The distant Far East.
"Due to an armed uprising by terrorists in Cornwall, the area has been placed under a comprehensive government lockdown. Her Majesty the Queen has issued a statement saying she will not yield to any extremists..."
"Clack."
Tohsaka Tokiomi turned off the television, picked up two newspapers, and casually tossed aside the one reporting on the armed uprising. Then he turned to the other, a newspaper covering the Reverse Side of the World, and the letter tucked inside it—
He sighed faintly, picked up the now-lukewarm coffee on the table, and took a small sip. After quickly scanning the unimportant items on the back, he looked at the front page. The headlines and subheadings covered the Dead Apostle uprising in Cornwall, the outcome of the discussions on the Grand Resolution, and the Church's return to the headlines as a partner for the first time in a century.
"From the look of you, this is about something from the Magic Association, isn't it?"
A gentle voice came from behind him. A pair of slender, warm hands settled on his shoulders and began to massage them.
"Is Little Rin asleep?" Feeling the soft touch, Tokiomi set down the newspaper and covered the hand on his shoulder with his own. He turned around, and a trace of tenderness finally crossed his tired face.
"Mm. Aren't you going to look?" Aoi gently picked up the letter he had tossed onto the table. Its gold-trimmed envelope and intricate, mysterious seal made it clear that it had come from someone powerful—or from a major organization.
"A letter from the Magic Association. At a time like this, it can only be a call to arms for mages, right?" Tokiomi gave a helpless chuckle. "The Dead Apostles seem to be gaining momentum in Europe. In a way, that's half good news for the Far East, which I oversee."
"And what about you? Aren't you going to the battlefield?"
"...I should have gone." Tokiomi paused, then gently shook his head. "Both as head of the Tohsaka Family and as an administrator for the Magic Association."
"But..." Tokiomi hesitated. He looked at his wife's belly, which was beginning to swell again, and fell silent for a moment. "I'll write back to the Magic Association and tell them that, as the administrator of the Far East, I can't leave this region at will. But I'll provide some financial support. I'll give the Association eighty percent of the Tohsaka Family's patent fees for the time being. That should uphold the family's honor."
"If you need to go, please don't let me hold you back." Aoi sat beside Tokiomi and gently shook her head. "I understand the duty of a mage, so... as your wife, the only thing I can do is support you."
"...Aoi, go get some rest." Tokiomi smiled and picked up the envelope. "I'm not staying simply for your sake. For some reason, I've been uneasy lately. I can't shake the feeling that something is going to happen in Fuyuki City."
Just then, the Ruby ring on Tokiomi's hand flashed faintly. Someone had triggered the Tohsaka Family's magical alarm!
He immediately grabbed the scepter beside him and, with the graceful poise of a fencer, stepped in front of Aoi. At that moment, he saw a blue robin outside the window, arriving at last with an elegant letter in its beak...
He knew that familiar. It was the familiar of the Witch Alice, the companion of Aozaki Aoko, administrator of another city. It had visited him a few months ago.
Tokiomi relaxed, but a question immediately rose in his mind. The blue robin flew in through the window and handed him the letter. Before leaving, it even gave him an elegant knightly salute.
"Wait."
"Caw?"
"...May I ask if Lady Alice left you a message?"
"Caw? No, only that my mistress will be visiting Fuyuki City again soon. But due to the unusual circumstances, she may not be able to visit the Tohsaka Family in person, so she has sent this letter instead..."
"Do you know... what the matter is?" Tokiomi looked at the envelope in his hand, his unease growing. It wasn't a personal letter. Like the one from the Magic Association, it was formal, with gold trim. It also bore the Kuonji Family's magical seal, but in addition to Alice's wax seal, it was stamped with the symbols of the Magic Association and an unfamiliar family crest!
"It's all in the letter." The robin quickly shook its head. "I'm only here to deliver it. As for the matter itself, you'll have to read the letter for yourself."
"...All right." Tokiomi had no grounds to press the bird for more. He gave a slight bow. "Then please give my regards to Lady Alice."
