In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

Anan stared at the girl before him with his dark eyes, and said in a low voice:

"Do you feel like Mash or Galahad now?"

Chapter Sixteen: Galahad's Trial

"Do you see yourself as Mash or Galahad?"

A cool night breeze swept by, causing the flickering flames to tremble and casting an unpredictable glow on Anahn's face.

He stared straight at Mashu, his dark eyes like bottomless whirlpools, ready to swallow everything.

Am I Mashu... or Galahad...?

It was a very simple question that could be answered, but Mashu found herself unable to open her mouth no matter what she did, and a sense of panic inexplicably rose in her heart.

She had never felt this way before, no matter what difficulties she faced. It was as if she were sitting alone on a deserted island, surrounded by desolation.

Instinctively, she wanted to seek help from that reliable figure, but then she realized that the person was not there.

Now, she can only rely on herself.

Anan didn't urge her, but just watched her quietly. However, the seemingly frozen atmosphere made Mashu feel a little suffocated.

This feeling reminded her of how she used to feel when she lived in that small room.

She was a test-tube baby conceived through artificial insemination at Chaldea. She had no parents and spent her entire life in an isolation ward from birth until she was fourteen years old, cut off from the outside world. Her only pastimes were reading books and listening to doctors tell stories.

There was a glass wall in the room, behind which was the monitoring room where those people had been monitoring her for fourteen years.

At that time, her mood was the same as it is now, with an indescribable heaviness and depression.

She was not allowed to operate in Chaldea until she was fifteen years old, and was trained as an A-rank Master candidate.

She has always been like this, living like a puppet according to the will of others, as if she never knows what she is.

But it was when she was pinned down by the stone that day that she felt such a strong desire for the first time.

She didn't want to die; she wanted to... live.

Then, her wish came true; she was saved and became a demigod, traveling through different times and spaces to fight for the salvation of humanity.

Before this, Mashu had never thought there was anything wrong with it, but after hearing Yanan's question, a question couldn't help but arise in her mind.

Is all of this the will of Galahad, or the will of Mash Kyrielight herself?

Is the real Mash Kyrielight the one we know now, or the little girl who was locked in an isolation room for fourteen years?

Mashu's eyes revealed a deep sense of confusion.

It was midnight, and all was quiet. The entire camp was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the daytime hustle and bustle, as if we were in another world.

After an unknown amount of time, Mashu suddenly raised her head, looking at Anan with a determined gaze: "Mr. Anan, although I don't quite understand what you mean by the unknown influence you mentioned, nor am I clear about the purpose of your question, I still want to say..."

She took a deep breath and said, word by word, "Every decision I have made so far has been of my own will. I am Mash Kyrielight, the Mash Kyrielight of Chaldea. Whether in the past or in the future, I will only have this one identity!"

Yes, she is Mash Kyrielight, and no one else!

She wanted to live because she wanted to have a truly wonderful life that belonged to her!

Compared to the cold, hard words in books, she longs to witness the magnificent scenery with her own eyes and experience new and exciting things.

She loves this world and the people who care about and love her. She chose to embark on this path in order to save them!

This has nothing to do with mission or responsibility, but rather with a life's expectation and yearning for beauty and freedom.

Seeing the fiery passion and determination in the girl's eyes, Yanan suddenly let out a soft chuckle:

"Congratulations, Mashu, you have successfully passed the test."

Mashu was stunned for a moment: "A test? Were you testing me just now, like you did, senpai?"

Yanan shook his head: "It's not my test for you, but Galahad's test for you."

"Galahad?" Mashu looked puzzled.

The crimson flames were reflected in his dark pupils. Anan said calmly, "We were just talking about why those Heroic Spirits didn't tell you Galahad's true identity, right?"

Mashu nodded.

“That’s the reason.” Yanan leaned against the rock wall, looking at the girl in front of him. “You are a half-Servant. Your power does not come from yourself, but from Galahad. By accepting this power, you have accepted a part of Galahad. This is a fact that Galahad himself cannot change.”

“As I just said, Galahad is a rather special existence within the Round Table. Compared to him, your existence is far too insignificant. The part of Galahad residing in this power will easily assimilate you. Before long, you will completely lose yourself and become a puppet controlled by the ‘will of Galahad’.”

Mashu stared in shock, a wave of fear washing over her.

She never imagined that she would almost become "another person".

Yanan glanced at the shield on the ground and continued, "That's why he didn't tell you his true name, or even the name of his Noble Phantasm. If you knew these things, assimilation would inevitably begin."

Similarly, those heroic spirits won't tell you these things; you'll have to uncover the truth yourself.

Mashu suppressed the tremor in her heart and asked, "Then why... did you choose to tell me?"

“Because the time is almost ripe.” Yanan smiled. “You went through a lot of trouble to quell the five singularities. In the process, not only did Fujimaru Ritsuka grow, but you also gained a lot.”

"This arduous journey has tempered your mind to be resilient enough, and your answer just now is the best proof of that. If it were you at the beginning, you would never have been able to answer me with such determination."

