The assassination attempt began with a black cat. The perpetrator had exploited Lord El-Melloi II's compassion, using the cat as a medium to cast a curse. In the Moon World, most magi viewed living beings, including humans, as sacrificial tools. Only a few adhered to conventional moral standards—and Lord El-Melloi II was one of them.
But in the world of mages, having a "normal" sense of morality was considered abnormal. If everyone else was twisted and you were the only sane one, then you were the oddity. Had it been any other mage, the curse would've likely failed—but with El-Melloi II, things were different.
He was furious about the curse—not just because someone tried to kill him, but because they chose to do so via curse. For a mage, defending against curses was a basic skill. Using one against a Lord meant the attacker saw him as weak, incapable of even reflecting a curse. It was a clear insult.
That was the major flaw of curses—they were prone to backfire. For instance, when Lord El-Melloi II had once criticized the other Lords for being more interested in power struggles than magic, his words alone triggered a backlash curse. Though harmless—just a few days of bad luck—this was precisely when the black cat incident occurred. At first, he didn't notice anything unusual until Gray heard something strange. Only then did he discover his shadow had turned into a black cat.
Gray, being a gravekeeper and expert in death-related phenomena, immediately picked up on it—even if she was ironically afraid of ghosts herself.
El-Melloi II then summoned his two most talented disciples, Flat Escardos and Svin Glascheit. Though weak himself, his students were powerful—so much so that they were nicknamed the "Twin Pillars" of the Clock Tower.
With their help, he quickly traced the source of the curse through a magic circle. That's another downside of curses—they create a link between caster and target, making it easy to track the origin.
They managed to capture the caster, but the trail ended there. The person was just a pawn, their memories altered. No leads to the mastermind.
Lord El-Melloi II knew better than to expect answers. Too many people wanted him dead—starting with factions within his own El-Melloi family. If he ever regained full control, Reines would certainly settle old scores, and those who had plundered the family's resources would be first in line for retribution.
"You want the El-Melloi family's Moon Cell Elixir. What are you offering in return?"
Once Daniel had gotten to know Reines a bit better, he brought up the idea of a trade. Reines was surprised, but didn't outright refuse. In the world of mages, anything could be traded—except for Magic Crests, which were tied to family legacy. The question was simply whether the offered price was tempting enough.
"Fafnir's scales and blood are out of the question. If you flood the market with those, their value will plummet."
Before Daniel could respond, Reines cut in. She didn't know how much Phantasmal Beast material Daniel possessed, but the amount he had already shown was significant.
Aside from what he'd entrusted her to auction, Daniel had also used some of the dragon blood and scales to hire Lord El-Melloi II as a private tutor for him and Rin.
"So what do you want? Money? Name your price."
The El-Melloi family owed around one billion USD. That wasn't much by Daniel's standards, but he wasn't about to pay off someone else's debt with whom he had no familial ties. Besides, he couldn't cough up that much at short notice.
"Money interests me, of course. But more than that, I'm curious—where exactly did you get all those Phantasmal Beast materials?"
In this post-Age of Gods era, Phantasmal Beast materials were rare. The only stable source was the Spirit Tomb Albion, and even that place was unlikely to yield materials from a creature as powerful as Fafnir.
"You sure you want to know?" Daniel asked after a brief pause.
"Oh? Are you saying you'll actually tell me?"
Reines perked up. She'd only asked out of curiosity, assuming that someone who possessed such rare materials would keep their source tightly guarded. She didn't expect a real answer.
"It's simple. I'm a Magician. Just because this world lacks Phantasmal Beasts doesn't mean others do."
Since he might bring Lord El-Melloi II to Chaldea later anyway, it wasn't a big deal to let Reines know in advance. With his power, he wasn't worried about anyone coveting what he had.
"That joke isn't funny at all."
Reines wasn't buying it. In the Moon World, the strongest known Magician was the Second Magician, the only one known to traverse parallel worlds. Most of the time, that Magician wasn't even in this world.
The Moon World was filled with parallel worlds, and not every one had a Second Magician. Someone who could freely move between them wouldn't linger in just one.
Only the Second Magician had that power. Daniel clearly wasn't him.
"I'm not joking. So, Reines—would you like to visit a parallel world?"
Daniel stood up as he spoke. Since he had already taken Rin to Chaldea, bringing Reines along made little difference. After all, she too could one day become a Heroic Spirit.
"I'd be honored."
Reines stood as well. Though she had little interest in pursuing the Root, the opportunity to explore another world was too valuable to pass up—assuming Daniel was telling the truth.
Reines might be sly and mischievous, but her games weren't like Kirei Kotomine's. Hers were more like playful pranks. And yes, being a pretty girl helped too.
"Chaldea. Incineration of humanity. Now this is fascinating."
After stepping through the golden portal and arriving at Chaldea, Reines couldn't help but laugh with delight upon learning the truth of the place.
"Will this kind of thing happen in my world too?" Like Rin, she worried about the risk of Incineration occurring in her own timeline.
"Don't worry. Most parallel worlds don't experience anything like this."
