Cursed Sword

by Kneenaw

Irisviel could not accept her own end, even corrupted she wishes to return to save her beloved. And so, as Shirou sits waiting to die, he is reborn as the host of a dark miracle, creating cascading effects that would alter the world. This fic spans from the end of the 4th HGW to the 5th. Currently it is starting the direct lead up to the 5th war.

42. Act Three: Rumour

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Act Three: Rumour

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August 5th, 8:32 P.M. Norwich Dorm. Sakura Rin P.O.V.

This Illusion (Music) /tcnmWGyOOPA

When Sakura woke up in her Senpai's room, she knew she had made a grave mistake. She knew that it had been like a honey trap, but she was uncertain who had been the predator and who had been the prey.

All day after that, she was distracted and felt that everything was wrong. Regardless of her dreams and regardless of her pain, she knew that she had done something terribly wrong. The worst kind of mistake is an action someone has done many times yet only fully realizes later was wrong all along.

Forcing that boy into a bed with her was such a mistake.

Loving someone's shadow without knowing anything about them was such a mistake. At some point, later in the day, after helping to assist her sister in the act of magecraft, those many years-long mistakes caught up with her. It was only natural, of course. Love, when infused with negative emotions, leads to a ticking time bomb.

Sakura, at that moment, was learning about the flow of magical energy and charging a crystal with energy. She smiled and nodded along as her sister gave her direct instructions. She really was happy, but of course, it only took one trigger to break her.

"Hmm, very good but not great. Your flow has improved, but you are still far too inefficient for what your potential should be. Well, of course, you can never come to my level, but you have a connection to the Imaginary Element that I probably could never reach. ...Hmm, anyway, what were you doing with Emiya-kun this morning? He said something about you feeling under the weather."

Tohsaka was not one who cared for trivial talk. Perhaps with her one friend Ayako, but not with her own sister, whom she had certain expectations of.

Tohsaka was just probing for some kind of sign from Sakura, so she really wasn't expecting the total collapse that would follow.

Crackk

Sakura's heart and smile cracked.

"You are slipping, Sakura." It was both a literal and a figurative statement. Sakura was tilting to her side as if she was on a capsizing cruise. More importantly, to Tohsaka at least, Sakura's flow of magic to the crystal became erratic.

If not for Tohsaka suddenly taking a forceful hold of her, she likely would have fallen.

"I... I'm sorry."

"No apologies. I can not allow anyone who bears the name of Tohsaka to apologise. Imagine if Miss Luvia heard that... the truth is that you are simply not yet skilled enough to present yourself. letting yourself become exhausted doesn't help anyone. Limits should be respected, especially when it's not a life-or-death situation."

Sakura had been so engrossed in thought that she had let go of too much energy, leaving her in the same situation she was in that morning. After getting some special tea that included a minute amount of her own hair, Tohsaka slowly forced Sakura to drink. "That's not free. That tea will be going into your accumulated debt."

"I'll give you something from the Matou library then." It was a small library on magic, far smaller than the Tohsaka one. After all, the Matou family had resorted not to knowledge to pass down its magic but to worms. Worms that Irisviel had incinerated from inside of Sakura, and then taken and inscribed that evil magic to her very soul without a choice. 'You will live, my child, but you will never be able to escape magic now for as long as you live.' Irisviel had said that and then forced her to simply live with it. Did she hate her? Sakura couldn't say.

All that she knew was that she really was the dark Holy Grail. A Holy Grail that, unlike Illyasviel, was born out of hate and pain rather than out of hope and purity. Tohsaka, Matou, Einzbern. All of them gave their unique hurt to give her the form she had today. Sakura was deep in thought again. The past had come with its collected guilt as a debt to be collected. Maybe that is why Sakura spoke the following words. "Do you think your father hated me, Nee-san?"

"What kind of a question is that? Hate? A magus does not hate. Remember that. A magus does what is best for their lineage, and they must pursue the Root without the influences of emotions. ...What I am trying to say is that Father did not hate you. He believed in the path of a magus, and he thought that he was giving you a chance to become a magus."

"..."

Sakura's hands shook, and the crystal in her hand fell. She was suddenly overcome by a swirl of bad emotions.

"I'm sorry..."

"W-what is it?"

"I'm just a bit... under the weather..."

"Jeez, how inconsiderate can you be? You come here trying to be my assistant, saying nothing about your health? Even Emiya-Kun would have done better than you. Now, sit."

"Sorry... I-"

"I said, sit down. No excuses, no apologies. I'm sick of hearing that now of all times. If you want to be my patient, then I demand that you are the best one you can be."

"...Okay." Sakura sat down in a chair. Tohsaka took out some magical instrument and fiddled arround with something for a little while. It was an extension of what Kirei had taught her. It was the normal way of diagnosing someone as a magus, so it was unlike the outrageous way that Shirou did it.

Scowling at the results, Tohsaka became angry.

"Under the weather...? More like energy deficient. Did you take the salve I gave you? I even went so far as to cut some of my own hair for you, so this shouldn't be an issue. ...Hmm, but it's all off. This is more indicative that you are experiencing the after-effects of a fit that was cared for. ...Shirou said that you came to see him in the morning... don't tell me that you..." Tohsaka's words became almost laced with belligerence. Sakura's answer was to look down in shame. "This is not a slip. This is a complete relapse. "

"I... It was... I just... You are right." Sakura nodded. She wasn't crying, but her regret was so apparent that she refused to look at her sister. Sakura was well aware of what she had done, and Tohsaka too was all too aware of it, yet Tohsaka spoke anyways to cut through any more lies.

"I gave you the tools to manage your energy. Yes, it's not as potent in the short term, but it works just as well in the long term. But instead, you went and used him, didn't you? How is that any different from what you were doing before?

"Senpai said that... it was okay..."

"So he initiated it? You didn't ask for it or anything?" Tohsaka had been the one to authorize intimacy between Sakura and Shirou in the first place as a solution to Sakura's draining magical energy. It was simply the logical solution at the time, and Tohsaka had treated it as simply a tool a magus can't be embarrassed about. But that had been a mistake, and perhaps Sakura would not have been driven so much into a corner during the Arcueid incident if not for that.

What if Shirou did die? Would Sakura go right back to falling prey to her own Inversion Impulse because she starts thinking she needs him?

Yet the idea that it was Shirou who came to Sakura irked her. Firstly, because Shirou was supposed to keep his distance from Sakura for her own good, and then for other reasons that Tohsaka didn't want to admit.

"Of course, it wasn't his idea..." Sakura whispered.

"Ha-" Tohsaka almost exhaled in relief but stopped herself. It wasn't anything to be happy about. In fact, this was a no-good situation. "Tell me what happened, and don't lie."

"I just... woke up and wanted to see him. I had a terrible dream, and my mind wen out of control, and I forgot all about the things you told me to do. I thought maybe I would go over to you, but before I knew it, I had passed your door, and I was in front of his. After that, before I knew it, I was pushing him down. He said it was fine... His words were like honey, and I licked that all up without being able to stop, even if I knew I should. I wanted more... I wanted everything from him, and I wanted to give him everything. Yet when I would try and go all the way, he would stop me... Hmm, his sweat tasted like sugar, and his blood is like wine-" It was enough of a memory to make Sakura turn hazy.

"Hey... I don't need those details...!"

"You told me to tell the truth."

"Yes, but... Whatever... A magus can't be troubled by such things. ...Jeez, I'm not used to all this... I'm not perfect at everything, you know." That was the extent to which Tohsaka could show her vulnerability. But of course, Tohsaka was still perfect even when she admitted her faults. After all, during this entire conversation, she was still reading and working with new types of crystals that she was learning about at the Department of Mineralogy.

"Haha." Saura laughed a rare laugh.

"What is it?"

"I know that this is my mistake. When Shirou decided to come back to his home, and I got to see him every night, it took no time at all for me to start reverting to who I used to be. A pathetic dependent girl who could not bear to leave his shadow. I betrayed the oath I made to change, and I didn't wait a second before wanting to just use him again. ...But why? Why didn't he stop me? Why did he come back to me if he knew that this was the result? He looked me straight in the eye and said it was fine, even though he knew it wasn't."

"...Because he knew that it was inevitable, and he also knew that isolating himself was also just running away. Perhaps he came to terms with accepting the result no matter what."

"What do you mean?"

"Hah. What I mean is you, Sakura. Let me put this into terms that you can understand. You can't progress without him, correct?"

"That is... yes. It is important that I can move forward separate from him... but I just... don't know how to do that if he is not there to see it."

"I can... understand that point, but there is more to it. You can't progress with him either, can you? The way that he is makes it so that it is impossible for you to make the proper strides that you need to make."

"I-I can...! It's just that... I am the one at fault!"

"Perhaps you can, but the fact is that you do not. You didn't need to use him to regain your energy, did you? You don't need him to be there for dinner. You don't need him when you want something fixed, well, maybe you do need him for that, but that is beside the point. Your flaw that binds you still is that you are unable to "

"I-I-"

"You knew that he wouldn't say no. Sure, I can accept that you were somehow affected by something that drained your magical energy down to the point you did need some, but I can't accept your selfish methods. You knew that you could have avoided it by coming to me, and let's be honest here, because I am sick of you pretending you are stupid, you could have dealt with the issue yourself. Admit it. You didn't do it for energy. You did it because you wanted to see if you could push him to have sex with you."

"That's not true at all! You can't claim to know anything! That's not why I did it!"

"Why then?" Tohsaka does not flinch as Sakura yells at her.

"I-I... you... I just..." Sakura was biting her lips so hard it drew blood. "...You know how he is like. If I just let him go now, then I may never be able to find him later. You know I'm right, he needs something to tie him down, or he really will begin to float away...!"

"And? Why is that your problem."

"You

"He said he'd come back, so I've decided to just stop worrying so much and trust him. I-I- was just doing it out of fear... That's all." A partial truth. A partial showing of vulnerability. Yet where was the darkness and the rage?

One more push would show the real full truth.

"That is..."

"Tell me, Sakura. Why do you still hold back? I've already seen your other side, so why do you think this act is really-"

That was enough for Sakura to break.

"Of course, I was fucking jealous of you! Senpai would never understand how hard it is to have him come and keep telling me to focus on bettering myself while all he would talk about was how he was getting along with you. Isn't that unfair? How could he be friends with Miss Luvia and not say anything... Why is it that she seems to know things about him that I don't!? It was like all of a sudden; there were two of you. You and your perfection... your inability to understand or show mercy to someone weaker than you. ...And the worst part? I didn't even hate you anymore! You taught me and took me in just like you said you would. The time I used to spend obsessing over him, I now started spending with you. ...Don't you understand? You were killing him. You were killing Senpai. The Senpai that I used to know was crumbling like dust the longer he was away from me, and slowly it's like I am looking at a stranger. I was stuck with years of rehabilitation in front of me, while I was losing him by the second. So, of course, I wanted to take him before he disappeared! I would bear his child and do anything if it just meant he wouldn't disappear. Because I would be dead without him... I was- am so terrified..." She hides under her hands for a moment, then looks up at her sister with uncertain, vulnerable eyes. "You know, I have never seen his face... His real face, I mean. A real smile or a real flicker of happiness. In front of me, he always was acting in order to shine. In order to guide meek old me like a shepard. And I wanted that desperately because everyone else hated me. I loved that I could control him so easily just by asking. I loved that he would think of me first, because that was what I wanted. I loved and hated the fact that he wouldn't give up on me. If you help someone who has nothing good in their lives, then, of course, they will become obsessed with you. Of course, it's not healthy, but it was something. It wasn't rape or torture, so it would be fine no matter what I thought. There was not a moment that went by that I wasn't hiding in his shadow. ...Because surely... I would die if I left it. Because even if it was still hard hiding behind his cold security, it at least didn't have to hurt. I didn't have to risk anything. Of course, I just wanted him to protect me at all costs. And what have I given him in return? Hatred for how he didn't let me die and an obsessive love that has made him start looking at me more like a difficult pet than a human being. Of course, he isn't wrong... because I was acting like a spoiled puppy all along. ...Yes. I went mad long ago. The hate and dependence slowly became love and obsession. Of course... I knew what I was doing. I knew that I was just abusing him in my own ways. ...Yet if there is one thing I can understand now, it is that I really do love him. Because of that, I know I have to let him go now."

Tohsaka listened to her sister's rant silently. But now she was just worried.

"Love...? Is it called love when it is such a warped thing? Sakura... you don't have to force yourself to feel anything about anyone. You do not have to be a slave."

"I wish I could be like you, but that's not me... All I have are my warped emotions. Would you take even that away from me?"

Tohsaka blinked twice, then, "No."

"Huh?" Sakura was surprised.

"Don't burden me with your work. I'm busy as it is, and I can't fit your issues into my schedule. Besides, don't you know that it is impossible to change someone for them? If you know what you need to do, then why not do it?"

It wasn't something Tohsaka understood. If Tohsaka thought something was important, she would do it no matter what it required.

"...It's like candy. I really shouldn't eat it... I have to keep my weight down, after all... yet today, I tasted that forbidden fruit again. I really am stupid. I can think of a million reasons why it can't be helped and why I should just return to delusion. I could do it. I could influence him into staying with me, and becoming utterly tied to me if I so wanted. Hehe... Does my mind scare you, Nee-san...?"

"...Hmm. You are a far better person than I, Sakura. I would have just done it without remorse."

"...!" Sakura goes quiet. For some time now, she started thinking that it would just be better if her sister would come to loathe her. Yet no matter what, Sakura can't influence her sister. "Why is it that I can't be like you? Why can't I just do what I have to do? Everyone else made sacrifices in order to protect something important. Illyasviel, Kiritsugu, Irisviel, Senpai and you and even Arcueid. Everyone except for me. I was the one who left out. ...Not because of any conspiracy, but only because I never had the courage to stand up for anything."

Sakura's hand and soon her entire body trembles, but suddenly it stops. It stops because she is drawn into a hug.

"I can listen, if nothing else. Let me hear what you want. Saying the words is your first step."

After a time when Sakura could only cry in her sister's embrace, but she eventually did look up and nodded with a wet yet firm face.

"...I need to look out for myself. I kept being told that, yet I denied it. I kept secretly thinking that Senpai would return and I could avoid having to work for anything."

"Thinking of yourself is certainly not wrong, Sakura. But using someone else's life to justify your own is no good."

"...I guess that's right... I know. I know... I love him, and I have to let go of him. Hahaha... This is crushing... haha... hahahahaha... I can't believe how obvious it's been for so long... I can't move on from the past without moving on from him. It's so obvious but so frustrating...! Of course, I don't want to leave the only thing I ever fucking loved! Even now, I am scared of this... I don't want conflict! I don't want the chance that everything will come crashing down and that I could have prevented it...! I don't want to! He's mine, so why do I have to forsake him!? It's unfair! It's just unfair..." Her rant ends.

"Are you done?"

"...I think so... I guess the hatred is all coming out again, isn't it? And I look so ugly for it."

"Certainly, you are ugly as you are now. How could Shirou love someone who can only feel ugly and uncomfortable in their skin? Do you want to stay the ugly duckling forever, or do you want to rewrite the contract you have written yourself into? Like any bad contract, hate seems so empowering at first, but with time it will turn on you. A bad contract has only one solution, which is to cut your way out of it no matter how disastrous the cost."

"You hate spending things..."

"Of course, but you can always get them back. I invested a large portion of my gems in you and Shirou, and I have yet to reap the profits I desire. If I had stayed back then, though, and stood by doing nothing, I would have been a miserable slave to a bad contract that I myself wrote. I'd like to think that love is, by definition, something that can not be called a bad contract. If you name it a such, then you are sullying its name."

"I never knew you were a romantic, Nee-san."

"I'm not! ...And if I was, then there isn't anything wrong with that." Tohsaka crosses her arms. She couldn't look at Sakura because then it would feel like all this was some kind of 'girl talk', but Tohsaka was trying to be serious.

"W-well? Do you want a new contract with life?"

"I-I... I do want a new contract..."

"Then renege on your current one, and give up on all the false benefits you have been hiding behind."

