so he can move his soul to them after his 'death'. Can corrupt and drive those who have no knowledge of spirit magic mad by emitting black waves.

**White Whale:** Has two mists. The first is a mist that causes people's mana to go crazy and harm themselves. The second is a mist that erases someone's whole existence. It can also split itself into three parts, where two bodies are decoys while the main one escapes or waits until its clones kill its enemies.

**Solution:** Facing them alone won't be wise, be it Petelgeuse or White Whale. Petelgeuse has an army, so face him with another army. Negotiating with Crusch or Anastasia is the best option, use tactics like in the canon, offer White Whale to them. Petelgeuse has some device that links him to his horcrux-like people. Use it to find them and destroy all fingers, then kill Petelgeuse by chopping him into pieces.

If things come to the worst, at least destroy Petelgeuse. Too dangerous to let alive, no matter what, the Witch Cult must be dealt with first. For White Whale, if I can't get an army, then use Excaliblast. White Whale must also be killed no matter what before entering Arc Four, so that the future Archbishops of Gluttony can't use it.

**Royal Selection**

**Crusch:** has a special sword, comparable to a Noble Phantasm, as it even kills demonic beasts that were famous in the past with only one slash and is able to wound White Whale who may be at the level of a Monstrous Beast.

**Anastasia:** a mercenary and a greedy individual, has a big army due to her mercenary status. Her power is her army, this girl is the best source of information but needs to be repaid with an equal price.

**Priscilla:** similar to Gilgamesh and strong during the day due to sun blessing. Has a sword that is comparable to a Noble Phantasm too. Compared to the other candidates, she is most likely the wealthiest.

**Knights**

**Wilhelm:** husband of a former sword saint, very skilled, even beating his own wife in the past and married her due to that. Threat level: High, since he used a sword for a long time and is very experienced. Also, he clawed himself out from White Whale's stomach after he got swallowed.

**Ferris:** has superb healing that allows him to control people's organs and seems to be able to reconstruct his body if he is fatally wounded. Threat level: Low, his magic probably won't do anything with Magic Resistance and Protection of Avalon and its barrier. He seemingly doesn't have any other special abilities.

**Julius:** has a pact with six spirits, his sword skills seem good as well. Threat level: Moderate, he may have skills but compared to Servants' strength it is nothing, the spirits also can be repelled by Magic Resistance. Still, he is more skilled than me, so approach with care and only engage if you moderately master the sword.

**Mimi and her brother:** can shoot some kind of soundwave and share their injuries to lessen the damage they get. Threat level: high-moderate, that soundwave is not magical and is strong enough to blast a cave entrance down. If that hits, it could be end game if you don't master your endurance, not to mention their small figures and numbers which are also dangerous.

**Al:** some mysterious guy from another World that can use earth magic. He was a gladiator before being picked by his boss. Threat level: Moderate. Magic or not, crippled or not, he survived in this World and was a former gladiator, it still means something. He has some skills and experience, approach carefully.

**WARNING**

Do not let anyone from Emilia's faction get hit by the Fog of Elimination or let them die. Do NOT let ANY of THEM go with Crusch after fighting White Whale, they will be attacked by the Archbishops of Gluttony and Greed. Crusch can know when you lie, always give a half-truth or at least use confusing facts like examples of real stories from the real world.

Archbishops of Gluttony and Greed and Pandora remember to fully activate Avalon to its fullest as they possess powers that define the laws of the world, one could rewrite phenomena itself. This borders on reality manipulation.

Approach with caution and don't hold back.

**Potential Allies:**

**Crusch:** the best option, honorable, and one that likely won't use dirty tricks. Can be rash in making decisions, but she is still reasonable and logical.

**Anastasia:** mercenary network will be useful for gaining or spreading information. Greedy and needs to always be given something in return after asking for help.

**Priscilla:** listed as an ally because she is too similar to Gilgamesh. Having her as an ally will bring more problems than fortune. Only ask if things are really bad.

I re-read the short note I wrote before putting it back on the table. Continuing my push-ups with one hand, thoughtfully trying to recall what else I should be worried about in the future.

