Shirou and Ancient Rome / Shirou and the Edelfelts

The Red-haired Miss exchanged only a few words with the colonel. A moment later, she stood up and went back to her room.

However, the colonel chased after them.

At lunchtime, the two men sat at the same table again, still completely ignoring Shirou and Waver. Their conversation was much more lively than at breakfast.

The colonel chatted with Miss Aisofei about London, mentioning that he had once studied at the Clock Tower.

The colonel then asked Miss Aisofei her destination.

"I'm going straight to England."

"Isn't that a real shame?"

"I traveled this road two years ago, when I spent three days in Istanbul," the Red-haired Miss replied.

"Oh, I see. Okay, you're on a direct route, and I have to say I'm very happy because I'm on a direct route too."

When the colonel said this, he nodded slightly awkwardly, his face turning a little red.

Shirou thought to himself that the colonel was clearly interested in her, but when he turned around, he saw something even more surprising.

Because Waver was also looking in that direction, he seemed to frown slightly in displeasure when the colonel said those words. Shirou noticed that Waver's gaze was quite complicated when he looked at the Red-haired Miss.

The Red-haired Miss said casually, "That would be wonderful." She seemed a little reserved, but a smile played on her lips.

Shirou noticed that after lunch, the colonel accompanied her back to her private room.

Waver, standing to the side, frowned even more deeply.

The view from the window had changed from the endless river to Aoyama. The passenger boat was sailing between mountains, and the beautiful scenery of the mountains on both sides could be seen.

As the colonel and the Red-haired Miss stood side by side in the aisle, gazing towards the azure mountain pass, the girl suddenly let out a sigh.

"How beautiful! I wish... I really wish..."

"What?"

"I wish I could leave everything behind and fully appreciate this world!"

The colonel stared at the Red-haired Miss's face; the lines of his jaw seemed even more stern and cold.

"How I long for you to get rid of all that!" the colonel said excitedly, opening his arms to embrace Miss England.

"Sophie ~"

The girl interrupted him.

"Not now. Not now. We have to wait until everything is over, until that's all over... then..."

The Red-haired Miss lowered her voice, Shirou could no longer hear the conversation.

This kind of conversation is just rather strange.

"How strange..." Shirou muttered to himself.

Chapter 1209 Shirou and Ancient Rome

The next day, Shirou was unsure whether the Colonel and the Red-haired Miss had had a fight.

They rarely spoke to each other. He felt the girl looked worried and uneasy. Dark circles were around her eyes.

Waver seemed much better off; he appeared quite satisfied with how things had unfolded.

Around 2:30 p. m., the passenger ship suddenly stopped. People stuck their heads out of the windows one by one. Several men gathered on the platform at the bow of the ship, looking out over the river and pointing.

At this moment, the passenger ship began to rock, and the wind and waves outside were raging, just like being at sea during an approaching typhoon.

Waver stood up, asked a few questions to a passing crew member, who answered. Waver nodded, then turned and went back to the dining room, only to bump into the Red-haired Miss was standing almost right behind him.

"What happened?" she asked in English, her breathing rapid. "Why did you stop?"

"It's nothing, miss, it's just the Lake Spirits playing a prank. It's nothing serious, they'll be gone soon. They're already taking measures. I assure you, there's no danger," Waver said respectfully to the red-haired lady.

She made a somewhat abrupt gesture, as if she were dismissing the thought of danger as something insignificant.

"Yes, yes. I know that, but time!" The red-haired woman was almost hysterical with excitement.

"Time?" Waver asked, puzzled.

"Yes, this will delay us." The red-haired woman looked anxious.

"That's possible, yes," Waver agreed.

"But we can't afford to be late! The magic ship is scheduled to arrive at 6:55, but we still need to get to the station before 9:00 to catch the Mystic Train. If we are delayed by an hour or two, we will miss the train." The red-haired woman waved her hands excitedly as she spoke.

"That's possible, yes." Waver didn't know what to do, so he just awkwardly agreed.

Shirou, on the other side, looked at her curiously. Her hand, which was holding the window sill, was trembling slightly, and her lips were also quivering.

"Is that train important to you, ma'am?" Shirou asked.

"Yes, yes, it's very important. I... I have to catch that train."

She left the dining room and ran down the aisle to find the colonel.

