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

"Let me rest for a while and catch my breath. I might be too tired."

“Alright, senior, then I’ll row for a while. You can close your eyes and rest. I’ll wake you up when we reach the Black Mist Wall.” Mash seemed to have noticed that Ritsuka’s body was not right, so she took the initiative to take over rowing.

Ritsuka shrank back once again, burying her face between her legs.

It wasn't that she didn't want to tell Ritsuka and Nero about their experience in the cave, but when she tried to tell them, she suddenly realized that her memory of what happened in the cave was very vague.

Aside from remembering seeing Wang Chong and exchanging a few words with him, I can barely recall the details of the trial.

Moreover, this trend of ambiguity is increasing over time. It's estimated that soon Ritsuka will completely forget who she met and what she said.

Why...is my memory starting to fade? Why is this happening?

Ritsuka was filled with questions, but the answer had already flashed through her mind the moment she realized she had lost her memory.

"How dare it, how dare it erase those precious memories!" Those were the words Euryale said in her anger.

"Even Stheno, a goddess, could have her memories easily altered by it, and you, an ordinary magician, who knows if that mysterious will has already subtly changed your mind..."

Those were the words Wang Chong had sneered at him in the cave.

"Is that so? So I'm really being influenced all the time?" Ritsuka couldn't help but wonder.

Chapter 143: Deception and Wang Chong's Plans

"But...why is this part of my memory being blurred? Could it be that this part of my memory has had some effect on Him?"

Ritsuka continued to ponder this question. And in that instant, a vague memory of a conversation surfaced:

"...Only those who can truly understand the fear, anger, and pain of others, and only those who understand their own flaws yet can overcome them and awaken to themselves step by step, can pass the test."

"Such a person, regardless of whether He can save the world, will at least never be subject to any will or become a puppet of others."

At this moment, Ritsuka finally realized that Alaya's manipulation of her memories was precisely to turn her into a pawn that would follow its path completely.

Then, Ritsuka involuntarily raised her head and looked at the Archer Servant on the ship in front of her. She suddenly understood what it meant to be "out of control of one's own destiny".

At that moment, a genuine anger ignited in Ritsuka's heart. She understood Wang Chong's desire to deal with Renli more and more, and even her desire to persuade Wang Chong was somewhat shaken.

"Although I don't know what you're trying to do... I will never become what you want me to be! Even if I lose those memories, I will still be able to make my own decisions and do what I want! No one can change that!"

Ritsuka clenched her fists and made a silent decision.

……

"Ding—Congratulations, host, for successfully deceiving the destined heroine Ritsuka, causing a rift between her and Alaya, indirectly affecting the heroine's original predetermined fate. Reward: 500 Villain Points, Current Villain Points: 12500. Reward: One random item card. Use it?"

The system's voice rang in Wang Chong's ears, while Wang Chong stood in the black mist, silently watching the changes in Ritsuka below.

"To say I lied wouldn't be accurate; I just happened to explain what Alaya had done. If I had to accuse someone of lying, it would only be that I just told her I was a clone formed from mist."

Wang Chong smiled faintly and said:

"Besides, even if I don't conceal and seal these memories beforehand, once Alaya notices them, wouldn't He do these things? He'll just do it more discreetly so that Ritsuka won't notice."

"That's true, hehe, my wording wasn't quite right," the system said chuckled.

"It's alright, I don't care about these things. Also, system, please use that item card for me and see if I can draw an item to deal with that guy Alaya."

Wang Chong said, "Although I have successfully separated Ritsuka and Alaya's wills through these three trials, to be honest, I am not absolutely confident that I can completely separate them in the end and inflict a serious blow on them."

"Yes, host. Extraction in progress—"

A system interface popped up a window, and soon a shape resembling an axe appeared before Wang Chong's eyes.