Humanity Incineration was only possible if Chaldea was established in the first place. And not every timeline had a successful Chaldea. Things like the Holy Grail being corrupted or the Greater Grail being stolen would prevent Marisbilly from establishing the organization.
"You brought another strange girl here."
Olga Marie looked displeased upon seeing Reines. By now, she was no longer using her artificial body but a newly grown, fully functional one.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Reines El-Melloi Archisorte." Reines greeted Olga with a formal magus salute.
"Olga Marie Animusphere." Olga responded just as formally. Both were from Lord-class lineages, so they had plenty in common—unlike Rin.
"El-Melloi family? Never heard of you."
In timelines where Kayneth hadn't died, Reines remained relatively unknown, as she hailed from a branch of the El-Melloi family.
"Kayneth is dead, huh."
"Another girl, huh? You've got a knack for this."
"Don't tease me. Just eat your strawberry cake. Besides, I'm doing this for Chaldea. Her foster brother is a formidable man."
Daniel gave Romani a rough outline of Lord El-Melloi II's background. In a way, he and Romani were quite similar—ordinary humans who achieved extraordinary feats.
Romani, now fully human, had none of Solomon's powers left.
"Humans really are fascinating," Romani murmured in reflection after hearing the story.
"You say that like you're not one of them. Anyway, here's the resupply shipment."
Daniel had also brought a shipment of food and supplies to Chaldea. These people were risking everything to save the world—he couldn't let them go hungry if he could help it.
"Alright, everyone, eyes on me—shatter: Kyōka Suigetsu."
With all of Chaldea's personnel gathered, Daniel took the opportunity to do something he had long considered—he hypnotized them all.
Right now, they were loyal to the cause. But once the Incineration of Humanity was resolved, who knew how they'd act? If they reported everything about him, the Clock Tower would surely take special interest in Chaldea. That might endanger the clean restoration of the timeline—and he really wanted to meet the First Emperor of China.
"What did you just do to them?"
Romani looked at the unresponsive staff with grave concern.
"Relax. It's not malicious—just a precaution. Think about it: once human history is restored, what happens if everything I did gets out?"
The Clock Tower was infamously bureaucratic. They would argue endlessly. Ritsuka Fujimaru saved human history, and yet they still questioned the validity of her achievements.
When discussing what to do with Chaldea, the Clock Tower had spent an entire year just bickering.
"I see," Romani nodded. As a former Magus King turned human, he understood how people worked.
"If you get a chance, stop by sometime. You might get to meet your younger self."
"Maybe later, once things calm down."
As Daniel prepared to leave Chaldea, Reines and Olga Marie seemed to have grown closer. Reines even invited her to meet her alternate self in another world.
"You really are something."
Olga Marie was notoriously hard to get along with, yet Reines had befriended her in no time. It was a testament to Reines' social skills—or perhaps her uncanny ability to read others.
She'd developed that ability through years of assassination attempts. After inheriting the El-Melloi name as a child, she had to constantly hide and relocate. Her suitcase always contained not just Moon Cell Elixir, but also ample food—not because she was indulgent, but because she feared being poisoned.
Her background made her far more seasoned than the pampered Olga Marie.
"Parallel worlds, Chaldea… who would've thought? But I'm curious—why are you so interested in Moon Cell Elixir?"
Though the magical tool was powerful, it required high control, so few people coveted it. Otherwise, the El-Melloi family wouldn't have been able to hold onto it.
Even Lord El-Melloi II didn't use one—not because Reines was stingy, but because he simply couldn't control it. If he could, she would've assigned him one for his protection long ago.
But for someone like Daniel, who had reached the level of a Magician, that limitation was irrelevant.
"To be precise, I'm more interested in the way you endowed it with a virtual personality. Are you familiar with computers?"
"Of course. Don't assume everyone at the Clock Tower is a fossil. Sure, some are, but many keep up with the times."
She wasn't wrong. Phones and computers were common at the Clock Tower—unlike people like Tokiomi Tohsaka, who refused to use phones and relied on magic to communicate.
In contrast, because of the Department of Policies, digital infrastructure was widespread. Online shopping had been mainstream at the Clock Tower long before it took off in the mundane world.
It allowed mages to buy materials or access knowledge remotely, without traveling thousands of miles to the Clock Tower.
"There's a concept in computer science called artificial intelligence. It's like your Trimmau. Give it a command, and it obeys."
Daniel couldn't create homunculi, but something like a virtual personality—akin to an AI—was within reach, and without ethical baggage.
"Plus, I'd like a maid who can follow me around anytime, anywhere."
Trimmau could make tea, prepare snacks, and more. In terms of convenience, it was an incredibly useful tool.
"Then let's work together."
Reines extended her small, pale hand. Her smile, for once, looked sincere. She was smart—truly smart. She didn't try to manipulate someone of Daniel's level. That would be suicide. But she could still benefit from his influence in small ways.
"Separation Castle Adler."
"Yes. Its owner is exceptionally skilled at repairing Magic Crests. I think you'll find it worth visiting."
"And you want me to be your foster brother's bodyguard while we're there? No problem—I'm curious myself."
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