Arc Four starts only a few days after the end of Arc Three. In Arc Three, I would be focused on the Royal Selection and the clash with White Whale and the Witch Cult. I obviously need to focus on the latter as it would happen first. Not to mention that Arc Three and Four don't have any relation. I thought it was about visiting the sanctuary and meeting the other Witches sealed there.

Or, was it Arc Five that has no relation with the others? Damn, it was so confusing. I did not remember about them since the novel had yet to be translated.

For now–being in Arc Two–I shouldn't worry much. Unlike Subaru, I was far from defenseless with my new body.

Sure, fighting with demonic dogs would happen but–with my new strength that I have hardly any control or use of – I should be able to deal with them without too much hassle. There is no need to worry about a few dogs when you have two nukes and unlimited regeneration.

In fact, it's the best way for me to adapt and learn how to fight large hordes of enemies. I could possibly even get rid of every Mabeast in the forest using Morgan at full power.

Morgan is a combination of both a demonic blade and a Holy sword. It could attract Mabeasts, but it should be enough for me to get rid of every little thing. That could become a future bother for me.

But I won't use Morgan or Excalibur unless you somewhat master your mana, to avoid exhaustion or overuse of mana circuits like what happens with Emiya.

It could hinder me for days. Suddenly overusing my mana core could do too much harm to me, even with Avalon there to heal me.

Life is already hard as it is; don't make it harder by not learning magic. It could be the greatest weapon in your arsenal.

So in four days, learn to regulate and control the mana, and learn the flow of mana within your body and outside. Before using anything, get used to the feeling of the flow of mana, and if possible, also control the flow even while sleeping.

You should partially master and control mana in four days, even if you have to remain awake during these four days.

**Rem and Ram** are something I need to think about. If they decide to attack me, Rem would be the most dangerous. Since their magic would be useless against me, they would resort to physical attacks, and Ram is quite bad in this regard.

I was sure I could handle Rem as well if I was careful. I didn't want to taste that spiky ball of hers after all. What was it called again? Morningstar? How ominous…

Therefore, my survival in Arc Two was guaranteed. Making a mistake could still be rectified as my opponents would be quite weak. Nothing major except character growth should be taken into account and–

Oh right!

Do not let Rem get bitten by the demonic puppy! As if it bites you, it won't do anything since you now have Avalon in your body. And it's when it could bite you, as if you were able to reach your endurance stats, its teeth would break upon contact with your skin.

I added this information to the note and made a satisfied nod after reading it. I almost forgot about that one. There was an episode where Rem went to the village to buy supplies only to get bitten by a demonic puppy. Then Subaru jumped from a cliff to kill himself and save her. That was seriously messed up; in fact, it would be better to just kill the puppy and stop everything from even happening.

Moreover, the shaman was actually the little girl Meili. She deliberately brought the tamed demonic beast into the village. For all I knew, she could be hired by Roswaal just like Elsa. This was highly possible as Emilia would be famous in the village after repairing the barrier. If I knocked her out then…

No… I would let that happen; facing a berserk Rem is the best choice. It sure would be good practice for me. My future opponents would be very powerful so I needed to face dangerous situations to improve myself.

Was that a sign of my sanity slowly eroding? Planning to face dogs the size of humans and an Oni as a practice exercise… Really, if I were a normal Human, I would bang my head against a wall.

But I was not normal, far from it…

I really needed this to develop my skills so I could face bigger monsters…

Besides, I didn't want to change the timeline too much. My goal was to go through canon events without dying. I had no reason to alter any of them. So taking out Meili would be a problem since she was from an assassin group. That would make me one of their targets.

For now, I didn't want that to happen…

It was harsh, I concede. But I was not someone who used half-baked plans. I had to get strong and fast. I had no intention of dying even once; knowing almost everything that would happen, I didn't need any more information.

Although I knew about this vital information, there was one major problem: Time.

When would they happen precisely?

Due to Subaru's looping ability, I was confused about the specific dates of each event. Arc Two wouldn't be a problem as I could ask Rem when she needed to buy supplies and I would only have to go with her. Wanting to visit the village would be a good pretext.

But the Third Arc would clearly be a big problem… If I was just one day late and made the wrong move, the whole village would die, and the mansion would be assaulted too. Then if Emilia died…

"SLEEP... ALONG WITH MY DAUGHTER!"