"Ding—Congratulations, host, you have drawn an epic-level item: [A Trace of the True Meaning of the Heaven-Opening Axe]"

【A Trace of the True Meaning of the Heaven-Opening Axe】: A one-time use item. After use, it can condense a trace of the true meaning of the Heaven-Opening Axe, capable of destroying everything and opening nothing. It has the power to break all shackles and corrupt order in the world.

Note: This method is particularly effective when targeting a world will that is 'unworthy of its position,' directly drawing it into the space of judgment for repeated, brutal trials.

"Hiss—you're really imitating the plot of some TV series, giving me a real axe to split the heavens, huh? Luckily it's just a wisp of its true essence. If it were the real thing, I'm afraid that one swing of the axe would have severed the Earth along with its very origin, right?"

Wang Chong gasped, looking at the treasure he had drawn. He immediately felt that using such a good thing on Alaya was a waste.

"Host, these disposable items are meant to be discarded! In the future, not only will you be able to obtain the true meaning of the Heaven-Opening Axe, but you can even get the real Heaven-Opening Axe Treasure!"

The system naturally sensed Wang Chong's thoughts and quickly said, "So feel free to use it! Promise me you'll use the Heaven-Opening Axe on Alaya!"

"This is really... Well then I won't hold back. Once I force that Alaya out, I'll see what right it has to cause trouble." Wang Chong put away the item card, sneered inwardly a few times, and then transformed into a streak of light and left the island.

……

Meanwhile, Ritsuka and the others successfully crossed the Black Mist Wall once again and returned to the city of Marcia. They then quickly returned to Rome to await the results of Nero's next meeting with the Council of Emperors.

While waiting, Ritsuka and the others also tried out the black bracelet. They discovered that after Ritsuka took it off and gave it to others, they were also able to see the monsters in the black mist, and their senses were somewhat restored.

But Ritsuka started thinking about that question again: Why could she see things in the black mist? And for some reason, Ritsuka felt that she should have vaguely understood this before, but now she couldn't figure it out.

"Alright then, since everyone else can use it normally, I'll take charge of leading the troops to move tonight. After all, Ms. Ritsuka has already had a long day and is really not suited to continue the long journey."

Then Jing Ke stepped forward and slowly said:

“If we leave it to General Lü and me, we can travel to another country more quickly to carry out the transfer and strive to successfully transfer the personnel before Judgment Day at eight o'clock tomorrow morning.”

"I'll count myself as one group, and if the two groups work separately, we can finish this task faster. However... the exact time it will take is still unknown."

Archer said slowly:

"Fortunately, now that we have signed the contract, we can communicate with Ms. Ritsuka remotely via mental communication. We will inform you of the time when we arrive in the various countries."

"Well... let's try to avoid any overly aggressive actions, so as not to cause any unnecessary burden to Miss Ritsuka," Jing Ke nodded and said.

"Oh, alright, alright, you're making me sound so pampered, like some rich young lady on a trip," Ritsuka said half-jokingly.

"After all, you are our only Master here. If you are not precious, who is? So, Mr. Archer, let's set off now. The sooner we reach the two farthest countries, the better we can keep track of the time and guide the way."

Jing Ke first spoke to Ritsuka with a smile, then looked at Archer and said.

"Of course." Archer's injuries had mostly healed, so he once again stepped into the wall of black mist with Jing Ke and Lü Bu, who were now wearing bracelets. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

“I hope they’ll be safe on their journey. Let’s go, senior; we should return to the Roman palace and hear from His Majesty Nero,” Mashu said.

Ritsuka nodded, and the two headed towards the city of Rome. At this time, daylight was about to end, and night was beginning to blanket the land.

Chapter 144: Revealing the Secret

"Huh? Ritsuka, why are only the two of you back? Where's that Archer?"

As they approached the vicinity of the Roman palace, a familiar voice interrupted Ritsuka and Mashu, who were chatting.

"Eh? It's Miss Boudi... Miss Katie."

