Berlin.
A biting cold wind, carrying snowflakes, swept through this bustling city.
At this moment, Aozaki Touko stood alone on the rooftop of the Umbrella Corporation building. She seemed to be waiting for something, or perhaps simply enjoying the night view.
Suddenly, the cold wind grew urgent.
The roaring sound of rotating helicopter blades came from the distant sky.
A helicopter was flying towards the Umbrella Corporation building, its destination very clear: the rooftop where Aozaki Touko was located.
"...What a grand gesture... Should I say, as expected of the Financial Devil!"
Aozaki Touko looked up, her orange hair fluttering, her gaze fixed on a middle-aged man in the helicopter. He was a man like a medieval nobleman, holding a cane, with a gentlemanly smile on his face.
A graceful nobleman, most normal people would probably come to this conclusion upon seeing him.
"Hahaha... I'm just a busybody who likes to meddle!"
On the helicopter, Van Fem leaped, jumping from a height of nearly ten meters, and landed effortlessly beside Aozaki Touko. The impact of the fall, apart from scattering the accumulated snow, caused no other unusual phenomena.
A height that would be enough to break bones and cause instant death had absolutely no effect on him. This level of physical fitness far surpassed that of humans.
This was the physical fitness of a Dead Apostle Ancestor... a limit that normal humans could never reach.
"If only that were true."
Aozaki Touko chuckled noncommittally, showing no tension about a Dead Apostle Ancestor standing beside her, as if he were just an ordinary middle-aged man. Her expression was very elegant and composed.
"It seems Miss Aozaki has some misunderstanding about me!"
Van Fem shrugged, revealing a bitter smile, "But I think... we will have opportunities to understand each other slowly in the future, removing the impressions typically associated with Dead Apostle Ancestors."
"Lord Van Fem has the world in his heart, far beyond what an ordinary person like me can fathom."
Aozaki Touko complimented him, then her tone turned sharp, "But there's one thing I really want to understand: why would a Dead Apostle Ancestor who cares about ecological climate protection pay attention to an ordinary Magician like me, and even specifically come to plunder my research results?"
The wind and snow suddenly grew colder.
Van Fem watched the young girl beside him. The cold wind and snow blew at his clothes, and his magic power instinctively began to circulate. This was a reaction of his instincts sensing danger.
Unbelievable... she was only a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl.
Yet, incredibly, she could bring a sense of danger to a Dead Apostle Ancestor.
To what extent had this girl grown in Einzbern?
"...Perhaps it's a coincidence."
As if not noticing the cold atmosphere, Van Fem continued to speak to himself, "After all, you are the successor of the Fifth Magic. Even I would pay attention, as that is a power standing at the pinnacle."
"Originally, I only planned to gather basic information, but after discovering your research into the Way of the Doll and your astonishing rate of progress, I paid even more attention to you, wanting to understand your existence more deeply."
"Aozaki Touko, I am very interested in you!"
The gentle, gentlemanly voice echoed in the cold wind and snow.
If it were an ordinary woman, perhaps her heart would quicken and her cheeks would start to flush.
But.
"...How disgusting... Are you a pervert?!"
Aozaki Touko's pretty face showed disgust. She hugged her arms and rubbed them together vigorously. This was naturally not because she was cold, but because Van Fem's words had given her goosebumps.
"...The more I pay attention to you, the more I discover your abnormality!"
As if not hearing the words of disgust, Van Fem continued to speak to himself, "After observing you for a period, I came to an interesting conclusion: Aozaki Touko is very likely to become someone who drives social progress, similar to great figures like Einstein and Newton."
"..."
Aozaki Touko's mouth twitched. She said in an uninflected tone, "...That's an unexpectedly high evaluation. But I think I might disappoint you. Such a great task as driving social progress is beyond an ordinary Magician like me."
"Perhaps you have no intention of driving society."
Van Fem didn't mind, merely saying, "But your extraordinarily transcendent talent will, even inadvertently, drive changes in this society."
Saying this, he tapped the ground with his cane.
"The anti-cancer drug you are currently researching... isn't that a very clear example? Even if the original intention was just to obtain money, it cannot be denied that it has pushed forward medicine."
"..."
Hearing this, Aozaki Touko was somewhat speechless.
In fact, her anti-cancer drug was merely a byproduct of her research into doll-making, combined with medical knowledge from her previous life, transforming it into a drug that could be scientifically manufactured.
The purpose was indeed to accumulate money, which would then be used for research funds in the magical arts.
However... it did indeed drive progress in the world's fight against cancer.