Magician in Type-Moon

Page 249

The dark and damp atmosphere of the Matou family still lingered throughout the mansion, with the faint buzzing of insect nests emanating from underground.

Even though he had been gone for several months, the magic workshop's instincts continued to operate, keeping the mansion in a state of vitality.

"Has it fallen into such a state of disrepair..." he muttered to himself, his hand casually brushing across the door frame, his fingertips gathering a fine layer of dust.

The underground insect nest deep within the mansion remains active.

Countless demonic insects slowly crawled in the cracks of the walls and in the shadows of the floor. They gradually awoke from their slumber, signaled by the arrival of Matouchi, and began to wriggle wildly as if they had seen their master return.

"The quantity is not large, but it is enough."

Everything in the workshop remained exactly as it had been when he left—the altar, the alchemical vessels, and several empty culture tanks.

The walls were covered with scrolls and books related to sorcery, and the air was filled with the scent of aged incense and the lingering traces of curses resembling poison.

Matouchi stood still in the center of the insect nest and slowly raised his hand.

As if receiving a command, the swarm of insects around him instantly surged towards him, covering his skin in layers.

This allowed the insect swarm in Matou Pond, which had already suffered heavy losses in Kanbuko City, to be replenished once again.

"...You're back? How have you been lately?"

A familiar voice came from behind. Matou Ike slowly turned around and saw Matou Kariya standing at the end of the dark green path.

Matou Ike casually waved his hand as a greeting.

"Same as always. And you? Have you won over that widow from the Chancheng family yet?"

Yan Ye was stunned for a moment, then her lips twitched, revealing a look of not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"You always ask these kinds of questions... I don't have time for that. Besides, she just lost her husband..."

Matou Ike's lips curled slightly upwards, her tone tinged with a hint of mockery:

"Really? I remember you saying that her smile is like a flower blooming under the moonlight."

"Shut up!" Yan Ye's face flushed instantly, and she awkwardly waved her hand to interrupt, "Don't talk nonsense, you can't just bring up this kind of thing."

"Hmm." Matou Ike casually replied, walking towards the passage leading out of the insect swarm. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Yan Ye sighed, leaning helplessly against the wall, a look of weariness appearing on her face:

"Are you leaving so soon? You finally get to come home, aren't you going to stay for a few days? Shinji, that brat, keeps talking about you all the time."

Matouike paused, stopped in her tracks, and turned her head slightly:

"That kid just wants to learn magic, right? Let him give up on that idea; he doesn't have the talent... Also, I've been quite busy lately, I can't find a moment to rest, let's talk about this another time..."

Yan Ye's eyes darkened, but he didn't say anything more.

Watching Matou Ike's retreating figure, who didn't turn back, he could only murmur to himself:

"Don't tire yourself out like this, Chi..."

......

Matou Pond silently passed through the city's night and arrived at the Fuyuki City Church.

The towering spires, under the moonlight, looked like black blades slicing through the sky, appearing exceptionally cold and eerie.

The door was half-closed, and a gentle breeze caused the dim candlelight inside the church to flicker slightly.

He pushed open the door, and a musty smell of old wood and incense wafted out.

The church was empty; only the cross hanging on the wall looked cold and distant in the darkness.

Extending vertically from the cross is an oil painting that looks somewhat old.

The painting depicts a crowd pointing and gesturing around a person with a halo above their head.

"It's you, the magician from the Matou family."

A deep, aged voice echoed from the depths of the church, accompanied by soft footsteps.

Emerging from the shadows was an old man dressed in a black priest's robe.

Kotomine Risei's eyes were like two deep, still wells, as if his heart had died.

He followed Matou Ike's gaze and his eyes also fell on the oil painting.

"The painting depicts the scene in the Gospel of Matthew where the Pharisees accuse Jesus of casting out the devil by the power of Beelzebub, to which Jesus responds that he performs miracles through the Spirit of God."

Matouchi's gaze lingered on the oil painting for a moment before turning his head and meeting the old man's eyes.

"You're an open-minded group, aren't you? As the largest denomination in the modern church, your choice is neutrality? Even in the face of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles, is that what you're going to do?"

Matouchi recalled the contents of the letter Hansa had given him: "As someone who entered the game midway, I have decided to bet on both sides."

"There's nothing we can do about it..." Kotomine Riji was speaking when he suddenly asked, "You haven't reported to the Clock Tower yet, have you?"

"No, there isn't. Is there any connection between the two?"

Kotomine Riki stood before the altar, her expression as cold as water, slightly raising her turbid eyes:

"You should know that there's treasure buried beneath the Clock Tower, right?"

