I, Kenneth, am going to get to the root of the problem today.

Page 41

At the end of the void, at the boundary of worlds, Servants stained with blood illuminated the darkness beyond the world with their dying flames. The divine spear sacrificing the Sun Wheel Armor deflected the sword aimed at Kenneth. Karna, afflicted by the curse, still chose to go forward without hesitation, despite the void that corrupted Servants.

"Oh, so you really came, you mongrel."

Golden ripples shimmered as Karna firmly grasped the potion from the Age of Gods in his hand. He leaped down from Vimana and turned his burning gaze toward Karna, who stood guard in front of Kenneth.

"Karna, I assure you, I will not lay a hand on that magician until you fall. You want to support his future, don't you? Come, let me see your resolve."

The bloodstains turned into golden light and dissipated. The returned armor once again covered Karna's thin body. The black spear vanished, and the gilded flames illuminated the deep darkness.

"The oldest man of mankind, before this body is consumed by flames, may this path be traversed by one side!!"

The hands formed from divine fire lifted Kenneth into the air, soaring to an unknown distance. In the field of vision, golden light enveloped the darkness beyond the world, and the flickering flame, like a candle in the wind, pointed out a line of defense for Kenneth, who was lost and uncertain of the future. On the eve of falling into the vortex, Karna's voice rang in Kenneth's ears across the vast distance.

"Even if it cannot bloom into a flower, that seed still holds nobility. It's time to give everything, and so it is for me. Even if the future is full of hardships, your life will be as splendid as a blooming flower. Master, I'm so happy to have met you and to be able to say goodbye to you with a smile..."

(P.S.: The little sun will return later; I'll explain that at the end.)

The next moment, the aura of the origin overwhelmed the weak consciousness, and the insignificant human beings lost their vision in the origin of all things.

Chapter 106 The End of the War and the Strange Spiritual Veins

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The void closed. In the ruins of Ryudou Temple, Aozaki Aoko, who had achieved the feat of tearing apart a Heroic Spirit with her bare hands, struggled to lift the roof beam that was pressing down on her. Her magic circuits were tearing apart with pain. Covered in dust, Aozaki Aoko staggered towards the back mountain that had been razed to the ground.

At the location of the Greater Grail, Morgan, his eyes filled with murderous intent, stared at the black mud gushing from the ground and turned his gaze to the culprit who had caused all of this—the man laughing hysterically in the black mud. At Morgan's feet, Artoria and Irisviel, crushed by reality, stared blankly at the twisted black giant.

"Well, Lily, are you awake from your dream?"

Revealing a look of utter exasperation, Artoria's pale green eyes lost their light. Confirming that Artoria was still in contact with him, he raised his right hand, and under Morgan's control, the black wand pointed at the giant struggling to rise from the black mud.

"What a disgusting thing, dark lake! Come, and turn everything your eyes see to ashes."

The wildfire was extinguished by the gloomy aura, and the night sky rippled like a lake. The fluorescent blue chains pierced the darkness and sealed the embodiment of evil at this moment. The karmic fire from the fairy realm devoured all the evil that attempted to descend into the world. Amidst the painful howls, the embodiment of evil, which had been condensed for sixty years, exploded like fireworks.

Walking in the scattering rain of light, Morgan stood expressionless before the hysterical man. With a swipe of her wand, the man, who prided himself on justice, finally stopped breathing, suppressing his surging rage. Morgan's fingertip pointed to the still-warm corpse, and the scabbard she had tricked into stealing returned to the witch's hand.

“You are not worthy of this thing, you bug.”

The karmic fire melted away the corpse. Morgan, having retrieved the sword sheath, returned to Artoria's side. Light, uneven footsteps sounded behind her, and a familiar aura wafted over. Morgan withdrew the gloom from her face, turned around, and began to heal Aozaki Aoko's withered body.

A pale face regained color as Aozaki Aoko lay down on the ground beside her companions, her gaze fixed on Ryudouji Temple, which was being ravaged by wildfire. Aozaki Aoko closed her heavy eyelids.

"He succeeded. Just now, someone stirred up the root. Although I'm just a half-baked mage, I can still sense this."

"Really? What a crazy man."

Dropping his wand, an exhausted Morgan lay down on the ground like Aozaki Aoko. A helicopter flew past, and he casually set up a barrier. No longer wanting to think about anything, Morgan looked at the sunrise, which was exactly the same as it had been a thousand years ago.

"By the way, Morgan, I remember you're the Lady of the Lake, right? When that guy comes back, could you take me to Avalon?"

“Avalon? Sure, I’ll take you there when that man comes back.”