"I will. Goodbye, caw!"
The blue robin flew back the way it had come, while Tokiomi stared at the letter in his hand, lost in thought. Seeing her husband like that, Aoi didn't pry or disturb him. She quietly turned and went upstairs, leaving him space to think alone.
Having come from a family of mages herself, she understood all too well what Tokiomi carried and the hardships he endured. She loved and understood him, and knew that the only thing she could do was support him without interfering.
Tokiomi sat down again. Since Lady Alice had addressed the letter specifically to him, there was no point in hesitating. He might as well read it first and then consider what to do.
Calling Kuonji Alice "Alice" wasn't unusual. Throughout the magecraft world, people habitually used the Western pronunciation of her name when addressing the Witch, as a mark of respect. Her name, pronounced in Japanese, became "Ariisu."
However, Kuonji Alice herself greatly disliked the name. When Rimuru called her "Alice" in a Western accent, she would show her displeasure quite plainly. Over the years, an unspoken rule had developed: those close to her called her Aoko, while those who kept their distance called her Alice as a sign of respect.
As for the surname Kuonji, because of the recent falling-out with the Kuonji Group, it seemed only their subordinates in the mundane world still called their young lady by that name.
Ten minutes later, Tokiomi finished reading the letter and rubbed his forehead wearily. Its contents were limited: it apologized for being unable to visit in person before entering the territory he administered again without permission.
Even the reason for the visit was vague. It only said the matter involved the Matou Family, without explaining the circumstances.
But he couldn't refuse. Besides the apology and explanation at the beginning, the letter included an official document approved by the Magic Association, granting the right to conduct a compulsory investigation. That meant the Association had approved the other party's actions, at least procedurally, whatever their reasons.
As a member of the Magic Association, Tokiomi had no grounds to refuse.
And the letter had also answered one of his questions: whose unfamiliar seal was stamped on the envelope?
"The Tempest Family... the Witch of Fairy Tales and the Fairy Tale Lord?"
Leaning back on the sofa, Tokiomi considered the coffee in front of him. The matter seemed connected to the Matou Family. Should he... let them know?
As people around the world began to move, Rimuru lay comfortably in his hospital bed, lazily opening his mouth to accept a bright red grape from Liddell. He gazed out the window at the sky rushing past and sighed in admiration.
As expected of the coal-rich heiress Liddell. With the Spiritron Transfer facilities still under construction, and London not all that far from Cornwall, when she heard Kayneth planned to use high-speed transport to send Rimuru home, she immediately made one phone call and declared it the military's highest-priority order. A dozen fighter jets and specialized transport planes were put into service at once. Even Kayneth raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"The Achelotte Family really has its hands in the British military?!"
"We don't have our hands in it. We just have a few connections." Liddell picked up another grape and popped it into Rimuru's mouth, raising an eyebrow. "The Achelotte Family probably covers about a third of the annual military budget. More or less."
"Why can't I go with you, anyway?" She puffed out her cheeks. Ever since Eler had forcefully interrupted her first kiss with Rimuru, the two of them hadn't done anything else out of line. But it seemed that half the barrier between them had been broken, and Liddell increasingly thought of herself as Rimuru's girlfriend. Every now and then, she'd act in a rather sweet, bashful way.
"...Well." Rimuru glanced helplessly at the scenery outside the plane. "You have to stay at the Clock Tower and cover for me. I can leave part of my body behind to foil the detection spells, but it'll still only be a fake version of me."
"That's not what I mean. I'm talking about the cleanup operation afterward."
The two of them didn't bother to consider Kayneth sitting nearby. Given their relationship, casting a soundproofing barrier wouldn't make him suspicious. Kayneth didn't think they were likely to do anything in Rimuru's current, collapsing state, but out of respect, he said nothing.
"Oh... that." Rimuru blinked. For a moment, he couldn't come up with an excuse. "I thought you'd be stuck on the battlefield and wouldn't have time."
