Becoming Aozaki Touko's Life

Her only task now was to successfully create the Rose Maidens.

Inside the Magician's workshop.

"…I've waited far too long!"

Aozaki Touko, wearing a white lab coat and with her long hair tied back in a ponytail, looked excitedly at the seven suspended dolls. They were the pinnacle of her current technological achievement and her ultimate Mystic Code.

"Congratulations, Touko, on completing the Rose Maiden series!"

Beside her, Irisviel smiled with joy. She was genuinely happy for Aozaki Touko, not just because Touko's power had increased, giving them a better chance to win the Holy Grail War.

More importantly, as a wife, she was happy to see her husband's wish fulfilled.

"No… actually, it's not finished yet!"

Aozaki Touko shook her head. Despite working overtime and expending a great deal of energy, her eyes grew more excited. It was the joy of achieving a goal:

"Right now, I've only managed to create the basic shells, but this is a very good start. Honestly, I didn't have much confidence myself back then!"

It wasn't an exaggeration. When she first transmigrated to this world, she hadn't really thought of herself as the protagonist.

On the contrary, upon learning she was in the Nasuverse world.

She felt danger… and began frantically cramming magic knowledge, seizing every opportunity to arm herself and become stronger.

Then, in the process of arming herself.

She overcame one difficulty after another, becoming a genius of magic in the eyes of others.

At the same time, she also grew to enjoy the satisfaction that came from overcoming challenges.

"...I already feel quite accomplished!"

Irisviel gave a wry smile, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at the dolls. Having witnessed their completion, she understood the significance of these seven dolls – they represented a terrifying power capable of facing Heroic Spirits.

Most people would be satisfied with achieving this much.

Only a prodigy like Aozaki Touko would have higher aspirations.

"This level alone… can't be called the pinnacle of doll magic!"

Aozaki Touko chuckled lightly and then snapped her fingers.

Immediately, the seven exquisite dolls seemed to come alive. Terrifying magical fluctuations awakened within them, and magic circles appeared on the surface of each doll, interlocking like gears. As time flowed, the magic circles gradually seeped into their bodies.

At this moment, the Rose Maidens awakened!

Las Vegas.

A luxurious private villa.

In a dimly lit classical study, flickering candlelight cast a warm glow. A man resembling a medieval nobleman sat on a sofa, listening to information from the other end of the phone. His cold eyes held a hint of amusement.

"Mmm… a truly valuable piece of information. I will attempt to negotiate for your mother's rescue. However, you mustn't tell anyone about the Werewolf."

With that, he casually hung up the phone, having no intention of further negotiation. After all, the person on the other end was merely a dog sniffing for blood. If not for the interesting information provided, he wouldn't have bothered with this dog.

"To think they'd find a Werewolf as a subordinate… that's certainly in character for this child!"

Van Fem stood up and left the study, leaning on his cane.

He wanted to take this opportunity to meet that magic prodigy. After all, he now had a perfectly good reason, and it wouldn't be difficult to convince himself.

Berlin.

A small hotel room.

"...As expected."

Emiya Kiritsugu hung up the phone, his gaze growing icy. The answer regarding the 'True Ancestor' had been within his expectations; they simply wouldn't pay attention to bounty hunters like them.

However, these were all trivial matters.

The information that the Umbrella Corporation was protected by a Werewolf should warrant more focused attention. Whether they dispatched stronger bounty hunters or he investigated personally, either would create a defensive gap for the Umbrella Corporation, giving him an opportunity to rescue his adoptive mother.

But why would a True Ancestor be interested in a cancer cure?

While the Magician's Association's interest could be understood, it was indeed strange for a Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestor to be interested in a young girl's research results.

Was it to seize the value of the drug's effects and acquire more wealth?

Einzbern Castle.

A helicopter slowly descended, kicking up snow from the ground and revealing a clean, tidy surface.

Aozaki Touko, holding Irisviel's hand, stepped onto the helicopter. Beo followed closely behind the two, leaping lightly onto the aircraft. She then began curiously examining everything inside the helicopter.

"Beo, don't touch anything randomly!"

Looking at Beo, who was itching to get her hands on something, Aozaki Touko shot her a stern glare, lest they crash and burn mid-air later. That wouldn't be a laughing matter.

"...I understand."

Beo chuckled sheepishly at Touko's words and retracted her hand, which had been reaching out to touch things.

She held Aozaki Touko in high regard. It wasn't just because Touko smelled nice and gave her a sense of closeness; more importantly, if she acted out of line, she knew she'd inevitably face Touko's loving fists.

"That's good~"

Aozaki Touko nodded slightly, then turned to the pilot.

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

The female homunculus pilot nodded seriously and then piloted the helicopter into the sky. As they ascended, Irisviel saw a scene.

On top of the Einzbern castle, Hadon and Illyasviel were silently watching them depart.