Aozaki Aoko pulled a rock under her and adjusted her sleeping position before opening her sore eyes.

"I see. Then let's go back to the Clock Tower first. That guy isn't here, so I have to keep an eye on those old things for him. My bones are almost broken by that proxy, and I need to find a place to rest."

As the sun rose, the rescue team, dressed in uniform, gradually filled the wilderness, their feet gleaming. Morgan and his group disappeared into the scorched wasteland before the crowd arrived. The next day, under the arrangement of Roy, Kenneth's right-hand man, Morgan and Aozaki Aoko, who had barely recovered, boarded a plane to the Clock Tower with local specialties.

With the Fourth Holy Grail War officially concluded, the world, thanks to a tiny butterfly, ventured into the unknown, and the undercurrents within the Clock Tower surfaced with Kenneth's disappearance.

The day the Fourth Holy Grail War ended.

In Germany, the Einzbern family's workshop, separated by time, is now under lockdown; in Fuyuki City, the Matou family, with its centuries-old heritage, has become history; at the Tohsaka family's house, the lock turns, and Rin Tohsaka, who thought she had nothing left, rushes towards the figure that pushes open the door.

"Rin, Mom is back."

Gently stroking Rin Tohsaka, who was sobbing uncontrollably in his arms, and wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Aoi Zenjou awkwardly turned her gaze away from the empty mansion.

"Rin, you're all grown up now. Be strong. Mom will always be there for you."

The day after the Holy Grail War ended, at night, Aozaki Aoko, looking travel-worn, sat in the El-Melloi family's car that picked her up at the airport. At the El-Melloi family's old mansion, she glared at the orange-haired magician.

A week after the Holy Grail War ended, news of Lord El-Melloi's death in the Fourth Holy Grail War spread like wildfire. A blurry photograph began circulating in the upper levels of the Clock Tower, showing a man resembling Kenneth lying on the ground, with the infamous Magician Killer beside him.

Faced with El-Melloi showing no signs of abnormality, these magicians, who were always thinking of exploiting him, temporarily suppressed their desires. Greed began to fester. In order to ascertain the course of the Fourth Holy Grail War and to verify the authenticity of the information, the Mage's Association, which had always been arrogant, turned its attention to the Far East that they had forgotten.

Half a month after the Holy Grail War ended, information about the Fourth Holy Grail War was sent back to the Clock Tower. The intensity of the war broadened the horizons of these old-timers, and Waver, as the only known survivor, became a hot commodity in their eyes.

A month after the Holy Grail War ended, the search for Waver was fruitless, and Kenneth, the monarch, had not shown up. Faced with the ever-silent El-Melloi, the sharks, smelling blood, secretly gathered together, waiting for an opportunity to take a bite out of the weakened El-Melloi...

Forty days after the end of the Holy Grail War, in the countryside of Misaki City, Japan, at the ancestral home of the Aozaki family, a girl dressed in a black dress and black leggings pushed open the long-sealed door in front of her.

The rising dust seemed to tell the girl that no one had visited this place for a long time. Narrowing her eyes, the girl in black looked at the wooden door that was hidden by magic and led to the heart of the Aozaki family.

The Wai-Shin Spirit Vein, a rare and unusual spirit vein in the magic world, is the foundation of the Aozaki family. It is rumored to be a sacred land where one can glimpse the origins of things. This morning, Kuonji Yuzu, who was managing this land on behalf of a friend, sensed the abnormality of this spirit vein. Entrusted by her friend, the reclusive witch stepped out of the Western-style mansion filled with her memories.

Step...step...step...

The footsteps grew clearer, and the lantern emitted a ghostly blue light. Following the winding stone steps, the girl arrived at the workshop located a hundred meters underground. Through the heavy doors, the aura of the living clearly emerged in the girl's mind.

"Intruders, huh?"

A robin flew out from the light of the lantern, silencing the other's unfinished clamor, and Kuonji Yuju pushed open the heavy stone door in front of her.

The next moment, a man with his upper body naked and his lower body stuck in the spiritual vein appeared in front of Kuonji Yuzu. He dropped his lantern to the ground, and the aura that did not belong to the other side of the world caused Kuonji Yuzu, who was a witch, to be momentarily stunned.

"Is this aura the source?"

The shattered lanterns came together as if time had reversed, and the dilated pupils regained their focus and brilliance. After a brief moment of thought, the girl in black walked towards the white-haired man who had fallen into a coma.

