The Power of Money, Interpreting Mystic Eyes

Araya Souren felt that he had lost his composure and immediately returned to his usual expression.

Truly breathtaking. Young people these days were really incredible. It seemed I truly had grown old.

Aozaki Touko chimed in, "Yes, our era has passed. Now it is the era of the young."

"You flatter me, seniors. How could I dare compare myself to the two of you?"

After that round of mutual flattery, I spoke again. "If the two of you can help my friend, I will pay each of you one hundred million dollars. You will also earn my friend's gratitude."

"If that friend can be reborn, certain matters will become much more convenient for you as well. Trust me, it will be worth it."

"When would it be convenient to discuss the specifics in Tokyo? We can also meet my friend while we are there."

Now came the main event. I said, "There is one more matter I would like to ask Miss Touko to help with."

"My fiancée's eyes have recently begun showing abnormalities. I think it may be some kind of Mystic Eyes. They may cause inconvenience in her daily life, so I would like to buy a pair of glasses like yours that can suppress Mystic Eyes."

"You mean Mystic Eyes Killer? I happen to have a pair. I'll give them to you."

Once the glasses were put on Shiki Ryougi, holy shit—glasses-wearing Shiki was beautiful beyond words. My tastes had expanded again. When I got back, I would buy every style of glasses and have Shiki wear them for me every day.

"How do you feel after putting on these glasses, Shiki? It seems they really can block those lines."

"But I don't like wearing glasses." After saying that, Shiki looked at me pitifully. All I could say was, please make that expression more often.

After hearing Shiki's words, strange looks appeared in Araya Souren and Aozaki Touko's eyes.

Aozaki Touko said, "Miss Ryougi, could you describe the symptoms in your eyes more clearly?"

Shiki looked at me. When she saw me nod, she said, "At first, I saw a line on things. Later, the lines increased. Some things had four or five lines. After that, both people and objects had them."

"For example, when I practice cooking, if I cut along the lines, I can break down the ingredients much more easily."

Hearing Shiki's answer, I wondered whether the so-called ingredients referred to me.

Then Aozaki Touko set up a soundproof barrier and said earnestly, "The Mystic Eyes Shiki has awakened should be the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Mystic Eyes said to be capable of killing everything in the world. Yuan Shikai, do you understand what that means?"

Pretending not to know, I said, "Not really. If possible, I hope you can explain it to me."

Aozaki Touko lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and blew out a smoke ring. "First, you need to understand what Mystic Eyes are. Mystic Eyes are an independent magic circuit. They are essentially a form of magecraft engineering, or rather, a single process."

"In the broad sense, Mystic Eyes refer to eyes that possess magical power. In the narrow sense, they refer to eyes capable of projecting magical formulas."

"Mystic Eyes are organs attached to magi, but they are also semi-independent magic circuits themselves. That is why they can be removed and transplanted."

"Considering that every Mystic Eye has a different ability, it would be more accurate to call them a special kind of Magic Crest that can adapt without relying on bloodlines. Criminals in the magecraft world often murder people to steal their Mystic Eyes."

"Mystic Eyes are divided into four ranks: green and red, the ordinary ranks, which possess only the abilities of common Mystic Eyes or artificially replicated Mystic Eyes."

"Gold, or golden—these may possess exceptional abilities. The Mystic Eyes commonly possessed by high-ranking vampire breeds are usually this color."

"Purple, or jewel—advanced Mystic Eyes whose very existence is questionable."

"Rainbow, or iridescent—Mystic Eyes with abilities beyond all reason, the highest rank among Mystic Eyes."

"The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception are Rainbow-class Mystic Eyes, and among Rainbow-class Mystic Eyes, they are among the very best. If this news gets out, your fiancée may be in trouble."

"Of course, if you do not want trouble, you can choose to sell them and replace them with ordinary eyes, living a normal life. If you need it, tell me and I will help you make contact. I guarantee you will get a good price."

"We will consider that slowly. But if anyone sets their sights on Shiki's Mystic Eyes, I will make them understand what regret means."

"Do you know why I survived the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City last time?"

"Even Matou Zouken, who had lived for five hundred years, Tokiomi Tohsaka of an ancient lineage, and Kenneth, the youngest Color-ranked magus and rising star of the magecraft world—some died, and some were crippled."

After saying that, I took Shiki's hand. "I am also confident that I can protect Shiki."

Shiki, still wearing Mystic Eyes Killer, blushed. The sight was too beautiful for me to bear.

"Of course, I also hope the two of you can keep this information confidential. I will pay appropriate compensation for this explanation of Mystic Eyes." With that, I took out two cards and handed them to them. "Just a small token. Please do not refuse."

"There will be many matters in the future where I will need to trouble the two of you. And please keep my friend's matter in mind as well. Contact me whenever you have time."

They said they needed to prepare some materials and would contact me once they were ready. This time, the two of them would work together to solve my friend's problem.

After I left, Aozaki Touko said, "Araya Souren, this is one of my major clients. This time, I have brought you along to make a fortune."

"With this money, you can conduct several more experiments. Do not entertain any outrageous ideas and bring ruin upon yourself. That is all I will say."

After saying that, Aozaki Touko left as well, leaving only Araya Souren deep in thought.

Shiki Ryougi was one of the many pawns he had sent to explore the Root. He had originally selected a target to make this pawn evolve.

The other was a wealthy patron capable of providing enormous financial backing. Just as Touko had said, if he could build a good relationship with this patron, he could conduct more experiments involving the Root. Some plans that had previously been shelved could also be restarted.

The power of money truly was immense. This time, he would not touch Shiki Ryougi.

After setting the matter aside, Araya Souren felt much more relaxed. He prepared to gather materials. His puppet-making skills might not match Touko's, but when it came to replacing bodies, he might not necessarily lose. He had to put on a good performance before his employer.

Now, Yuan Shikai only needed to confirm one thing to determine whether Araya Souren still refused to give up on Shiki: whether there would still be a serial murder case—the Murder Investigation from the anime.

Furthermore, after some time, I would take Shiki to Tokyo. If Araya Souren tried everything possible to stop us, that would prove he had a problem as well. Then he could not blame me for what happened.

We each left with our own thoughts. I smiled and said, "Shiki, have you been learning to cook lately? Were you planning to make something for me?"

The tsundere Shiki said, "Of course not. I was only practicing. Don't flatter yourself."

Then she added, "Are these eyes really that dangerous? Do I really not need to get rid of them? And next time I feel the urge, I should probably stop using you to vent it."

I said, "Idiot, just don't stab along the lines. And I already told you that I can protect you."