Magician in Type-Moon

Page 590

His words were as precise as a scalpel.

"I speculate that it is a unique 'harmonic' generated by the resonance of subtle magical energy between the magic circuit and a specific magic mark—a kind of information transmission method that transcends conventional communication methods and is almost a 'resonance'."

His gaze was like a probe, meticulously scanning every subtle change on Matou Ike's face.

However, Matouike's face remained as if covered by a layer of solid ice, without any ripples.

Unable to find any flaws, Hartress continued along her logical chain, throwing out a more crucial deduction:

"However, from the moment you stepped into this place and faced me directly—"

He emphasized his words slightly, as if stating a fact that had already occurred.

"Has the 'string' between you and El-Melloi II snapped completely? Therefore, can I reasonably infer... that you are currently completely cut off from information regarding the 'Grand Decision' concerning the future of Albion, the tomb of the Holy Grail, within the Clock Tower Observatory's Carleon venue?"

"So?" Matou Ike had a cryptic smile on his lips as he calmly met Heartles' gaze.

Although Matou Ike's face remained as still as a deep pool, devoid of any other emotional ripples, this response alone was enough for Hartres.

This tiny feedback, like a signal sent to a sophisticated instrument, allowed him to confirm that his words had been received.

Hartres's gaze briefly, with an almost reverent quality, swept toward the silhouette of "God Iskandar" behind him, whose outline swayed between reality and concept.

That imposing yet twisted presence, like a heavy anchor, held his beliefs in place. Then, his gaze, like a probe, locked onto Matou Ike once more.

“Lord Matou,” Hartres’s voice carried a slow, deliberate tone, as if recounting an ancient secret.

"Did you know that in the distant past, the nobles who occupied high positions in the Clock Tower had already begun to covet the vast 'mine' of the Spirit Tomb Albion?"

His gaze behind his glasses sharpened.

"All sorts of magicians, given various high-sounding reasons, are brought in like expendable commodities to become 'miners' who dig deep into the mysteries. Even more so... some monarchical families, as early as one or two decades ago, had already quietly sent their promising young members into the depths of this spirit tomb like seeds, to carry out certain... unknown 'activities'."

"Are you referring to," Matou Ike's eyes turned somewhat strange, as if he had heard some expected absurdity, "your disciples whom you later 'recruited'?"

“…Haha.” Hartres let out a short, bitter laugh, a laugh tinged with self-mockery at being exposed, but mostly with a cold indifference.

"That's true. However, these old stories are not details we need to delve into right now, are they?"

Matou Ike nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing to end the topic.

Hartress quickly steered the conversation back on track, her tone shifting to one of solemnity as she revealed the core of the plan:

"Back to the main topic. Several years ago, the Clock Tower initiated a large-scale project due to a certain... far-reaching 'event'."

"That 'incident'..." Matou Ike keenly caught the key point and interjected, "Does it refer to the anomaly in Kanbuko City?"

“Yes, your sense of smell is still as sharp as ever,” Hartres affirmed, but his gaze then deepened.

"However, that wasn't the only trigger. At the same time, the Holy Grail War also began again. You should still remember that... former 'prodigy,' right?"

His gaze seemed to pierce through the crimson space before him, casting a blurry illusion of the clock tower's past glory, his voice carrying a subtle hint of reminiscence for a bygone era.

"Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald?"

Matou Ike's voice was calm, yet it carried a weight that had sunk deep into his memories.

“That gentleman… is indeed a person who left a deep impression on me.”

“Then you must also know,” Hartres’s voice suddenly lowered, carrying a quality that seemed to reveal a core secret, “what the true name of the Heroic Spirit he summoned in that Holy Grail War was, right?”

“That’s natural.” Matou Ike nodded slightly, his expression calm and undisturbed.

“However,” Hartles’ tone shifted, his gaze behind his glasses sharp as a cone, “you probably don’t know the summoning site he chose, or… which ley line he’s anchored to, do you?”

"Could it be...?" Matou Ike's brows furrowed for the first time, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.

“What you’ve deduced is the answer.” Hartres’s voice seemed to pierce through the dust of time, carrying the certainty of a witness—even though, chronologically, he shouldn’t have been present at that time. “The place Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald chose to summon the Holy Grail was precisely the core of this Albion Great Tomb—the very place where that ancient ‘heart’ beats. According to the dusty records of the Clock Tower, during your Holy Grail War, this remains of the ‘Last Dragon’ underwent a violent transformation—”

He continued as if reciting a forbidden text:

"—The dragon's remains let out a mournful cry." Hartres paused deliberately, letting the weight of his words sink in. "You should understand what this means. The body of the oldest dragon species, which had been dead for ten thousand years and returned to silence, has shown signs of 'life' again. This 'vitality'..." His gaze was fixed on Matouchi, "...and you should know best the meaning it contains."

Matouchi's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

The "activity" on the magic side...

He was certainly aware of the terrifying implications it represented.

Especially after he had witnessed its absolute opposite—the ultimate "death" that obliterates the very foundation of existence.

The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

That is a force that, at its very core, negates and completely erases the very concept of the existence of things.

"Activity," on the other hand, is exactly the opposite.

