It wasn't surprising to Shiomi that Hols would take an interest in him.
As far back as the later stages of the Sixth Singularity, Sakura and Caren had already told their father everything about the Atlas Institute.
"After all this ti, the great detective still hasn't let my affairs go," Shiomi said, planting one hand on his hip. "That's really sothing."
"After all," Hols replied, "even mysteries that stumped the Tri-Hers Tower are enough to awaken a detective's instincts and compel further investigation."
"And now?" Shiomi asked.
"Still nothing," Hols said, shaking his head without the slightest hint of frustration.
Shiomi clicked his tongue. "Then I suppose the great detective should keep at it."
As for his own origins, Shiomi had finally learned a fragnt of the truth from BB after the Incineration of Humanity was resolved.
If he wanted to grasp the whole picture, then being invited to Mooncell was probably the only way to uncover everything.
After all, judging from the current situation, Mooncell had clearly foreseen even the bleaching of the Earth, yet still chose to stand aside and leave the task to Shiomi and the surviving humans.
While answering Hols, Shiomi walked a few steps to the side.
"So then, great detective," he said, "why are you here?"
Having never acted alongside Hols before, Shiomi harbored no small amount of suspicion toward him. London. The Atlas Institute. Shinjuku.
Was Hols moving between different Singularities of his own accord, or was it the Counter Force calling him?
Even if his True Na was correct, Shiomi still felt that this detective carried no fewer mysteries than he did himself.
"I didn't so much 'co here' as I chose not to go to Olympus," Hols explained calmly. "I'm not a Servant who excels in combat. Even if I had gone to Olympus, I would only have beco a burden to the others. So I remained in Atlantis instead, analyzing any potentially valuable information while waiting for Chaldea to arrive."
"Oh?" Shiomi folded his arms.
"Hahaha. As expected of the savior who restored Human Order and shattered the Mage King's sche," Hols laughed openly, without the slightest shadow on his face. "I understand that your caution is only natural. Whether you trust or not, I won't insist on accompanying you. For now, let share the information I've gathered here."
As he spoke, he began operating the machine positioned at the center of the temple hall.
"Scanning… scanning… Theos Klironomia. Remaining quantity: equivalent to 53 individuals. Permissible amount for this subject: ???"
"Error. Subject is non-Olympian. Theos Klironomia cannot be supplied."
The machine delivered its verdict in a flat, chanical tone.
"So this is a device that provides the inheritance of the gods?" Shiomi asked.
"Exactly," Hols replied. "But as you just heard, non-Olympians can't activate it. That's why we have to exploit a loophole in the restart delay and forcibly extract a portion."
As he explained, Hols operated the machine once more.
Just as he had said, this ti the divine inheritance was released without issue.
"It looks just like rcury," soone remarked.
Skadi approached with the girls, while Sakura watched the released substance closely, curiosity written all over her face.
"But this isn't rcury. It's high-precision nanomachinery," Hols said. He dipped a finger into the substance and carefully ground it between his thumb and forefinger. "If what I witnessed at sea yesterday was indeed an explosion, then Chaldea must have already clashed with Olympus."
"The Magical Beasts released by the Olympus fleet were all covered in so kind of strange tal," Shiomi said, turning back to explain to the others who were standing by as backup. "At first, I thought it was so legendary tal like orichalcum, but now it seems…"
"Yes, it's this special nanomachinery known as Theos Klironomia," Hols said with a smile. "Not only can it be used to enhance Magical Beasts, but if introduced into a Servant's body, it can also strengthen various abilities to a certain extent."
"In other words, a materialized form of the Olympian gods' blessing," Skadi pointed out calmly.
"Still," Shiomi said, "Odysseus's Noble Phantasm was able to hold out against the Holy Sword and the Holy Lance. If I hadn't activated my own Noble Phantasm, that Trojan Horse would have lasted at least another minute or two. Was that also thanks to the Divine Legacy?"
Hols shook his head. "No. That was likely the result of sothing even higher-grade than these legacies. Only Klironomia personally bestowed by the Olympian gods themselves could achieve that kind of effect."
"So the difference between what we're seeing here and that," Baobhan Sith asked, "is like mass-produced versus custom-made?"
"No," Hols replied, shaking his head again. "These Klironomia are genuine legacies, but they're obsolete technologies abandoned by Olympus. In other words, they're systems that no longer t the gods' needs and were discarded."
"Can this Klironomia be collected and used as a strategic resource for Chaldea?" Caren asked. "Even if it's just for enhancing our equipnt?"
"Certainly. For that purpose alone, it's quite suitable," Hols said. "But be careful. If it's a legacy still personally held by an Olympian god, you must not touch it."
Shiomi imdiately grasped what Hols ant.
"Because it's nanomachinery originating from the Olympian machine gods. Once it enters the body, there's a real risk of unknowingly becoming a puppet of the gods."
"Exactly," Hols said. "There are temples like this scattered across the islands of Atalanta. If you plan to make use of these Divine Legacies, you may want to collect them from those islands. They could prove useful."
Suddenly, Shiomi raised his hand again, signaling for silence.
"Olympus soldiers are approaching this temple. My ravens have already picked up their movents." His voice grew colder. "The spring outing is over. From here on—"
"Sakura and I will take the others back to the village and have StormBorder prepare to depart," Olga Marie said imdiately. "If we stay on this island any longer, our position will be exposed to Artemis."
Shiomi nodded. "Skadi and I will stay behind and eliminate the soldiers sent to search the area. We'll cut them off from their main force."
Then he turned his gaze to Hols.
"As for you, Great Detective, if you plan to continue acting alone, feel free. If you wish to cooperate with us, head to the village and et up with Bartholow Roberts. Stay on the island and prepare. He'll explain the details."
Hols raised one eyebrow. "Hmm… there are still things I want to investigate, so I won't be traveling with Chaldea for now. However, once I've finished my inquiries, I'll regroup with the Servants remaining in Atalanta and lend you my support."
At that mont, the sound of armored footsteps reached the entrance of the temple.
Shiomi tightened his grip on Gáe Bolg.
"Then that's settled—!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Shiomi burst out of the temple like an arrow loosed from a bow.
...
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