Merlin's Invitation

What is Grand Rank?

The term "Grand Rank" actually refers to the first rank of the Clock Tower, the highest level of evaluation, but in the modern Clock Tower, it is considered a special rank that is almost meaningless. This is because obtaining the Grand Rank is extremely difficult; very few Magus can achieve this title, perhaps only one or two every few decades or even centuries. One such representative figure is "Aozaki Touko" from the Association. Her main achievements are twofold: first, she is well-known for reviving "Rune Magecraft" in the modern era; second, in puppetry, she has achieved a level of skill indistinguishable from a real human body.

Similar to academia, the world of Magus is dominated by many long-lived, high-ranking old fogies. To achieve the highest honors and recognition in the Magecraft world, one must produce astonishing results that can shake the very foundations of Magecraft. Even so, since its inception, only a dozen or so people have attained the Grand Rank.

Even Yulifis, the Lord of the Spiritual Evocation Department's Department, after a lifetime of effort, only reached the rank of Grand. That's why he values Kenneth and Rovey so highly, two geniuses who have the potential to reach the Grand Rank in the future.

If Rovey can truly achieve the highest level in the history of Magus theory by his early twenties.

If it succeeds, it will cause an unimaginable sensation in the entire mysterious world.

After all, this would be a record-breaking and historic achievement, unique since the Clock Tower was built.

After confirming several times that Rovey was absolutely not joking, even the gloomy old goat Yulifis couldn't hide his excitement and laughed, then applauded him.

Before leaving, he specifically mentioned that he was very much looking forward to Rovey's performance and sincerely wished him success.

Despite the other party's continued disbelief, Rovey remained very confident in his methods.

Unlike ordinary geniuses, who are one step ahead of their time, his research is already far ahead of the geniuses of this era. He calls this state of being a madman or a person who is ahead of his time.

Unlike ordinary magical geniuses, he possessed a foundation capable of encompassing everything, naturally allowing him to learn all applicable knowledge and Magecraft. Among these, the two disciplines he chose to specialize in were undoubtedly necromancy and alchemy. These two different disciplines represented different attributes, corresponding to his current major Magecraft.

Furthermore, since Alchemy is not common in the Clock Tower, apart from Kenneth of the Mineralogy Department, no one in the entire Clock Tower can compare to Rovey's Alchemy skills.

However, although Kenneth was no less skilled in Alchemy than him, Rovey was definitely number one in terms of innovation and daring.

Because his Alchemy wasn't blindly following materials or imitating the paths of his predecessors, but rather using Alchemy as a foundation and then layering and transforming different elements. He even studied or imitated the religious Magecraft foundation of the Church of England, deliberately concealing his identity to become English Church and believe in God, praying and questioning every day... actually, it should be called questioning. In short, he observed and learned, eventually developing a system of idolatry, understanding what Christianity, God, and the Bible were.

Honestly, given his deep understanding of the Bible, most Executor probably couldn't out-argue him. He was so engrossed in his role that he almost received a promotion within the Puritan Church to a high-ranking position like priest. However, he suddenly disappeared, taking several church murals and a cross with him in the dead of night. This is one of the key reasons why he understood angels and God so well—through firsthand experience. It just goes to show how the Holy Spirit felt when he heard an Outer God, praying to him, essentially exploiting his faith and foundation.

Furthermore, he learned demon summoning Magecraft from Lev and began to apply the Bible to his practice. The complexity of this was such that even Magus from the origin of chaos would have to gasp in astonishment.

"This is so chaotic..."

However, this theory was not proposed by him, but rather by Aleister, the author of the Law Book. Aleister proposed a unique theory that knowledge is all-encompassing; anything useful can be used to form one's own Magecraft. From ancient times, Age of Gods Magecraft, Kabbalah Tree of Life, and angelic teachings, to Christianity, unorthodox religions, Tarot cards, astrology, and philosophical theories, everything could be stitched together—making him a complete and utterly monstrous stitch-together.

Although it is extremely blasphemous, it is extremely useful.

Many special Magecraft based on modern Western Magecraft originated in this way.

Its most prominent feature is that it is highly functional, but also completely lacks any regularity or logic.

Such things are considered heretical and cumbersome by Magus.

Because the meaning of Magecraft has never been about how useful it is, or how powerful it is, or even how it can kill something.

The meaning of Magecraft should be the path of magic; a good Magecraft system is one that helps Magus embark on the path to the Root.

The modern Western system, precisely because it is complex, varied, and chaotic, is not accepted by Magus no matter how powerful its functionality is, because it cannot lead them to the Root.

Therefore, this thing is garbage.

While most Magus think so, Rovey from another world doesn't.

The Magus's pursuit is to reach the Root, while this Magecraft system is merely a technique, which is why there is such a sense of deviation.

But if you integrate it and use it only as an auxiliary tool, wouldn't that be enough?

—Integration.

Alchemy, a form of Western Magecraft, is known for its inclusiveness and openness. With just a few modifications and adjustments, it can be used in conjunction with most Magecraft. Magecraft, on the other hand, does not require as many props or pre-drawn plans as Alchemy.

The combination of the two can produce unexpected results.