Mashu thought about it carefully and nodded silently. If it were the Mashu who had just walked out of the isolation room, she certainly wouldn't have had such a firm belief.

As Yanan said, during this journey, she witnessed many moving stories and met many heroic spirits with different personalities. It was their teachings that enabled her to overcome many difficulties and gain the qualifications to stand here.

Yanan looked up at the night sky and said softly:

“My original plan was to erase this memory if you failed the test, but I am gratified that you did it in the end. Now you do have the ability to bear the power of Galahad.”

"The fledgling has finally gained the right to spread its wings and embrace the sky."

......

......

Deep in the canyon, alone, Melusin looked at the empty house before her and muttered to herself:

"Have they already run away...?"

"But it doesn't matter, no prey has ever escaped my hunt..."

"Run all you want, I'll catch up with you soon..."

Chapter Seventeen: They've Caught Up

"Mmm~ I slept so well."

As the morning sun rose, Fujimaru Ritsuka stretched lazily, and a cool breeze swept by, completely dispelling any lingering weariness.

Inside the camp, soldiers and villagers had already woken up and started making fires to cook breakfast. Laughter and cheerful voices could be heard throughout the camp, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

As Fujimaru Ritsuka watched this scene, her gaze gradually softened.

"Good morning, senpai." Mashu walked over carrying a bowl of steaming hot porridge and smiled. "Did you sleep well last night?"

“Of course, because I know Mashu is here, I’m not worried at all.” Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and took the bowl from Mashu’s hand, gently blew on it, and took small sips of the drink.

The freshly cooked rice porridge slid down my esophagus into my stomach, making me feel warm and cozy, with an indescribable sense of comfort and ease.

"That's good." Mashu brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. "Seeing that you're still so energetic, I'm relieved."

"Huh?" Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand paused slightly, and she turned to look at Mashu with suspicion. "Mash, you seem a little different today."

"Huh? Really?" Mashu paused for a moment, then frantically checked herself. "Is it because my clothes are wrong, or is there something strange on me? Could you be more specific, Senpai?"

"Yes, that's right, then there's no problem." Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded in satisfaction and continued drinking her porridge.

Mashu: ? ?

Despite Mash's resentful look, Fujimaru Ritsuka finished her porridge without changing her expression, wiped her mouth, looked around, and asked in confusion, "Why don't I see Mr. Anaun?"

“Mr. Yanan has gone to patrol the area.” Mashu took the bowl from Fujimaru Ritsuka and said, “He said he had a bad feeling that someone from Camelot’s side might be catching up with us. He also told me to inform you that it would be best to set off as soon as possible and not waste any time.”

“Mr. Anaun actually has the ability of [Intuition]? Well, that makes sense, after all, he is King Arthur…” Fujimaru Ritsuka stroked her chin thoughtfully, then her expression turned serious. “Let’s do as Mr. Anaun said, and have everyone set off as soon as possible after breakfast.”

Upon learning that enemies might be pursuing them, the soldiers and villagers dared not delay any longer. They quickly finished their breakfast and began packing their belongings.

Not long after, Yanan returned to the camp and nodded slightly when he saw everyone busy at work.

"It seems you listened to what I said, that's good." He smiled at Fujimaru Ritsuka, having such a sensible teammate saved him a lot of trouble.

"Hehe, I just did what I could." Fujimaru Ritsuka scratched her head a little embarrassedly, then asked curiously, "Mr. Anain, did you find any trace of the enemy?"

Yanan was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "Not yet, but just to be on the safe side, I've erased all traces along the way. Even if an enemy does come after us, they probably won't be able to catch up for a while."

Fujimaru Ritsuka breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It's really reassuring to have Mr. Anain here."

"No matter how much you flatter me, I won't give you any more runes," Yanan teased.

“Mr. Yanan is really stingy~” Fujimaru Ritsuka laughed along, realizing that the other party was joking.

Yanan shook his head and smiled, then turned to look in the direction he had come from.

He did have some unusual feelings before, but they didn't come from any kind of "intuition," but rather from a call from the depths of his blood, as if someone was whispering in his ear.

He couldn't figure out where this feeling came from, so he wanted to find out, but he was worried that it was Camelot's trap, so he only walked about ten kilometers before turning back.

Maybe I'm just overthinking it...

He shook his head, putting the matter out of his mind, then turned to look at Fujimaru Ritsuka and nodded slightly.

"Let's keep going."

.......

.......

"Have you erased all traces...?"

Overgrown with weeds and strewn with rocks, Melusin's tone remained completely unchanged as she looked at the almost identical scene before her.

"While they are indeed quite cautious, such petty cleverness is useless against me."

Beneath the mask, her small, delicate nose twitched slightly as she turned her head to look southwest.

"That direction... I think it's somewhere called the Holy Roman Empire? Oh, I see, that's where his target is..."

Melusine frowned slightly, as if thinking of something: "If we really let him into Nero Claudius's territory, it will indeed be a bit troublesome... No, I have to speed things up a bit and stop him before that happens."