[FDJ]Chapter 86: Common Knowledge of Magic

Passing through the constantly repeating flames and debris, Suzuki Yuki wandered in his eternal dream. When he stopped for a moment, he immediately woke up in a panic. He was still in the dream, trapped in a nightmare of everlasting flames that never ceased. No matter how far and how long he ran, the eternal nightmare clung to him, always there.

Why?

Why could others have colorful dreams, meet people from their fantasies, experience impossible happiness in reality, and enjoy unprecedented joy, while he could only be trapped amid raging fires, witnessing repeated tragedy? Exhausted, Suzuki ran until he collapsed next to a fallen pillar, bewilderedly surveying his surroundings. The flames were everywhere within his line of sight as if the paths ahead and behind him had closed off automatically after he stopped, silently telling him that there was no distinction between front and back in this place.

Fearful of being swallowed by the unquenchable flames, Suzuki struggled to stand up and continue running forward. But apart from him, there was no one else around. There was no one to lend him a hand when he tried to stand up again.

Where exactly is this place? Is it also Chaldea?

Looking up, he could only see pitch-black darkness. Looking further into the distance, there was only fire and darkness. He felt like a trapped soul, a deceased person buried under layers of rubble, abandoned and forgotten. The rescue had long passed, and no one would pass by this place. The darkness of loneliness completely obscured any cries for help Suzuki wanted to make.

Who... am I?

Suddenly realizing that someone was standing behind him, just beyond the pillar, Suzuki tried to stand up and turn around, but his body felt as if burdened with a tremendous weight, firmly rooted in the position where he had knelt before.

["Suzuki Yuki. If you want to do something, first find a way out of here. In the Chaldea of 2016, I alone closed the lid on the coffin. Everything that belonged to our Chaldea has ended. The funeral is over, and all the efforts and hopes have been buried in the graveyard. If you can find a way out, then I will acknowledge that you inherit the responsibility to save humanity."]

After the voice stopped, that person suddenly disappeared again. Suzuki Yuki couldn't discern whose voice it was, but it felt familiar, like a middle-aged man he knew well.

Suzuki woke up from his dream and turned his head to see the sun hanging outside the window. It had been exactly 24 hours since he arrived at the Singularity of the year 1187.

"I... what is this..." His thoughts quickly returned. Last night, he was informed that he was not a normal human being but a creation. Suzuki had been pondering over this matter. He was different from regular people, lacking a clear concept of parents and emotions. He only acted to save humanity under the Chaldea organization, disregarding rewards and dangers. Objectively speaking, there was little difference between a person like him and a machine.

After a night of self-reflection, Suzuki had come to accept his situation and identity. The vivid dreams that repeated over and over again in his mind, the unending flames... undoubtedly, they were nightmares that brought him headaches and panic. However, this time was different. Suzuki was certain that within his solitary sea of fire, other people were appearing. The familiar voice didn't sound like it was comforting or encouraging him but rather urging him to escape from the nightmare cage of flames, like a farewell.

That place was the "past" buried in a graveyard.

"2016?" Recalling the number mentioned by the other person, Suzuki Yuki realized that Chaldea was also in the year 2016. According to what the person said, Chaldea had already been destroyed, and that person had made their final struggle. The funeral of the "Chaldea organization" had come to an end.

This couldn't be possible. Suzuki immediately denied the inference. Currently, Chaldea was only experiencing a malfunction in the Spiritron Transfer system, preventing everyone from transferring their spirits. Only Suzuki Yuki, for some unknown reason, had automatically been transferred to the era of the Singularity. That was all. Chaldea remained intact, and everyone was going about their daily lives.

Completely contradicting the results of reality, Suzuki naturally chose to believe what he had seen with his own eyes. If everything in Chaldea had been destroyed and buried, then what would he see upon his return to Chaldea? Suzuki refused to believe that Chaldea was finished.

Moreover, none of the people he knew in Chaldea matched the owner of the voice he heard. There were many middle-aged men in Chaldea, and there were several with a deep and reliable voice. However, Suzuki couldn't recall anyone whose voice matched the one he heard.

Therefore, combining the results of reality, Suzuki deduced that the voice he heard in his dream was incorrect.

He double-checked his backpack and clothes. His clothes had activated magic due to the encounter with Richard the Lionheart yesterday, using up most of the remaining magical energy. It could only sustain one or two emergency spells. The situation was far from ideal. A day had passed, and he had already surveyed the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which gathered multiple Servants, but only the information on the Assassin-class Servant had been exposed. As for his Servant information, Richard was probably more familiar with it than he was since Suzuki had summoned Richard's mother.

