A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

“Speaking of which, I happen to have a question, Your Majesty Nero, please don’t take offense,” Mash asked.

“Ask away, there’s nothing unusual about it. You two are heroes of Rome. I will answer any questions you may have to the best of my knowledge,” Nero said with a smile.

"I want to know, since you have something as convenient as the Council of Emperors, even if you are blocked by the wall of black mist, shouldn't you be able to fight together? Why don't you unite to resist the other side, but instead acquiesce to this absurd trial?"

Mashu asked, "Is it because you tried and failed, or is there some other reason?"

“…” Nero fell silent for a moment. She didn’t answer the question immediately, but thought for a while before saying:

"This matter involves the agreement among the emperors, and I need to consider it carefully before I can tell you. How about this: if you can keep your promise and return safely, I will tell you the answer, how about that?"

"Is that so? Alright then. Mash and I will definitely be back before dark."

Ritsuka assumed that Nero wanted her and Mash to keep their promise and return, so she didn't press the matter further. After bidding farewell to Nero, she left the palace with Mash.

……

They arrived in the suburbs once again, and Dr. Roman had returned. Under his guidance, they were heading towards the sea in the southeast.

According to the doctor's investigation, Mount Etna, an island volcano not far from the Italian peninsula, has a spiritual vein that can be used to set up magic arrays.

When they arrived at the shore, they saw the black fog stretching across the sea, which blocked their view like a wall.

"Is this the Wall of Black Mist? Should we try to go in now?" Mash found a fishing boat nearby and then asked Ritsuka.

"There's always a way out... We've come this far, we can't back down now. Doctor, I'll leave the navigation to you. Mashu, stay on the boat and keep an eye on our surroundings. I'll row!"

Ritsuka gave the order.

“Yes, senior!” Mash replied.

"Leave the navigation to me, and I'll also report any magical reactions around us to prevent you from being robbed... Wait, that reaction! Mash Ritsuka, watch out behind you!"

Dr. Roman was confidently reassuring the two that everything was alright when, by sheer coincidence, he suddenly noticed a reaction from his followers behind them.

"call out--!"

"Watch out! Senior!"

Although it was a fierce arrow, Mash, who was already on guard, managed to spot it and successfully block it with her shield.

"Not bad reaction. If you can't even block this arrow, I advise you not to go into the black fog to seek your own death, lest you lose your lives in vain."

A man's voice came from the direction from which the arrows came, and a figure slowly walked towards them from near the wall of black mist.

Upon closer inspection, the man was holding a jet-black longbow and wearing a red and black outfit consisting of a red cloth wrapped around a black bodysuit.

He had short white hair, dark skin, and a resolute and sharp expression on his face.

However, Ritsuka and Mashu were taken aback because they had seen the man's appearance once before when Fuyuki City was burning; he was the same archer from Fuyuki City.

"Servant Archer. Just a passerby without a master. That should be quite common for you, right?"

The white-haired man dissipated his weapon into spirit particles, appeared before the two, and said.

Although she saw that the other party had disarmed, Mashu did not lower her guard and asked further, "Why did you attack us?"

"You want to cross the wall of black mist, right? Judging from your conversation just now," the white-haired man asked instead of directly answering Mashu's question.

"Yes. Are you here to stop us? Are you also a Divine Punisher?" Ritsuka asked, frowning. In her memory, Wang Chong did not seem to have ever contracted a male Servant.

"Hehe, if I were the one who punishes the gods, that arrow just now wouldn't have been so gentle."

The white-haired man shook his head and said, "On the contrary, I had some unpleasantness with those Divine Punishers, which is why I ended up here. Judging from your appearance, you also want to resolve the problems caused by those Divine Punishers, which is why you want to break through this wall of black mist. Am I right?"

"So what if it is? What does that have to do with your attack on us before?" Ritsuka asked.

"Of course it's related. Firstly, that arrow served as a warning. Just like I said at the beginning, if you can't even block an arrow like mine, then going to the Black Mist Wall is just suicide. It's better to go back and recuperate after being wounded by the arrow than to go in and lose your lives."

"Secondly, I also want to test whether you have the strength to become my allies. After all, I still hope that those who deal with the Divine Punishers are as strong as possible." (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the preceding sentences.)

The white-haired man explained it this way.

"Wait, judging from your words, have you dealt with many of the Punishers of the Gods? And from your tone, you seem to know something about the situation inside the Black Mist Wall. Could it be that you successfully passed through the Black Mist Wall?"

At this moment, Dr. Roman seemed to understand the white-haired man's implied meaning and immediately asked in surprise.

"Hehe, it seems there's a rather knowledgeable magician among you. That saves me a lot of trouble."