Volume: Volume 2

Chapter 107 Undercurrents

In Misaki City, Misaki Town, Shiroinzuka, a mansion in urban legend where a witch is said to reside, Kuonji Yuzu, dressed in casual clothes, gazes with her dark eyes at the man bound in the workshop. The aura of the origin, the mystery that overwhelms all PLOY earrings, and the white-haired man before her make Kuonji Yuzu, a witch, break the rules she has long established.

"The earrings from the Age of Gods, are they from a magician who reached the Root in the past?"

As a homebody with almost no contact with the outside world, the witch did not recognize the man whose appearance had changed. In Kuonji Aratsumi's eyes, Kenneth had become an old monster who had stepped into the Root before Christ. After struggling for a long time, she made up her mind and walked towards the unconscious Kenneth.

At that very moment, the man opened his tightly closed eyes, and a rainbow of light shone from his ruby-like, translucent eyes. Meeting such a magnificent gaze, Kuonji Yuju once again fell into a daze.

"This light is a rainbow."

The already near-rainbow-level demonic eye underwent a transformation under the baptism of the source, and the distance between their souls was invisibly shortened. Coming back to her senses, the witch, unaware of the abnormality, subconsciously could no longer harbor any malice towards the man before her. The seven-colored light dissipated, and the man's gem-like eyes were devoid of any intellectual aura, empty and confused... Even a newborn infant still has instinctive emotions, but the man before her could already be described as a soulless puppet.

"Even if the body escapes, has the consciousness already been assimilated by the source?"

According to her own understanding, the fairy tale witch categorized Kenneth as a magician who had been assimilated by the root. With the threat eliminated, the girl's own kindness continued to amplify under the influence of Kenneth's magic eye. Knowing that Kenneth was now seducing other magicians, Kuonji Yuzu convinced herself under the pretext of studying the mystery. From today onwards, Kuonji's mansion welcomed its first male guest.

Just as Kenneth was blinded by the root cause and his IQ dropped, the undercurrents of the Clock Tower surfaced. From the development of academic disciplines to the distribution of benefits in the Spirit Tomb, the families and magicians at the top of the Clock Tower, after more than a month of preparation, bared their fangs and began to weaken El-Melloi's influence in the Clock Tower by starting with inconspicuous little things.

Faced with the missing Kenneth, Barthemello, Archerlot, Animusfia, and Gaius still chose to side with El-Melloi. Meanwhile, Tramberio and Balyleta, two of the three noble families, along with Lord Euphoris, Kenneth's former father-in-law, attacked the El-Melloi who they saw as being in a precarious situation.

The former two aimed to weaken the power of the aristocratic faction, while Director Ken's father-in-law wanted to use the marriage between the two families to interfere with El-Melloi's control over the Minerals Department. Faced with the clash between the aristocratic and democratic factions, Meastia, with her flexible and neutral bottom line, remained unmoved and waited for the two factions in the conflict to offer a higher price.

The Council of Sovereigns convened, but unlike in the past, this council was initiated in the name of Lord El-Melloi. Faced with this familiar title, the monarchs and their deputies who had already entered the room concealed their true thoughts.

As the time drew near, just when the magicians who wanted to take action against El-Melloi thought that the genius magician known as a child prodigy had returned to the Clock Tower without anyone noticing, Reines, who was given the title of the little princess of the El-Melloi family and adopted as Kenneth's sister, sat in the seat symbolizing the El-Melloi family. What surprised everyone present was not Reines, who had been designated as the monarch by the Clock Tower, but the puppeteer known as the Grand Master—Aozaki Touko.

Standing behind Reines, Aozaki Touko's gaze finally settled on the aged magician. A smile played on her lips, and Aozaki Touko spoke in an unquestionable voice:

"I'm sure everyone here knows me, but please allow me to introduce myself. I am Aozaki Touko, and I have been entrusted by Lord El-Melloi to temporarily assume the role of monarch until Reines El-Melloi Archizorti comes of age."

The next second, with Aozaki Touko's voice, the already silent conference room became even more heavy. In the original timeline, El-Melloi's downfall was not only due to the damage to his Magic Crest. For magicians at the top, the Magic Crest is only an added bonus, and more of a symbol of family status and position.

The fundamental reason for El-Melloi's downfall was the lack of a top-tier magician capable of leading the way and confronting the wolves and tigers. The damage to the Magic Crests shook the roots of El-Melloi, and the death of Kenneth left this family, which had been passed down for thousands of years, completely without its backbone. However, in this world, under Kenneth's arrangement, Aozaki Touko, who had reached the Grand rank at a young age, was enough to quell the restless hearts of the people. The smooth inheritance of the Magic Crests also made El-Melloi as stable as Mount Tai.