Upon seeing who it was, Ritsuka was initially delighted, but then, as if remembering something, she changed her address:

"Judging from your appearance, your injuries have finally healed."

"Well, I must say, the Servant's body is quite convenient. As long as they keep absorbing mana, they can continuously recover to their best condition." Boudica chuckled, seemingly not too concerned about the matter.

"So, did your trip go smoothly? Is Mr. Archer alright?" Boudica asked.

Ritsuka and Mash then told Boudica everything that had happened after they set off for the Black Mist Wall, and together they walked toward the palace.

"I see... Not only did we learn about their motives, but we also gained a bracelet that allows us to see through the Black Mist Wall and find two Servants. It seems things are moving in a positive direction."

Boudica nodded upon hearing this, then gently stroked Ritsuka's head with a touch of tenderness and said:

"It must have been really tough, going through all of this... If you have any feelings you want to express, don't hold them in. Your sister will always take care of you."

"Oh... thank you, Sister Cardi." Ritsuka looked at the Roman soldiers patrolling around her, her nose tingling slightly, and said with some emotion.

Afterwards, the three of them quickly arrived at the palace, where they waited together for Nero to appear.

About half an hour later, Nero finally emerged from the palace. When she saw the three of them, she went straight up to them without saying a word and said, "It's done."

Those three simple words reassured Ritsuka like a hammer blow, showing that the Roman emperors weren't all fools who only knew how to fight and bicker.

"However, the main problem now is how long it will take to move troops to different places. We need an accurate time reference. In short, I and the other emperors won't be getting any sleep tonight."

At this point, a hint of fatigue appeared on Nero's face.

"Your Majesty Nero, Mr. Archer and Jing Ke have already set off for the two farthest kingdoms. One is the former capital of the Allied Forces where the Divine Ancestor resides. The other is the southern territory of Britannia..."

Ritsuka immediately informed Nero of Archer and Jing Ke's movements. Upon hearing that a rough timeframe could be determined, Nero was overjoyed and said:

"Hmm! Your actions are very much to my liking. This will greatly increase the success of tonight's great relocation plan. Now let's have dinner first, and then wait for news from those two heroes."

……

Soon, the banquet ended, and it was getting darker. Ritsuka hadn't received any news yet, so she took Mash back to their temporary residence to rest.

"Doctor, are you there?" After returning to her residence, Ritsuka first checked the doors and windows to make sure no one was around, and then began to call for Dr. Roman.

"What's wrong, Ritsuka? You seem to have something to say? Come to think of it, you've been acting a bit strange the whole way here," Dr. Roman replied immediately after hearing Ritsuka's question.

"Doctor, actually..." Ritsuka explained that she could see magical beasts in the black mist, including how the bracelet made the effect even better.

"You mean you could see it from the very beginning? But why are you only saying it now?" Dr. Roman asked, puzzled.

"At first, I thought it was my imagination and I needed to verify it. Secondly, I was also worried that if I said it out loud, Mr. Wang Chong might hear it and cause my original power to be taken back."

Ritsuka slowly said, "But now that Mr. Wang Chong is willing to give me this bracelet, it means that he doesn't care at all about us uniting against him. He might even think that destroying the world would be more challenging that way."

“A very reasonable speculation and decision. But there’s no point in hiding this, is there? Why didn’t you mention it when Archer and the others weren’t around?” Dr. Roman asked, puzzled.

“Because… I don’t quite trust Mr. Archer,” Ritsuka said somewhat abruptly.

"Huh?" Now it was Mashu's turn to react strangely. She said, "But didn't you think highly of Archer yesterday? You even just agreed with Archer's decision."

“That’s one thing at a time. My distrust comes more from a feeling. Ever since I participated in that trial, I’ve been wary of Archer. But I can’t say exactly why. Because… I’ve lost that part of my memory.”

Ritsuka dropped another bombshell, shocking both Dr. Roman and Mash.

