A Gentle, Fine Night

Seemingly sensing Kenneth's scrutinizing gaze, Gray, who had been hiding behind Rovey since entering, grabbed the hem of his shirt and shrank further behind Rovey, pulling her hood up to cover her entire face.

"It's alright, Gray."

Seeing this, Rovey gently patted her head, reassuring her that everything was alright and that the Lemon Head uncle in front of her wasn't a bad person.

"..."

Kenneth, rubbing his aching head, glared sternly at Rovey, who dared to call him "Lemon Head."

This nickname unconsciously reminded him of those rude and obnoxious Heroic Spirit in the Holy Grail War who called him "Lemon Head" all the time.

"When you returned from Bramockya Mausoleum, you not only brought back so many villagers with Magus qualifications, but you also found such an incredibly peculiar girl. Shouldn't you explain that to me now? Although you categorized her as an ordinary girl living in that village, how could I easily ignore her face, which is exactly the same as King Arthur's? Give me an explanation, Crowley, where exactly did you find such a special little girl?"

Kenneth asked earnestly.

After all, it hadn't been long since the last major incident, and the aftermath hadn't even been fully dealt with. How could Kenneth, who had just survived the Holy Grail War, possibly forget the face that had attacked his Magic Workshop with Emiya Kiritsugu?

The woman before him, Gray, did not look exactly like her, but rather exactly like Saber from the Fourth Holy Grail War— King Arthur, Artoria.

If it weren't for the age discrepancy and the fact that Rovey was there to help introduce him, he would have even thought that this kid had gone to participate in the Holy Grail War again and had even summoned King Arthur. His psychological trauma was completely overwhelmed. So no matter what, Kenneth absolutely did not believe that this was just a coincidence.

Rovey had no intention of hiding it from Kenneth at all. After all, if he really wanted to, he wouldn't have brought Gray to see him as soon as he returned to London. Moreover, he planned to integrate Gray into Reines's group and send her to the Clock Tower to study together, so he knew he couldn't fool Kenneth.

In response to his questioning, Rovey was well-prepared and handed him a specially abridged version of the plan for King Arthur's resurrection ceremony, indicating that Kenneth should read it himself.

"Mr. Kenneth, this room shouldn't be being listened to, right?"

Before starting, Rovey specifically asked Kenneth about it.

"... Of course."

Kenneth took the document but didn't immediately understand Rovey's meaning. However, after recalling Gray's face, he realized there was probably some taboo involved. So he lowered his voice and asked, "Are you wary of the Department of Law?"

"Yes, there are some things that they can't know, because that would undoubtedly make things extremely complicated. So I cut a lot out of that report. Here are some of the taboos. You can see for yourself. There are some things that the Department of Law should absolutely not know."

Rovey's words made Kenneth frown slightly. The Department of Law couldn't know?

There are many things in this Clock Tower that the Department of Law cannot know. He himself has a lot of things, but with his abilities, he can easily handle them all. The fact that Rovey is so serious about this matter means that it must involve something very big.

But how big can it be?

Kenneth felt that Rovey was underestimating him as a teacher. After all, even Barthomeloi had to give him some face, given his current high status. What was the Department of Law under Barthez?

However, he read through the contents one by one with a sense of doubt.

When he saw the intelligence report that the Church's Executor were investigating the village and had attempted to intercept Rovey on his return journey, but had all been dealt with by the prepared forces without suffering any harm, and that the information had been delivered to the English Church, his expression became somewhat strange. Why was the Church involved? Those religious fanatics were indeed not to be trifled with.

Then, after reading about the history of the village and the resurrection ceremony, his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

After all, the Magecraft of resurrection is already a major taboo in the research of the Clock Tower. If it were to be done, it would be perfectly normal for the Department of Law to come knocking on the door to investigate.

But--

When he saw that the planner of the resurrection ritual was Witch from the Age of Gods more than a thousand years ago, and that the object of the resurrection was the King of Knights he had met, Kenneth suddenly realized the truth.

'Spirit, soul, and...'

He glanced at Gray again, and probably guessed the answer.

It's the physical body!

In other words, a container...

Therefore, this girl is the vessel created by that village.

Now the answer to why she looks so much like Saber is revealed: it's not that she looks like Saber, but that her body was completely modified to fit the King of Knights' physique.

As for what happened later, after seeing Atlas Institute's involvement and the ritual going berserk, causing the resurrection ritual to fail...

Upon seeing this, Kenneth abruptly closed the rather information-heavy document and then fell into deep thought.

