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The Einzbern family's castle in Fuyuki was massive—grand halls, gleaming marble floors, chandeliers brighter than starlight. None of that gloomy, haunted vibe from the Fifth Holy Grail War at all.
Kiritsugu Emiya wasn't around. He'd gone off somewhere with Maiya Hisau, probably on one of their secret missions.
Alex and the girls each got their own rooms. His was huge and bright, but somehow it still felt… empty.
He'd spent the whole afternoon moving in, so there hadn't been any time to study magic with Hestia. Not that there was much left for her to teach—she'd already helped him create Unlimited Blade Works itself.
From here on out, the path was his to walk alone.
Sitting down at his desk, Alex pulled out a pen and some paper. It was time to take stock of everything he'd learned.
The "Blessing" from the DanMachi world couldn't record magic or sorcery learned from other worlds, so he'd have to make his own personal status sheet.
Name: Alex
Level: 1
Blessing: Strength: C606 | Endurance: C600 | Dexterity: C601 | Agility: C612 | Magic: SSS1479
Martial Arts: Northern Darkness Divine Skill, Lingbo Footwork, Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand, Tenfold Martial Path (Sword, Blade, Spear, Axe)
Magecraft: Nasuverse Magecraft (Unlimited Blade Works, Imaginary Collapse, Reinforcement, Projection, Bounded Field, Alchemy, Healing)
Magic:
Fairy Tail Magic – Word Magic
Jobless Reincarnation Magic
Beginner: Detoxify, Water Ball, Fireball, Flame Cut
Intermediate: Heal, Water Cannon, Rock Bullet, Vacuum Wave, Infernal Fire Shot
Advanced: Lava, Rock Burst, Earth Fortress, Ice Lance Blizzard
Equipment: Moon Cell Elixir
Servant: Merlin (Old Saber)
Magic Circuits: Quality – EX | Quantity – A | Configuration – Normal | Attribute – Alpha (All)
Magic Crest: Right Arm
Holy Flame Baptism:×10 EnhancementL earning Ability – Excellent Martial Arts Aptitude – Excellent Magecraft Aptitude – Excellent Magic Aptitude – Excellent
"Much better."
Seeing everything neatly listed out made him feel oddly satisfied. He'd update it again whenever he learned something new.
After tucking the sheet away, Alex went back to training.
He couldn't help it—he'd gotten too used to keeping busy.
His magecraft and Jobless Reincarnation magic were coming along nicely; what he needed now was more practice. As for Fairy Tail's Word Magic, he'd only started learning it last night. Still plenty of room to improve.
He opened the window and, using his finger as a pen, began tracing symbols into the air.
But he wasn't writing in Fairy Tail's runes, or even Japanese characters—he was using Chinese.
Word Magic didn't rely on any fixed script. Words were simply a way of manifesting mana—like combining spell circles with chanting.
He drew the word 水 ("water") in the air, and a ball of shimmering liquid instantly appeared before him.
He flicked it downward, and it struck a small tree in the courtyard below.
Crack!
The tree snapped clean in half.
"About the same power as a basic Waterball spell," he muttered. "But way faster."
No chanting, no complicated hand motions—just write a single word.
He tried out a few more—metal, wood, fire, earth, wind, lightning, light, and darkness—each one easily manifesting before him.The nine basic elements appeared with ease.
But when he tried more complex words—storm, sea of fire, earth spike—nothing happened.
It wasn't a mana issue. He just wasn't skilled enough yet.
Word Magic at the beginner stage was like a dumb AI—it could only follow the simplest commands. To make it smarter, he'd need to "train" it with constant practice, feeding it data like a learning algorithm.
So Alex kept practicing at the window, fully focused… completely unaware that he'd caught someone's attention.
From the next room over, Irisviel leaned out her window, silver hair swaying in the breeze."Mr. Lin, what kind of magecraft is that? It looks a bit like Runes."
"This? Not Runes—Word Magic," he replied.
He deliberately said magecraft, not magic. In the Nasuverse, "magic" had a very different meaning.
"How amazing! I've never seen anything like it!" Irisviel's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Alex pretended not to notice. This wasn't something he could just teach anyone.
People in the chat group could share techniques freely, but outsiders were another story. Mixing world systems was risky—it could bring a lot of unwanted attention.
If he were stronger, it wouldn't matter. But for now? Best to lay low and grow quietly.
Seeing him ignore her, Irisviel puffed out her cheeks in mild frustration.
When he still didn't answer, she changed the subject."Mr. Lin, what kind of food do you like? I'll have the kitchen prepare something special tonight to celebrate our alliance!"
At the mention of food, Alex perked right up.
The past few days in the hotel had been fine—great, even—but all they served was Western and Japanese cuisine. What he really missed was proper Chinese food.
"Would Chinese food be okay?" he asked, eyes full of hope.
"Um…" Irisviel froze.
The castle chefs probably didn't know a single Chinese dish. For a second, she wondered if Alex was just teasing her on purpose.
Seeing her hesitate, Alex grinned. "How about this—let me cook?"
"You can cook?" she said, genuinely surprised.
He thumped his chest proudly. "I won't claim to be a master, but when it comes to Chinese food? I've got it covered."
Irisviel blinked, then gasped softly. "Mr. Lin… are you from Huaxia?"
"Bingo." He nodded without hiding it.
"Incredible! I couldn't even tell from your Japanese accent," she said, studying him with new curiosity.
Though she looked like an adult, Irisviel was actually quite young—an artificial being raised in the secluded halls of the Einzbern castle. If not for the Holy Grail War, she never would've set foot in Japan.
The world outside was still new and fascinating to her—especially that mysterious Eastern continent she'd always dreamed of seeing.
"Miss Irisviel, your accent doesn't sound foreign either," Alex said with a smile.
She fell silent at that. His words had stirred memories of her childhood—days spent studying magic alone in a dimly lit castle.
Alex noticed her mood dip and quickly changed the topic."So, how's the pantry here? I'm planning to cook up a whole feast tonight."
That snapped her back. She smiled brightly. "Don't worry—we've got everything you'll need."
"Really? That well-stocked?" he said in mock surprise.
"Of course!" she said proudly, puffing out her chest.
For some reason, seeing him impressed gave her this warm, smug little satisfaction. Like she'd just nailed a perfect brag.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's check it out!" Alex said, grabbing her hand as they headed off toward the kitchen.
Irisviel followed, laughing softly. She was honestly curious now—just what kind of dishes could this mysterious man from the East create?
"..."
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