943 -931- Unchangeable reality

"Still have time."

Such a simple sentence, yet it instantly made the air feel heavy, pressing on the hearts of everyone present.

Rozen found his clenched fist tightening even more, eventually releasing it.

"Mash was bound to face this day sooner or later, you should be well aware," Roman said in a tone that stifled all emotions, silencing Rozen.

Mash Kyrielight.

Rozen indeed knew a lot about this girl.

For example, Mash was a product of the sixth experiment in which she was implanted to become a Demi-Servant in Chaldea.

Normally, summoning a Heroic Spirit required a catalyst, a relic connected to the spirit. However, Chaldea, in its pursuit of absolute obedience from Heroic Spirits, used children as catalysts, summoning the spirits into their bodies, leading to a fusion of human and spirit, creating entities known as Demi-Servants.

Mash was the result of such an experiment, a child used as a catalyst for summoning and fusing with Heroic Spirits.

Yet, even if successfully summoning a Heroic Spirit, how could one achieve the fusion of human and spirit?

If it were that simple to gain the power of Heroic Spirits, the ritual of "Heroic Spirit Summoning" wouldn't be such a rare and miraculous event.

At the very least, the subject of fusion should possess qualities that perfectly matched with the Heroic Spirit.

For instance, possessing magical circuits corresponding to the Heroic Spirit intended for fusion.

However, everyone's magical circuits are unique, so how could someone have magical circuits exactly corresponding to the heroes from history and mythology?

Even if they did, how could one find such an individual in the vast sea of humanity?

It was an incredibly difficult task, to say the least.

And since finding was impossible, the only option was to create it.

Mash was precisely such an existence.

"For the fusion with Heroic Spirits, she was designed as a artificially inseminated, design-type test tube baby..."

That was Mash's true origin.

Conceived through artificial insemination and specially adjusted and designed to eventually have magical circuits corresponding to the Heroic Spirit, allowing the fusion of the two into a single existence. The Heroic Spirit could then be summoned in the guise of a "human," cultivating her as a Demi-Servant.

As a result, Mash had no parents.

As a result, Mash had lived her entire life within Chaldea, never setting foot outside.

She was born 16 years ago.

No, since this year is already 2019, it's been 17 years.

In the year 2002, Mash was born in Chaldea and lived in the sterile room for a full decade.

Her knowledge was directly infused into her mind through calculation devices.

Her understanding was imparted through limited books, instruments, and learning devices.

In 2012, when Mash was ten, the Demi-Servant experiment officially began.

Chaldea threw Mash into the fusion ritual, summoning a Heroic Spirit into her body.

It was Chaldea's Heroic Spirit prototype number two, providing power to Mash before disappearing.

Of course, the summoning ritual was successful, but the fusion ritual ended in failure.

Because the Heroic Spirit summoned into Mash's body was exceptionally noble, rejecting the inhumane experiments and actions of the former Chaldea. This Heroic Spirit completely rejected fusion with Mash, resisting the process.

However, unable to leave on its own, it resulted in him losing his life during the failed ritual. The heroic spirit remained asleep within Mash's body until the day when the Incineration of Humanity occurred, where he granted his power to Mash and returned to the Throne.

Due to this reason, the Demi-Servant experiment was declared a failure, and Mash was confined to the sterile room, never allowed to leave.

Later, the former director passed away, and Olga Marie took over her father's position as the director of Chaldea. Roman, in constant effort for Mash, eventually obtained permission for Mash to work as a Chaldea staff member, allowing her some freedom within Chaldea.

That was two years ago... no, three years ago, the true reason Rozen and Mash met in Chaldea.

In other words, before that, Mash had always lived in the sterile room. Rozen was the first person of her age and a friend she met in her life.

Furthermore, Mash could only move within Chaldea and was unable to leave. This was not just a matter of not being allowed; Mash's pure body, grown in the sterile room, couldn't adapt to the external environment, so she had to remain like this.

Moreover, as a specially designed test tube baby, Mash's life was quite fragile. It should be noted that most of the test tube babies created by Chaldea ended in failure, and Mash was one of the very few surviving cases.

However, her cell degradation rate was also rapid.

In short, Mash's lifespan is very short.

Extremely short.

According to records, the maximum she can live is until the age of eighteen.

And now, Mash is already seventeen.

She has less than a year left.

With this in mind, it wouldn't be strange for Mash to suddenly collapse.

"Even though it's like this, having to force herself into battle and ending up like this, it's inevitable," Da Vinci stated matter-of-factly.

Rozen turned around, looking at Mash in the sterile room, his gaze strangely dim.

"I should have noticed sooner..."

Rozen said quietly.

He was well aware of Mash's condition.

But even so, he allowed her to engage in battle. If this isn't a fault, then what is?

Moreover, Rozen had the power of "Mind's Eye," which could perceive the fluctuations of a person's heartbeat and the electrical signals released by cells. In theory, he should have noticed any abnormalities in Mash's body.

Yet, Rozen didn't notice anything, and Mash continued to fight.

"I thought that becoming a Demi-Servant would improve Mash's constitution."

That was a fact.

Due to becoming a Demi-Servant, Mash gained the power of a Servant, obtaining a strong body that allowed her to go to Singularities without any issues, no longer needing to stay confined in Chaldea's sterile room, completely isolated from external contamination.

Therefore, Rozen always believed that Mash's body had recovered.

But reality slapped Rozen hard.

"Even if she becomes a Demi-Servant, gaining a resilient body, Mash's cell lifespan remains the same. Her body is only strengthened by the power, not improved."

Roman spoke as if reluctantly.

"Mash's life still only has less than a year left; this is an unchangeable fact."

Yes.

An unchangeable fact.

Even with the Holy Grail?

After all, the so-called Holy Grail, despite being hailed as a wish-granting machine, is nothing more than a crystallization of endless magical energy.

If a wish can be fulfilled through magic, the Holy Grail will respond.

Conversely, if a wish cannot be fulfilled by magic, the Holy Grail is utterly powerless.

As mentioned before, the so-called Holy Grail, despite its power, has its limitations.

An all-powerful wish-granting machine?

That's really just a big question mark.

"To be able to revive and achieve immortality is already a miracle at the level of 'Magecraft.' Mash's condition is close to that, and relying solely on the Holy Grail might not be able to save her."

Da Vinci concluded.

"Besides, the Holy Grails we collect now are made by Solomon, and the mechanism inside is still not fully understood. It's not recommended to use them directly. If you use a Holy Grail to make a wish in a Singularity, who knows if it will cause any negative effects. If this becomes an opportunity for Solomon to curse us with his magic, then we'll have a big problem."

Roman spoke with a serious tone.

Finally...

"If you want to blame someone, blame me."

Olga Marie finally spoke.

And in a highly self-deprecating manner.

"All of this is caused by the former director of Chaldea, who is my father."

When she said this, Olga Marie's voice trembled.

Obviously, this girl was not indifferent to the matter.

Her father had been conducting inhumane experiments all along, and the past Chaldea was conducting magical research under the banner of saving humanity. These were all undeniable facts.

"You must hate Chaldea and me so much because of this, right?"

Olga Marie spoke towards Rozen with a self-abandoned tone.

"So, if you want to blame someone, blame me."

Once these words were uttered, the air became even heavier.