Chapter Thirty-Three: Unknown Reason

"Wasn't I the heir to the Fifth Magic?"

The hand turning the pages paused slightly, but Aozaki Touko casually asked in return.

Almost everyone in this world believed that Aozaki Touko would become the future Fifth Magic User. Even her parents and Aozaki Aoko thought so.

In fact... when she was still young, countless magi had already come to visit.

They had all come to witness the future Fifth Magic User.

"If you want to inherit the Fifth Magic, then the Fifth Magic will naturally be yours. However, before that, you will have to fight Aoko to the death for the right of succession."

The Grandfather did not answer Touko's question. He merely announced this.

"Grandfather, was this just a sudden whim of yours?"

Aozaki Touko closed the book in her hands and asked in an even tone.

Regarding the matter of having to fight her younger sister to the death for the right of succession, she showed no anger whatsoever. She was merely asking why the Grandfather had suddenly changed his mind.

"...I thought you already knew the reason."

The Grandfather let out a cold laugh, then continued on his own, "Apart from the earliest period, you have continued forward according to the path of becoming a Magic User. At every other point, haven't you been pursuing your own path?"

"Why, when you could clearly inherit the greatest miracle pursued by every magus, do you insist on walking farther and farther down a wrong path? The correct path is right before your eyes."

"Or have you already guessed something?"

His cold voice simply narrated the facts, without the slightest hint of interrogation.

In truth, he did not care that Aozaki Touko had strayed from the path of becoming a Magic User. He had no intention of correcting her thoughts, either. He merely continued to answer her questions as he always had.

Then he watched to see how far Aozaki Touko could go.

And then, he received an answer beyond his expectations.

The girl who had acted and developed according to her own will had achieved unimaginable success. She had now reached the peak of the world of mystery. In barely more than a decade of research, she had already surpassed magus families that had accumulated achievements over several generations.

If he had not entered the Root as a fortunate survivor,

then the girl's achievements now would have been enough to make him look up to her for the rest of his life, without even the desire to chase after her, because they had already surpassed what could be achieved through effort.

Thus, he began to hesitate.

Should he choose Aozaki Aoko, who had better compatibility with Magic, or Aozaki Touko, the embodiment of gathered talent?

Choosing Aozaki Aoko would allow the Fifth Magic to be used to its fullest. Choosing Aozaki Touko would allow the Fifth Magic to be developed to its fullest.

Whichever of them he chose, he would obtain a good result.

But there was always one better choice.

That tangled thought was born.

It was an extremely greedy idea, but for a pure magus like him,

wanting the inherited Magic Crest to have a better vessel—

wasn't that only natural?

"So Grandfather never intended to give the Fifth Magic to me from the beginning, did he?"

Aozaki Touko turned her head, her gaze growing cold. "But why did you suddenly change your mind now, especially when I had already made progress?"

"Everything in this world is determined by value. Touko, you possess greater value now, so naturally the decision must be changed."

The Grandfather replied in this manner.

"...What an unpleasant answer."

Aozaki Touko sighed, then asked, "Then why do you want Aoko and me to fight to the death? There is absolutely no fairness in that!"

"There is also no way to accurately measure our value."

Even without personally using her own power, she could now kill Aoko with ease by relying only on the forces gathered under her command.

The simplest method would be to have Emiya Kiritsugu hunt Aoko down. One bullet from a distance would be enough to take Aoko's life.

It would be utterly effortless.

Unless the Grandfather intervened and took Aoko's side, or Kuonji Alice came out to save her,

Aoko would have absolutely no chance of winning.

"I merely want to see how far you are willing to go for the Fifth Magic."

The Grandfather spoke coldly. "If you can erase your unnecessary emotions and devote yourself entirely to researching the Fifth Magic, then naturally that would be the best possible outcome for me."

Unlike Aoko, a talent who only needed to be placed in the position of user, he needed as much of Aozaki Touko's research talent as possible focused on the Fifth Magic. If she could abandon everything to develop and study the Fifth Magic, that would naturally be the best choice for him.

That was right. The reason was that simple.

There only needed to be one heir to the Fifth Magic. No matter how talented the other one was, it was of little significance. Even if she died, she would not be worth mourning.

If Aozaki Touko was willing to abandon everything and exist solely for the sake of the Fifth Magic,

then giving the Fifth Magic to her was not out of the question.

"...Kill my sister to attain enlightenment?"

Aozaki Touko chuckled and shook her head slightly, then asked again, "Since Aoko has priority over me when it comes to inheriting Magic, why did you choose to have me learn magecraft?"

This was not merely something she had wanted to know in her previous life.

Even in this life, she remained puzzled by it.

"I thought you had figured it out long ago."

