The Walker Who Began in Type-Moon, Demon Lord Rimuru!

"Wasn't that the obvious thing to do?" Liddell took a sip of water and nodded.

When a mage visited a region, they would naturally pay their respects to the families who actually governed it—the most authoritative ones in the area. It was a tradition among mages.

Rimuru had only expected Liddell to send a few subordinates or familiars to keep an eye on things. He really hadn't expected Alice to make the trip herself just because he'd asked...

Come to think of it... in his memories, Alice seemed like a complete shut-in. Apart from going to school with Aoko, she hardly ever went out.

"Fuyuki City only has one family that actually needs visiting: the Tohsaka Family. But Alice visited both the Church and the Matou Family as well." Liddell paused, then continued, "But according to Robin, after Alice and Aoko paid their visits, they were still quite puzzled about why you were interested in the Matou family."

"By their assessment, the Tohsaka Family is doing well. Its current head has talent and qualities on par with a first-rate mage, and his daughter, who was born not long ago, has already shown impressive aptitude for magecraft."

"But the Matou Family... seems to have run into the problem of magecraft dying out. The name of one of the Three Founding Families is now little more than an empty title."

"Magecraft dying out?" Rimuru paused, then suddenly smiled. "Then the head of the family who received Alice must have been Matou Kariya."

"You said the Tohsaka child has good aptitude?" Rimuru asked with interest.

"Yeah." Liddell found Rimuru's sudden shift in focus rather strange, but after thinking for a moment, she quickly described the information Robin had brought back.

"She seems to have strong aptitude in all five basic elements—a child who inherited Jewel Magecraft perfectly. If nothing unexpected happens, she might become a prodigy in the Department of Mineralogy one day."

"Now then..." After saying all that, Liddell looked at Rimuru with a knowing smile. She rose and looked down at the petite blue-haired bundle, then demanded, "Shouldn't you explain why you're so interested in them—and what you're after?!"

"What I'm after..." Rimuru tapped the table and thought for a moment.

The news that Tohsaka Rin already existed made Rimuru's hazy memories suddenly clearer. He'd thought Reines, Tohsaka Rin, and Sakura were all the same age, but it seemed Rin was a year older than the other two.

That wasn't important. The key point was that, with Alice and Aoko both around and Liddell's help, Rimuru had no doubt he could wipe out the so-called Matou Family with just a word.

But... Kariya still existed in the Matou Family. Rimuru felt hesitant when it came to that tragic fellow.

If he killed him, Kariya would be innocent. If he didn't, then left to live, Kariya would probably still follow the same path as before—only now he'd hate Rimuru and accept the Crest Worms' modification so he could take revenge.

Another thing was that the story would probably change drastically.

But if Rimuru didn't destroy the family, he'd have to make a trip there next year, when Sakura was born. If he wanted to keep Sakura from suffering the same fate without destroying that Old Worm, he would have to give the Tohsaka Family a better option.

Rimuru believed that a joint guarantee from Clock Tower professors and the Witch Faction would be far more tempting than the Matou Family—unless Tohsaka Tokiomi truly valued the friendship between the Three Founding Families above all else.

There was no doubt about Rimuru's goal: the Holy Grail.

Seeing Liddell's expression—like she wouldn't let it go until he told her—Rimuru found it amusing. In the end, he decided to give her a half-true explanation.

"Does Liddell know about the Holy Grail War?"

"The Holy Grail War?" Liddell paused at the question and furrowed her brow as she thought it over. Then she slowly shook her head, sat back down, and propped her chin on her hand, her cute face taking on the look of someone ready to hear a story.

"Several hundred years ago, the Three Founding Families of Fuyuki City held a special ritual in pursuit of Akasha. That was the Holy Grail War. I think there are more records in the library, but I can't remember them clearly. The legend says the Holy Grail can grant the last victor a wish."

"But what does that have to do with you asking me to keep an eye on the Matou Family?"

"Because the Tohsaka and Matou names are both among the Three Founding Families." Rimuru smiled slightly, and before Liddell could speak, continued, "Fuyuki City has three Leylines. One of them is being drawn upon by the Greater Grail, so no matter how far the Three Founding Families decline, the Greater Grail ritual can still proceed."

"And as the ritual's founders, the Three Founding Families are guaranteed a chance to participate in every Holy Grail War."

"So you need that chance, right?" Liddell blinked. "When's the next Holy Grail War?"

"Seven years from now."

"..." Liddell's mouth fell open. Then she slapped the table. "Seven years?!"

"In seven years, you might be a Lord... no, you'll definitely be a Lord by then."

Liddell's disgruntled expression amused Rimuru. "If the Holy Grail connects to Akasha, would you still think seven years is a long time?"

"Akasha—" Liddell's voice suddenly stopped. Akasha was the lifelong pursuit of every mage. They could spend their entire lives chasing it and never think the wait too long.

And seven years was nothing by comparison.

At that point, Rimuru felt he should add a few more cards to his hand. He carefully chose his words and said, half truthfully, "But my goal isn't Akasha. It's True Magic."

