Brother-in-Law

"That's what the Lord El-Melloi II said, now that he's at Shirou's bedside," he said, then turned his gaze to the blonde girl beside him.

"This must be the Saber you summoned earlier, right?"

Since the girl hadn't turned around, he could only see her back. But when he Lord El-Melloi II saw her face, the familiar features gave him an unreal, dreamlike feeling.

"You must be kidding... How could that be?"

However, the words that followed from the girl shattered his illusion in an instant.

"Ha, who the hell are you?"

Looking at the person before her, whose brows were full of wrinkles, Saber frowned and spoke without the slightest bit of politeness.

After leaving their guest rooms, Gray and her group headed in the direction the train had traveled. Since Caules had volunteered to stay behind and watch over the guest rooms, only Gray, Fujino Asagami, and Lily went to the dining car.

"Miss Gray, is something on your mind?"

Seeing that Gray had been somewhat distracted since earlier, Fujino Asagami, who was beside her, asked with concern.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little uneasy that Master isn't here."

Gray answered Fujino Asagami's question honestly.

"If you're worried that Mr. Lord El-Melloi II hasn't eaten, how about we bring some food from the dining car for them to take back later?"

"Um!"

Perhaps Fujino Asagami's words of comfort had an effect, because Gray, whose spirits had lifted somewhat, nodded vigorously.

Just then, the enticing aroma of toast wafted from ahead.

"Good morning."

After Gray opened the door of the food cart, she found a woman in a kimono smiling and greeting them.

Hishiri Adashino, a female Magecraft from the Department of Law.

"Don't be nervous, I mean no harm, Miss Inner Disciple."

Seeing Gray instinctively tense up, Hishiri Adashino smiled slightly.

"Besides, it's mealtime now."

"My younger sister, over here!"

A sound came from the food cart. Looking up, Gray saw a pink-haired girl wearing an eye patch waving her arms in their direction from the other side of the food cart.

Yvette, like Caules, was a student of the Lord El-Melloi II.

"Then I'll take my leave."

After bowing slightly to Hishiri Adashino, Gray, who was leading the way, walked towards Yvette.

However, whether it was her imagination or not, Gray, who was walking at the front, vaguely heard Lily behind her whisper something to Hishiri Adashino:

"Good morning..."

Good morning, my dear sister!

After they were seated, Yvette, who was sitting next to Gray, moved closer to her. This caught Gray off guard, who was just about to reach for the toast on the table.

"Good morning, Miss Yvette, Master..."

"Anyway, the teacher is probably still in bed. Even if you, my dear sister, wake him up, he'll just say something like, 'I'll sleep for another five minutes,' right?"

Faced with the pink-haired girl's confident tone, Gray could only try to get away with a smile.

Just as Yvette said, if Miss Lily and Miss Fujino Asagami hadn't come knocking on his door, his master might still be struggling with whether or not to get up.

"By the way, Miss Yvette, these two..."

Just as Gray was about to introduce Lily and Fujino Asagami to Yvette, a voice from the other side of the dining car interrupted her.

A woman walked in through the door that opened from the direction of the fire. Gray remembered her name was Leandro, and she was the auctioneer on this train.

Leandro pushed a trolley to the center of the food cart. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she lifted the white cloth covering the trolley to block others' view.

Beneath the white cloth was a transparent cylinder, inside which floated a pair of [eyeballs] immersed in a solution. Leandro gave a brief introduction to the pair of [eyeballs] beside her.

"This is Noble Color—[The Flame-Burning Mystic Eyes]."

As the name suggests, this is Mystic Eyes that ignites anything that enters its field of vision, causing a [spontaneous combustion]. It is currently in good condition, and the quality of the Magic Circuit within it is excellent. However, this type of Mystic Eyes usually presents control challenges. For detailed information and pricing details regarding this pair of Mystic Eyes, please refer to the catalog you have."

On the table in front of Gray and the others, besides the breakfast of toast and jam, there was a hardcover booklet.

As everyone flipped through the booklets, the host slowly continued his explanation.

" Of the Mystic Eyes' auctioned,' two are scheduled to be exhibited today, and two to four more tomorrow. Please be informed."

As Leandro's voice faded, a staff member with a blank expression brought over a new transparent cylinder.

"Next, we will show you the second item--"

"Then what about [the 'Rainbow's Mystic Eyes]?"

The sound coming from the food truck abruptly interrupted the host's next words.

The girl who rose from the table was Olga Marie Animusphere. Although she still looked a little childish, her dashing figure was full of a spirit that made other Magecraft pale in comparison.

What do you mean?

Didn't you understand what I said?

The girl's tone gradually became assertive. Her eyes were fixed on the host as she asked the question.

"Since it's the [Rail Zeppelin], it should house the legendary highest-ranking [Rainbow Mystic Eyes], right? For example, the [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception] that appeared in the Far East, and the ones that appeared on the train my father rode on [seven years ago] --"

"[Mystic Eyes of Petrification]"

On the dining car, a voice with an unusually slick tone suddenly reached Wang Xiaoming's ears as he was eating. Turning his head, he saw a man standing next to him, his eyes filled with undisguised malice.

"It's really curious, why is the [Mystic Eyes of Petrification], which should be of the [Gem] rank, being rumored to be of the [Rainbow] rank?"