Since they needed permission and paperwork from the Magic Association, Rimuru could have submitted everything himself and gotten it approved quickly. But during wartime, the Department of Law was far too slow for his liking, so he'd asked Liddell to use her special privileges. Naturally, since he'd used those privileges, Liddell had found out what he was doing. He hadn't meant to hide it, but he hadn't expected...
"Hmm?" Liddell narrowed her eyes suspiciously and leaned her delicate face toward Rimuru. "You're really not going just to spend time alone with Aoko?"
"...I'm going to take care of business, okay?" Rimuru laughed helplessly. "Why are you always so touchy about Aoko? You've been picking fights with me over her since we were kids..."
"Fine..." Liddell shot an unhappy glance around, then suddenly paused as she realized this might be... a good opportunity.
With that thought, she fixed her eyes on Rimuru's face and looked straight into his golden eyes...
"Gulp... What are you... doing?" As Liddell slowly leaned closer and her face turned bright red, Rimuru seemed to realize what was happening. He asked blankly, "Should I... close my eyes?"
"Pfft!" Liddell burst out laughing at his flustered expression, then snapped, "Then hurry up and close them!"
After hearing that, Rimuru actually blinked and obediently shut his eyes. Liddell relaxed a little, and some of the heat in her cheeks and embarrassment faded. She slowly bent down, close enough to feel the faint warmth of Rimuru's breath.
Liddell slowly closed her eyes. The next instant—BOOM!
The plane lurched. Liddell jerked upright and turned toward the next cabin, anger flaring. Just then, a small hand touched her face and gently turned her back—
Mwah!!
A warm, soft sensation pressed against her lips. Liddell opened her eyes wide and saw Rimuru smiling as he kissed her. He pulled away after a brief, feather-light touch, then gently brushed his nose against hers. "I've been looking forward to this for ages. How could I let it stop halfway?"
"You... you..." Liddell's face flushed as she stared into Rimuru's eyes. Then, dissatisfied, she grabbed his head and snapped, "I'm supposed to be the one making the first move!"
"Then you can do it this time." Rimuru tilted his head and licked his lips. "Your lipstick tastes pretty good today."
Rimuru blinked, clearly hoping for another kiss, and Liddell's face turned even redder! She stammered, then turned away awkwardly...
Boom! The plane lurched again, and the cabin door next to them began to groan as if a great force were tearing at it. Rimuru sighed. In the current circumstances, Liddell was obviously too flustered to get back into the mood she'd been in before.
At last, with a bang, the cabin door broke apart. A pitch-black shadow crawled through the gap, and a silver blade flashed toward them. Liddell's eyes flashed with anger at the interruption and her embarrassment. Just as she was about to strike, Rimuru gently drew her into his arms, stopping her as he asked softly, "Did you really have to make an entrance like this?"
The blade stopped an inch from Rimuru's neck. By then, Liddell had finally gotten a clear look at the attacker: an exquisite automatic doll, spider-like, with eight blade-like legs. Its body was covered in dense magical channels resembling Magic Circuits, and the countless reinforcement spells made it unmistakably a top-class killing machine.
"Your senses are as terrifying as ever." At that, a somewhat hideous head emerged from beneath the automatic doll. As it slowly assembled, its features grew smoother, until it finally became Aozaki Touko's face. "It's been seven years, Rimuru."
"So? Are you here to get revenge for losing to me seven years ago?" Rimuru narrowed his eyes. Liddell's ears had turned red, and she wriggled out of his arms. She walked over to the half-shattered cabin door and coldly pressed a few buttons. The door opened, and Kayneth stepped in from the neighboring cabin with a dark expression.
"You couldn't stop one automatic doll?!" Liddell was clearly displeased.
"It wasn't an ordinary automatic doll, Miss Achelotte." Kayneth's expression wasn't pleasant either, but he explained anyway. "Besides, it damaged the cabin, so my Mystic Code had to patch the hole."
