King Arthur Artoria's goal, however, was to change the past and replay history.
Gilgamesh mocked her as a clown, while Iskandar furiously condemned her for disrespecting the history she had created alongside her companions. But Artoria's answer was...
"So what?"
The young girl was not swayed by their words.
"So what if I deny that history? I have confidence. I have strength. I believe that if history began again, I could turn around even more tragedies. I can definitely do it."
She clenched her fists. Even though she had already minimized the losses of the Divine Era Decline back then, it was not enough...
Lancelot and Guinevere had borne infamy. Mordred had become a traitor despised by later generations. Agravain would forever play the role of a conspirator in later stories. And then there was... that clear, pure courage that should never have stood against her.
"If you want to stop me, then try it. See whether you can bear King Arthur's wrath."
That dominance and determination immediately changed Iskandar and Gilgamesh's expressions. From then on, no one dared regard her as merely a girl. She was a king willing to overturn history for her own desire.
"The King of Britain, the Saint of France, the Emperor of Rome... so many people wearing one person's face. This King nearly threw up."
Even within the same era, there could be people who looked extraordinarily alike, let alone across the entirety of history's timeline.
That man was already dead.
Gilgamesh would not place his feelings for one person onto another.
"Besides, if it really were him, this King still has a score to settle with him. This King did allow him to chop off my head, but it really hurt."
Gilgamesh touched his neck and smiled cruelly.
"He chopped off your head?"
Kirei Kotomine could not believe that such a person existed in this world. And Gilgamesh's final death had not been...
"Kirei, through what channel did you learn about this King? The Epic of Gilgamesh? Some book written by who knows whom?"
Gilgamesh sneered. There was no need for him to say much about what had happened back then. He believed that person would never be buried by history.
"It seems there are quite a few mysteries in history. But since I'm not a scholar, there's really no need for me to know."
Kirei Kotomine did not want to investigate further. In any case, only archaeologists and those mages at the Clock Tower would be interested in such matters.
"Today's lesson will cover the Epic of Gilgamesh..."
The classroom of the Department of Modern Magecraft at the Clock Tower of the Mage's Association was packed to capacity.
Although Lord El-Melloi II's name had already resounded throughout the Clock Tower, and a seat in his lectures was nearly impossible to obtain, causing students from other departments to fight desperately for them, they regretted it this time.
They regretted attending this lecture.
Because at the back of the classroom, a famous mage had come to sit in. Her flaming red hair and exquisite puppet-making skills were symbols of her identity.
"Professor El-Melloi, everyone here knows most of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Why not tell us something we don't know? For example, that newly excavated stone tablet."
"Tch. That is not within the scope of my lessons."
Lord El-Melloi II glanced at the uninvited Aozaki Touko. They did have some acquaintance, but if possible, he absolutely did not want to get involved with the Red of Crafter.
However, considering that he was merely Festival Rank while she had reached Grand Rank at such a young age... a real man knew when to bend and when to stand tall.
"The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest known heroic epic in the world, but the exact year of its creation is unknown. Neither can we verify how much of its descriptions of history and mystery are true, until the recent excavation of a new stone tablet."
Lord El-Melloi II took a laptop from his briefcase, and the students from the other departments immediately changed expressions.
Only those oddballs from the Department of Modern Magecraft would dare bring the 'tricks and gimmicks' of modern science into the Clock Tower.
"This is a picture of that stone tablet. It is not very clear, but it will do."
In the year 2003, no one could expect particularly high-definition image quality. The picture projected onto the blackboard was blurry, but everyone could still make out a person surrounded by a ring.
"The sun? No, it's the moon."
The students below gave their answer. It was a person bathed in moonlight. Was this the Mesopotamian people's faith in a moon god?
No. The garments of those illuminated by moonlight bore far too many patterns. Commoners and worshippers had no need for such excessive ornamentation.
"Sacred King of the Bright Moon."
Aozaki Touko looked at the cuneiform script in the image. Even as a student, she had been capable of reconstructing Rune. Her linguistic attainments were certainly not lacking, and she recognized the meaning of the writing on the stone tablet at a glance.