The white-haired man chuckled twice, then said seriously:

"My rank is Archer, but as for my name, it's just that of an unknown nobody."

"My current goal is to eliminate those punishers and that self-proclaimed divine messenger. Since you two also want to resolve the current situation, how about we establish a temporary contract and help each other?"

"This……"

Ritsuka initially thought they had been attacked by enemy Servants, but unexpectedly, they received help from their first neutral Servant. Although the way they appeared was somewhat startling, upon closer examination, it didn't seem to have any major logical problems.

Moreover, since Ritsuka is well aware of the power and strength of the people she is dealing with, she naturally hopes that more and more Servants can join her camp.

Moreover, both she and Mash had witnessed this Archer's strength during their time in Fuyuki City. Although the Archer in front of them didn't seem to recognize them.

After discussing it with Mashu and Dr. Roman, Ritsuka finally nodded and said:

"Sure, but I'd prefer to be under your command in most matters. Also, I hope Archer can provide us with some useful information about the Punishers."

"Of course, since we're in a cooperative relationship, I'll naturally share what I know with you. Let's start with this wall of black mist..."

The red-clad archer pointed to the wall of black mist and began to speak.

Chapter 112: Crossing the Wall of Black Mist

"There are a large number of magical beasts in the Black Mist Wall. I think you can guess that, since those magical beasts emerge from these Black Mist Walls every day during the judgment."

"Therefore, the key to passing through the wall of black mist is to avoid those magical beasts. Don't even think about killing them... Without a Noble Phantasm that can target large groups like armies or cities, clearing out those magical beasts is just wishful thinking."

"Fortunately, based on my experience of entering and exiting the Black Mist Wall several times, I have discovered some patterns that can overcome this problem."

"First of all, those magical beasts are not immune to the black mist. Under the cover of the black mist, their five senses are also weakened."

"Secondly, I don't know if it's to prevent these magical beasts from running away outside of the Judgment War. Most of these magical beasts are not very active and basically rest in fixed places."

"Therefore, as long as we can sense the location of those magical beasts in advance, and move with minimal disturbance without using magic, we can bypass their senses and pass through them."

"The safest area to pass through in the black mist is actually this area at sea. Because most of these magical beasts are either land-based or flying, they stay on various black mist platforms built at sea."

"Therefore, the density of its platforms is much sparser than the density of the monsters within the Black Mist Wall on land, which greatly increases our chances of infiltrating and passing through."

"I happen to remember some of the distribution of magical beasts, and I also have a special way to know their location before they find us."

At this moment, Archer removed the red cloth from his body, and under his control, the red cloth quietly entered the black mist, which then caused some ripples.

"There's a monster platform 500 meters away, at a 30° west-southwest direction," Archer said. "This is my conceptual weapon; it can detect the location of those monsters based on its reactions."

"At a distance of 30° south of west, 500 meters away... there is indeed a monster reacting... however, due to the interference of the black mist, my position may be slightly distorted and deviated. But overall, it's roughly the same."

After another round of investigation, Dr. Roman confirmed Archer's statement and continued:

"No wonder you were able to pass through the wall of black mist. It must be thanks to this sacred shroud. Even if you can't tell which way to go, you can still avoid those monsters and avoid being worn down in endless battles."

"However, you just mentioned conceptual weaponry... Could it be that you are a modern magician?"

"Hmm? Hmm... You could say that. But you can rest assured about my abilities. Although I'm nameless, I'm no less capable than those heroes in battle," Archer said.

"No, quite the opposite. To be able to become a Heroic Spirit-like being in the modern environment is, in my opinion, an extraordinary thing. At least among the people I know, there's one who's ridiculously strong..."

Dr. Roman shook his head and said:

"Let's not talk about that. Although I can roughly detect the exact location of those magical beasts, the transmission of information from my side is still a bit slower than from yours. Moreover, because of the black mist, there may be some deviation and misjudgment of the location."

"However, my detection range is much larger than yours, and I can guide you on your way. If we combine the two, we will definitely be able to pass through the wall of black mist safely and reach Mount Etna."

"I wonder if that area is also shrouded in black mist. If that happens, it will be much more difficult to find."

"Are you going to Mount Etna?" Archer asked, a strange look on his face.

"Yes, we need to go there to set up a magic circle so we can replenish our supplies."

Because of the signed contract, Ritsuka also briefly explained some things about Chaldea.

“I see… No wonder this world is so distorted, completely different from the history I know.” Archer nodded and said, “Since we can get support, let’s head to Mount Etna first.”

Dr. Roman then marked most of the monster reactions along the route to the volcanic island, and Archer, based on the information provided and comparing it with the sea chart, established a complete route.