He stepped aside, revealing the section of the plane that Volumen Hydrargyrum had repaired. Since it was a military transport plane, the cabin next door connected to the cockpit, while the section Rimuru was in was separate. In other words, if Kayneth had left the damage unrepaired, the pressure would have been enough to suck the pilot right out of the plane!
He might be a genius, but Kayneth couldn't fly a plane!
"Looks like I ruined your good time?" Seeing that Rimuru was unmoved and showed no fear of her attack, Aozaki Touko pulled back her blades and crawled to one side. She let out a mocking laugh. "That doesn't sound so bad... And I'll say it again: I lost to that damn Witch, not to you and my idiot little sister."
"We don't have time to catch up. What did you come here for?" Liddell asked irritably.
"Aozaki Touko should be on the battlefield right now, shouldn't she?" Kayneth added, his tone unfriendly. Rimuru was a little surprised.
The two of them, who had never gotten along, were finally in agreement at this very moment... Aozaki Touko, just how bad was your reputation?
"Tsk. The fact that I'm here means that body of mine met a glorious end." Aozaki Touko replied without surprise. "But I'm sure that fellow's in pretty bad shape, too."
"Couldn't you have waited for us in London?" Liddell interrupted unhappily. She was already worrying about how to explain this to the military. The damage to the plane was a minor issue; the real problem was maintaining the secrecy surrounding magecraft and explaining how it had ended up like this.
"I can't set foot in London anymore, Head of the Achelotte Family." Aozaki Touko shook her head. "The Grand Resolution is over. Until my Sealing Designation is lifted, going to London would only be asking for trouble."
"Fine. I won't waste time." Aozaki Touko looked at Rimuru, lying in the hospital bed and looking frail. "I heard you were attacked by one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, Primate Murder. I know a little about its abilities. It can impose the concept of death on the bodily functions of anything with the concept of a primate..."
"In other words, it kills your bodily functions. The moment it attacked you, your body was already 'dead.' No matter how high your Magic Resistance is, all it can do is delay your death."
"So?" Rimuru asked evenly.
"A dead body can't be healed, not even at the Clock Tower. But I can give you a brand-new body..."
"You'd have made a fine salesperson." Rimuru laughed. "Everyone knows how expensive Aozaki Touko's dolls are. And we've had our differences, too."
"The price is simple, Rimuru." To his surprise, Aozaki Touko slowly shook her head. "If I didn't distrust the Magic Association's usual ways of doing things, I might even give it to you for free."
"Oh? The Magic Association's ways of doing things?" Rimuru suddenly smiled. "Let me guess. You didn't complete your mission to investigate the matter, so they won't lift your Sealing Designation?"
"At least I found out about the existence of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestor, the Puppeteer, and even helped them deal with that problem, all right?" Aozaki Touko's doll narrowed its eyes in irritation. "Those old fogies said they'd open the relevant council proceedings after the war. But the implication was clear: if it didn't pass..."
"Even so, you should know that the Magic Association's Sealing Designation is basically just a formality for someone like you." Rimuru shook his head. "If you're hoping I'll help push the council to approve it, I think you're overestimating me."
"Is that so? Judging by what I saw when I came in..." Aozaki Touko looked at Liddell meaningfully. "I'd say otherwise."
Liddell's face reddened again.
"Sure, most of the Sealing Designation Enforcers turn a blind eye to my designation, and I don't mind the title. But it's still caused me plenty of trouble. I can't even enter the Clock Tower or set foot in London. At our level, Rimuru, you know how precious the knowledge we need is. Having to steal it every time is a real pain."
"Ha. With all due respect, Miss Aozaki Touko, you're really bold to say that." Kayneth narrowed his eyes and sneered. "Theft alone is enough to get you a Sealing Designation again."
"Hmm?" Aozaki Touko was taken aback. She looked at Rimuru in surprise. "I thought he was one of your people."
"I wish he were." Rimuru raised an eyebrow. "Clearly, you've already got a determined opponent."
