Inside the Magic Workshop.
----Swish.
The heavy greatsword cut through the air, emitting a harsh, ear-piercing shriek.
A wooden puppet with its joints exposed wielded the greatsword with tremendous force. Its movements were far smoother than those of an ordinary person, and it possessed considerably more power.
"...Not too strong, not too weak. Perfect cannon fodder."
Not far away, Aozaki Touko stood with her arms folded, sounding surprisingly satisfied.
Immediately afterward, four or five slender arms emerged from the ground and dragged the wooden puppet into the Reality Marble. Inside the Reality Marble, they used it as a template to replicate several hundred puppets of various types.
Her Reality Marble was a semi-permanent bounded field called the "Eternal Doll Kingdom." It relied on the autonomous Reality Marbles possessed by the Rose Maidens to stack and provide magical energy, forming a semi-permanent Reality Marble that existed on the foundation of herself.
Inside it was a doll-production workshop capable of manufacturing puppets according to her will.
Those arms extending from the ground were actually the arms of the puppets inside her Reality Marble. They had merely extended partway beyond it.
If she wanted, she could even extend a leg to kick someone, make an eye suddenly appear, or even have a pile of heads pop out to scare people.
In short... this Reality Marble had quite a lot of functions.
---Knock knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Aozaki Touko answered, and Illyasviel pushed the door open and entered. She gave Aozaki Touko a slight bow and spoke in a voice as clear as a mountain stream:
"Lady Touko, Clan Head Hadon would like you to come over and discuss something with him."
"Hmm... I happen to be free right now."
Aozaki Touko knitted her brows. Then, her orange hair swaying, she turned and walked toward Hadon's room with elegant steps.
"..."
Seeing this, Illyasviel smiled helplessly. She knew that Aozaki Touko did not particularly like Hadon. It was not that they had any conflict between them; in fact, their interests were highly aligned.
However, no matter what, they simply could not get along well.
"I should tidy things up a little."
Looking at the disorderly Magic Workshop, she picked up a broom and carefully cleaned it. Without disturbing any of the workshop's crucial items, she swept the entire Magic Workshop clean.
This was something only she could do. Even Miss Irisviel could not do it as well as she could.
She knew everything about the various important matters inside the Magic Workshop and could guarantee that she would never touch any important item.
This was an authority only she, whom Lady Touko had personally entrusted with the task, possessed.
Elsewhere.
A dim room.
"..."
Aozaki Touko and Hadon sat facing each other. Two cups of black tea sat on the long table between them, while two beautiful maids stood behind each of them.
The curtains were drawn tightly shut, allowing not even a ray of sunlight inside.
The only source of light in the room came from several white candles burning on wall-mounted holders.
"Such a dark environment... Doesn't it bother you?"
Aozaki Touko lifted her teacup and took a small sip.
She was not mocking him. In truth, she really did find the room far too dark. This kind of environment was practically like a Dead Apostle's residence.
"It makes no difference to me. As long as it does not hinder my work, any environment is fine. Even a slum would not be a problem."
Hadon explained coldly, "If you find it uncomfortable, then out of respect and consideration for my collaborator, I will open the curtains."
"...No need. Discussing matters in such a dim environment gives it a certain atmosphere."
Aozaki Touko waved her hand, then got straight to the point. "You said you wanted to discuss something with me. What exactly is it?"
"Hmm... It concerns a relic."
Hadon continued, "Do you intend to use the relic you acquired yourself, or the relic provided by the Einzbern Family?"
"...What relic did you find?"
Aozaki Touko asked with feigned curiosity.
In truth, with the memories of her previous life, she had basically already guessed what relic it was.
"The Avalon lost by King Arthur!"
Hadon answered flatly.
"Hmm... Isn't that an excellent trump card?"
Aozaki Touko smiled. "Having the legendary King of Knights as a Servant would certainly be an honor. I just wonder whether King Arthur is a boy or a girl."
"...A boy or a girl?"
Hadon gave a cold laugh. "As expected of a genius—your way of thinking is truly unusual. But sometimes, it is better to respect reality."
Everyone knew that King Arthur was a man, and moreover, the king of a nation.
To conceal her identity as a woman while being watched by an entire country—were the people of that country all blind?
Not to mention that every Knight of the Round Table was an exceptionally powerful individual. After spending so much time together, how could they possibly fail to tell whether their king was a man or a woman?
And more importantly... she even had children!
"..."
Chapter 51: Completing the Third Magic Through One's Own Efforts
"...That may not be certain."
Aozaki Touko raised her teacup and took a sip, smiling calmly.
If the Einzbern Family did not become something she needed after she won the Holy Grail War, she might have found a way to propose a wager and take the opportunity to make a fortune.
"About King Arthur... Do you know anything?"
Hadon asked with cold curiosity. He did not question her words; he was simply asking about the reason behind them.
Aozaki Touko possessed an "abnormal" nature that transcended common sense. Her grandfather controlled the Fifth Magic, and the extent to which her own genius could go was an unknown to him.
