Fate/Magus Path

The Misaki Incident, which had swept through the entire city, had yielded significant results for Roy. Three of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors had been annihilated in Japan, sending shockwaves through the world of magecraft.

Although Roa was still believed to be capable of reincarnating, the deaths of Nrvnqsr Chaos and Vlov Arkhangel were undeniable. Merem Solomon and Ciel of the Burial Agency had personally confirmed their demise.

According to intelligence gathered by the Clock Tower in Europe, the self-proclaimed King of the Dead Apostles, the White Wing Lord, had engaged in a fierce battle with the Black and White Knights at his stronghold.

Despite the rare joint effort of the Black and White Knights, the White Wing Lord, leveraging his formidable strength and home-field advantage, managed to repel them, albeit at the cost of significant damage to his estate.

To the discerning eye, this was a clear warning from the Black Princess, Altrouge Brunestud, to the White Wing Lord.

Speculation suggested that the incident was related to the three Dead Apostle Ancestors who had perished in Japan. Rumors also hinted at the involvement of the mysterious princess of the True Ancestors, Arcueid Brunestud, from the Millennium Castle.

As a result, while those in the know kept a close watch, most magi steered clear, fearing the repercussions of getting involved.

Compared to the turmoil in Europe, the disturbances at the Tohno residence went largely unnoticed.

First, Akiha Tohno had used her knowledge of SHIKI Tohno (Roa) to lure him into a confrontation. The two had indeed clashed violently upon meeting, but due to Roy's intervention and the White Wing Lord's meddling, Roa's control over SHIKI Tohno's body had accelerated significantly. He had also brought with him a contingent of elite Dead Apostles trained by the White Wing Lord.

While part of Roa's motivation was influenced by SHIKI's lingering memories, his primary goal was to eliminate the threat posed by the Tohno family.

With Ciel, one of his previous reincarnations, and Merem Solomon, that old fox, present in the city, attacking the Church would have been too risky and would have resulted in unnecessary losses.

To prevent these hypocrites from aiding Roy in clearing out the Dead Apostles meant to stall him, Roa had brought a force of flame-wielding Dead Apostles to assault the Tohno residence, aiming to swiftly eliminate its leaders—primarily Akiha Tohno.

Under the onslaught of the flame-wielding Dead Apostles and the elite forces, the Tohno family's strength and lives were rapidly depleted. In a short time, the Tohno mansion was engulfed in flames, with countless members of the branch families and servants perishing, their bodies piled in the courtyard.

With Roa's relentless attacks, Akiha could barely hold her ground. As the flame-wielding Dead Apostles continued their massacre, she began to lose her composure.

The demon blood of the Tohno family began to take hold, driving her toward madness as she fought fiercely against Roa.

Seizing the opportunity, Kohaku, the Tohno family's maid, joined the fray, intending to sacrifice herself to lure Akiha into taking a fatal blow from Roa.

Her plan unfolded as expected.

Even in her frenzied state, Akiha instinctively moved to protect Kohaku, stepping in to take the lethal strike meant for her maid.

But just as everything seemed to be going according to plan...

Splat!

The sound of blood splattering filled the air, and warm liquid splashed onto the ground.

Kohaku opened her eyes to see Akiha standing in front of her, shielding her from Roa's deadly attack.

But... why?

It was Roa's arm that had been severed, Akiha who had stepped in to protect her, and standing in front of them both was Shiki Tohno, his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception activated as he glared at Roa.

Why had he returned so quickly?!

Hadn't Shiki been taken away by that man?

According to the plan, Akiha was supposed to die, and Shiki would then seek revenge against Roa, ultimately killing him.

What was happening now?!

Kohaku was utterly baffled.

Shiki's timely appearance was thanks to a certain Magician's intervention. Sensing the presence of the Dead Apostle army and Vlov Arkhangel's magical energy, Roy had quickly taken action.

After regaining consciousness, Shiki confirmed that his classmate, Mayuzumi, was unharmed and breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, he also saw the city of Misaki engulfed in flames.

Worried about his sister and Kohaku, Shiki pleaded with Roy to take him along.

Roy, of course, agreed. Even if Shiki hadn't asked, Roy would have dropped him off near the Tohno residence.

Chaos often breeds opportunity, and while the city was in turmoil, something significant was clearly happening at the Tohno residence. It was best to let Shiki handle it.

Due to Kohaku and Shiki's involvement, Roy couldn't intervene directly. The Tohno family's sins had to be resolved by themselves.

As for Roa...

Roy would deal with him, but first, Vlov Arkhangel, who was wreaking havoc in the city, took priority.

Thus, Shiki arrived on the battlefield just in time.

His timely appearance saved Akiha from Roa's fatal strike, altering the course of events. Akiha survived, and Kohaku's plan fell apart.

Seeing Shiki, Roa, influenced by Shiki's memories, felt an intense hatred for the boy who had once killed him.

Shiki, too, was shocked to see Roa, whom he had believed dead, now standing before him. But with the battle raging and Roa having fully descended into savagery, allying with monsters to kill Akiha and Kohaku was unforgivable.

In a fit of rage, Shiki wielded a Nanatsu-Yoru in his left hand and a silver dagger in his right, activating his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception to engage Roa in a prolonged battle amidst the flames.

Ultimately, Roa, with more pressing plans, chose to disengage. Having already decimated much of the Tohno family's forces, he left behind a group of Dead Apostles as a distraction for Shiki to deal with.

The Tohno family suffered devastating losses, with hundreds of members killed or injured. Akiha, severely wounded, fell into a coma, leaving the family in disarray. Shiki, as the eldest son, temporarily took charge.

