Inside the fortress.
Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, Artoria and her Knights of the Round Table, plus the Chaldea members led by Naoki.
Over a dozen people were now gathered around an open dining table, staring at the Vortigern egg that Naoki had brought back from the meteor crater, now placed on the table.
"—That's basically the situation."
Naoki briefly explained what had happened between him and the black egg.
After hearing Naoki's account, the Knights of the Round Table on both sides displayed varying degrees of shock.
"That Vortigern… actually passed his power to the next generation?" Arthur's face and eyes were filled with disbelief. "It's absurd that he'd make such a decision."
"Compared to that, what's even more absurd is that he actually left an egg. Even if it's the result of a wish to the Holy Grail, it's still too bizarre."
Vortigern was the final device born on the island of Britain to destroy itself. By nature, it shouldn't have a successor.
["Perhaps he found a loophole."]
Roman's voice came from the communication device on Ritsuka's wrist.
["If he wished for another final device, that would've been impossible. But wishing to have his own offspring? That's entirely feasible. Having a descendant, passing his power to the next generation, engraving his desire to destroy Britain as an obsession into his offspring's soul—it's similar to the situation of a Magus's Crown Designation."]
Crown Designation (Grand Order).
The most noble blood oath in the world of Magecraft. A primal command held by families existing since before the Common Era, requiring them to sacrifice everything for that mission until their lineage ends—a pride wholly revered, like a curse.
That's the meaning of a Crown Designation.
If the unborn second-generation Vortigern in the egg is considered a first-generation Magus, then everything the original, now-dead Vortigern passed to it is the Crown Designation he bestowed.
"So, Master, what's your purpose in bringing this egg back?" Artoria asked, her brow furrowed.
"Of course, to discuss with you all how to handle it."
Naoki tapped the black egg's shell. Since he used no force, the egg didn't complain.
"The root of this Singularity, the Holy Grail, is now inside this egg. Um… frankly, the situation is similar to Jeanne Alter. The new-generation Vortigern is a living being created based on the Holy Grail, and its existence is sustained by the Holy Grail, so—"
To resolve the Singularity, the Holy Grail must be retrieved or destroyed. But in the current situation, retrieving the Holy Grail would require breaking the egg first, which would inevitably harm Vortigern.
The same applies to destroying the Holy Grail.
"Though this egg's shell is very tough, I think it'd be easy to destroy with the Holy Sword. The question is—is that really okay?"
Naoki's words silenced everyone.
Simply put, it was a matter of morality.
Though it was Vortigern's successor, in its current state, the second Vortigern was harmless. In fact, based on its words and actions, it had no intention of acting on the obsession left by Vortigern. It was an innocent living being.
Taking the Holy Grail would mean killing an innocent life… This wasn't a decision to be made lightly.
"By the way, I vote in favor."
Naoki was the first to voice his opinion.
"Even if it's harmless now, there's no guarantee it won't be influenced by Vortigern's obsession after it fully hatches. It might hatch halfway, and its soul could be infected by Vortigern's obsession, which would definitely cause another major problem. Better to end it here now."
Prevent it before it happens.
After a moment's thought, Mordred and both Gawains raised their hands.
"I share the same opinion as Father King."
"I agree with Lord Natsukawa's view."
"Me too."
There were thirteen people present—four from Arthur's side, five from Artoria's, and four from Chaldea (Akuta Hinako was absent).
Though not explicitly stated, everyone knew that if an opinion was supported by seven people, it would become the final decision.
Taking a deep breath, Ritsuka shook her head. "I object. Even if it's true, as the Department Head said, that the second Vortigern might be influenced by the obsession, we just need someone to guide it. It seems capable of communication."
The second Vortigern's intelligence was like that of a child, its personality unformed, like a blank sheet of paper. If they didn't want it to be stained black, they could color it with the right hues before that happened.
This was also a solution.
"Besides, since the Holy Grail is inside its body, taking it out of this Singularity could cause the Singularity to collapse. We don't necessarily have to extract the Holy Grail."
["Theoretically, that's possible. Though it can't be brought back via Spiritron Transfer, it shouldn't be an issue if Natsukawa carries it back."]
Hearing Roman's words, Naoki couldn't help but pause. "I just said… I was going to destroy it, and now you're telling me to bring it back? And you plan to keep it in Chaldea?"
"At this stage, our facility is the only place that can contain it."
"Avalon could too," Artoria said. "Master, I think Fujimaru's method is better. No matter how bad the future might be, it's still the future, and it can't be changed now. There's no harm in trying."
"Yeah, and when something goes wrong later, I'll be the one cleaning it up."
Words that should've been filled with disgust and impatience were spoken by Naoki in a helpless tone, as if he were used to it—like a doting father finally giving in after being persuaded by his child.
Sighing, Naoki looked around, and everyone seemed to think the second solution was better.
(Now I, both Sir Gawains, and Mordred feel a bit awkward… I brought this on myself. And I've added more work for myself for now.)
"So, that's that. Do you want to leave with us, black egg?"
[Leave? To where?]
"To a place… full of interesting people."
[An interesting place?]
"Yeah, there's a doctor with unclear sexual orientation who loves eating strawberry cake, a genius who turned himself into a woman despite being a man, and a heavy smoker who turned his entire body into a puppet… In short, all kinds of people."
Doctor Roman from Chaldea twitched at the corner of his mouth upon hearing Naoki's assessment—his orientation was clearly women! The virtual character and the person behind it are completely separate entities, got it!
Don't equate the virtual character (the role) with the person behind it (the voice actor)!
Listening to Naoki's description, after a brief silence, the black egg faintly glowed.
[I understand]
[I'll go with you]