Chapter 88. Return to Chaldea, the ability to materialize memories!

Chapter 88. Return to Chaldea, the ability to materialize memories!

Has everything ended?

As his body slowly awoke from the painful and struggling history, Ian discovered he was still in the world behind that door.

More precisely, this was the room of Master 49 at Chaldea.

It wasn't a large space, but everything was arranged very logically.

The walls were light white, a bed that fit just right, and a built-in wardrobe that could hang many clothes.

There was also a vanity with a mirror large enough for use.

A little further away was a private bathroom, with hot water showers being no problem at all.

The remaining empty spaces were filled with a few potted plants that wouldn't breed mosquitoes.

Everything was arranged in a way that was perfectly reasonable.

But as Ian looked around at everything, there was always a strange and subtle feeling.

What exactly was it?

Ah, that's right.

It was the feeling of a salaried worker.

Because everything had been predetermined, and he had little space to change things himself, it felt "reasonable" but not "pleasing."

Before transmigrating, he had never experienced this kind of exhaustion. Yet, since arriving at Chaldea, he had clearly been enduring it.

It was an indescribable discomfort.

Well, first, let's take a hot shower to calm down.

Splash...

The clear hot water sprayed out of the showerhead, flowing down Ian's hair and body, washing away every inch of his skin.

To be honest—

He wasn't used to it.

Because the memory in his mind kept telling him that such an event should have taken place in a large bath with a fragrant aroma.

The hot water continued to flow.

The feeling of alienation became more and more pronounced.

Finally, Ian couldn't bear it anymore, so he stopped everything.

He dried his body, lay down on the bed, and leaned back against the soft mattress.

Staring at the ceiling, he felt his consciousness slowly returning to that time of war.

Holding a sword and charging into the battlefield;

Reuniting with Morgan in a room;

Strolling beside the lake with Artoria.

Each experience was so real that there wasn't even a hint of falseness.

If this was just a simulation, it truly seemed a bit disrespectful to his own feelings.

After all, in his memories, everything existed independently, without any concealment.

"Will I be able to meet them again in the future?"

Ian reached out his hand toward the ceiling, as if he could grab hold of something.

"How wonderful would it be if that were the case?"

"Then, I'd talk to them again."

Although his heart was filled with many thoughts, some unworthy and even filthy,

Ian knew deep down in his heart that he truly wished for Artoria and Morgan to achieve what they deserved, to live the lives they should have.

If his sacrifice could exchange for all this, then it was truly a transaction more than worthwhile.

Of course.

The prerequisite was that it "could be exchanged."

Ian understood well that he wasn't the type of person who could sacrifice without expecting any return.

He wasn't enlightened to that level.

But then, on the other hand—

Ian looked down at his hands.

It seemed that the simulation had mentioned something at the end.

That human history had engraved a certain power onto him.

If that was the case, what exactly was that power?

Zzzt—

At the very moment Ian thought about it, the lights in the room flickered almost simultaneously.

Though it lasted only for an instant, it was clear that they occurred at the same time.

Ian quickly noticed this.

His instincts told him that this was certainly not a coincidence.

So—

Let's try taking one more step forward, just like before.

With that thought, Ian refocused in a similar direction and adjusted his thoughts once again.

—From thought arises hope—

—From the past, the power is drawn—

—Transformed in mana into reality—

—Manifested in the simulation, descending into the present—

Ian's thoughts automatically shifted according to an underlying logic that even he didn't fully understand.

He could clearly feel the blood in his body boiling in some way, as if, at a certain moment, it would condense into a single point.

During this process.

He felt his body operate smoothly from all directions.

It was the kind of feeling, a prayer of sorts, to reach the gathering thoughts.

It was now!

Ian held his breath, reaching out to grasp the space before him.

Zzzt—

All the lights in the room simultaneously went out.

However, the surrounding space did not fall into darkness.

It wasn't an illusion, but because another source of light appeared.

It was the sword that Ian had pulled from the air.

Its name was Excalibur Galatine: The Sword of Revolving Victory!

"This is…"

Looking at the brilliant blue-gold sword in his hand, with golden light swirling around its blade.

Ian's face was reflected in the light, carrying the same color, and he couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes.

This wasn't an illusion.

Because he could clearly feel the weight from his hand—a sensation that only metal from that era could produce.

It was a weapon that stood out in his memories, and Ian could confirm that the pattern on the sword was exactly the same as in his memories!

"Could it be that I've brought it across time to be with me?"

The ability the simulation had mentioned—could it be allowing him to extract things from his memories into the present?

Ian couldn't immediately find the words to describe this miraculous experience.

However—

This state didn't last long.

Zzzt zzzt.

The lights returned to normal.

The warm light once again spread throughout the room.

Ian also saw the Excalibur Galatine: The Sword of Revolving Victory in his hand gradually turning into gray ash, then breaking into hundreds of tiny particles before disappearing.

Watching the light dissipate like smoke, Ian realized that his previous perception needed adjustment.

The power "engraved" into his body from the simulation could indeed help him extract items from his memories into reality.

But its nature was merely a memory, and it would gradually fade with time.

In some sense, this was a completely "fake" object.

Yet from another perspective, it was closely related to his true self, so it could also be considered a "real" item.