Stepping out of the house, Suzuki explained to the soldiers patrolling outside that he would be exploring the surroundings and that his companions would take care of the subsequent security work, so he didn't need personal protection. The soldiers fully complied with Suzuki's request, providing him with a brief introduction to the layout of the area. Besides the obvious two guard posts, there were only empty houses. Walking towards the valley, he would soon reach the food storage warehouse, and further inside, he would encounter the temporarily gathered villagers. Saladin had requisitioned the entire valley and the nearby controllable residences, with the majority serving as camps, while the people were asked to gather and obey management.

In the 21st century, such behavior would be considered overbearing, but in the 12th century, Saladin's actions could be regarded as benevolent, even explicitly guaranteeing the safety of the people and some of their property, only requiring their logistical assistance without coercion. In a normal battlefield, people would be forcibly dispersed at best, and at worst, they would be slaughtered on the spot, just like Suzuki had witnessed in a local village in Gaul in the year 451, where not a single resident could be seen, and instead, he encountered the locals who had already become slaves in the camp of the Huns.

After learning the location of the food warehouse, Suzuki didn't immediately head in that direction. He didn't join his own Servant right away because he wanted to gain a more accurate understanding of the local situation through solo exploration. His intuition told him that this Holy Grail War was far from being as simple as it seemed, and while he could trust his Servant Rider, Eleanor, he had to take into account the factor of her love for battle. If this large-scale war could be avoided, she would surely find ways to provoke it for the sake of her amusement. Although the likelihood was low, Suzuki had to confirm it himself and truly understand the detailed information about this Holy Grail War.

However, his plan didn't go as intended. Instead of Rider Eleanor catching up to him, an unexpected person arrived—a Master of the current Alter Ego, Don Quixote, Aphaf.

The two encountered each other on a small path leading deeper into the valley. Suzuki stopped and observed the other person, but it was evident that Aphaf, who had actively rushed over, seemed nervous and didn't dare to meet Suzuki's gaze.

Aphaf seemed to have used stabilizing magecraft on herself and then asked Suzuki seriously, "My subordinates reported that you woke up. Why did you head deeper into the valley?"

"I was curious why you specifically required all the residents to stay behind," Suzuki replied. He wasn't a child who believed saints only did good deeds. While he praised Saladin for his benevolence, he also had doubts from a rational standpoint. No matter how well someone treated the people, they wouldn't engage in thankless actions and place useless residents at the furthest end of the valley without a reason. They had a purpose, and both people and objects were treated as such.

"Is it really that important? His Majesty Sultan is not a king who indiscriminately slaughters civilians like the pagans. This campaign he initiated is also aimed at eliminating certain sinners who have repeatedly violated the treaty, posing a threat to both sides," Aphaf tried to divert the topic, but her nervousness was evident as she spoke at an accelerated pace.

"So, it may not be particularly important, but it's worth me understanding?" Suzuki didn't directly address the issue, as he didn't want to provoke the other person given their current alliance.

Aphaf's tone immediately softened, and her hidden smile gradually disappeared. "As a foreign guest, this is not the place for discussion. Come with me to His Majesty Sultan's palace, and he will answer your questions."

"So, you also have something to hide? No wonder my Servant remains wary of you," Suzuki remarked.

Aphaf pondered for a moment before admitting Suzuki's observation. "Are there truly good people among those participating in the Holy Grail War? Ever since I started practicing magecraft, I've sacrificed over a hundred chickens, sheep, and rabbits. According to our teachings, someone like me, a wicked magus, should be stoned to death."

"You mean...!" Suzuki understood the intention behind gathering the people. Chickens, sheep, rabbits... These living creatures could serve as sacrifices in magecraft rituals, so it was only natural that humans could be used as well. In certain forms of magecraft, living humans were considered high-value sacrificial choices.

"It seems that although you cannot use magecraft, you possess the knowledge befitting a magus. Well, His Majesty Sultan has requested all the valley's residents to gather and live together precisely for the convenience of using them as sacrifices. Of course, this is a last resort. If we can defeat the Crusaders on the battlefield, there will be no need for it. However, if we find ourselves at an irrecoverable disadvantage due to the Servants of the Holy Grail War, we will have no choice but to ask them to sacrifice their lives for Allah and His faithful," Aphaf explained, then headed towards the nearest empty house, which had been inhabited by the residents before the arrival of the army.

"For anything else you want to ask, please follow me inside," she said.

The wooden door distorted under the influence of magic, and after the glow of magical energy subsided, Aphaf pushed open the door, revealing a distorted space beyond. Suzuki had only seen such rare magic in books.

"This isn't wind attribute magecraft, is it?" he inquired.

"My Mystic Eyes can replicate the magecraft of others. This dimensional gate magecraft is quite useful. The original owner of this magecraft was defeated by me, and now everything belongs to me. I have recorded the magecraft I found useful in my Mystic Eyes. Any problem with that?" Aphaf's tone now truly matched that of a magus. It wasn't that magi lacked empathy; rather, once they gained power surpassing their peers, they naturally became arrogant, considering their talents a reason to look down on ordinary people.

"No problem," Suzuki Yuki replied.