The appearance of Aozaki Touko made the already chaotic situation even more complicated. Ignoring the direct gaze, Lord Balyereta, Aozaki Touko's teacher, the old lady who was designated to add the seal to Aozaki Touko, spoke up.

"Acting monarch? This matter was not communicated to the Clock Tower. Aozaki Touko, your position as acting monarch is probably not in accordance with the rules!"

Faced with her teacher's nitpicking, Aozaki Touko wanted to laugh. The Clock Tower did indeed have such a rule, but to this day, Aozaki Touko had never seen any monarch abide by it. The fact that the other party could open fire for this reason was just a typical show of force.

"Is that so, Reines? May I temporarily exercise the rights of a monarch on your behalf?"

"No problem, Ms. Orange."

"Alright, I'm informing you now. Is Lord Balyereta satisfied?"

At eighteen, at the Clock Tower Ball, Aozaki Touko stood like a lackey. Now, with El-Melloi's banner in hand, Aozaki Touko can finally hold her head high.

"The Political and Legal Affairs Department has accepted the case. Aozaki Touko will temporarily assume the position of Lord El-Melloi, effective immediately."

Without giving the magicians present a chance to speak, Loreleia, the monarch of the Political and Legal Affairs Department in charge of the Clock Tower's operation, approved Aozaki Touko's application in the blink of an eye, despite the triviality of the matter.

Watching El-Melloi and Barthezelloi working together right under their noses, the two leaders of the democratic faction didn't say anything more. To put it bluntly, the monarch finding a proxy is a family matter, and as magicians from other families, they have no way to interfere with the other party's choice on the surface.

"Since no one has any objections, let's continue with today's topic: the operating funds of the Minerals Department and the mining plan for the Spirit Tomb Albion."

As Loreleia, who was in charge of the Clock Tower's operation, steered the conversation back on track, the Clock Tower, which was known for its procrastination, began a pointless war of words. This time, with the intervention of Aozaki Touko, those magicians who had used Reines's youth as an excuse truly experienced the troublesome nature of the seasoned veteran. Faced with Aozaki Touko's seemingly impenetrable defense, the conference room, which had been clamoring all afternoon, ultimately failed to extract any benefits from El-Melloi.

Watching her teacher leave, without any intention of going up to say goodbye or any sentimental scenes, Aozaki Touko stood in the corridor and lit a cigarette in a cheerful mood.

"Teacher, this is just the beginning."

108th Clock Tower

Neon lights, a Western-style mansion on Shiroi Inuzuka, Kuonji Yuzu sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window gently picked up the teacup in front of her. Although she had kept this man of unknown origin under the pretext of researching the mysterious, the kind-hearted Kuonji Yuzu did not imprison Kenneth like a traditional magician.

After a long while, the doll-like man looked at the upside-down teacup in front of him with his empty eyes. He picked up the teacup, seemingly pondering why it had become empty. The broken logic was reconnected, and the man walked to the teapot beside him and filled the teacup with warm black tea.

Even if one loses their intellect, do their bodily instincts still retain the ability to respond to what they see?

Watching the man pick up the teacup, seemingly to verify her guess, she drank the warm black tea and then offered the empty teacup to the stunned man. After a brief pause, the man who had picked up the teapot filled the teacup in the witch's hand, his movements noticeably less stiff than before.

"Is that true?"

Picking up the perfectly level teacup, she opened the fairy tale book in her hand. The influence of the magic eye had not yet dissipated. Facing the man who had lost his intellect, Kuonji Yuzu immediately labeled Kenneth as a tea-pouring machine.

With the rustling sound of pages turning and the blessing of the Mystic Eyes and Kenneth's harmless demeanor, Kuonji Aratsu temporarily put aside her unknown feelings about the man in the living room.

Inside this unchanging Western-style mansion, the old clock chimes on the hour. Opening her eyes, the sun has already set. The girl awakens from the beautiful dream woven from fairy tales. The lamp is turned on, and looking at the man who is still like a wooden stake, Kuonji Yuzu mentally labels Kenneth as a tool once again.

Returning to the Clock Tower, Aozaki Touko, having finished her battle with those old relics, returned to the El-Melloi residence in a cheerful mood. Pushing open the door, her expression immediately changed. In her rocking chair, Aozaki Touko, who had returned to the Clock Tower with Morgan, enjoyed her afternoon tea like a retired old man.

Suppressing the urge to kick the other person over, Aozaki Touko walked back to the hall. A strange creature doll with Aozaki Aoko's head on it swung its seven arms and crawled up to Aozaki Touko. As if treating a pet, Aozaki Touko touched the doll's head in front of Aozaki Aoko.

