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Orlocke let out a deep sigh, his voice tinged with regret. "I suppose it's time I told you everything, young lord. The truth is, the resurrected child is my son."

Turns out, more than a decade ago, when Orlocke Caesarmund was still a young man, he crossed paths with Geryon Ashborn while attempting to repair his family's Magic Crest.

During one of his visits, Orlocke found himself infatuated by Geryon's wife. Their connection grew deeper, and soon enough, they had a child together. Sadly, that child's life was cut short, prematurely.

Not long after, tragedy struck once again as the woman succumbed to an incurable illness.

Whether Geryon was aware of the child's true identity remained a mystery to Orlocke. What he did know was that Geryon held genuine love for both his child and his wife.

Nine years ago, Orlocke received a proposition from Doctor Heartless and Geryon Ashborn. While Geryon's official reason for offering to repair Orlocke's family's Magic Crest was clear, his true motive was to bring back his lost child and wife.

And now, after nine long years, Orlocke found himself standing within the walls of Adra Castle, invited for a purpose beyond witnessing the passing down of Geryon's legacy. It seemed that Geryon also wanted to show him the result of his research.

His child was meant to be resurrected within the body of another person, while the woman had been transformed into a dark beast by Geryon, tasked with guarding the ritual.

Had it not been for the interference of Morgan and Heartless, the ritual would have unfolded exactly as planned.

In the end, Orlocke willingly sacrificed himself, meeting his demise under the merciless claws of the now-transformed dark beast that was once his beloved. Yet, in his final act, he managed to reverse the transformation, restoring the dark beast back to its original form as the woman.

A serene smile graced Orlocke's lips.

But even in his final moments, he entrusted the Magic Crest of the Caesarmund family to Waver, asking him to deliver it into the hands of Verner Caesarmund, who is also attending Waver's Classroom. With that, Orlocke departed from this world, leaving behind a gentle smile as his final legacy.

With the ritual concluded, Adra Castle faded from the mystical land and reemerged into reality.

The exit had been opened, revealing a pathway back to the real world. Not only that, but thanks to Astraea's Noble Phantasm, even the deceased came back to life.

In this miraculous turn of events, Heine Istari, once gone from this world, found himself restored to life. Overwhelmed with happiness, he rushed into his sister's arms, tears of joy streaming down their faces.

Lorelei's magus quietly rejoined the group, having been resurrected.

One by one, the others who had perished also returned, except for Orlocke Caesarmund, who had chosen to depart willingly.

Letting out a sigh, Shirou couldn't help but realize that he had been completely manipulated by that Witch.

And with that, the events at the Adra Castle finally came to an end.

The magi said their farewells, each reflecting on the terrifying encounters they had faced and the valuable gains they had made.

They had even encountered the legendary Heroic Spirits, the Eternal King.

But what amazed them even more was the fact that this King was still alive!

However, Shirou turned to Lorelei, requesting her help in concealing his existence. It was crucial that as few people as possible knew that the Eternal King had survived.

Otherwise, the impact on the outside world would be too great.

The Eternal King had become a legendary figure, standing on the side of mystery. It was decided that the Eternal King would remain in the shadows, protecting humanity and bestowing blessings upon the future.

Lorelei agreed with a nod. The Barthomeloi family had no choice but to obey the Eternal King's command.

However, she whispered a little secret to him, revealing that the existence of the Eternal King might not be completely hidden.

At best, it could only be kept hidden from the general public.

Because Zelretch had shown him favor, it would be nearly impossible to keep that a secret.

In response, Shirou could only manage a slightly helpless smile.

Perhaps this was all part of Zelretch's plan, purposely playing tricks on him.

But when it came to the Church, he instructed Merem and Mr. Dawn to do their best to conceal it from them.

The Church viewed the Eternal King in high esteem, and the reason the Holy Church had flourished in this world was primarily because they had used him as a figurehead.

If they were to discover that he was still alive, there would likely be an immediate influx of pilgrims worshiping him.

He couldn't bear such a thing.

