Magician in Type-Moon

Page 497

He was even friends with Melanie Solomon of the Holy Church.

“Another big shot,” Matou Ike muttered under his breath.

“It is precisely because the two are at odds that they are even less likely to miss such an opportunity.” Van Fem smiled, but there was no ease in his eyes. “Think about it, the symbolism of ‘King of the Sky’ becomes an overwhelming symbol if it falls on one person.”

“But what if there are two?” He shrugged. “That would be troublesome. No matter who it is, no one wants the other to establish their authority first.”

Van Femme paused, then looked at Matou Pond:

"So with this lineup, do you really still want to get involved?"

Chapter 556 War Is Coming (4k)

"Tsk, you're really persistent."

Matou Ike looked at Van Fem with a half-smile, "So, in the end, how much were you involved?"

"Haha, I didn't participate much."

Van Fem, whose secret had been exposed, gave a dry laugh, showing no remorse whatsoever.

"I just... helped them solve a little financial problem as a matter of course."

"'Just doing it'?" Matou Ike rolled his eyes.

“You know how outrageous the required incantations, mediums, and spiritual materials are for a ritual of this level, right? That’s not a number that can be explained away as ‘casual’.”

“Yes, that’s why I advised you not to get involved.” Van Fim shrugged. “Otherwise, you’ll end up competing with me for the budget.”

“I see,” Matou Ike chuckled, but he didn’t believe the dead disciple who had lived for thousands of years.

"So, as the funder, you must know of more than just those few participants, right?"

A glint flashed in his eyes, and he finally steered the conversation back on track.

"Well, it seems that imposter Eltrauge will also be going." A hint of hesitation flashed in Van Fem's eyes, before he said calmly.

"Imitation?" Matou Ike raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "So you've already chosen a side? I thought you'd stay neutral."

He glanced at Van Fem with a hint of suspicion.

Incidentally, I recalled her background—a hybrid of a True Ancestor (planetary spirit) and a Dead Apostle, the so-called 'Vampire Princess,' the ruler of Black Blood and Contracts. Her identity is indeed hard to ignore.

As one of the top figures among the Dead Apostles, she is currently considered the de facto ruler of the Dead Apostles and is engaged in a bloody confrontation with the nominal King of the Dead Apostles—the White Wing Lord and his faction.

Arcueid and Arcueid, two beings considered to be "achievers of the celestial bodies," will inevitably have to compete to determine who is the true candidate for "Ultimate ONE."

Every step she takes shakes the status quo.

"How can we remain neutral in this situation?"

Van Fem spread his hands, a helpless smile on his lips.

"As you know, whoever holds power has the right to speak. When the situation becomes clearer, who will dare to remain a bystander? Anyway, I don't want to get caught up in this storm."

"Since she's coming, then the White Princess won't be absent either, right?" Matou Ike withdrew his gaze, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he were pondering something.

His mind raced in an instant, and the chessboard in his mind gradually became clear—the white princess, Arcueid Brunstadt.

She was an elven royal known as the "True Ancestor," of noble blood, which destined her for her status and power.

Although she does not possess any special abilities, her very existence is a symbol.

Her elven bloodline endowed her with innate nobility and power; her abilities did not require blood-drinking to enhance, making her a top-tier existence among the True Ancestors.

Matou Ike pondered for a moment. Ordinary vampires had no chance against her. How could those self-proclaimed powerful Dead Apostles possibly contend with her?

"Who can say for sure? Maybe Bai Ji is still fast asleep in the Thousand-Year City." Van Fem shrugged, his voice relaxed, seemingly unwilling to dwell on the topic of the "White Princess" any longer.

Matou Ike's eyes narrowed slightly, but he still asked with that nonchalant expression, "Does the Holy Church know about this?"

Van Fem's tone held a hint of helplessness, as if he had anticipated this question, "...They should know."

He paused, then turned his gaze to Matou Ike, a hint of mockery in his eyes, "Are you planning to 'report to the authorities'?"