The magic bullet, imbued with the aura of the fifth strike, was fired, and the doll that Aozaki Touko had painstakingly crafted was humanely destroyed by Aozaki Aoko, whose forehead was covered in tic-tac-toe marks. Aozaki Touko wasn't angry; she snapped her fingers, and the sound of the doll's joints colliding rang out. The next second, the bizarre creatures, which could be described as mental pollution, swarmed down the stairs. Under Aozaki Touko's superb skills, these dolls, while maintaining Aozaki Aoko's appearance, transcended the adjective "ugly" to a mysterious level.

"Hey!! Orange, do you want to fight?"

Years later, the memories of the dead began to attack Aozaki Aoko's brain, throwing all these messy dolls to the end of the timeline. Aozaki Aoko rolled up her sleeves and rushed to Aozaki Touko's side.

"Aoko, after all these years, your temper is still so volatile. You'll never find a boyfriend if you keep this up. As the heir of the Aozaki family, the Aozaki family line will end with you, you unfilial descendant."

Having already been severely beaten, Aozaki Touko was naturally not stupid enough to fight a human rocket launcher. Stepping on Aoko's bottom line and relying on her own thick skin, Aozaki Touko began to repeatedly jump to the limit of Aozaki Aoko's tolerance. Since she had already been expelled from the Aozaki family, she, Aozaki Touko, could attack Aozaki Aoko, who was about to boil over, without any restraint.

"Oh dear, that's true. How can I expect a gorilla to find a mate in human society? Tsk tsk tsk..."

"How about this, I'll be your boyfriend, Aoko. The Aozaki family business can't end in your hands. Just tell me what you want..."

Patting her chest, Aozaki Touko, speaking in the tone of an older sister, relentlessly mocked Aozaki Aoko, whose hair was already flying like snakes. Realizing that the two were about to fight again, Morgan, who was already used to it, waved them off to the backyard. The next second, the El-Melloi family's old house shook violently a few times.

A few minutes later, footsteps sounded from the stairs, and Aozaki Touko, now in a different body, picked up the black tea that Sakura had handed her and sat down opposite Irisviel.

"What's your decision, Miss Einzbern?"

After the daily warm-up, regaining her magician's composure, Aozaki Touko took off her glasses and looked sharply at Irisviel, who was struggling. The instructions engraved deep in her soul clashed with her instincts from her mother. The family's long-cherished wish and her longing for Illya plunged this young lady into daily torment.

The homunculus of Einzbern has always been known as a machine that executes orders. Even the patriarch of Einzbern is nothing more than a machine with a pseudo-personality. Only the vessels of each generation are given complete human emotions. Now, facing this homunculus family that has been hidden for thousands of years, only Irisviel has the chance to disobey the instructions in her soul and return to the barrier hidden in the snow.

"The Holy Grail War is destined to fail. As a vessel, you have lost your reason for existence. The fact that you did not choose to end your own life means that you have made a choice, and you have a reason to live, don't you?"

Seeing Irisviel in agony, Artoria couldn't bear to look away. As a survivor of the Fourth Holy Grail War, having lost the supply of the Greater Grail, Artoria's present world could only rely on Morgan's magic. Although she wanted to help Irisviel, without Morgan's permission, Artoria could only keep her words to herself.

"That child, her name is Illya, right? She should be about the same age as Sakura. The Greater Grail wasn't destroyed, so do you think that child might suffer the same fate as you?"

"Aunt Alice..."

Sakura's call became the last straw for Irisviel. Looking at the child who was not much older than Illya, Irisviel's body began to tremble violently. Her maternal instinct overwhelmed the decree engraved in her soul. On the eve of fainting, Irisviel struggled to transfer magic power into the Mystic Scroll in front of her.

“What a great mother. Sakura, if you’re worried, go upstairs. That lady needs someone to take care of her.”

Watching Irisviel walk up the stairs with Artoria's help, Aozaki Touko gently nudged Sakura, whose eyes were full of worry. Aozaki Touko had witnessed the relationship between Irisviel and Sakura during this time; they were not like mother and daughter, but their bond was stronger than that of mother and daughter. Aozaki Touko did not want her apprentice to lose what she herself did not have.

"When to set off?"

"Let's do it now. The only one I can think of with the technology to connect to the outside world is the Einzbern. My good-for-nothing sister is only half-baked. We'll have to rely on ourselves to find that guy."

Unfold the scroll before your eyes, and the magical pointer, after spinning a few times, steadily points in the direction of Germany.

"I'm leaving tonight. By the way, Orange, could you please prepare a body for my sister? The contract's transmission efficiency is still too low..."