Fate/Magus Path

Five days later.

Mifune City.

Outside the huge exhibition hall, Roy frowned slightly.

"A puppet exhibition... Touko Aozaki really can't sit still. I just helped her lift the Sealing Designation, and now she's brazenly showing herself off so openly."

"This is way too audacious..."

Touko Aozaki... a name that resounded throughout the world of magecraft. It wasn't just because of her famous surname, Aozaki, nor her family's absurd history, but rather due to the recognition of her immense abilities.

She was a master of puppet-making magecraft, extending its capabilities so far that she earned the title Grand Puppeteer within the magic circles. Her talent was exceptional, standing out even among the best in the entire world of magecraft.

Due to the fading of mysteries, magical constructs like puppets no longer had the same capabilities as those crafted centuries ago. As a result, many excellent puppet masters were unable to surpass their predecessors' work.

However, Touko Aozaki defied this belief. Even in today's diminished environment, she produced magical puppets at a medieval standard, improving and surpassing the theories left by her predecessors. Eventually, she even achieved the miracle of creating another version of herself, completely breaking prior theories and showcasing her breathtaking talent.

As a puppetmaker, she accomplished something most magus only dreamed of... immortality.

She created countless versions of herself, multiplying her existence, and transferring her consciousness to these new bodies, thereby achieving continuous life and, ultimately, eternal existence.

Her expertise in puppet magecraft was unrivaled, even the Einzbern family's famed homunculus technology couldn't compare to her abilities.

She pushed puppet magecraft to its limits and restored and analyzed the foundation of Norse magecraft... the Runes, bringing the ancient magecraft from the Age of Gods back into the modern era. Because of her contributions and extraordinary talent, the Clock Tower awarded her the highest rank of Grand.

At this point, Touko Aozaki's life should have been smooth sailing, with her rising through the ranks of the Clock Tower and the entire world of magecraft as a new star.

However, her teacher gave her quite the surprise by personally requesting a Sealing Designation for her... truly a testament to their deep teacher-student bond.

Many old figures in the Clock Tower coveted Touko Aozaki's magical achievements, so the Sealing Designation was swiftly approved.

Since the designation, Touko Aozaki has suffered greatly, constantly fleeing from endless pursuers. To find peace, she eventually disappeared into Japan, hiding in a place where Western magus rarely ventured, completely eluding the Clock Tower.

But now, she no longer needed to worry about the Clock Tower's hounds.

The day Roy, alongside three factions of Lords, descended upon the Clock Tower, he took Kayneth and personally approached Barthomeloi Lorelei, the head of the Department of Policies, to negotiate for the cancellation of Touko Aozaki's Sealing Designation.

Initially, Barthomeloi Lorelei was surprised by Roy's request, but under his sincere persuasion, the department deemed it unnecessary to antagonize a growing power over a magus who had been missing for over a decade.

After all, with the protection of the Magician of the Third Magic, no one could touch Touko Aozaki.

Recognizing the changing tides, the Department of Policies agreed to Roy's request and revoked Touko Aozaki's Sealing Designation.

Because of this, Touko Aozaki could now confidently hold her puppet exhibition in Japan. Otherwise, the Department of Policies would have sent people after her like rabid dogs, tossing her into a jar of formalin.

Still, this was extremely bold. If she weren't so powerful and Roy hadn't backed her, such a reckless move could have easily led to her being charged with exposing magical secrets.

He wasn't sure if she had followed his instructions to take good care of Shiki.

Roy also didn't know when the events of Kara no Kyoukai had started.

Nor did he know where Araya Souren was or what he was planning. So, he was preparing everything carefully to ensure their safety.

Pushing open the doors to the exhibition hall, Roy stepped inside.

"Welcome, guest, to Touko Aozaki's Puppet Exhibition!"

As the door opened, a strange bell hanging in the lobby emitted a strange sound, and the dim hall suddenly became brightly lit and spacious.

Soon after, he heard footsteps approaching from a nearby room. The steps were light, suggesting the person was a girl.

A few seconds later, a familiar figure in a kimono stepped into the lobby.

Without any expression, she said, "Welcome... eh?!"

Recognizing Roy, Shiki Ryougi was surprised. "It's actually you?"

"Yes, it's me."

Roy smiled and greeted her. "It's been a while, Shiki. How have you been lately?"

"Not bad. These past six months have been pretty interesting. I've gotten more familiar with my eyes, and Touko has taught me quite a bit about that world."

"Fujino is also a good sparring partner. We've spent a lot of time together training, and we've both made significant progress."

Touko Aozaki commented that when facing ordinary magus, the two of them could easily kill at first sight with their combined abilities. Even a true master magus might lose to them.

