I want to just drift through life in Type-Moon.

Page 43

Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was pale and unhealthy.

Her powerless words echoed throughout the circular hall. Most of the other magicians who were qualified to sit there remained silent. Few of those who should have been engaged in a lively discussion about her words spoke up.

This place, which was originally a symbol of the clock tower's glory, is now mostly empty.

At the top level, only three of the twelve monarchical seats are occupied, and on the next level down, the noble magician families don't even have a third of them.

Chairman Jun now only has the Forensic Science Department, Modern Magic Theory Department, and Creative Department left. The events of that year developed too quickly, and the timing was too subtle.

Several monarchs and most of the noble heads of the Clock Tower were immediately caught up in the chaos. Then, the remaining ones were the magicians who were unable to return to the Clock Tower in time. This resulted in the loss of two more monarchs and all the magicians in the outside world.

The damage could have been devastating. If Barthezmello, who disdained to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Dean of the Alastair Academy, hadn't stayed in the Clock Tower and issued an order to seal off the entire Clock Tower at the first sign of the world's upheaval, this place might have fallen as well.

"Master, aren't you going to say anything?" A girl, who was wearing a hood even indoors, whispered in the ear of a middle-aged man wearing glasses.

The man's sunken cheeks, deep-set eyes, and dark circles that were so thick they seemed to make him look like an immortal all testified to his overwork.

Hearing his disciple's words, the man mustered his spirits and said in a hoarse voice, "Grey, if you don't want to be sent out, you'd better not show any interest in this."

Despite being exhausted, the man's eyes were full of wisdom. "Leaving aside whether you can escape from those giant mechanical boars outside, how can you be sure that the two [beings] we detected are not enemies?"

The woman called Grey blinked, hesitant to speak. She wanted to tell her master that ever since the first person came to London, she had been looking for an opportunity to contact him, because her intuition and bloodline told her that the person had a deep connection with her.

But the monarchs of the Clock Tower have not taken any action because the situation there is far too tense.

When the world was in great turmoil, they knew that the origin of the events was the Atlas Palace, and Monarch Basemel immediately led a large choir there to resolve the anomaly.

However, before they even reached the halfway point, her hymn squad suffered a devastating blow, with more than half of the magicians perishing. After barely escaping back to the clock tower, they were ambushed by a colossal mechanical boar. In order to cover the remaining hymn squad, she herself was severely injured.

It seems the injury hasn't healed yet.

As for his master, in order to maintain the normal operation of the clock tower and reduce the consumption of resources and magic, he worked day and night to modify the protective barrier of the clock tower. The fact that the clock tower could still be maintained under such resource shortages was entirely due to his master's painstaking efforts.

This fragile balance was maintained by an ordinary magician like the master, which was ironic in a way. However, now most of the nobles were dead, and the rest had come to terms with reality.

The three factions of the Clock Tower have collapsed at this moment. In order to survive, all magicians are doing their best to squeeze out their potential and will do anything to stay alive. They have also brought out their last-ditch tricks. However, due to the severe shortage of resources, most of them are useless.

The reason for this meeting is that new magical fluctuations were detected in the vicinity again this morning. Moreover, these magical fluctuations are completely different from those in this world. Furthermore, they later discovered that the two magical sources had merged.

“Kid, you’d better send Grey over.” Suddenly, Grey’s right arm spoke, a voice completely different from her usual cynical tone. “The new person is a very important figure. What that being carries is the hope to save everyone.”

Chapter 107 The Clock Tower Conference (Part 2)

The voice's tone was very strange, "Although I haven't told you yet, when the second being appeared, I felt the same reaction as you. That person was carrying something made by fairies, and if I'm not mistaken, that thing's ability is very special."

"Yard, what is that?" Gray, who comes from the family of the tomb keepers of King Arthur, knows the truth about her magical costume.

This is another of Arthur's most famous weapons, the Rhongomyniad, the Spear of the Farthest Expansion.

"You mean, the new guy is related to your round table?" The middle-aged man rubbed his temples and asked in a low voice.

“That’s not certain yet, but there’s something else I haven’t told you—” The voice hesitated for a moment, though it thought it was impossible, but it still said it in the end, “Actually, the first being that appeared held a holy sword in its hand, well, the holy sword that you know.”

Yard's words made Grey suddenly freeze.

