"Such a pity… that I can't help you a little longer..."
Noticing that his hand had begun to shimmer with golden motes of light, Georgios let out a regretful sigh.
Lin Qi had no way of bringing a Servant back to Chaldea. Even if he did return, he wouldn't have the slightest idea how to perform a Summoning himself.
After all, this wasn't a Holy Grail War. Having the aptitude of a Master and reciting a few lines of an incantation wasn't enough to summon a Servant.
Otherwise, the old Director wouldn't have spent over a decade just to produce Mash as a pseudo-Servant—and even she was one who couldn't live for long.
Georgios could tell that Lin Qi possessed the unique trait that allowed compatibility with a Servant's Saint Graph, but unfortunately, every container had its limit. After taking in the powers of Jeanne d'Arc, Jeanne Alter, and Siegfried, that "bucket" of his was already full for the time being.
Siegfried's strength took up the bulk of it—his Saint Graph was relatively complete—whereas Jeanne and Jeanne Alter's conditions were both deteriorated, taking up only a small portion each.
If it hadn't truly been impossible, Georgios would've wanted to lend Lin Qi his strength as well.
"I've already received so much help from others. If I keep asking people to lend me their power, wouldn't that make me seem a little greedy?"
Lin Qi shook his head with a smile.
"Well said. Then I can rest easy."
Hearing Lin Qi's answer, Georgios nodded with satisfaction.
As a stern, teacher-like figure, even he had to admit this young Master was truly exceptional.
It's just... I fear even greater hardships are waiting for you ahead...
Thinking so, Georgios wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words.
He sighed, patted Lin Qi's shoulder, and said nothing more.
"Then I'll be off. If you ever gain the ability to perform a Servant Summoning, I will not withhold my strength."
"...All right. I will. Goodbye."
Lin Qi paused for a moment, then forced a faint smile as he waved to Georgios.
The next instant, Georgios turned into particles of light and drifted into the sky.
When the only person he could still speak with vanished, the faint smile faded from Lin Qi's face. Only now did he realize how eerily silent his surroundings had become.
In the hollow ruins, there wasn't a single living being besides himself. The silence was so deep that not even the sound of insects could be heard.
—He was alone again.
Lin Qi stared blankly at the dispersing motes of light. After dazing for several seconds, he swayed weakly and sat down on a still-intact step.
He raised his left hand. On it was a rather crude "wristwatch."
He had found this during his five months of initial preparation—almost certainly something that had belonged to Da Vinci, complete with a manual.
The "little watch" had a simple purpose: to transmit a return signal to Chaldea, which would then automatically recall Lin Qi.
It was just a bit slow—the signal would take about three minutes to go through.
After operating the "watch" and sending the signal back to Chaldea, Lin Qi simply stared off into the distance.
The sun had already touched the horizon. Its afterglow painted both the ruins and his figure in shades of red.
A gentle breeze swept across the desolation, carrying a faint warmth as it stirred the boy's hair.
The sunset was beautiful, the weather fine—but Lin Qi had no mood to appreciate either.
It felt as if something inside his heart was missing. He just sat there in silence.
Almost a full minute passed.
Then, as if something had reached its limit—
Tears spilled over, streaming down his cheeks and falling to the ground.
Was Lin Qi truly that strong? Not necessarily.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have once cried alone in the forest after getting lost.
Just as he had said from the start: as long as someone stayed by his side, he could keep walking forward happily—no matter how capable that companion might be.
Why hadn't he cried until now? The reason was simple—he just hadn't wanted to disappoint them.
He didn't want to let Jeanne, who had always believed in him, down.
But now—
They were all gone. Not a single one remained.
I didn't even... get the chance to say goodbye to them...
Tears blurred his vision. Lin Qi bit down on his lip, forcing himself not to sob aloud.
He covered his eyes with his arm, but his sleeve soon grew damp with tears.
He hadn't even said farewell to Jeanne. From the moment he'd met Marie and Amadeus, his mind had been in a haze—he hadn't even properly spoken with them, much less anyone else.
They had all helped him so much, yet in the end, he hadn't even shared a real conversation with them...
In the end, the only person he'd managed to properly say goodbye to was "Teacher George."
Only—
"We'll meet again," huh... but will there really be a next time?
Lin Qi had no confidence in that.
Suddenly, two shrill voices echoed from afar, growing louder and louder.
"You arrogant country-bumpkin squirrel from the East! You just had to keep pestering me—see what happened? We're late! There's no one left!"
"Heh! You bloodthirsty European pig from Holland! That line should be mine! You were the one clinging to me! If not, I would've arrived long ago!"
"Japanese banded krait!"
"Frilled lizard!"
"Sharp-snouted viper!"
"Mexican beaded lizard!"
...
Lin Qi froze, then jerked his head up.
In the glow of the setting sun, two Servants were standing in the distance, facing off and trading insults.
Elizabeth Bathory and Kiyohime.
"All your fault! Ever since we manifested, you've been arguing with me nonstop—we haven't even fought a single proper battle before we're about to disappear!"
Elizabeth glared at Kiyohime, her body already flickering with light.
"Hmph! Did I ever stop you from fighting? It's you who delayed me from finding people!"
Kiyohime covered her mouth with her fan, her exposed eyes full of mockery.
"You—!"
The two Servants pressed their foreheads together, baring their teeth, neither willing to yield.
A few seconds passed.
"Pfft... hahaha..."
Seeing this scene from the game come to life before his eyes, Lin Qi burst out laughing through his tears.
Sniffling, he smiled and waved toward the two of them, not caring whether they saw him or not.
After that small gesture, Lin Qi's figure vanished from the Singularity.
———
———
In the midst of darkness—
"Hey, that human Master who suddenly appeared has already cleared one Singularity."
Naberius stared with its countless eyes.
"Oh? ...How curious. I distinctly recall Chaldea being silenced by my bombs. How did such a person come about?"
Flauros sounded puzzled.
This Flauros wasn't like the useless one in the game. One bomb from him had blown Chaldea's defenses apart, and when the Human Order Incineration commenced, it burned everything within Chaldea to ashes as well.
That was why he was so astonished. Though Chaldea had somehow escaped somewhere, everyone inside should have been wiped out.
"I seem to recall someone claiming that this sudden human Master would never amount to anything. Hmm? And yet he's already recovered two Holy Grails?"
Forneus spoke with a faint, mocking smile.
"Hmph! He's merely a human Master. He probably can't even operate Chaldea's systems properly."
Flauros snorted dismissively, ignoring Forneus's ridicule.
As one of Chaldea's partial founders, he knew better than anyone how complex its machinery was.
Just one person in Chaldea? You really think you can run that place?
Flauros sneered—a contempt reserved for the intellectually inferior.
"But it doesn't matter. If he dares to come, the next Singularity will be his grave."
With a glint of cold light in his eyes, Flauros spoke—and the space once again sank into darkness.
———
Meanwhile, Lin Qi had returned to Chaldea.
The facility was exactly as he had left it—empty, silent, only essential sections still powered.
Even the faintest footsteps echoed endlessly through the halls.
Lin Qi sighed in desolation and walked toward his quarters.
He needed to regain his composure and begin preparations for the next Singularity as soon as possible...
After all, for Lin Qi right now, this Chaldea was the last place he wanted to linger in—even for a single day.
...