Sakura blinks a few more times before she realizes that there is nowhere to go but forwards. Tohsaka truly was the right woman for this job, as she was skilled in driving people into corners without mercy. Shirou could have never done this to Sakura, for his cruelty came from a place of deep care, so he would always want to find a different way than the one that would make Sakura cry. Yet Tohsaka held no such mercy.

But Sakura loved that about her sister, and even though tears started to swell in her eyes, not all of it was out of sorrow.

"Haha... haha... Alright." Sakura laughs hollowly one last time. She nods to say that she will shed these tears this one last time and never again. "No more delusion... no more envy... No more hatred... I can't love you anymore, Senpai. Because I don't know who Emiya Shirou is, and I never will as long as I hold on to you. All the fake things I barely kept myself up with, let me throw them away. From now on, let us show our true selves, finally breaking free from this illusion."

She said the name Emiya Shirou as if it were a curse. As if saying that name was the death of the one she called Senpai. How many times had she called him by his name? ...Had she ever...? She had forgotten. If she had said his name before now, it was only a prelude to this moment. The moment she had to let that person who was built for her benefit go.

Her 'Senpai'. The last living entity that caused her pain. Both the cause and product of her warped mind.

Her grandfather was dead. Irisviel was dead. Angra Mainyu was dead. Shinji had changed enough to no longer cause her pain.

This final act would put an end.

The lie that the demon inside that boy built for her benefit. A lie that she forced him to play out even after that demon was gone. The truth was that Sakura, despite being the person who had likely spent more time with Emiya Shirou than anyone, knew him no better than a stranger.

Tohsaka didn't know how to react, but she could only support her sister's decision. She pats her back. "Are you fine now?"

"I will be... tomorrow... but at least for tonight... let me mourn at least this one last time. I could keep it all in, but that would just be making the same mistake I am trying to forsake." Mourning the death of who she was and the death of her precious Senpai, she cries wet, almost violent tears into Tohsaka's dress.

"I see..."

And then, "Could I stay here... with you?"

"..." Tohsaka was like a deer in headlights. 'What do I do?' She asks herself. They were once sisters. Now they swore to be sisters once again, yet there was still a divide between them. "Alright, but one night... I swear if you become too reliant on me all of a sudden..."

"I don't have to stay-"

"I'm saying that it's fine. I'm offering you a one-time deal. Take it now because I'll be expecting better than perfect tomorrow."

"Nee-san... Okay."

"Hmm, good." Tohsaka has a rare far-away look. She usually is always looking directly in front in front of her, so this is rare even in Sakura's eyes. Like seeing a lunar eclipse. "It's just a matter of time..." Tohsaka whispers, leaving her sister left with only guesses as to what she was thinking of.

"Haha..." She can laugh, but it comes with tears of pain. "Please... never bring this up again... not because that would be a mercy, but because I don't want to ever be given a chance to fall back again."

"I can do that much." Tohsaka murmurs.

Sakura falls asleep, holding her sister tentatively.

"Jeez... How can I be mad at Shirou when I let you push me around in the same way..." Tohsaka had once been impersonal and cruel to Sakura, but now that she was a part of her family, it wasn't as it was. Sakura came to Shirou looking for sweet words, and she came to Tohsaka looking for harsh ones. Perhaps the mistake was in thinking that she would hear Shirou's words, no matter how cruel he tried to be, as anything but sweet.

Or perhaps Shirou knew all this, and he enticed her in the wrong direction, giving her false hope all to bring Sakura to this moment.

What she needed was a reality check.

"Well... He might seem like the devil at times, and he might cause destruction in his general vicinity, but.. he's not the worst to have been obsessed over. Hah, I shouldn't think that way, though. I don't want any more rumours about him than there already are." Tohsaka worked for a little bit longer, then joined Sakura in her own bed.

That night was dark outside, and they dreamed of their worst fears. Sakura saw herself killing everyone important to her and enjoying it. Tohsaka saw herself making a massive blunder and losing the entire Tohsaka estate and fortune to Luvia. Those were only dreams, however. It was outside that rumours were spreading out of control.

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August 5th, 9:36 P.M. Shirou P.O.V

Stranger (Music) /MhAcoQuGfHg

"Hey, wait up...! Wait up, I said! I command you to wait up!"

The olive-skinned alchemist was running after me and yelling. Yet I was too focused on trying to focus myself on sending the flow of curses in the air. I was doing what she wanted me to, so I didn't really get why she was mad.

A minute or so later...

"Did you have something you wanted to say?" I stop. I only stop because the trail seems hopeless. This... TATARI curse is almost impossible to follow as if. In a city like London, which is like a storm of human emotion, it gets lost and escapes easily from my view.

From that alone, I can recognize that London itself is not the origin of this curse. Here, in such a huge place, even the strongest of rumours can't spread everywhere at once.

"Huh?" I had spoken before turning back, but I saw that Sion was far behind me. I wait for her. "What is the matter?"

"You... idiot... Why are you trying to run away from me..."

"You said that we needed to move fast-"

Then, without any warning,

Clack!

She whipped me in the shoulder, electrocuting me.

"Ahhh! What was that for!? I agreed to help you, so you don't need to resort to violence!"

"Many reasons! How can I trust someone like you, who keeps looking forwards even when I am telling you you are moving way too fast!? ...I do not suspect you of being a product of TATARI itself. The fact that I do not know you disqualifies that but you seem almost as strange... But now is certainly not the time to be thinking of rumours. ...The curse is yet weak, but if one had a particularly strong delusion about someone else, then that might just well be enough to manifest it."

"What are you talking about? Don't just try to move on from the fact you just whipped me with an electric whip!"

"First of all, it is known as Etherlite, so it's not merely a whip. And no, I won't tell you what it is or any more of my magic."

"This is why I don't have others tag along..."

"What do you mean? I have analyzed you to be slightly younger than me. You are the one tagging along with me! I conscripted you!"

"Oh? Then why are you the one behind me?"

"That is because you run way too fast...! Ahem... No. It was... only logical to allow you to act like a dog who can sniff out my prey. Yet so far I have not seen any results. You have proved to be both suspicious and useless."

"...Sure, but aptitude and intelligence don't mean anything in the face of experience. If you have an issue with an enemy, then you can leave it to me."

"You aren't getting it at all, are you? ...Truly killing any Dead Apostle Ancestor is truly almost impossible, and even the Church has to spend a century in order to seal one. And TATARI is known as being one among them that is truly unassailable. It has no true form left to kill. You should know that much being a magus, so why are you taking this so lightly?"

"...I'm not; it's just that I have a little experience you don't in this department."

"...A few..." She says hesitantly. It's true, but it leaves out a crucial detail.

"But none with seriousness. Have you at least fought against the Dead of a vampire before...?"

"I was going to get to that."

"Then you don't have to. Leave it to me."

She got visibly angry at that, and the whip came back out. "Perhaps I should make use of the true functions of Etherlite. You are looking down on me, I can not allow that."

The electric whip was certainly a Mystic Code that supported the use of her family magecraft. At all costs, it was best not to go face-to-face with it. In a fight, though, it would favour me, I'm sure of it.

There is no logic to that feeling, and that is why she hesitates in fighting me. If it was a logical thing I had over her, then she would simply be able to calculate the perfect set of moves to counteract that advantage.

There was an edge that made her hesitate to take action against me. ...The is the fact that I have not once resisted her, and I didn't even contest her idea of using me as a sudden conscript against a Dead Apostle Ancestor. Anyone else would be fighting with all they have just to get out of this situation.

So she was perplexed in a way she must be entirely unfamiliar with.

"There are things that can not be explained with logic."

"Those things are the realm of True Magic, and I choose to believe that someone like you is not one of the holders of one of the five Sorceries. Your magical power is simply too unremarkable. If you were a better magus, then you would have been able to"

"Fair enough, but I actually already know where the curse is coming from; it's only that I've been trying to track where it is going."

"Where is it from then?"

"Northwest of London, yet it is drifting northeast. I want to follow it until I can no longer sense it.

"You speak as if it is wind."

"...Yes, I can smell it."

"I see, so you recognize magical energy as a smell... you really are like a dog." She says so matter-of-factly that I can't help but fold against it. "Each magus recognizes energy differently, yet you also seem to have enhanced senses even despite that."

"So you believe me?"

"Yes. I calculated that you were telling the truth as your findings were what I already knew. Northwest of London is Aylesbury, after all. That is where he- it, is manifesting in the first place. The anomaly was the fact that suddenly, I sensed that there was some kind of manifestation in London itself. ...That is when I found you, and now it is moving north. This is not good."

"How so?"

"It is not how TATARI is supposed to work. It is a curse on an entire community, so it doesn't move. It is something that is everywhere at once, after all. It certainly doesn't go to a different place and target a random magus like you. And now it's not even going back to Aylesbury... This is already an abnormal manifestation."

"Aylesbury..." Somehow that name came out of her mouth with venom. "What's so important about that? It sounds like it is more than just the center of this by the way you are talking."

"I guess that it isn't surprising that just a second-rate magus like you would be ignorant of it, but the fact is that Aylesbury is a place controlled by the Dead Apostle Ancestors. I say it in plural because there are multiple who have invested themselves into the little project there."

"Then why doesn't the Association and Church do something!?"

"Hah... because the method by which the vampire has taken control is entirely mundane. It is a project designed with some kind of ritual in mind, concocted by one of the most senior of the Dead Apostle Ancestors and supported by whatever reasonably sane fellow vampires they can bring over to their side. Using human capital and human labour, they have constructed corporate and industrial control over the area. They don't use it as a source of their blood, so it can't be attacked. It was a way of disarming both the Church and the Association, as they both share the fundamental rule that they can not interfere with human society. Thus, until the time that the Dead Apostles feel they will do whatever ritual it is they want to do, no one can do anything about it. Who would they attack, a town run for and by humans?"

"This is... terrible."

"That is the rule; you are a magus; you must understand that it is the rule."

"A magus... right... I am a magus." That means I can't go off on my own. I have a selfish wish that needs to be seen to its end.

"Hmm?" I don't notice Sion looking at me strangely.

"Illya..." I whisper that calm myself down.

I can't do anything as I am now anyway... but still... I can't abide by it. I can't accept it. The existence of Dead Apostles is a curse to Arcueid, so it's intolerable for me to accept their continued existence.

"That is why I believe that the Dead Apostles themselves did not cause the manifestation of TATARI here and at this time. They would have only something to lose from it being in Aylesbury. Someone else did this, and they did it almost perfectly to cause such chaos all at once. The Church would not deliberately bring destruction to humans using a Dead Apostle, even if it was to disrupt other vampires. The Association would not either, for fear that they would potentially destroy artefacts held by the Dead Apostles. Of the two, the only one that can be dealt with in good faith is the Church. At least one can trust their motivations."

"The Church... Hmm... I haven't had the best of interactions with them, and I don't think they care for my existence so much, either."

"And who are you to say that? Whose side are you on?"

"I'm on no one's side... because nobody is on mine."

"Hah, then don't make it sound like you are anyone important."

Later, after we both give up on trying to directly track down the curse, we stop again.

"This was a waste of time. Finding you was more of a hindrance than a help. ...Still, it is not normal for you to simply give off the indication of a high-level curse at the level of an Ancestor, only for you to appear normal now."

"You can't sense anything off about me?"

"No."

"I'm glad. I don't want people to think I'm weird. I guess magi of this age would simply be unable to really see me as anything but normal, as civilization has caused evil to become a normalized thing. I don't know if I should be happy or sad."

"What are you even talking about?"

"Nothing. More importantly, we should finish our conversation from before. I can't fully help you if you do not tell me what Tatari is. ...Only then will I tell you what we should do next."

"What are you hiding? I can make you tell." Her eyes threaten me with her whip.

"Isn't violence, by its nature, illogical?"

"No, I think that it is quite useful as a tool." She nods, denying my attempt at diplomacy.

"Hah..." I sigh. "You have information, and I have information. It is only as simple as trading each other for it."

"You tell me first. Then I can measure if it is equivalent in value. And if you are lying only to try and get something out of me, then I will respond with extreme prejudice."

"No, I'm not as smart as you, so I can't trust that you won't find a way out of this. I'm sorry, but I'm used to dealing with geniuses. You could say I have adapted to fighting with them." This is a bluff, though, because I have never once been able to defeat Tohsaka in an argument if she gets serious.

We stare at one another for a time. I can see her mind working at a million rotations per second.

"...Fine, but only because we share a common foe. Don't think or say that you got one over me! This is my mercy!"

"Alright, alright... I get it. You win. ...So?" Even if I say she wins, she is still the one who has to tell her story first.

"...What I am about to tell you is a great shame to Atlas... But it is illogical to leave you in the dark now that you are trying to deal with it. Speaking of this knowledge can be said to worsen the rumour that is TATARI, but it seems that point has already been breached. Just knowing about this is enough for TATARI to spread it as a rumour."

"You call it an it, but what actually is TATARI?"

"Not what, but who - A man named Zepia Eltnam Oberon. He who was once the head of Atlas, and he who has now become its greatest stain and foe. ...Atlas is not like the Clock Tower. At Altas, we do not practise rituals but discover them, as we are more concerned about the greater truths of the universe than mainstream alchemists. Unlike the Clock Tower, we have no interest in reaching the Root. All that we care about is ensuring that humanity does not come to complete ruin. ...That has meant, though, that each person that leads Atlas becomes obsessed with protecting the future. Each one... ultimately attempts to prevent what is to come, and loses themselves. Zepia is only the most notable case of this. "

"But... Eltnam. Didn't I hear that- ah, it's your middle name?"

"Remembered that, did you? ...He is my ancestor, but the existence that is known as TATARI today, or what is also referred to as the Night of Wallachia, is not him. He is no longer a person or a form of life. He, or it, is simply someone that once existed but has degraded to the point of being no more than a curse on the world."

"If he was the head of Atlas, and you are his descendant, then what is your position in Atlas?"

"I am the Vice-director at present. It has little to do with him. It is by my own merit that I have been granted this position as a representative of Atlas." She said with pride.

"You are the Vice-director... as in... you are next in line to take over the whole thing!?"

"...Yes."

"Hah. Well, I'd never want so much attention on myself. ...Moving on, I think I need to hear what this curse is. Surely you must know the details."

"Atlas and the Church have had a long-term relationship. Unlike the Clock Tower, Atlas works more closely with the Church and takes a more direct role in fixing certain issues." In other words, Atlas is not fundamentally a selfish organization. That is why they have less firepower, but they make up for it by having cooperation among its members and a more direct focus on the world itself.

"...You have told me of who he was, but what about now...? What is this curse, and how does it manifest?"

"Well, you asked for it, but I doubt that you have the mind to understand it. Listen carefully because you will not like it if you ask me to repeat myself. TATARI generally has at least three conditions that must be met in order for it to form. Unlike the event of storm clouds being dispersed to prevent a wind storm from occurring again soon after, with high frequency, TATARI's occurrences as a phenomenon do not often appear because the conditions are rather complicated. The first is that the area needs to have a rumour, Malignant Information such as urban tales, fright stories, anonymous charges, unfounded assumptions, improbable evidence, and all manner of rapidly spreading but ultimately void rumours. This is ideally something about an individual and preferably the extension of something human. It is not a minimum rule but rather what TATARI desires as a former human, as it cannot move without human intelligence. The second condition is that the extent of the legend must be somewhat socially isolated while circulating. Rumours have problems spreading uniformly over large areas, so small; closed communities are more suitable for it. It usually occurs in small villages, so even Aylesbury is a huge place for him, but the fact that there must have always been rumours about vampires there might have helped it form. While it is not necessary for rumours to be true in order to bring about their materialization of them, it is much easier to bring about that which has a basis. It can be hard to make original rumours into truth, but those with an origin become confirmed as long as even the smallest amount of information is flowing. The third condition is that there must be witnesses, one or several, in the area where the rumour is spreading. There are various ways of a person acting as a witness, such as knowing the basis of the rumour or simply being one of the many people spreading it. When a rumour collects enough momentum, the probability of it becoming real increases until it reaches a certain point and becomes TATARI. There needs to be a terminal point from which it spreads, usually beginning from a single person and flooding out from there. There are also rare cases where people end up guiding the rumours intentionally to form TATARI according to their own thoughts. These people likely do not have any ill intentions but end up on the same wavelength as TATARI and end up wondering why events are turning out as they thought."

