Traveler Starting from Type-Moon, Demon Lord Rimuru! Chapter 12

"Isn't that a matter of course?" Liddell took a sip of water and nodded.

It is a tradition among magi that when visiting a region, one must prioritize paying respects to the actual administrators of that area—the families with the most authority.

However, Rimuru's original intention was just for Liddell to send a few subordinates or familiars to keep watch. He truly hadn't expected Alice to go there in person just because of his request...

Come to think of it... in his memories, Alice seemed to be a complete shut-in, rarely leaving the house except to go to school with Aoko.

"Although the only actual noble family in Fuyuki City worth visiting is the Tohsaka family, Alice still went to visit the Church and the Matou family one after another." Having said that, Liddell paused and added, "But according to the robins, after Alice and Aoko finished their visits, they were still quite confused as to why you would be concerned with the Matou lineage."

"According to their assessment, the Tohsaka family is fine; the current head possesses the talent and aptitude of a first-rate magus, and his daughter, who was born not long ago, has already shown remarkable magical aptitude."

"But the Matou family... it seems they have already encountered a severance of their magecraft. The name of the Three Founding Families is now nothing more than an empty shell."

"Severance of magecraft?" Rimuru was slightly stunned, then suddenly laughed: "The head who received Alice must have been Matou Kariya."

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

"Ah." Although Liddell found it strange that Rimuru's focus had jumped so drastically, she quickly thought for a moment and described the information brought back by the robins.

"It seems to be a powerful aptitude containing all five basic elements, a child who perfectly inherited Jewel Magecraft. If nothing goes wrong, this child might become a genius of the Department of Mineralogy in the future."

"So now..." After saying all this, Liddell looked at Rimuru with a half-smile. She stood up, looked down at the petite blue-haired ball, and said fiercely: "Shouldn't you explain to me your reasons and goals for paying so much attention to them now?!"

"Goals, huh..." Rimuru tapped the tabletop, thinking for a moment.

The fact that Tohsaka Rin already existed made Rimuru's previously unclear memories suddenly sharpen. He had originally thought that Reines, Tohsaka Rin, and Sakura should be the same age, but now it seemed clear that Rin was a year older than the other two.

That point wasn't important, though. The key was that since both Alice and Aoko were here, combined with Liddell's help, Rimuru had no doubt that he could easily wipe out the so-called Matou family with just a single word.

But... the current Matou family still had Matou Kariya. Regarding this tragic fellow, Rimuru felt a bit hesitant.

If he killed him, the man was somewhat innocent. If he didn't kill him, and let him survive, he would likely follow his original path, only this time he would turn his hatred toward Rimuru and accept the transformation of the Crest Worms to seek revenge.

Another point was that the plot would likely change significantly.

But if he didn't wipe them out, Sakura would be born next year, and he would inevitably have to make a trip—if he wanted to prevent Sakura from repeating her tragic fate without killing that old worm, he would necessarily have to provide the Tohsaka family with a better option.

With the joint guarantee of Clock Tower professors and witch families, Rimuru believed it would certainly be more tempting than the so-called Matou family, unless Tohsaka Tokiomi truly valued the friendship of the Three Founding Families above all else.

Rimuru's goal was the Holy Grail; that was beyond doubt.

Thinking of this, Rimuru looked at Liddell, who wore an expression that suggested she wouldn't let it go until he spoke, and after a humorous thought, he decided to give a half-truthful explanation.

"Liddell, do you know about the Holy Grail War?"

"The Holy Grail War?" Liddell was slightly stunned at the mention. She frowned and thought about it seriously, then slowly shook her head. She sat back down, propped her chin on her hand, and wore the expression of someone listening to a story on her cute face.

"Hundreds of years ago, the Three Founding Families of Fuyuki City held a special ritual in pursuit of Akasha, which was the Holy Grail War. I remember there are extra records in the library, but I don't recall them clearly. Legend has it that the Holy Grail can grant one wish to the final victor."