For a thousand years, the Tomb Keepers have been planning a ritual to resurrect King Arthur, Artoria Pendragon. This ritual requires the unification of Arthur's body, spirit, and soul, so the clan creates offspring modeled after Arthur, intending to make them "the body of King Arthur."

Grey was born after centuries of failures.

Although Grey initially resembled Artoria, she was still a failed attempt. In those years, she lived a simple and warm life with her parents.

But one day, Gray's muscles and bones suddenly changed; not only her face, but her entire body gradually became exactly like Artoria's. From that moment on, Gray was worshipped and revered as a "divine child" by the villagers, including her parents. But Gray knew that they were actually worshipping a hero who shared the same face as her.

That year was 1990. She later learned that it was the year her current master, Waver Velvet, participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War, in which King Arthur, Artoria Pendragon, was summoned by the Einzbern family as a Servant.

From that time on, her face began to resemble that of King Arthur.

Due to his innate and exceptional aptitude for spirits, he was chosen by the clan chief, Belsak Brackmore, to be the next guardian of the Brackmore Cemetery, and was given the Sealed Mystic Code, Ade.

Because the adaptation rate with the previous owner of the secret treasure exceeded the prescribed value, the simulated personality of Yade, which was almost dormant as a sealed ritual, was also awakened. From then on, Yade became one of the few people Gray could talk to.

Nine years later, King El-Melloi II visited the Blackmore Cemetery. Afterwards, Grey became El-Melloi II's protégé, leaving their homeland for London, where, on El-Melloi II's recommendation, she entered the Clock Tower to study.

Over the years, she has always worn a hood while staying by her master's side, not only because her master dislikes her face, but also largely because she herself is afraid of it.

El-Melloi II stole a glance at the half of Grey's face hidden under her hood and, unsurprisingly, found that her face was turning slightly blue. With a helpless sigh, he softly comforted his disciple.

"Don't worry, Gray. The appearance of that holy sword doesn't necessarily mean its user has appeared; after all, it could just be a relic—"

"Ahem, I'm sorry to disappoint you. The one who wields it is its true user, because I have sensed the sword's unleashed attack several times."

As if deliberately trying to provoke him, Yad brought up the very thing that was most awkward to say, negating Webber's guess before he could even finish speaking. This not only made Grey's face turn even paler, but Webber also began to feel a little scared.

Even after so many years, so many things, and so many dangers, he still felt a deep sense of terror whenever he thought of King Arthur.

"Hahahaha, look how scared you all are!" Ad suddenly burst into laughter, standing out conspicuously in the empty conference room. Because the others were unaware of the cause and effect, the magicians thought someone was mocking them, and all eyes were focused on that spot, only to find it was the location of Lord El-Melloi II.

Some people quickly looked away after seeing who it was, while others continued to stare with great displeasure. Among them, Loreleia, who was also a monarch, looked at Waver with murderous eyes.

Although the Clock Tower no longer has three major factions, Loreleia, who is proud of her noble birth and the Bartholomew surname, remains unchanged.

The stares from all around were too piercing, which snapped Grey out of her daze. She reached into her robe and covered Ad's mouth.

"May I ask, what insightful opinion does Lord El-Melloi have?" The person in charge of presiding over this meeting was Aozaki Touko's mentor, the monarch of the Creation Department, the interesting old lady, Inole Baljereta Atolohom.

The amusing old woman showed no displeasure at the interruption of the meeting she supported; instead, she looked at Weber with a smile.

“It’s El-Melloi II!” Weber stood up and answered in a very tired tone. He no longer wanted to fight against this former leader of the democrats, this cunning old lady.

But for the sake of his disciple, and because of the information he had just heard from Yad, he had no choice but to stand up.

He took a deep breath, straightened his chest, and then looked around the council chamber.

"As you all know, we've been holding out here for three years—" Mentioning this time, many magicians couldn't help but smile bitterly; they already knew what this king was about to say.

"That's right, it's been three years. From being caught off guard at the beginning, to trying to fight back, and now to holding on desperately, we have survived in this apocalypse for three years."

Weber quickly mentally prepared his speech. He had tried this kind of rushed speech several times before, buying himself time to think about what he wanted to say before proceeding.

"Over the past three years, all the magicians at the Clock Tower have worked together with astonishing resilience—"

However, things did not go as he had expected, and Barthezmero Loreleia interrupted him sarcastically.

"Enough with the nonsense. Since you've stood up, it means you've already made a choice, right?"