"Both the Church and Atlas have calculated the time and place that TATARI appears using Astromancy. It isn't a uniform time difference. In 15 years, it will appear in Australia, and in 40 years, it will come to Kenya. It will not return to Europe in my lifetime."

"Then why is it here now?"

"...We were right about it being in England and of the year, but some things seemed to interfere with the entire set of facts from coming to light. Atlas and the Church were unable to fully pierce the needed information this time. Thus, we have not yet been given the full time needed to develop a full plan. We can defeat the manifestation when it comes, but it will simply come the next night regardless... "

"In other words, you don't know what to do."

"Let me hear your idea then! I've told you pertinent information, so pay me back."

"My information is my idea." I pull out my invitation to the Rail Zeppelin. The place I was supposed to be tonight until fate intervened. "This is where we need to go. Facing that curse directly is impossible. If you want to find information on a Dead Apostle Ancestor, then I'm sure that this is where you can find it. A meeting of the minds, you could say."

"...I see. That is what you have in mind. ...Your idea is not as terrible as I was initially predicting. Perhaps there is no need to use this just yet." She puts her whip away. When did she even take it out?

"Well, I think we should reunite with Ries then. She will want to hear about this. This invitation says that there are two spots open for you to bring along, so I believe you should make use of it."

"Ries?"

"Riesbyfe Stridberg, that is only a shortened version of her name. We have a good working relationship. She is the knight in charge of the Church's expedition here, and we are partners in solving this on behalf of our organizations."

"A shortened version of a name is called a nickname. So she is your friend?"

"We are partners with a good working relationship. We are not friends."

"I see. ...Well, it's best to leave it at that for now, then. That said, she can not come with us. There is no time. The train is already on its journey, if we have any chance of making it in the middle of its trek then we must go now. It's a bit more complex getting on it than a normal train would be, I feel."

"...I hate to agree with you, but... logically, you speak the truth." She looked almost disappointed for a reason, but that was her own question to solve. "I will have to contact her about this then."

She walked away for a time, communicating using some kind of mobile phone that must be powered using magical energy. Maybe because life is simpler without one of those phones, I never saw the reason to have one. Only business people use that sort of thing, but some young people might like to have one.

"I told her of my plan, and she agreed that I must make use of the opportunity before it closes. She said she would find some other way to support."

"Your plan?"

"Yes. My plan. I noted to her that I had found a willing assistant to execute that plan. You should be grateful to receive credit at all since you have been all trouble since I met you."

"There was a certain rumour I recall hearing when I first heard of the Rail Zeppelin..."

"...And what rumour would that be?"

"It is run by a Dead Apostle Ancestor. Something rose-related or whatever. I did want to investigate on my own, but that was even before this mess started."

"A Dead Apostle Ancestor... I see. That train is infamous as being the domain of a particularly disgusting Dead Apostle."

"In other words, we need to get to this train. If confronting TATARI is impossible at the moment, then the next best thing is an entity on the same level of existence. However, logically speaking, it is incoherent to gain the ire of a second vampire when we can not even deal with one."

"It doesn't necessarily have to be confrontational; I was invited, after all. I believe that they don't actually know who I really am. I didn't really intend on taking any companions, but well..." She held her whip in a threatening fashion. "I guess there is no helping it this time. That only leaves the issue of finding and getting on a train that has no set rail. I missed it due to... unforeseen consequences."

"Leave that me... Calculating..." She seems so much like a computer for a second before coming back to life. "In three hours and seventeen minutes, the train will be forced to stop by the current wave of the Ley Lines somewhere where the tides of the lines intersect. In fact, the situation comes off as almost too perfect."

"That was fast."

"Such is an expected calculation for an Atlas Alchemist. You have yet to see the full potential of my capabilities in combat. I may lack experience and power, but I make up for it by using everything I do have to the utmost of its potential."

"The question is, then, can you get us to this intersecting place with that mind of yours?"

"That would be... outside of my parameters." She grinds her teeth. "Allow me to think..." Even at her insane rate of thinking, she struggles to think of a way of moving that quickly.

I do have some ability to move between short distances quickly, using the power of Angra Mainyu to turn myself into a shade, essentially an artificial demon. That ould be useless here, though. I'm sure Tohsaka would have a solution, but my magic is far more limited than hers.

Then I see it.

"Wait..."

It's a stupid solution, but here I am with a genius, so it's up to me to come up with truly ridiculous ideas.

"We can take a motorcycle. Pushed to the limit, it should be just fast enough."

"We are going to steal the motorcycle? Do you really think I didn't think of that!? It is not fast enough, and magi are not supposed to interfere with human affairs no matter what."

"Of course, but we don't need to steal it. I just need to look at it for a second and reinforce it... Trace on." My circuits come to life. This is going to be a weird one... Projecting it as a motorcycle on its own would work, but it would degrade as fast as a normal projection would. However, if I project the motorcycle, imitating its use but creating out of swords, then... "I am the bone of my sword..." I hold out my hand and focus, and then-

With a bright light, an object that can only be described as a mass of swords formed into the shape of a motorcycle appears.

"..." For once, Sion looked flabbergasted at it. "What-" I guess this is what happens when someone whose life is based on logic suddenly is faced with an illogical situation.

"So, how about this? My father taught me how to drive so that I can take us."

"W-what is this magic? It's a projection, it can't actually work, and it'll be gone soon enough. One of this complexity will collapse into its empty self quickly." Yet the longer she stared at it waiting, the more her face turned difficult. The projection showed no sign of disappearing. It will exist for some time as long as I support it with energy.

"As you can see, my magic breaks the rules a little bit. Power does have its uses. It should work a long as I am putting magical energy into it."

"That's ridiculous. Rule-breaking is in the realm of True Magic, not magecraft. You seem to enjoy lying." Well, I can't say that I am not unrelated to True Magic, but that is best left unsaid. Staring at me for lies, she sees me looking back, completely serious. "You have to be kidding. This shouldn't be possible based on the rules of the world. A projection is made up of only the Imaginary Element. In other words, it is not real on its own. You could try inserting the other elements of fire, earth, water, or air into it, but all that would do would be to expose it as a fake even faster. ...Allow me to think... I just... it would require the use of elements separated from the traditional five, but control over abnormal elements is extraordinarily rare. Such a thing would be indicative of an awakened Origin, and that is equally rare."

"I don't know the details. It's just a little bending of the rules, so it's allowed without a Sealing Designation. Atlas doesn't do those anyway, right? So it's fine. We need to move now, or else we will never make it to that train, no matter what."

"I'm not going to get on your shoddy attempt at deception. The logical idea here is that this is your attempt at a trick, and you are about to act out against me." She holds her whip like a teacher who has heard enough from her student.

"Wait...! Look! I can prove that it can work...!" Quickly, I revved my projected sword motorcycle thing.

Vrmmmm

It makes the sound I desperately wanted it to make. Honestly, I was unsure of myself for a second. Yet it seems that I can make pretty much anything... as long as it is created out of swords. Though, its readability of it is questionable at best. I would rather have a real motorcycle than this, but such is life. I'm not going to steal something that belongs to someone else; that's something villains do, not to mention that the Association would not be happy about something like that.

This is the limit, though. I don't intend on ever relying on this dubious idea again.

"...If I am going to go along with this lunacy, then I will be the one driving. No debate on that. If the projection fails at any point, I will save myself and leave you to die if you can not protect yourself, understand?"

"I understand. That said, it's fine If I save you if you get in trouble, right?"

"W-what are you saying? Are you saying I am weak and need your protection? Those that doubt me tend to regret it." She says angrily.

"No, no! I just don't want you to get hurt, so I'm going to protect you if anything happens. I can protect us even if we do crash going above 200 kilometres per hour; I'll trust you, I swear."

"...That would be acceptable, but if we did crash, it would be due to your shoddy magic, not my riding skills."

"...Are you trained? Magi aren't exactly attuned to modern technology in most cases." Tohsaka struggles with the TV, and she calls me over for basically any electrical issue, even if it's as simple as the plug not being all the way in.

"Atlas Alchemists are not like magi and their old magic. I self-taught myself to drive all forms of modern vehicles by the age of 13." In other words, she is the anti-Tohsaka. Sion is the model Atlas Alchemist, and Tohsaka is the model magus (sometimes).

"Alright... but where do I place my hands?"

"J-just hold me. I don't care! A magus isn't supposed to care about such a thing."

"Well... Yes. We can't afford to hesitate." I put my hands arround her waist and held tight.

Embarrassment. Her face turns bright red, but then she calms herself using one of her mind techniques. It's not that she is without emotions; it's that she has trained so long to control her mind and body using magic that she has lost sight of her true feelings. But underneath is the same sort of young genius I am used to.

We sped down the London Freeway at speeds that made all the cars arround us look slow-moving. Re-doing her calculation as to where the train must be every minute, we shot straight at a point where we could intersect with it.

---

August 5th, 8:52 P.M. Gray P.O.V

Investigation (Music) /wto2IA-LQ1Q

The steam engine came to a gentle stop, and the ornately decorated door opened.

Perhaps to match the aesthetic tastes of the owner, it gave the impression of a line of knights standing and saluting. Without the slightest hesitation, my master headed for that door. Caules, Hishiri, and I soon followed suit.

The scent of fresh fruit wafted out.

Within the train car, a large table was placed in the center of the room, stacked high with various colourful fruits. Seated nearby was a man with a white hat. Taking a glossy apple from the table, he took a bite out of it.

After chewing for a while, he turned to look at us.

"Ah, more guests have arrived!"

"...you're not a staff member here, are you?" To my master's authoritative tone, the man gave a deep nod.

"Of course not! Could you not tell just by looking at me?!"

Patting a hand to his stylish white jacket, he spoke smoothly as he rose from his seat.

Seeing the man strike a hand to his own chest, Caules tilted his head to the side.

"I feel like I've seen that before...something about zombies..."

"Yes!"

At Caules' muttering, the man stuck his hand into his own jacket.

Drawing a handgun, he spun it in the air. With a sidelong look at our dumbfounded expressions, he crossed the guns over, threw them in the air, and caught them behind his back. Finally, he snapped into a firing pose.

"Jeeeean-Mario! Spinerra's! Zombie Cooking! Let's enjoy cooking some zombie's to a crisp together today!"

Sharing the well-practised line with cheer, he seemed like a well-seasoned performer.

Unfortunately, my master nor I had any idea who he was.

"Huh? Don't you know me? You don't know Jean-Mario's Zombie Cooking?"

"...Sorry, I'm not much of a fan of variety TV."

My master's television was reserved exclusively for video games, after all.

And within my room, the television was mostly just an ornament. The only times I turned it on was to check the weather, or when Flat had lent me another one of his strange movies.

Caules, however, had quite the air of excitement.

"It's a pretty popular program from the London Minor Broadcasting Office. He's always using his twin pistols to gun down zombies while cooking, and the special effects are great! His special technique is using a frying pan to split a zombie's head in two, then frying a three-pound steak with it! The Jean-Mario Buster!"

Though I couldn't figure out why on earth there needed to be zombies involved in a cooking show, I felt like it was in poor taste to bring that up now. Beyond that, my weakness was more for ghosts or spirits, so zombies weren't something that particularly bothered me.

At any rate, as I tried my best to absorb this new information, I couldn't help but mutter.

"A magus, on television...?"

"It's not like it's impossible. Yumina. The Faculty of Botany's Archelot has been playing with the TV Media for a while now, after all."

As I stared blankly, my master added his own comments.

Though that seemed to me to be something more fitting for the Faculty of Law, I suppose they didn't have a monopoly on it or anything. Within many different factions, there was a desire to control information with their own hands - and though other magi might consider it only a mundane affair, what resulted was a situation where magi struggled against each other right near the surface of society.

That aside, for a magus to be in charge of such a popular program was certainly out of the ordinary.

"...And, you are?"

My master's gaze went to the other end of the table, where another silent individual sat.

Easily into his seventies, he was an old man with extraordinarily dark skin. With an old scar between around his eyebrows, he gave a very mafia-esque impression.

Taking a couple of grapes from the bunch in his hand and popping them into his mouth, he whispered.

"Karabo Frampton. From the Holy Church."

Aside from Jean-Mario, everyone immediately tensed up.

As the name implied, the Holy Church was an organization of believers that spanned the entire world, using that religion which could be considered universal, as its foundation. In many respects, it stood as an enemy to the Magic Association. While the Magic Association strove to control and manage Mystery as a whole, the Church aimed to annihilate all Mystery that existed outside of its own. Therein lay the conflict.

I had become somewhat connected to the Church through my acquaintance from Japan, his name being Shiki, but he didn't seem to come off like this.

As Caules put a hand within his own jacket, Hishiri stepped back with a smile.

The old man clenched his fingers into a light fist.

It felt like the history of countless killings between the two groups was swirling in the air between them. Even my master, who usually avoided fights involving magecraft, had a stiff expression.

That nervous air was immediately shattered by a new voice.

"-Whoa! How amazing! Even Professor El-Melloi II is here!"

As if unaware of the tension in the room, the girl with her lolita attire clapped her hands.

Of course, it wasn't the first time we had met her.

"Tadah! It's me, your prospective lover from the El-Melloi Classroom!"

"...Yvette..."

This time, my master held a hand to his stomach with a pained expression, as if he just couldn't handle it anymore.

"You were also invited...?"

"Correct! Heheheh, as you know, the Lehrman family is renowned for their Mystic Eyes! Of course we'd be regulars on the Rail Zeppelin!"

Even going so far as to speak aloud her own sound effects, she struck a pose with a sideways peace sign.

Though I wasn't sure where exactly to start complaining, the truth was the mounting pressure within the car had been cleanly dispersed.

Karabo relaxed his fist, and Caules slowly lowered his hands. With a small whistle, Jean-Mario returned to his seat.

"Oh! Caules is here too?!" Why? You've become one of his flunkies now, too?"

"...Er, no, though I did ask him to take me with him."

"Aha, I see! There's no cheating allowed here, professor! Oh, wait, does it not count if it's gay? Sorry, I'm not sure I'll be so good in a three-way..."

"...Fuck." In a way, I couldn't even pretend not to hear it, my master cursed as he put a hand to his face. "When did we become prospective lovers anyway?"

"Of course, from this moment! From the depths of my own humbly adorable chest! Oh, did you want to touch? I don't mind at all, you lolicon you!"

"Alright, shut up. And get off this train. Through the window, if at all possible."

As the girl just puffed up her chest proudly at his remonstration, my master shifted his gaze.

Not to avoid her, though.

At some point, a bone-thin man had appeared.

Wearing a black uniform that must have belonged to the staff of the Rail Zeppelin, he looked down at a silver pocket watch.

"Yes. We shall proceed tonight according to schedule. We would be most grateful for everyone's cooperation."

Seeing the noisy magi gathered in the room fall to silence, he nodded in satisfaction.

Behind us, the door swung closed.

Together with the whistle we heard earlier, the sound of the steam engine lumbering into motion filled the room.

Though slowly, the train began to pick up speed, whisking away the tiny world we now occupied.

As if rocked by the growing speed of the train, the staff member lowered his head.

"My name is Rodin. I will be your conductor this evening. My apologies for interrupting your conversation."

The man introduced himself, offering the same name as that famous sculptor.

Not just us, but it seemed even those who had boarded the train at the other end, like Olga Marie, had also failed to notice his appearance. It was as if he had just appeared out of thin air.

With a cough to clear his throat, he continued.

"This locomotive intends a three-night, four-day journey around the Country of Fog, returning to London at the end. During that time, you will all be permitted to view our collection of Mystic Eyes, and on the third day, an auction will be held for them. Should you offer the winning bid, you may either accept custody of the Eyes in question, or receive them transplanted immediately. Yes, please rest assured. All transplants will be completed quickly, so there is no need to worry. For those who wish to offer Mystic Eyes for sale, please approach me sometime before the day after tomorrow. If you need assistance, please feel free to ask for me directly."

