Chapter 452

Two women dressed in church robes appeared in the blizzard.

One of the girls had short blue hair and looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old.

The other was a mature woman in her twenties with her chestnut hair tied in a shoulder-length ponytail.

The slightly older woman spoke up, "Wait... wait a minute, Ciel, is this enough for us?"

The findings are in, we can go back and report... Don't go any deeper!

The girl called Ciel spoke without wavering as she stepped across the snow:

"What are you talking about, Noel? This is the crucial part."

There are at least three Grandmaster-level Dead Apostle... We can't just let them go unchecked, can we?

They need to be dealt with as soon as possible before the Mage's Association arrives.

Hearing his companion say this, Noel turned pale:

"Handle it as soon as possible... What a joke! Twenty-Seven Ancestors, and at least three of them!"

I'm definitely going to die this time! I'm going to die! I'm definitely going to die! Ugh, why did it have to turn out like this...?

I initially thought it was just a regular investigation task, but I was hoping to get some extra pay. On the way here, I even felt like I'd hit the jackpot...

I'm actually going to fight the Twenty-Seven Ancestors! I'm not mentally prepared to die, so no! No! No! No!

Noel was rolling on the ground and acting spoiled, was grabbed by the collar by the blue-haired girl and dragged across the snow.

"Noel, I was just joking. Even I wouldn't want to be enemies with all three of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors at the same time."

If there really is such an idiot, I'd like to meet him. Anyway, let's get closer first and then observe how things unfold.

"Huh, getting close!? Aren't the Twenty-Seven Ancestors monsters that would blow away the entire street along with them if you got even slightly close...? Hmm, what's wrong?"

Noel noticed that his companion had suddenly become quiet.

She looked up and saw a surreal scene—

The sky, the earth, the forest, the Snowfield —all of it was rolled up like a distorted canvas.

"I knew it would turn out like this! Aa..."

Noel screamed in agony as he was blown into the sky by the "Twisted Mage's Eye."

Volume 6: Chapter 296 Root Shiki: Have you paid the copyright fees for The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception? Pay them back with your body!

"Wake up..."

"Hey, wake up...!"

Noel heard the unfamiliar boy's voice and slowly opened his eyes.

The face that came into view was that of a young boy.

Although she looked young, only sixteen or seventeen, she possessed a sense of inclusiveness that was beyond that of a high school student, which made Noel feel inexplicably at ease.

Beneath her slightly messy red bangs were a pair of iridescent golden eyes that seemed to draw in one's soul.

That's right!

I was caught in the attack of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, and then this boy saved me!

Noel jolted, remembering what had just happened.

When she was blown into the sky by some force, her body almost torn in two, it was this red-haired boy who suddenly appeared and saved her.

W-what is this... This is like a Hollywood movie plot... What era are we living in?!

Noticing that a young man was putting his arm around her shoulder, Noel's heart began to flutter for no apparent reason.

On the other side, Shirou sized up the woman who had suddenly appeared within his attack range, forcing him to stop attacking the Dead Apostle.

A church robe made of bulletproof material. A golden cross pendant. A glimpse of her fair thighs and a corner of a weapon peeking out from under the hem of her Nun's habit.

Is this woman... Executor?

"I... I'm called Noel!"

Just as Shirou was about to ask a question, the woman blushed and took the initiative to give her name.

"Nun Noel?"

"Huh? How do you know my profession?"

"Because you're wearing a church uniform..."

"Whoa! So that's how it is! What a blunder! Glug!"

Noel bit her lip in frustration; she had originally planned to tell Shirou that she was a high school teacher.

After all, a young, beautiful female teacher, filled with sexual fantasies, would find it easier to connect with boys of that age, right?

Nun and stuff like that sound so boring! They're totally uninspiring! Terrible!

"... What is that idiot doing?"

Noel's companion and superior, Ciel, observed the shy Noel from a distance, silently pressing his forehead.

She is now hiding in a broken landscape that looks like it has been twisted by a giant's hand, and the boy who saved Noel is undoubtedly the culprit behind this astonishing destruction of the terrain.

"... That idiot, didn't he even notice that?"

Who exactly is that boy?

Is he fighting the Twenty-Seven Ancestors? Or is he from the Mage's Association?

Ciel had too many doubts in his mind, so he decided to wait and see.

It's here!

