Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King's Personal Knight [435] (Patreon)

What is a Grand?

 It is the true form of the Heroic Spirit Summoning, the ultimate magecraft designed to save the world of mankind. This ceremony summons seven Heroic Spirits, each standing at the pinnacle of the seven classes—Grand Servants—to eliminate disasters that threaten human civilization.

To become a Grand, one must possess exceptional abilities and legends, standing at the apex of their class.

Chaldea has undergone countless adventures, and even after encountering four Beasts of Humanity, they have only seen two Grand Servants.

The first is Grand Assassin—King Hassan, whose mastery of assassination stands alone across past and future.

The second is Grand Caster—one must possess EX-level Clairvoyance to qualify. Merlin with "the present," Gilgamesh with "the future," and Solomon with "past and future" are all eligible.

Since Solomon's ascension, the current Grand Caster is temporarily Merlin.

Although the Grand seems distant, for those present, it is not. Even Goredolf, considered mediocre at the Clock Tower, understood the concept after cramming the knowledge. Not to mention Ritsuka Fujimaru, who has had close encounters with Grand Servants, and the wise Da Vinci-chan and Sherlock Holmes, all of whom deeply understand the importance of the Grand.

Yet, the conditions for the Grand to appear are exceedingly strict—they only manifest after a Beast of Humanity emerges, making them almost unattainable in ordinary circumstances.

But what did Alaric say?

 He acquired, from the Chinese Lostbelt, technology able to elevate a Saint Graph to Grand level.

Technology, by definition, is something replicable and verified; barring external factors, it can be used countless times.

Under this technology, a product was born that stunned even Holmes and Da Vinci-chan.

Ordinary Servants are often unable to display their full power due to Saint Graph limitations—hence, Heroic Spirits in the Age of Gods were stronger in life than as Servants.

After the Age of Gods, so many have become Heroic Spirits—some can surpass their living power as Servants, but these are rare.

The Saint Graph is a great aid to the weak, but a limitation to the strong.

Gilgamesh in life could defeat the Three Goddess Alliance alone; after becoming a Servant, even with more versatile skills, his power was innately restricted.

Heroes like Karna and Hercules, among the strongest in human history, are also limited by their Saint Graph and cannot unleash their full strength.

However, the Grand Saint Graph does not have this problem. As the strongest of the era, its level is so high that even Sanzang, blessed with a high Saint Graph by Buddha, cannot compare.

A Grand Saint Graph can even contain the power of the supreme gods!

 A man-made Grand is akin to achieving a miracle through human effort—like ordinary humans reaching the realm of magic.

Da Vinci-chan and Holmes would never have thought this possible, but knowing the truth of the Grand, they are even more aware of its difficulty and impossibility.

"Eh?"

Mash involuntarily cried out, straightening up and accidentally knocking Ritsuka over. Da Vinci-chan, sitting on Alaric's lap, grabbed his collar with shining eyes and stammered, "Are you serious, Sir Alaric? This isn't a joke! If you're fooling around, I won't forgive you!"

Even as a Da Vinci-chan, she retains all the genius and memories of the original, having witnessed Chaldea's journey.

Time and again, she's seen Ritsuka and Mash in danger, yet was powerless to help—including now.

After Chaldea was attacked, they were forced to flee, leaving the place that carried all their memories.

But with the Grand Saint Graph, it would be different. The Servants they could summon would be unprecedentedly powerful, bringing Chaldea's security to a new level. Many past tragedies could have been avoided!

Even cheerful Da Vinci-chan lost her composure; Holmes, the detective, lit up his pipe with trembling hands and stepped back to brood in smoke.

Holmes knew better than anyone:

If Chaldea, whose main power is summoning Heroic Spirits, can obtain the technology to raise a Saint Graph to Grand, no matter how harsh the requirements, if successful, all obstacles ahead could be cleared.

A broad, straight path to victory had appeared!

Unlike the others, Ritsuka, who had been knocked down, simply clapped happily for Alaric and said, "That's amazing, Sir Alaric!"

Ritsuka's natural aptitude for magecraft isn't even as high as Goredolf's, but as a Master—Alaric would call her the strongest.

No one, past or present, can surpass this girl who saved humanity in the war of Masters.

Even with the weakest Servant, Ritsuka could possibly defeat a top-tier Servant! If she had a Grand Servant, few except the Kings of the Lostbelts could rival her.

For a moment, everyone reacted in their own way, until Da Vinci-chan looked around at Alaric and asked skeptically, "Did you memorize the technology? How did you bring it here as a Servant?"

Everyone paused.

Right.

 Alaric is present as a Servant. If it's technical data, it's probably stored in a specific medium—so how did he bring it over in this form?

 Did he memorize it all?

"It's simple. I discussed it in detail with Lady Da Vinci. The result is this—"

As Alaric spoke, he turned his hand, and an aurora burst from his palm, reflected in Da Vinci-chan's eyes, the dark brilliance mirroring the vast heavens.

The aurora, containing data, could replicate and project information.

