Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King’s Personal Knight - [Chapter 28]: Tri-Hermes, Part 1

A grand structure, resembling an underground city, lay before them. Towering in the center was a massive obelisk, surrounded by countless square structures, its surface inscribed with cryptic symbols that flickered intermittently with strange, otherworldly energy.

“This is the pseudo-spiritron calculator—the Tri-Hermes!”

Alaric instinctively held his breath, as if uttering its name in a dreamlike trance.

“That’s correct. The largest data storage medium of the Atlas Institute—the Tri-Hermes. It’s composed of photonic crystals known as the Philosopher’s Stone, an OOPArt that current Earth technology cannot replicate,” Holmes said, his deep gaze surveying the surroundings as he held his pipe. After confirming that no one else was present, he shook his head slightly.

“Even the central core of the Tri-Hermes shows no sign of personnel. Mr. Holmes, it seems the magi of the Atlas Institute have all vanished,” Alaric observed, catching Holmes’s wary expression.

“Yes, Sir Alaric, as you can see, the Atlas Institute is now nothing more than an abandoned relic. The magi who once resided here have all burned away, leaving only the Institute itself.”

Holmes paused, then continued, “I apologize in advance, but as uninvited guests, we’ll have to make unauthorized use of the Tri-Hermes.”

“But we don’t have access permissions. How much can we see?”

Alaric asked, his gaze fixed on the triangular obelisk.

Standing before the Tri-Hermes, Alaric was determined not to leave empty-handed. If anything within this Singularity held the answers he sought, it would be this pseudo-spiritron calculator.

“That won’t be an issue, Sir Alaric. The Tri-Hermes records all phenomena. Even though we are not Atlas Magi, we should still be able to access basic facts, even if we cannot view everything. Think of it as skipping the process and seeing the answer to a math problem,” Holmes explained, casting his gaze at the obelisk and the artificial sky dome above, not yet overtaken by the Rings of Light.

“Only the results, huh…”

Alaric’s expression remained unchanged as he posed another question. “Mr. Holmes, could we, for example, perform data simulations using the Tri-Hermes?”

“Oh?”

Holmes raised an eyebrow, considering.

“In theory, yes. The magi of the Atlas Institute required large-scale calculations, and the Tri-Hermes exists for that purpose. Its replica was even sent to Chaldea as the spiritron calculator Trismegistus, used for daily simulations.”

“But that assumes the Tri-Hermes is functioning normally. Since we aren’t Atlas magi, we can only perform basic queries or calculations,” Holmes said, lighting his pipe before asking curiously, “Sir Alaric, is there a specific problem you wish to solve using Tri-Hermes?”

“It’s… a personal matter. A bit difficult to explain,” Alaric sighed, looking at the obelisk with a hint of reluctance. He knew his idea was far-fetched, more idealistic than realistic.

“Do you have any questions you’d like to ask?”

Alaric asked.

“Actually, yes. Embarrassingly, it’s a record I’ve been unable to trace—a certain event that’s been deliberately hidden.”

Holmes gave a rare look of frustration, nearly making Alaric laugh.

After a moment, Holmes steadied himself and addressed the obelisk loudly:

“Tri-Hermes, bird that soars through the underworld! Answer my question! Tell me about the event erased from all records and accounts—the Holy Grail War that took place in Japan in 2004—reveals its full story!”

“So, Mr. Holmes wants to know about the Holy Grail War. Is it linked to the Incineration of Humanity?” (TL: Alaric knew full well about the Incineration of Humanity; he was only voicing his thoughts to avoid revealing more information.)

Alaric rubbed his chin as he asked, and Nitocris, standing nearby, perked up.

Holmes nodded.

“Indeed, it’s an important factor.”

“The Holy Grail War is a grand ritual where Heroic Spirits are summoned to battle, with the last magus and their Servant claiming the Holy Grail. Sir Alaric, are you familiar with the Holy Grail War?”

“I’ve heard a bit about it.”

“Good. The ritual did take place. The most recent Holy Grail War was in 2004, in a small city in Japan. I’ve investigated the records of this war, but I can’t find anything about the process or conclusion.”

“Fuyuki, wasn’t it? The last Holy Grail War took place there,” Alaric said, snapping his fingers.

Holmes’s gaze deepened.

“That’s correct—the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, 2004. The only information I’ve found is the list of magi who began the war: seven in total, all competing for the Grail.”

A faint blue holographic screen appeared before Holmes, capturing the attention of both Alaric and Nitocris.

Holmes studied the screen.

“Hmm—the answer is already here. It feels oddly quiet without an activation sound. But the content aligns with my predictions. One question is answered.”

“The magus who won the Holy Grail War in 2004 was Marisbury Animusphere. According to Hermes, he killed the other six magi and claimed the Holy Grail.”

Holmes’s tone was calm, but Alaric imagined a brutal battle in his mind, instinctively reaching for the Holy Grail in his possession.

The name Marisbury Animusphere was one Alaric recognized.

“The Lord of Astromancy Department from the Clock Tower, and the former Director of Chaldea…”

Alaric furrowed his brow. Even he knew little about Marisbury Animusphere, Chaldea’s mysterious former director.

“Yes, and there’s more. Marisbury brought an assistant to the Holy Grail War. The following year, this person was accepted into Chaldea and became a staff member. At only twenty-two, he was appointed head of the medical department—a promotion nearly too irregular to be ordinary.”

“Romani Archaman, right?”

“Yes. And what’s strange is that Romani Archaman’s records are completely unclear. Despite my efforts, I can find no information about him before the Holy Grail War. If Hermes were fully accessible, I believe we’d uncover more.”

“But with billions of records updated annually, tracking down one person’s past would be overwhelming.”

“Still, Sir Alaric, you seem to know something about Romani. Would you mind sharing your thoughts?”

Holmes fixed his gaze on Alaric, waiting for his response.