The reaction, which belonged only to the highest-ranking Dead Apostle, had disappeared for a time, but it has reappeared.

"Nun Noel."

"That's too formal. If it's alright, could you please call me Noel?"

The chestnut-haired Nun said with a fawning expression.

"Miss Noel, please hide... the enemy is coming."

Noel's face turned deathly pale. "The enemy... the enemy... could it be... the Twenty-Seven Ancestors!?"

Shirou nodded. "Leave this to me, you go and take refuge with your companions."

"Companion...?"

Noel followed Shirou's gaze and saw Ciel hiding in a natural bunker a hundred meters away.

"!!"

Noel was even more surprised than Ciel.

When? When exactly did he discover me?

Unlike Noel, Ciel wouldn't so easily reveal his whereabouts during a reconnaissance operation.

Furthermore, she is currently wearing church attire, so normally her figure shouldn't be noticeable.

"No, I won't run away."

Noel slowly stood up and then took out a massive weapon that was far taller than himself.

She brandished her axe and spear, declaring, "How could I possibly abandon my savior and run away? I will fight alongside you!"

Shirou paused for a moment, then looked at her and said.

"No, but... Miss Noel is very weak, isn't she? She's the weakest Executor I've ever encountered. Even if she stays, she'll only hold me back."

That's so unfair! Those words were so offensive!

It's so strange that she has such an innocent and cute face, yet unexpectedly has such a sharp tongue!?

And I'm not weak at all, I just find it hard to get serious! Even by the standards of Executor, I'm only average!

Not weak at all! All the Executor you encountered before must have been monsters!

Don't take your own personal experiences as a universal phenomenon, ugh, really!

"Is that so? Excuse me, then will you fight alongside me against the Twenty-Seven Ancestors?"

"The second... the Twenty-Seven Ancestors!?"

Noel's legs trembled the moment he heard the word, and he almost lost his balance.

"If... if anything goes wrong, I'll come to help..."

Noel trembled as he backed away.

"Yes, leave this place to me. Please go and seek refuge without worry, Miss Noel."

Shirou smiled gently, while Noel wore an expression of utter despair.

"To be an enemy of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors" is a synonym for "to be sent to one's death."

This child... is actually willing to die to protect me, whom he's only just met...

Noel: "Finally... at least tell me your name!"

"Shirou."

"Shirou... Shirou... I will never forget you!"

The Nun repeated the name to herself, then slipped away and fled to her companions.

"You actually abandoned me and ran away? That's too much, Ciel!"

"... Quiet down."

Ciel focused his gaze on the Black Robe- Dead Apostle and noble Dead Apostle who emerged from the blizzard.

The tenth of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, Nero Chaos.

Even among the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, he was a heavyweight figure, but because he lacked a fixed territory and city, his whereabouts were difficult to track, and even the church found it a headache...

How could someone like that appear in a place like this?

As for the other one...

Frolov Al... the latest Twenty-Seven Ancestors?

Because he had only been a patriarch for two hundred years, he was Dead Apostle who was little known even within the Holy Church.

Ciel knew the other person's identity because he was a member of the Burial Agency.

The two Dead Apostle kept a certain distance from the red-haired boy.

The Twenty-Seven Ancestors were all arrogant and solitary individuals; they would never act as a group unless a large-scale ceremony was held.

Who exactly is Shirou, the one who teams up with Nero Chaos and Frolov Al?

No matter who he is, being surrounded by two patriarchs means certain death.

Ciel had no intention of helping.

As a member of the Burial Agency, Ciel's mission is not to "protect humanity," but to "annihilate the Dead Apostle."

She would only make a move when she was 100% certain she could kill the Dead Apostle.

Ciel once swallowed the handle of the Black Keys and lay in ambush in the local sewers for a whole year in order to hunt down a certain ancestor who could sense the entire city.

When the Dead Apostle had completely taken over the city and was strolling around the square with his guard down, he reappeared and was instantly eliminated.

The girl, who has already eliminated three ancestors, including "Forest of Einnashe Ahnenerbe," knows very well just how powerful monsters the Twenty-Seven Ancestors are.

Especially for ancient ancestors like Nero Chaos, there's no need to rashly attack without understanding the opponent's "Principle."

But... why?

Incredibly, Ciel was completely oblivious to the two ancestors, focusing all his attention on the red-haired boy.

He might actually be the most dangerous guy.