Lu Mingfei challenges FGO

90. Hope Emperor

The place of hell, the Chateau d'If.

The souls of countless sinners were thrown into it, and countless demons and devils were born from the hell furnace of the Château d'If.

The enemy of human history hidden in the shadows - the Serpent of Akasha. The Serpent of Akasha, who almost eroded human history and tilted it towards a 'history dominated by Dead Apostles', committed a crime in the process. Got two errors.

The dirty souls of sinners cannot bear the torture and erosion of the seven demon kings.

But occasionally there will be some 'unjust people' who are thrown into the Chateau d'If. The souls of these people cannot resist the torture of the demon kings for too long. Their personalities will gradually become distorted and lose themselves in the repeated torture again and again. Forgetting that he was wrongfully imprisoned, he sank into oblivion and became one of the man-made demons.

Yet, amazingly, the darker the place, the easier it is for the human spirit to shine.

A man from Marseille who was unjustly imprisoned was thrown into the Château d'If, perhaps by coincidence, or perhaps by some necessity. A man named Edmond believed in his innocence and relied on his love for his fiancée [Mercedes] in his heart. ]'s sincere love, he fell one after another from the top of the Chateau d'If Hell, and withstood the first round of torture from seven demon kings in a row, still not lost or corrupted.

This was the first mistake of the Serpent of Akasha.

The second mistake was that they did not expect that among the prisoners initially detained in the Chateau d'If prison, there was a devout believer who was unjustly imprisoned due to a power struggle within the church - Father Callia.

This priest is not only a respected old man, but also once served as the sharp edge of the Holy Church. As a representative, he was active on the front line of protecting mankind against the Dead Apostles and evil warlocks.

Father Callia is old. He is unable to break out of the Chateau d'If that has turned into hell. He can only hide in a cell in the deepest part of hell, praying while trying his best to help the innocent souls who were thrown into hell.

Most of these souls still failed to resist the erosion and became members of the demons and monsters.

Until——the arrival of Edmond Dantès.

This man protects the love for his fiancée lover [Mercedes] in his heart, no matter how the devils torture his soul, and even tell her that [Mercedes] outside has given up on this engagement and has abandoned it. He tolerated it all.

Finally, Edmond came to Father Faria.

Father Faria helped him as he did to the souls of other innocent people, and Edmond lived up to expectations and supported him again and again. In the deepest part of hell where there is no hope, he has been patiently waiting. A possible turning point appears, waiting for that glimmer of hope to arrive.

Even in the deepest depths of hell, I am waiting, praying, and believing that a ray of hope will appear——

Edmond waited until Father Faria arrived.

Father Faria suddenly realized that the man in front of him might be the person he should deliver a certain secret to.

The secret mastered by Father Faria is the Secret Treasure of Monte Cristo.

But if you want to use this power, you not only need inhuman willpower, but also need to go through the trials of the seven original sins - to overcome [Despair] and overcome them all with [Hope].

——Isn’t this Chateau d’If Hell a place of trial?

Therefore, Father Faria, as Edmond's guide, began to train him and teach him all he had learned throughout his life.

The despair of hell forged this man.

A man who cherishes love, waits for hope, and longs for revenge to wash away his grievances.

Edmond Dantès used his own will to penetrate the seven demon kings in the Chateau d'If Hell. After successfully escaping from prison, he found the secret treasure of Monte Cristo. Finally, he used that power to attack those who created the Chateau d'If Hell. The evil villains launched a revenge, and at the end of the revenge, they finally had a decisive battle with the unconventional dead disciple "The Snake of Akasha".

For the Akasha Snake, which can reincarnate indefinitely, he has been killed countless times, but this has never been able to truly eliminate it, because his existence has become a special kind of 'fatalism'.

Until the man who was entangled with the black flames of revenge and transcended the boundaries of time and space seized the fate of the Serpent of Akasha and burned it to death.

This is the story of Edmond and Haidee, [The Vengeful God] and [The Secret Treasure Elf]——

"Wait a moment!"

Natsumi-san suddenly raised his hand, interrupting Haidee's recollection.

"What about the 'love' that supports the count? What happened to the fiancée Mercedes? Not in the novel, but in reality, what happened to Mercedes and the count in the end?"

Natsumi-san's focus is really...

However, Lu Mingfei said that he also wanted to know.

When I read the novel, the person I felt the most pity for was naturally Edmond's first love, Mercedes. But novels are novels, and real people are real people. According to Haidee, Edmond later I got to know Alexandre Dumas. Alexandre Dumas adapted the novel "The Count of Monte Cristo" after hearing about it from his own mouth.

The reality is obviously more exciting than the dramatized novel story. As a prototype, it is difficult not to care about the regrettable tragedies in some novels, but what exactly happens in reality.

Especially after Lu Mingfei and others learned that Chateau d'If was not a metaphor but a literal 'hell', they became even more concerned about being Edmond's lover and supporting him through the torture of the devil of hell. What is the 'lover' like in reality?

"This is no different from novels."

Haidai could clearly see what Lu Mingfei and the others in front of her were expecting, and as a person involved, she could only shake her head with great regret.