P. S.: I feel like it would be better to release these kinds of storylines all at once (whispering)

Chapter 350. Brother-in-law

"It's truly baffling that the [Mystic Eyes of Petrification], which is clearly a [Gem] rank weapon, is being falsely claimed to be a [Rainbow] rank weapon by those ignorant Magecraft."

Although the man standing in front of Wang Xiaoming was dressed as a gentleman, the undisguised malice and mockery in his eyes clearly expressed his ill intentions.

Unlike the Magecraft Wang Xiaoming knew, the one in front of him had neither Kayneth's arrogance nor Touko Aozaki's carefree attitude.

The aura emanating from him was similar to the suit he wore; though impeccably tailored, it exuded an old and decaying smell.

If I had to put it into words... this guy is probably a bankrupt version of Tohsaka Tokiomi.

"May I ask who you are?"

After scrutinizing the person for a while and making sure he didn't recognize him, Wang Xiaoming cautiously asked him.

Or perhaps Wang Xiaoming's expression of "admiration for the mentally challenged" was so well hidden that the other party didn't notice. Seeing the "humble" demeanor of the protagonist at the center of the [rumor], his vanity was instantly and greatly satisfied.

After a light cough, he struck a pose and was about to speak.

"I am--"

"Yo, good morning."

A woman suddenly appeared behind him, interrupting the Magecraft's next words. Magecraft pupils instinctively contracted when his peripheral vision caught sight of her long red hair.

"[Miss. Blue]...?"

Who are you?

Upon hearing someone call out her nickname... oh no, it was a title of respect. Still groggy from just waking up, Aozaki Aoko turned her gaze to the seemingly insignificant Magecraft after sitting down.

"I am..."

"Oh, never mind. Who you are is none of my business."

After scratching her hair, which she hadn't had time to style since getting up, Aoko Aozaki gently nudged Wang Xiaoming with her elbow, signaling him to hand her the plate of toast on his table.

After handing the toast on the plate to Aoko Aozaki, Wang Xiaoming turned his gaze back to the Magecraft, whose face had turned bright red.

"Excuse me, you can continue now."

"You!"

Finally noticing the hidden smile in Wang Xiaoming's eyes, the Magecraft, feeling that he had been made a fool of in front of everyone, began to contort his expression.

However, before his anger could erupt, the voice from behind him was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.

"Was the [Brisisang (Heritage Department)] dog not on a leash? Otherwise, why would a dog from a separate household be barking here?"

"?!"

The moment the sound faded, the Magecraft felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his throat, and even breathing became difficult.

"Lord..."

Turning around, the Magecraft whispered the name of the person before him. His previous arrogance had vanished, leaving only the cold sweat constantly seeping from his forehead.

The Magecraft fully understood that even if the person in front of him were to kill him on the spot, the people standing behind him would not dare to utter a single word.

Because he is a recognized genius within the Mage's Association, and also the head of El-Melloi, one of the twelve prestigious families that control the Clock Tower.

[Kayneth El- El-Melloi Archibald]

Damn it, I miscalculated!

The Magecraft gritted his teeth inwardly. He had only intended to test the waters, but he never expected to reel in an orca.

Although Magecraft have long since disregarded life and death in their pursuit of the ultimate [ ], dying from such reckless behavior is definitely not the kind of death he desired.

"I..."

The words he wanted to say in defense were stuck in his throat, but Kayneth's domineering aura prevented him from even organizing his thoughts.

"Roll!"

Kayneth glanced at the pale-faced Magecraft and then ignored him.

"Sorry to interrupt your boring entertainment."

After taking their seats, Kayneth spoke to Wang Xiaoming in a joking tone. Wang Xiaoming, the object of the teasing, waved his hand dismissively and then asked Kayneth:

"Any discoveries?"

Clearly, Kayneth's lateness, despite his good sleep habits, was not simply due to laziness.

"I've already asked the train conductor."

Kayneth took an envelope from his pocket and placed it on the table. Inside the envelope was an invitation from the Rail Zeppelin.

"These are informal invitations; several have been sent out. I've heard that sometimes the train prepares several of these invitations in advance to attract new passengers."

"Does that mean this lead has gone cold?"

"Well, I'm afraid even [Rojian] wouldn't know who sent this invitation."

[Rojian] is the true owner of [Rail Zeppelin].

Upon receiving the invitation, Wang Xiaoming sensed a hint of conspiracy. After discussing it with Kayneth, Wang Xiaoming boarded the train with the idea of solving the problem once and for all.

Just as Wang Xiaoming had predicted, someone came to cause him trouble on the very first morning. Although it was just a nameless cannon fodder, it indirectly proved that he might have already stepped into a "trap" set by the other party.

"If there are no clues, then stop looking. Those guys will come looking for us sooner or later anyway. We can just take care of them all at once when they do."

Wang Xiaoming spoke in a very listless voice.

As Wang Xiaoming said, Aozaki Aoko, Kayneth, and himself—such a combination would be enough to flip the [Clock Tower] train several times over, let alone the Rail Zeppelin.

But speaking of which...

Wang Xiaoming's gaze suddenly fell on the back of the table.

Aozaki Aoko had been sitting there the whole time. Seeing her quiet demeanor, Wang Xiaoming suddenly had a strange feeling—