Fate/Magus Path

After two months, Roy met Merlin again.

In the dream world, Merlin saw him approaching and greeted him with a smile.

"What's going on? Seeing you always feel terrible."

Merlin shook his head, "You really have no manners, showing me such an expression the moment we meet."

"Nothing, just fought so hard my head's not clear."

"Is it over?"

"Well, more or less. After fighting for so long, I should have made some progress."

Hearing this, Merlin couldn't help but smile wryly, "The fact that the two of you could fight in a simulated barrier for two months is kind of strange."

"I didn't expect Morgan to be so patient, fighting with you for that long."

"Who knows? Maybe she just wanted to blow off some steam..."

"After all, losing, seeking, gaining again only to lose once more, and finally realizing that all her efforts were in vain... it's impossible for her not to feel frustrated or guilty." Roy leaned back in his chair.

"Perhaps I really did want to sharpen myself through her, but wasn't she using me as a tool to vent her anger as well?"

"So, who won in the end?"

"You didn't watch till the end?"

"Hahahaha, at first, it was indeed quite interesting, but after a month, it got boring. I have other things to do, after all." Merlin scratched his head, laughing awkwardly.

His so-called other things meant logging into his magical girl account to surf the internet.

"Thirty-two wins, forty losses, six draws."

"How did you lose so many times?"

Hearing this, Roy's expression changed, and he raised his hand to cover his face, "That woman got so angry in the middle of the fight that she pulled out her Rhongomyniad. I had already returned Avalon to Artoria, so I had no way to counter it."

If it weren't for his sheer luck and his familiarity with the spear's power, Morgan might have impaled him.

"So that's what happened. That must have been tough." Merlin patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"But, honestly, I'm quite satisfied."

Roy shook his head, a smile forming on his face.

"It's not just about suddenly gaining power or a flawless body. It's about the magical knowledge I possess, the strategies I've learned, and how I've integrated them into my fighting style. I've used everything."

"And now, I feel like I've been reborn. The confusion about my future path and the arrogance I felt after gaining power are completely gone."

"I can clearly see the road I need to walk. Whether it's facing the Rhongomyniad or stronger enemies, I won't be lost anymore."

"That's really something worth congratulating." Merlin clapped his hands and offered his congratulations when he saw Roy smiling.

"Thank you, Merlin."

Roy stood up and stretched towards the sun above Avalon.

"It's about time. I should go back and find Artoria and the others. I haven't seen them in two months; they must be going crazy with worry."

"Hahaha, yes, Artoria has been looking for you non-stop recently."

"Also, make sure to thank Morgan for me. She really helped me out this time. Although I don't know what kind of gift a witch would want, I'll compile a photo album of Artoria's life in the modern world and send it to her as a small token of gratitude."

"Hahahaha, a photo album of Artoria? Morgan will definitely be happy when she gets it."

"After all, Artoria is the most important person to her."

Merlin nodded, "Don't worry, I'll pass along your message."

"Thanks, Merlin. I'll come see you again in a while."

"Avalon will always welcome you, my dear friend."

...

In the outside world, London.

Gray was overjoyed.

To her, this was a very happy, perhaps the most perfect, time in her life.

It had been a long time since she felt such genuine happiness.

It seemed like ever since her appearance changed, her life had been turned upside down.

From that day on, a certain ordinary girl had lost her smile.

...

"Ah… which one? Never mind… Miss Reines…"

"Don't refuse, Gray. These clothes really suit you!"

Reines pulled Gray by the hand, weaving through a large mall in London, helping her pick out one Gothic-style outfit after another, along with gifts.

There was no hint of condescension just because Gray was a country girl. Reines, like a girl dressing up a doll, was enthusiastically choosing beautiful outfits for her.

Behind them, Artoria was carrying the clothes the two girls had bought, smiling as she watched Gray, with a hint of warmth and relief in her gaze.

Although they hadn't known each other for long, two months together made Artoria feel like she saw her younger self in Gray.

She had grown very fond of this gentle, pure, yet slightly timid girl, already seeing her as a little sister whom she wanted to protect and heal from her emotional wounds.

Feeling this warmth, Gray indeed found herself being drawn into it, completely immersed in the kindness shown to her.

After all, she was still young.

With a child's innocence, she emerged from her long-standing repression into a world of care and tenderness, causing her eyes to gradually well up with tears.

The initial timidity and caution she felt were slowly lifted, thanks to the nurturing care of Artoria and Reines.

She started to let Reines drag her through the streets of London, smiling as they ran and played.

They first went to a shopping mall to buy a variety of outfits and everyday necessities for Gray, then visited many of London's landmark buildings, toured the British Museum, and finally, together with Artoria, enjoyed a fine meal at a high-end restaurant.