Shirou, grinning mischievously at the stunned Waver, said, "He's gone. Looks like you won't be able to beat that Marine if you don't step up your game, Master."

"Idiot! That's not what I meant!" Waver glared at Shirou angrily, then walked out of the dining room and went back to his room.

Shirou shrugged, then pulled a crystalline fragment from his inner pocket that seemed to glow and dim like it was breathing. It emitted a magical rhythm and floated into the churning river.

When these magical notes merged into the water, the river calmed down. Because of the Power Gemstone, many changes occurred in the world, and some of the mysteries that should have disappeared were preserved.

The lake spirit is probably greeting the fragments on Shirou's body.

Although Magecraft has declined in this world, the spirits of nature have been awakened by obtaining the power of the fragments. Compared to human Magecraft who are gradually being phased out, these spirits are closer to the power of the world, and they unconsciously approach the fragments of the Power Gemstone.

However, elves have unpredictable temperaments and habits. Sometimes they bring blessings to the world, and sometimes they bring disasters. For example, in public news reports, natural disasters such as fires, typhoons, tsunamis, and snowstorms are very frequent.

Shirou held onto the floating fragment of the necklace. The spirit in the lake called out to the passenger ship, as if waving goodbye to Shirou. The passenger ship continued its journey, and everything returned to normal.

Shirou was left alone during the meal, and he had no interest in appreciating the crossing. Afterwards, Shirou went back to his room. He and Waver did not see their two travel companions, the Red-haired Miss and the colonel, again; they all left on their own.

In short, we arrived at our destination only five minutes late; the rest of the time had been made up for on the way.

After arriving at the station, Shirou and a listless Waver took a car to the pre-booked hotel, Phoenix.

Shirou comforted Waver, telling him not to worry. In a parallel world, he was the number one man the female students at the Clock Tower unanimously considered the one they most wanted to spend the night with.

However, Waver retorted fiercely that he simply hadn't slept well and was too tired!

Shirou shrugged. He wasn't going to argue with anyone; he'd just let his teacher be frustrated by himself.

Shirou only wanted to go to his booked room, wash up properly, get a good night's sleep, and then go sightseeing in the vicinity tomorrow. He wanted to see this legendary country that had been through the Ancient Rome and Ottoman Great Emperor and two different religions.

Stepping onto the black-gray mirror-like tiles, the entire décor appears refined without being overly extravagant. This is Hotel Phoenix. On the surface, it's an elegant high-class hotel, but in reality, it's not open to the public and only caters to personnel related to the Mage's Association.

As soon as Shirou stepped through the door, a man in a coat and sunglasses walked up to Shirou and whispered something in his ear.

Shirou's expression changed, and he turned to Waver, saying, "Master, I'm sorry, but we have to leave Istanbul tonight and head back to London."

"No way!!!" Waver exclaimed, his face deathly pale.

Holmes has sent word that he has tracked Moriarty's movements in London. The professor who dominates the Parisian underworld seems to be organizing some secret meeting, which will be held on a luxury cruise ship sailing from Paris to New York.

With time running out, Shirou must reach Paris within a week to meet with Holmes.

"How annoying!" Waver muttered irritably.

"We have to continue our journey tonight, and to avoid being targeted, we can't take empty roads." Shirou glanced at the clock on the wall and walked to the front desk.

The waiter here was a blond, Nordic young man with a fair complexion and a smile. Shirou asked, "Is there still Mystic Train today? When does it depart?"

"There's one more flight, at nine o'clock tonight, sir," the young Scandinavian man replied.

"Could you book two sleeper berths for us?"

"No problem, sir. It's not hard to book a room this time of year. The Mystic Train is practically empty. First class or second class?"

"First Class."

"Okay, sir. Where are you headed?"

"To London."

"Yes, sir. I will purchase two tickets for you to London and reserve two sleeper berths in the Istanbul carriage."

Shirou glanced at the clock again. It was already 7:50.

"Can we cancel our room reservation? By the way, is there enough time for dinner?"

"There's definitely enough time, sir. We'll send you there in a car."

"Okay, thank you." Shirou nodded, then pulled the reluctant Mr. Waver through the hallway and toward the dining room.

