Magician in Type-Moon

Page 358

That face revealed emotion.

"...Latio?"

He was a physically weak but strong man.

His hair and beard were gray, and he wore the same Atlas Academy clothes as Latio and the others. His name was Roger.

He is over 180 cm tall, and judging from the degree of muscle bulge, he should weigh over 100 kg.

Then it's next to it.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

She let out a cry that was somewhat out of place—in a way, just right.

She was a woman who wore glasses.

The man was in his fifties, and the woman was in her twenties.

She had brown hair tied up in a bun and wore a white lab coat that looked like that of a researcher.

She looked around, then suddenly stood up and strode towards them.

"Lady Meastia! I haven't heard of anything that dangerous!"

"Um, Tica, I'm so sorry...!"

Matou Ike stood aside, observing this unexpected reunion, his gaze shifting from Latio's "father" to the angry young woman.

He didn't interrupt, but simply watched the interactions between these people quietly.

All the suspects have arrived.

There are four alchemists in the Atlas Institute.

—Latio.

—Rogge.

—Quart.

— Giuseppe.

There are two magicians in the clock tower.

—Meastia.

—Tika.

The Pharaoh's Chamber Murder Case.

This is an event whose very name tells you it's utterly ridiculous.

Although they brought me here, who can say for sure that this isn't a comedy that I directed and acted in myself?

Matou Ike thought to himself.

............

The group established a temporary base on the second level.

Deep within the Crystal Forest, a translucent dome expands slightly like a soap bubble, enveloping the surrounding space as if a thin film were covering it.

It may seem fragile, as if it would break with the slightest touch, but in reality, the dome is not that simple.

It possesses a unique elasticity, initially easy to stretch, but after being stretched to a certain extent, it becomes as hard as iron, a manifestation of a magical barrier, similar to the hull of a submarine, capable of withstanding external pressure and impact.

This is a unique magical prop of the Atlas Institute, which is both protective and can provide stable protection for a short period of time.

Because the two rescued members were too weak to continue exploring, the next floor of the library could not be attacked or investigated.

Therefore, the group decided to stay there temporarily to recover their strength and prepare for further action.

Outside the base, Matou Ike walked alone in the empty Crystal Forest.

Suddenly, a sharp bird cry came from the sky.

The mechanical bird Ptolemy I landed gracefully, flapping its wings, and tilted its head to look at Matou Pond.

"You little rascal, why are you calling me so secretly? Is there something you need?"

Its voice had a metallic chill.

Matou Ike didn't turn around, but slowly stopped and said calmly:

“There are some things I didn’t understand before… I remember you said that the ‘Pharaoh killing people’ incident didn’t originate from here, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.” It tilted its head, as if recalling details of the past. “The ‘Pharaoh’s Murder’ incident did not originate from the Atlas Chamber. Nor did it have anything to do with the monarch of the Clock Tower.”

"But there's no smoke without fire. Since the news has been spread, there must be a source, right?"

Ptolemy I gently flapped his wings, producing a crisp metallic sound, as if deep in thought about Matouchi's words.

“You’re right. It’s like they’re deliberately luring people with ulterior motives to delve deeper into this ruin so they can discover something… The purpose behind this seems to be more than it appears.”

Matou Ike slightly curled the corners of his mouth, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"I do have a guess."

"Why do you keep me in suspense like Patroclus (Alexander the Great's important advisor and strategist)? Why don't you just say what you want to say?"

This pharaoh seems to miss his time as a warrior under Alexander the Great.

"...You said before that the consciousness in this body is just a backup, right?"

Matouchi stared at it, his expression unwavering.

"That's right. This body was just a backup plan I created in advance to prevent accidents. If it weren't for that little guy Latio having my activation code, I might not even be able to take another look at this world."

The mechanical bird sighed, and although it was strange for something made of springs and gears to sigh, it did make that gesture.

"Since you're just making a backup, does that mean you're completely unaware of what your original self does?"

Matou Ike said this.

Chapter 402 Dead Apostles and Exploration (4k)

In the residential area of ​​Alexandria, there is a building known as the Ghost Apartment.

The newlyweds have gone mad, someone has jumped off a building and committed suicide—there's a lot of talk and rumors everywhere.

