The Ultimate Lich King of the Multiverse

Yoru couldn't clearly recall what exactly had happened. The last image frozen in his mind was a pillar of fire shooting skyward… and a heart-wrenching scream echoing in his ears.

Ah… I was a bit too careless.

Still, at least he had been lucky—he was alive.

With that thought, Yoru slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling.

The lavish decorations of the room made Yoru pause in surprise. Within Orario, aside from the Loki Familia, there shouldn't be any other faction with this kind of luxury.

Am I... in the Loki Familia's territory?

As Yoru pondered this, the door to the room opened.

Entering were an elderly man and a young woman. The man looked to be in his seventies or eighties, so frail he seemed as if a strong wind might knock him over.

As for the woman—

"Riveria…?"

Yoru muttered the name the moment he laid eyes on her. But he quickly shook his head.

The woman before him shared a similar aura, but she clearly wasn't Riveria.

The silver-haired woman, her hair like moonlight, tilted her head curiously as Yoru called her a stranger's name. After all, aside from her grandfather, Yoru was only the second man she had ever seen.

"You're awake, young man."

Jubstacheit had been quite shocked when Irisviel told him she had found a man in the woods. The area around the Einzbern estate was protected by powerful barriers—ordinary people couldn't possibly intrude. Only a magus could enter.

But even if it had been a magus, breaching the barrier should have triggered his alarms. Moreover, while the Einzbern family had declined somewhat, their name still carried weight. Who would dare trespass on Einzbern land?

With such doubts in mind, Jubstacheit followed Irisviel to the room where Yoru was being kept.

The moment he laid eyes on Yoru, he was dumbfounded.

While Irisviel couldn't sense it, Jubstacheit could clearly feel the explosive magical energy radiating from the young man.

He wasn't just a magus—he was a tremendously powerful one.

But why had he appeared here? And why was he unconscious?

"Who are you... Is this the Loki Familia?" Yoru asked, frowning slightly.

"Loki… Familia?"

Jubstacheit murmured in confusion. He recognized the name "Loki"—a god's name—but what did "Familia" mean in this context?

A god's... followers?

Seeing the old man stunned, Yoru raised an eyebrow and took a deep breath.

"Then… is this the dungeon city of Orario?"

"I'm sorry, young man. I've never heard of what you're referring to. This isn't Orario—this is Germany, the home of the Einzbern family."

Jubstacheit's words struck Yoru like thunder.

Germany… Einzbern?

Could it be… he had ended up in another world? What had happened? Why had he been transported here?

Seeing the dazed look on Yoru's face, Jubstacheit's mind reeled. If his guess was correct, then the young man before him was a traveler from another world.

To a magus as ancient as Jubstacheit, the idea of people from parallel worlds wasn't unthinkable. After all, the Servants summoned by the Holy Grail were also technically beings from other worlds.

"Young man, what do you plan to do now?" he asked tentatively.

"I don't know… But I must return to Orario. There are people there who are worried about me—people I care about."

Yoru stood up from the bed, as if ready to walk out that very instant.

"If I may be frank—are you a magus?" Jubstacheit asked.

Yoru paused and turned to face the old man, waiting for him to finish.

"I, too, am a magus. And according to all the knowledge I possess, crossing between worlds is nearly impossible."

Jubstacheit chuckled bitterly.

"Of course, it's not entirely impossible. The fabled Second Magic can achieve such a feat. But as per its nature, its wielder travels freely through parallel worlds—finding them is nearly impossible."

"So what are you trying to say?" Yoru asked, his voice slightly tense.

"What I'm saying is… I doubt you came to this world willingly. Otherwise, my granddaughter wouldn't have found you unconscious in the snow."

Jubstacheit's words silenced Yoru.

Though he didn't yet understand the full nature of this world, it was clear—from the old man's explanation—that this world was also filled with mighty beings, much like Orario.

Even in Orario, Yoru had never heard of anyone capable of freely traveling between worlds—not even the gods themselves.

"Although we cannot find the wielder of the Second Magic… there is one thing that might be able to help you."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

Yoru's interest was piqued. Returning to Orario was now his top priority. Any assistance from the powerful of this world would be far better than fumbling in the dark alone.

"That thing… is called the Holy Grail."

Seeing Yoru's growing curiosity, Jubstacheit curled his lips into a sinister smile.

"Eh…?"

Irisviel, standing to the side, tilted her head in confusion.

Hadn't her grandfather already chosen the participant for the Holy Grail War—her future husband?

Even though she had been infused with knowledge at birth, Irisviel's mentality was still that of a child. The concept of being a wife was still difficult for her to grasp.

Although she understood the duties of a wife quite clearly, what those duties actually meant left her more confused than embarrassed.

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