"How could you lose your memory? Ah, no wonder you didn't answer me directly when I asked you before. Could it be because..." Mashu remembered Ritsuka's strange behavior on the ship and quickly said.

"Yes, at that time, I was already in the stage of amnesia... I can guarantee that my memories were not suddenly sealed away, but were gradually affected and blurred under some unknown circumstances."

Ritsuka slowly said, "If Mashu hadn't reminded me, I would have been almost completely unaware of this. My memories were erased silently like that. Don't you think this method sounds somewhat familiar?"

"You mean... Alaya? Ritsuka, you suspect that your memory has been erased by Alaya?" Dr. Roman immediately realized that this was the matter that Euryale had mentioned before about Stheno's memory being erased.

"Well, although I don't know exactly what I learned during that trial, firstly, I may have been attacked by Alaya. Secondly, I am wary of Archer. These two feelings are the only ones I can trust right now."

Ritsuka said in a deep voice.

"So that's why you deliberately let Archer leave. But now that I think about it, there was definitely something strange about that Archer."

Dr. Roman nodded and said:

"Putting aside his modern attire and his magician-like fighting style, the timing of his appearance was too coincidental. It was as if he was deliberately waiting for us."

"Not only that, he also provided a much-needed solution, like sending charcoal in snowy weather, by showing us how to cross the wall of black mist. He was a huge help, saving us from taking many detours. Now, combined with your earlier remarks about Alaya... this makes me wonder if he is a [Contractor]."

"【Contractor】?" The two women uttered these three words at the same time, looking very puzzled.

"Ritsuka, let me first give you a brief overview of the Mage's Association's research on the Alaya-counter force and its manifestations..." After giving a general explanation, Dr. Roman began to emphasize:

"In recent years, many magicians in the Middle East have discovered that the development trends of some things seem to have been artificially modified. According to their further investigation, they have found that these phenomena are related to some unknown Servant rank."

"Ultimately, after these magicians discovered the patterns in these traces of human intervention and correction, they found that the patterns of the manifestation of the suppressive force were almost identical."

"Therefore, they concluded that the unknown Servant must be related to the Counter Force, and since Servants need to rely on their Master's magical power to exist, they believed that these unknown Servants must have reached a consensus or contract with the Counter Force, making the Counter Force their Master."

"And this type of follower is the [Contractor], who specifically obeys the command of the restraint force and performs corrective actions."

After listening to Dr. Roman's explanation, Ritsuka and Mashu finally understood.

"So, Mr. Archer is a [Contractor] sent by the Counterforce to help us, right?" Mashu asked. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

"I can only say that the possibility is very high. We'll have to wait for further verification to find out the specifics." Dr. Roman shook his head and said, "But the fact that Ritsuka's memories were erased suggests that she learned something important from Mr. Wang Chong."

"Therefore, I tend to agree with Ritsuka's judgment. It seems we do need to be a little wary of Archer. But let's not be too deliberate and just treat it normally, like we have these past two days."

"As for Ritsuka's lost memories... I will check your physical data during this time to see if there is any way to recover them."

Chapter 145: The Great Migration

After Dr. Roman went to retrieve the data, the room fell silent for the first time in a long while. Mashu glanced at Ritsuka sitting on the bed, hesitating to speak. Ritsuka noticed Mashu's expression and asked:

"What's wrong, Mashu? Is there something you want to ask me?"

"No, I just think... human emotions are really complicated."

Mashu couldn't help but sigh:

"Mr. Wang Chong and others, who were originally our friends, have become our adversaries because of one incident. You know, not long ago we were still thinking about how to work together to conquer one singularity after another. Who would have thought that a conflict would break out so quickly?"

"But as we gradually learned the truth about this matter, we began to empathize with them and understand their difficulties. We tried to find a way to resolve the conflict and achieve the best of both worlds. Even the other party was willing to give us another chance and still made things convenient for us."