An incubus who deserves to die a hundred times over, even if killed?
Because the description was too accurate, Naoki immediately knew who Add was referring to.
"Are you talking about Merlin?"
"AHHH!!"
Add immediately screamed—or rather, howled.
"I knew it was that idiot! Is he still alive? Has he escaped from that tower? Hey, hey, hey, kid, tell me now, has the world ended?"
"Isn't your reaction a bit excessive?" Naoki was slightly taken aback by Add's attitude. "Is there really a need to be so afraid of Merlin? Even though she does a lot of questionable things, like stealing toilet paper, popping balloons in my ears while I sleep, and other mischievous acts, it's not the end of the world, right?"
"Isn't that already a kind of apocalypse—wait, wait, wait, what did you just say? 'She'?"
Add noticed something important.
After a moment of silence, like a ship suddenly sinking, Add asked in a gloomy voice, "Did he... Merlin finally decide to cut off that thing down there?"
"..."
Naoki was certain that if Merlin were here, Add would have already been dismantled, with every part of him destroyed beyond repair.
Letting out a soft sigh, Naoki said, "The reason is a bit complicated, so why don't you come in first, and I'll explain bit by bit. This can also be considered fate. You and I... or rather, you all and I, are somewhat connected."
"Connected... Huh?"
Since the conversation between Add and Naoki was completely beyond Gray's understanding, the six-year-old's mind went blank. The only thing he was sure of was that the older boy in front of him must be an extraordinary person.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Leading Gray into the house and letting him sit at the dining table, Naoki carefully chose his words: "Hmm... where should I start? If I had to say, it should start from a year ago."
"First, I'll address the thing you care about most, Add. I do know Merlin, but the Merlin I know and the Merlin you know are not the same person. They share the same name and similar experiences, but they are from parallel worlds. You can think of her as a Merlin from a parallel world."
"A parallel world? Ah, is Merlin a woman in another world?"
"That's not impossible, since this is this world (Type-Moon)..." Naoki smiled, then took out a necklace made by Merlin. "The scent of Merlin you detected probably comes from this. It's a magical item she made to conceal certain special things about me, to avoid trouble."
"Special things about you? Could you also be a woman?"
"Add!"
Add, scolded by Gray, immediately shut his mouth. Meanwhile, Naoki just pursed his lips: "If only it were that simple. My uniqueness is actually nothing much, but if it concerns this village, it could cause chaos."
Chaos.
This was not an exaggeration. The purpose of Blackmore Village's existence was to create a vessel capable of reviving King Arthur. Gray was the only successful individual in hundreds of years—but Naoki was an even more successful individual than Gray.
Gray's condition was ultimately just an imitation, a duplication. No matter how perfect, it could only approach infinity, never becoming the original product. Naoki, however, was the 'original product' itself.
If the villagers were to learn of this, two possibilities would arise.
First, they would shift their worship from Gray to Naoki, seeing him as the true 'Child of God.' This wouldn't be a big deal, at most making it difficult for Naoki to leave this place—but that's not a problem, as if he disappeared for too long, Kayneth and Merlin would surely intervene.
Second, upon realizing that their centuries-long efforts were in vain and their mission unfulfilled, the villagers' faith would collapse, plunging them into total despair and madness—a common occurrence in the world of mystery. And if this happened, no matter what actions were taken, the result would inevitably be a tragedy.
Listening to Naoki's words, both Gray and Add fell silent. Gray, because the issue was too heavy for a young child to fully grasp, while Add vaguely understood a bit of the truth.
"Kid, you said you have a connection with me and Gray?" Add pressed on. "Can you explain that part?"
"As long as you don't tell anyone."
Naoki laughed, "Last year, I participated in a ritual in Japan called the Holy Grail War. It's a ritual to summon heroes from the past, known as Heroic Spirits, to fight alongside them and compete for a wish-granting device. At that time, I summoned my teammate, King Arthur."
King Arthur.
Gray, still a child, couldn't yet understand the significance of this name for himself, and Add, in the cage in his hand, was about to exclaim, but Naoki quickly added, "Of course, not the King Arthur you know, but a male King Arthur from another world, just like Merlin."
"Can you just say it all at once?"
"From my perspective, you're the one interrupting me while I'm talking."
"Tsk—"
Add made a sound resembling a scoff, then said, "So this is what you meant by having a connection with us. I guess you could say that—wait, wait, wait, could your uniqueness be related to that other world's King Arthur?"
"I died once during that Holy Grail War. My bones were shattered, and only my soul remained. But as you can see, I'm sitting here now, perfectly fine and talking to you. Why do you think I'm still here?"
"Ah, I think I get it. If that's the case, then your current state definitely needs to be hidden, especially in this village. Well, as long as you don't remove that incubus's magical tool, it should be fine, right?"
"Don't tell anyone about this, Gray included." Naoki reminded.
Gray blinked his eyes: "I can't tell anyone?"
"Yes, you can't tell anyone, not even your closest family. This is a little secret between you and your big brother, understand?"
A little secret.
Gray didn't fully understand, but he nodded unconsciously: "I understand..."
"Good."
"But come to think of it, you're really brave." Add continued, "Even though you know you don't fit in with this village, you still came here. It's like jumping into a toilet on purpose. Do you like eating crap?"
"Who told you I need money right now? There just happens to be a job here."