Starting in Type-Moon, but an A Certain Magical Index Magician

There were no surprises. The giants whose defenses had been broken could not withstand such an outrageous attack, and they fell one after another!

All the gods were stunned by the attack. They looked toward her, toward where Rin Tohsaka was.

Rin Tohsaka froze for a moment before realizing where she was and what perspective she was using. It was not her own perspective, but that of the owner of the sword of light from earlier.

The amazement in the gods' eyes was directed at that mysterious person. And that person was probably not a god, but a human. Otherwise, why would the gods be so shocked?

But whose memories were these images she was seeing? What was happening to her now? Why had she appeared in Greece during the Age of Gods? Was it a dream? Even if it was, even if she had read many stories and myths, she should not have been able to have a dream like this, right?

Filled with doubts, the girl silently watched everything unfold and felt the battle. She could not hear anything, but she could sense some of the thoughts of the person fighting—or rather, she sensed emotions. Emotions were not words and could not precisely convey their contents, but they could express how someone felt.

Joy, anger, pain, and so on could all reveal a person's state.

What Rin Tohsaka sensed was boredom. It was as though the person found this great battle preserved in myth utterly dull and meaningless.

The owner of those emotions seemed to be saying, It would be nice to meet a stronger enemy. Although nothing had been spoken aloud and she could not hear anything, that was what Rin Tohsaka felt from those emotions.

Rin Tohsaka slowly opened her eyes and yawned. She gently turned off the alarm clock and climbed out of bed.

Unlike usual, she did not fall into a low-pressure mood. Instead, she was unexpectedly alert.

She glanced at the sunlight outside the window. Morning had arrived, and the birds were already chirping merrily. She silently recalled the dream she had had and fell into confusion.

"So it really was a dream. But what exactly was that dream? I can't understand it... If that really was the Gigantomachy I know, then it was far too different from what I know. Why did so many unfamiliar people appear in the dream? Not only was I seeing through the eyes of a stranger, but even that woman who used magic bullets should never have appeared in the story of the Gigantes...

"But was it really an ordinary dream? I remember it far too clearly for a dream. I even remember the details, and I can still recall that feeling of boredom..."

Still puzzled, Rin Tohsaka picked up the gemstone on her bedside table, hung it from her wrist, and walked out.

When she arrived in the living room, she saw Mephistopheles reading on the sofa and yawned.

"Morning..."

"Good morning, Rin." Mephistopheles looked up at the girl and smiled. "Don't tell me you even wear that gemstone while you sleep?"

Rin Tohsaka paused, then looked at her wrist and immediately shook her head. "Wouldn't that be like wearing glasses to bed? I'd never do that! I always leave it on the bedside table when I sleep!"

"Oh, really? I thought you valued it so much that you kept it on you even while sleeping." Mephistopheles returned his attention to his book.

His words made Rin Tohsaka fall silent for a moment before she said, "It really is important to me."

"Is that so? Then tell me about it while we eat later. I'm rather curious."

Rin Tohsaka did not answer. She headed straight for the washroom, and soon the sound of running water came from inside.

Rin Tohsaka finished breakfast, tidied up her school uniform a little, and then headed to school.

When she reached the intersection, she saw a young man and woman approaching from the other side. The man was Shirou Emiya, but Rin Tohsaka did not care about him. Her gaze fell on the girl chatting and laughing beside him.

Purple hair, purple eyes, and a younger sister who no longer looked like she did in Rin Tohsaka's childhood memories—Sakura Matou.

Rin Tohsaka merely watched her without reacting. Sakura Matou also seemed to have no reaction toward her. She only glanced at Rin Tohsaka before looking away.

They walked past each other as if they were strangers, and Rin Tohsaka heard a question from the Servant she had summoned.

"It seems you have quite a history with her."

Rin Tohsaka blanked for a moment, but quickly composed herself and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. I just think the two of you are interesting. You clearly care about each other, yet both of you pretend you don't care at all."

"What nonsense are you talking about? I don't understand." Rin Tohsaka's tone was a little stiff. Mephistopheles merely smiled and thoughtfully changed the subject.

"So, you still haven't told me the story behind that gemstone pendant of yours. You forgot to mention it during breakfast."

Although she knew he was changing the subject, Rin Tohsaka naturally accepted his kindness and began explaining.

"Do you know about the Tohsaka family's magecraft?"

"No."

"...As a Servant, aren't you going to investigate your Master's information at all?"

"I'm lazy."

Rin Tohsaka gave up on expecting too much from this Servant. She no longer had many expectations for this Holy Grail War, so she simply began telling her story.

"The Tohsaka family's magecraft involves using gemstones. It originated with the legendary Jewel Mage. We refine magical energy in ordinary times and store it in gemstones, then directly draw out that stored magical energy when we need it."

"Like stockpiling ammunition. I understand."

