If it weren't for the fact that Alaric was so close to Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight, Da Vinci might have even suggested that Ritsuka and Mash retreat first and observe the situation from a distance.
After Da Vinci spoke, Ritsuka, Mash, and even Romani all looked shocked.
It was as if only at this moment did they recall Alaric's desire to claim the holy lance Rhongomyniad.
"That's right, Sir Alaric did say he wanted to obtain the Lion King's, Holy Lance—"
Mash nodded as if suddenly realizing something and recalled the scene atop the Tower at the End: "Does that mean Sir Alaric obtained the Holy Lance?"
"The Holy Lance, huh!"
Unlike Mash's reaction, Ritsuka clapped her fists together, looked at Alaric thoughtfully, and smiled brightly. "Can I see the Holy Lance, Sir Alaric?"
Alaric was taken aback, sensing faint traces of chaotic malice in Ritsuka's silvery, bell-like voice. In that instant, it felt as if Ritsuka had transformed into a mischievous little devil akin to Ishtar.
Since their reunion, Ritsuka Fujimaru had shown her true colors—a lively and energetic girl full of vitality.
Not just her; even Mash beside her looked excited and expectant. "Please, Sir Alaric! Let us see it!"
At this moment, Mash's heart burned with fiery enthusiasm. Not only did she want to see it, but even the heroic spirit within her soul longed to witness Rhongomyniad.
Faced with such anticipation, Alaric had no reason to refuse. He could only smile and reply, "Alright, but there might be some differences."
With that, the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad materialized in his hand.
The spiral lance, identical to how Ritsuka and Mash had imagined it, was held in Alaric's single hand. Combined with his features reminiscent of Artoria—her sharp eyebrows and pure white hair—Ritsuka and Mash even momentarily hallucinated, thinking the Lion King had reappeared before them.
["It is the Holy Lance—"]
Meanwhile, back in Chaldea, Romani and Da Vinci immediately began analyzing the Holy Lance the moment Alaric summoned it.
The results were as expected by everyone.
Star-Constructed Armament—Holy Lance Rhongomyniad!
The Holy Lance in Alaric's possession was indeed the genuine Rhongomyniad.
["This is incredible—"]
Romani stared intently at the rapidly updating readings on the screen, casually sipping his coffee as if it were second nature.
Watching him, Da Vinci raised an elegant eyebrow but said nothing, instead turning her attention back to the screen.
As she had expected, Alaric undeniably possessed the Lion King's Rhongomyniad, the ultimate Noble Phantasm known as the Tower at the End.
But something was off.
Singularities are distortions in history, created when the Holy Grail of the King of Magecraft, disrupts the foundation of human order. Everything within them is but an echo of history.
Living beings in singularities are merely those who exist in that specific moment, and the dead have truly returned to the realm of death. Even when singularities are corrected and history returns to normal, the result is the same—inevitable death, albeit under different circumstances.
An individual life is but a fleeting wave in the vast ocean of history, spanning thousands of years, unable to alter much.
But the Holy Lance is different. As a supreme Noble Phantasm, Rhongomyniad symbolizes the Tower at the End of Britain.
It is an artifact that accompanies the planet's end.
It transcends human history, imperishable in the tides of time.
Yet Alaric had defied this natural conclusion. Da Vinci was acutely aware that the Rhongomyniad in Alaric's possession was not a Servant's etheric recreation but a genuine relic from history—a true Noble Phantasm!
This artifact should have accompanied Artoria upon her death—or rather, her return to Avalon—advancing alongside history into the future or returning to the planet's core.
It should never have appeared in this singularity, in Mesopotamia in 2655 BCE!
By bringing Rhongomyniad from the 13th century to the singularity, Alaric had ensured that in the 5th century, when Artoria truly died on the Hill of Camlann, the Holy Lance that should have existed there was gone.
For hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, until the timeline was burned away by King Solomon, there would be no Rhongomyniad.
This single act was enough to alter and rewrite history.
Even the smallest change could disrupt the foundation of humanity and create a singularity!
Realizing this, Da Vinci chose not to speak immediately, quietly observing the conversation between Alaric, Ritsuka, and Mash.
She needed more time to study Alaric.
It wasn't just Da Vinci—the universal genius. Beside her, Romani clasped his hands together, his elbows resting on the table, deep in thought.
Romani, too, possessed an extensive knowledge base, and he had begun to piece together the truth.
What puzzled him was how Alaric had accomplished this.
Could merely possessing the Holy Lance enable such a miracle?
Impossible.
Romani dismissed the thought immediately. Simply possessing the Holy Lance couldn't achieve this unless one had merged with it entirely and wielded its full power.
Yet Alaric showed no signs of divine aura or godhood from Rhongomyniad. The man standing before Ritsuka and Mash was unmistakably human.
Despite the overwhelming magical energy emanating from his body, he was undoubtedly human.
Romani couldn't figure it out—no matter how hard he tried.
While the Chaldea duo was lost in thought, Ritsuka and Mash marveled at the Holy Lance.
"Senpai, it's the Holy Lance! Just like the Lion King's!"
"Mash! It's the same!"
Ritsuka excitedly touched the tip of the Holy Lance but quickly froze, a puzzled expression crossing her face.
She noticed something strange about the Holy Lance—it seemed no different from an ordinary weapon. Most unsettlingly, its aura—
"Sir Alaric, is this Holy Lance…?"
As Ritsuka asked her question in confusion, Mash mimicked her movements, cautiously touching the Holy Lance. Her face immediately lit up with shock. "Whoa! Senpai, I touched the Holy Lance!"
But soon, Mash's expression mirrored Ritsuka's bewilderment. "The Holy Lance… it's hollow?"
Having Galahad's spirit origin, Mash had a deeper understanding of the Holy Lance, one of the weapons tied to King Arthur. This made it easier for her to sense that the Holy Lance had become an empty shell.
Mash's unintentional words startled the Chaldea duo.
["What did you say???"]
["Are you serious? How could the Holy Lance be hollow?"]
Romani nearly pressed his face against the screen, but Da Vinci quickly pushed him aside and asked directly, "Sir Alaric, can you explain?"
Hearing Mash's remark, Da Vinci abandoned her silence. The situation was far more serious than she had thought.
"It's simple. The King—Knight King Artoria—adjusted the Holy Lance's scale and form, restricting its full authority to me alone."
Alaric smiled faintly as he recalled the moment in the waves at the world's end, embracing Artoria. "In your terms, the Tower at the End anchored my existence—it became proof of my survival."
"And the price for my survival was the dormancy of Rhongomyniad's authority and mysteries, leaving it an empty shell."
"This was the King's love for me."