—the Church, the Atlas Institute, and things from the Age of Gods ...

Things have indeed gotten quite serious.

It's understandable that the secrets involved shouldn't be known to the Department of Law and Politics.

Seemingly to reassure Rovey, Kenneth didn't hesitate, picked up the document that he hadn't even finished reading, and plunged it into the fireplace, burning it to ashes without a second thought.

"Teacher Kenneth..."

"Okay, let's leave it at that for now. Pretend I never saw the second document, and let's just resolve things as they are."

Kenneth wiped his hands and then answered casually.

She was clearly prepared to keep this a secret for Rovey, as a way of repaying his trust in her. In any case, the Department of Law couldn't possibly find out about this.

However, what he hadn't expected was that even with such explosive information, Rovey had hidden several even more shocking details—the silent reappearance of the Seven Weapons of the Atlas Institute, Morgan's reappearance, and the existence of Tzvia, the Dean of the Atlas Institute, and so on. These were all rather shocking pieces of information, potentially causing a major upheaval in the Magecraft world, and he worried that Kenneth might find it difficult to accept, so he simply didn't tell him.

[Now all that's needed is to know is that Rovey Crowley, the next heir of the El-Melloi Faction, lifted the curse, and all these Gravekeeper followed him to live in London.] — Spreading this message is perfectly sufficient; let them imagine the rest.

Having understood everything, Kenneth decided not to delve any further. He stroked his chin, then glanced at Rovey in front of him, and said with a slight headache, "Alright, I roughly understand the situation now. So, what should I call this child? Is he also your student like Sakura? If so, then he's considered a member of our school. How's his talent? Since he was created as a vessel to resurrect King Arthur, he must have extraordinary abilities, right? And most importantly—"

"Does she have the potential to reach the Grand Rank?"

Kenneth asked in a very serious tone.

More than other trivial matters, he now wanted to know what made Gray, who existed as King Arthur's vessel, so special. Was she a super genius like Sakura? Did she possess any talents he couldn't even imagine? Could she continue to contribute to his Grand Rank plan in the future?

Rovey wasn't exaggerating when he said this.

This directly demonstrates that Gray's Magecraft talent is extremely high. After all, her Age of Gods physique, formed through artificial alteration, far surpasses that of modern Magus. Combined with her extraordinary spiritual aptitude, she can see through things "invisible to humans." This makes her an expert in spiritual warfare. She is a natural-born prodigy in the Spiritual Evocation Department, and her age is perfect; it's never too late to nurture her.

More importantly—

"They're practically guaranteed Grand Rank..."

As if he had expected this, Rovey answered leisurely.

"Um?!"

As if a keyword had been triggered, Kenneth's previously serious demeanor underwent a complete 360-degree reversal, and his expression towards Gray instantly became kind and approachable. He also appeared extremely excited.

He forced out his gentlest smile and said, "Yes, I understand the situation. Gray, right? Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Kenneth El- El-Melloi Archibald. You can call me Grandmaster. From now on, you'll be staying at your teacher's house with Sakura and the others. Reines will take care of you. As for your identity, I'll send someone to handle that later."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Kenneth."

"If you really want to thank me, then hurry up and pass the rank exam, or marry into my family and serve them... Anyway, go back first."

Kenneth said irritably.

"You don't need to worry about things here. Just remember not to run around lately and stay home to prepare for your advancement exam. Right now, Lord and nobles in the Clock Tower are focused on this place. They all want to see how you perform. As for other matters... I'll take care of them for you."

"Yes, I understand. I will fulfill my mission. Come on, Gray, let's go."

Holding Gray's hand, Rovey said goodbye to Kenneth and left through the door. Gray secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she could finally get away from that strange old man.

"Um... Rovey, where are we going?"

"Let's go home together."

Rovey lowered his head and answered with a smile.

"Um."

"..."

After a long while, Kenneth watched Rovey and Gray's departing figures in the office before he finally snapped out of his surprise. He gently pinched his cheek and then cheered himself up.

"An exceptional spiritual physique... and the adaptability of her Age of Gods body, truly remarkable. Another genius, one in a century, has emerged. Putting aside the matter of the tomb-guarding village, let's first secure Gray's identity within our own school. Otherwise, if Yulifis finds out, that old man will definitely come to snatch her away. We must take precautions no matter what."

"Hmph, although he's just a troublemaking brat, he really has a unique talent when it comes to finding geniuses. Is it because geniuses attract each other?"