The Mystic Eyes of Distortion and the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception... it was indeed surprising to see these two extraordinary powers appear in such a remote place.

"It seems you two get along well."

Shiki nodded lightly and said softly, "Yes, but following Touko to open her shop is boring. Sometimes I even have to act as the receptionist."

"That sounds like a fulfilling experience. I can see you've changed a bit... in both strength and mindset."

"Where are Touko and Fujino? They're not here?"

Having been inside for a while, Roy was curious about Touko Aozaki and Fujino Asagami's absence.

Shiki sighed, pointing to a room inside and replied, "Fujino went out with her father to another city to meet an old friend and hasn't returned yet."

"Touko is in the back room. She drank too much last night and is now suffering from a hangover. She'll probably sleep until this afternoon."

"Again? Sounds like this happens often."

Although Roy had asked her to act as Shiki's bodyguard, Touko still found time to drink. Her irresponsibility was beyond belief.

With a head full of complaints, Roy mentally noted this for a future conversation once she woke up.

Still, if Fujino was already handling family matters, it meant she had successfully integrated into the Ryougi family, which was good news.

And it was clear that Shiki and Fujino had become good friends, seemingly forming a duo.

"Do you need me to wake her up for you? Touko sleeps naked, so it might not be wise to enter her room."

Shiki's tone was tinged with resignation, indicating that she had grown used to Touko's terrible lifestyle habits.

That troublesome woman...

"No need. It's not urgent. I'll wait until she wakes up this afternoon."

"Alright."

Upon hearing this, Shiki nodded. Then, surprisingly, she invited Roy.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me? It's kind of boring being here by myself."

"Aren't you supposed to be helping Touko with the shop?"

"There hasn't been a single customer for days. I've just been sitting in the back reading books. Even if I close up, nothing will happen."

A walk, huh...

"That sounds good. There's a place in Mifune City that I want to visit. Bringing you along might be helpful."

"Bringing me along? What is this, some kind of date invitation?"

"…"

"What are you thinking? You're the one who suggested taking a walk, right? Maybe in three or four years, I'll consider dating you. But for now... you're still too young."

"I'm not that young. I'm already in middle school."

Roy glanced at Shiki. "Come with me to find someone. You'll understand when we get there."

Hearing Roy's mysterious response piqued Shiki's curiosity.

"Who are we looking for?"

"The Mother of Mifune."

With that, Shiki hung a closed sign on the exhibition's door without Touko Aozaki knowing, and the two left the shop together.

...

Within the city of Mifune, many strange and bizarre urban legends circulate.

The most famous one recently is the Mother of Mifune.

"The Mother of Mifune, hidden in the alleyways, possesses absolute foresight. It's rumored she can see a person's future path..."

"Is this some kind of peculiar urban legend?" After hearing Roy's description, Shiki Ryougi tilted her head.

She hadn't expected the person Roy was looking for to be an urban legend. For someone like him, a magus, who could be considered an urban legend himself, was he really interested in something like this? After all, she was completely uninterested in such urban legends.

Though occasionally she would hear her female classmates talking about these topics, she never had any interest in joining the conversation.

"No, it's not just a legend. The Mother of Mifune truly exists, and the ability to foresee the future described about her is real. I'm quite interested in her ability of absolute future vision."

"Is it really true? Accurate future prediction? Does such an ability really exist?"

Hearing Roy's answer, Shiki Ryougi was a bit surprised.

"Of course it does."

Roy nodded and began explaining, "The ability to foresee the future is not unique to just one person. Not considering figures like Solomon, Gilgamesh, and Odin, who possess mythological EX-level Clairvoyance that I can't explain."

"Even ordinary people might awaken mystic eyes. It's not impossible for them to have abilities like 'foresight' or 'prediction,' but simple foresight isn't enough to catch my interest."

"But that old lady's ability to foresee the future transcends these two... it's an True Precognition, a genuine clairvoyance, a type of eye that only legendary figures possess."

"When you put it that way, I can understand. A cheat-like ability that allows you to see the future with just one glance would indeed be convenient for anything you do."

"That's why I want to meet her... to have her help predict something I plan to do."

"What is it you're planning?"

Shiki Ryougi asked, "You're looking for a fortune teller because you're about to do something big?"

"Well... to put it simply, it's probably something like saving the world."

Roy responded casually.

"If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. There's no need for childish talk like saving the world."

Seeing that Shiki Ryougi didn't believe him, Roy just smiled without further explanation. "Shall we change the topic?"

"If the Mother of Mifune is real, does that mean the other urban legends are real too?"

Shiki Ryougi was a little curious.

"Other urban legends?"

"Like the Slit-Mouthed Woman on the street, Hanako of the toilet, the Swamp Man, or the Chainsaw Man, all those weird things."

