Chapter 117: Deviation

Darnic: "Parallel worlds… do they truly exist?"

Kayneth: "I didn't expect so many people to join the group at once. Things are about to get much livelier now."

Darnic: "Indeed! Wait a moment… You are Lord El-Melloi, correct?"

Kayneth: "Hmm? Oh? Do we know each other?"

Darnic: "…I am Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, the head of the Yggdmillennia clan."

Kayneth: "Yggdmillennia? Darnic?"

Kayneth: "I'm sorry, but I can't say I've heard that name before."

Darnic: "…Really?"

In the hall of a grand and ornate castle, a man sat calmly. His appearance was elegant, with sharp features and a commanding presence.

The man had long, dark green hair, striking violet eyes, and wore a pristine white military-style coat. A matching cloak flowed behind him as he rested his hands on a ruby-tipped cane.

If he had added a hat to his attire, he might have been mistaken for a war general from the early 20th century.

And, to some extent, this wasn't far from the truth.

He was Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, the current head of the Yggdmillennia family, known as the Tree of a Thousand Realms Clan. Though he appeared to be in his late twenties, Darnic was actually nearing his centennial year.

Tree of a Thousand Realms was another name for the Yggdmillennia clan, and Darnic had built the family into a powerhouse over the decades.

Now, as he stared at the floating text in front of him, his expression remained unreadable.

Darnic: "It seems this Lord El-Melloi must be from a parallel world."

Darnic had asked Kayneth directly in the group to confirm whether this was the same El-Melloi from his own world.

But Kayneth's answer had been decisive: he did not recognize Darnic or his clan.

Darnic had once attained the position of "Grand" at the Clock Tower, serving as a second-class instructor.

But regardless of which timeline or world he was in, factional power struggles were an unavoidable reality at the Clock Tower.

Darnic had manipulated these factions skillfully, playing both allies and enemies against each other. His rise to prominence was achieved by remaining in the shadows, carefully controlling his reputation.

That was before he openly defied the Mage's Association.

No one had foreseen his betrayal, not even those who trusted him the most.

A mere week ago, he had declared war against the Mage's Association, orchestrating the deaths of fifty magi sent to subdue him.

This Q&A group's appearance during such a critical time in his plans made him uneasy.

"What do you make of this, Darnic?"

The voice came from the ornate throne beside him.

It belonged to a stern and dignified older man, dressed in royal armor with a crimson cloak draped across his shoulders.

This man was Vlad III, also known as the Black Lancer.

Darnic had summoned Vlad two months ago to serve as his Servant in the Holy Grail War.

Along with Vlad, Darnic had also summoned the Black Caster, Avicebron.

Together, these two Heroic Spirits had given Darnic the confidence to defy the Mage's Association outright.

The fifty magi who had been sent to retaliate were swiftly dealt with by Vlad III himself.

Now, Darnic stood on the precipice of realizing his ambitions.

But this mysterious Q&A group was a wild card, a variable he could not control.

"I apologize, Your Majesty," Darnic replied humbly, turning to Vlad. "I cannot yet discern the nature of this… group."

To Darnic, the Q&A group had initially seemed like some sort of advanced Mystic Code.

But the ability to connect people across parallel worlds and even the Throne of Heroes was well beyond the capabilities of conventional magecraft.

This was something else entirely.

His unease was palpable.

Seventy years ago, during the Third Holy Grail War, Darnic had uncovered the location of the Greater Holy Grail hidden in Fuyuki.

Exploiting his connections within the military, he had orchestrated a daring operation to seize it.

Under the guise of an "accident," Darnic had betrayed and eliminated his own allies, securing the Grail for himself and hiding it beneath Yggdmillennia Castle.

In the decades since, Darnic had expanded his influence, absorbing smaller, struggling mage families into his fold.

Now, after decades of preparation, the Yggdmillennia clan was poised to challenge the Mage's Association itself.

All Darnic needed was the power of the Holy Grail.

But this Q&A group… This was something he hadn't accounted for.

---

As Darnic pondered his next move, the Masters of the Yggdmillennia faction gathered around him.

Each had their own reaction to the group's sudden appearance.

The first was Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia, a burly, arrogant man with blond hair and a haughty expression.

Then there was Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia, a kind-hearted girl confined to a wheelchair.

Beside her stood her younger brother, Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia, a shy boy with glasses who pushed her wheelchair.

The sultry and dangerous Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia stood to the side, smirking as she observed the situation.

Next was Roche Frain Yggdmillennia, a bright-eyed, orange-haired boy full of youthful enthusiasm.

