Inserting the key and stepping into the long-abandoned basement, Eichi felt a wave of emotion.
He was about to perform his second Heroic Spirit summoning.
Standing before the familiar summoning circle, Eichi was filled with anticipation for the new companions who would soon arrive.
"Proclaim."
As Cursed Energy surged, the Command Spell on Eichi's hand glowed faintly red.
The breeze stirred by the energy rustled his hair and clothes.
"Thy body shall be under my command, and my fate shall be with thy sword."
Magic power churned within the summoning circle, brilliant flashes of electricity flickering across it.
"Cross the wheel of suppression and appear. Guardian of the scales!"
In a flash of dazzling light, a figure fully shrouded in a purple robe appeared inside the circle.
"Are you my Master?"
"I am."
Eichi raised his hand, revealing the Command Spell to Medea.
"Then, the contract is formed."
A faint smile appeared on Medea's face, half hidden beneath her hood.
"Just a moment, I have another companion to summon."
"Alright."
Medea nodded and stepped aside.
Once again, the familiar summoning process played out. Amid a burst of white light, a tall, well-built figure appeared before them.
Red and black tight-fitting clothing, a jacket, dark complexion, and white eyebrows.
The man standing there was none other than Heroic Spirit Emiya.
He landed cleanly in the center of the summoning circle, without breaking the ceiling or disturbing the room.
Eichi nodded in satisfaction.
Heroic Spirit Emiya received the knowledge from the Holy Grail, glanced at Medea, and showed a somewhat surprised expression.
"It seems I've encountered another extraordinary Master."
He spread his hands, looking slightly troubled.
"Is there something you're dissatisfied with, Archer?"
"No, on the contrary. I'm looking forward to what lies ahead."
"Then, the contract is formed."
Eichi could consider today a great harvest.
A top-tier magician from the Age of Gods, and an all-rounder Archer with maxed-out cooking, housework, offense, and defense... Life settled down after that.
The group began attending classes and going on missions as usual.
Medea focused on researching the Jujutsu knowledge of this world.
Heroic Spirit Emiya, ever the ally of justice, busied himself exorcising Cursed Spirits all over the place.
"Medea, can your Noble Phantasm sever the Karma bond created by Jujutsu?"
"What kind of Karma bond?"
Medea, who had been studying Barrier Techniques, looked up at Eichi.
"Let me start from the beginning."
Eichi sat upright and began explaining the events he remembered from his previous life.
"There's a Jujutsu Sorcerer in this country named Tengen, who possesses an Immortal Technique."
"Tengen has incredibly high mastery in Barrier Techniques. Many of the barriers throughout Japan were created and strengthened by Tengen over the past thousand years."
Although the Jujutsu world referred to Tengen as omniscient and omnipotent, this was an exaggeration.
First of all, Tengen had admitted that she couldn't see into people's hearts.
Secondly, her omniscience came from the network of barriers she had set up across the country. Through these barriers, she could monitor and gather information.
That was the true source of her vast knowledge.
However, there were still places Tengen could not observe.
Such as specially processed barriers.
Unless she forcefully intruded into them, she couldn't see what was happening inside. But under normal circumstances, she wouldn't take such invasive actions.
This was why she knew so little about Kenjaku.
There were even areas within Jujutsu High's own barrier that Tengen couldn't see—like the dormitories.
Not because she was incapable, but because she respected their privacy.
To put it in modern terms, Tengen had established a national surveillance network with very few blind spots.
When she wanted to know something, she simply retrieved the surveillance footage.
That was the extent of her "omniscience."
As for "omnipotence," that was another exaggeration. Her thousand years of experience and mastery of Barrier Techniques made her seem capable of solving problems the Jujutsu world considered unsolvable.
Eventually, people began to believe she could do anything.
"But Tengen's Technique has a flaw. While it grants immortality, it doesn't preserve youth."
"As time passes, her body deteriorates. Once it reaches a certain threshold, her Technique will attempt to reconstruct her body, which is referred to as 'evolution.'"
"However, Tengen has stated that after evolving, she would lose her sense of self and, in the worst-case scenario, become an enemy of humanity."
"To prevent that, every 500 years, Tengen assimilates with a star plasma vessel to renew her physical form."
"Master, do you want me to sever the Karma bond between Tengen's Immortal Technique and the star plasma vessel?"
Medea fell into thought.
"Actually, I just want to save someone."
"Hmm?"
Eichi's words caught her attention.
"You want to save that star plasma vessel?"
"That's right."
Eichi then laid out the key points of the events scheduled to happen next year and explained them to her.
"If that's the case, then it shouldn't be difficult."
"Really?"
"If there were only one star plasma vessel, the Karma bond would be very strong. But if there's more than one, the bond becomes much weaker."
A confident smile appeared on Medea's face.
"Moreover, Master, you're not aiming to completely sever the bond. You just want to free one person from it."
"The difficulty of capturing a fortress and rescuing one person from a fortress is entirely different, after all."
As she spoke, Medea's gaze dropped to the table in front of Eichi.
There was a rough sketch he had casually drawn while explaining.
"And even if you did want to completely break the bond, it's not impossible. We still have some useful cards, don't we?"
She lightly tapped at the images of Toji and the Time Vessel Association.
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you, Medea."
"Yes, leave it to me, Master."
Medea was very satisfied with Eichi as her Master.
After all, many people feared her once they learned she was the Witch of Betrayal.
But not Eichi.
As someone with rich life experience, Medea could clearly sense Eichi's attitude toward her.
Complete trust.
Even when she asked about his Technique, Eichi didn't hold anything back.
"Do you need me to do anything?"
Eichi asked, noticing Medea still deep in thought.
"Actually, there is something I'd like to confirm."
"What is it?"
"I want to study the differences in Cursed Energy conditions between Japan and other countries."
"Hmm? Why the sudden interest?"
Eichi tilted his head.
"Just trying to verify a few theories."
"Got it. Winter break is coming up anyway. I'll take everyone abroad then, alright?"
"Alright."
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)