As Shirou was handing the menu to the waiter, a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Hahaha, what an amazing encounter! Shirou! Waver! This is truly an unexpected and joyful thing!" a voice rang out behind him.

Shirou was taken aback.

'This kind of tongue-curling... pronunciation...'

Chapter 1210 Shirou and Edelfelt

The speaker was a tall, thin, middle-aged gentleman with a Scandinavian face, blond curly hair, and blue eyes. He had his hair slicked back with wax and was smiling happily at them.

"Long time no see, friends." Waver Velvet stood up and shook hands with the other person.

Shirou quickly stood up, and the other person gave him a warm hug.

"My daughter often talks about you, and I really wish you could spend more time with her."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Frederick." Shirou smiled somewhat awkwardly, thinking to himself that he and that girl weren't in that kind of relationship, and that she shouldn't be looking at him like he was a prospective son-in-law!

The middle-aged man's name was Frederick Edelfelt, yes, Luviagelita Edelfelt's biological father and the head of household of the Edelfelt family.

He is Finnish, and in this world, he still maintains a keen sense for reaping profits. He is a very wealthy and influential figure in both the real world and the world of Magecraft.

He even owns shares in this hotel and the Mystic Train he's about to board. Because he and Holmes moved their work location to Europe, Shirou became acquainted with him.

"You've been on a long trip this time, haven't you, young man?" said Mr. Frederick.

"Yes, there's something going on in Syria."

Are you going back to London? When are you leaving?

"Tonight," Shirou replied.

"Great! I bet you're on the Mystic Train, right?"

"Yes. I just asked the waiter to book us a sleeper berth. We were originally planning to stay here for a few days, but I received a call that there's something urgent and I need to go back to London."

"Oh my!" exclaimed Mr. Frederick. "Important, important! Shirou, it seems you've made a name for yourself in your line of work now, very good! Young man!"

"Perhaps we've achieved a little bit of success," Shirou humbly replied. They had done a lot to make a living in a place like London, and now they could be considered to have a place in Europe.

Frederick seemed quite satisfied with Shirou's answer and smiled.

"We'll meet again later," he said mysteriously.

Frederick moved a chair over and asked the waiter to bring his food over; he wanted to dine with his friend.

The waiter, treating Shirou and the others with completely different attitude, respectfully agreed and then jogged off to do it.

"So, you're taking the Mystic Train tonight too?" Shirou asked.

"That's right, Detective, I'm leaving tonight too. I mean, I need to go back to Helsinki; there are some paperwork to take care of there. The economy is bad these days, and it's not easy to make a living," Frederick agreed with a hearty laugh.

Lord El-Melloi II wanted to complain, but he held back.

The Edelfelt family rose to prominence during the Renaissance and began ruthlessly plundering foreign assets with the keen sense of smell of hyenas. We only ever saw them making a fortune; we never saw them go bankrupt.

They made a fortune during World War I and World War II, and it seems they were absolutely right. Despite being from Northern Europe, the Finns have extended their reach to the crossroads of Asia and Europe. Intelligence suggests they also want to get involved in Syria, hoping to profit from that war-torn country.

Even with the current global economic downturn and the gradual decline of many of Europe's old powers, the Edelfelt family's businesses continue to expand. Perhaps even they themselves can't say exactly how rich their family is.

In fact, Shirou had seen it with his own eyes at the Edelfelt family home, where the family motto was engraved. "A nobleman should act like a mercenary."

Wherever something good is discovered, you'll find them among the scramblers—the terrifying "most beautiful hyena in the world."

During the meal, Shirou glanced around while waiting for the next dish. There were only five or six people in the restaurant, but only two of them caught Shirou's attention.

The two men were sitting at a table not far from him. The younger one was a well-mannered young man in his early twenties, clearly German. They seemed to be talking in hushed tones in Romanian. However, it wasn't the young man who caught Shirou's attention, but rather his companion.

The other person was an older man in his sixties with an Eastern Europe appearance. Upon closer inspection, he was tall and slender, probably a little over 1.8 meters, with a deceptively amiable appearance like that of a politician.

He had long, curly, gray hair tied back, and his face was lined with shallow wrinkles. His smiling mouth revealed a row of snow-white teeth, suggesting that he must have been a handsome man in his youth. Everything about him seemed to tell others that he was a kind and benevolent old gentleman.