[FDJ]Chapter 72: The Young Lionheart King

Spoonful by spoonful, the mashed potatoes dipped in cheese and salt were delivered to the young man's mouth. Clad in knight armor, he savored them eagerly, as if the slightly seasoned mashed potatoes were the most delicious food in the world. He had already eaten half of a whole basin of mashed potatoes, and the remaining half seemed to have ignited his appetite.

A soft knocking sound came from outside the door. The young man turned his head and glanced at the door, sensing someone's presence in the room.

"Who is it?" His gaze immediately turned sharp, and he gripped the wooden spoon as if it were a sword, raising it slightly.

"Don't be nervous, young king. I've come this time to ensure satisfactory service," a male voice said from the only mirror in the room. Then, as he turned his head, a peculiar-looking man dressed in court jester-like attire appeared in the mirror.

"Satisfactory service? Did such a concept exist in the 12th century?" The young man put down the wooden spoon, sticking it into the mashed potatoes, and took a bite. "Did you come to join me for a meal?"

"I sincerely apologize. I have brought something that might make you feel it holds value," the jester maintained a respectful tone towards the young man, but it was evident that there was an ulterior motive behind his words.

"Go ahead, I'll listen while I eat," the young man said, maintaining his attitude. The jester in the mirror maintained a smile that concealed his dangerous nature. "Let me cut to the chase. At another point in time, the Holy Grail I had bestowed was destroyed. Although the monitoring results showed no signs of a Master, we detected a suspicious interference resembling noise from the 21st century. Only after ensuring safety did I come to inform you. I apologize for disturbing your meal."

Upon hearing the term "21st century," the young man temporarily set aside his enjoyment of the warm mashed potatoes. He pondered for a few seconds before asking, "Didn't you... destroy the organization called 'Chaldea,' the future observation group? How did they manage to send someone back to this era?"

"It is currently uncertain whether a Chaldean Master is involved. The situation is still unclear."

The young man nodded, his demeanor becoming more earnest. "If Chaldea truly sent someone to this era, what could they be planning? I have already summoned seven Servants, and the Command Spells of the seven Servants are within me alone. Are they confident in their strength thinking they can defeat my seven knights who fight in unison?"

"Are you fully confident in this information?" 

The jester in the mirror conveyed the clues they had observed, ensuring that it didn't affect the young man's decision-making, providing only speculative hints. If Chaldea's Master truly survives and arrives in this era, it would be best for the current Holy Grail bearer, the young man, to respond. With all seven knights on one side, a Holy Grail War fought in this manner would quickly plunge the opposing side into despair.

"Compared to uncertain future enemies, it's the enemies that I'm aware of that give me a headache. It seems that the Saint Graph of the seventh Servant has been filled, and our Caster has discovered a method to summon additional Servants. This morning, we observed a Servant summoning signal. The source of mana was clear, and Assassin reported that a knight-class Servant had arrived. Seven against one. Hahaha..." The young man chuckled at this development. "Does the Holy Grail War have a tradition of knightly duels? Shall we allow the seven to surround a single knight?"

"Generally speaking, summoning seven Servants on one side would attract the impartial arbitrator, Ruler, to ensure the proper functioning of the Holy Grail War. However, this time, the summoning of the Ruler class has been sealed. In theory, there shouldn't be any issues. Now, what kind of Servant has our enemy summoned? What is the situation with the summoning of the seven Servants? How did they manage to summon a Servant, even if it's just one?" The jester in the mirror provided the basic information, seeking further clarification from the young man to ensure nothing was overlooked.

"The information is a bit vague. The individual appears to be from a different era, at least 50 years old by human standards, dressed as a knight. I speculate their class to be either Rider or Lancer, and their weapon is a... very worn-out spear." The young man carefully chose his words, considering an appropriate adjective. Describing a knight's weapon as "worn-out" might be considered disrespectful, but he couldn't deny the fact that the weapon seemed to be of lower quality compared to the standard cavalry lance found in military camps. It almost seemed like the weapon of an elderly knight who had seen better days, perhaps a wooden pole that had been haphazardly painted.

If the jester in the mirror wasn't constantly watching the young man, he would have doubted the accuracy of the description. It was hard to believe that someone as formidable as Saladin, who had established the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt, would summon a Servant who seemed to have such low combat capabilities.

"Are we certain that the eight Servants were summoned by Saladin?"

"I, the future King of England, swear on my name. It's precisely because of this that I can't help but laugh. I can't wait to lead my army south and wipe out that group of Islam." The young man chuckled, unable to contain his amusement any longer. "Before I summoned the seven Servants, I used the power of the Holy Grail to magically arm an entire cavalry unit of a thousand riders directly under my command. Please rest assured, that although I may be proud and arrogant, I am not ignorant of enemy defenses when it comes to warfare. I will mobilize all my strength, and with a single command, I will crush Saladin's army and ensure the eternal radiance of the Holy City."