“Of course,” Matou Ike replied calmly, “The Great Tomb of Albion, the final resting place of the last pure-blooded dragon, the largest source of cursed materials for the Clock Tower, and also closely connected to the Starry Sea. The labyrinth is divided into four parts: the Excavated City, the Great Magic Circuit, the Ancient Dragon Heart, and the Fairy Realm. Is that clear enough?”

“That’s right, but 60 to 80 km underground between the Ancient Heart and the Fairy Realm, there is another facility called ‘Observatory’ Kaleon.”

Kotomine Risuke spoke slowly.

"I know that too. As a designated base for sealing, and also an observation-type Mystic Code, its abilities should be comparable to the Three-Spirit Hermes of the Atlas Institute."

Matou Ike nodded and continued:

"However, their focuses are different. The 'Observatory' Calion should be more inclined to see the distant cosmic sky from the bottom of Naraku—that is, to observe the surface of the earth and discover the special and outstanding skills therein. So what did they see?"

Upon hearing Matou Ike's words, Kotomine Risa chuckled to herself.

"As an old man of the church, it seems I've made a fool of myself by showing off my information about the Mage's Association in front of you, a magician. Well then, I won't keep you in suspense any longer."

"Last year, around the time the Holy Grail War began, they determined that this planet had an additional side, a new side in addition to the surface, outer side, and inner side."

Upon hearing this, Matou Ike frowned slightly.

The world is divided into three parts: life is on the outermost fabric, the soul is deep within the planets, and books are on the outermost edge. Everything flows on the canal of light-years, like a boat floating on water.

This extra side? Could it be...? Matou Ike suddenly remembered something the "Judgmentalist" had told him before—

—This world has become a Lostbelt.

"Could what they observed be a white storm resembling a dimensional barrier?"

"So that's how it is? You seem to know what that thing is... But it doesn't matter anymore." Kotomine Ryougi sighed and continued:

"The unknown is the most terrifying thing. The moment the thing that was eroding the planet was confirmed, it caused panic. Naturally, the Mage's Association contacted the Church immediately."

"So that's why there was that farce of attacking Fu Hailin's son?"

When faced with unknown threats, people always seek anything that can help, so the collusion between the church and the demons of hell doesn't seem like a big deal.

Kotomine Risei nodded slightly, which was considered an answer to Matou Ike's question.

Having discussed this, Matou Ike had come to understand many things.

The timing of the "blank slate" decision was too close to the start of the Holy Grail War, and the fact that Kenneth, as the monarch, died in the war also increased the attention given to the Holy Grail War.

And then there's Solau Nazele Sophiari, who joined the group midway after Kenneth's death. She clearly knew about the Chaldea group and even fought alongside them.

She may have obtained some information from Chaldea.

If the Mage's Association were to consolidate the intelligence it possessed, it would naturally connect the Holy Grail War with the "blank slate" phenomenon.

That led to the operation by the Minister of Science of Modern Magic and the Monarch of the Celestial Sciences.

No, those two must have been paying attention to the Holy Grail War all along, but they just happened to take this opportunity to bring their own ambitions into the open.

They also gained the support of two of the world's most mysterious organizations.

This demonstrates that the results they achieved in that operation were exactly what both organizations wanted to see.

Add the "Boundary Recording Tape" to your familiar...

That makes sense; when faced with threats, people seek ways to protect themselves—it's human nature.

Fortunately, the records of this Holy Grail War are not so ancient that they have been hidden by history.

The fighting prowess of the Heroic Spirits is even witnessed by the monarch of the Mage's Association.

So, is the intention to summon heroic spirits to fight against the threat from the "blank paper" side?

For such a bloated and loosely organized group, the speed of their actions is truly remarkable.

That is indeed a good solution.

But it should be more than that.

Perhaps even the Dead Apostles are within their sphere of influence.

However, there are some details that Matou Ike is unaware of.

Finally, Matou Ike asked Kotomine Risei:

Is the church definitely neutral?

"Yes."

Kotomine Risei didn't look at Matou Ike, no, he didn't look at anything at all.

But sometimes, not looking at anything means he sees everything...

"I understand."

......

The next day.

Matouchi arrived in Iraq—the city of Babylonian ruins—on a flight he had booked a few days earlier.

His purpose for the trip was clear and urgent, but his journey lacked a certain convenience.

With the disappearance of Zouken Matou, the magical materials that should have been there also vanished.

No one was there to thoughtfully prepare these necessities for him anymore, so Matou Ike had to go to the trading location alone to make the purchases.

He felt even more regretful, especially considering the abundance and relatively low price of magic materials in London.