"Nonsense. If there are any, they're just tricks meant to scare people. There's no basis for such strange stories; most of them are just imagination."

Hearing Roy's answer, Shiki Ryougi didn't feel disappointed. She had only been mildly curious. After all, she wasn't very interested in urban legends.

"Oh, so where are we supposed to find this Mother of Mifune? Are we really going to search every alley? That would be ridiculous. Should I call someone from my family to ask if they have any information on her?"

"No need. The Mother of Mifune, with her true precognition, already knows we're looking for her. If she wants to meet us, we'll definitely find her if we keep searching."

"But..." Shiki Ryougi asked in confusion, "If, according to you, she doesn't want to meet us, wouldn't it be a waste of time wandering around like this?"

"Smart. If she deliberately wants to avoid us, there's no way we could find her."

"But she won't."

Hearing her question, Roy smiled and shook his head. "Because she knows that no matter where she hides, I can still find her. So, there's no point in avoiding us. We just need to keep moving forward."

Saying that, Roy tugged at the colorful ribbon on his left arm, decisively seeking outside help.

To deal with an ability like true precognition, they would also need to use the power of clairvoyance.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing Roy standing still with his eyes closed, Shiki Ryougi was a bit curious.

"I'm just entering the dream world with my consciousness to ask a friend for help. He can help me find the location of the Mother of Mifune."

"A friend? Communicating through the dream world?"

"Yes, he's trapped in a certain place and can't come out, so we stay in touch this way."

After that, Roy openly explained the existence of Merlin to Shiki Ryougi, which surprised her.

"So even those mythological stories are real? And you actually know Merlin, the great wizard from the Arthurian legend."

"Of course. We're good friends."

Roy nodded.

"Come with me, Shiki."

Following Merlin's instructions, Roy raised his hand and pointed in a direction, saying, "She's over this way."

Clearly, the Mother of Mifune's location had been accurately pinpointed by Merlin's clairvoyance.

Meanwhile...

Deep within the city, a slightly plump, veiled woman sighed.

"Sigh, that man really is a troublesome one. Ordinary tricks can't fool him. I had hoped to avoid meeting him."

"But since it's come to this, I guess I have no choice but to meet him."

"But the fact that he's bringing that girl..."

Even with true precognition, it was impossible to escape the detection of Merlin's EX-level clairvoyance.

She had already seen the inevitable future where she would be found, with no way to avoid it.

The Mother of Mifune decided not to hide anymore. She chose to stay put and wait for Roy to arrive.

If it's fate, it can't be avoided.

...

"By the way, Shiki, how's SHIKI been doing lately?"

After walking for a while, Roy asked about the condition of SHIKI.

"You really want to see him, don't you?"

Shiki seemed a bit surprised.

"I'm just a little worried. Has his urge to kill been as bad as before?"

"… You really do know everything, huh? In that case, why don't you talk to him yourself? He hasn't been coming out much lately." Shiki sighed.

"But I can sense that he's in a lot of pain, trying to suppress something."

Suppressing, huh…

"If that's the case, then it's best to meet with him and confirm things directly. I'll leave that to you, Shiki."

Roy patted her head, which annoyed Shiki.

"Don't treat me like a little kid. I'm already in middle school."

"Middle schoolers aren't kids anymore? There's a seven or eight-year gap between us."

"That's why you're the old man."

"… "

Caught off guard by Shiki's jab, Roy didn't know how to respond for a moment. Before he could figure out what to say, SHIKI's persona had returned to his body.

"Yo, long time no see, old man."

"You actually wanted to meet me?" After half a year of not seeing each other, SHIKI casually greeted Roy.

"How many times have I told you, don't call me old man. You should be calling me brother."

"No way, old man is old man. You've always been so uptight and serious." SHIKI shook his head rebelliously.

"Fine, call me whatever you want."

"So, old man, what do you want from me? Or did you just want to see me?"

"Well, since you're here now, I thought it'd be best to check on your condition."

"Tch, how thoughtful."

Acknowledging Roy's concern, SHIKI nodded slightly before responding, "Don't worry, old man. I'm fine. My hands may itch, but it's still within a tolerable range. I just need to come out less."

"So, the urge to kill has increased, huh? No wonder Shiki said you've been staying inside more often. But I still believe you can overcome that urge. If one day you feel like you've killed someone or done something wrong, contact me immediately. Don't try to handle it alone, and don't do anything that would hurt Shiki, got it?"

"Tch, acting like you know me so well."

SHIKI smirked, "I'm starting to wonder if you're some kind of lolicon, investigating me and Shiki so thoroughly."

"Maybe it's just fate. In any case, you don't need to understand everything about magus."