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

"Because among these Three Founding Families, it includes the surnames Tohsaka and Matou." Rimuru smiled lightly, and without waiting for Liddell to speak, he continued: "Fuyuki City has three leylines, one of which is tapped by the Greater Grail. So, no matter how much the Three Founding Families decline, the ritual of the Greater Grail can proceed smoothly."

"And as the initiators of the ritual, the Three Founding Families are guaranteed the qualification to participate in every Holy Grail War."

"And you need that qualification, right?" Liddell blinked and said: "When is the next Holy Grail War?"

"Seven years from now."

"..." Liddell opened her mouth wide, then suddenly slapped the table: "Seven years?!"

"In seven years, you might even be a Lord... no, you will definitely be a Lord by then."

Liddell's dissatisfied expression made Rimuru feel somewhat amused. He retorted: "If the Holy Grail connects to Akasha, would you still think seven years is a long time?"

"Akasha—" In an instant, Liddell's voice came to an abrupt halt. Akasha represented the lifelong pursuit of a magus; one wouldn't feel it was too long even if they spent their whole life chasing it.

Let alone a mere seven years?

At this point, Rimuru also felt he should add more bargaining chips for himself, so he organized his thoughts and said, half-truthfully: "However, my goal is not Akasha, but magic."

"Seven years ago, during that incident, Aozaki Aoko glimpsed Akasha and mastered the Blue Magic, while I stopped growing, forever remaining in the appearance of a fourteen-year-old."

Rimuru raised his small hand, hooked Liddell's chin to meet her eyes, and said softly: "I have checked many materials and guessed that this should be the legendary Third Magic, Heaven's Feel, also known as Materialization of the Soul. It's just that because it is incomplete, it caused a phenomenon where the soul was fixed but could not be controlled."

"Although it is just my guess, I don't want to keep this child's appearance and have you all patting my head every day."

Looking at Rimuru's eyes, which were so close, a blush flashed across Liddell's face. She struggled out of Rimuru's hand and said: "So you want to glimpse Akasha once more...?"

"Yes, and coincidentally, I heard that the essence of the Holy Grail War is Heaven's Feel—so regardless of whether it's for Akasha or the Holy Grail itself, I am determined to obtain it."

"What I didn't get seven years ago, I will definitely obtain seven years from now!"

Rimuru waved his small hand domineeringly, preparing to welcome Liddell's look of admiration, but suddenly heard her ask in confusion: "But even so... you didn't need to pay attention to the Matou family in advance..."

"..."

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

Chapter 018, That Unique Tacit Understanding, Kuonji Alice

"Alright, don't say I didn't warn you. New student orientation is in half a month, don't just focus on researching magecraft."

In the end, under Rimuru's cajoling, Liddell half-believed and reluctantly accepted Rimuru's explanation. Before leaving, she reminded him: "Your field is mostly research into the attributes of the void and magical materials. Oh, right, you will also be a guest professor for the origins of Phantasmal Species in the Department of Zoology. Spend some time researching those during this period."

"Mm." Rimuru blinked and suddenly said: "Isn't the Department of Botany planning to give me a professor position?"

"Pfft." Upon hearing this, Liddell was amused instead: "What position do you want? Hmm... History of Witchcraft? Or how to turn from a male into a witch?"

"..."

Watching Rimuru's face grow increasingly dark, Liddell turned back, satisfied, and pinched his cheeks. She giggled and said, "How about this? I'll give you the same position as me: a titular professor of the Witch Faction, specializing in the mutations of Magic Crests. How does that sound? Besides, you know just as much about Fairy Tale Magecraft as I do."

A professorship is different from a lectureship; it allows for multiple professors within the same field. For instance, in the field of alchemy, there might be a dozen professors, each specializing in different directions, allowing students to choose freely.

Regardless, in the field of magecraft, while a top-tier magus might be skilled in multiple areas, the Clock Tower usually only recognizes and grants a professorship title based on the area where one excels the most.

For someone like Rimuru to just go around asking for titular and honorary professorships... it was nothing short of blatant nepotism and elitism.