"The Count of Monte Cristo earned Alexandre Dumas a large sum of royalties, but the reality involved too many secrets of the mysterious world. In order to avoid being hunted down, he naturally deleted this part of the content, but part of the worldly reality It’s almost like a novel.”

Haidee did not continue.

What happened to Mercedes in the story?

Not knowing the truth, she believed that Edmond had not committed a crime, but she could not do anything more. After accompanying Edmond's father to the end of his life, she was forced by life to marry her cousin Fernand. A child was born, and this Fernand was one of the people who framed Edmond.

After Edmond completed his revenge, she returned to the countryside alone and lived a poor and secluded life, while her son joined the army. This was probably the ending.

It's really a pity to say it's a pity.

But if I insist on saying it——

"I personally am an Edmond

Lu Mingfei spoke hard, as if he was defending something, and gave Haidee a thumbs up.

This made Haidee feel a little embarrassed.

"I can't always be by your side."

This is also a matter of course.

The story of Edmond begins in 1815. He spent a full 14 years in the Chateau d'If. In the real world, the Earl was trained by Father Faria in that seven-layered hell space and became a man capable of fighting with others. A warrior of flesh and blood who fights against demons, but he is still human.

When he left prison, found the treasure, transformed into the Count of Monte Cristo, and began to take revenge, he was already the age of an uncle.

The time now - the London Singularity - is 1888.

It was obvious that Edmond would not survive this long.

But Haidee is different. As an elf, she still lives as the secret treasure of Monte Cristo——

".She is in such a condition."

Kong Ming's voice suddenly came to Lu Mingfei's mind.

Kong Ming gave instructions to Lu Mingfei. Although Lu Mingfei didn't know what happened, he still followed the order and relayed Kong Ming's words:

"You're not Haidee, are you?"

Strange statement.

Is there anything in the previous conversation that could indicate that the Haidee in front of her is a 'fake'? Lu Mingfei couldn't help but feel surprised.

But the 'Haidee' in front of her had a look of surprise.

"You can actually see through 'my' secret? You are worthy of being a Chaldean stargazer!"

"I just observed your current appearance and made inferences based on the setting content in the story. The magic world is often very simple, without so many twists and turns and conspiracies, so people like me can also be Detective active.”

"What do you mean?" Xia Mi looked at Lu Mingfei curiously.

".Just some reasonable guesses: In the story of "The Count of Monte Cristo", Haidee has a very complicated and even random setting. She is a Greek princess and the daughter of a sultan. The adaptation is not a random one. Alexandre Dumas It should have been this way to hide the truth of the matter, right?

In fact, the sects of Crossism are mainly divided into 'Catholic', 'Protestant', 'Orthodox', and 'Crescent Christianity (note: I called it this because I can't type it out)'. Roughly speaking, in There are also records about 'prophets', 'angels', and 'elves' in Crescent Religion. Most of the time, elves are special beings between angels and demons. They often appear by attaching themselves to people. Some of them are friendly and some are bad. , but will bring strength.

However, after modern magic research and analysis, we have been able to confirm that the so-called angels are essentially elves, but they are not the 'elves with the elemental attributes of earth, wind, water, and fire' in the minds of ordinary people, but a 'spirit' that reflects the human heart. Property Elf'.

You are such an existence. You are both an elf and an angel. You are also a power called the 'Secret Treasure of Monte Cristo'. If I guess correctly, you are not Haidee. If Haidee is really a born elf, Da Zhong Ma should have written it directly in the novel, but he didn't. Instead, he added some confusing settings of the Sultan's Daughter, as if to emphasize something."

Kong Ming paused, then stopped beating around the bush and directly told the answer and the truth about the secret treasure of Monte Cristo.

"Haidee is indeed a human being, a slave girl adopted by Edmund, but she happened to awaken her ancient bloodline. Haidee's ancestors should have symbiotically lived with the elves in the Crescent Cult system, and through assimilation with the elves, they became Priest of an angel or a prophet, relying on this power, Haidee served as the key to help Edmond open the secret treasure of Monte Cristo. Specifically, he offered himself as a sacrifice and became what was originally just a "certain energy" Through this method, Haidee transformed herself into the 'guardian elf' and 'guardian angel' belonging to Edmond."

Lu Mingfei paused.

Because of the content of the truth described by Kong Ming, he could not accept it immediately. He took a moment to speak out the final content:

"No matter what special abilities they have, the 'real Haidee' and the 'real Edmund' are both human beings after all. In 1888, they were already dead. Instead of you who are now in front of us, To say it’s Haidee, it’s better to say it’s the [Elven Angel named ‘Secret Treasure of Monte Cristo’] who inherited Haidee’s personality data.”

"Indeed! The lives of 'Edmond' and 'Haidee' have ended. Here I am more like their daughter, but it would be too much to say that I am a fake Haidee. The daughter has the same name as her mother. It’s not something that happens very often, right?”

Haidai rushed towards Lu Mingfei and San Riyue, blinked, and then clapped her hands.

"However, as expected of a Chaldean stargazer, he was able to deduce the truth almost exactly with just such a few clues. It seems that I can safely entrust my commission to you."