"Seven years ago, Aozaki Aoko glimpsed Akasha and gained Blue Magic, while I stopped growing and was forever frozen in the form of a fourteen-year-old."

Rimuru raised a small hand, lifted Liddell's chin, and met her eyes. "I've searched through a lot of records. My guess is that this is the legendary Third Magic—Heaven's Feel, also known as Soul Materialization. It's just incomplete, which has caused my soul to be fixed in place without letting me control it."

"It's only a guess, but I don't want to stay a child forever, getting my head patted by all of you every day."

With Rimuru's eyes so close to hers, a flush crossed Liddell's face. She pulled free of his hand. "So you want to glimpse Akasha again...?"

"Right. And as it happens, I've heard that the Holy Grail War is essentially Heaven's Feel. So whether it's for Akasha or the Grail itself, I'm determined to get it."

"What I didn't get seven years ago, I'll definitely get after another seven!"

Rimuru raised his small hand with a commanding air, ready to receive Liddell's admiring gaze. Instead, she asked, still puzzled, "But even so... you didn't need to keep an eye on the Matou Family so early..."

"..."

"Fine. The real reason is that my damn conscience acted up again."

Chapter 18: That Unique Understanding, Kuonji Alice

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you. The new students arrive in half a month, so don't get too caught up in researching magecraft."

In the end, Liddell had only half-believed Rimuru's story, but had reluctantly accepted it. Before leaving, she reminded him, "Your fields will mostly be research into Imaginary Numbers attributes and magecraft materials. Oh, right—the Phantasmal Species section in the Department of Zoology will also have you listed as a visiting professor. Spend some time researching those, too."

"Mm." Rimuru blinked, then asked, "Doesn't the Department of Botany have a professorship for me?"

"Pfft." Liddell laughed. "What position do you want? Hmm... the history of witch research? Or how to turn from a man into a witch?"

"..."

Watching Rimuru's expression grow darker and darker, Liddell contentedly turned back and pinched his cheek. She grinned. "How about this? I'll give you the same position I have: visiting professor in the Witch Faction's research into the special mutations of Magic Crests. How's that? Besides, you know almost as much about Fairy Tale Magecraft as I do."

A professor's position was different from a lecturer's. Multiple professors could work in the same field. For example, the field of Alchemy might have more than a dozen professors, each specializing in a different branch for students to choose from.

In any case, in the world of magecraft, a first-rate mage might be skilled in several areas, but the Clock Tower would generally only award a professorship and accreditation in the field they excelled at most.

For someone like Rimuru to ask to be listed as a visiting or honorary professor all over the place... was practically blatant nepotism and privilege.

But neither Rimuru nor Liddell thought there was anything wrong with that.

After all, the students had the power to choose, so they wouldn't normally choose an honorary professor anyway. That meant he probably wouldn't affect many students. Besides, Rimuru really did have the skill and ability to research these subjects.

"Mm..." What Rimuru actually wanted was a position related to herbs or potion-making. That would make it easier for him to use research funds to secretly stockpile potions, and to learn a few potion recipes. With Great Sage and his 3D-printing function, he could even secretly analyze some restricted drugs and mass-produce them...

But he knew nothing about potions. If a student chose his course, he might end up misleading them, so Rimuru gave up on the idea and nodded. "All right."

Looking out for himself was fine, but he couldn't do it at someone else's expense.

Rimuru intended to be a refined egoist, so he couldn't afford to be too crude about it.

Eler's room was next to Rimuru's—in other words, it was Liddell's room. But honestly, Rimuru felt the little one had already made his room her own.

While Rimuru was preparing some lecture notes and course materials, Eler, the silver-haired bundle, had already run around with his Mystic Code in her arms, exploring the entire estate. Then she dove into Rimuru's embrace and fell sound asleep.

"She really is still just a child."

Rimuru smiled helplessly at the sight. Even with a witch's blood and energy, all that did was make the little one a bit more lively.

Rimuru sensed the room next door. Liddell wasn't there, probably off doing who knew what, so he decided to put the little one on his bed for now.

Rimuru tapped the table. Wuyin, which Eler had been hugging like a doll, began to grow slowly, wrapping her gently to keep any jolts from waking her.

As if she sensed something, Eler rubbed her fluffy little head against Rimuru's chest.

"The little one certainly isn't shy."

"I've finished organizing the course materials, but there are still quite a few gaps. You'll need to make a trip to the library."

"Mm. Thanks for your hard work, Great Sage."

For Rimuru, theoretical knowledge was hardly a problem with Great Sage around, so he wasn't especially worried about the start of the school year.

But the unexpected news Liddell brought him the next day left him incredibly tense.

The legendary "Human Rocket Launcher" was coming to the Clock Tower again!

And Rimuru wasn't the only one on edge. The entire Clock Tower was in a state of panic.

All the Lords—even the Director—had to show up in person, afraid she might accidentally blow all of London into the sky again.

That was the influence and intimidation of a Magician!

Even if...

"I seriously don't want this kind of influence at all, aaah!" Aoko Aozaki dragged her unchanging suitcase along dejectedly, trailing behind Liddell and Kuonji Alice. The gloom above her head was almost tangible.

