Chapter 1. The Hero's Stone Tablet

I Will Eventually Embark on the Path of No Return Called a Hero [Arc2] - 1. The Hero's Stone Tablet

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"Everything has led to this day!"

Holding the stone tablet in his hands, Darnic sighed with emotion.

Sixty years of patience, silently collecting various holy relics, raising the flag of rebellion against the Mage's Association—all for today.

So far, everything was within his expectations, including the Mage's Association dispatching fifty excellent magi to eliminate them in one night.

Of course, his current calmness was due to the exceptional ability of the first servant he summoned, Lancer, who took only thirty seconds to deal with those magi. Although this excellent heroic spirit had a difficult personality, it didn't matter. After all, he had played the submissive role before the Clock Tower for so long, he didn't mind doing it a bit longer today. No, if tonight succeeded, he might not need to act submissive anymore.

"Uncle?" The girl in the wheelchair was somewhat puzzled as to why Darnic was laughing so wildly.

"Fiore, you're here," Darnic exhaled, handing the stone tablet to Fiore with a tense expression, like a gambler awaiting the announcement of a grand prize. "It's up to you now. Please, succeed."

Fiore's breathing became a bit erratic, probably because Darnic's tension had infected her, or perhaps because the significance of this stone tablet made her too nervous to be careless.

"I understand, Uncle," Fiore nodded, moving her wheelchair to the altar and respectfully placing the stone tablet at its center.

"Is it about to begin?" Light particles gathered at the throne above, and a man in a pitch-black noble suit appeared in the light, sitting on the throne.

"Yes, my King," Darnic bowed.

The heroic spirit on the throne was his trump card for this Holy Grail War—Vlad III, the most famous hero of this land. His reputation alone further enhanced his already formidable strength.

But this still wasn't enough. Even after preparing for sixty years, he couldn't afford to be careless. Who knew how many holy relics the Mage's Association had? If they got serious and threw out a bunch of relics capable of summoning top-tier heroes, one Vlad III wouldn't be enough. So, he needed a wild card—a hero who could single-handedly turn the tide of battle!

"Then let me look forward to it, the great hero of Greece, the Hero of Pure White," Vlad III squinted his eyes. He had heard the myths of Greece during his lifetime and was looking forward to meeting this hero.

Fiore inexplicably began to feel nervous. As the most talented magus here, she was the only one qualified to summon this Greek hero.

Fiore took a deep breath, raised her hand engraved with the Command Seals, and the chant she had memorized by heart spilled from her lips.

"—————I proclaim!"

"Thy body is under my command, my fate is in thy sword. In accordance with the Holy Grail's summons, if thou dost accede to this will and reason, then answer me.

I hereby swear, I shall attain all virtues of all Heaven, I shall have dominion over all evils of all Hell."

The pain of the magic circuits running wild caused a fine sweat to appear on Fiore's fair forehead, but she gritted her teeth and recited the final proclamation.

"Thou art the Seven Heavens clad in the Three Words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!"

As Fiore's words fell, a whirlwind swept through the room. Fiore shielded her face with her hand, Vlad III rose directly from his throne, and Darnic took a step forward, looking fervently at the light gathering at the center of the altar.

Yes!

This feeling!

An even more powerful presence than when summoning Vlad III!

It must be that hero!

"Clop—clop—"

The crisp sound of hooves left Darnic stunned.

That great hero shouldn't have hooves...

"Archer, Chiron at your service... It seems you're not too happy," Chiron scratched his face, looking around at everyone, finally focusing on Fiore, who was sitting in a wheelchair, dazed. "Master?"

"Ah? Yes! Hello," Fiore nodded somewhat awkwardly.

"Did it fail?" Darnic wearily held his forehead. "Although I was mentally prepared, it's still a headache when it really happens."

"This stone tablet?" Chiron raised an eyebrow, looking at the relic on the altar, then showed a gentle smile. "You wanted to summon my student, huh."

"Yes," Fiore nodded. "It's said that this tablet was carved by that hero, depicting his story of meeting you."

"Indeed, he carved it himself and gave it to me in the end," Chiron bent down to pick up the tablet, his fingers gently brushing over the carvings.

It depicted a white horse descending from the heavens, a boy falling from the horse, and a centaur reaching out to catch the boy.

"But this tablet can only summon me," Chiron handed the tablet to Fiore. "A heroic spirit can only be a dead hero. The living cannot become heroic spirits."

"Oh? So you mean that hero who went to hell to fight the god of time isn't dead," Vlad III showed an intrigued expression.

"Yes, he won't die, just trapped somewhere. My wish this time is to use the Holy Grail to open that place," Chiron stated his wish without any concealment.

"At least we don't have to worry about the Mage's Association summoning him," Darnic began to console himself. After all, this wasn't a loss; from Chiron's performance, he should be no weaker than Vlad III.

"Then welcome to my camp, teacher of Greek heroes," Vlad III spread his arms.

"Let's work together," Chiron turned into a human form in the light.

"Archer?" Fiore rubbed her eyes.

"This is to hide my true name, compressing my spirit origin a bit. A centaur is too conspicuous. Although my abilities are somewhat diminished, don't worry, I can change back anytime," Chiron explained. "This is just a minor trick I learned in life."

"Now we have three servants on our side. Tomorrow night we'll summon the remaining three, and the seventh should arrive soon," Darnic rubbed his nose. "Hope the Mage's Association will take it easy on us."

…

Magic Association.

Sisigou stared at the magic contract in front of him with a very conflicted expression.

"Don't make that scary face anymore, just sign it and get going," the old man sitting opposite Sisigou knocked on the table impatiently.