"The so-called magic detective is this simple thing. As long as you know the answer and have enough knowledge reserves, you can easily reverse the correct process."

Kong Ming muttered, and then continued to ask:

"What do you need us to do for you? Do you have to complete your commission before you can lend us your power?"

"? No, that's not the case. I am an elf (angel) bred from human hope. Even if I fail to complete the commission, I will lend you my power no matter what - but, although I am willing to lend you my power, but There may not be anyone among you who can use me.”

Haidee stretched out her hands and gestured as if she was holding something. A light blue light emerged in her palms. Soon, among the light blue light, a black figure with a disturbing visual posture appeared. flame.

Just by looking at it, one could feel a nameless violent aura coming towards him. It looked like something evil no matter how he looked at it.

"Because of the influence of Lord Earl, this power has now become like this, but its essence will not change, and the requirements for using it will remain the same."

"What's the need?" Xia Mi interrupted and asked.

"'A person full of hope in his heart,'" Haidee replied, "but I don't mean an optimist, but someone who has actually experienced the hell of despair. Even if he is struggling to survive in the dark despair, he still has hope for the future." Only those who have hope for the future can use the secret treasure and use this [power of hope that appears on the other side of despair]."

Only those who have truly faced the deepest despair, been forced to desperate situations, and been knocked down countless times, still believe in the existence of hope. Such people.

"That's what the Earl is like. His will is like steel. The torture of the seven hells is a tempering of his will. This was the case before meeting Father Faria. Only people like him are qualified to use the secret treasure and exert it. The true power of the secret treasure - 'shattering fate'."

For some reason, Lu Mingfei thought of a very famous famous saying: "There is only one kind of heroism in the world, which is to still love life after recognizing the truth of life." - Is the person who said this Michelangelo or Romain Rolland? With?

Lu Mingfei couldn't remember it all at once.

"Lu Mingfei." Kong Ming said, "Come and try."

Lu Mingfei didn't even say anything flirty, he just swallowed and carefully reached out to the poisonous flame in front of him. It looked more like it was releasing something like a 'curse' or 'hate'.

It became like this because of the previous user, Edmond Dantès - even though the elf Haidee said so.

But Lu Mingfei didn't think that this thing seemed to be related to adjectives like 'the power of hope'.

If Lu Mingfei was asked to describe this kind of thing, Lu Mingfei might think of [NO.39 Hope Emperor Hope] from a certain classic card game, etc.

Lu Mingfei suddenly thought of something and glanced at the little devil in the corner of his field of vision. He was lying on the ground as if bored, without even looking at the secret treasure of Monte Cristo.

Elf Haidai, on the other hand, curiously followed Lu Mingfei's gaze and glanced in the direction of Lu Mingze.

The little devil who talked a lot in the past actually didn't speak this time. Could it be said that devils will feel intimidated when faced with angels?

Although he didn't speak, Lu Mingfei seemed to understand what he wanted to express:

——This thing is not suitable for you, brother

Lu Mingfei could only tell herself in her heart: It doesn't matter. Haidee said that even if no one can use this power, she will help Chaldea.

Then he gritted his teeth, his heart skipped a beat, and he stretched his hand into the black flames!

[‘The power of hope that appears on the other side of despair’—The Secret Treasure of Monte Cristo]

[Is Lu Mingfei qualified to use it? 】

[Difficulty: 95]

[Lu Mingfei’s ‘heartfelt belief’ in ‘Behind despair there must be a miracle called hope’: 1D100=6 (almost a big failure is okay)]

Lu Mingfei didn't feel any pain, instead he felt a soft and warm touch. Was it a success? Lu Mingfei opened his eyes in surprise, and then found that Li Yan had disappeared, and he was just holding the hand of the elf Haidi.

At this time, Lu Mingze gave Lu Mingfei a look that said, "See, I told you this thing is not suitable for you, brother."

Lu Mingfei quickly let go of Haidee's hand in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, it seems that it won't work. How about letting someone else try? Among the people I know, I think Sakura Girl is particularly suitable. Speaking of which,"

Lu Mingfei clumsily changed the subject to cover up his embarrassment at this time:

"Didn't you say you had a commission before? What specifically did you entrust me with?"

Haidei put away her palms and didn't care about Lu Mingfei's strange behavior. However, after hearing the word "entrustment", her expression became serious again.

"After destroying the Serpent of Akasha, I, as the 'Secret Treasure of Monte Cristo', should also sleep until human history needs my power again. However, this time I was 'chain summoned', although I can't yet Completely confirmed, but the reason why I appeared in this singularity is probably

Before meeting you, before this world was covered by the curtain of 'fairy tale', I saw a counterfeit that was exactly the same as the Earl, and he was accompanied by another person I didn't recognize who looked like 'another person'. A 'something (Faker)' of mine. "

"I can confirm that they are all fakes, but somehow they can ignore me as the real treasure elf and use the power of the real 'Secret Treasure of Monte Cristo'! I clearly did not give them this power. Who are they?" What is the purpose? How did you fake the power of the 'secret treasure'? I hope you can help me find them and investigate the truth behind it!"

——to be continued!