Matou Ike slightly raised the corners of her mouth, her tone still languid: "So, this is nothing more than a game that the Mage's Association and the Holy Church tacitly approve of each other and secretly watch from the sidelines? They both know the truth but wait for the opportunity to each monopolize the benefits?"

His tone carried a hint of disdain, as if he had already seen through the intricate power struggles.

Van Fem was clearly unmoved by these words. Seeing Matou Ike's lazy appearance, he immediately understood—this guy really was planning to "report to the authorities."

With a helpless sigh, Van Fem relaxed his tone slightly, "How could a grand ceremony that started decades ago be carried out secretly? Something of this scale cannot be hidden even if you try."

Matou Ike's eyes flickered slightly, but her tone remained unhurried: "So, the Holy Church and the Mage's Association will eventually be drawn into this game. Which side do you think has the advantage, the Holy Church or the Mage's Association?"

Van Fem frowned slightly, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. His tone, no longer relaxed, became serious:

"...Yes, the Mage's Association is indeed stronger than the Holy Church, at least in terms of sheer power. But when it comes to Dead Apostles, the Church's agents are our most threatening opponents."

He paused and continued:

"While this may sound extreme, if the mystical system pursued by the Mage's Association is similar to the goals of the Church, it would be virtually impossible to shake the Church's position. The Church's advantage lies in their 'purity'—they pursue divine will, not merely magical skills. For them, the threat does not come from us magicians, but from those beings who can speak divine will."

Van Fem's brow relaxed slightly, and he continued:

"Of course, I say this in the hope that the Church and the Mage's Association can check and balance each other internally, part ways sooner rather than later, and ideally even fight each other. But as you can see, things won't go that smoothly. While the situation hasn't reached a three-way stalemate yet, it has already entered a delicate balance and stalemate..."

As he spoke, he seemed somewhat helpless, finally letting out a soft sigh: "Tsk, why should I tell you all this?"

It's an intelligence-driven mentality; otherwise, how could it have taken so long to get down to business? It's as if "Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious to everyone."

“Ahem…” Van Fem coughed twice, deliberately concealing the momentary embarrassment, as if realizing the thoughts revealed in his words.

Then, he adjusted his posture, regaining his usual calm and confidence, and said seriously:

"That place is right under the Clock Tower's nose, and the speed at which combat power can be replenished is extremely fast, which undoubtedly gives the Mage Association a clear advantage. Therefore, in the long run, I personally believe that the Mage Association will have the upper hand in this contest."

However, when Van Fem tried to steer the conversation back on track, Matou Ike interrupted him rudely: "The Mage's Association's advantages are obvious, but I'm a little curious about another issue..."

Instead of directly answering Van Fem's expectations, he raised a new question with a calm expression, seemingly losing interest in the current topic and preparing to move on to the next.

"What's the problem?" Van Fem raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.

"What exactly is that method that meshes with the gears of the world and time?" Matou Ike's voice was calm, yet it revealed an undeniable determination.

“You bastard…” Van Fem was speechless for a moment, and couldn’t help but chuckle softly, “You didn’t even win the banquet, yet you still dare to ask for a reward?”

He couldn't help but marvel at the shamelessness of the man before him, which was simply beyond imagination.

“Heh,” Matou Ike chuckled lightly, completely unconcerned by Van Fem’s mockery, a slightly contemptuous smile playing on his lips. “Then let’s make a deal. If you’re willing to tell me the secret about the ‘Gears of the World and Time,’ I can make some concessions on the matter of the Dark Six Kings.”

.........

London, Clock Tower.

"His Excellency El-Melloi II's classes at the El-Melloi classroom will be suspended for one month. During this period, the modern magic course in London will be taught by Mr. Charles Sand, a second-level lecturer."

The notice, bearing King El-Melloi II's autograph, was posted on the college's bulletin board last night.

The announcement undoubtedly caused a huge sensation, especially since even the auditors who usually occupied 70% of the classroom seats flocked to El-Melloi II's office, eager to find out why he had suddenly announced a suspension of classes.