I felt a chill crawling up my spine. Not good, not good at all. That was the last thing I wanted to happen. Emilia was not allowed to die. Not just because it would make Puck go on a rampage but it also would equal my chance to return back home to zero.

Whether she was Satella reincarnated or just an outer personality like Outer-Moka from Rosario Vampire didn't matter. She was the main character here. If Satella or the Witch of Envy could bring me here, then they might have a way for me to go back home. Moreover, if she did, then Emilia could do it as well.

To fix her death, I would have to commit suicide and return to the past. Obviously, this was the only option left. But I was not too keen on killing myself. It would be better if I could go without dying even once.

I also planned to ask Beatrice about dimension travel, but for that, I needed her to trust me first. I doubted it would be easy though, with her weird personality. But I didn't really have a choice.

So also rely on yourself; no one is going to help you more than you yourself. Learn magic.

Now you are in a different world with no one restraining you to remain in the Saber class; you could master magic, giving you more flexibility which you need to survive in this world filled with monsters that overwrite reality.

Don't handicap yourself with just a sword, especially when you have more mana than the best magician in this country and the Beast of the End.

So don't hold back; learn as much as you can. It will make life just a little easier for you. And now with Avalon inside you, you don't have to worry about running out of stamina and energy. They will go overboard and break many muscles in your body, but now they will repair just as fast.

It's just the pain you have to deal with.

I had so many things to worry about… And I was not even here for more than twenty-four hours yet! Gag! I hated this situation already!

I already absorbed Avalon into me, and with it, I feel invincible, but I also know it's far from the truth. It just gave me one more way to gain power and remain alive in the worst-case scenario.

It was seven am… Well, more like seven solartime according to this world. Apparently, I turned to solartime while pm to lunartime. It was a strange way to tell the time, but meh, who cared?

I have been awake since three, and with Avalon, I don't feel like I need to sleep. I didn't know why, but my body wasn't tired anymore. I could say I was an early riser, but to awaken at three? Now that's clearly something.

Perhaps it was because I was not truly physically tired. My body was clearly in very fit condition; it was only my mind that was troubled. So a little rest was more than enough to feel completely refreshed.

I continued to do my push-ups while the bed was on my back. It was difficult at the start, but after just a few hundred push-ups, I got used to it, and now I feel this bed is as light as a feather.

It also indicates that I do possess all those straight A stats. I just need to bring them out and build myself like that. I could have gotten out of the room to the garden to lift something much heavier; however, I decided not to. I meant, technically I was still a guest, a stranger. And having a stranger walk around was not the best idea to impress people.

That's why I decided to stay in my room and start experimenting. And sometime later, when I felt like I could just lift the whole bed with a single finger as long as I wanted, I stopped doing Bench Presses and slowly put the bed back in its place.

Getting up, I started to do squats until I felt numb. But even after the next conscious hour, I just felt that my muscles had gotten used to it.

**Step 1:** Always increase the intensity of exercises. Normal exercises won't work on your body, so do the extreme and then make that extreme your normal, and do something even more extreme. Make your new normal, and repeat that until you feel it won't work. And when you feel like you can't find something heavier, look into magic. There is nothing that magic can't do.

After writing this in the journal, I extended my hand, imagining myself plunging my hand into a pool of water, grabbing something, and pulling it back. The next moment, Excalibur, covered by Invisible Air, appeared in my hand. I could feel a breeze gently blowing on my face.

I then released Excalibur from my grip while at the same time imagining dropping it into the pool of water. And just like that, the Last Phantasm was gone.

It was not that comfortable for me to call and dismiss Excalibur like this. There was a sensation nagging in my mind, a magical sensation. However, after trying the process a few more times, I managed to summon the sword easily, and this strange sensation was no longer bothering me.

I slowly stood and glanced at the outfit I wore. Apparently, since I didn't have sleeping clothes, Emilia decided to lend me some. Though rather than a sleeping outfit, it was more like one for the bath. The kind given to you when you go to the spa or sauna.

Well, beggars can't be choosers, I guessed.

Aside from summoning Excalibur, I was also able to summon my armor and dismiss it whenever I wanted. And this was the same for Morgan, even though I am yet to lift its seal, as I know doing that means Morgan will remain unsealed forever, and doing it at a place like this would be very stupid of me.

