Your Foundation Is Too Poor

Kishua looked at Li Mo, and Li Mo looked at Kishua. Neither spoke, as though they were playing some game where whoever blinked first lost.

With the two of them silent, who else on the field dared to speak? Kiritsugu Emiya?

Kiritsugu Emiya didn't dare either... Though he had taken out plenty of magi before, that had only been because he used unscrupulous modern firearms to catch them off guard.

One of these two was a Magician, while the other was holding up a sun, ready to wipe them out at any moment. Was there any place for him to speak?

Others might not have known, but Kiritsugu Emiya was cursing Li Mo out in his heart too. This guy looked so young, yet he had directly projected a sun. What the hell was that supposed to be?

That wasn't magecraft at all!

If you had that kind of power, you should've shown it sooner. Who the fuck would've dared shoot at you then?!

And so the scene became what it was now. The Einzbern family stood there, not daring to move or speak, all of them staring at one another in silence.

Oh, and perhaps Sakuragi, still curled up inside his coat, should have been included as well.

Li Mo was still waiting for Kishua to speak, but Kishua wore that same cynical smile and simply refused to open his mouth, looking as if to say, Do whatever you want. I'm not saying a word anyway.

But Kishua wasn't in a hurry. Li Mo was, because there was still a little cutie beside him staring at him with wide eyes.

Turning to Ahad, the current artificial-human head of the Einzbern family, Li Mo said, "Your people attacked first and shot me once, right?"

Ahad's face was pale. Perfectly embodying the nature of a tool, he stiffly nodded.

You're all big shots. Whatever you say goes. I just need to nod!

"Getting shot by you caused me tremendous emotional damage. It's not unreasonable for me to ask for compensation, is it?"

The tool nodded again, indicating that he was absolutely right.

"I don't want too much from you. I'll just take this Sword Sheath. That's fine, right?"

The tool nodded once more. Did he dare say it wasn't? Would saying no even matter?

What was more important, the item or his life? Ahad understood that much.

After all, even artificial humans came to fear death after living long enough!

Li Mo grinned and turned toward Kishua, putting on an expression that said they agreed to this themselves, I'm not robbing them. "Lord Kishua, then what do you think? Is this settled now?"

At this point, the matter was already over... probably.

He had taken a bullet, albeit while wearing a bulletproof vest, and gotten an invincible Noble Phantasm in return. This was no loss!

Li Mo had received a proper moral education in the new century. How could he really wipe out an entire family just because he said so?

As for the Avalon still in his hands?

Li Mo said this was compensation. Compensation, understand? It was what he deserved!

Kishua still wore that cynical smile. It always made Li Mo's skin crawl. Wasn't this kind of smile a little inappropriate at his age?

No wonder someone in the Mage Association called him an old lecher!

"You're very unusual." Kishua narrowed his eyes and looked at Li Mo, speaking one word at a time.

"As the adopted son of a Clock Tower Lord, I assume you know what the Second Magic can do. Yet I have never seen you in the Parallel Worlds."

Li Mo was startled. The thing he feared most had finally come.

Before deciding to become this Grand Marshal's disciple, he had considered the possibility of his secret being discovered, but he never expected Kishua to bring it up so suddenly!

After all, no matter how well he hid it, it was useless before a Magician capable of walking through Parallel Worlds, wasn't it?

There was no you in the Parallel Worlds!

But was it appropriate to discuss this here? Li Mo hurriedly looked around at the others.

"Don't worry about them hearing us. Before I brought up this matter, I already sealed off the surrounding space. No one can hear our conversation." Kishua reclined sideways in his seat, a teasing smile on his face.

So teasing that Li Mo wanted to punch him in the face.

But there was nothing he could do. He couldn't beat him, and he still had to learn Magic from him.

So Li Mo decided that confession would bring leniency. Spreading his hands, he put on the resigned look of a salted fish. "I don't know!"

Confess and rot in prison; resist and go home for the New Year. Li Mo had understood that principle long ago. If I refuse to say anything, what can you do?

What happened? I don't know either! So what now?

Anyway, I just took a nap. Ask the world about everything else. It was definitely the world's fault!

Kishua was speechless. Looking at Li Mo rolling his eyes with an expression of knowing absolutely nothing, he suddenly felt a headache coming on. He could be certain that there was definitely something wrong with Li Mo, but if Li Mo refused to say what it was, what could he do?

He was the Second Magician, yes, but Magicians were still human. There were certain unwritten rules that had to be followed, or wouldn't the world fall into chaos?

He had originally wanted to use his reputation as a Magician to bluff him, but this brat was as cunning as a ghost, putting on the appearance of an innocent little white lotus. What else could he do?

Besides, the boy wasn't without backing. That old fellow from the Clock Tower was always there, and acting rashly would benefit no one.

Just as newborn calves feared no tigers, Kishua was the same. The title of Second Magician sounded impressive, but human nature was largely the same: the more one knew, the more one felt one's own insignificance.

Kishua put away his smile. With a flick of his hand, he produced two books from nowhere and said, "Although Avalon ultimately still ended up in your hands, you did complete my commission. I'll accept you as my disciple."

"I know what you want. You want the Second Magic, right? I'll give it to you."

"But whether you can truly learn it is your own matter. I've had many disciples, but not a single one has ever mastered it. I hope you can truly grasp it."

"And as my disciple, I usually have each of you take sole responsibility for a subject. It is both instruction and a test. Though I'll give you the Second Magic directly, you must still take on a subject."

Casually tossing the books to Li Mo, Kishua took out another object, something like a globe but not actually spherical. "What the world doesn't know is that I didn't create my Magic myself. I comprehended it from this item left behind from the Age of Gods."

"Crack it. That is the subject I'm giving you!"

Taking the books, Li Mo stared blankly at Kishua. He was so shocked that he could scarcely believe it. The Second Magic had actually been comprehended from an object!

If the Mage Association learned of this, wouldn't it explode? Why tell me?

But Kishua ignored the bewildered Li Mo. He placed the globe-like object on the tea table beside his seat, and his body slowly faded away like a phantom, leaving only his magnetic voice to reach Li Mo's ears.

"Of the books I left you, one is A Brief History of Time, circulated in human society. The other is the Second Magic. Study them carefully. I hope you won't disappoint me."

"Also, your foundation is too poor. The Clock Tower's library is quite good. Go study there more, then come find me in a year."

"I'll wait for you in Japan."

Li Mo's face darkened. What did he mean, his foundation was too poor?!

Why was it his foundation being too poor again?!

Didn't he see the sun above his head? And that still counted as a poor foundation?

Still, it seemed like he should leave. After all, there was still a whole group of Einzbern family artificial humans standing there, too afraid to move...

Li Mo ended the projection, shook his head, and gestured to Sakuragi, who had been serving as little more than a decoration the whole time.

Time to get out of here!

Wait, no. Li Mo suddenly turned around and looked at the still-silent Einzbern family members.

He had forgotten about little cutie Illya!