Tia picked up the Noble Phantasm she had made and held it carefully, feeling it closely.
It was a Noble Phantasm with anti-demonic properties, and it also had the ability to stop demonic regeneration.
Its name was Demon-Slayer Flame Blade.
Legend says that when Heracles killed the Hydra, after cutting off its heads, he burned the stumps with fire so they could never grow back.
Later, people copied what Heracles did and created a sword with extreme heat, designed specifically to fight monsters. When it struck, it inflicted severe burning wounds that couldn't heal, so the monster could never regenerate.
In other words, any monster injured by this Noble Phantasm could never recover. And that red mist from before really did feel like a monster.
Wait!
Tia suddenly noticed something. She quickly set aside the weapon she had just made and checked all the other Noble Phantasms one by one. She found that all of them had anti-demonic properties and also stopped demonic regeneration.
So Gilgamesh wasn't just throwing random things around—he was aiming for something specific. Too bad the monster was indeed a monster, but since it was linked to an Outer God, it wasn't just a monster.
Tia sighed and looked again at the Demon-Slayer Flame Blade she had made.
From now on, this thing belongs to me. And even if it breaks, I can always make another.
Tia was in a good mood, but the Flame Blade was something she had never heard of before. It was only while analyzing the Noble Phantasm that the ancient knowledge contained within it naturally flowed into her mind.
But in the myths and legends she knew, there was never anything like this weapon. Still, since it was something shot out by Gilgamesh, there was no way it was wrong.
Tia gave up on tracking the true mythical source of the Flame Blade and immediately started analyzing the other Noble Phantasms.
Unknowingly, the whole night passed. When Tia opened her eyes in a daze, she found herself lying in bed, covered with a blanket.
When Tia got up, she noticed she hadn't changed her clothes. Then she started thinking carefully about what had happened last night…
It seemed~~~ she had stayed up very late, spent too much mana, and finally, too tired, just went straight to sleep.
But after all that effort, she at least figured out the True Names of these Noble Phantasms. So even if Gilgamesh reclaimed them, she could make them again herself.
In fact, last night she had already made two more—a sword called the Anti-Demon Short Sword and a spear called the Anti-Demon Spear. Neither of them had any grand legends behind them. The knowledge that entered her mind after analyzing them was only about some nameless smiths who forged ordinary anti-demon weapons.
But that didn't make sense. How could Gilgamesh's treasury contain things like that?
Some Noble Phantasms had famous names, but some were completely unheard of.
"Master… last night… Matou Kariya came by… but I… didn't let him in…" At that moment, Lancelot suddenly spoke.
Tia nodded.
Looks like today there's something to deal with. Might as well go check out the Matou household first and see what Matou Kariya wanted.
Like usual, Tia got up, ate breakfast, then went out alone toward the Matou residence.
On the way, Tia ran into Alexander the Great dragging Waver around shopping. Alexander chatted with Tia for a bit, and mentioned that tonight he planned to go to Einzbern Castle to drink with King Arthur. He invited Tia to bring Lancelot along as well.
According to the Conqueror, he really admired the bond between King Arthur and Lancelot as king and knight. He felt that even though King Arthur was just a young girl, her kingly aura was extraordinary—especially when facing Lancelot. He wanted very much to talk with her. He also admired Lancelot, but sadly, as Berserker, Lancelot couldn't communicate normally.
Tia knew this was the famous King's Banquet about to unfold. She would be able to personally take part in the classic Holy Grail debate session.
This was something she had been looking forward to! And this time things were different—King Arthur now had Lancelot by her side, Alexander already knew the truth about the Holy Grail War, and Gilgamesh's background was extraordinary. Who knew what tonight's King's Banquet would become? Would Hundred-Faced Hassan attack again?
But now that only a single night had passed, Alexander and Waver already seemed free from the Holy Grail War's grasp. Pretty impressive.
After parting ways with Alexander, Tia soon arrived at the Matou house and knocked on the door.
"You're here. I waited all night for you. Come in," Matou Kariya said.
Tia nodded without wasting words.
The room was still just as messy as when they left last night. Clearly, Matou Kariya hadn't cleaned up at all.
"You're Tia, right? I didn't expect someone as skilled as you to be in Fuyuki City. At such a young age, you know so much and can control Lancelot so easily," Matou Kariya said.
"I only became like this recently," Tia replied politely.
"Well, I won't waste words. Can I ask you for a favor? If little Sakura really gets sent to the family of Lord El-Melloi at the Clock Tower, I hope I can go along too. I think that's something you could make happen."
Tia froze for a moment, then asked, "Why would you go? Aren't you just an ordinary person now?"
"I am an ordinary person now, yes. But the Command Seals were invented by the Matou family. All the related texts are in our archives. I can also offer our family's magic crest to Lord El-Melloi. I only ask to be allowed to look after little Sakura in Europe," Matou Kariya said sincerely.
Tia looked at Kariya's healed hand and the face of someone who had already had the crest worms removed from his body. She felt this guy really was deeply devoted to Sakura and Rin's mother.
Most likely, he must have gone to the Holy Church last night.
"Then why come only to me?" Tia asked with a small laugh.
"I think you're the best choice. Waver Velvet and Lord El-Melloi don't get along—he would never take me there. I can't go ask that Einzbern guy or Tohsaka Tokiomi either. That only leaves you, Tia," Matou Kariya said seriously.
Tia twitched the corner of her mouth.
When he put it that way, it really did make sense.
(End of The Chapter)