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

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Tarot Cards:

[Rank] E

[Category] Divination Tool

Ordinary playing cards bought casually from a street stall. They looked exquisite, but seemed to have no particularly special use.

Looking at that long status panel, aside from all those question marks, just seeing those values made Rin Tohsaka feel that the fact she could still occasionally think, "Should I give the Holy Grail War a try?" was already quite remarkable.

In response to Rin Tohsaka's words, Mephistopheles shrugged, though she could not see it.

This mess was not his. It was the Root's.

Apollo had said back then that he would not be recorded by the Root. The Root could only record a very small portion of him, making the things he had done in the past seem like a false history.

That was why his status panel had gained a pile of question marks. Those question marks were like telling the Master, "Your Servant has secrets. Hurry up and raise his affection level to unlock them." But in reality, perhaps even the Root itself did not know how to unlock them.

Fortunately, Mephistopheles had descended in his true body. Those question marks posed no problem at all. As he used his power, they would gradually be unlocked and formally recorded.

At the very least, Mephistopheles himself knew exactly what each of those question marks corresponded to.

But precisely because he was his true body—not an inanimate object, not a spirit, merely an ordinary human—his stats appeared very low. Even his Magic Resistance E was a benefit directly granted by being an Archer.

In fact, all of his stats being no lower than E was merely another benefit of being a Servant.

After all, an unprepared ordinary mage could be directly killed by a dagger, a gun, or something similar.

Still, no matter what, he really did need to let his Master regain at least a little confidence. If she kept suffering blows like this, she would either give up on herself or consider abandoning the war as quickly as possible, regardless of the disgrace it would bring to her noble pride.

"Rin, do you really want to win the Holy Grail War?"

Rin Tohsaka answered without the slightest hesitation. "Of course!"

Mephistopheles continued, "What if your choice caused others pain, or even got some people killed?"

This time, Rin Tohsaka did not answer immediately. She could say without hesitation that she herself was willing to die for the Holy Grail War, but she could not say that others should die for her victory in it.

Even though she knew that, from the moment someone entered the Holy Grail War, life and death were no longer important, she still could not bring herself to say it.

"That girl from earlier, the one from the Einzbern family, probably won't live for more than a few years." Mephistopheles suddenly said something that seemed completely unrelated. "If this Holy Grail War ends, even if she survives, she probably won't have even a year left to live."

Rin Tohsaka froze. She frowned and asked softly, "What exactly is going on? Is her life connected to the Holy Grail War?"

"Of course it is. Perhaps you did not notice, but I can say for certain that she is the Holy Grail."

Mephistopheles's answer plunged Rin Tohsaka into silence. Her brows knitted tightly as her mind raced, but no matter how quickly she thought, she found it difficult to understand what he meant.

Rin Tohsaka knew very little about the Holy Grail. It could be said that she knew almost nothing. All she knew was that one had to seize the Holy Grail, and that the Holy Grail could grant wishes. That was all.

Because she knew so little, she could not even use her own knowledge to refute him, to refute a claim that sounded obviously bizarre.

Because Rin Tohsaka was a mage herself, she also knew exactly what kind of people mages were. They were a group of lunatics—at least, most of them were.

But if that was really the case, then it was as if he were telling her, "Do you want to kill that little girl? Oh, of course you can. She is your opponent. Hurry up and kill her."

It sounded tempting, but merely thinking about it made Rin Tohsaka feel that the idea was far too evil and terrifying.

"Is there no other way?"

"I can say for certain that if you want to obtain the Holy Grail, this child will have to bear immense pressure. Not the pressure of defeat, nor the pressure of victory. No matter the outcome, the ending waiting for her will be the same."

Rin Tohsaka said nothing more. She merely quickened her pace toward home, while Mephistopheles remained quietly hidden nearby, wanting to see what choice she would make.

Silence. Endless silence.

Even after returning home, Rin Tohsaka only mechanically entered the study and locked herself inside. A long-held goal had collided with truths she had suddenly learned, truths that might go against her own wishes. Anyone would fall into this kind of difficult choice and inner struggle.

Mephistopheles was not in a hurry. He simply took the ingredients to the kitchen and began preparing dinner.