Finally, there was Avicebron, the Black Caster, who stood apart from the group in his peculiar golden mask and blue-striped robes.

"I thought I was just imagining things," Roche murmured, narrowing his eyes, "but I guess this is real."

"Well then," Celenike said, crossing her arms, "has anyone figured out what this is yet?"

"Not yet," Darnic replied, his gaze turning to the hulking figure nearby. "Caster, do you have any insights?"

"This does not appear to be a product of magecraft," Avicebron stated flatly, his tone devoid of emotion.

"Obviously," Celenike scoffed. "This thing screams technology."

"Should we be concerned about how this might interfere with our plans?" Gordes asked, his voice tinged with unease.

"For now, we will observe," Darnic said decisively. "Let's see where this leads."

---

[Ding! The first question is about to begin.]

The sound of the system announcement drew everyone's attention.

[This will be a three-part multiple-choice question. Please watch the video that follows carefully. Each question will have three possible answers. You will have five minutes to answer each question.]

[A correct answer earns 3 Saint Quartz. A wrong answer deducts 1 Saint Quartz.]

[If no one answers correctly within five minutes or if two consecutive wrong answers are given, that question will be voided.]

[The video will now begin. Please pay attention.]

---

The screen flashed, beginning with a familiar introduction:

["The Holy Grail War is a ritual where seven magi summon Heroic Spirits to fight for the ultimate wish-granting device—the Holy Grail."]

Scenes of the Fourth Holy Grail War played across the screen.

There was Iskandar's Ionioi Hetairoi, Artoria's Excalibur, and Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon.

["But history is not always set in stone. What happens when deviations occur?"]

["Even the smallest ripple can lead to an entirely different future."]

The video shifted to events from the Third Holy Grail War.

["On the eve of World War II, the Third Holy Grail War unfolded in Fuyuki City. Due to an unforeseen accident, the Lesser Grail was destroyed, leaving the war without a clear victor."]

["But then… a deviation occurred."]

The scene changed again, showing Darnic leading a military operation to seize the Greater Grail.

["The three great families—Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou—fought desperately to thwart this conspiracy, but due to their severe exhaustion from the Holy Grail War, they were ultimately defeated."]

["The Holy Grail, which the three great families had poured all their efforts into creating, was stolen."]

[The scene briefly showed Darnic leading his forces in battle against Matou Zouken, Ahad, and a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Tohsaka Tokiomi.]

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Father… I didn't expect to see you again."

Kayneth: "So the Holy Grail was taken by the Nazis? This deviation is extreme."

Waver: "And it looks like the Three Families were wiped out."

Emiya Kiritsugu: "The world truly works in unpredictable ways."

They had never seen what Darnic looked like and didn't realize that the mage in the video was him.

In the Apocrypha world, Darnic's actions were no longer a secret and didn't stir up any significant reaction.

["There is no written record of this battle, no video footage, and no living witnesses outside of the military and mage factions involved."]

["Then, can the Nazis, who possess the Holy Grail, rule the world?"]

["No, that future has not come."]

["On the way to Germany, the Holy Grail mysteriously disappeared."]

["Whether it was stolen by the Imperial Army or destroyed by Allied forces, no one knows."]

["What is certain is that the Holy Grail, intended to become a symbol of the Third Reich's supremacy, vanished without a trace."]

["Disappearing alongside it was the mage who spearheaded its retrieval."]

["Time passes, and now it is the year 2004."]

Kotomine Risei: "2004? Has your world reached that year already?"

Kotomine Shirou: "Yes, what year is it over there?"

Kotomine Risei: "Here it is 1995."

Kotomine Shirou: "1995? Nine years ago? It seems that time flows differently between our worlds."

["Roughly ten years ago, the Fourth Holy Grail War should have taken place. Yet for reasons unknown, it was delayed by a decade."]

["In the meantime, subspecies Holy Grail Wars have sprung up across the globe. These smaller-scale conflicts typically involve no more than five Servants, with weaker rituals incapable of granting omnipotent wishes."]

["The truth of these conflicts remains hidden, as does their futility. Even if the Servants are defeated, the so-called wish-granting is but a hollow dream."]

["Yet the system's brilliance—its very design, has ensured its continued survival."]

The video shifted to scenes of various battles, some of which seemed familiar, while others depicted entirely new Holy Grail Wars.

One scene showed Waver and Iskandar clashing with a man resembling Kayneth, while another highlighted an unfamiliar Master summoning a beast-like Berserker.

Kayneth: "…"

Waver: "…"

***

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