Lidell cupped her chin and asked curiously.
"I did."
Irisviel smiled faintly. "Touko's answer at the time was, 'Because I like you very much, ma'am, so I chose you to be my wife.' It was the kind of answer that sounded incredibly roundabout."
"Hmm... It sounds like she was just making things up."
Lidell nodded.
"Although it did sound like she was making things up."
Irisviel turned her head and smiled beautifully. "But I don't think she was. Touko was speaking from the bottom of her heart back then!"
"..."
Lidell did not argue. She merely frowned and said, "If that's the case, then could it have been love at first sight? Or perhaps you two were destined to be together?"
"Hmm~"
Irisviel thought for a moment before shaking her head. "It doesn't feel like that either. Thinking back now, I didn't have any particular feelings for Touko at first. I was merely fulfilling my family's long-cherished wish and naturally playing the role of a good wife. If it had been love at first sight or fate, it probably wouldn't have been like this."
"..."
Lidell turned her head and asked curiously, "So did you fall in love with Touko afterward?"
"Yes."
Without the slightest hesitation, Irisviel replied, "I can say with certainty that I love Touko now, and I genuinely want to become a good wife."
"Could you satisfy a young girl's curiosity?"
A spark of gossip flashed through Lidell's eyes. She was very interested in the relationship between the two of them.
Moreover, she wanted to use this to determine something: whether Irisviel was truly Aozaki Touko's wife or merely a shield to fend off the annoying flies at the Clock Tower.
"..."
Hearing that answer, Irisviel rested her delicate hand against her chin and pondered for a while before saying, "I haven't really thought about it, and I didn't notice when my feelings changed. Perhaps it was because that first encounter left such a deep impression on me. Or perhaps it was when Touko said she wanted to turn me into a human. It could also have been because I was drawn to the way Touko lived."
She could not find one specific reason. She only realized that somehow, naturally, she had ended up in her current situation.
"Then... think about which moment affected you the most."
Lidell offered her some advice.
"..."
Irisviel followed that line of thought for a while before finally smiling tenderly. "Hmm... It was probably when Touko said she wanted to take me into the outside world and make me human. I feel that this memory will never fade, even when I reach the moment of my death."
Under the flowing moonlight, Irisviel's face was illuminated by a blissful smile without a trace of impurity. She was as beautiful as a goddess beneath the moon.
"..."
Seeing this scene, Lidell was momentarily stunned. Then she lowered her eyes and said, "It feels rather ironic."
"?"
Irisviel tilted her head in confusion. Lidell raised her head and explained with a smile, "Compared to mages who are human but unlike humans, you, Irisviel, are far more human than any human."
"That isn't enough yet!"
Irisviel shook her head and stroked her belly. "There's still one final step missing. Only after crossing that threshold can I truly be considered human."
"What is it?"
Lidell was somewhat puzzled.
"A child~"
Irisviel spoke with slight embarrassment. "A child conceived and born from me, a child who can call me Mother and Touko Father..."
"..."
Lidell was completely stunned. Looking at the wife before her, who radiated a maternal glow, she somehow felt that she understood Aozaki Touko's thoughts a little.
"You really are a good woman, Irisviel."
At that moment, she understood and confirmed something: Irisviel was absolutely not a shield. She truly was Aozaki Touko's wife. There was no need to question it.
The Pursuit Beneath the Night
The conversation ended.
After returning to her room and preparing for bed, Lidell suddenly furrowed her brows, as if she had remembered something.
"Come to think of it, Touko and Azu have a rather ambiguous relationship too, don't they?!"
As she thought about it, her train of thought suddenly became clear.
What had that instinctive sense of vigilance been when she first saw Irisviel and Touko together?
It had not been the awkwardness caused by their relationship as wives. If she had to put it into words, it was because she had sensed a threat to her best friend.
That was right. If Azu and Aozaki Touko's relationship was actually unusual, then it would explain her strange intuition.
Thinking this, she no longer intended to sleep.
She got out of bed, put on a coat, hurried to the desk, and took out a sheet of stationery. She planned to report everything that had happened here to Azu.
However, halfway through writing, she hesitated and stopped. Then she sighed softly and put the letter away.
"Forget it. It's better not to get involved. I'll just let things develop naturally."
Thinking this, she sighed softly, returned to bed, and pulled the covers over her head. Curled up like that, she looked rather like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
In theory, as Azu's best friend, she should have sent the news to Azu immediately.
But if she did, Azu's relationship with Aozaki Touko might very well fall apart.
Moreover, Touko and Azu's relationship might become strained as well.
That was something she did not want to see.
So she would pretend she had not seen anything and let matters develop on their own.
Besides, that woman Touko should have a way to resolve the problem.
Getting involved would only make things more chaotic.