During their outings, due to the resemblance between Gray and Artoria, they were often mistaken for sisters by passersby. After all, they both appeared too young to be mistaken for mother and daughter.

In short, with everyone's sincere treatment, Gray opened her heart and lowered her guard.

By the time the sun was setting, the girls returned home, carrying bags full of their day's purchases.

It marked the end of a happy yet short day.

…

As they opened the doors of the El-Melloi estate, accompanied by laughter and joy, the group returned home.

Roy, who had been reading magical books in the underground library, smiled faintly, sensing their return.

During his absence, it seemed they had been having a great time, and Gray had fully adapted to life in the big city.

Indeed, entrusting her to Reines for guidance had been the right choice.

Girls always have the most in common with each other.

Thinking this, Roy slowly closed the book in his hands and stepped out of the room.

When Reines and Artoria saw Roy, who had been missing for so long, they were both pleasantly surprised. Gray's face also lit up with a joyful smile.

Though Roy had left a note for Artoria before disappearing, she still couldn't help but worry.

A month after his disappearance, Artoria couldn't hold back any longer and had Reines lead her to Kayneth's magical workshop to ask about Roy's whereabouts.

That afternoon.

Kayneth, realizing someone had barged into his workshop, was furious. But when he saw that it was the imposing King Arthur, his anger quickly subsided.

Comparing their strengths, Kayneth realized that without his Lancer, there was no way he could take her on. Not a chance.

So, he had no choice but to serve tea to Artoria and properly host her.

After a brief conversation, when Kayneth learned that Artoria was searching for Roy, he didn't hide anything and told her that Roy had been in seclusion underground.

This finally put Artoria's mind at ease.

She and Gray continued their outings with Reines in London.

Now that Roy had returned, Gray was much more talkative tonight.

She excitedly told Roy about all the fun things that had happened in the past few days, the beautiful places Reines had taken her to, the strange and wonderful things she had seen, and the joys she had experienced.

From her innocent and lively words, Roy also learned that Artoria had managed to get them both blacklisted from many all-you-can-eat restaurants across London.

This made Artoria blush slightly.

With righteous indignation, she said, "Hunger is a serious enemy. They clearly said it was unlimited dining!"

That doesn't justify eating half the restaurant out of food…

Reines couldn't help but sweat a little.

In any case, everything in London was entirely new and exciting for this country girl.

"Uh-huh, I see."

In the living room, Roy smiled and nodded as he listened to Gray's vivid recounting.

"I'm glad to see that you've been enjoying your time in London. I was worried you might not adapt to life in the big city, but it seems I was overly concerned. Reines, make sure to take good care of Gray, treat her like your sister."

"Of course, Roy." Reines responded quickly, hugging Gray's neck with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll take great care of Gray. We're sisters after all, haha, you can count on me."

"Then, I'll leave Gray in your care, Reines." Roy nodded, then turned to Gray.

"Gray, you've left behind the cemetery that once confined you. Here, no one will treat you differently. No one here will worship you, nor will anyone dislike you because of your appearance. You can be confident and do whatever you want to do."

"What I want to do…" Gray murmured, her eyes staring blankly at Roy before lowering her head in disappointment. "I'm sorry, but… I still don't know what I want to do, or what I should be doing. I just left the village, and I'm still feeling a bit lost…"

"Feeling lost, huh?"

"That's perfectly normal. When someone leaves the environment they've lived in for over a decade and steps into an unfamiliar place, it's natural to feel confused. It's a normal reaction."

As he spoke, Roy gently patted Gray's head.

"But trust that this confusion won't last long. In the days ahead, you'll surely find something you really want to do, something that gives new meaning to your life."

"…Okay."

"If you don't know what you want to do yet, why not go study at the Clock Tower? I have a friend there who could teach you... "

"Become a magical girl!!"

Suddenly, a completely out-of-place voice interrupted the conversation.

"…Eh?!"

Gray looked out the window, and Roy also shifted his gaze to the window. He saw an old gentleman, Zelretch, who had been absent for a long time, tear open a dimensional rift by the window and sneakily poke his head through.

"Hahahaha, brat, so you were here all along. You sure made this old man search for you."

"Ah?! It's the Magician of the Second Magic, Lord Zelretch!!"

Reines was startled by the sudden appearance of the old man in the room. Unlike Artoria, as a student from the lord faction, Reines was well aware of who Zelretch was.

This elderly man had many titles, the legendary Magician of the Second Magic, the Wizard Marshall, the undisputed top figure of the Mage's Association, and a pillar of the Clock Tower.

He was a figure of legend, rarely seen, and now standing before her, it left Reines in shock.

"Who is this?!"

Artoria, sensing the intruder, wasn't about to show any kindness. Her knightly instincts immediately detected a huge sense of danger coming from Zelretch.