The process was quite similar, but instead of imagining Excalibur, I imagined myself covered in my armor from top to bottom, and voila!

I wished changing clothes was that easy in the real world.

I turned around and looked at the room given to me. It wasn't bad; I got one of the guest rooms. There was an indoor bathroom clearly screaming 'nobility' with a red blanket design and a king-sized bed. By lifting the bed, I could tell it was twice as heavy.

If I'm not wrong, it should be around 400 pounds, and now I can lift that without even trying. I'm sure it's far from how much I could lift, after all, it's clearly stated that the King of Conquerors lifted several tons without batting an eye.

And I have strength stats much higher than his level as Hercules, so it should be far from my limit.

The next second, I briefly found myself staring in the mirror. It was not just the armor, the sword, and the strength, agility, mana, and senses. My appearance changed as well. My original black hair was gone, replaced by blond hair that was supposed to be a wig. Now they were real; it was almost like I was a natural blond, if not for the color itself. It was as if they got sprinkled with gold dust. My black eyes also turned green, actual green, emerald even, and they had a large iris and a vertical pupil, like a Dragon. This allows the pupil to open extremely wide and admit much more light than a human eye.

So I even got the dragon eyes; I'm not complaining though. I'm looking good, better, in fact. And my body! I have much better abs now! The muscles on my arms, shoulders, and chest are also quite visible. Not buff, but slim and fit. The perfect physique described by Greeks.

Haaa… if only I could look that good in real life…

Suddenly, I heard someone knock on my door, breaking me from admiring myself. Who was coming this early in the morning? Emilia? I thought she had to talk with spirits in the morning.

"Come in," I answered.

The door opened, but instead of the familiar silver-haired half-elf, it was the twins.

"Alex-sama, you're already awake."

"Alex-sama, you woke up early."

My left eye twitched hearing them speak in stereo. They were wearing maid outfits that could belong to cosplayers, and their hair color was truly strange… But the way they spoke…

God, it was almost like a female maid version of Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter.

Though they indeed looked cute, when it was people cosplaying and having unnatural hair color, there was always something that screamed uncommon. The uncanny feeling.

However, on these two–somehow–it looked natural. Emilia's silver hair gave that feeling too. And it was true not only for my hair but also my dragon eyes. They looked like I was born with them.

Still, pink, blue, and those outfits, it was too much. The fact that they both were literally cute didn't help either.

Geh! Control yourself, Alex; you are not some horny teenager. Maybe you are, but still, I seriously needed to get used to this.

"Good morning to you too," I greeted back with a polite voice. "May I ask what brings you two to my room this morning?"

"We came here to awaken you, but it seems unnecessary," answered Rem stoically.

"We came here to wake you up, but you already did," added Ram with a similar tone.

"It doesn't surprise me for some reason. You look like a competent person."

"It doesn't shock me. You look like a diligent person."

"Thank you," I said with a slight smile, inwardly rolling my eyes. Of course I did, I had the appearance of King Arthur after all!

Not to mention that there was my Charisma skill as well.

"Did Emilia-san already wake up too?"

"She did. We woke her up first," answered Ram monotonously.

As if being called, the door opened, and the silver-haired girl poked her head in. A smile crossed her face when she caught sight of me.

"Alex, you're awake," she said with a happy voice, entering the room. "Good morning."

"Morning, Emilia-san," I greeted back. "What?" I blinked, noticing her gaze.

She only kept staring at me with an expectant look. It took me a moment to understand what she wanted and let out a sigh.

"Good morning, Emilia," I repeated.

"Better." She gave me an approving smile. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good. How about you?"

"Same, I feel refreshed. Since it is still early, why don't I give you a tour?" she offered.

"Hmmm, I guess it would be good to walk around on a fresh morning like this. Very well, let me change first."

Can't go walking around in this kind of outfit, can I?

"Not bad," I commented as I looked around. I was clad in my armor whereas Emilia still was in her sleepwear. Though she had a purple short-sleeved shirt acting as a jacket on top. "The garden seems very well tended."

"Indeed, the garden here is beautiful," agreed Emilia as she walked on my side. "Do you like gardens, Alex?"

"I won't say I dislike them," I answered. "I do enjoy beauty, but taking care of it. I am not so good at it; in fact, most times I end up destroying it. Well…"

"I see… Then you must have done it quite a few times."