It was an apt analogy. Rin Tohsaka did not respond and simply continued, "Once these gemstones are used, they become worthless and cannot be used again. Besides, every gemstone has a limited amount of magical energy it can store...

"Naturally, the more valuable the gemstone, the better its effect. But this gemstone... I know it is merely ordinary selenite. You can buy a large piece for a few hundred yen, but it contains an enormous amount of magical energy—so much that even after being used for all these years, it still cannot be depleted...

"My father told me that he bought it while traveling in Greece. Someone was selling it as an ordinary but pretty stone. My father only picked it up because he found it somewhat unusual, and that was when he discovered something was wrong."

"He discovered something was wrong?"

"Yes. He was only examining it at first, but he found that the gemstone actually contained magical energy. If he had not been skilled in gemstone magecraft, he would never have noticed. After buying it, he discovered that it was even stranger. The total amount of magical energy inside it was enormous, and no matter how much he drew out, it never ran dry.

"But we cannot use all the magical energy inside it at once. The amount we can draw out each time is very small, about the same as an ordinary gemstone.

"So it became a permanent reserve gemstone, a treasure of the Tohsaka family.

"At the time, my father asked the merchant where the gemstone had come from, but the merchant only had one explanation: a thief with sticky fingers had stolen it."

"Is that all?" Mephistopheles asked.

Of course, he knew why they could not use most of the magical energy within it. They were using the wrong method. To make use of the power inside, they needed the proper means—drawing upon the power of angels from Christianity.

Even if they did not use the power of Christian angels as a guide, they would at least need to use faith in the Greek moon goddess to draw out its magical energy. Directly extracting magical energy was the worst possible method.

Still, for a magus, a gemstone with inexhaustible magical energy was perfectly understandable as a family heirloom. Even if it was inefficient to use in one go, they could continue drawing energy from it indefinitely.

They could even extract magical energy from it and inject it into other gemstones, creating disposable items that could be expended quickly. That was not a bad choice either.

After all, if someone continuously condensed their own magical energy, they would suffer from magical energy depletion in the short term. Or rather, it would severely damage their health, because that was life force.

But Mephistopheles wanted to see whether there was another reason.

"Of course that isn't all. My father said that although he was not entirely sure, the magical energy inside this gemstone was very gentle. It could even affect one's mental state.

"I can feel it too. As long as I wear this pendant, I feel calm inside. Even if something unexpected happens, I can calm down quickly. It is as though this gemstone has the power to soothe one's heart."

At this point, Rin Tohsaka fell silent for a moment before continuing, "It isn't an illusion."

Upon hearing this, Mephistopheles suddenly asked, "Do you believe in Christianity?"

"Christianity? You mean the Holy Church? I wouldn't call it faith. I'm a magus, but my family could probably be considered believers throughout history. My senior is part of the Holy Church. If you insist, the Tohsaka family does have some connection to the Holy Church."

"That is more than just a connection. You still have a certain degree of faith in Christianity within your heart. It should be an influence from your family, and that means you have a certain degree of compatibility with this gemstone."

"Compatibility?"

"Why do you think your father was able to sense the power inside it when others could not? If someone from the Holy Church came into contact with the gemstone, that person would also discover the power hidden within it."

Rin Tohsaka looked in the direction of the voice in surprise. Only when she saw nothing there did she remember that he was currently in spirit form, and she could not see him at all.

Rin Tohsaka asked in astonishment, "Why do you sound like you understand this gemstone extremely well?"

"Yes, it really is too much of a coincidence, because I happen to know it." Mephistopheles concealed his smugness, though there was no need to control his expression. After all, no one could see him in spirit form. "You can call it the Moonstone, or you can call it Gabriel's Stone."

"The Moonstone? Gabriel's Stone?" It was the first time Rin Tohsaka had truly heard what the gemstone was called. She looked at her wrist in surprise. Just hearing those names made her feel how extraordinary it was.

"That's right. It contains the power of God, representing the Holy Grail's power of the water element." Mephistopheles continued speaking, then chuckled. There was unexpectedly a trace of nostalgia in his voice. "Of course, you can also call it Artemis's Jewel."

"Artemis? The moon goddess's gemstone?" Rin Tohsaka frowned. As a magus, she knew quite a bit about mythology.

Now that she had heard Mephistopheles's words, she became even more confused. "Although Artemis is Greece's moon goddess, you said this was Gabriel's power. What does that have to do with Artemis?"

However, Mephistopheles, who had said the name, did not answer. Instead, he sighed, "Yes, what exactly does it have to do with her? It really is puzzling."

"So you heard someone else call it that?"

"Well, if you mean I heard someone call it that, then I suppose so."

"By the way, I had a strange dream last night. Do you know why?" Rin Tohsaka suddenly asked. The dream had occurred after Mephistopheles was summoned, so she guessed he might know something.

"A dream? Do you want me to interpret it? As it happens, I know a little astrology and some Tarot. Do you need me to use them to unravel your dream?"