Without hesitation, she drew her sword, Excalibur, and leaped toward Zelretch, aiming a strike directly at him.

"Hey, hey, calm down, King Arthur. I'm not your enemy. I'm here to find that brat over there."

*Clang!*

A sharp metallic sound echoed as Zelretch casually raised his cane and effortlessly blocked Artoria's attack, then calmly stepped back.

"You even swung the Excalibur at me, and without holding back, too."

Zelretch grumbled, blowing at his beard in dissatisfaction. "Did Merlin raise you to be like this?"

"I don't show manners to uninvited guests."

Artoria snorted coldly, ready to continue her attack, but Roy quickly spoke up to stop her.

"Stand down, Artoria. He's not our enemy. Besides, even if we fought, we wouldn't stand a chance against him."

"See? Even your Master said I'm not an enemy, King Arthur."

"I understand."

Upon hearing Roy's confirmation, Artoria sheathed her sword, but her gaze never left Zelretch.

The intense sense of danger that had filled the room from the moment Zelretch appeared still lingered, a primal warning like that of prey sensing a predator.

The stronger the warrior, the sharper their instincts, and as a king among knights, Artoria's were exceptional.

Zelretch, as a Dead Apostle Ancestor, was a natural predator of humanity.

Even though Zelretch had suppressed this side of him, Artoria's sharp instincts picked up on it... a threat even greater than Vortigern. She couldn't relax around him.

Zelretch, however, didn't seem to mind. He casually sat down opposite Roy.

And so, these two magicians began their second conversation within the walls of El-Melloi Mansion.

"Hahahaha, I didn't expect you, brat, to stir up so much trouble in the Clock Tower in such a short time. You even managed to summon King Arthur. Quite impressive. Looks like you've got a solid grasp of the Heroic Spirit summoning technique left by the Three Founding Families."

"Not only that, you've acquired some special Mystic Eyes, and your mastery of the Third Magic has improved as well. But what surprises me most is how quickly you've reached that level of understanding... it's quite something."

Zelretch leaned back on the sofa, studying Roy carefully, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"At the rate you're growing, you might even surpass Aozaki girl in a few decades. Soon, you might even catch up to me. You Foreigner really are something else."

"It's no wonder you've thrown the Clock Tower's power structure into disarray and reshuffled everything to consolidate your own influence. I'm finding it harder and harder to see through you, brat."

"You overestimate me. I can only barely use the power of the Third Magic right now. To fully comprehend it and extend it like you have will take much more time."

"As for what you're referring to, I've only just touched the threshold. It's far from complete."

"Hmph, are you trying to be modest?"

Zelretch blew at his beard again, irritated. "Don't get cocky, brat. Do you know how long it took me to develop it? If you surpass me that easily, I wouldn't even have a place in the world anymore."

"Anyway, Zelretch, you didn't come here just to chat, did you? What do you need from me?"

Roy got straight to the point.

"You're right, I do have something to ask of you. But before that, there's something important I need to say…"

Zelretch's tone became serious, and seeing this, Roy's expression grew more solemn as well.

If Zelretch was being this serious, it meant something significant was about to happen.

The atmosphere in the room turned tense.

"Please, go ahead." Roy said after a moment.

"Very well."

Zelretch opened a dimensional rift, stepped through, and appeared behind Reines and Gray, patting them on the shoulders.

"What lovely young ladies. Both of you have the perfect age and appearance. Would you be interested in signing a contract with me to become magical girls? My magical girl transformation device is now updated to version 5.0, with even better effects and outfits. You won't be able to refuse."

"Eh?"

"Wha...?!"

Both girls were caught completely off guard by Zelretch's sudden and bizarre proposition.

Reines was nervous about being so close to the Magician of the Second Magic, while Gray had no idea what being a magical girl even meant.

The previously serious atmosphere dissipated as Zelretch lightened the mood with his antics.

Roy now understood why Merlin got along so well with Zelretch.

They were cut from the same cloth.

"Although King Arthur is a beautiful girl too, she's unfortunately a bit too old to become a magical girl. She's past the ideal age."

Zelretch even sighed as he said this.

Artoria frowned, tempted to strike the old man for his audacity.

It was the first time she had been called too old, and this brazen remark stung. Didn't he know such comments were rude to women?

"Stop messing around, Zelretch. Enough with the jokes."

Roy glanced at the flustered girls before turning his attention back to Zelretch, asking, "What did you really come here for?"

"Hmph, asking such boring questions in front of two such lovely girls. You're too young, brat. You don't appreciate the beauty of magical girls."

Zelretch grumbled as he sat back on the sofa, displeased. "But fine. As your senior from this path, I was inviting you to explore the wonders of magical girls with me. Don't be so dull."

"I'll pass. I'd rather remain dull than become an old man obsessed with magical girls like you."

Roy took a sip of his coffee and calmly declined.