"Out of respect for my partnership and friendship with Professor Rimuru, I won't use your long history of stealing knowledge from the Clock Tower as grounds to attack you," Kayneth said coolly. "But given my position, I'm afraid I can't do otherwise."
"This is a real headache." Aozaki Touko glanced out the window, seeming to realize they were almost at their destination. She stopped discussing the matter and instead asked, "Let's put that aside for now, Rimuru. Are you sure you don't need my help?"
"You don't have to worry that I'll build a backdoor into the doll. I'll sell you one partly because of the Sealing Designation, but mostly because I don't want you to die." Aozaki Touko gave a faintly mischievous smile. "After all, we're the Blue Twins. If you, the 'Blue,' were gone, wouldn't my foolish little sister be the only Blue left?"
She hated her own imperfect, flawed "Red" title, and didn't want Aoko's title to become complete and surpass her.
But Rimuru heard the complicated emotions beneath her words when she mentioned her sister. There was resentment, but also a hint of expectation.
In fact, Rimuru suddenly felt that Aozaki Touko had gone to the trouble of chasing down a military transport plane just to save him not because of the title, but simply because she wanted to repay him and Aoko for taking care of Aozaki Aoko all those years.
Or perhaps she was repaying them for helping the Aozaki Family.
"Tsk. What a complicated pair of sisters..."
"What?"
"Nothing." Rimuru stopped dwelling on it and spoke plainly. "The truth is, I'm not refusing your doll because I don't trust you. I just don't need one. Well, I'm a human-Phantasmal Species hybrid. As much as I hate to admit it, the Phantasmal Species blood in me keeps increasing as I grow."
"In other words, Primate Murder's attack left me badly injured, but it can't actually kill me. The damage will slow me down for a while, but no matter how finely made your doll is, it can't match a body with the immense magical power and Magic Circuits of a Phantasmal Species, can it?"
"A Phantasmal Species?" Aozaki Touko thought of her friend, the Golden Wolf Beowulf, and understood. "I see. So I was making a fuss over nothing?"
Seeing that there was no point in pursuing the matter, Aozaki Touko quickly moved her eight blade-like legs over to Volumen Hydrargyrum. She gave a self-mocking laugh. "A Phantasmal Species, huh? My dolls can't compare to that yet. In that case, there's nothing more to say. But if you ever need a doll, come find me at Garan no Do. And don't forget to bring money. As you said, my dolls are expensive."
"Of course. In any case, I'm grateful for your concern." Rimuru smiled. "In return, I'll do what I can to help lift your Sealing Designation..."
"Tsk. That's not a very sensible deal." Aozaki Touko glanced back and chuckled. She didn't seem to believe him, and took it as a polite remark.
A Sealing Designation was like an official wanted notice. Lifting it required much more than money. If someone really went all out to overturn it, they'd have to deal with countless favors, backroom deals, and tangled relationships.
For Aozaki Touko, the notice didn't threaten her life, but it did bring plenty of trouble, just as she'd said. She couldn't appear openly, enter restricted places like the Clock Tower, or obtain the knowledge and materials she wanted through legal means. Even her businesses were unstable, since she had no legitimate channels to rely on.
She didn't care, but having the trouble removed would still be nice.
Rimuru shook his head without explaining. He watched Aozaki Touko jump off the plane through the passage Kayneth had opened with Volumen Hydrargyrum. She disappeared into the clouds like a discarded doll. Only then did he turn to Kayneth and ask quietly, "You're not really going to oppose this, are you, Lord Kayneth?"
"I have no interest in taking part in such a council." Kayneth glanced disdainfully out the window. "Aside from the matter of Emiya Kiritsugu, which involved you and forced me to participate, most Lords usually can't be bothered with Sealing Designations."
"That's true." Liddell nodded, sat back down by Rimuru's bed, and picked up the grapes. "Aozaki Touko's teacher and Barthomeloi, the Deputy Director of the Department of Law, practically have the final say in matters like this. Unless most of the Lords oppose them, the outcome usually doesn't change."
Before you continue