However, neither Rimuru nor Liddell felt there was anything wrong with it.

Setting aside the fact that students rarely choose honorary professors—meaning it wouldn't affect many of them—Rimuru truly possessed the level and ability to conduct research in these areas.

"Hmm..." In truth, Rimuru had wanted a position related to herbs or potion-making, as it would allow him to conveniently use research funds to secretly stockpile potions and steal some potion recipes. He could even use Great Sage and his 3D printing function to secretly analyze restricted drugs and mass-produce them...

But considering he really didn't know anything about potion-making, and fearing he might mislead students if one actually chose his course, Rimuru dismissed the idea and nodded. "Fine."

Self-interest is fine, but it shouldn't come at the expense of others.

Rimuru declared that he wanted to be a refined egoist, so he couldn't be too crude about it.

Eler's room was next to Rimuru's, which was also Liddell's room—though, to be honest, Rimuru always felt like this little one had already treated his room as her own home.

Just as Rimuru was preparing some lecture notes and course materials, Eler, that silver-haired ball of fluff, had already run around hugging his Magic Item. After thoroughly exploring the entire territory, she dove into Rimuru's arms and fell fast asleep.

"Still just a child, after all."

Seeing this, Rimuru smiled helplessly. Even with the bloodline and energy of a witch, it only gave this little one a bit more vitality.

Rimuru sensed the room next door; Liddell wasn't there. Assuming she had gone off to busy herself with something else, he thought it best to put the little one on his bed first.

Rimuru tapped the table, and Wuyin, which Eler was hugging like a doll, began to slowly expand, softly wrapping around Eler to prevent any vibrations from waking her up.

As if sensing something, Eler nuzzled her fuzzy little head against Rimuru's chest.

"The little one certainly isn't shy."

"The course materials have been organized, but there are significant gaps. You will need to make a trip to the library."

"Mm, thank you for your hard work, Great Sage."

For Rimuru, theoretical knowledge was hardly a problem with Great Sage, so he didn't feel much pressure regarding the start of the semester.

But the next day, a piece of news Liddell brought suddenly made him incredibly nervous.

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

This tension wasn't just felt by Rimuru alone; the entire Clock Tower was on edge!

All the Lords, and even the Director, had to personally show up, terrified that the other party might accidentally blow all of London into the sky.

Such was the deterrent power and influence of a Magician!

Even if...

"Honestly, I don't want this kind of influence at all, ahhhhhhh!" Aozaki Aoko dragged her eternal suitcase with a dejected expression, following behind Liddell and Kuonji Alice with her head hanging low, the black aura above her head practically solidifying.

"To have all twelve Lords of the Clock Tower come out to welcome you, I suppose only you could have such an honor."

Liddell covered her mouth and chuckled softly, then turned to her childhood friend and whispered, "I actually thought you would never set foot in London again in your life."

Kuonji Alice walked quietly by Liddell's side. Upon hearing this, she stared at Liddell for a moment with her calm, black-pearl-like eyes, then parted her cherry lips: "Rimuru... where is he?"

"I knew it." Liddell curled her lips helplessly. "After all these years, you never thought about me?!"

"You didn't go to Japan either..." Kuonji Alice tilted her head, a rare trace of a smile flashing in her tranquil eyes. "For your concert."

"Ugh, that's because I have psychological trauma from that place!!" She had nearly died in Japan; if it weren't for Rimuru... let alone being a Lord, she would have likely returned to Akasha completely.

"Mm." Kuonji Alice gave a soft hum, accepting Liddell's reason, and then fell silent again. Only her lively eyes watched Liddell quietly, conveying her thoughts.

You still haven't answered my question.

Years of unspoken understanding allowed Liddell to clearly feel Kuonji Alice's persistence. But she had always been like this—she wouldn't even ask a second time. She would just look at you quietly, making you panic and start wondering if you had forgotten something, until she received a satisfactory reply.

"Phew." Liddell sighed. Seven years later, and Kuonji Alice really... hadn't changed at all.