"-or ask me. My name is Leandra, and I will endeavour to be your auctioneer for this event."

Appearing beside him, a woman in a fur coat spoke, giving a short bow.

Her appearance stood out so much I had to wonder why I hadn't noticed her until now.

With her hair cut short, she had the figure of a model. Though a strip of leather was wrapped tightly around her eyes, she seemed to function as if she could see just fine. Though, considering how well the Princess of Silver coped with her blindness at Iselma, that fact probably wasn't something especially surprising.

But, even then.

Within the moving train, I felt a sense of terror take hold of me.

For a place called the Mystic Eye Collecting Train, being guided by someone who chose to seal their own vision seemed hard to stomach.

"At this point, we would like do guide each of you to your private rooms. Please, follow me."

With that, the conductor Rodin bowed once more to us.

The room we were led to seemed unexpectedly pleasant.

It appeared that for each passenger car, only two or three passenger rooms were created, giving each a sense of luxury. Though the width of each room was rather limited, the simplistic accommodations offered no sense of claustrophobia. Apparently, the rooms were divided so that each invitation came with one room, as three beds were prepared, but I didn't mind that so much.

The interior of the room was lit by a gas lamp.

Sitting down on the all-too-luxurious sofa, I pressed my hands to the side of my head.

Caules immediately spoke out.

"Are you okay, Gray?"

"...ah, yes. Just...we met so many people, my head is spinning a bit."

In truth, I felt more like I wanted to scream.

Magus from the Faculty of Law - Hishiri Adashino.

Daughter of a Lord - Olga Marie Asmleit Animusphere, and her attendant Trisha Fellows.

The television star magus, and a bit of a joker - Jean-Mario Spinerra.

A man working for the Holy Church - Karabo Frampton.

Added to the conductor and auctioneer of the Rail Zeppelin, and the El-Melloi Classroom's own Yvette, I was well past the capacity my head could handle. I suppose if just talking about the number of people, there were more at the party in Iselma, but so many of them here had direct connections to my master and I. Despite being totally unable to remember everything, there was no way I could ignore any of them either.

Massaging my temples, I looked out the window.

The scenery outside was blanketed in a thick fog. Occasionally, the lights of the distant city would peak through, before being washed away as quickly as they appeared. Despite the archaic appearance, there was little in the way of vibrations within the car, and the sound of powerful steam engine was somewhat comforting.

Mixed in with those sounds,

"...thinking about it now, I guess it should have been obvious that Yvette would be here."

Hanging his suit jacket on the wall, my master muttered.

"Is her eye patch related to Mystic Eyes too, then?"

"Half correct. There isn't an actual eye under that patch, actually."

At my master's words, I was suddenly struck speechless.

Though I didn't know how to respond to that, Caules came to the rescue.

"Yvette has a jewel there in place of a Mystic Eye."

"A jewel?"

I had the feeling I had heard about something like this from my master before.

"The reproduction of Mystic Eyes only really works for lower-level Eyes, but that doesn't apply to gems. Yvette's family is specialized in their creation. Though it still has its limits, they are able to even reproduce Noble Coloured Mystic Eyes to a degree. ...they probably are regular customers of the Rail Zeppelin to acquire more accurate models for their creation."

"...ah, I see."

Put that way, I could understand.

It seemed like a much more direct approach for a magi than just a simple transplant.

"Well, that's how it is. By doing things like offering up one of their own eyes in the process, or relying on jewels with mystical properties, they are able to overcome the limits of reproducing Mystic Eyes. Of course, implanting a foreign object into the human body will trigger all sorts of rejection responses, so there must have been generations of bodily modification in order to allow Yvette to handle it so well. Numerically speaking, she would be one of the rare examples of someone interested in the Rail Zeppelin with no desire for a transplant."

My master added to Caules' explanation.

Her random self introduction as the Mystic Eye Girl seemed to be fairly accurate. At any rate, it was all part of a world that was hard to wrap my head around.

After thinking on it for a while,

"But the Manager's Representative never made an appearance, did they?" my master muttered.

That was the signature on the invitation.

When thinking of plausible suspects for the theft of the relic, they were the most likely.

"Then, that person is..."

"Perhaps they intend on showing up later. After all, we don't even know the reason why we received the invitation in the first place. There's no benefit to getting worked up about it now."

Despite his words, the wrinkle in my master's brow was deeper than ever.

He had likely spent the day categorizing everyone he came across, trying to determine what relation they may have had to the culprit. As someone who was unable to wield magecraft of superior quality, his only option was to work his brain to a brutal degree.

My master's ability wasn't as some sort of super detective, tuned in to the supernatural.

Really, it was the exact opposite - combining plain, mundane methods with his tremendous base of knowledge, he used them as a foundation to exercise his extraordinary power of insight. So in an incident like this one, his brain wouldn't be given even a single moment's rest.

Saying not to worry was almost just a bad joke.

Though I wanted to say something, I couldn't think of a single thing I could offer him in consolation.

"Anyways, let's rest now that we have the chance." Taking off the Mystic Eye Killing glasses, my master lay down on the bed just as he was.

Surprisingly quickly, his breathing fell into the steady rhythm of sleep, which I found a little relieving. He must have been exhausted. Even if not, he must have still been feeling the stress of having his relic stolen.

I, however, was not able to so easily fall asleep, so I just sat on my bed.

Normally if I wasn't able to sleep I'd consider bringing out Add, but I was in no mood to listen to his rowdy self at the moment.

At that point,

"-you're really amazing, Gray." Caules suddenly spoke out.

"What makes you say that?"

"I've just been really anxious, ready to run at a moment's notice. Ever since coming to the Clock Tower from the back country of Germany, everything has just been coming at me non-stop. I mean, I even ended up on the legendary Rail Zeppelin, come down to London all the way from Scandinavia."

Apparently, the Rail Zeppelin mainly travelled around the forests of Northern Europe. Being from Germany, Caules was probably much more familiar with the legends surrounding it.

The fact he had asked to come along after hearing about it by chance was likely in part because of that.

"You seem awfully well composed, though. ...back then, before Yvette had come out, you seemed ready to fight and everything."

When Karabo had introduced himself as a member of the Holy Church, though Hishiri was of course prepared, I hadn't failed to notice Caules readying himself for combat as well. That wasn't something one picked up just by practicing magecraft. It was something that needed a much more complete level of preparedness.

In response to that, Caules scratched his head awkwardly.

"Haha. I wasn't composed at all. -but, what would you call it? When my sister decided to give up her life as a magus, things became rather violent. I guess I collected a bit of experience from that."

"Is that what you were talking about before we got on the train?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Despite being evaluated as the magus of utmost talent in the history of our family, despite all the expectations that she had been saddled with, she suddenly decided to abandon magecraft altogether, even going so far as to abandon her Magic Crest. The family was in an uproar from top to bottom."

Recalling that memory, Caules' eyes narrowed faintly.

"Even though I was extraordinarily average, I ended up becoming the successor, and even ended up taking the place in the Clock Tower that had been prepared for her. It was only natural that I was rejected and earned a lot of unjustified anger - no, I guess it was pretty justified. Regardless, there were even attempts on my life because of it. No doubt they thought that if I died, my sister would have no choice but to return."

I imagine he wasn't exaggerating when he said there were attempts on his life.

I had learned time and again that magi were that kind of creature in the past few months. In the face of the hopes and dreams of numerous generations, the value of a single human life was less than dirt.

Seeing my tensed up posture, Caules' expression suddenly broke.

"...sorry. Maybe that was a bit heavy."

"No," I answered, shaking my head vigorously. "No, no. ...I understand that kind of situation well."

The pain of having everyone around you get whipped up into a frenzy with no regard to your own thoughts or feelings was something I understood quite well.

As well as the frustration of being unable to meet those expectations. How much easier would it have been to just discard my own pathetic self, and completely become that hero of old? No matter how inexperienced or worthless I even considered myself, why was it so hard to throw that self away?

Caules tilted his head to the side, confused.

"You're the professor's closest disciple, aren't you?"

"But, I'm not a magus."

"I see."

He didn't push any further.

With the conversation coming to an end, the sounds of the train cars jostling were the only thing left in the room.

Strangely, the silence wasn't so awkward. Rocked by the sounds of the car, I vaguely wondered why that was.

...Ah, I see

Because Caules is a lot like my master. Despite his overwhelming mediocrity, despite always being compared to someone that was nothing less than a genius and all the pain that brought, he hadn't given up a single thing. That way of being struck me right to my core. More than seeing a genius who could take to the sky from the start, my heart cried out much stronger for those kind of people.

That was probably why.

"It's okay. You will become strong. Even more than your sister, I'm sure."

As if it was more natural than anything, those words spilled out of my mouth.

"After all, my master is the one who picked you out."

Caules looked back at me with a surprised expression.

"Is something wrong?"

"...no. Just, you really trust the professor, don't you?"

Speaking with a small smile, Caules' words made my breath catch.

I had never really thought about that.

"I guess so..."

"So," he nodded, looking around the room. "...The Rail Zeppelin was real after all. I wonder what my sister would have done."

Those last words drifted through the dim light of the room.

It seemed he had no intention of continuing the conversation beyond that. Pulling up the blanket on his own bed, Caules turned off the lamp at his bedside.

"Good night, Gray."

"...good night."

At that, I also pulled up my own blanket.

The regular movements of the train seemed to shake loose something within me. The leftover scent of my master's cigar also seemed to calm me down. At last, my thoughts drifted off into the darkness of the room.

Surprisingly, I was able to pass the night comfortably.

As morning come, a faint light shone through the windows of the train car.

Though the train was enclosed in fog as usual, it seemed it wasn't so thick as to completely block out the sun. Using the sink in the room, I washed my face. As I then spent a little time getting my clothing in order, I heard a rustling come from the bed beside me.

"Master..."

"...Five more minutes."

With that, he turned right over.

As I thought, he was exhausted after all. I'm sure he was going to have difficulty sleeping well here for a while too.

For now, while he slept, I propped him up against Caules and got to work putting his hair in order. I probably wouldn't have minded if it was the other way around, but I wasn't particularly fond of other people doing my hair. ...maybe because it had been so long, but I felt strangely relaxed by having the chance to do his hair again.

"Master, it's almost time for breakfast."

"...Oh. Sorry, Gray. Can you go ahead without me?"

"Without you? Are you not having any breakfast?"

"Right now, most people will be at the breakfast hall. I want to do some investigating while everyone is there, but it'll look bad if none of us show up."

I see.

Even as he was half asleep in bed, his brain was still working hard.

"Okay. In that case, I'll go ahead. I'll leave the rest to you then, Caules."

"Uh, right. Got it!"

Leaving things here to Caules, I finished up with my master's hair before setting out.

Stepping out of our private room, I headed in the direction of the main engine.

As expected, with only a single straight line to travel, there was no way to get lost. It was a nice contrast to places like Adra and Iselma, estates with huge, sprawling complexes.

Outside the windows, the view was dominated by a thick fog interspersed with conifer trees.

Fog, and a forest...

I thought idly.

How long had this train run through these places?

Maybe since before humans even settled in this country? Entertaining such ridiculous thoughts, I passed through the lobby and into the dining hall on the other side.

The carpet in the hallways was so thick and luxurious it felt like I might sink into them up to my ankles. Thanks to that, I couldn't even feel the movement of the train under it.

At last, the aroma of fresh toast on the air snuck into my nose, awakening my appetite.

As if pulled forward by that impulse, I opened the door to the dining car,

"Oh, the disciple! Over here, over here!"

And was immediately waved down by Yvette, signalling to the open seat beside her.

Every once in a while, I couldn't help but feel like she was very similar to Flat. It seemed my master collected all sorts of people like that.

"The Professor always sleeps in, doesn't he? I bet you woke him up and he was just like, 'five more minutes, please!'"

"...you understand him well, don't you?"

"It's my job as his prospective lover, after all. Oh, or because I'm a spy. That reason is fine too!"

Unsure of how serious she was being, all I could do was give a vague smile.

Regardless of that, something far more disturbing had been set up here. Within the center of the dining room, a transparent tube filled with some sort of liquid was set. Floating in that solution was a pair of eyes.

"These are the Noble Coloured Mystic Eyes of Flame," The auctioneer, Leandra, explained.

Standing beside the tube was the woman, her eyes still wrapped in leather.

"I imagine you know already, but anything that enters the vision of these Mystic Eyes undergoes Spontaneous Combustion. They are still in good condition, and the quality of Magic Circuits inside them is quite high as well. It seems there is a bit of a trick to keeping them under control, as usual. The details and price estimates are recorded in your catalogues."

On the table, along with the toast and jam that was set up for our breakfast, a number of hardcover books were also laid out. They must have been a preview of what was to come.

I strangely started to feel like this was a real auction after all.

Though being watched by a pair of disembodied eyes floating in a tank while we ate breakfast was a bit off-putting, I was pretty okay with such grotesque sights if I was just looking at them. It actually caused somewhat of a problem when I went to see a horror movie with Reines. I felt kind of bad, since I didn't know exactly how I was supposed to react.

A bit uneasy about sitting directly beside Yvette, I elected to sit across from her instead. The moment I sat down, a member of the staff immediately brought me some food.

They were so perfectly expressionless. It made me wonder if they weren't homunculi like we saw at the Twin Towers of Iselma.

At a relaxed pace, the auctioneer continued her explanation.

"Among our offerings for this event, we will present two sets of Mystic Eyes today, and two tomorrow, for a total of four being auctioned off. Please keep that in mind."

"Same as always, then?" Yvette muttered.

Seeing I didn't quite understand, she explained further, stroking her eye patch.

"Originally, this auction was just an excuse for the previous Manager to show off their collection of Mystic Eyes. The real, heh, 'Eye Catchers' will be shown tomorrow."

"They held an auction just to show off?" I echoed.

"Yep. It was all just a pastime for some Dead Apostle. What was their name, Rosian?"

A chill ran up my spine.

Dead Apostle.

A person living while dead. A person dead while living.

A creature that had twisted the very core nature of what it meant to be a flesh and blood being. A blood-sucking species, commonly referred to as a "vampire." Dead Apostle was a name used to refer to those people. Different from spirits of the dead - but, though the method was different, they were still those who spat on the concept of death.

As if avoiding poking fun at my obvious discomfort, Yvette continued.

"I only started coming to this auction long after the Manager's representative took over, so I don't know all the details. Not poking too deep into someone's private life is the secret to a longterm relationship, right? Especially in the business world."

Surprisingly, that might have been true.

Unlike in the Clock Tower, where you would often come across people rather frequently whether you liked it or not, a customer of the Rail Zeppelin would likely only see it once a year - no, even for a regular customer like Yvette, it might have only been once every few years.

"Well, after coming here a few times, you learn to get a read on the different customers. For example, he's probably here as a seller."

Yvette dropped her voice to a whisper.

As she spoke, her gaze shifted over to the silent old man in the room.

"You mean Mr. Karabo?"

The old man from the Holy Church.

Even more than the numerous scars decorating his hands, I was more curious about the darkness behind his half-closed eyes.

"There are those in the Church that use magecraft, but being the Church and all, they aren't exactly fond of using anything but the Baptismal Rites. And anyways, at that age, he won't have the time or energy to learn to use a new set of Mystic Eyes. It's far more likely he's here to get rid of a set of Eyes he can't use."

"Does age make a difference?"

"Oh boy," Yvette responded to my question with surprise. "I'd heard the disciple wasn't even a magus, but you really know nothing about magecraft, do you?"

"S-sorry..."

"No no, it's not like that's a bad thing. Actually, that might be more appropriate for someone who's the closest disciple. Hm, maybe my approach was all wrong..."

Crossing her arms, Yvette nodded to herself.

After a moment, she started speaking again.

"Mystic Eyes are a bit different. While they are an organ attached to a magus, they have their own independent Magic Circuits. That's why you can even talk about extracting or transplanting them. Mmm, thinking about them as having their own unique abilities, you could think of it like a Magic Crest that can be passed down without regard to the bloodline of the bearer."

Hearing that, it became clear why Mystic Eyes were so valuable.