Alchemy uses Alchemy Array to replace Magecraft incantations, allowing for instant activation. The incantated items and Magecraft materials are then used to provide Alchemy tools.

The two complement each other, each taking the best of the best and making up for the worst.

The only difficulty lies in the uncontrollable measurement involved.

The Hallcraft are the mold that grasps that degree.

By using a technique similar to that of Magic Workshop, a transformation zone is provided for the two, which can be perfectly integrated and transformed once it is used.

In that region, Alchemy first drives Magecraft, and then Magecraft feeds back into Alchemy, with the excess magic power supplied to the body, which is the so-called temple.

This allows the two forces to truly spiral upwards, with the left foot stepping on the right, like in Tai Chi, complementing each other and continuously expanding.

To achieve the greatest effect with the least amount of time and effort, and to enhance the Magus's level, is what is known as the Hall of Fame or the Sanctuary.

While it can't compare to divine techniques like Reality Marble, it greatly enhances Magus's off-field combat capabilities and skirmish prowess. At least when facing Dead Apostle Executor, they won't be caught off guard and overwhelmed, waiting to die at close range due to lack of time to prepare.

Imagine if a simple Magic Workshop that used to take a whole day to set up could be compressed to a mere ten minutes to complete the spell. The improvement in operational efficiency would be remarkable.

The enemy was chasing you, but lost track of you for half an hour. Just as they found you, they excitedly jumped in to kill you, only to suddenly discover that they had entered your Magic Workshop. The roles of attacker and defender were immediately reversed.

An initial skirmish can quickly turn into a full-scale assault, and at that point, it's impossible to say who will be the unprepared side.

Most of the time, you can beat those Dead Apostle Executor to the point of questioning their existence. If you can't beat them even with almost double the power in your own makeshift workshop, then you really should just die.

Based on this theory, Rovey was 80% confident of securing the Grand Rank, since this research would significantly improve the combat power and survivability of Clock Tower Magus.

With this thing, the Magus of the Clock Tower will no longer need to be subservient to the Dead Apostle and their Executor when they see them outside.

A few people held them off, while the rest of the group immediately activated their formation. Anyone who dared to enter would die. With everyone in the Magic Workshop, it was all positional warfare. The Executor's strong physique and the Dead Apostle's regenerative abilities? It didn't matter. Under the cover of Magecraft firepower, anyone who came would die.

As for why it wasn't 100% certain...

While his value is immense, unlike Aozaki Touko's revival foundation that brought back lost mysticism, his magic still belongs to the foundation of modern Western Magecraft, the so-called Department of Modern Magecraft, and will inevitably face resistance from Magus. Although his Grand Rank is unlikely to be lost due to the reasoned arguments of Aristocratic Faction like Kenneth and Yulifis.

However, using mystery as a selling point still falls short.

While Rune now also knows Rovey, and even the original, strongest version—personally taught to Scáthach by the great god Odin, a genuine Age of Gods Magecraft —its value, if written down, could easily surpass that of Grand Rank. However, it's not his own; it belongs to Scáthach. Using it to gain a rank would be somewhat embarrassing, and might even invite ridicule from Aozaki Touko.

As for the foundation of Angel Summoning...

This thing is more valuable than the Demon Summoning Disk and the Rune Disk; its release will create a huge shockwave.

However... if he dared to expose what he had done, it would be tantamount to announcing to the world that he was going to become the new God, which is equivalent to declaring war on all the Church.

Such a blasphemous spell could never be recognized. He'll be Grand Rank, but he'll also face relentless pursuit from the Church. You can imagine that he'll be labeled the same as the Dead Apostle Ancestor, a clear heretic. The madmen of the Burial Agency will charge at all costs to get to him, and might even destroy the Clock Tower as well.

Therefore, Rovey felt that he should keep a low profile until he could completely replicate the true power of the gods.

Although he wasn't afraid of the Burial Agency —after all, he Philosopher's Mace in his left hand and the Sword of Paracelsus in his right, capable of cutting down almost any that came his way—this would undoubtedly create a lot of trouble.

Not only has the world order been shattered, but the Dead Apostle Ancestor and the Magus who were watching the spectacle are definitely laughing their heads off.

Even though he kept saying things like, "It's just the Christianity," and other such disdainful remarks, Rovey had to admit that the Church, with its more than two thousand years of history and more than two billion believers, was indeed much more useful than the Clock Tower in getting things done.

At least the other side's Executor is really in charge, capable of taking down several Dead Apostle Ancestor. Barthomeloi, leading his elite team, claims to hate Dead Apostle and hunt Dead Apostle, but apart from high-ranking Dead Apostle, he doesn't really have any significant achievements.

If the church's high-end combat power is truly wiped out, then it will be up to me to personally take action against the Dead Apostle Ancestor. It would be just creating trouble for myself, and it wouldn't be worth it at all.

"So the Hallcraft plus the improved Golden System are more than enough. Don't mess around with the rest... Anyway, Professor Kenneth will handle it for me."

As he pondered this, Rovey walked back to his room. Looking at the sleeping Reines, he realized that a little girl was already sleeping in his room.

"Well..."