This means that the foundation of the existence of this Albion Great Tomb—no, more accurately, the remains of this "last dragon"—has been re-imprinted with the concept of "life".

It is no longer just remains; conceptually... it has "come alive."

and so……

Countless clues instantly connected and roared through Matou Ike's mind.

“I might as well reveal another crucial piece of information to you,” Hartres’s voice rang out at the opportune moment, like the last stone thrown into a lake, “some of my ‘collaborators’ with whom I have vested interests have already transformed this Albion Great Tomb into a temple.”

Temple!

This word struck Tongchi like lightning, instantly cleaving through his thoughts. It overlapped with what he had seen and heard in this vast "labyrinth" and the fragments of intelligence he had received from El-Melloi II before the communication was interrupted!

—A multi-functional magic workshop.

That mining city buried deep within the spirit tomb.

If the Clock Tower itself is a "city of mechanisms" built from knowledge and rules, then this city, which is built upon the spirit tomb, is a "technical entity" constructed from endless mining activities and the abyss itself!

It is by no means a city in the ordinary sense.

It is a...living magical structure.

On some essential level, it was not "built".

It was "summoned" to appear in the world.

A vast alien colony established with the most basic and chaotic foundation of the entire magic world as its altar.

This city's existence is not rooted in humanity. Or rather, humanity's role within it is merely that of a parasitic link in this vast structure, like barnacles clinging to a whale's skeleton.

Its operating logic and the laws it submits to have long transcended the shallow realm of "survival" or "life," pointing to a deeper and more primal realm.

In those bygone eras of the gods, the so-called "temple" was essentially a "magic workshop" of the highest standard.

At the fundamental level of concepts, the two... are two sides of the same coin, mutually dependent!

Matou Ike's thinking was like the most intricate magic circuit, instantly connecting all the clues.

No, more accurately, it was his unusual sensitivity to the "essence of existence" on the magical side that allowed him to see through the grand and cold schemes of the Clock Tower nobles behind Hartres's words.

"active"……

The weight that Hartres gave to this term goes far beyond simply meaning that the Spirit Tomb Albion could produce more rare curse bodies or materials.

It foreshadows a chilling possibility:

The remains of the "Last Dragon" themselves, as a complete and vast fantasy species reborn with the concept of "life," can be utilized as a whole—an unprecedented, living "material" or "foundation"!

For magicians, the use of such an ancient fantasy creature with such "activity" can only point to a few directions:

The most common and fundamental approach is research. It involves dissecting the mysteries of its existence, analyzing the paths connecting it to its roots, and attempting to use this to open a shortcut to the "vortex of roots."

This is like the forbidden experiments he witnessed on the ship of pleasure on the brink of death, or the ultimate goal pursued by the "monsters" in the Van Fem Colosseum, which were twisted and pieced together from the remains of fantasy species.

Albion, as the strongest and most mysterious remaining fantasy species, contains a secret about its origin that could drive any magician mad.

however--

This was precisely the least likely option for the monarchs of the Clock Tower!

The families that can hold their positions as the twelve monarchs of the Clock Tower are all renowned magical clans with a thousand-year history and deep roots.

Each of them possesses a unique, hereditary "Grand Designation"—

That is the ultimate question engraved deep within the family bloodline and magical imprint, the unique path to the root.

To abandon a family's millennia-old accumulation and uniqueness in order to explore a new, shared path? This is tantamount to self-destruction, a betrayal that no rational monarch can accept.

Then, the problem becomes acutely apparent:

How can we utilize this "activated" Albion Great Tomb as a whole to maximize its benefits?

Or rather, balance—the fundamental interests of all twelve monarch families in the Clock Tower.

The answer instantly solidified in Matou Ike's mind, cold and clear, like a truth engraved on the foundation of magic:

Only by transforming Albion, the "Last Dragon," this colossal fantasy creature's remains possessing the concept of "activity," into a piece of—

An extraordinary "concept costume" jointly owned and driven by twelve monarch families!

Chapter 625 Questioning (4k)

The moment this cold conclusion took shape in his mind, even someone as composed as Matouchi couldn't help but feel a chill, like invisible ice spikes quietly creeping up his spine.

What a grand gesture...

He felt a chill run down his spine.

The Clock Tower's scheme and ambition in this operation have exceeded the limits of ordinary magicians' imagination.

This is no longer a simple matter of resource plunder or knowledge exploration, but rather a matter of forcibly forging the most ancient dragon skeleton, which carries the concept of "activity," into the ultimate weapon to serve the human path of magic!

However, before the shockwaves had even subsided, an even sharper and deeper question, like a claw emerging from an abyss, suddenly seized his thoughts:

Is the purpose of the clock tower really limited to this?

Just for the sake of one thing—

Even though its power is comparable to, or may even surpass, the authority of some deities—

An extravagant "concept dress"?

This seemingly grand blueprint, in Matou Ike's exceptionally keen perception of the essence of magic, subtly revealed a sense of... disharmony.

Those ancient demonic nobles who have reigned atop the clock tower for millennia—their desires, their obsessions, their "Grand Order" deeply ingrained in their blood and imprints.

...Can we really be satisfied with a "weapon" that needs to be shared, is huge, and is difficult to fully control?