The day after the announcement, the students' protests did not subside; in fact, they intensified.

Although classes continued as usual, the students were buzzing with discussion, and the entire college seemed to be thrown into a state of panic by the news.

While discussing the notice, everyone secretly formed the so-called "El-Melloi II Search Team." This makeshift team fought to find the professor's whereabouts, both on campus and in the surrounding streets.

In fact, this was not the first time El-Melloi II had temporarily left his teaching duties for "field research." Normally, such small-scale departures would not cause such a large-scale uproar.

Clearly, the students intuitively felt that this suspension of classes was different from previous ones, perhaps hiding some unknown inside story.

In one of the teaching buildings at the Clock Tower headquarters in London, after Mr. Charles Dan finished his class in the large classroom, the students immediately began to discuss in the corridor, the atmosphere unusually tense and eager.

"They're not on Druid Street. I sent my familiars to monitor the area all day, but they didn't find anyone coming or going," a student reported in a low voice, his tone full of disappointment and anxiety.

"The teacher's invisibility magic wasn't precise enough; it seems he really isn't home. If Mr. Melvin has hidden him, that would be troublesome..."

Another student chimed in, his tone slightly mocking, but also clearly worried. "By the way, could Spencer find out something? He didn't show up in class at all yesterday."

“Spin and Ferrat haven’t been to class for two days,” another student replied, a hint of anxiety in their voice. “They must have taken advantage of the situation!”

"How are the junior boarding students doing?"

“She’s not easy to track. Although some people claim to have seen her, she quickly disappears once she’s followed. That girl’s ‘enhancement’ is no joke. If I really want to catch her, I’ll probably need more than just physical enhancement; I’d need at least a leopard spirit or a rune trap. If I were to prepare the catalyst for the spirit, it would take me at least three days.”

"Tsk, that girl is even more difficult to deal with than the teacher... But this is troublesome. I have to search through all the cursed objects in the warehouse."

Listening to these students' discussion, an uninformed person might think that they were playing a detective game, or even that they were part of an intelligence organization obsessed with supernatural events.

However, if these students really unite, they are fully capable of finding all the missing persons in a short period of time, and even creating new "missing persons".

Clearly, these clock tower students were accustomed to solving problems in this efficient and chilling way; their eyes held not only curiosity but also an almost predatory hunger.

Just as their noise gradually subsided and the corridor returned to calm, Aozaki Touko, who had been lurking in the corner, silently emerged from behind the pillar where she was hiding.

She gently straightened the hem of her clothes, her gaze sweeping across the empty corridor, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Your students are really enthusiastic." Aozaki Touko smiled slightly, her gaze sweeping across the students rushing around through the window. Her words were relaxed, yet tinged with amusement.

"They are indeed very disruptive."

A familiar voice came from a deserted corner.

El-Melloi II stood there, his hands clasped in front of his chest, looking at the students with a hint of impatience in his eyes.

However, his subtle expression could not conceal the pride it contained.

"But aren't you people at the Clock Tower sending the students home yet? You know the situation isn't very good right now."

Aozaki Touko turned her gaze to the students who were running around, a slight smile playing on her lips, her tone carrying a hint of disdain.

"...Perhaps it would be safer for them to stay inside the Clock Tower than to return them to their families."

King El-Melloi II sighed, his tone slightly weary, as if he were already tired of the students' endless commotion.

"At least here the clock tower protects them. Even if they don't know it, that hidden defense will keep them from greater threats."

Aozaki Touko scoffed, her voice filled with coldness:

"Heh, I think you're planning to keep these guys here in preparation for the upcoming 'war'?"

In Aozaki Touko's view, the clock tower's continued refusal to declare a holiday is ostensibly to maintain the normal operation of academic activities.

But in reality, the students are trapped here, used as "provocateurs" to threaten potential enemies, especially in these turbulent times.

Whether it's the Magic Association or the Holy Church, anyone who dares to harbor ill intentions towards the Clock Tower must consider whether they are willing to take responsibility for the safety of their "successors of the magic path".