He believed Rin Tohsaka was a good girl. She knew what choice she should make.

Rin Tohsaka sat in the study, completely unable to calm herself. Mephistopheles's words echoed endlessly in her heart like a curse.

"Why am I participating in the Holy Grail War?" Rin Tohsaka could not help questioning herself.

"I am doing it for victory—for a perfect victory that preserves the family's image and honor!" Rin Tohsaka murmured. "That is why I am participating in the Holy Grail War."

There was no other reason. It was simply for victory. She had not even seriously considered making a wish through the Holy Grail. It was only for victory.

But because her reason was so simple, it was blocked when faced with something as weighty as another person's life.

"I am not some shameless person... I cannot say something like, 'For my victory, you must offer up your lives'..."

Rin Tohsaka muttered to herself and shook her head. She already knew what she truly felt, but knowing was one thing. She still needed to do something else.

She was a mage, not an idiot!

Thus, the girl stood up and left the study. Smelling the fragrance drifting through the air, she asked as though nothing had happened, "What's for dinner?"

"Ratatouille."

Hearing the name of the dish, Rin Tohsaka could not help feeling expectant. She immediately walked over to take a look and discovered that, aside from various vegetables, there were several chicken drumsticks in the pot. They had clearly been fried beforehand.

That surprised Rin Tohsaka somewhat. "This is the first time I've learned that ratatouille can have fried chicken drumsticks in it."

"Just a small personal improvement. Fry the drumsticks first, then stew them together with the vegetables. It tastes great."

As Mephistopheles spoke, he opened the lid and ladled out the food. One drumstick for each of them, along with a heap of vegetables—fragrant, rich, and delicious.

Of course, there was still plenty left in the pot. After they finished, there would be enough for at least another meal.

Enjoying the food, Rin Tohsaka quickly cleaned up everything in front of her. Then, after hesitating for a while, she finally said, "I need proof."

"Proof?"

"Proof of what you said." Rin Tohsaka said, "If you are merely saying it casually without any evidence, I cannot give up the Holy Grail War."

Mephistopheles pondered for a moment and thought of a method. "Getting proof is actually pretty simple."

"Then show me the proof. You said it was simple, after all."

"It is simple, but we need to wait until the Holy Grail War officially begins." Mephistopheles shook his head. "And to prove it, I may do some things you cannot understand."

"I cannot understand? I think if you explain them properly to me then, I should be able to understand."

"Is that so? Then wait for it. I will place the proof right before your eyes." Mephistopheles said with a grin as he finished the food in front of him.

Then he took out two cups and produced a clay pot out of thin air. Rin Tohsaka blinked as she looked at the unusually shaped pot, which looked as though it had been picked up at some antiques market. "What is that?"

"Something ordinary people do not get to drink." Mephistopheles smiled. As the clay pot tilted, white liquid flowed from it and quickly filled the cup.

Then Mephistopheles poured himself a cup as well. Only after he had finished did he put the clay pot away.

He pushed one of the cups toward Rin Tohsaka and invited her, "Come on, have a taste?"

Rin Tohsaka curiously picked up the cup and gave it a light sniff. There was no strange smell.

Then Rin Tohsaka lightly touched the liquid with her tongue. After tasting it, a puzzled expression appeared on her face.

"This is just ordinary milk! It is not like ordinary people cannot drink it."

"Of course. Ordinary milk can indeed be drunk by ordinary people, but milk poured out by my own hand is not something just anyone gets to drink." As Mephistopheles spoke, he drained the milk in front of him in one gulp.

Rin Tohsaka curled her lips at Mephistopheles's words. She had already forgotten that a noble lady should not make such an unladylike gesture, but she still drank the cup of milk. After finishing it, she curiously asked, "Is this one of your Noble Phantasms too?"

Mephistopheles did not answer. He merely asked in return, "Can't you see my status panel?"

"All I see are question marks!" Rin Tohsaka protested. "You are definitely hiding something! Why is everything question marks?!"

Mephistopheles merely smiled. "Take another look."

Only then did Rin Tohsaka curiously look at Mephistopheles's status panel. There did not seem to be any particular change. It was still full of question marks.

But when she looked at the Noble Phantasm section, she discovered that the panel had indeed changed slightly.