"Artoria, take Gray and Renice back to the room. Don't pay any attention to this old man; I'll handle things here."

"Okay, you be careful too."

Before leaving, Artoria warned, wary of this old man who had easily repelled her.

"I understand."

Nodding, the two watched as the three left the living room. Roy raised his hand and opened a layer of bounded field.

Seeing this, Zelretch couldn't help but laugh, "You're really surprisingly cautious. With two magicians here, are you worried that someone would dare to spy on us?"

"Better safe than sorry. Although 'humans' can't see us, some non-human 'Clairvoyance' can, can't they?"

"That's true. Although I don't really mind."

Roy continued, "Let's stop the small talk. What happened that made you come here in person?"

"Alright, since you're in such a hurry, I'll get straight to the point."

Zelretch withdrew his frivolous attitude, nodded, and opened a dimensional rift with a wave of his hand. He then pulled out a piece of pale yellow parchment and tossed it to Roy.

"What is this?"

Roy caught the strange parchment and opened it.

The contents made him narrow his eyes.

"This is the first commission I'm assigning you. The specific details are on this special parchment. I have to leave this world for a while due to some matters, so I'm leaving this task to you. Is that alright?"

"...The Crimson Moon is about to be revived?"

"Not necessarily. I just observed a certain possibility. But even so, we cannot be careless. If that guy revives, it could be quite troublesome, and I can't guarantee that I can defeat her again in the current state."

Saying this, Zelretch let out a slight sigh.

"Originally, I had planned to handle this matter myself for the utmost certainty. However, I have some important things that I can't get away from right now. The idiots in the Clock Tower are bound to cause trouble, and Aozaki girl lacks your reliability in both temperament and strength. So I can only entrust this to you, a fellow magician."

"…"

Gazing at the parchment in his hand, Roy fell silent, not immediately agreeing or refusing. He glanced at Zelretch and then asked, "If we were to confront her directly, how does my strength compare to that of the Crimson Moon?"

Ah?!

"Ha? You mean you and Crimson Moon?!"

Upon hearing this, Zelretch raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Hahahaha, that question is really strange... Hahahaha... I haven't heard such an interesting question in a long time."

"I admit you have tremendous potential. Coupled with the endless lifespan granted by the Third Magic, you could indeed reach a terrifying realm given enough time. It's not impossible for you to become a Beyonder in the future."

"However, your only shortcoming right now is that you are too young. Your time as a magician has been too short, and much of your power only reaches a level of usability and understanding. You're far from fully mastering it and extending beyond. You haven't reached your peak yet."

"To be frank, your chances of challenging the Crimson Moon right now are less than ten percent."

"…"

"Indeed, challenging the Crimson Moon in your current state is still too much of a stretch. There's still a significant gap between your strength and the world's top tier."

He had already felt his inadequacies and disparities when facing Morgan, who wielded the Rhongomyniad.

After listening, Roy wasn't particularly disheartened. After a moment of contemplation, his gaze subtly brightened.

At least there was some hope…

"I'll take on this commission. I'll keep a close eye on Millenium Castle, where Black Princess and White Princess are, for you. As for the Dead Apostle Anchestor, Roa, if I encounter him, I'll eliminate him as well. Is that acceptable?"

"Oh? You've bounced back from your disappointment so quickly? That's quite reliable."

"Roa's reincarnation ability is troublesome, but with your mastery of the Third Magic and control over black flames, you are his absolute nemesis. Perhaps this time you can truly extinguish his vitality."

Zelretch rubbed his chin with interest and looked at Roy.

"Since you're already aware, I won't repeat the unnecessary details. In any case, I'll leave this matter to you. Now, I have more important things to attend to, so I won't linger."

Having said that, Zelretch stood up, ready to leave. Before departing, he placed a blank sheet of paper on the table.

"This blank sheet is a mystic code that allows you to communicate with me across parallel worlds. If you encounter any confusion or problems you can't solve, just write your questions on this paper. I'll respond once I see it."

"Oh, there's one more thing. Someone from the Atlas Institute entrusted me to retrieve the mystic codes stored here. As a reward, they will help me upgrade the magical girl transformation system once the task is completed."

Just as Zelretch was about to leave, he suddenly remembered the request from Zepia.

"So, kid, where did you put the mystic codes you brought back from the gravekeeper village?"

"I put them in the basement of the El-Melloi Mansion; you can go get them yourself." 

"Got it. I still have important matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

A dimensional rift appeared behind Zelretch as his tall figure slowly disappeared within. He then mysteriously added, "By the way, after you resolve this matter, I'll give you an unexpected reward, so just look forward to it. Hahahaha…"

Watching Zelretch leave, Roy shook his head.

As long as the gift isn't some strange upgraded magical girl transformation device, I'll be fine.

___

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