Kenneth stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Then, thoughts began to flow through my mind about my encounter with Rovey and everything that had happened since then, which gradually solidified my belief in this idea.

That's right, geniuses do attract geniuses.

He, a genius himself, attracted a prodigy like Rovey, and then Luo Wei brought together so many young geniuses.

However, more important to him now than these geniuses is...

"I need to come up with a reason to fool the Department of Law... This is really troublesome."

The streets of London are bustling with traffic.

Having lived in the mountains for many years, Gray had never seen a big city. Faced with skyscrapers and bustling streets, she undoubtedly felt apprehensive.

Fortunately, having Rovey by her side made her feel much more at ease.

After leaving the Clock Tower, Rovey took Gray to a phone booth on the street and called the butler, asking him to send a car to pick him up as soon as possible.

In any case, things are pretty much over now, and the arrangements for the Gravekeeper have been made extremely well. Since the Aristocratic Faction is willing to support them, they will inevitably form a powerful faction in the future, and he won't have to worry about their livelihood. Moreover, because of this convenience, they can now directly go to the prestigious universities that ordinary Magus dream of entering to study and seek development. As for what the future holds? That's up to them.

I have truly done everything I could, and I have fulfilled my promise.

If any problems arise, the place is only a two-hour drive from my home; I can just come directly there. Out of respect for Belsack and Gray, Rovey will definitely try his best to help.

Gray was very grateful for this.

Then, after a phone call from Rovey, the butler, who had been eagerly awaiting the return of the head of the household, immediately arranged for a car to come and pick him up.

However, the person in charge of welcoming us this time was a little unexpected.

Beep beep—!

The sound of car horns rang in his ears. Looking at the luxury car parked in front of him, and then at the dashing red-haired woman sitting in the driver's seat with a cigarette dangling from her lips, who was parked on the side of the road and raising her eyebrows at him, Rovey's expression gradually became a little strange.

"What are you doing here, Senior Aoko?"

He frowned slightly and asked.

In response, Aozaki Touko simply removed the half-smoked cigarette from her mouth, lightly flicked the ash into the ashtray, and then casually opened the car door and stepped out with an air of nonchalance.

"Huh? You're asking me why I'm here? Didn't you hire me? But you seem to be having a lot of free time..."

Bathed in sunlight, Aozaki Touko's long red hair shone like flames.

Her long, bright red hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was still wearing the same bright yellow trench coat and white women's shirt underneath. Combined with her bright hair color, the outfit was simple yet exuded a fiery passion.

"Unlike you, who runs around everywhere, I only went to pick up someone, and I encountered quite a lot of trouble, but I did gain something."

Rovey shook his head and calmly answered her question.

"Don't say that. I was just being chased all over the world by the Bloodhounds from the Department of Law. But compared to what I'm doing..."

Then Aozaki Touko smiled, put her arm around Rovey's shoulder, and said slowly. She stared intently into Rovey's eyes, glanced at Gray behind him, and asked with a smile.

"Hey, junior Rovey Wei, is this little girl your secret daughter with Saber?"

"Come on, call me 'sister' and let me hear it."

"Eh... Eh?!"

Upon hearing this, Gray was somewhat taken aback by what the other person said.

"Senior Aoko..."

Similarly, in an instant, the expression on Rovey's face also began to involuntarily distort.

Chapter 126 A Gentle Night

Nighttime, on a straight road in the suburbs of London.

A sleek black sports car was parked on the side of the road. Aozaki Touko, sitting in the driver's seat, leaned back and turned to look at Rovey and Gray sitting in the back seat.

"Well, we've come all the way out of London, now you should tell me the truth, right? So, what's the background of this little girl in front of you? Her face is exactly the same, she's practically a miniature version of the King of Knights. Could it be that she really is the offspring of you and the King of Knights?"

"..."

Rovey felt like punching someone after hearing that.

Even after driving so far from London, Aozaki Touko still couldn't suppress her curiosity along the way.

Finally, after finding a suitable opportunity, she stopped her car by the roadside, lit a cigarette for herself, and asked Rovey the question she wanted to know again.

"Um, that..."

Upon hearing this, Gray looked anxious and hurriedly tried to explain something, but she didn't know how to explain it and could only stand there anxiously.

"—Hahahaha!! This kid and Artoria's child? You really dare to dream, Magus. Do you think this kid can handle that fierce lioness Artoria? Even if they were to have a child, it would probably be Artoria... Ah, stop shaking! Stop shaking!!"