"Even a Grand Magus can't just remove this. The roots have already spread through your internal organs. If you try to dispel the magic, your Magic Crest will be destroyed as well."
For a magus, a Magic Crest is often more valuable than their life. If Mayo had tried this on anyone else, it might've worked. But Touko Aozaki was the exception.
"Magic Crest? I never had something like that to begin with." As she spoke, Touko drew a Rúnic symbol over her chest. The next instant, the roots burst out from her body and withered away into nothing. Strangely, despite the gaping hole in her chest, there wasn't a single drop of blood.
The hole was like a black void—lightless and impossibly dark.
"Looks like I still haven't recalled what I was thinking back then. I've gotten a bit lazy." Touko tapped her temple lightly and then pulled a half-pack of cigarettes from her pocket and tossed it to the Second.
"Sorry, but could you hold onto this for me? I'll come collect it later. Sorry to spoil your mood with my curtain call, everyone. But things have come to this, and I have no other choice.
Lately, since all my trump cards have been exposed, no one's tried to assassinate me anymore. Oh, right—you guys probably didn't know about this one."
As she spoke, Touko's upper body began to crumble—not like flesh and blood, but like a puppet made from magical materials. As her body disintegrated, an ominous dark aura began to fill the room.
"In the past, I used to get ambushed all the time, so I came up with a solution. I stored that thing inside me. Don't worry—it's programmed to only retaliate against those who harm me. If you don't act against it, it won't touch you. Lord El-Melloi II, I'll come get the cigarettes later. And teacher—please handle that for me."
She pointed at a travel bag off to the side and addressed her teacher, Baruelay, with a final request. Then, her puppet body collapsed entirely—revealing what looked like a gate. Beyond the gate was a pitch-black void. In the next moment, two blood-red eyes flared within the darkness—belonging to some unknown being.
Suddenly, crimson tendril-like thorns erupted from the gate, piercing Mayo's body. Other tendrils wrapped around him entirely, binding him tight, and began dragging his body toward the darkness.
"Mayo!"
Karina, Regina, and the others screamed, but there was no sound from Mayo. Instead, only a grotesque chewing sound echoed in the hall—as if thousands of fanged mouths were feasting.
As the sound faded, the red eyes in the darkness slowly vanished, and the black gate itself disappeared too. Only then did the people in the room begin to breathe again, their breaths sharp and rapid.
"Fear, huh…"
Earlier, even the Second and other magi hadn't reacted—not because they were calm, but because the gate exuded a fear so overwhelming that it paralyzed their thoughts. It was a fear that filled one's heart entirely.
This was one of Touko Aozaki's ultimate trump cards—and also one of the reasons the Clock Tower had stopped trying to pursue or seal her. Years ago, a Clock Tower sealing team had suffered severe losses to this creature of hers.
They thought they had killed her, only to find a powerful monster emerging from her body. After barely defeating it, they realized they had only destroyed a puppet vessel. If that happened several times, the Clock Tower would've collapsed from exhaustion.
This monster of Touko's was immensely powerful—nearly on par with Gray's Radiant Final Spear. Most terrifying of all, it was immortal. It suited her perfectly.
"Lord Byron, Lady Baruelay—we'll be taking our leave now."
After Mayo was devoured by Touko's counterattack, the Second quickly bid farewell to Byron and Baruelay. From this point on, everything that remained was an internal matter of the Department of Creation—he had no reason to interfere further.
"So the real question is: who gave the Izaluma family enough funds to purchase that blood-stained Bodhi leaf?"
The Department of Legal Affairs soon stepped in—not because of the deaths of the Twin Princesses, but because they discovered suspicious funding in Byron's purchase of the relic.
Though the Izaluma family was wealthy, their constant investment in the Twin Princesses project had drained their cash flow. Competing with Atram in the auction for the relic should've been impossible.
Adding to the mystery, Byron appeared to have memory gaps—just like Touko had earlier. Even after a full investigation, the Department of Legal Affairs couldn't determine who provided the funds. But the patterns suggested a familiar hand—someone who had also been connected to several of the Second's recent cases.
"We still don't know. The El-Melloi family might've made a splash this time, but that's not necessarily a good thing in the Clock Tower." This scandal struck a heavy blow to the Democratic faction—something the Aristocratic faction welcomed.
"What will happen to the others?" Daniel asked about the Silver Princess and the twin maids.
"They've been temporarily detained by the Department of Legal Affairs for questioning. But they'll likely be released soon. Given Byron's situation, it's unlikely the Twin Princess project will continue."
"That might actually be a blessing for them."
Without the ongoing experiments, the Silver Princess and the twin maids wouldn't have to endure further modifications.
"By the way, any word on the relic?"
"No news yet. But I've posted a high bounty."
"Second, Gray—you're both here. Perfect. Gray, I have something I'd like to ask you."
Daniel arrived at the room the Second was renting and was surprised to find Lainis there as well. She rarely visited this place—usually contacting the Second by phone or at the Clock Tower—but her presence didn't bother Daniel.
"You're looking for me?" Gray blinked in surprise.
"That's right. I'd like to borrow Add."
"Add?" Gray fell silent. If it had been anything else, she wouldn't hesitate. But Add was different.
"You want to use Add for a relic? To summon a Servant?" Lainis asked, suddenly suspicious.