Now, all they need to do is ensure that the fishing boats are moving in the same direction as the course.

……

"Ugh... It's so dark inside. Even though we're on the same boat, I can barely make out your features, senpai," Mashu said in a low voice.

"Just speak normally; the sound of the waves is enough to drown out our normal conversation. Those monster cubs can't hear us even from hundreds of meters away."

archer reminded:

"However, this black mist is indeed extremely strange. Even with my inherent skill of [Thousand-Mile Eyes], the range I can see is very limited. I can only see within a distance of 5 meters around me."

"Next, steer the ship to the left to avoid getting too close to the monsters on the right. Be careful; the space within the black mist is not as simple as you think. But I can make sure you reach the volcano island."

After saying that, Archer continued to manipulate the red cloth to sense the surrounding movements.

"Can't I see my surroundings? Then how am I supposed to..." Ritsuka whispered.

"Huh? Senpai, what did you say?" Mashu looked in Ritsuka's direction, having missed the sound of the waves.

"No, it's nothing... it's just that after we went in, it seemed like the doctor's connection with us was cut off," Ritsuka said involuntarily.

“Indeed, no matter how we tried to call out, the doctor’s voice couldn’t get through. We were originally planning to rely on the doctor to determine the direction, but thankfully Mr. Archer was there.”

Mashu couldn't help but say.

Ritsuka didn't say anything more about it, but instead rowed the boat while looking around, a hint of unease in her eyes.

From her perspective, it was completely different from what Mashu saw. After entering the world of black mist, Ritsuka felt as if she had returned home.

Not only did I feel warm and at ease, but my vision was also completely unobstructed and even enhanced.

She can even clearly sense the nearest monster in any direction, so she can adjust her direction in a controlled manner without Archer's reminder, and row in the right direction.

This experience is the same as when Mr. Wang Chong was on their side in the first singularity and entered the black fog environment he created.

Ritsuka couldn't understand it for a moment. Even though Mashu's five senses were restricted because of the black mist, why did it still feel no different to her than when she entered the black mist before?

Could it be that Mr. Wang Chong deliberately set this up? Could everything we are experiencing now actually be yet another test set up by Mr. Wang Chong?

More and more questions arose, but Ritsuka did not explain this phenomenon immediately. She planned to wait until there were only the three of them—herself, Mashu, and the doctor—before discussing the discovery.

"If it's a test, that would be great, but... I can't gamble with this," Ritsuka thought to herself.

Under the cover of black mist, the sea breeze seemed to have stopped. On the calm sea, the three people and their boat slowly and safely passed through the layers of monster platforms.

When a ray of light entered their field of vision, Mashu, who had been on high alert, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the bright sunshine and the island and the majestic volcano on the island not far ahead, it was clear that they had successfully passed through the wall of black mist and arrived at their destination.

Chapter 113: Scene of Domestic Violence

"Hey... Great, the signal is finally back. We lost all contact after you entered the Black Mist Wall, it really scared me."

After Ritsuka and the others successfully passed through the Black Mist Wall, communications with Chaldea were restored. Dr. Roman looked like he had just escaped death; anyone who didn't know better would think he was the one who had crossed the Black Mist Wall.

"But you're much faster than we expected. At your current rowing speed, shouldn't it take you at least two or three hours? How did you manage to pass through the wall of black mist in less than an hour?"

"Dr. Roman couldn't help but ask."

"It does seem to be much faster than I expected. Come to think of it, that wall of black mist isn't as wide as I thought," Mash remarked, having also noticed this.

"This is what I was just saying: the black mist space is different from the outside space."

archer then explained:

“The journey, which often takes several days or even weeks, can be completed in less than a day by traversing through the wall of black mist.”

"Therefore, although the Wall of Black Mist is dangerous, if we can avoid its dangers, it can actually become a convenient passage for us to quickly traverse the entire Roman Empire. This must be the intention of the master of the black mist, so that his divine punishers can easily cross to various locations."

"I just don't know why we can take advantage of such a convenient design. The thoughts of the master of that black mist are truly unfathomable."

After hearing Archer's explanation, Ritsuka and Mash nodded thoughtfully.

"In any case, this is a good thing. The view here is much more open now. But why isn't the sunlight shrouded in black fog? Could it be that some country has been established here?"

"Dr. Roman couldn't help but ask."

"Probably not, otherwise Nero would have reminded us of this when we told her our destination. Anyway, let's get to the island first and find the spiritual vein."

Ritsuka rowed the boat vigorously and said.

"Let me do it. Since I no longer need to investigate those monsters, I can handle the physical labor of rowing."