"Ah~ Isn't it a bit inhumane to write 'You have to return the relic even if you die'?" Sisigou said with a sad face. "You didn't even tell me what the relic is."

"Please understand that the holy relics we are going to take out next might make you want to run away with them, although I think that's a bit exaggerated," said the long-haired young man leaning against the window (probably El-Melloi II) as he waved his hand.

Sisigou swallowed hard. He knew this young man who seemed to have died of overwork. It should be said that many people knew him, El-Melloi II. Even he said such exaggerated things, making Sisigou hesitate about this deal.

"I'll give it to you if you sign this," the old man named Belfeban placed the Hydra hatchling soaked in formalin in front of Sisigou.

"I'll sign," Sisigou immediately signed the compulsory contract.

"Very good, you guys are quite reliable in keeping your promises," Belfeban showed a rare happy expression, and at the same time, bent down and placed a sealed black box in front of Sisigou.

"Then don't use this kind of forced contract; it's really sad," Sisigou picked up a cigarette to relieve his nervousness, but Belfeban's expression of "I'll kill you if you dare to smoke" made him swallow the cigarette.

"When you see it, you'll understand why we're so cautious. Many monarchs have wasted a lot of time on this, even though they acted like it was worth it," El-Melloi II said, curling his lips.

Belfeban shook his head, carefully tore off the seal, and then slowly opened the box. There was no golden glow, just a piece of stone lying quietly inside.

Sisigou's breathing stagnated.

"Isn't this a collection from the museum?"

This morning, he saw the treasure of a museum and thought about how cool it would be to use this thing to summon. Now this thing was right in front of him.

"No, we forged that," El-Melloi II waved his hand.

"You are smuggling!" Sisigou opened his mouth wide.

"Please call this applying things in the right place. This is not just a stone tablet; it's a carrier passed down from the Age of Gods to record heroes. Moreover…" Belfeban stroked the stone tablet ecstatically. "Legend has it that it was created by God, a carrier made by God specifically for one person."

"This can already be called a Noble Phantasm. Although no one has tried, it's probably impossible to destroy it by any means," El-Melloi II adjusted his glasses. "If you disrespect it, you may be cursed."

"You guys don't want me to use it as a catalyst, do you?" Sisigou asked uneasily. Even though he was impressed, he was still a little panicked. "You must have tried it yourselves."

"Of course. Why do you think we were able to deal with the rebellion of the Yggdmillenia so quickly? They have tried various methods to summon that hero over the years," El-Melloi II spread his hands.

"Then why are you giving it to me?" Sisigou leaned back on the sofa. "Even the elites of the Clock Tower couldn't do it, so how can a mercenary like me do it?"

"We've tried various methods," Belfeban pushed the box forward. "Legend has it that he was blessed by thirteen gods. One spiritual base is obviously not enough for him to descend, so we tried various methods to divide him."

"Divide...divide?" The corner of Sisigou's eye twitched.

"Through the affinity problem, they summoned him who only showed one kind of blessing from God. The problem is that no matter how they tried, they failed. Now there is only one last attempt left," El-Melloi II pointed at Sisigou, "He who received the blessing of Hades, the God of the Underworld."

"That's why you asked me, a necromancer, to come here," Sisigou sighed. "Then you have to give me some other relics. I don't want to play random summons."

"Well, I have a scrap of the Knights of the Round Table's dining table. You can take it and play with it," Belfeban casually threw a box to Sisigou, his casual attitude completely different from before.

"Ah~ so casual," Sisigou curled his lips and put the Hydra hatchling and the box containing the fragments of the Knights of the Round Table's dining table into the bag, then reached out to the box containing the stone tablet.

"Snap---"

Belfeban's dry hand grasped Sisigou's wrist tightly like an iron clamp.

"Remember, there must not be any scratches on it."

"Don't worry, I don't have that ability at all," Sisigou grinned. If you are so worried, just don't take it out.

"Well, whether you succeed or fail, you must send the stone tablet back immediately. There is a plan that requires it. There are many candidates who may be able to summon him." Belfeban loosened his hand. "By the way, there is someone who needs your attention…"

"Speaking of which, this stone tablet is a bit strange," Sisigou dragged the box in front of him, stroked his chin, and looked at it.

The young man carrying the box looked straight ahead. There were twelve gods surrounding his head, and below him was a god sitting on a throne. These were probably the twelve main gods and Hades, but...

Sisigou pointed at the place under the young man's feet and said, "Why did you deliberately carve the shadow there, and make it so big?"

"It's probably a custom. Also, listen carefully to what I'm going to say next. It's very important for you." Belfeban took out a photo from the drawer and put it on the table. "Remember to pay attention to this person."

"Oh~ she's quite beautiful," Sisigou nodded. "What's wrong with her?"

"It's troublesome. No, it should be said that my scalp tingles. She is also a master on our side, but you'd better be careful," El-Melloi II rubbed his temple.

"Is she very strong?" Sisigou scratched his face. The photo showed a purple-haired lady wearing sunglasses and helping an old lady cross the road. He did not feel any sense of oppression through the photo. Instead, he felt that she was very cute.

"You'll know when you see her. I don't want to experience that feeling of every nerve in my body screaming a second time," El-Melloi II sighed, "I really don't want to deal with such a being."

"Okay, okay, it looks like this is another dangerous mission," Sisigou scratched his head and stood up. "Although every time it is a dangerous mission."

"Remember to follow the technique we provided. Don't be reluctant and use thinner blood to draw it. We will reimburse you," Belfeban yawned.

"Okay, okay, you are the employer after all," Sisigou stood up and stuffed the stone tablet into his bag.

"By the way, don't forget to report to the supervisor. You don't want to fight thirteen people alone."

"I really wouldn't mind if I succeeded." Sisigou grinned.

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