"Lancer Artoria with the expansive chest, huh?" she added slyly.
Daniel had indeed considered this—summoning either Lancer Artoria in her white or black variant. Both had that distinctive "gracious bust" and were almost guaranteed to be summoned using Add.
But after some thought, Daniel had decided to aim for Saber-class Artoria instead.
"No. I want to borrow Add to complete a magecraft—to project it."
Daniel didn't hide his intentions. While learning magecraft, he had also studied Avalon. He wasn't Shirou Emiya, but with the power of the Law of Reason, he could already project Avalon. Now he wanted to try projecting the Holy Spear as well.
"I won't take it. Just borrow it while you're not using it. It won't take long for me to complete."
To Gray, Add was more than just a weapon or Mystic Code—it was a companion who had been with her since childhood.
"Is that even possible?" The Second was so shocked he forgot to puff his cigar. As a theoretical magus, he understood the difficulty. If projection magic could do this, more people would study it.
"Others might not manage it. But I can. Let's call it a rental—how's fifty million USD?"
"Hah, I didn't know I was worth that much. But I'm not your average Mystic Code. Not everyone can use me."
Add's voice came from inside Gray's sleeve. Normally, Mystic Codes could be used by anyone who understood how. But Add was different—custom-built for the Arthurian line.
Gray possessed the legendary Noble Phantasm Radiant Final Spear, something well-known now within the Clock Tower. Under normal rules, she should've been sealed as a potential threat. But the Clock Tower had acted as if they knew nothing.
That was because Gray had powerful backing: Add had been created by the Atlas Institute—one of the Mage's Association's three great branches.
"I understand. If I can't use it, that's my problem. I'll still pay the rental."
"You really are generous," Lainis said, surprised by the offer. That kind of money wasn't pocket change.
"Compared to the Holy Spear, this is nothing." Even a projection of Radiant Final Spear was priceless.
"Lainis, could that much money let the professor participate in the Holy Grail War?" Gray asked. She had little concept of money.
"Gray, you don't have to do that," the Second said quickly.
"I just want to help you," Gray replied. To her, the Second—who had taken her from her village—was someone she deeply respected.
"It won't erase our debt. But it'll solve a lot of issues. As for this idiot brother of mine wanting to go die—I can't stop him."
"I agree."
"Thank you."
"Now that we have the money, let's buy you some proper clothes. My brother really doesn't know how to care for a student."
Lainis had come today specifically to meet Gray. After being mocked by the Second for having no friends, she was determined to prove otherwise. Gray's personality made her an easy friend to like.
"Whose store is this? The decor is so tacky."
In an extravagant department store near the Clock Tower, Rin Tohsaka frowned at the surroundings.
"You musclehead wouldn't know art if it bit you," said a familiar voice. The group turned—it was blonde, long-haired Luvia.
"This your store?"
"That's right. I just bought it from Dafnant and finished renovations. Grand opening is today!"
Luvia looked very proud. She'd beaten out many competitors to acquire this prime-location mall.
"You got lucky," Daniel noted. Luvia had come from Finland. Getting a place like this so easily was thanks to Dafnant needing fast cash to handle the Legal Affairs Department.
"What are you shopping for? Since we met, I'll give you 50% off."
"No need."
"Awesome!"
Gray and Rin responded in turn. Rin might not get along with Luvia, but she'd never say no to a good deal—especially when it came to restocking her precious gems.
"Gray, over here!"
Lainis dragged Gray to the clothing section. Her goal today was to get Gray out of that ever-present hooded dress and into something more stylish.
"This way—these are the newest styles, and they'll suit you perfectly."
Seeing Lainis's intent, Luvia got interested too. Rin soon joined in, and Daniel was left behind. They'd even wandered into the lingerie section—no place for him.
"Clothes really do make the person. Gray, you could wear this all the time."
With the combined effort of Lainis, Luvia, and Rin, Gray was transformed into a proper princess. The new outfit gave her an entirely different aura.
"Add?" she asked, looking around as if expecting a comment. Only then did she remember—Add wasn't with her.
"As for the Holy Grail War… I don't know much. I just know that my brother summoned the King of Conquerors, and when he came back, he'd changed."
In Luvia's office, Lainis shared what little she knew about the Second's past—including how she helped him become a Lord.
But she had no idea what happened to him during the Grail War. He never spoke of it. She had asked Rin once, but Rin knew nothing either.
As Gray tried to ask more questions, the room's lights suddenly went out. Lainis quickly covered her eyes and pulled out eye drops.
"Careful. We may have an enemy." Trimmaw immediately shifted into alert mode, but the lights came back on moments later.
"No enemies detected. But I think we're trapped in a bounded field." Daniel handed Add back to Gray.
"Let's go take a look."
They stepped into the hallway and discovered the once-busy department store was now empty. People didn't disappear that fast. The only explanation was that they'd been pulled into a barrier.
"Show yourself!"
Luvia shouted into the empty hall. When no one responded, she launched a curse bullet forward—only for it to reappear behind her.
"This seems to be an infinite loop corridor," Daniel muttered, catching the returning projectile. He told the others to wait and investigated briefly before returning.
"We can't break it with brute force inside the building. We'll have to find a way to disrupt the bounded field."
"According to the professor, the key to that is…"
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