He had once achieved this miracle in the SE.RA.PH; even Meltryllis could be projected, let alone this technological data.

This isn't a fantasy made real, but direct engraving—engraving the technology into the aurora itself, extractable under any circumstance.

"You stored the data in light?"

Da Vinci-chan gazed at the aurora in his palm—delicate, tranquil, yet containing unprecedented technology.

An unparalleled achievement, a breakthrough beyond Heroic Spirit summoning, allowing humanity to grasp the ultimate in summoning.

"Because the operation was done before manifestation, after manifesting as a Servant, it's like a replica of that moment?"

Da Vinci-chan murmured, "So the information pre-recorded in the aurora could be replicated as well."

"Now we just need to analyze the spectrum to obtain the technology, right?"

Holmes's complex gaze fell on the aurora. He knew a technology capable of changing the future lay within.

Since Alaric brought it, he must have discussed it with Da Vinci.

Whether they trialed it beforehand or not, Da Vinci must believe Chaldea can now create an artificial Grand Saint Graph.

If not, they could wait for the Wandering Sea.

Without delay, Da Vinci-chan leapt from Alaric's lap, dragging him out of the medical bay to her workshop, to analyze the aurora's spectrum.

A vast trove of information was extracted—something Qin Shi Huang never achieved.

Due to historical development, Qin Shi Huang never advanced to integrated circuit technology, so his Holy Body kept growing to boost computing power.

If he had updated his tech, his current body's computational power would have increased exponentially.

But when Alaric handed him the off-road vehicle for analysis, Qin Shi Huang ignored other tech, focusing only on extracting unused Imaginary Numbers Stealth.

This made Da Vinci sigh in relief—if Qin Shi Huang, already a monster, strengthened himself further, what level would he reach?

But that's another story, far beyond current reach.

Back to the present—thanks to Alaric's coordination, the aurora's data was successfully analyzed, and the impressive technology extracted.

Working together, Holmes, Da Vinci-chan, and Alaric spent several hours organizing the data.

By now, the submarine had left its original location, traveling hundreds of kilometers along the Lostbelt's edge before entering stealth.

After their first surprise encounter, the submarine now routinely scans for Jotunn or other giants nearby, avoiding unnecessary battles.

This gave Da Vinci-chan's group plenty of time to study Grand Saint Graph creation, a first for all involved, with many challenges ahead.

"So, after analyzing the Fusang Tree, Qin Shi Huang's immortality method, plus Hakuta as a celestial being, and you as a Beast of Humanity—you finally developed something equivalent to a Grand Saint Graph?"

 Da Vinci-chan flipped through multiple holographic screens, intuitively grasping the data structure.

After all, this technology was recompiled by another Da Vinci-chan using all of Qin Shi Huang's research; after fully understanding it, she organized it in her own way.

For Da Vinci-chan, there was no difficulty reading it; same for Holmes, who had read Da Vinci's reports many times. Alaric had participated in compiling it, so he could keep up as well.

"Immortality—so the Emperor became an immortal?"

Although surprised that Hakuta was a True Ancestor, Holmes was more interested that Qin Shi Huang had achieved a body worthy of an immortal, though he hadn't used it yet.

"Pretty much, or you could call it a Perfected Being," Alaric explained. "The product created from Qin Shi Huang's data matches the Grand Saint Graph—maybe there are other surprises."

If only Hakuta's data were used, though a product of the same level could be made, it would lack the traits of a Beast of Humanity.

But since Alaric had never seen the final form, he couldn't know for sure.

"It's anti-instant death resistance to fate, but not a standalone skill—at best, a degraded resistance trait."

Da Vinci-chan pondered, "There might be an even higher level. Normally, a single Beast of Humanity requires all seven Grands to defeat.

Even if you're not yet complete, the Emperor might uncover deeper secrets—if he becomes a Beast of Humanity, that would be troublesome."

From Alaric's data alone, Da Vinci-chan could sense the danger.

Qin Shi Huang and his unified Qin differ from the Russian Lostbelt—they are an unprecedented machine, the nation fused into one serving a single person.

Rebellion is impossible, and Chaldea's small group cannot defeat a nation that has unified the stars itself.

That is, unless Qin Shi Huang seeks to destroy Chaldea. After seeing the Mount Li, Alaric concluded:

"Unless you perform a decapitation strike, you cannot defeat Qin Shi Huang."

If Qin Shi Huang goes further and becomes a Beast of Humanity, able to move freely between Lostbelts, he would grow to an unimaginable level.

Such a monster is beyond even Da Vinci-chan's imagination.

"Because he's the only human, he naturally loves humanity," Holmes mused. "His actions must be his true justice. Whatever ideals he holds, he meets the requirements to become a Beast of Humanity."

A Beast of Humanity is born of love for humanity—whatever the reason or definition, loving humanity meets the condition.

"Qin Shi Huang—he won't become a Beast of Humanity," Alaric said after a pause. "As long as the future is decided before that happens."

"Then we need not worry. You have your own way—" Holmes nodded with a slight smile. "A contest over the existence of human order, with you as a Perfected Being?"