"Yeah, yeah, magus are the best. But don't try to treat me like a child. Staying with Touko for this long, I've learned a few tricks. Ordinary magus aren't as skilled as you."

"Haha, I'm a very powerful magus. If we're comparing strength, even Touko can't match me. But…"

In the abandoned alleyway lined with air conditioners and pipes, Roy paused, patting SHIKI on the head.

"Before we continue chatting, we need to deal with a few friends, don't we?"

Glancing at the five or six thugs trailing them from the shadows, Roy joked to SHIKI, "Look, some wild thugs have just spawned."

"Do you think this is an RPG game where enemies respawn in alleyways?" SHIKI sneered.

"But this situation really does resemble one."

Roy raised his hand, pointing at the thugs surrounding them with a smile.

"A wild bandit gang has appeared! SHIKI, the knight, quickly protect your princess."

"Huh? Why am I the knight and you're the princess?"

"Because you've got more presence."

"You obviously look more like a knight. Go handle them."

"Hey, hey, what's wrong with you two? Didn't you hear what I said? Hurry up and... "

"Ahhhhh!!"

One of the thugs started shouting as they argued, only to be suddenly hit by an overwhelming force, sending him flying into a pile of trash.

"Shh, didn't anyone teach you that interrupting others while they're talking is just plain rude?"

Roy put a finger to his lips, smiling at the remaining thugs. With another surge of magical energy, one of the thugs who got too close was slammed into a wall.

"Monster! He's a monster!! That guy's a monster!!"

Seeing their comrade knocked out cold by Roy's magical energy, the rest of the thugs quickly lost their nerve, fleeing in all directions. As they ran, Roy calmly raised his hand, releasing a faint ripple of magical energy.

In an instant, the fleeing thugs' vision was flooded with blue butterflies, obscuring their view. But running at full speed, they couldn't stop themselves.

*Bam!*

"Ahhh!"

With a series of loud thuds and groans, the thugs ran straight into the walls, some even breaking a few ribs, and passed out from the pain.

"Well, SHIKI, your knight has successfully defeated the cunning bandits." Roy teased.

"Mission complete."

"What did you just do? Was that magecraft?"

"Nothing much, just a small trick to alter their perception. I made them think the wall was the exit."

"Are they still alive?" SHIKI asked.

"Of course. Do I look like a bloodthirsty monster? I wouldn't take a life unless they were truly evil."

"Oh."

"Why are you so sensitive about killing?"

"It's not that. It just feels uncomfortable."

SHIKI shook his head, "If you ask why, I guess it's because of my grandfather's influence."

"Your grandfather?"

Roy was surprised by SHIKI's answer. His memories of Kara no Kyoukai were vague, and he could only remember a few key characters. He had no recollection of Shiki's grandfather, who only appeared in flashbacks.

"My grandfather used to say, 'A person can only kill one person in their lifetime. Once you've used up that chance by taking a life, you can no longer expect someone else to kill you, nor can you die as a human being.'"

"Shiki… SHIKI… I hope you can meet a peaceful end."

"Those were my grandfather's parting words. But I still don't understand what he meant." SHIKI said with a troubled expression.

"Only one kill in a lifetime… How did the existence of murderers like us come to be? What exactly are Shiki and I? And why did my grandfather look so forlorn when he left? I don't get it."

Sounds like your old man was a remarkable person.

After hearing SHIKI's words, Roy felt like he had some clues, but these were things SHIKI needed to figure out on her own for them to hold meaning.

All he did was give her a light karate chop on the head, then ruffle her hair, messing up her once neat hairstyle.

"What are you doing?" SHIKI instinctively shielded her head.

"Even though your grandfather's words are deep, they're not something you should be worrying about at your age. You've still got plenty of time to think about it later. If you don't understand by then, it's probably just a lack of experience. With time, you'll find the answers you're looking for."

"Time, huh? So, you already know the answer?" SHIKI caught on to the hint in Roy's words.

"More or less. But that's my answer. You still need to find your own. Alright, let's stop talking about killing. You're too young to be going on and on about it. That's not how you make friends."

"Besides, it looks like we've arrived."

Roy stopped walking.

"We've arrived?"

SHIKI looked ahead at the concrete wall in front of them. There was no sign of the Mother of Mifune anywhere, and she was puzzled. "But isn't this a dead end?"

"SHIKI, let me teach you something. Sometimes even your eyes can deceive you. So, what your eyes see isn't always the truth. The only thing you can truly trust is… your heart."

"So, are you going to come out? Or do I have to drag you out myself?"

As he spoke, Roy reached out into the air, and just like pulling back a curtain, a ripple spread through the air as he gently tore away the hidden layer.

"Found you, Mother of Mifune."

___

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