"May I take a look, Mr. El-Melloi II?"
"...Of course, be my guest."
Snapping out of his thoughts, El-Melloi II stood up to make way, watching as Aozaki Rin controlled his paper cranes to observe the magic circle on the ground.
In fact, while examining the circle earlier, he had noticed the young man collecting the human remains.
He didn't intend to comment on it. While it might be a naively futile act for a magus, in his opinion, not caring at all would be far too cold.
"It seems to have some alchemical incantations mixed in, but in essence, it looks like part of some unsavory ritual..."
Aozaki Rin frowned slightly. One didn't need to look closely to understand this point. After all, a magic circle that required human blood to be drawn couldn't possibly be for any proper kind of magecraft.
"I agree. In any case, it's best to destroy this magic circle first. Also, I have a feeling Caster's actions are somewhat different from what I remember. We should keep moving forward."
"Okay."
Rin nodded. Although he didn't know what this magic circle was for, after standing up, he immediately used his spear to smash the entire circle, along with the floor tiles, into dust.
"...Speaking of which, you're a 'Demi-Servant' like Mash, aren't you, Mr. Sajou?"
Gazing at the spear in the young man's hand, its blade faintly glowing with a golden light, El-Melloi II couldn't help but feel a sharp aura from it and asked subconsciously.
"You can just call me Rei or Lancer, Mr. El-Melloi II. Also, what is a Demi-Servant?"
Having mostly come to believe El-Melloi II's identity, Rin signaled that he didn't need to be so formal. He asked in return as they continued deeper into the sewers together.
"To put it simply, it's a special existence that has received the power of a Servant, obtained their Saint Graph, and is guided by their own consciousness. However, this form of existence is quite special. Besides Mash, you're the only other one I've seen."
"Also... the spear you're holding seems very special. If it's convenient, could you reveal which Servant it belongs to?"
El-Melloi II asked with some curiosity. However, his question was not meant with any ulterior motive, but was purely for academic discussion. Even if the young man refused to answer, he would understand.
"...It was left to me by Lancer, Mr. Lucius Longinus."
After thinking for a moment and realizing there was no need to hide it anymore, Aozaki Rin answered.
After all, he had already "revealed his identity" last night, and besides, he now more or less trusted El-Melloi II.
And just in case there were any other problems, the two girls, Ritsuka and Mash, were still being held captive, which was enough to prevent the other party from having any ill intentions.
"Longinus... I see, a Saint-type Servant? But that would make sense..."
He subconsciously took another look at the spear in the young man's hand. El-Melloi II now understood why Longinus would be willing to leave his Saint Graph power to the boy.
Just from the young man's character and his respect for the dead, one could see that he himself might have the makings of a saint.
Is this what they call compatibility?
He couldn't help but think of a certain "Great Strategist" who had left his power to him and then completely washed his hands of the matter. El-Melloi II's mood became a bit complicated.
My personality is completely different from Mr. Zhuge's. Why did that man choose me back then? It couldn't be because we both share a life of toil, could it...
Sighing inwardly, El-Melloi II felt that dwelling on it further might put a strain on his stomach. He refocused his attention ahead, only to encounter another wave of Sea Demons with Rin a short while later.
And similarly, they discovered another magic circle drawn in blood afterward.
Although they still couldn't determine the specific purpose of the magic circles with the clues they had, Rin and El-Melloi II both knew that Caster was definitely plotting something terrible.
After destroying several more magic circles in succession, the two finally arrived at the location of Caster's workshop from El-Melloi II's memory.
"The location of the workshop hasn't changed, but what's with that strange ritual?"
Not sensing any living presence from the workshop not far away, El-Melloi II asked with a frown.
"It seems he's out. Should we go check the situation first?"
"Let's just destroy his workshop directly. Whatever his purpose, if he loses the support of his workshop, his actions should become more difficult."
Rin shook his head and suggested. After all, if they got too close and Caster had set up some kind of trap near the workshop, the situation could become dire.
"Although I was about to say the same thing, with just the two of us, our firepower to destroy a magus's workshop... okay, never mind what I said."
Seeing the young man snap his fingers, countless sheets of paper fly out and surround Caster's workshop, with innumerable incantations instantly appearing on them, El-Melloi II immediately shut his mouth.
"It might get a little hot in a moment, but I'll control the range and output."
The moment the barrier formed by the papers was complete, Rin warned El-Melloi II and snapped his fingers again.
In that instant, a tiny spark seemed to fly from the young man's fingertips towards the distant workshop.
And then, the spark magnified, and the temperature in the air rose sharply.
As a flash of light as bright as the sun illuminated this section of the sewer, flames instantly consumed everything in the workshop.
—BOOM!
The sound of a violent explosion, accompanied by a slight tremor, traveled from the distance. Francesca, who had been using a severed finger as a pen to draw a magic circle on the ground, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Oh my, it seems some things have already been discovered."
"My workshop appears to have been destroyed by another Servant, and I've lost contact with some of my familiars since just now. Should we go back and deal with them first, François?"
Caster's face was grim, clearly displeased, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
After all, his friend had told him that once the ritual they were currently drawing was complete, his beloved Saint would descend once more.
And now that the ritual was being obstructed by others, his already unstable mind was stirred with a hint of madness.
"It's fine, don't be nervous, Gilles. I already anticipated that someone might discover our 'little surprise,' so I mixed in a lot of 'fakes' during the drawing process to confuse them! In other words, it's double insurance!"
A sweet smile on her lips, Francesca held up a finger, holding a woman's severed finger in her other hand, a triumphant look in her eyes.
"But if we let them keep doing this, they'll eventually find the real parts of the magic circle. So, it's about time we split up, Gilles."
"From now on, you'll be responsible for attracting their attention, and I will properly complete the rest of the ritual to make Jeanne-chan descend upon this city."
Watching Caster's spirit become agitated again at the mere mention of the Saint's name, Francesca's eyes were filled with sincerity, and the smile on her face was like a flower of evil blooming in the darkness.
-------
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