"Marvelous!"

Ian suddenly became excited.

If this thought of his was true, then this was a power beyond time.

He needed to clarify everything quickly.

A vague state like this was not fitting for the image of a skilled transmigrator.

No time to waste.

Ian focused all his attention once more.

This time, the object he wished to extract from his memories was the Sword of Promised Victory.

This was a blade originating from the same sacred lake as the Sword of Revolving Victory, and it was Artoria's weapon.

Although he hadn't had many opportunities to hold it in his memories, Ian still had a deep impression of this sword due to his close relationship with Artoria.

So—

Let's try again.

However, things didn't go as Ian had hoped.

He focused all his attention and expressed his strong desire to have the sword appear in his hand.

But this time, the mysterious flow of energy didn't respond.

This made Ian realize that perhaps his initial thoughts were still mistaken.

However, he didn't rush to completely discard what he had thought before.

After all—

Could Excalibur be an exception?

Artoria was indeed very famous.

If that were the case, then let's try something else.

This time, Ian chose Arondight: The Unfading Light of the Lake.

This was Lancelot's weapon, a friend he had gotten to know in his simulated memories.

Having directly faced off against Lancelot and later defeated Vortigern together, Ian had a good understanding of this weapon.

While the details might not be as clear as with Excalibur Galatine or Excalibur, visualizing its basic form was still fairly easy.

Focus all attention.

Then create a desire.

But once again, there was no change.

Arondight didn't appear, despite Ian trying once more.

This made Ian pause.

This wasn't right.

He needed to adjust his thinking.

The appearance of Excalibur Galatine was definitely closely related to his memories.

But not everything recorded in his memories could be brought forth through this method.

Excalibur and Arondight were the clearest evidence of this.

So—

Ian gently rubbed his chin.

He stood in front of the vanity mirror in the room, seriously considering the difference between them.

What was it that led to the two completely opposite results when attempting to manifest the three Holy Swords from the lake?

Ian pondered the issue, then instinctively raised his head to look into the mirror in front of him.

The moment he saw his own reflection, everything suddenly became clear to him!

That's right!

The biggest difference between Excalibur Galatine and Excalibur and Arondight was none other than himself!

In the simulated memories, Ian had been the owner of Excalibur Galatine!

As for the other two swords, although there was a clear connection, it didn't run as deep as with Excalibur Galatine.

That was the reason for the two completely different outcomes!

So—

Ian looked down at his hand.

If he thought along these lines, it seemed he could extract another sword from his memories.

He clenched his fist once again.

All his attention was focused to the utmost.

He recalled that moment from the past.

Zzzz— Zzzz—!

The lights in the room flickered once again.

This was the feeling!

"Come forth!"

Ian shouted, then drew another sword from the air.

It was a long, slender sword with the name "Morgan" etched on the hilt.

There weren't many legends about it.

It was simply the weapon that Morgan had given to Ian to achieve her goals.

This was Morgan's Sword: The Blade of the Princess!

Looking at the bright blue light emanating from the sword in his hand, Ian smiled with excitement.

Not only because he hadn't seen the familiar weapon for a long time, but also because it helped him complete his earlier thought process.

Reproducing weapons from memory (×)

Extracting weapons closely tied to oneself from memory (√)

Based on the stark difference in the legendary status between Morgan's Sword and Excalibur Galatine, the scope of this power seemed quite wide.

As the pale blue light faded when the sword disappeared, Ian's mood lifted.

After all, if all of this were true, then from now on, whenever he entered the simulated memories, he'd have to find ways to leave more traces connected to himself.

Only by doing so would he be able to reproduce more things.

But—

The weapons reproduced this way, could they be used for anything?

And right now, he had an even bigger issue:

How could he make the extracted items last longer?

Ideally, he'd want to keep them by his side forever.

This wasn't a problem that could be solved immediately.

He needed to gather more information.

With this in mind, Ian looked around his room.

Before experiencing the history of Britannia, he had heard many strange terms in this place called Chaldea.

Magecraft—?

Singularity—?

Servants—?

At the time, he couldn't fully understand the true meaning of these words.

Now, looking back, it seemed like they were closely related to the era of Morgan and Artoria.

If he could clarify these things, he might discover how to sustain the existence of those weapons.

If luck was on his side, he might even encounter them sooner than expected.

But who should he ask about this?

Ian didn't know anyone here.

In this unfamiliar situation, he tried to recall the few memories related to Chaldea.

Wait!

It seemed like he wasn't completely unfamiliar with anyone here.

Before entering the simulated memories, he had a brief encounter with a pink-haired girl in the hallway.

At that time, he had even commented on her bust.

If he could find that girl, perhaps she would have the answers he needed!

Ian was never one to hesitate.

After adjusting his clothes a bit, he decided to go out and find that pink-haired girl immediately.

Not knowing her name didn't matter; at worst, he could ask people one by one—surely someone would remember her.

Having thick skin was an essential survival rule in modern society.

Click.

The door to his room opened.

However, Ian stood frozen in place.

Because he never expected that—

The moment he opened the door, a creature that couldn't quite be described as a cat, dog, or even rabbit was sitting there.

"Fou, fou, fou?"

It made a strange sound.