"Grandpa, Illyasviel, we'll be back soon."

Like a girl leaving home, Irisviel waved goodbye to the two.

"...Has she gained more self-awareness? Is this a form of completion, or did we overlook the emotional system!"

Watching the radiant Irisviel, Hadon murmured to himself before turning to leave.

He was very familiar with Irisviel's performance, as she was his creation. However, Irisviel had now deviated from the planned trajectory, becoming more and more like a true human.

In a way... Irisviel had surpassed the Winter Saintess in certain aspects.

While her hardware performance was incomparable, when it came to emotional self-awareness, she had already surpassed the Winter Saintess.

Chapter Nineteen: Two Hundred Million Dollars in Ransom

—Click

The sound of a doorknob turning.

"..."

Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, Natalia raised her head, a cigarette dangling from her lips. A girl with long orange hair walked in, followed by a girl with long silver hair, and then a cute little blonde loli...

"Miss Aozaki, you're here!"

Seeing her, the two werewolves greeted her respectfully. Their voices conveyed gratitude and admiration, and it was clear they weren't speaking insincerely.

"...Mm."

Aozaki Touko nodded slightly, then her gaze focused on the cigarette in Natalia's mouth.

Having completed her Gene Lock Release, even without unlocking her body's full potential, she possessed extraordinary sensory perception that defied common sense.

Having been exposed to magic fluctuations for years, her senses were honed to an extreme degree.

In fact... if she were to reach the third stage of release, basic operations like cutting bullets with a small knife would be trivial, and she could even capture the electromagnetic waves in the air.

Therefore, as soon as she entered.

The faint magical signal emanating from the cigarette.

Was immediately perceived by her sharp senses.

"Miss Aozaki... I've heard so much about you."

Seeing this, Natalia's mouth twitched as she tried to divert the girl's attention.

Logically speaking... according to the usual trope, shouldn't a few werewolves be escorting her to a luxurious office, where Miss Aozaki, as the boss, would interrogate her in a detached tone?

And... wasn't this girl's perception too sharp?

In reality, it would be impossible for an ordinary Magician to detect such a faint magical signal without the aid of specialized magic.

This was because... it was the limit of the human race.

"...Put out her cigarette."

Ignoring the fact that she was a bounty hunter, Aozaki Touko instructed the two werewolves.

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, the two werewolves immediately pulled the cigarette from Natalia's mouth and extinguished it. Then, they took the cigarettes from her pocket and respectfully handed them to Aozaki Touko.

"Sending messages through cigarettes, that's a truly creative method. Could you tell me how you do it? I'm quite curious."

Taking the cigarettes, Aozaki Touko casually pulled over a stool and sat down. She looked at Natalia, who wore a helpless smile, her piercing gaze carrying a hint of killing intent.

"..."

Natalia's body stiffened slightly, then she smiled kindly and said, "If Miss Aozaki likes it, I can tell you without reservation. It's not a very complex thing, just that the materials are a bit troublesome!"

"What materials?"

Aozaki Touko tilted her head.

"...It requires my bodily fluids."

Natalia said with a smile, as if making a truly explosive statement.

"I see."

Listening, Aozaki Touko nodded, then calmly said, "Is it blood? That's not much of a problem. As long as we extract..."

"No."

Suddenly, Natalia interrupted her, stating very plainly, "...What's needed is just . Mine has special components and can secretly transmit information."

"..."

Aozaki Touko fell silent for a moment.

Beside her, Irisviel covered her cheek, a slightly surprised and shy smile on her face. Her gaze unconsciously turned to Aozaki Touko, her ruby-like eyes holding an unreadable meaning.

The atmosphere became somewhat quiet for a moment.

"Alright... let's postpone this issue for now~"

Brushing the topic aside, Aozaki Touko pinched her brow, feeling that this woman was deliberately disrupting the mood. However, she didn't need to follow this woman's train of thought.

"Now... how should I deal with you, a thief? Should I kill you as a warning, or exchange you for a sufficient ransom?"

"I choose to pay the ransom."

Natalia answered decisively and took the opportunity to size up the "Magician's Egg" opposite her.

This was a beautiful girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old, bright and with a firm will. Her pretty face was filled with confidence, as if she knew no such thing as failure, like a girl who shone dazzlingly like the sun.

However... surprisingly, she didn't seem unapproachable.

"Straightforward!"

Aozaki Touko clapped her hands, smiling sweetly. "Considering what you intended to steal was our company's most important secret, which could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars in the future."

"I'll be generous and won't ask for hundreds of billions of dollars... You just need to compensate me with two hundred million dollars."

As the words fell, Natalia's smile froze. Looking at the smiling Aozaki Touko, she completely abandoned the impression of being unapproachable she had just formed, and then stomped on it with her feet.