Magic Circuits, I recalled, were an organ magi were born with that functioned to produce magical energy. The difference in quality and number differed wildly between magi, so the results they could produce did too. As such, families of magi went to great lengths to improve the quality of their bloodline, in hopes of getting even a single circuit more in their children.

Even if it was only a temporary or fake Circuit, most magi would gladly pay any price.

"Then, when you say they can't control them, then...

"Right. Since they have their own Magic Circuits, Mystic Eyes are able to produce magical energy and cast spells all on their own. 'A Noble Colour is like the movement of the stars compared to normal Magic Circuits.' That saying comes from the same reasoning. So, whether it's a magus or a normal person, though extraordinarily rare, sometimes Mystic Eyes just spontaneously develop in them. But, there's no guarantee those Mystic Eyes come balanced in terms of magical energy output, or the spells they produce. In the worst case, they can activate all on their own, forcefully drawing the Od from the magus' Magic Circuits against their will. In that case, you're basically better off dead."

Yvette shrugged with a bitter look.

"If it's just an issue of not enough magical energy, younger people have more vitality and energy, so they might come out the other side with little more than feeling tired. But once you're older, that changes. The Rail Zeppelin also offers particularly low level Mystic Eyes, as well as completely normal eyeballs, so there's value in selling."

"...then..."

With a small nod, Yvette spun her index finger in the air.

"It's hard to say what the buyers are prepared to deal with. If you have really strong control of magical energy, it's possible to do the opposite, where you take control of the Magic Circuits within the Eyes and basically add them to your own. I imagine most of the magi on this train think they represent that exception. Heh, even if it's only possible once, I'm sure the prospect of getting new Magic Circuits is rather tempting."

This time, Yvette's eyes were drawn to a table on the far side of the room.

To a girl with silver hair, no more than about eleven years old.

Olga Marie.

Flipping through the catalogue in front of her, she was talking with her attendant, Trisha Fellows. Being the daughter of a Lord, I imagined it was safe to assume she would have no difficulty controlling Mystic Eyes.

But what about the person sitting at the opposite table, Hishiri Adashino?

Or the television star Jean-Mario Spinerra, enjoying spinning his own hat in his hand?

...Ah, that's why.

Each of these gathered magi had their own expectations for this auction, I realized with a sinking feeling.

"...I think I understand now."

"Good. Though, maybe this isn't even all of the customers. There are an awful lot of people who don't show up until the day of the auction, after all. But those who are really serious about buying something tend to show up at the start. Even the Eye Catchers I was talking about before are often invited directly by the Rail Zeppelin".

"Huh?" You mean, an invitation to come sell their eyes?"

"As if they'd be so polite," Yvette laughed. "Magi with strong Mystic Eyes are pretty famous. If they ignore the invitation, it's not uncommon to find their dead bodies with eyes ripped out soon after. Yeah, it's more like a message saying, 'if you value your life, hand over the eyes.' They really act like all the Mystic Eyes in the world belong to them."

For a moment, my mind wandered.

Did they think they were some sort of king? What kind of thinking led to someone saying, 'your body belongs to me, so give it here'?

"Of course, to the people who can't control their own Mystic Eyes, the Rail Zeppelin is like a saviour. There's no place in the world that will fetch a better price for Mystic Eyes, after all."

Taking a bite out of her toast, Yvette's gaze wandered back to the door of the dining car.

In an instant, her expression lit up.

"Welcome, Professor!" she immediately called out the moment my master entered the car.

"...Yvette."

"They are seats for four, so please have a set! Please, please, don't be shy! Your cute little disciple is here too, after all!"

Oh.

She had invited me to sit with her as bait to lure in my master, hadn't she?

Though he had seen through her ploy, he sat down beside me with a sigh anyways. Though I felt sorry for him, sitting alone here would have been much worse for me, so I'd have to just ask for forgiveness later.

"Did the Lehrman family not send anyone to keep an eye on you?"

"Hahaha. However, there is someone for that at home. It's a bit too stifling for me, though. A spy needs to be more carefree, don't you think?

Shaking her arms back and forth, Yvette made her appeal.

In response, my master only pressed a hand to his forehead over top of his glasses.

"How was it?"

"To start, I asked the staff about who sent the invitation to me."

Keeping his voice low, he showed me the envelope that had been in his safe.

"Apparently, it's in the style of a kind given out to a number of people. Invitations like this are occasionally made to give out to people who are new invitees. As such, even the staff don't know who gave it out. ...anyways, I left Caules to take care of the room."

He then gave me a look, as if to say we'd continue the conversation later.

Then, there was some movement.

"Allow me to show you one more," the auctioneer said.

As she did, an expressionless staff member brought out another transparent tank.

"Mystic Eyes of Plunder," the auctioneer named the eyes floating inside the tank.

At the same time, a new page suddenly appeared in the catalogue in front of us. As a photo of the eyes and a detailed description appeared on the page, the auctioneer continued.

"As the name implies, they are Mystic Eyes that steal the life force of those it sees. They're ranked Gold. Unfortunately, due to their age, we must apologize for their current condition. However, due to their nature, there is a possibility they will strike back against their owner. In previous auctions, the past two individuals who received these Eyes were brought to the point of death within three years, and our staff were forced to extract them. If you intend to bid on them, please review the limits of liability stated within the contract."

In contrast to the almost bored tone with which the auctioneer spoke, a ripple of unease passed through the magi gathered in the dining car.

Even my master was covering his mouth with a suspicious look in his eyes.

"...perhaps that should be expected of the Rail Zeppelin."

"Are they that impressive?"

"Even the Mystic Eyes of Flame fthey had up before were quite the find."

Yvette's lone eye was sparkling. Seeing my face, which must have looked all sorts of confused, she moved a finger as she explained.

"See, even Miss Olga Marie over there is starting to look a little pale, don't you think? Because among the Noble Colours, Gold is ranked pretty highly."

"Higher than the normal Noble Colours?"

"The kind of thing that will earn a Sealing Designation with one wrong step," my master added.

Hearing that familiar word, I blurted out again.

"Sealing Designation? Like Miss Touko's?"

"Yes. With the Clock Tower's tools and techniques, you can't guarantee they'll stop at just removing the Mystic Eyes. It's far easier for them just to seal away the whole person. For a person with Mystic Eyes that will never be reproduced again, they don't belong to just them, but to the entire Magic Association. Or so the reasoning goes," my master explained, closing one eye. No doubt, the hardness in his voice was a sign of his distaste for that particular policy.

And with a terribly serious expression, he added one more thing.

"Above that is the 'Jewel' level of Mystic Eyes, but at that point, you're getting into the territory of things whose existence can't even be verified. Though it's said one of the Lords at the top of their faction may be hiding some away. I guess the Rail Zeppelin is trying to drum up some notoriety for itself."

"No no, Professor. Even I would never have expected a Gold-ranked set of Eyes to come out second. They must have something really impressive to follow this. At this rate, they may even have a Jewel rank set of Eyes to show off..."

At that point, Yvette was cut off.

"What about Rainbow rank?" a voice called out.

Olga Marie Asmleit Animusphere stood up. Despite her young age, her dignified figure was filled with an ambition that made the other magi's seem pale in comparison.

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said," she snapped.

Despite the confident glare she levelled at the auctioneer, her words came out calm and composed.

"If this is the Rail Zeppelin, you should have the highest rank of Rainbow Eyes here, right? For example... the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception that were found in the Far East. The rumour has persisted in Europe for years that it exists."

This time, calling it a ripple of unease wouldn't even begin to cover it.

The sharp sound of a chair crashing to the floor filled the room as someone jumped from their seat.

And of all people, it was the magus from the Faculty of Law - Hishiri Adashino.

Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?

It was an unfamiliar name. But I did understand that the interest of the gathered magi had been snared well before that - at the mention of Rainbow ranked Eyes. The highest rank. In short, not just the Noble Colours, not just the rank of Jewel whose existence itself was in doubt, but even higher.

Gold.

Jewel.

And then, Rainbow.

The highest rank of Mystic Eyes, whose name alone could inspire fear in ordinary magi.

"Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question today," the auctioneer responded.

She didn't say they didn't have them, though. Just that they wouldn't be displayed here, today.

As one, as if gazed upon by the Medusa itself, the gathered magi stiffened. -surprisingly, even Hishiri Adashino was no exception, returning to her seat clumsily.

In the strange atmosphere now filling the dining car,

"I see, I see," Yvette muttered to herself.

Her lone eye had an unusual shine to it.

"This is the first time I've seen Animusphere here. I guess they are after something in particular? Things seem to be getting interesting."

Finally, she whispered.

"...But, is there really such things as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception? And even if there were, would that even still be considered Mystic Eyes? I wonder."

That event marked the end of the breakfast preview.

The gathered people in the dining car split off into their small groups and left, no discussion of what had just occurred forthcoming. After gathering a few pieces of food for Caules into a basket, my master and I also left the dining car.

Between the dining car and the guest rooms was an entire car reserved for the lobby.

Though the soft carpet and leather sofas had not changed in the slightest, a bizarre sense of dread made my skin crawl. It wasn't magical energy, nor was it a sense of hostility. But after seeing those Mystic Eyes floating in their tanks, the entire train had gained a sinister feel.

Even breathing caused a pain in my chest.

Following my master's footsteps, I raised my gaze.

"Caules?"

Caules was standing in the middle of the hallway.

"Instructor. Gray. ...you look pale. Is something wrong?"

"Uh, no, not at all. I'm just not feeling that great."

Seeing his kind expression, I immediately felt relieved.

But at the same time, it made me feel like he wasn't well suited to the environment of the Clock Tower. Perhaps he had the mind of a magus, but I couldn't help but feel like there was a better place out there for him.

"No problem then, I guess," his expression softened after hearing my answer. "Instructor. Someone slipped this in through the door," he said, holding out a white envelope.

"A letter?"

"Yes. I opened the door immediately, but there was already no one in sight. Sorry."

"No, that's fine. If that's how they were making contact, they were probably using a temporary familiar or something similar to deliver it anyways. I doubt they cared if it got caught."

So saying, he tore open the envelope.

Reading the contents, his hands went stiff.

'We are most honoured that you heeded our invitation,' it began.

With an opening like that, it was hard to imagine that it came from just a single person.

"...Master."

"Yes. It's probably from the thief," he nodded, a frigid expression on his face. It looked like he was trying to freeze solid the roiling, uncontrollable emotions inside.

"First of all, let's analyze this thoroughly-"

"...Lord El-Melloi II."

A bright voice stopped us before we could leave.

When we turned, the one who had gathered the attention of all the magi earlier was standing there.

"Miss Olga Marie."

The silver haired daughter of Lord Animusphere gazed back at us.

She reminded me somewhat of a cat, for some reason. Though they were both children of the same high society, she had a much different air than Luviagelita Edelfelt. If Luvia was like a jewel found deep within the earth, extracted and polished with great effort to perfection, this girl was like an Abyssinian cat, sitting by and watching the history of the nobles unfold together with them.

"I have something to discuss with you," she said, no mask to her pride.

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'm capable of discussing things on your level. Besides, I believe you told me there would be no exchange of information?"

"The situation has changed. Besides, you are the most capable person in the Clock Tower in this regard."

"Oh?"

Though he made an effort to relax his hands as he dropped them to his side, it wasn't long before they started trembling again.

As if reciting some ancient spell, Olga Marie continued.

"After all, it's about the Holy Grail War."

Hishiri Adashino was a magus belonging to the Faculty of Law.

The Clock Tower was made up of twelve primary faculties, but the Faculty of Law was separate from all of them. That was of course because of the Faculty of Law didn't pursue academic study at all. Rather, it was an institution made to manage and control the Clock Tower as a whole.

To be precise, that management could be divided into three strains.

In short, these were the preservation of the world of magecraft, control over the magi contained within it, and mediation between them and the mundane world.

At any rate, the Faculty of Law was both in name and in practice, the 'magi who existed to control other magi.' Many Lords in the Clock Tower freely sent their children to study under the Faculty of Law, and the Faculty in turn freely taught the ways of leadership relevant to the Clock Tower. That was why, despite not necessarily being connected to the Twelve Families or Three Great Noble Families of the Clock Tower, mentioning the Faculty of Law would elicit a nervous reaction.

And now.

"Rainbow rank Mystic Eyes...really?"

Still contemplating the words of Animusphere's daughter, Hishiri was frowning.

As one might expect, the kimono-clad woman was still half in disbelief - no, it would be better to say she was ninety percent sure it was impossible. Even for her within the Faculty of Law, Mystic Eyes of the Rainbow rank existed only in rumour.

But that was just all the more reason she had to make sure.

If they could be proven to exist, that could be shock enough to disrupt the balance of the entire Clock Tower.

"...no," she shook her head.

The real problem is what kind of magecraft operates within them, right?

Noble Colours.

In general, the extent of their abilities was characterized by their long list of titles: Restraint, Compulsion, Contract, Flame, Illusion, Jinx. These specialties of Mystic Eyes all, in some way or other, intervened in the fates of others.

However, Eyes ranked Gold or higher often held great magics that had long since been lost to the modern era. For Jewel and Rainbow ranks, it could be assumed that they didn't just possess powerful magecraft, but instead could actualize Mysteries that were otherwise entirely impossible to replicate in any era.

They could be said to be an exercise of the Authority of the Divine.

If Mystic Eyes of Death Perception actually exist, maybe as the authority of Balor...

Though Hishiri herself had no idea if such Eyes actually existed.

However, if the rumours she had overheard had any truth to them, then conjecture was possible.

In short, the ability to invoke death with a single glance. All things had their individual flaws. Nothing in the world could be said to be a perfect creation. Each thing tended toward its own destruction, in hopes it could be remade with such perfection. Drawing those flaws to the surface was the symbol of that absurd power, possessed by the god Balor of Celtic Myth.

The gathered Source Crests and powerful Mystic Codes owned by the Twelve Families of the Clock Tower couldn't compare.

"To think you'd get caught up in something like this again," she gave a small sigh.

"Is your plan to cut down all the remaining Mystery in the world, Lord El-Melloi II...?"

Closing the door of the room, my master led his two guests to the sofa.

Of course, that meant there was no room left for Caules or myself, so we sat down on the bed nearby. Originally the room was only designed to accommodate three people, so even though half the train car was reserved for our room, with five people inside it began to feel a little cramped.

After seating his guests, my master lowered himself into an armchair before speaking.

"...What interest do you have in the Holy Grail War?"

Though he tried to keep things smooth, there was a hardness to his voice.

In response, Olga Marie's attendant, Trisha Fellows, reset her glasses.

"When the previous Lord El-Melloi became a topic of discussion, the Animusphere family also collected its share of information."

Eight years ago. The Fourth Holy Grail War.

The previous Lord El-Melloi - Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald lost his life in that battle. Or, in other words, the battle in which the current Lord El-Melloi II - the battle in which my master came out alive.

Had the Animusphere family been watching my master since then? Or perhaps, since even earlier? It was to be expected as a fellow Lord that they would be watching Mr. Kayneth's activities, but even then I couldn't suppress the shiver running down my spine.

I felt like, in a small way, I had come into contact with the true nature of the Clock Tower.

"Hmm. And here I thought that the Animuspheres had no interest in anything besides the movements of the stars they watched from their mountain."

"This is yet another one of those stars,"

Olga Marie responded to my master's words.

Her sharp amber eyes glared up at him. Rather than an appraising look, it was more like a challenging one.

"And anyway, that kind of news was big enough to reach us even on our mountain. That the successor of the El-Melloi name intends to participate in the fight that killed his predecessor. The Fifth Holy Grail War is yet a year away. You must have requested the Clock Tower to be sent, right?"

"... It's up in the air. Yet there is already rumours of who they have chosen. Atram Galiasta and the Sealing Designation Office."

Of course, I knew Atram Galiasta.

The Sealing Designation Office must have been the organization of magi responsible for capturing those who had earned a Sealing Designation. Since they were chosen not for their ability in magecraft but for their ability in combat to hunt down renegade magi, something like the Holy Grail War must have been perfect for them.

"Even so, you still applied. It seems you're obsessed with this suspicious-looking wish granter."

"...I wonder."