If this girl had learned somehow that King Arthur was a woman, then it would not be particularly surprising.
"...Hmm. We'll know on the day the summoning is completed."
Aozaki Touko tilted her head slightly and revealed a mysterious smile.
"Is that so?"
Hadon gave a slight nod and did not intend to pursue the matter. Instead, he changed the subject. "I can no longer determine how powerful you truly are. As my collaborator, can you tell me how confident you are about the Holy Grail War?"
"...How confident I am?"
Aozaki Touko narrowed her eyes and stared silently at the ceiling. Her tone was unusually serious. "When facing Heroic Spirits, I doubt anyone would dare claim certain victory."
"Hmm... It seems your current achievements have not made you arrogant."
Hadon nodded matter-of-factly, without any surprise. No matter how powerful Aozaki Touko was now, when facing Heroic Spirits who surpassed the level of humanity, she could not calmly claim certain victory.
This was not self-deprecation, but a clear recognition of reality.
If one entered battle with a contemptuous attitude, a moment of carelessness could easily lead to total defeat. Being able to fight while maintaining caution was unquestionably a good thing.
"Actually... it would be fine even if we lost the Holy Grail War!"
Aozaki Touko smiled slyly. "I have already touched the edge of the Third Magic. Although I cannot determine exactly how long it will take, I am confident that I can reproduce the Third Magic through my own hands."
She was not bluffing. She had now touched the edge of the Third Magic. With Beo's voluntary sacrifice for her research and experiments, along with the Einzbern Family's information on the Third Magic, she had already made preliminary progress. Even without using Fuyuki City's Greater Holy Grail, she was confident she could complete and reproduce the Third Magic in this world.
"...I hope so."
Hearing this, Hadon was slightly stunned before calmly nodding.
If it was this girl, a collection of genius, then perhaps she truly could rely on her own talent to completely reproduce the Third Magic in this world.
"Do you have any other questions?"
After draining her tea, Aozaki Touko spoke. It was obvious that she intended to leave.
"No."
Hadon shook his head and closed his eyes.
Seeing this, Aozaki Touko rose and left the room, heading toward Irisviel's bedroom. She wanted to spend some quality time with her adorable wife.
"...Was what she said true?"
After a while, Hadon opened his eyes and asked the two Android maids, "Can she really reproduce the Third Magic by herself? Can she surpass a thousand years of effort by the Einzbern Family all on her own?"
"I want to believe that Miss Touko can do it!"
One of the standing maids spoke. "She possesses an advantage that we lack. I am not referring to her extraordinary talent, but to the fact that she has a Phantasmal Beast willing to cooperate with her research!"
Indeed, that Phantasmal Beast named Beo was a product of the materialization of the soul. This was an advantage the Einzbern Family had never been able to possess in the past.
"..."
Hadon fell into deep thought.
They did not know exactly how the Magic User of the Third Magic had developed it back then, nor whether a Phantasmal Beast with materialized soul had assisted in the research.
Seeing this, the maid said no more and simply stood quietly in place.
Elsewhere.
"Touko, have you finished making your puppets?"
Irisviel sat at the table, pouring milk into a coffee cup. She stirred it gently with a spoon, then handed it to Aozaki Touko once it was thoroughly mixed.
"Hmm... After all, I only need to design the corresponding templates."
Aozaki Touko lifted the cup and took a small sip. "Besides, these puppets themselves do not contain any particularly profound technology. They were merely created for convenient mass production."
"Pursuing quantity... Touko, are you trying to create an army of puppets?"
Irisviel gently gathered her hair with her delicate hand, curiosity filling her ruby eyes.
Lowering the technical difficulty merely to manufacture puppets in large quantities was probably an attempt to overwhelm quality with numbers.
"...Ah, that. Probably."
Aozaki Touko blinked, then answered ambiguously.
She was not particularly interested in accumulating a puppet army. After all, these things cost a great deal of money and could easily be cut through by someone using an overwhelming technique. It was better to accumulate high-quality puppets for battle.
"Touko, you didn't make them just because you thought it would look cool, did you?"
Irisviel rested her chin on her slender hand and smiled. "Hmm... I remember you mentioned this idea in bed some time ago. You wanted to use a large number of puppets to create an imposing spectacle."
"Eh... Did I say that?"
Aozaki Touko raised her willow-like brows, then admitted frankly, "But... that is indeed the reason. The main idea was to create cheap, densely packed puppets and wear down the enemy through attrition."
"Mhm, that's a wonderful idea."
Irisviel covered her lips and giggled.
When it came to Aozaki Touko's occasional childish behavior, she accepted it with the gentlest attitude. This was neither tolerance nor concession, but a wife's love and acceptance for her husband.
Chapter 52: Something Feels a Little Off?
Early morning.
Einzbern Castle.
The rising sun spread a golden veil across the land, illuminating the pure white earth and adorning the world in a dreamlike beauty, as though they had entered the land of the elves.
Before you continue