The Grandfather smiled coldly, then began to explain. "The fruits on the same tree are difficult to distinguish before they mature. All I wanted was the most perfect fruit."

"So, after seeing the qualities you both possessed, I chose to bring you here to study magecraft, allowing your talent to be put to use. If you produced unexpected results, you would be included among the candidates for inheriting the Fifth Magic."

"If you merely grew along the path I had predicted, then you could serve as Aoko's whetstone on her way to becoming a Magic User."

"Either way, it would not be a bad thing. Why wouldn't I choose you to study magecraft?"

His cold words echoed through the cavern.

This was an answer given from a magus's perspective. With the inheritance of the Magic Crest as the highest priority, his reasoning could be explained through that logic.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Unknown Reason

Inside the cavern.

The candle flame swayed.

"...Grandfather, how much longer can your body hold out?"

Aozaki Touko shook her head, then said, "As a Dollcraft practitioner, I should still be able to help extend your life for a while. Do you need me to examine you?"

Unless something unexpected happened, the Grandfather's body had already reached its biological limit. In other words, without treatment, his physiological functions would soon cease.

"If I don't die, you two will be troubled, won't you?"

Aozaki Grandfather replied coldly, "At present, I probably have another three or four years left. If necessary, I can stop my life functions at any time."

"As long as the Magic Crest has been passed on."

It was not a lie. Without outside interference, he had only about three or four years left to live.

As for the exact time, that depended on when he felt it would be appropriate to draw his last breath.

Choosing an auspicious day and stopping his life functions—

that was not something beyond his capabilities.

As for extending his life, he had never cared about it. It was merely a matter of his life reaching its end.

If he wanted to extend his life, he actually had quite a few methods.

He simply did not need to. There was no point.

He only needed to pass the Magic Crest of the Fifth Magic into the hands of a suitable heir.

Once that was done, his mission during this period would be complete.

"...Is that so?"

Aozaki Touko stood up and walked out of the cavern, then waved without looking back.

"Give the Fifth Magic to Aoko. I'm sure you would be very happy to have two Magic Users from one family!"

"...Heh heh heh heh."

Aozaki Grandfather watched coldly as Touko left. When her figure had completely vanished, he suddenly began to laugh with delight.

Yes, perhaps this was the best ending.

Having two exceptionally talented descendants was a very troublesome matter.

But if both descendants could reach the pinnacle of magecraft,

that would be something like a dream.

After leaving the Grandfather's magecraft workshop,

Aozaki Touko raised her head and looked at the bright full moon in the sky, feeling much more at ease. The Fifth Magic was now completely unrelated to her. She only needed to continue along the path she had envisioned.

As for whether she could reach the realm she pursued,

the future would give her an answer.

"Next... I'll go to the Azu Family."

With that thought, she changed direction and headed toward the Kuonji Western Mansion.

The people at home should have already gone to bed by now. It would not be appropriate to disturb them by returning, so it would be better to spend the night at Kuonji Alice's home.

As for disturbing Alice's sleep,

that would not actually happen. She could open the door and enter by herself without triggering any of the security measures. It was even more convenient than returning to her own home.

Early morning.

The sky was dimly bright.

Aozaki Touko had tied her hair into a ponytail and was wearing a white chef's uniform. Holding a spoon, she stirred the porridge in a small pot. Judging from her practiced movements, she had clearly made it many times before.

Although she had not cooked for two or three years,

her cooking skills had apparently not deteriorated.

After all, they had already become muscle memory.

"Coo, coo, coo~"

Robin flapped his wings and landed on a stool some distance away. He then obediently stayed still and watched, knowing that this was definitely not the time to disturb Aozaki Touko.

Otherwise, he would soon learn what cruelty meant.

"...Mmm~"

On the other side, Kuonji Alice woke up in bed. Still groggy with sleep, she caught a familiar fragrance. She knew that scent extremely well. It was the fragrance she had smelled on countless mornings.

Her sleepiness vanished in an instant. Without changing her clothes, she headed downstairs in her sleepwear and slippers, hurrying somewhat anxiously toward the first floor.

Then, when she reached the kitchen after coming downstairs,

a familiar person had appeared in the Western Mansion once again. It was the girl who had been her friend since childhood, Aozaki Touko—the willful person who had forced her way into Alice's life.

"Good morning~"

Aozaki Touko turned her head and looked at the black-haired girl who had appeared, revealing a bright, gentle smile. It was warm and captivating, like the radiant sunlight.

"...Good morning."

Kuonji Alice blinked her eyes and gave a flat, polite reply. Her cold words revealed no emotion, as though she were speaking to a stranger standing before her.

But that was only how it seemed.

"Mhm, it'll be ready soon."