"That's right. The stone tablet calls this person that. He was a king who observed the character of kings. If a king ruled with benevolence, he would not appear. If a king was tyrannical, he would assassinate the king. More importantly, this stone tablet says... he killed Gilgamesh."
Those words caused an uproar among the students. After all, Gilgamesh's death involved the concept of a 'snake' shedding its skin and being reborn. If that legend were denied, it would deal no small blow to many magecraft rituals pursuing immortality.
"Quiet. It is merely a stone tablet. There is currently no evidence proving its contents. More experts are urgently studying it. I merely revealed a little to you in advance. There is no need to take it to heart before the matter is settled."
Lord El-Melloi II had deliberately not wanted to mention it because he knew what kind of commotion it would cause. Aozaki Touko really knew how to make trouble for him.
But what exactly was she trying to accomplish by coming to his classroom and putting on this performance?
Lord El-Melloi II did not understand. Aozaki Touko was simply too mysterious and unpredictable. This time, however, the puppeteer carried a long, narrow case with her.
Could there be some new kind of Puppet inside?
But that length... looked somewhat familiar.
Actually, I Never Went to School
"An excellent lesson. Honestly, even I would not dare bring a computer into the Clock Tower. Lord El-Melloi II, you truly do things your own way."
After the lesson ended, Aozaki Touko stepped forward to greet her somewhat acquainted 'old friend,' startling Lord El-Melloi II into retreating several steps to put distance between them.
"Say what you came to say. Also, your Sealing Designation was only just lifted, and you came straight to the Clock Tower. I recall that you have quite a few enemies."
If possible, Lord El-Melloi II absolutely did not want to get involved with such a dangerous individual.
"It's actually nothing major. I merely wanted to borrow your classroom and spread my 'interest' in this stone tablet."
Aozaki Touko glanced at the whispering students. Clearly, she had achieved her goal.
"A feint?"
"Yes, it's for my sister to see. After all, dealing with a Magus is not such a simple matter."
Aozaki Touko had set up a small soundproof Barrier just moments ago. The students could not hear what was being said in the back, and she did not care about openly discussing her plans to deal with her sister.
"But would such a scheme work against a Magus?"
Lord El-Melloi II was skeptical. Although that "Human Rocket Launcher" was not yet the Marshal of Magic's equal, no one could underestimate Magic.
"Don't say everything. Don't say everything."
With that, Aozaki Touko carried the long, narrow case on her back and left.
"A feint? Tch. I have a feeling I've been plotted against."
Lord El-Melloi II felt inexplicably uneasy, as though he had fallen into some trap without realizing when it had happened.
The feint Aozaki Touko had mentioned naturally referred to the Holy Sword inside her case.
The Servant Marisbury Animsphere truly intended to summon was not the Blade of Vortigern at all.
Originally, this matter had nothing to do with Aozaki Touko. But when she sought to acquire that Holy Sword, she had not expected Marisbury to demand an outrageous price, directly emptying out all her savings.
If she did not avenge this, then she was not an Aozaki.
If not for the binding power of the contract, she would not have merely offered such a casual warning. She would have stripped Marisbury down to his underwear.
"Tch. What a hassle. After this trip, I won't even be able to pay Mikiya. I hope the Ryougi Family accepts IOUs."
Aozaki Touko recalled acquaintances she had not seen for five years. Those two should have gotten married by now, right? But given the Ryougi Family's status, Shikitori probably would no longer be called Shikitori the next time they met.
"Aoko, it's time for us to settle things."
Aozaki Touko boarded the plane back home. Everything from back then should finally come to an end. For the sister who had ruined her life, she had to defeat her with everything she had. Only then could she prove herself to everyone.
I, Aozaki Touko, am no one's stepping stone.
"Hey, Fujimaru, I don't offer love fortunes here."
Ryuudou Issei looked at the man and woman who had come to his family's temple early in the morning.
The man was easy enough to explain—he was one of Issei's troublesome friends. But the woman was his natural enemy.