Finland.
The outskirts of Helsinki.
A Hummer tore down the road at full speed. After several lightning-fast swerves, it quickly vanished from sight.
"You thieves, stop right there!!!"
A middle-aged man in pajamas, barefoot, chased closely behind the Hummer. He carried a sword wreathed in flames and pursued the thieves with murderous intent.
"Don't say things so carelessly. Does the law protect Dead Apostles' property?"
At that moment, a masked woman poked her head out and aimed a pistol at the middle-aged man, firing continuously. Her voice had clearly been altered.
"...How can this be called stealing? We're just taking it~"
"I'll kill you aaaargh!!!"
The shameless words echoed through the night. The pursuing Dead Apostle's eyes glowed red with rage, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.
Tonight, he had to kill these thieves who had stolen his property. Those were rune-engraved stone tablets he had accumulated over many years, and to make matters worse, they had also taken a large amount of antiques from his home.
"Hey, hey, hey... What do we do? He's catching up! Che Guevara, think of something!"
Seeing this, the woman ducked back into the vehicle and asked the man driving.
"Don't provoke him..."
Emiya Kiritsugu spoke coldly, then pointed toward the trunk without turning his head.
"There's a machine gun in the trunk. Use it to hold him off for now."
"Oh, I understand."
Aoyama Aohana suddenly realized what he meant. She climbed into the trunk, took out the machine gun, and carried over a small box of ammunition.
Then she opened the roof window, mounted the machine gun, and aimed it at the pursuing Dead Apostle.
"Dead Apostle, times have changed!"
"...Damn."
The instant he saw the machine gun, the corner of the Dead Apostle's mouth twitched. Then muzzle flashes erupted, and countless bullets poured down like torrential rain. Even with the Spirit Gear Levantine, it was impossible to block them all.
In the next instant, the bullets pierced his body. The powerful impact sent him flying, making him roll several times across the ground.
"Thanks for the goodies. We'll come visit again next time."
In the night, their mocking laughter gradually faded away. The Dead Apostle rose to his feet and stared at the departing vehicle, his expression dark and grim.
If he had not used Levantine to protect himself just now, that hunting dog might truly have grievously wounded him.
But even so, the pain in his body could not compare to the anguish in his heart.
The runes he had collected from all over the world over the years had all been stolen tonight.
After all, over the course of his long life, he had already experienced beauty and power. He had no other hobbies left.
These days, he merely enjoyed collecting difficult-to-obtain items.
But he had never expected that even those would be robbed.
"Are you insane? Isn't the Foundation of Magecraft for runes already finished? Why steal my runes?!"
After thinking for a long while, the middle-aged Dead Apostle cursed and headed home barefoot.
Since his runes had been stolen, he would switch to another difficult target.
Hmm... How about collecting various rare angel statues?
The Sixty-First Chapter: Spying in the Library
The Clock Tower.
Inside the library.
In an inconspicuous corner, three attractive young women gathered together, cautiously looking toward Aozaki Touko, who was sitting at a table nearby and reading.
"...Sola, that's the person Kayneth wants to pursue," a short-haired girl said, lightly nudging the red-haired girl beside her with her elbow. She sounded indignant. "She doesn't seem like anything special. Isn't she just a little prettier and a little stronger? What does she have to be so proud of?"
"Exactly."
The Blonde Girl beside them nodded lightly in agreement.
They were indignant on behalf of their friend. The events of the past few days had spread throughout the Clock Tower. The prodigy Kayneth was willing to abandon his engagement to the daughter of the Lord of the Department of Spiritualism in order to pursue Aozaki Touko. To Sola-Naizare-Sophiarei, who was herself a Lord's daughter, this was practically an insult.
Moreover, Kayneth was indeed an exceptionally good marriage candidate for Sola. It was nearly impossible to find someone even better.
That was why they were indignant for their best friend. A brilliant future that should have been guaranteed had been thrown into turmoil by Aozaki Touko's appearance.
Yes, it was merely turmoil, not a change in fate.
As long as Aozaki Touko refused Kayneth's proposal,
Kayneth would marry Sola.
"..."
Sola remained silent, merely watching the girl in the distance. Not the slightest hostility showed in her eyes. As the daughter of a Lord, she knew that she could not display hostility toward someone of such status.
Her two best friends, on the other hand, were free to say whatever they pleased because their status was not high enough to matter.
"Sola, why aren't you saying anything?"
The short-haired girl turned toward her friend in confusion.
She had clearly been expressing her indignation on Sola's behalf, so why was Sola showing no reaction at all? Could it be that she had not heard what she was saying?
"There's nothing to say. This has nothing to do with Miss Aozaki. These events can only be attributed to the nature of mages."
Sola shook her head and replied with certainty.
Before you continue