"Well then, I wish you the best of luck in your victory," the jester in the mirror couldn't hide his cunning smile. He cared more about the outcome than the chivalrous spirit of a knight. He was quite satisfied with the young man, the recipient of the Holy Grail. Despite the destruction of the Holy Grail that occurred 451 years ago and the fall of the Servant Brunhilda, the young man seemed unburdened by concerns of failure. Additionally, the jester couldn't understand why the young man enjoyed devouring bland mashed potatoes. As an Englishman who had come to the prosperous East, it was about time for him to try something different.

"Do you want some mashed potatoes?"

"No, thank you. I've had enough of them." 

"Longingly, but unfortunately, my mother doesn't allow me to eat them. It's like a dream for me to be able to eat a whole bowl of 50 servings of mashed potatoes." The young man sighed, his spoon still in hand as he looked at the enticing mirror filled with high-calorie and salty cheese. "Would you like to taste it?"

The jester in the mirror, looking at the potato covered in high-calorie and greasy cheese, acknowledged the mother's cooking approach. "You're too kind. I apologize for interrupting your lunch. I'll await the good news of your victory."

Taking a spoonful and chewing it, the young man responded vaguely to the jester.

---[Line Break]

Awakening in a state of complete disorientation, Suzuki Yuki struggled to piece together the fragmented memories of his Spiritron Transfer. He attempted to grasp an object to steady himself but found nothing but loose soil to hold onto. He continued to lie on the ground for another ten minutes until Suzuki adjusted to his bodily state. He realized he was lying beside a riverbank, surrounded by a cluster of low bushes.

Wearing his Chaldea uniform, Suzuki Tomoyuki felt completely out of place in this unfamiliar setting. He looked into the distance but couldn't spot any recognizable objects. The sun was high in the sky, indicating it was midday.

Taking a few deep breaths of the fresh air, Suzuki used his hands to support his body and stood up. The outdoor air felt more comfortable than the artificially maintained indoor air in Chaldea, and the slightly humid temperature made it feel somewhat sultry.

Suzuki walked to the riverside, where the river reflected his slightly weary face. He had accumulated some dirt on his head, but his clothes were fortunate enough to remain relatively clean. The once neat clothing now appeared dirty, but given the circumstances, he didn't particularly care about personal appearance at the moment.

He took out a testing device from his clothes and used it to analyze the river water and the soil.

The device indicated that this area belonged to the Eastern region between the 12th and 13th centuries, providing more specific information based on the instrument he carried. The river water was clean and not contaminated.

"Interesting..." Suzuki slowly recalled the piece of paper he had seen on the table in Chaldea, which listed 40 names of individuals related to the Crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries. Everything seemed to align perfectly. Although he didn't know who had secretly provided him with this clue, it was certain that he had been sent here. Suzuki carefully examined the relevant information stored in Chaldea's data room, paying special attention to the materials he found.

Moving on to another important matter, Suzuki quickly checked his waist pouch. Aside from that, the golden chess piece had returned. There were now six remaining, with one missing—the golden chess piece in the shape of a swordsman.

Suzuki took out a chess piece resembling a bow and placed it on the ground. He arranged stones around the chess piece, creating a simple magic summoning circle. He remembered the incantation for summoning as it was etched in his mind. Last time, he had used the incantation and drawing of a summoning circle to summon Jeanne d'Arc. This time, Suzuki intended to try a different summoning method.

After chanting the incantation, the chess piece and the summoning circle underwent no visible changes. Suzuki's magical energy remained unable to activate the circle, as the incomplete magic circle did not respond to his attempts to activate it.

Suzuki made a second attempt. He picked up the chess piece from the ground and put it back into his waist pouch, erasing the summoning circle he had drawn. He was still disoriented, and his mind had not fully recovered, but some of his memories from Chaldea were starting to return.

"The Eastern region, between the 12th and 13th centuries. But which specific point in time?" Sitting on a stone by the river, Suzuki satisfied his hunger with a compressed biscuit. He couldn't understand why he felt so hungry despite having eaten a full meal in Chaldea, consisting of two bread rolls and a liter of milk. Yet, he woke up still feeling famished, as if it had been almost two days since his last meal.

While Suzuki was in the process of recovering, someone sensed faint magical waves nearby. It would be difficult to find someone in the vast expanse of the unknown territory. However, when Suzuki drew the magic circle and chanted the incantation earlier, it attracted the attention of a Caster who was monitoring the battlefield. Within ten minutes, the Caster's snake familiars arrived at the riverside, where the magical response had occurred, successfully locating the peculiarly dressed young man.

"Master, there is a peculiarly dressed young man suspected to be the future magus master you mentioned, located approximately 150 meters southeast of here. How should we proceed?" The respectful male servant, dressed in a robe that concealed his identity, reported to the other end of the crystal ball.

"Give me the exact coordinates. I will handle it personally."

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