Merem Solomon and Mr. Dawn agreed to his request, promising to do their best to keep his survival a secret. However, before departing, Mr. Dawn wanted to kiss his hand and perform a sacred ritual, only to be met with a disgusted expression and a firm rejection.

Shirou was well aware of such repulsive rituals and had no desire to subject himself to them.

Luvia bid farewell with a regretful expression on her face.

She had to return to Finland first.

He tried to comfort Luvia with a smile, but this only led Luvia to repeatedly call out "Sherou, Sherou," while hugging him tightly.

Meanwhile, Gray observed the scene from a distance.

Altrouge was also preparing to depart. However, before she left, she approached him with a hint of hesitation.

"What's the matter, Altrouge?" He asked.

After a brief moment of uncertainty, she spoke up, "Um... I... I've been doing well all these years, and... and I don't want you to lock me up again!"

"Hmm, I know. Don't worry."

She carefully observed Young Shirou, sensing his gentle and accommodating nature, which made her believe that she could easily take advantage of him.

With caution, she voiced her grievances about the hardships she had endured over the years, and he nodded sympathetically.

As her confidence grew, she began to make requests of him. "After all the hard work I've put in, for over 1,500 years, I think it's only fair for me to make a few demands, don't you agree? You can't scare me anymore..."

Manipulating someone who is so gentle seemed like a simple task to her.

Without hesitation, she fearlessly listed a series of demands. However, when she turned her head, she was nearly frightened to death.

She didn't know when, but he had already released his Mystic Code, and even the Class Card was back in his pocket.

He gazed at her with a mischievous expression and asked, "Why so silent? Don't you have a whole list of demands?"

"T-th-this... I... I... I... I don't have any demands, not a single one!" she stammered, drenched in cold sweat.

Shirou chuckled and reached out his hand toward her head.

'Oh no! I'm going to be beaten to a pulp!' she thought, instinctively closing her eyes.

To her surprise, he gently patted her head and said, "You've worked hard all these years."

"Huh?" she was left dumbfounded, but he had already turned and walked away.

Gray watched the whole thing from afar.

Shirou and Waver were among the first to leave.

As members of the Department of Policies, Adashino Hishiri and Barthomeloi Lorelei, who had volunteered to handle the aftermath, were the last to leave.

Lorelei actually wanted to invite Shirou to visit the Barthomeloi family together, but he turned down the offer and decided to leave with Waver and the rest of the group.

Their departure was quite simple—they just hopped on a bus and headed back.

Once they were on the bus, Shirou and Waver took seats next to each other.

Waver let out a tired yawn, clearly in need of some rest.

Catching a glimpse of Waver's exhaustion, he stood up and relinquished his seat, saying, "You should get some sleep. I'll wake you up when we reach our destination."

"Uh... thanks, Eternal King," Waver responded awkwardly, nodding before settling down on the seat and dozing off.

Shirou found another seat and sat down, keeping to himself.

Suddenly, Arcueid reached out from behind and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her softness against his back.

"What are you doing?"

She responded with a mischievous smile, saying, "Aw, you're worried about my safety, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Oh, come on! You just admitted it a moment ago! Go ahead and call me a little troublemaker."

He averted his gaze and peered out the window.

"Hey, hey, hey! Say it again, Shirou. Call me a little troublemaker! Come on, spoil me!"

Sitting in the back row, Gray clenched the steel handrail beside her seat, her grip so tight that the handrail groaned under the pressure.

Startled, he glanced at her and asked, "What's the matter, Gray?"

"N-No... it's nothing..." she quickly waved her hands.

"Are you... Artie?"

"No! I'm Gray!" she hastily denied, lowering her head.

He stole another glance at Gray before turning his gaze to the window.

Meanwhile, Arcueid maintained her beaming smile, her arm still draped around his neck.

"Quit gripping my neck, it's starting to hurt!"

"Hehehe... Nope!"

Gray lifted her head again, staring at Arcueid, her hands tightly clenched under her sleeves.

...

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