...

In a temporary residence of the Tohno family, Shiki, now thrust into the role of family head, stared wearily at the endless pile of documents and responsibilities before him.

He finally understood the pressure Akiha had been under, trying to hold the family together.

*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* 

The sound of footsteps drew Shiki's attention, and he looked up toward the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Shiki-sama."

Kohaku, still dressed in her maid uniform, entered the room.

Seeing her, Shiki nodded. "Kohaku... What is it? It's late. Shouldn't you be resting?"

"..."

Kohaku bit her lip, unsure how to begin. After a moment of hesitation, she resolved to confess everything to Shiki.

"Shiki-sama, actually, I..."

But before she could continue, Shiki looked up, his clear eyes meeting hers.

Those eyes—not the ones he used in battle—were gentle and understanding.

Shiki already knew what Kohaku wanted to say. He had pieced it all together after Roy restored his memories and after finding his father's—or rather, his enemy's—notes in the study during his brief tenure as family head.

He knew what Kohaku had intended to do, and Roy's hints had only confirmed his suspicions.

But some things were better left unsaid.

So Shiki didn't press her. He didn't let Kohaku reveal the truth.

Meeting Shiki's gaze, Kohaku fell silent, eventually bowing her head and whispering, "Goodnight, Shiki-sama."

"Mm... Get some rest, Kohaku."

Shiki smiled softly, then returned to the mountain of paperwork before him.

Only after Kohaku had left did he look up again, gazing out the window.

The night was dark, the pale moon hanging in the sky.

As he stared at the moon, Shiki sighed, lost in thought.

He wasn't sure if what he was doing was right.

"Father... Akiha..."

...

While Shiki wrestled with his choices, dozens of kilometers away, a tall, elderly man in a thick, Western-style black cloak was browsing his favorite magical girl figurine shop.

Amidst the younger crowd, the old man stood out like a sore thumb.

But the judgment of ordinary people couldn't deter the heart of a true gentleman like Zelretch. He was too busy admiring the craftsmanship of the figurines, searching for new inspiration.

Roy, standing beside him, was less than amused.

The old man had contacted him using a dimensional slip of paper, summoning him to a location in Misaki City.

Upon arriving, Roy found himself in a store catering to certain... tastes. He was tempted to leave immediately, but Zelretch had already grabbed him by the neck and dragged him inside.

"Hohoho, look at this craftsmanship, these perfect curves... simply adorable!"

"But if I were to critique, there's room for improvement. For example, the skirt is too long. A miniskirt paired with thigh-high socks would be more fitting."

"This one, and this one, and that one—hold these for me, boy."

In the adult-oriented magical girl figurine shop, Zelretch handed Roy an endless stream of figurines, enthusiastically explaining the appeal of each magical girl.

From their chests to their hips, even discussing the designs of their undergarments, Zelretch's detailed commentary drew admiring glances from the other patrons.

This old man was a true connoisseur!

Roy, however, was struggling to suppress the urge to slap the old man and walk out.

"Enough of this nonsense, Zelretch. If you have something to say, just say it. I'm not interested in magical girls."

"Oh? After seeing these treasures and hearing my explanations, you're still unmoved?"

Zelretch was genuinely surprised. He had hoped to recruit Roy into the magical girl appreciation club.

"Not in the slightest."

Roy shook his head firmly.

"Hmph, all that effort wasted on a brick wall."

"Fine, let's get to the point."

With a sigh, Zelretch grabbed Roy's hand and led him to a corner of the shop. With a thought, they were transported away from the store and into Zelretch's dimensional rift.

"Alright, it's safer to discuss the rest here."

Back in his domain, Zelretch carefully unpacked the magical girl figurines Roy had been holding and placed them in a display case on the wall.

Roy had long since given up on questioning Zelretch's lack of decorum. The old man's sense of shame had clearly been lost to the ages.

Zelretch's nature wasn't hard to figure out. He was a whimsical old gentleman, which explained why he got along so well with someone like Merlin.

Thanks to the nature of the Second Magic, he had witnessed countless disasters and fascinating events across parallel worlds. Human rules and conventions held no sway over him.

Even his legendary battle with the Crimson Moon had been motivated by sheer annoyance.

Seeing how efficiently Roy had handled the situation in just a week had impressed him.

He was even more surprised by how Roy had managed to win over Arcueid.

First the Root, and now the Princess of the True Ancestors? The boy had a knack for it.

In the many parallel worlds Zelretch had observed, Arcueid's fate often ended in death or rampage, depending on the choices made by a certain boy named Shiki Tohno.

But with Roy's involvement, many of those possibilities had been consolidated into a single, favorable outcome. It was as if Roy had steered events toward a happier future.

Upon his return, Zelretch had checked on Arcueid. Her bloodlust had been largely suppressed, and there were no signs of the Crimson Moon's revival within her.

This had saved him a great deal of trouble. But more importantly, he had made a startling discovery!

Arcueid was a perfect match for his newly completed Magical Girl Transcendence System Three! It was a match made in heaven!

Though Arcueid's true age might not fit the typical magical girl mold, Zelretch was no stickler for such trivialities. He could see her potential at a glance.

Having spent centuries in the Millennium Castle, Arcueid retained a childlike innocence, making her the ideal candidate for his magical girl system.

He was determined to recruit her, no matter what.

Seeing the gleeful expression on Zelretch's face, Roy's eye twitched.

Whatever the old man was plotting, it couldn't be good.

"Enough of your wild ideas. Let's talk business, Zelretch."

___

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