"I imagine you're the only one who's ever had all the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower turn out to welcome you."

Liddell covered her mouth with a soft laugh, then turned to her childhood friend. "I thought you'd never set foot in London again."

Kuonji Alice walked quietly beside Liddell. At her words, her calm, black-pearl-like eyes rested on Liddell for a moment. Then she parted her lips. "Rimuru... where is he?"

"I knew it." Liddell curled her lips helplessly. "Have you not thought of me once all these years?!"

"You never came to Japan..." Kuonji Alice tilted her head. A rare flicker of amusement appeared in her still, tranquil eyes. "To give a concert."

"Uh, that's because I have a bit of a psychological shadow from that place!" She'd nearly died in Japan. If it hadn't been for Rimuru... she wouldn't just have failed to become a Lord; she'd have returned to Akasha for good.

"Mm." Kuonji Alice gave a quiet hum, accepting Liddell's explanation. Then she fell silent again, her lively eyes fixed calmly on Liddell, conveying what she wanted to say.

You still haven't answered my question.

Their years of understanding made it clear to Liddell how determined Kuonji Alice was. She'd always been like this—she wouldn't ask a second time. She would simply watch you in silence until you began to panic and wonder if you'd forgotten something, and she'd keep at it until you gave her an answer she was satisfied with.

"Whew." Liddell sighed. Seven years without seeing her, and Kuonji Alice really hadn't changed at all...

The two of them were like proud swans flying parallel to each other, stubbornly moving forward in their own directions. Neither was willing to turn aside and let their paths meet.

For seven whole years, they'd stayed in touch. But just as Kuonji Alice hadn't stepped outside her old house once since graduating from school, Liddell had deliberately avoided Japan even while touring the world for her concerts—

Yet now, news of Rimuru had made her change her ways and step into the place she'd once forbidden herself to visit.

As Rimuru's fiancée, Liddell felt a lot of pressure—Rimuru and Kuonji Alice were far too compatible.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, but none of them had ever forgotten their childhood memories—

If she had to put it into words, Liddell's personality was actually a lot like Aoko Aozaki's. That was probably one reason Kuonji Alice became good friends with Aoko after going to Japan.

She was used to looking after a scatterbrained idiot, a straightforward and close companion.

But Rimuru was different.

From the very first day Rimuru arrived, he would naturally pour Kuonji Alice a cup of tea and join in with their activities. At only seven or eight years old, he was already incredibly emotionally perceptive—or perhaps he simply had a natural talent for winning girls over. More than that, he understood Alice, or perhaps he was simply like her.

They both liked the taste of tea, liked quiet, and liked calmly thinking things through. They planned everything in meticulous detail. When the three of them got in trouble and were punished together, the two of them could calmly and perfectly deceive everyone each time. Only she was ever the weak link, the one the adults eventually caught.

They were both egoists in their own way, completely different yet somehow alike. Alice habitually approached problems from a magician's perspective, while Rimuru considered the three of them together, but their conclusions were often the same.

When the sun set, Alice liked to quietly read and review her magecraft. Rimuru would pour her a cup of tea, then sit quietly beside her, dozing.

Even now, Liddell remembered... whenever that time came, she felt like she was the one who'd arrived third. Like some hyperactive idiot who'd been left out. It had even led to arguments with Rimuru—

So Liddell felt a lot of pressure!

When Rimuru said he wanted to come greet them, she'd nearly grabbed the bouncing Eler beside her and hurled her at his face like a ball—Rimuru didn't even know he was her fiancé, but!

She knew!

Her teacher had told her that the agreement between the Tempest head and her House of Achelotte was this: once Rimuru took the position of Lord and proved himself worthy, the House of Achelotte and the Tempest family would become one, bound together in friendship for all time.

That had been one of the options the Tempest family had chosen when they were desperate, and one of the House of Achelotte's investments in the future.

The problem was, she didn't mind the arrangement. If anything, she was a little pleased.

But when she thought of her good friend Alice and the easy understanding she and Rimuru had shared as children, and now saw her coming to the UK to visit the Clock Tower, Liddell felt like she was facing a formidable enemy!

There was nothing she could do about it! She was confident she could beat anyone else, but when it came to Kuonji Alice...

She was genuinely a little intimidated—

While she was lost in her memories, still thinking about how to answer Alice's question, Aoko Aozaki cut in, dragging her suitcase along. "Good thing he didn't come! I'm definitely going to take him out this time!!"

"Take him out?" Kuonji Alice paused slightly and asked, "With an explosion?"

"..."

At that, Aoko Aozaki instantly deflated, like someone had doused the flames of her enthusiasm with a bucket of cold water. Right... the Director had just warned them that if she used even a trace of True Magic, she'd be kicked out and banned from entering the UK ever again...

Tsk! What a nasty old man!

"Come to think of it, Aoko, why do you hate Rimuru so much?" Liddell asked curiously. To be honest, she didn't know Aoko Aozaki very well, but because of Alice and Rimuru, they were still friends.

"And how do you think I got the name 'Human Rocket Launcher'?!" Liddell's mention of Rimuru had already set Aoko Aozaki's hair on end—