"That's not right, is it? It seems they've found some way of making fake Heroic Spirits, but this is still the Far East we're talking about. There's no way a magical backwater like them made such a super-high-class ritual,"

Olga Marie said, folding one of her arms as her finger bounced.

Her eyes then narrowed as she folded her second arm.

"In that case, it makes more sense if your objective is the ritual itself. After all, that ritual managed to turn a third-rate New Ager like you into the head of the El-Melloi Classroom somehow. And on top of that, you managed to push yourself into the seat of Lord while the El-Melloi faction was still in a state of total chaos. Were you answering some favour for the previous Lord El-Melloi or something?"

"Unfortunately, I wasn't present for Professor Kayneth's last moments. Right up until the end, he thought I was a hopeless fool, I'm afraid."

It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut.

To think they had kept such a detailed eye on my master.

Thinking back to what Atram Galiasta said as well, it seemed the Clock Tower had determined he was more than an ordinary person in their investigation. It wasn't all that surprising, since Reines had said as much earlier, but despite his philosophical view of things, it seemed he didn't think of himself in that way at all.

"Anyways, you want to participate in the Holy Grail War again. Are you that desperate to make up for your loss last time?"

"...if that's the way you want to look at it, that's fine with me, but is that what you really wanted to talk about?"

"No, just making sure I have the situation right. If you don't like it, you can pretend I'm just talking to myself."

Waving a hand around, Olga Marie continued. "If my speculation is mostly correct, then the reason you came to the Rail Zeppelin was to gather resources for another Holy Grail War, right? If you can't get one of the Clock Tower spots, you'll just have to go as a free agent. If that's the case, there's no way you can just barge in with some powerful Mystic Code like the previous Lord El-Melloi did. I'm kind of amazed at how he went in guns blazing, throwing the El-Melloi family's assets around like they were nothing.

An appropriately huge number of jewels and minerals for a member of Kischur, a careless number of evil spirits even for a member of Eulyphis, and even three Mystic Furnaces made specifically for Lords. And he lost all of it when someone just destroyed the whole building. Just hearing about it made me shudder. Even as strong as the El-Melloi faction was at that time, it seemed they were on the way to their end already."

All I could do was watch them dumbly.

The cautious way she proceeded seemed somehow familiar to me.

(...Reines is like that, too)

Or perhaps, that was the way Reines used to live in the Clock Tower.

I didn't meet her until after she had had a long relationship with my master...or maybe it was better to say after she had pushed herself on him.

(...is that why Reines doesn't want to let him go?)

I still held the card and cell phone Reines had given to me in secret. Though we had lost reception since the train departed, if things went as planned, I should have reception again once the auction actually started.

I felt a little bit relieved.

Because if she wasn't willing to let him go yet, that meant things were still alright.

I felt like if that wasn't the case, then my master would end up disappearing somewhere.

"...you seem to know an awful lot. I would never have thought Animusphere was so interested in the outside world."

"Looking outside the planet and looking at the surface follows the same underlying principle. But, if my speculation is correct, I thought it might not be impossible for us to cooperate."

"Cooperate. At the very least, it sounds nice."

"Doesn't it? After all, we Animusphere are members of the Aristocratic Faction, just like you are."

"Aristocratic..." my master's lips turned slightly.

I'm sure he must have had his own feelings about the factional warfare within the Clock Tower. For starters, even if the El-Melloi family itself was aligned with the Aristocratic Faction, my master's own birth and methods felt much more in line with the principles of the Democratic Faction. That was likely why Valueleta felt it was possible to pull him to their side.

Once again, Olga Marie glared at my master.

"At the very least, if your goal is just to collect weapons, you probably aren't much interested in Rainbow eyes, are you? If that's the case, our goals here don't conflict."''

"...What makes you say that? We're talking about Mystic Eyes of a legendary calibre. Something that even the other Lords of the Clock Tower probably don't possess. Even if we don't know their specific abilities, anyone would be interested in acquiring them, don't you think?"

"As such, even without knowing what they do, being Rainbow rank puts them at a suitably legendary price. I can't imagine the El-Melloi family as it is now can hope to compete on that level financially."

"How blunt," my master shrugged with a bitter smile.

But there was no sense of displeasure to his demeanour. It seemed he really did prefer dealing with people like this. At the very least, it may have just been easier not having to worry about hidden meanings being each and every word.

"In short, you actually believe that Rainbow eyes are going to be put on display here. Do you have some information that led to that conclusion? I can't imagine a leak from the Rail Zeppelin itself."

For a while, Olga Marie was silent.

After exchanging a look with her attendant, she spoke again.

"Okay, Trisha. This whole thing will go smoother if we at least share this much."

"Understood." Nodding to her master's words, Trisha Fellows raised her hand. "The truth is, I saw them myself."

Removing her glasses, she bared her beautiful eyes.

No, perhaps it was just the lively glimmer from deep within them that drew our attention. Seeing that bizarre shine, I couldn't help but feel like I'd seen something similar not long ago...but as I thought that, she began to speak extremely slowly.

"Ah, perfect. Mr. El-Melloi II, would you raise your right hand for me?"

"Like this?"

Without any hesitation, my master raised his right hand from where he was seated.

"Yes, for eight more seconds, if you would. Seven, six, five, four-"

"...Whoa!"

Beside me, Caules suddenly collapsed.

As if overwhelmed by what he was watching, he slipped and fell off the bed. As he fell, one of his flailing hands struck an empty kettle near his pillow, causing it to fly through the air. As if part of some choreographed experiment, the kettle drew a perfect arc in the empty space of the room, coming to rest perfectly against my master's raised hand.

After staring at the kettle in silence for a while, my master finally spoke again.

"Mystic Eyes, I see."

"In a broad sense, yes. My eyes have the ability to predict the future."

"...The future?"

As I sat awestruck, my master whispered to me.

"Just like it sounds. Eyes of Foresight. Just as Trisha explained, in a broad sense, they can be considered Mystic Eyes."

Mystic Eyes.

In a narrow sense, they projected a spell outwards, as was the case of eyes of Flame or Charm. Receptive types of Mystic Eyes, like those of Foresight or Hindsight, were not always included in that definition...though he continued explaining, most of it was lost on me.

The only thing I could think of, as I felt like I was swallowing a stone, was that there was one more.

Someone who could see that which should not be seen.

In a way, a person whose senses were connected to a different world.

Something completely different than the abilities long bought and sold at the Rail Zeppelin.

"About three months ago, I saw Mystic Eyes of the Rainbow rank being put on display at the Rail Zeppelin's current auction."

"You saw," my master muttered.

"Reaching a result before reason is taken into account. That sounds very much like Foresight. But, predictive Foresight is rather unstable. At most, it tells us no more than that such a thing is possible."

"That's why I tried to confirm it earlier," Olga Marie said, puffing out her chest haughtily. "And even an absurd claim like that wasn't denied by the auctioneer. Everyone is probably thinking about that now."

This time, my master went quiet.

Remembering back when she asked us if we were aiming after any particular set of Mystic Eyes before we got on the train, it seemed this straightforward method of questioning was a habit of hers. Though it seemed careless to me, it may have been unexpectedly effective in a place like the Clock Tower, usually so wrapped up in its own intrigue. At the very least, it would make it easy to divide one's friends from their foes.

"I see. And so, you came here to make contact once more. If you can be sure our goals don't conflict, both of our burdens will be eased. ...so, what kind of cooperation were you looking for?"

"If the Rainbow eyes really come out for auction, and some other idiot puts a bid in for them, I want you to bid as well."

"Oh? Even though you were so sure we had no such money?"

"Even so, there aren't many idiots out there that would pit themselves against two families of Lords, are there? Once the others drop out, if you drop out right away, the damage will be minimal."

In other words, she didn't care about his money, just his authority.

I could understand that line of reasoning. Though in my master's case, it wasn't so clear cut, the title of Lord in the Clock Tower was not just a showy crown. Though one would normally be enough, the thought of earning the ire of two such families at once is something anyone, fool or not, would want to avoid.

"If possible, I'd also like you to bid aggressively on the other Mystic Eyes to try and exhaust the others' resources, but that's probably asking too much. From the El-Melloi's perspective, this is a good way to put us in your debt without spending a penny, don't you think?

Though her words seemed to be the height of arrogance, my master responded without showing a hint of emotion.

"I can't promise anything, but at the very least, I understand your request."

No promises.

But, even with just that, it seemed the Animuspheres were satisfied.

As Olga Marie nodded and made to take her leave, she was stopped.

"What is it, Trisha?"

"I have something to discuss with Mr. El-Melloi II. Is that okay?"

"Hmph. Fine, I guess. I'll wait for you in our room."

With a flip of her silver hair, Olga Marie left the room.

After waiting for the door to close completely, Trisha turned to my master.

"I would like to ask you one thing, if possible."

"And what would that be?"

"My master believes you intend to join the Fifth Holy Grail War just to redeem your honour, but I believe that's not quite right."

"...Oh? What makes you think that?"

At my master's prodding, Trisha gave a faint smile as she whispered.

"It is hardly uncommon for someone who overcomes a life-or-death battle to have a complete change of personality. But even for that, a chance is needed. If the previous Lord El-Melloi didn't provide that for you, it must have been someone else. I looked over the results of the survey on the Holy Grail War...and I know of the Heroic Spirit you fought alongside in the Fourth Holy Grail War, ten years ago."

My master's fingers jerked as if surprised.

Caules and I both held our breath. Because Trisha so perfectly described the real reason we had come to the Rail Zeppelin.

The attendant continued to speak softly.

"Yes...a Heroic Spirit that had carved their mark into human history would be more than enough to spark that sort of complete change in someone."

It was like ice stabbing me in the back.

Mystic Eyes of Foresight, she claimed. And she showed us that power.

But I felt like there was an even greater power of discernment hidden behind those eyes.

"An interesting piece of conjecture, Miss," my master responded. "But in the end, it's just conjecture.

It doesn't seem like you have any evidence to back that up."

"Of course not," she admitted. "So please accept this question for the conjecture that it is."

With that preface, she continued.

"Should you summon that Heroic Spirit - that same Servant, would that Servant have no memories of the time spent with you?"

"Huh?"

The dumb-sounding voice blurting out was mine.

Though I had tried to keep it in the entire time, I couldn't help but let that one slip out.

With a short glance toward me, Trisha continued.

"Due to my study into Necromancy, I have a small amount of knowledge regarding Heroic Spirits. Of course, the true Heroic Spirit engraved on the Throne of Heroes certainly has knowledge of the time spent with you. Neither time nor space exists at the Throne, so the records of Heroic Spirits recorded there must be immense. ...However, for that reason, when Servants are summoned into this world, those records are not summoned with them. The knowledge Servants possess consists only of their memories of life, plus knowledge granted to them by the World required to operate in the present era. Beyond that are only a few small modifications. As the Throne of Heroes records all things regardless of time, if that knowledge wasn't stripped from them, any number of paradoxes could result."

Of course, that's all just a theory, she stipulated with the smile of a shark.

"Theory...?"

My feet suddenly felt unstable.

It felt like trying to build something, only to find out you were wrong from the very first step. I felt like the carpet might split open, dropping me straight into hell. If I didn't keep a tight rein on my feelings now, I was sure I'd collapse.

"Yes. It's just a theory. But, what if there were exceptions to it?"

Trisha continued.

"For example, memories from within a Singularity completely split off from every and all timelines, or from within Reality Marbles completely isolated from the rest of the world. Unless such conditions could be met...wouldn't your dream be impossible?"

My master said nothing.

He just narrowed his eyes, as if staring into a strong wind.

"Or perhaps, you intend to entirely change the summoning formula? If so, you would need to create an entirely new Greater Grail, on which the whole process is based. Certainly an undertaking fitting for the title of Lord. No, it would be easier just to steal Fuyuki's. Doesn't that sound just like what a magus would do?"

"...It surprises me that Animusphere is interested in this at all."

My master's voice was quiet.

That made it all the more painful to listen to.

I wanted him to be surprised. I wanted him to be hurt. I wanted him to scream and shout that something like that was impossible. But my master just sat calmly, as if he had known everything Trisha had just said since long ago, whether he liked it or not.

"Allow me to ask one more question. The words 'Rainbow Mystic Eyes' can include any number of possibilities. What kind of Rainbow Mystic Eyes did you see, exactly?"

For a moment, Trisha narrowed her eyes behind her glasses.

Then, she shook her head.

"I don't think there is any need for me to explain that much. Even if it's the Rail Zeppelin, I can't imagine them selling two sets of Rainbow-ranked Mystic Eyes at once, after all."

"I see. That sounds reasonable."

With a bitter smile, my master let off.

His usual smile, as if he was still troubled by something. Though it seems she may have seen something in that expression.

"-Mr. El-Melloi II," she spoke.

"Humans are creatures that depend on information to live, yet are bound by that information until they die. Vision is the sense that acquires the greatest amount of information. As such, possessing Mystic Eyes means accepting being bound by them. Should you seek to acquire Mystic Eyes besides the ones we are after, I would implore you to think deeply on that."

"I appreciate your warning," my master nodded politely.

With that, the attendant left us.

Once the door shut, I immediately spoke. "...Master."

In response to my shaking voice, my master paused before turning to me.

Though I did my best to hide it, he may have still seen the tears in my eyes. The words she had left behind had left such scars.

Facing that, my master spoke with an incredibly complicated expression.

"Did Reines tell you something about the Holy Grail War and me?"

"No," I answered, shaking my head vigorously. "No, no. But, that..."

"That Servants don't remember their previous summonings?" He said, as if reciting a poem. "I am a Lord, you know. I've been researching the Holy Grail War for quite some time. All of that was something I learned long ago. There's no need for you to be worried about it.

"But..."

For the first time, I protested more than once. No, perhaps it wasn't the first time. But it couldn't have been so desperate before.

I just wanted to say, at the very least, you can't just accept that.

"Geez," my master took out a cigar.

With a small, bitter smile, he took out his knife, cut the tip, and struck a match to light it, just like always. Though it was the normal ritual, this time alone, it didn't help me calm down at all. Even with the characteristic scent of cigar smoke filling the room, I still felt like I was on the edge of tears.

"-Um, Professor..."

"Yes?"

He stepped over to Caules, who had been silent up until now.

"I don't know much about this Holy Grail War. And I don't understand the situation that well, so maybe I'm completely wrong in this," he prefaced his own words.

"If there's someone who is important to you, isn't it obvious that you would want them to remember you? At the very least, I would think that's how everyone else feels."

Caules struck straight to the heart of it.

In response, my master faintly smiled.

"That's right. It's not like I'm happy that I've been forgotten or anything." The smoke from his cigar wavered, drawing his eyes up to the ceiling. "But even then, there is someone I want to meet, even if he's forgotten. There's something I want to confirm. Something I need to see finished, so I can move on from these past ten years. ...yes, at the very least, the Holy Grail War is just a small thing to me. To share those memories and bond over them is just too happy an ending to be realistic, no matter how much of a price I've paid. There's no way I can afford such an ending with just my life."

Holding the cigar in his mouth, the lingering scent of smoke hanging in the room seemed like nothing.

I just wanted to shake my head.

To deny what he said.

But with the way he made that troubled smile, I just couldn't put it into words.

"What do you think?" Caules asked again.

"Do you think that invitation was left by Miss Olga Marie?"

"Who knows? Normally, it seems like a tactic that's outside her style, though. There would be no point in dragging up a whole conversation about the relic only to pretend like she didn't know it was stolen."

When it came to magi, though, a method being too roundabout or meaningless was something you couldn't really count on. Even if the possibility was low, that alone could serve as a part of some sort of magecraft.

"First of all, we have this letter," he said, lifting up the letter Caules had found earlier.

Eyeing it over once more, he stated his conclusion.

"Come to the caboose at night, it says."

"...Then..."

"Yes," my master nodded.

"We've come this far. Why not answer it?"

...However.

Before evening could come around, another bizarre occurrence took place.

As the three of us spoke and prepared for the evening, suddenly, the Rail Zeppelin came to a stop.

"The train...?"

As we looked around in confusion, an announcement came on over the room's speakers.