"Who came here to pray for love? As if I would ever be interested in him!"
Tohsaka Rin stomped her feet in anger. The scene of her rashly dragging Fujimaru Kyoya away from school had quickly spread from one person to ten, then from ten to a hundred. How was she supposed to show her face at school now?
"And you! Why didn't you clear things up?"
"Why should I? Rumors only get worse the more you explain them. Once enough time passes, they'll naturally fade away."
Fujimaru Kyoya spoke with great righteousness, but in truth, as a guy, having rumors spread about him and a classmate at school-idol level was the sort of good news that would make even his father give him a thumbs-up.
Not showing it off already counted as doing good deeds.
"This time, we're planning to borrow your family's Buddhist Sutras."
"Buddhist Sutras? Are you planning to lay down your butcher's knife?"
Ryuudou Issei was greatly surprised. He had not expected this demon who beat people without blinking to want to read Buddhist Sutras. Ryuudou Temple was certainly willing to open its doors wide for him.
If they could reform the demon Fujimaru Kyoya, surely it would count as a KPI achievement at the Great Thunder Temple in the future.
"The scriptures are in this room. You may read them as you please, but remember not to damage them. Also, this is a pure place of Buddhism, so do not engage in daylight—"
"Who would do that?"
Tohsaka Rin slammed the door shut in embarrassment. Ryuudou Issei merely sighed to himself. Young people were full of fire. With a man and woman alone in one room, it probably would not take many days before they caused a life-threatening incident.
"I hope Fujimaru has prepared safety measures."
"Safety measures? Is there somewhere dangerous in Ryuudou Temple?"
A gentle female voice suddenly spoke. Her tone was weak, as though she suffered from some chronic illness.
"Miss Kishinami, aren't you unwell? Please do not move around casually."
Ryuudou Issei looked at the frail young girl. Though she was several years younger than him, she possessed a wisdom beyond her age, along with an innocence that seemed out of place in the secular world.
"It's all right. Going outside for a walk is also good for recovery."
Kishinami Hakuno, daughter of the head of Eitennryuu, an offshoot of Shingon Mikkyo Tachikawa-ryu.
She had suffered from a severe illness since birth and was said not to live past fourteen. Now that her limit was approaching, her father could no longer sit still. He took her from the Deep Mountain to a large city for treatment.
After spending a great deal of money, her condition had finally stabilized and even begun to improve.
At present, the Kishinami father and daughter were staying at Ryuudou Temple as wandering monks.
"My classmates are somewhat interested in Buddhist Sutras, so I simply lent them some. It was only a joke between classmates."
"Classmates? That sounds nice. I've never gone to school."
Kishinami Hakuno's expression darkened when school was mentioned. She had been weak and sickly since childhood, raised in the Deep Mountain. Let alone attending school, she did not even have a single friend.
"Since Miss Kishinami will be staying here for a while, how about I introduce you to them later?"
Seeing Kishinami Hakuno like this, Ryuudou Issei could not help feeling sorry for her.
He had heard that her father even planned to auction off the Sarira of a High Monk to treat her illness. Being willing to commit such an act of betraying one's master and ancestors showed how deeply this father loved his daughter.
He truly hoped her illness would get better soon.
"So why did you lock the door? I, Fujimaru Kyoya, am not that casual of a person."
Fujimaru Kyoya looked at Tohsaka Rin, who had locked the door, and his expression became strange.
A lone man and woman sharing a room—if Tohsaka Rin suddenly assaulted him, then as a weak man, he obviously could not resist Demon-Muscle Rin.
He could only lie on the floor and let her have her way.
"You bastard! If it weren't for keeping Magecraft secret, who would want to do this?"
Tohsaka Rin stomped her feet in anger. Originally, she had wanted Fujimaru Kyoya to come to her home so she could teach him Magecraft, but what if he discovered that she was hopeless with electronics?
A high school girl who could not even use a television...
Once that 'weakness' fell into Fujimaru Kyoya's hands, she would never be able to hold her head up before her own student for the rest of her life.
Before you continue