[Possessed Noble Phantasms

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Tarot Cards:

[Rank] E

[Category] Divination Tool

Ordinary playing cards bought casually from a street stall. They looked exquisite, but seemed to have no particularly special use.

Hestia's Clay Pot

[Rank] EX

[Category] Anti-Feast Noble Phantasm

An item gifted by Hestia, one of Greece's chief goddesses, solely to thank a mysterious mortal who participated in the Gigantomachy.

Fresh milk can flow from it endlessly. Though the milk itself is ordinary, because the pot is a divine creation, it possesses a mystery that is difficult to analyze.]

An EX-rank Noble Phantasm?! And it was explicitly a gift from Hestia, the Greek goddess!

Rin Tohsaka suddenly looked toward Mephistopheles, only to find that he had already cleared the table and gone into the kitchen. He was humming as he washed the dishes, and there was nothing about that figure that seemed connected to the "Greek Age of Gods" at all!

But the status panel would not lie. He really had taken out that clay pot filled with milk just now, and together with the things she had dreamed about last night, it all seemed to point to one thing.

Mephistopheles truly was an ancient existence from the Age of Gods. And clearly, he had many secrets hidden on him. This EX-rank Noble Phantasm might not be useful, but it also showed that he definitely had other trump cards!

At that moment, Rin Tohsaka thought of the bow he had shown her last time. He had said that Apollo had given it to him.

"That bow really was given to you by Apollo?"

"Oh, that?" Mephistopheles wiped his hands and casually waved one hand. The exquisite, ancient bow appeared in his hand once more.

"It is normal that you cannot see it on the status panel. The Root is not omnipotent; it can also be interfered with. I did not notice that at the time." As Mephistopheles spoke, magical energy surged in his hand. At that moment, the bow, which had originally only emitted a faint glow, suddenly erupted with dazzling light!

The light swiftly faded, and the bow returned to its original appearance. Yet even so, Rin Tohsaka could feel the powerful force radiating from it!

"It is like I am voluntarily taking out my things and showing them to the Root, telling it, 'Look, my Noble Phantasm. Record it.' It is the same nature as when I poured the milk from the clay pot just now."

Rin Tohsaka looked at the status panel again. Sure enough, it had changed once more.

[Light God's Bow

[Rank] EX

[Category] Anti-Person Noble Phantasm

[Maximum Targets] ?

An item gifted by Apollo, one of Greece's chief gods, solely to thank a mysterious mortal who participated in the Gigantomachy.

A divine creation, a supreme Noble Phantasm, something humanity cannot replicate. It requires no arrows. Once drawn, light will gather on its own and form arrows of light that automatically track and attack the opponent.]

Another EX-rank Noble Phantasm. Another divine creation. Rin Tohsaka took a deep breath, then only after a long while gently rubbed her eyes.

Sure enough, it still displayed EX. She really had not seen it wrong!

W-Was he wholesale dealing in divine creations?!

Rin Tohsaka's Opportunity [Happy Mid-Autumn Festival]

Rin Tohsaka rushed into the study, then carried out a book from inside. It was a thick volume, and from its cover, one could tell it was an English edition of Greek Mythology.

To prevent her memories from being mistaken, she temporarily set them aside and searched through books instead, wanting to find some evidence within them.

But clearly, there was no evidence whatsoever that Mephistopheles had participated in the famous Gigantomachy of Ancient Greek mythology.

Not only was there no Mephistopheles, even the mysterious woman who had appeared in Mephistopheles's memories did not appear in the myths.

"You do not need to keep looking. You will not find anything. There will not be any record of it. At most, you might see the other person who participated." Mephistopheles said as he sat leisurely on the sofa. However, he did not cross his legs, a habit he had formed after living in Britain for so long.

He was a gentleman!

"Who was that girl with you?" Rin Tohsaka wore a gossipy expression. As a girl, and a high school student at that, even though she usually pretended to be a refined young lady at school, she was still very curious.

At that moment, she became extremely curious about her Servant's past. Especially after discovering that he had so many secrets, that curiosity only grew stronger.

"Medea."

"Huh?!"

That simple answer made Rin Tohsaka let out a sound like she had just seen an alpaca charging straight at her.