"This is your conductor, Rodin. The train will remain at this location for the next two hours. Afterwards, it will depart once more. All guests are welcome to remain in their rooms or leave the train as you wish."

"...It seems like it's a scheduled stop," my master said.

Perhaps that was all part of the auction's schedule.

"Shall we go take a look outside then?"

"Ah, okay!"

"I guess I'll come, too."

At my master's words, we all left the room, leaving the train behind us.

There was no way we could call this place a station.

We were deep in the forest, at a place that made it strange to think tracks were running here at all. The only place missing densely packed trees were the areas directly in front of and behind the train. The red, rusted-over tracks were covered in bushes that made them seem like they had been assimilated by the forest around them.

A refreshing breeze caressed my face.

Though we couldn't see beyond the forest at all, a cool wind still reached us, giving me a refreshed feeling.

"Aha!" Nice, fresh air!"

The man that had left the train shortly before us stood in the forest, arms wide as he breathed in the atmosphere.

"Jean-Mario, you said your name was?"

"Yes. I'm honoured a Lord of the Clock Tower would remember me!"

Spinning his white hat in his hand, he took a bow.

Perhaps because he was used to performing on TV, everything he did seemed unnaturally exaggerated. Though his smug expression was much brighter and more cheerful than my master's ever was, it was something distinctly unfamiliar to me.

"Man, this is my first time on the Rail Zeppelin, but the service is great, isn't it? I was just getting bored of seeing nothing but fog outside my window. Having a chance to step off the train isn't bad at all. Though, perhaps I would have preferred somewhere a bit more flowery."

His loud voice seemed half serious, and half like he was trying to insinuate something.

Though I was more than comfortable in such undeveloped areas, I could understand someone feeling the opposite.

"Well, anyways, the sandwiches here are just what you would expect."

Sitting down in a chair that had been set up, Jean-Mario took a bite of his fruit sandwich.

A number of other magi had disembarked from the train as well. Nearby, a number of tables had been set up, covered with sandwiches and other light foods.

"It seems the fox from the Faculty of Law isn't interested. And Animusphere's daughter only poked her head outside before returning."

As if trying to pique my master's interest, Jean-Mario kept speaking. Perhaps because of his experience as a television performer, his ability to read the atmosphere was excellent.

One more person came out.

The old man from the Holy Church - Karabo Frampton, stood apart from everyone else, drinking tea.

If it hadn't been for the incident earlier, I would have thought his manner of ignoring everyone else and going by his own pace was very magus-like.

Suddenly, I turned.

"...Master?"

My master had started walking into the forest on the other side of the tables.

Using his hands to push aside the thickly growing branches, the thick scent of the forest filled the air. In a small open space beyond the trees, a circle of mushrooms was growing in a neat circle.

"A Fairy Circle?"

"...Ah, just like always!"

Yvette said, suddenly popping her head in. It seemed she had also decided to leave the train for a bit.

The pink-haired, eye-patched classmate drew Caules' attention.

"You know about these, Yvette?"

"The rails for this train are apparently built following Leylines. Probably has something to do with maintaining their supply of magical energy. So when they stop, it tends to be at some kind of power spot. Heheheh, a fairy journal sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? How about doing that for our honeymoon, Professor?"

"...Ah, I see. If you follow the Leylines of England, you'll end up on a path tied up with fairies. That's only natural, I guess. So rather than sightseeing, this is more like restocking."

Almost too naturally, my master gave his opinion, completely ignoring Yvette's closing comment.

He then glanced back at the stopped train.

"I guess it's obvious, but this train follows its own rules, after all."

For some reason, my master's words gave me a sinking feeling.

Though the Castle Adra and Towers of Iselma were the same, being built by a Dead Apostle, the Rail Zeppelin was in a different class. Even so, it still had its own set of rules.

Maybe, everything in this world had its own set of rules that it had to follow.

People followed the rules of people. Magi followed the rules of magi.

The dead followed the rules of the dead.

As I shook my head, trying to cut off that line of thought, my eye caught something.

"Gray?"

"...It's nothing. I just thought I saw something," I said, narrowing my eyes.

It was beyond the trees.

Standing within the fog was the figure of a woman clad in white, someone I hadn't seen at all on the train earlier. Around her was a cloud of vibrant flower petals, as if she was being decorated in another world.

Rose petals.

Around where the woman stood, dozens of bright red roses bloomed proudly. Not just around her, but the brilliantly coloured flowers also wove through her hair like a crown, making her look like a personification of the flowers themselves.

The woman raised her face.

Her sharp, scarlet eyes met mine...

...Huh?

And in the next moment, she was gone.

At that point,

"Uhh, little disciple?"

"Is something wrong?" Both Yvette and my master were standing beside me, frowning.

I immediately became flustered, thinking of how hard to miss that person must have been.

"What? But, now, there was a white woman with red roses..."

"That would be the Manager of the Rail Zeppelin," an unexpected voice came to the rescue as I pointed helplessly at where I saw her.

It was the conductor that had introduced himself when we first boarded the train. His name was Rodin, if I remembered correctly.

"The owner?"

With a sudden intensity, my master turned around.

That's right. On that first invitation we had received, that was the name that had been written. That's who my master had been looking for the moment he had got on the train.

"Yes. She does not run the day-to-day affairs anymore due to previous circumstances; it can be said that she has retired," the conductor calmly explained. "Even we meet her only rarely, but it seems you have a sensitivity beyond that of any ordinary magus. She prefers to watch the proceedings from afar."

Sensitivity. I understood that in some way.

For example, the ability to perceive the faint, lingering thoughts that stained the depths of the earth was something magi couldn't do. That was the reason I left my home.

"...The owner retired?" my master said, cutting off my question.

"Originally, this auction was an idea proposed by the owner, but there was some trouble in the past. Since then, the owner has stayed mostly away leaving the work to her representative. It may be that the one you saw was actually that representative."

"Trouble?"

Was that the story about Touko I heard about...?

As my master's expression became heated, that thought idly crossed my mind. But before I could follow it any further, in the gentle atmosphere of the forest, a girl's scream tore the calm. My master responded instantly to the sound.

"Gray."

"...Understood!"

With a firm response, I took off at full speed.

Jumping off the ground, I sailed three seconds through the air before reaching the door, turning the bar halfway. Doing what I could to slow myself down in the air, I immediately started running through the train.

I immediately understood the source of the scream.

With my ears, I could easily tell that from where we were standing. But even then, the moment I opened the door, I went stiff.

"Oh, dear."

"...Hey, come on..."

Behind me, I could hear Yvette and Jean-Mario groaning.

As other magi arrived one by one, they all caught their breath. The scene before us was so gruesome even those with the sensibilities of a magus would be taken aback at first glance.

Drip, drip.

Drip, drip.

The sound of water dripping filled the otherwise quiet air.

A red stain was spreading on the luxurious carpet of the Rail Zeppelin.

In the middle of that stain was a single tipped-over chair, and a single human body.

Trisha Fellows.

Just looking at the amount of blood, it was hard to imagine her being alive. But more than that, something was missing.

Her head was nowhere to be seen.

Even so, we could recognize her from the purple coat she was wearing. The coat that matched her so well was now being quickly dyed red.

"Trisha...!"

Immediately beside her, Olga Marie was on her knees.

The scream earlier had been hers. After all, with the way Trisha was now, there was no way she could scream herself.

"I...I left the train...to clear my head...in the forest..." Her hollow voice filled the room.

"T-then I went to the lobby, to get some tea...and when I came back...Trisha...Trisha was..."

No one could answer her mutterings.

All the while, the sound of blood dripping from her body continued.

---

August 5th, 9:12 P.M. Shiki P.O.V

Moonlight (Music) /_cXJO6_qK0c

On a lonely London street, a pay phone was ringing.

The street was broken, and everything was evenly cut by lines of certain death.

I wasn't even thinking of why I wasn't wearing my glasses. No, in fact, I hadn't been thinking at all for a while now.

For a few days, I have felt like I am being watched. As if there was a shadow looking for me.

I had been waiting for it for some time now, and I had nearly given up on it ever coming.

Ring ring

Ring ring

Yet something was off. The ringing was not normal. It was like one of those old stories about a ghost phone call. The high-pitched screech of the phone was like a banshee's laugh.

Ring ring

Ring ring

I pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Welcome; I would like to honourably invite you to the Mystic Eye auction of the Rail Zeppelin. Allow me to be direct, but it took some difficulty to find you using the unclear specifications I was told about you. This magic can be so pedestrian sometimes; regardless, you hold Rainbow Mystic Eyes, correct?"

"...Huh?" This wasn't my superior who gave me orders. It was a woman with a posh, archaic English accent. Yet the pressure of her words was immense. It was more like hearing a huge bear speak than anything. Even through the phone, I was frozen in fear. "...Who are you?"

"Rita Rozay-en, but I do insist that you address me as Miss Rozay-en."

"What do you want with me?"

"Your eyeballs, of course! Or at least I wish to see them. You see, for so long have I appreciated the artistry of Mystic Eyes, and yet I have never even found the ones of true perfection. Those known as being under the classification of Rainbow."

"...I-I don't know what you are talking about." I try to put the phone down, but it's like it is glued to my hand. Nothing makes sense.

Everything is melting. How did I get here?

"Now, now, don't be surprised. I simply heard a rumour that there was someone of your calibre somewhere in this story, and that must be you. If you had been a boring human, then surely I would have left you to live out your short life. But don't be mistaken; I am not an unfair woman. Make your choice; you can choose between coming to see me and my train, or you can run away, but do know that there will be consequences."

"What consequences...?"

"None so much to you, but feeling your memories, I can say with certainty that great pain will be inflicted upon you. How sad. Now, I couldn't just let you go without knowing that, and I do wish we would speak more intimately later if I can have you for dinner, but it seems that this call will end soon due to that annoying interloper. Putting the Night of Wallachia right into the heart of my domain is quite a nasty trick. Even Sumire, my sworn rival, wouldn't be so petty. Ah, just read the letter I wrote for you if you need help~! Ta ta!"

My heart was racing. I put the phone back to my ear as if somehow that would give an answer. Where was my case officer, and what was even happening?

"...Bzzzzzzz..." Static. ...But, softly, as if in the far distance, I could hear something. "N...a...n...a...y...a..." It was my voice, but not. It was cold and distant. Except that... it wasn't coming from the phone.

I turn arround, expecting someone else, yet all I see is a black cat with a pretty white bow arround its neck.

"Aufwachen."

...

I get up with a start. I had fallen asleep at some point. My head is pulsing. I feel like I had a really ridiculous dream right then, which is strange...

A normal person would certainly bury their nightmares deep, but I've never really had nightmares or dreams... well, I once did, but it was always the same strange scene. For someone like me, whose normal is outrageous and terrible, I can only survive by simply running away when it gets too bad. That's why I am alive in the profession I have.

So, of course, my first instinct to this fear is to flee and not fight. That's all I can do, or else I will have to become someone else. I can just forget all about it and go about with the daily routine I have barely managed to gain as one of the few agents assigned to London. I can lay low somewhere no one will find me, and if my superiors complain, I'll just say that I was embroidered with a sudden mission. They might rage at me for it, but at least I will be alive.

At least then, I won't have to kill anyone. I don't want to kill anymore. Not even if it's a person who is already dead or can't be saved. I don't want my hands- no, my eyes to end anything with the figure of a human. I don't want to become too comfortable with it, or else I will forget what Sensei taught me.

The idea that Aoko would look at me with sad, disappointed eyes. That's what frightens me more than anything.

So it's perfectly logical to run, even if there will be consequences... perfectly natural...

I try to convince myself. I know I'm just a coward, but all cowards know that. 'It takes a coward to cross a dangerous bridge,' Sensei once said to me.

I'm unwilling to traverse harsh waters. Because the only people who can survive such a thing are monsters, I am afraid of what choice I would make if it were between becoming a monster or losing my life.

I leave the dark hostel after getting dressed. I don't really know what I am doing, but I feel I really, really should get a move on. Somehow, I feel harried by some invisible force. The Church was quiet as I left, and even if the others who stayed here heard me leave, they understood I was different.

The night outside was humid, and there was an ominous fog.

There was a hum in the air that night. The hum of death that promised the unprepared a swift end. I should run away. I really should just leave everyone to it. Sensei's words were right. This life is my own, and these are my eyes. I was given them for a reason, and I can decide what to do with them. Well, I decide not to use them. That is what is surely right with someone as monstrous as this.

"Tohno Shiki!"

"Not again..." It was a woman with bright white hair, and she was wearing old black vestments. The sort of dress only an old knight would wear, while she carried with her a heavy shield on her back.

"Is that you, Mr. Shiki? Is it really you?"

Hearing the name Tohno as it must appear in my file can be scathing. Yes, that was my name once, but I was left up for adoption by them. Abandoned by my own... family? Oh, well. My memories of those times are covered in holes.

"Just Shiki is fine... use Kuonji if you really care about the last name. That's my cover name at the Association." I had met many magi, both here in London and in the world, as someone who was once forced to hunt them. I even ended up being registered as a member of the Association due to Lord El-Melloi essentially forcing me into it. That is why I go by the name of Shiki Kuonji in this town. Technically, I was legally adopted into the Church, but the only time I ever felt like maybe I could build something out of my life was when I was at the Kuonji mansion. Of course, I had to leave due to complicated circumstances, but the taste in my mouth is not as bitter as it is with other memories, such as my time spent with Caren at the silent abbey.

"Of course, Mr. Shiki. Thank Jesus, at least something is going my way. I've been looking for you forever. I am Riesbyfe Stridberg, captain of the Vestel Shield knights. My order was so stretched thin that all I could do was look for allies, and my partner abandoned me. ...Ah, what is it that you have there?"

"What?"

"That... envelope... Hehe, is God looking out for me after all?" She was looking at my hands.

"What envelope?" I looked down, only to find that, at some point, a letter had entered my hands. No- this letter had been in my hands ever since I had awoken. I had been so preoccupied that I hadn't noticed. "Uh oh..."

'We hereby invite you to the Mystic Eyes auction on the Rail Zeppelin. We faithfully await your arrival.'

"It turns out that that rumour was so much more valuable than I thought. Great work, Shiki! This is what a hunch is all about. I knew finding you would be worth my time. Sion has nothing over me after all, I thought she was abandoning me at the first chance, but it seems that this is a real establishment after all. It says here you can take two guests, so you know what that means, right?"

"Um... Riesbyfe, I just think that I'm not really suited for this sort of work with you. I'm not under your jurisdiction, and I'm really not looking to-"

"Nonsense. I have papal authority to do whatever is needed to eliminate a threat to mankind. That means I am your superior for as long as that threat exists. That means I have decided to conscript you."

"Miss Riesbyfe, I..."

"Call me Ries, please. I'm not an old cardinal that has become as inhuman as the enemies we face. I fight with my soldiers in the field, and I do everything it takes to keep them safe. I need anyone I can get, and you are it. I read your file. You were the apprentice of one Kotomine Kirei, were you not? It said you never once failed a mission and that you survived multiple missions that saw the death of many other Executors. ...All I ever heard of that man was that no one tended to survive missions with him until you, that is."

"I-I... Yes. But I was given an individual assignment; I'm not a junior Executor anymore. To be honest, I would not have survived that work for any longer than I did. ...I can't say why that man let me go, but he did for his own selfish reasons."

"Parts of your file were redacted, however, and that makes me even more intrigued by you. That is none of my business, of course, but what is my business is this operation. ...Simply put, we are up against enemies that require every last scrap of firepower I can get my hands on. That means I can not allow you to get away as you seem to wish."

"I-I... Ah, man..." I had a headache. The road to escape was being burned right in front of my eyes.

"Don't look so down. You could do worse than me as your date."

"It's not you that's the issue. This invitation was for an hour ago. It's the location, yes... But how are we supposed to get to a train that has already left the station? Perhaps we should sleep and think of a new plan?"

She looked over the strange invitation.