"You can say so."

Singapore is famous for its clean places; gardens are very beautiful, and sometimes I spent a while sitting in some of them. This garden, while beautiful in its own right, did not hold a candle to my country's! Ha! And just like any human, I end up grabbing a few of them.

"This place is quite big," I hummed, looking around. "It's good for practicing."

"Practice?" asked Emilia with curious eyes.

"Well, I usually practice swordsmanship and my physical training in the morning," I said. "I wanted to go out to train this morning too. But as I'm a guest and virtually a stranger, it would have been suspicious for me to wander around."

Hearing this, Emilia put on a face I couldn't describe. She seemed to want to say something but refrained from doing so.

"Well, it is actually fine. However, I get what you are trying to say," she said with a nod. "Next time you want to train, you just need to tell Ram or Rem. I'm sure they will understand if you explain."

"I will next time," I responded, resuming my sightseeing. "For a manor this big, I wonder how many people live inside." I commented, trying to make small conversation.

"Not many, only the lord, Beatrice, Ram and Rem, and me and Puck."

"Only six? And only two maids to take care of this place?"

"Yes," nodded Emilia. "I know, it surprised me too. But those two are actually very good at their job. They clean the mansion very efficiently every day. They also do daily chores at the same time."

"They must be pretty skilled then," I hummed while rubbing my chin. "Taking care of a place this big just by themselves, they have quite the stamina."

Emilia only gave another nod. Suddenly, she remembered something.

"Ah, I almost forgot. Alex, I am going to talk with the lesser spirits for a moment. Do you mind waiting for me?"

"Not at all," I answered. "Take your time, no need to hurry. It's still early after all."

She gave a nod before walking away to the corner. I watched as she brushed the ground softly before sitting down. Then I watched in fascination as pale lights began to surround her. They appeared from thin air!

It was quite a unique sight. Compared to fireflies' lights, it was clearly on another level. I mean, the lights were so bright despite the shining sun.

I shook my head slightly; that was cool, alright. Since I had time, it's best to try a few things. I took a few steps away from Emilia to an open space and called Excalibur to my hand.

I closed my eyes, both hands gripped firmly on the sword and took a few calming breaths.

Then I swung down once, twice, thrice. I kept swinging, all the while keeping my eyes to the front, focused. I made sure to only use the necessary part of my body so I wouldn't waste any movement. Like I did when I fought Elsa.

I took lessons in kendo, but I could not consider myself good. I was a beginner, losing against Elsa despite having superior strength and speed was proof of that. She kicked my ass; I could only defend myself from being cut in two.

"Remember, every strike you deliver must be fast. Swift but clean. Strong but controlled. Do not lose your balance. It's a death sentence in the battlefield. Aim with accuracy. Do not miss and display any opening no matter what. Use the ground to support you."

Set your foot properly, your back straight and firm. Use your hips to generate power. Strike with purpose. Your strike must be clean. Your strike must be swift. Your strike must be fast. Your strike must be accurate.

I didn't know how long I kept swinging my sword. However, for each strike, for each swing I delivered, I made sure it was faster than the previous one. At the same time, I kept my posture straight and unchanging. I also controlled my strength so I wouldn't lose my balance and cause any collateral damage.

"Focus! Do not let your mind wander! Focus on your target! Clear your mind! Your sword is a part of you! It is the extension of your limbs! Control it! Just like you control your legs and hands! It moves as you will!"

Then I changed my stance. After delivering a downward swing, I performed an uppercut slash and a vertical swing again. I kept my body straight as best as I could despite being uncomfortable as I wasn't used to it. Though after six or seven repeats, I began to perform each move more easily.

It was as if my body knew how to act, as if it already had the memory of the movements. It just had forgotten and needed to remember them. Or it was just my mind, which was very unfamiliar with what I do.

It was a very strange sensation, but I didn't truly mind.

To say that Emilia was awed was an understatement.

Truthfully, the Capital City was the first public place she had ever visited, followed by Arlham. "But even so, she never truly looked around; she merely passed through so she could arrive at Roswaal's mansion.

She was knowledgeable about how swords and different weapons were used. She had at least the common sense to know such mundane things, as she had seen many knights and warriors wielding their weapons in the past.