It was only later that they discovered the apartment building was actually an unfinished project. The interior decoration had never been touched... which is why it was the perfect hiding place.

"Have you adjusted it?"

Kiz squinted lazily, feeling the summer sunlight streaming through the cracked window, his voice sounding casual and nonchalant.

His gaze fell on the person in front of him.

Sitting in front of him was a girl with purple hair.

Her name is Shion Eltenam Socaris, an alchemist from the Atlas Institute.

"It will take some more time." The girl's voice sounded unhappy, and her speech was a little faster, revealing her unstable mood. "Although this body was originally mine, it's still a bit troublesome for it to accept my consciousness and synchronize my senses. And!"

She paused, her brows furrowing even deeper. "Why is this body half-dead?!"

Ziyuan's usual calm poker face had long since crumbled, and her brows and eyes revealed an undisguised irritation.

"What's the big deal?" Kiz waved his hand dismissively.

"Aren't you a vampire over there too?" His casual tone made it sound as if he were discussing the weather, rather than the other person's physiological changes.

"There's a huge difference, okay!" Ziyuan's tone was tinged with anger, as if she found his attitude unbelievable.

"Vampires are vampires, and Dead Apostles are Dead Apostles! These two things are not the same species at all!"

The girl's purple braids swayed in the wind against the backdrop of the concrete interior.

Even the way it shakes makes it seem like geometry.

Rather than saying he was facing a person, it would be more accurate to say he was facing numbers in human form.

After a period of silence, Ziyuan slowly spoke, her tone carrying a hint of hesitation and complex emotions:

Are you really sure this world is the past of pan-human history?

Kiz, who had been lounging in his chair, straightened up slightly upon hearing this, a hint of seriousness in his eyes: "There's no doubt about that. What's wrong? Is there some unexpected situation?"

Ziyuan lowered her head in thought, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, as if she were organizing her thoughts:

“The memories I just received are quite different from my original memories,” she said, her voice tinged with doubt and her eyes filled with complex emotions. “In this world, I have been designated as the next dean of the Atlas Academy and given the name ‘Atlasia’…”

Kiz raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this, somewhat surprised but not interrupting Shion.

"Furthermore, in my original memories, the current headmaster of the Atlas Academy should be my ancestor, Tsbia Eltnam Atlasia. Although he was a vampire, he did not become a Dead Apostle, however..."

“But what?” Kiz asked.

Ziyuan stopped tapping, looked up, and her eyes flickered slightly:

"In the memory of this world, Tsbia Eltnam Atlasia did not become the Dean of the Atlas Academy as I knew. On the contrary, he defected from the Atlas Academy before becoming the Dean and transformed into the thirteenth of the twenty-seven Dead Apostles—Tatari."

Her voice turned colder as she continued:

"What's even more absurd is that the reason this body became half-dead and abducted was because it was bitten by him during a chase."

"So it was that Night of Wallachia?" Kiz frowned slightly.

The legend of this dead apostle is that he appeared in the Grand Duchy of Wallachia (now part of Romania) and, taking advantage of the people's fear of the tyrant Dracula III, manifested a vampire in one night to slaughter the entire population of the city, earning him the nickname "Wallachia Night" from the church.

Wallachia Nights can bring people's fears and legends to life. This means that any rumored monster or fear, as long as people believe it exists, can be materialized on Wallachia Nights.

"Hmm, this is very strange, so I must find out exactly what happened to that singularity in order to make a judgment about this Lostbelt."

This matter is not only about her investigation, but also a very important matter for Chaldea.

Ever since they observed this suddenly appearing Lostbelt, the Chaldea members have been filled with questions about it.

Whether viewed from the timeline or from the perspective of historical trends, this Lostbelt appears abrupt and bizarre.

The information obtained, in particular, from the Wandering Sea was astonishing.

While Fujimaru Ritsuka was busy conquering other Lostbelts, the task of gathering information about this Lostbelt fell to her.

“This can’t be rushed.” Kiz smiled, his tone casual and relaxed. “As far as I know, the singularity shouldn’t really appear for another year. It’s not a good idea to rush things now.”