Rin Tohsaka was somewhat puzzled. In her understanding, astrology was not used for divination. As magecraft, astrology was meant to draw upon the magical energy of celestial bodies, though like the life force in the air, it was difficult to use for long periods of time.

"Yes, I meant divination, not drawing upon them," Mephistopheles explained. Rin Tohsaka shook her head. "The things you say make me wonder whether you really are a magus. You even call yourself a magician."

Mephistopheles smiled and said nothing more.

Seeing Rin Tohsaka lose more and more confidence in the Holy Grail War because of his answers made him very happy.

After arriving at the classroom, Mephistopheles slipped into several other classrooms to take a look. He saw Shirou Emiya and Sakura Matou, but he did not see Shinji Matou anywhere, which puzzled him once again.

Where was Shinji Matou? That guy shouldn't be the type to skip class!

At the same time, Mephistopheles shifted his attention to someone else.

Sakura Matou!

From the moment he first encountered the girl that morning, Mephistopheles had sensed a familiar aura. Now that he had come near her again, he finally confirmed that the familiar aura truly came from her, specifically from around her chest.

Something was hidden beneath the girl's clothes—something that felt very familiar to him!

But Mephistopheles could not exactly approach her. It was obvious that a Servant was secretly guarding the girl. Like him, that Servant was in spirit form.

Mephistopheles knew that presence was Medusa from Greek mythology!

According to the Type-Moon World's setting, he vaguely remembered that Medusa was actually a god in the Type-Moon World. She had merely been beaten down by the Greek gods and stripped of her faith, becoming what she was now.

Uranus's brother, a descendant of Pontus, who represented the primordial ocean faith. And Medusa's mount, Pegasus, was actually the child of Poseidon and Medusa... Well, that was how the legends went.

There is no evidence that Medusa and the Three Sisters of Argos were connected to the Earth Mother Goddess. At most, they were the head monsters of Thessaly. It would be more reasonable to say that the mushroom wrote Cybele and Rhea as one entity, or even that Cybele, Rhea, and Gaia were different aspects of the same being, than to write Medusa that way...

Forget it. I'm already in the Type-Moon World, so there is no point worrying about whether these things make sense. Medusa even uses part of Cybele's power. Mm, I remember that she does use it.

But the problem is that some people in Ancient Greece believed Cybele was the Earth Mother Goddess Rhea... And fundamentally, Cybele was a faith of the Phrygians...

Mephistopheles surrendered to Type-Moon mythology and decided not to investigate it any further. He felt that the more deeply he examined it, the more exhausted he became.

If he had known back in Greece during the Age of Gods that he would end up in the Fifth Holy Grail War, he would certainly have gone to Rhea and asked what was going on. Unfortunately, he had not known such a thing would happen then.

So now, he could only accept his fate.

The only thing he urgently wanted to figure out was what exactly the familiar aura before Sakura Matou's chest was.

What of his had ended up in this world?

With that thought, Mephistopheles left Sakura Matou's classroom and returned to Rin Tohsaka's classroom.

"This is strange. Who exactly is participating in this Holy Grail War?"

"How would I know?" Rin Tohsaka said. "But the Matou family will definitely participate."

"The Matou family? Oh, I went to take a look just now. That girl, right? I heard others calling her Sakura—Sakura Matou, right?" Mephistopheles lied, then asked, "Is she the only one?"

Rin Tohsaka was somewhat surprised by Mephistopheles's initiative. At that moment, only one thought filled her mind.

This guy went to see Sakura without me knowing?! He even learned her name already. Does he have his eye on Sakura?!

"Investigating the situation is normal, right? But unfortunately, that is all I could find out. Is that girl a participant, or does she have other family members?"

Hearing Mephistopheles's words, Rin Tohsaka fell silent for a moment, seemingly judging whether he was telling the truth. After a while, she said, "Miss Matou's parents are no longer around. Her grandfather, Zouken Matou, is in charge of the household. Other than that, she has an older brother named Shinji Matou."

"So she has an older brother. That means Shinji Matou might be a participant too." Mephistopheles spoke, hoping to learn more from Rin Tohsaka.

Then, as expected, he heard a development he had never anticipated.

"No. Miss Matou is the participant in this Holy Grail War, because Shinji Matou left Fuyuki City not long ago. I heard he went to Europe."

"Europe?!"

"I don't know the specifics, but I heard he went traveling," Rin Tohsaka said.

That answer also left Mephistopheles silent.

Well, damn. Shinji Matou is staying away from the Holy Grail War? With his personality, he should be desperate to join it and prove himself. Yet he actually left. Is this really the Fifth War I know? Why are the differences getting bigger and bigger?!

This even made Mephistopheles suspect a possibility.

Could the mushroom have secretly written a parallel-world version of the Fifth Holy Grail War without me knowing?!