So, with a helpless sigh, he reached out and covered Reines with the blanket, gently concealing her somewhat disheveled sleeping position, and then quietly left, intending to find a room to sleep in.

After all, he's a grown man, he can't exactly sleep next to a little girl, can he? He's not some kind of pervert. Although he wouldn't feel anything even if he slept next to her, since Reines's body isn't fully developed and there's nothing particularly interesting about it.

Forget admiring her; Rovey was just worried about whether she'd catch a cold. He wasn't some perverted loli-obsessed person.

He plans to first go to his study to write down some information about angelic spells, then complete the expansion of the temple, and submit it to Kenneth as his final answer sheet for advancing to the Grand Rank, and then...

Then... it seems like it should be dawn by then.

It seems like I don't need to sleep tonight?

"Hiss... No way."

Looking at the dim sky outside the window, Rovey decided after much deliberation that he should take a nap first.

After all, he had just advised Lev to rest, but he ended up doing something so reckless, which was really like shooting himself in the foot.

To be honest, he hasn't had a proper rest in a long time.

I slept in underground parking lots, on the lawn of Ryūdō Temple, on a deserted road, or even on an airplane...

Although the Aoko pillow was nice, he only dozed off for a short while, which wasn't a proper rest at all. He should get some proper rest too.

So... goodnight, Makka Pakka.

After quietly saying goodnight to Reines, Rovey asked the butler to bring him a blanket, and then went straight to sleep on the folding bed in the study.

This time, no one should bother him, so he can get some rest...

We can deal with this together tomorrow.

"Oh, Mr. Rovey."

I had just closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep when, accompanied by an annoying sound, my slumbering consciousness was once again transported to the familiar sea of flowers.

"Long time no see! I've missed you so much!"

A grotesque voice rang in his ears, growing ever closer. Then, with a "whoosh!" sound, a gigantic arm appeared out of nowhere and slapped away a white figure that was lunging at him, ready to commit an unpleasant act.

"Aaaaaah...!!"

In mid-air, Merry was swatted hundreds of meters away like a mosquito until she crashed into the mud in the distance, finally managing to stop with her head stuck in the ground.

"You pervert, you're going to do it again?!"

Seeing Merry lying face down, seemingly sticking out but unable to move, Rovey was genuinely amused and exasperated.

After a few days apart, Merlin hadn't reverted to his masculine state. Instead, he had completely adapted to the female body and was getting increasingly adventurous. As soon as he came in, he tried to pounce on her and do things she couldn't accept.

"Waaaaah... Hurry up and pull me out, Rovey..."

With her head buried in the ground but unable to pull her body out, Merry let out two strange cries, seeking his help.

"A great opportunity!!"

Seeing that Merry was unable to move, Rovey thought to himself that this was a perfect opportunity, and rushed towards her. Then—

--Bang!!

He kicked her out of the ground without any mercy.

"Eh eh eh...!!"

Merry fell again, but this time she landed on her bottom.

Then, Merry, clutching her backside, stood up from the ground and looked at Rovey, her expression full of resentment.

"Would it kill you to be a little gentler with me? I'm already a big sister now, and nobody likes you for being so rude to women."

"If you don't disturb my sleep and aren't such a pervert, I'll still respect you, Merlin? No, now it's Merry."

Rovey sneered, "After all, I wouldn't give a woman who's practically a nymphomaniac a kind look."

"Hehehe... Sorry, sorry, after all, this is a woman's body, and I always want to try things I've never done before."

Merry wiped the dirt off her face, turned around with a smile, and then asked playfully, "Want to try it with me?"

"...roll."

As Merry approached again, Rovey snapped his fingers, and several large hands appeared out of thin air beside him, ready to smash this freak into a groundhog at any moment.

"What an unromantic man! If it were me, I would have already... Alright, alright, I won't say anymore, just put the sword down."

Merry hurriedly begged for mercy.

After a while of commotion, the two finally stopped.

"Rovey, you haven't had a proper rest in a long time, have you? You seem to be very busy lately?" Merry asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I was sent to another city by the Root, which caused me to miss my flight. Not only that, but I also have an advancement exam and a lot of troublesome experiments waiting for me after I get back. Now I have to keep getting stronger, otherwise the tragic future won't be pleasant..."

Rovey nodded. "This world is really troublesome, beset by internal and external troubles, and filled with all sorts of tragedies. Saving it is no easy task..."

"I know, after all, tragedy is the main theme of this world..."

Listening to Rovey's reflections and realizing his efforts, Merry nodded and obediently sat opposite Rovey, listening quietly.

"However, Rovey, as a participant, you've actually done very well. At least in this Fourth Holy Grail War, you achieved results that I didn't expect. Almost all the participants had a Happy End. Everyone fulfilled their wishes or got the answers they wanted. Many people who should have died survived. That's truly a good story..."

"Now, it's not just me who's fond of you, little Artoria; the King of Heroes is extremely fond of you as well. And because of the changes you've brought to the unseen future, a certain mysterious king has also been attracted to you, and he's eagerly anticipating his formal meeting with you."

"So be prepared to be busy; so many connections aren't something that can be resolved so easily."