The two were like two proud swans flying in parallel, stubbornly moving forward in their own directions, neither willing to tilt their path to intersect even once.

For seven full years, they had kept in touch, but just as Kuonji Alice hadn't stepped a single foot outside her old mansion since graduating, Liddell, even while touring the world, would deliberately avoid Japan—

But now, news of Rimuru was enough to make her change her usual behavior and voluntarily step into this former forbidden zone.

As Rimuru's fiancée, Liddell felt the pressure was truly immense—the compatibility between Rimuru and Kuonji Alice was simply too high.

Time had passed like a white horse galloping past a crack in a wall, but no one had ever forgotten the memories of their childhood—

If one had to say, Liddell's personality was actually quite similar to Aozaki Aoko's. This was likely one of the reasons why, after Alice went to Japan, she was able to become good friends with Aoko.

She was also used to taking care of a boisterous idiot, a straightforward and intimate companion.

But Rimuru was different.

From the very first day Rimuru arrived, he would naturally hand tea to Kuonji Alice and habitually join in their activities. Aside from showing an incredibly high emotional intelligence—or perhaps a "scumbag" talent for pleasing girls—at the age of only seven or eight, he shared an understanding with Alice, or rather, a similarity.

They both liked the taste of black tea, liked the quiet, liked to think through everything calmly, and would plan everything out in meticulous detail. When the three of them were punished together for doing something wrong, the two of them could always calmly and perfectly deceive everyone else. Only she was the final weak link, eventually being exposed by the adults.

The two were egoists who were diametrically different yet fundamentally the same; Alice habitually approached problems from the perspective of a magus, while Rimuru approached them from the perspective of the three of them, yet their conclusions were often identical.

When the sun set, Alice liked to quietly read and review her knowledge of magecraft, and Rimuru would enjoy pouring her a cup of black tea before quietly dozing off by her side.

Even now, Liddell still remembered... every time that hour arrived, she would feel as if she were the third wheel who had arrived later, excluded like a hyperactive idiot, and she had even had conflicts with Rimuru over it—

Therefore, Liddell was under a lot of pressure!

When Rimuru said he was also coming to greet them, she had nearly grabbed the bouncing Eler and smashed her into Rimuru's face like a ball—Rimuru didn't know yet that she was his fiancée, but!

She knew it herself!!

Her teacher had told her that the agreement between the head of the Tempest family and their Achelotte family was exactly this: once Rimuru stepped into the position of monarch and proved his qualifications, the Achelotte family would become one with the Tempest family, remaining allies for eternity.

This had been one of the options for the Tempest family when they were backed into a corner at the time, and it was also one of the Achelotte family's chips for the future.

But the problem was, she didn't mind it at all; in fact, she was even a little secretly pleased.

However, when she thought of the tacit understanding between her good friend Alice and Rimuru during their childhood, and now that they had come to England to visit the Clock Tower, Liddell felt as if she were facing a formidable enemy!

There was no helping it! She had absolute confidence in victory when facing others, but when facing Kuonji Alice...

She really felt a bit intimidated—

Just as she was lost in memories, still pondering how to answer Alice's question, Aozaki Aoko dragged her suitcase over and interjected: "It's a good thing he didn't come! Otherwise, I would definitely have finished him off this time!!"

"Finish him off?" Kuonji Alice was slightly stunned and asked in return: "With an explosion?"

"..."

Hearing this, Aozaki Aoko instantly wilted as if her passionate flames had been doused by a basin of cold water. Oh, right... it seemed the Dean had warned them just a moment ago that if she dared to use even a shred of magecraft, they would be expelled immediately and never allowed to set foot in England again...

Hiss! That nasty old man!

"Come to think of it, Aoko, why do you hate Rimuru so much?" Liddell asked curiously. To be honest, she wasn't close with Aozaki Aoko, but because of her relationship with Alice and Rimuru, they could be considered friends.

"Then how do you think I got the nickname Human Rocket Launcher!" It would have been better if Liddell hadn't brought it up; the moment she mentioned the name Rimuru, Aozaki Aoko immediately bristled—