"No travel instructions, really? Dead Apostles truly are despicable. Well... I'm sure we'll find something out, won't we? The Church isn't just some pathetic entity. Still, all my order's resources are spent forming a perimeter arround Aylesbury at the moment..." She took out some kind of phone and contacted a few people in short order. The Knightly Orders. They were the military arm of the Church, and they were trained as such. Compared to my designation as an Executor of the Holy Sacrament, she was far more highly trained in large-scale operations. "I've found us a mode of travel. We'll have to make a few compromises, perhaps... Ah, but we are in London. This is the center of the Association, so why not use that? There are more freelancers here than anywhere else in the world. Surely someone is on call for transport at a time like this." She used some kind of device that could transmit text over distances. That would be pretty useful to have on hand all the time.

"Well, that sounds great. How about you take my invitation and do that, and I'll go meet with you later?" She grabs my arms with an unbreakable crushing hold.

"No, no, no. I'm just a lonesome woman. I need protection from a strong man like you." She smiles.

"The fact that you are crushing my arm effortlessly hurts your act."

"It's no act! I really do need you as a meat shield and to get me into that train. That's important!"

"...I have no choice, right?" Human rights don't exist in the world under the moon, unfortunately.

"I'm your superior, so of course not. ...Oh, and it seems that my agents already have a hit on a freelancer. Almost as if such a person was waiting for such information."

"You knight types work fast."

"Hah... I hope it's fast enough. No point in worrying, though. At this rate, we can do nothing about TATARI, so shift focus to separate enemies first. Divide and attack from a new direction. That is the best tactic at the moment while the bulk of my force works on containment."

"TATARI? Is that a magus? Is this an operation against the Association?" I asked innocently at that time.

"...Certainly not, but it's similar to taking on an entire organization of magi. Are you familiar with the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors?"

My blood runs cold. "That is..." Monsters. I may have been assigned with Kotomine to hunt down heretical magi, but my training by Father Fumizuka and at the abbey with Caren had all suited a single purpose. I was trained for the situation of killing demons that should not exist.

"Yes, TATARI is the fifteenth Dead Apostle Ancestor, and he has come here to England. TATARI is the phenomenon, and Night of Wallachia is the entity. The enemy of this operation. TATARI begins by spreading a strange feeling over the area. Curses take strength from extreme anxiety and operating on that principle; it transforms general rumours into reality. Its presence is initially weak, but as humans become more uneasy and the rumours spread more, its power grows even greater. In order to take form, the rumours must spread throughout the town to increase their probability. It is only a rumour, and as rumours cannot actually kill anyone, there won't be victims until it truly occurs. It can't fully resemble the rumour until the realization of the rumour. Before the true materialization of TATARI forms, a number of smaller occurrences may manifest depending on the current nature of the rumours. The rest of my subordinates are dealing with these small manifestations by themselves at the moment in Aylesbury, and for now, it is manageable."

"Rumour... Can't it be a good rumour, then? What if we tried spreading something like everyone getting free Ice-cream or something?"

"All rumour is bad, in this case. Following positive wishes, he once gave a village wanting a bumper crop the proper agricultural conditions by providing abundant fertilizer in the form of the dead bodies of everyone in the village. Quarrelling townspeople wishing for peace and friendship were fighting because they had different opinions, so it was solved by bringing them together as they all tried to escape from him. He appeared in a village wishing for the appearance of their local god of a tree by taking its form, and as that god wished it, he took the heart of every villager. Appearing in a town praying for release from a plague, he helped end their suffering from the disease in the quickest way by letting them die. In the end, he is only a vile demon that grants nothing but the sucking of blood. The meaning of TATARI is a curse, and people destroy themselves with a blind belief of the curse they themselves created. It exists as the 'uneasiness' of others, and as the embodiment of that, they cannot resist and only have their blood sucked. It appears according to everyone's desires and subsequently leaves in a manner that they wish, but only in a way that interests his sadistic pleasures."

"That's great to know and all, but perhaps if I am needed elsewhere... Preferably somewhere that is in the other direction from this TATARI enemy. I mean... how are we supposed to deal with an enemy we can't even fight directly?"

"It's all fine. My base camp is quite full already. What I need is a partner; I work better when there is someone I can protect with my shield. And since Sion has abandoned me for someone else, you fit the bill quite nicely."

"Hehe... This is... just a joke, right?" I wave my hands, trying to laugh this all off, but she just looks at me seriously.

"No. You are an executor, right? Shape up already. In this work, you were going to find yourself in a hopeless situation at some point."

"Well..."

"Oh, don't be nervous. We will have to wait for a fish to bite, so why not tell me about yourself? Don't be nervous. I'm not a Templar, so I hold no grudge against you for being an Executor of the Holy Sacrament."

I was forced to tell her about myself. There wasn't much to say, but it did waste time and make it impossible to get away from her.

Any time I tried to make an opening to do any but stay here, she would entrap me subtly, and I knew that I had no chance. Her delaying went on for long enough that, apparently, she was in contact with someone that was willing to strike a deal with the Church.

That person arrived in less than half an hour. It seemed that they were in as much of a rush as Ries was.

It was a woman. A strange woman...

She wore all white, not unlike a nun, but somehow a little different. Her aura was one of complete cold silence. Thinking about it, she resembled a maid more than a nun.

"I apologize for my delay; I ask that you do not reflect my failure on the majesty of the house I represent." Curtsying, she was graceful in every action she took. Yet she was deathly cold. She was so pale she must only be called albino, and her red eyes were artificial. If anything, she looked more like what I imagined a vampire to look like. She spoke in English, but I could somehow tell that both Ries and she were German.

"You are... a magus?"

"Not quite. A homunculus," Ries said next to me, clicking her tongue. "An Einzbern homunculus at that. I have not heard of your type being active for the last few years."

Ignoring Ries, the Homonculus continued. "You may call me Sella; my mistress ordered me to come to the Rail Zeppelin for a personal matter. Regrettably, I did not arrive in time before the train departed. This is my disgrace." Somehow she looked almost uneasy being alone as if it was a grave punishment just being here. "I am willing to strike a compromise with the Church in return for passage to the train in the midst of its journey."

"That's what we have asked you here for. What we need is to get there. ...The Einzbern family is an ancient clan that has some connections to the Church. Can I trust you to abide by your deal?"

"By the honour of the venerable Einzbern house, I take exception to the implication that I would disregard a commitment. It is the Church that has been known to break their oaths when it suits them."

The tension between the two was palpable. Both searched the other for any weakness, but neither gave it. This is the natural reaction when a magus and a Church agent meet.

Until Ries sighed.

"Eh, fine. I'm a soldier, not a Cardinal. All I want is to do what it takes to win this and protect those who serve under me. What I can say is that I will keep my end of the bargain as long as you have no intentions of interfering with our operation here."

"The esteemed Einzbern family holds no care for your conflict. Our interest here is our own."

"Well, whatever. So, how do you intend to get us there? Time is ticking.

"For the Einzbern family, that is a trivial matter. Homunculi are superior to humans in Flying Magecraft, as we are not constrained by vertigo. One such formula can be prepared with alchemy."

"Ugh... Maybe we should look for someone else." She whispers the last part in my ear. I don't know why she has become so familiar with me all of a sudden, but I guess this is the sort of charisma that a captain has to have. She inspires loyalty in her own way, and I would rather have her as my superior to the sort of people I am used to in the Church. Certainly, I'd take a good person like her over my old master Kotomine any day. "She is telling the truth, but the method is not the best."

"Why?"

"Sure, a homunculus can be trusted not to fall unconscious while in flight due to the difficulty, but what about us? Trust me when I say that flying in the air is an experience that is more nauseating than wonderful. Won't you keep me safe if we have to do this?"

"That is... aren't you the one I should be saying that to!?"

"Rude. But I guess you are right. I know a secret way for you to feel fine even though you are up in the air. ...Come here."

"...What is it?" I come right up to her. It seems she has something to show me.

"...Sorry for this." She suddenly lightly throws some kind of dust into my face before I can react. By the time I can react, it's too late. I know this feeling. I feel it all the time. It's the feeling right before being rendered unconscious. "...But I can't have you run away on me just yet."

I fall to the ground.

"Now, let's do this flying thing. I can stay awake for it due to my training."

"If you would be so patient, I shall show you the superiority of the Einzbern magecraft." The last thing I see is bright blue birds made up of string filling the air. An alchemical formula that allows even Homunculi to make use of powerful magic. I didn't know anything about it then, but apparently, that was one of the many reasons why the Einzberns were considered masters of Homunculi.

The world turns black.

I knew that the next time I woke up, I would be back in that world of danger I was always trying to run from.

---

Author's Notes:

This should be the last Sakura characterization bit for a while. I know I have done a lot on that topic, but I felt that this one last thing was needed at this point. Readers were rightfully worried that Sakura was regressing back to her old more yandere-focused self, and it was important to address that. When I said that Sakura was in the Shiroubowl, I also added the nuance that her path was really difficult due to her mental block when it comes to Shirou. You could say that she is on hiatus from Shiroubowl That's what happens when we think in terms of 'shipping' or 'shiroubowl'; these terms are not really accurate to how I think about what to write. I'm not for forcing a relationship because that is some ship; I'm more about organically building up characters and the effects of the relationship that builds up between them as a result. That, as a result, is a bit more complicated than forced shipping, and for example, even though Shirou has many girls arround him in this story, his relationship with them all is certainly complicated one way or another.

As to the debut of Shiki in this story, it was going to happen at some point, so I guess it's best to just get it out of the way now. Long story short, he's an executor in this story after being orphaned due to all that family drama. If you know nothing about Shiki, then know at least that if someone is named Shiki then that person is the holder of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

It's getting hard to write with all of these characters coming in at once, but it will be easier once everything falls into place the right way here. It'll just take a little time to get this all aligned correctly.

If you are a Melty Blood fan, then you should know all this plotline already, but it never really has been written about, so I decided to make it into a plot point. I'm annoyed by the fact that there are going to be two FGO characters in the Melty Blood DLC and no Sion? I guess she is being saved from being the main heroine of the sequel that will probably come out when Tsukihime Remake part 2 is released, but still... it doesn't taste right to me.

I'm not an FGO hater by any means, I like FGO, but I certainly don't love it. Its story is middling, but it does have some good world-building and characters. How I would put it is that it has good characters with very little characterization. That seems to be by design, though, because they don't want to flesh out certain characters or something because it would ruin certain players' headcanons. So they just leave everything in a blank slate to make everyone equally happy.

My friend code is 427,546,160 for English FGO. I don't play much anymore, but you can have it if you've read to this point.

Q: Quick question- how are you going to handle the power scaling of noble phantasms in this fanfic and when Shiro uses them?

In most of the fanfics I've read when Shiro uses noble phantasms such as Kanshou Bakuya they don't feel like... noble phantasms you know? They just feel like normal blades.

Noble phantasms are supposed to be the manifestations of a heroic spirit's legend and Shirou's ability to copy them and reproduce them indefinitely must make him one of the strongest combat mages in the modern day.

In the Nasuverse the older a concept, weapon or spell is the stronger it is, and considering most of the AOG magic is either lost or irrecoverable in modern day due to advancements in technology, the current mystery most mages have access to is weak. As well as loss of true ether.

In fate route Rin was able to take a life from Heracles by attacking him with jewels filled with 10 years of prana, Shiro and saber together able to take 7 lives from a single projection of Caliburn, if Shiro alone was able to do even half of that, that means Shiro can cause damage either rivalling or greater than 30 or even 40 years of prana stored in gems. This isn't even counting broken phantasms.

Nasu further complicates this by saying that Bazett would defeat Shiro, despite the fact that the latter has more noble phantasms than the former and can copy servant stats through UBW.

In kara no Kyōkai when Ryougi Shiki unsheathe her Katana it was able to instantly destroy the bounded field Touko, a grand magus created due to the fact it had 500 year old mystery.

So far the power scaling has been good and easy to follow but as you are introducing many more characters I worry you might have difficulty in keeping a track of power scaling.

Really sorry for long post just wanted to vent about power scaling and mystery in the Nasuverse because there seem to be some contradictions errors in them that aren't Brought up often.

Looking forward for future chapters, this fanfic is one of the best Typemoon fanfics on the site right up there with other great works like Fateless. Stay safe and stay healthy, :)

A: You bring up a great point that I think about often as well. Nasu said once that in terms of power level as magi, it goes that Ciel is a 100, Rin is about 40 but will grow to be about 60, and Shirou is a 20 who can reach 40 in certain circumstances. People (me) get mad at the idea that Shirou is weaker than Rin when we has so many amazing peaks far greater than Rin. However, that's not really the point, and Shirou's peaks were never purely his own.

All characters have their weakness, and Shirou's strength is a gimmick that is pretty crazy in so far that he can defeat Gilgamesh under those certain circumstances. But Shirou's huge flaw is that his magical energy is way too low to be able to cast Noble Phantasms as they should be. When Rin is backing him up with energy though, or Saber is helping to give Caliburn power, or Shirou is taking energy from Archer's arm or Shirou is taking Archer's experiences, then Shirou does make up for that difference and he reaches his potential.

Shirou loses to Bazzet because she is a NP user attuned to mastering a single one, which is his weakness. And her NP is very strong on its own, anyway. Although that would only be based on what form of Bazzet he would be facing, because she has her own anxiety crutch which is why Kirei is able to betray her so easily. He would also likely lose to Rin for the same general reason that he would lose his energy far before she does. You would then say that that is only because Shirou has yet to reach his full potential, but that goes for Rin as well, and the fact is that Shirou actually doesn't have much room to grow in other than learning to unlock his one magic, whereas Rin can learn many magics.

Anyway, as to your main question, the answer is that the Noble Phantasms are balanced by the penalty that it takes on Shirou to use them. The more powerful the projection, the higher the cost. In this story, Shirou does have more magical energy as his baseline due to his status as a demi-servant, but Angra Mainyu is the weakest servant, and Shirou taking energy from Sakura is only enough to sustain him. Taking too much energy from Sakura has bad consequences, as we have seen. The fight against Gilgamesh was special since the Holy Grail was directly pumping energy into the Reality Marble which basically made Shirou able to project as much as he wanted. He still nearly died just from the strain of that.

If I were to say, how many NP he can summon as his baseline without any special energy upgrades then I would say about an unlimited number of low level Nps like Kanshou Bakuya (which he does not yet have). The one stipulation with those low-level projections is that he can only handle so many at once so he can't just create a wall of death at will, he could do that in UBW though. Verg Avesta is cheap for Shirou but it's also one of the worst NPs due to the fact that it requires Shirou to take a huge amount of damage but also somehow survive in order to work. Middle-of-the-road NPs arround B rank are not so easily used, and broken phantasms that would then make them A rank are even more expensive. I'd say that Shirou could probably handle no more than 2-4 of these, and even less if broken. Consider that many Servants would probably be unable to survive an A-rank Broken Phantasms, so using one would take much out of Shirou. This tier is where Shirou would want the battle to end at, and past that he will start really putting his life at risk. If he does decided to throw that all to the wind he can try and use some NPs full ability rather than throwing or exploding them. This will take such a toll out of him that he will send himself straight to the brink of his limit, and close to death like Caliburn or anything like that. Beyond even this are his projections that transcend what should be possible for a human like Excalibur, Avalon or trying to use one of Gilgamesh's Divine Constructs.

Unlike what is sometimes misunderstood, Shirou can project Divine Constructs, but he is unable to sympathise with them as they are not created on Earth. In HF when Shirou projects Excalibur, he is projecting an image of it created by himself yet he still is able to copy it's energy beam powers. But like all Nasu rules, that is broken as well since Shirou projects Avalon perfectly and without killing himself, which is I think Shirou's actual greatest feat along with literally just willing himself to break the curse of Angra Mainyu. That is the same reason why his eyes can't sympathise with Arcueid as she is also a alien/divine construct, except at the very end of their time together when he truly sees her for the first time. The reason for why he can use Avalon is because Saber recognises that he is also a worthy holder of it, so she gives him allowance to project it which allows for him to do so even though he can't become it's owner like he can with human-mand Noble Phanstams. If Gilgamesh gave Shirou to use his Divine constructs, then Shirou could maybe also try them out but he's never do that... right?

Anyways, I hope you can find your answer somewhere in this text.

Reviews are welcome.