Weber frowned slightly, his left hand instinctively pressing against his stomach pouch, while his right hand habitually reached for the stomach medicine in his pocket, all the while thinking to himself—that's why the aristocracy is the most annoying!

Chapter 108 The Clock Tower Conference (Part 2)

However, Weber held back his verbal abuse towards Barthele Loreleia, after all, they were all in the same boat, and he knew that she was under tremendous pressure just like him.

It's hard to say who contributed more, one being responsible for internal affairs and the other for external affairs, but if we're talking about pressure, the other definitely faced more.

After all, powerful enemies are all around, and they could attack at any time. To put it bluntly, Barthemello Loreleia is holding up the Sword of Damocles with her own hands, preventing it from destroying the Clock Tower in an instant.

Meanwhile, under the other party's protection, he kept trying to reinforce the cage, while the old lady from the Creativity Department sought a way out.

Aside from the old woman due to her unique physical condition, Waver and Loreleia, who are still human, haven't had a proper rest in a long time. Their tense minds are pushed to the limit. He's doing alright, but the latter is on the verge of collapse at any moment.

Having personally cleansed the insane people inside the Clock Tower, even a ruthless magician would be moved by witnessing their final madness. Moreover, Loreleia wasn't exactly a heartless person.

"...In short, I just obtained some information that the new being that has descended into the vicinity possesses something that can turn the current situation around. Therefore, I propose sending troops out to make contact with that person."

After that, Weber, having given up all hope, simply recounted the information he had just heard from Yad.

Instantly, the entire conference room was filled with noise, and even Loreleia, who was against going out, frowned and hesitated.

In fact, this was the best solution. All three monarchs knew that the remaining resources in the Clock Tower were not enough to sustain the remaining people for long. Both survival supplies and other combat supplies were running out.

In particular, the supply of medical drugs to the combat troops has been cut off for several days, and there have been abnormal casualties among the combat personnel, which is why Loreleia is so irritable.

The discussion ended quickly, and finally, all the magicians in the Clock Tower voted to send out a search party, but Loreleia insisted on not sending the Choir, citing the need to prevent internal strife.

However, she volunteered to join the search party, reasoning that she was the strongest in the Clock Tower and that she had already relinquished command of the Hymn Squad. Therefore, she was now simply fulfilling her responsibility as a lord to protect those she was meant to protect.

Moreover, she proposed to streamline the troops directly, as this would make it easier to escape from the first layer of encirclement. In the end, after many discussions, the troops were reduced to only four people.

They are Bartholomew Loreleia, the team leader; Gray, who was persuaded by her own Mystic Code; the prized disciple of the Creation Lord; and a random passerby with the Imaginary Attribute who can use subspace to collect supplies.

Barthez gave the others half a day to prepare, and then went back to his room to get a good night's sleep to recharge.

The other three were saying goodbye to their teacher.

Weber's room, piled high with documents and books, was filled with the strong smell of cigarettes, but this time Gray didn't advise him against it. Instead, she silently opened the doors and windows to let the smell dissipate.

"Grey, why did you agree to go out?" Weber asked irritably, a cigarette dangling from his lips, trying to stay awake with the nicotine.

“Master, even if I don’t go, if Lord Barthemello and the others succeed, that person will still get in here,” Gray replied, her head bowed, as she tidied the documents on her desk.

Upon hearing this not-so-wrong answer, Weber frowned deeply.

But Yad, who was usually very talkative, fell silent at this moment, as if he had fallen asleep.

"...Be careful. If you can't win, it's best to run away immediately, but don't run back. After all, there are those giant beasts guarding this place, and even heroic spirits can't break through." Finally, Waver sighed deeply and instructed his disciple.

"I understand, Master." After tidying up the table, Grey lay down on the sofa. She wanted to take a short nap to make final preparations.

Meanwhile, in the Creative Department, the old lady was sitting in her seat, watching her students packing their luggage.

"Why do you want to go out with me? I don't think you're the kind of person who's willing to sacrifice yourself." The old lady was puzzled by her disciple's choice, because it was her disciple who had volunteered to join the search team.

"Oh, you're asking about that?" The figure stopped what he was doing and pushed up his glasses.

“It’s so boring here at the Clock Tower, I’m going out to find some fun,” she said with a shrug, her tone devoid of any nervousness.

"Moreover, I don't think there's any danger in going out—or rather, even if it is dangerous for others, it's just a short trip for me."

The woman fiddled with her orange hair. "Even if I die outside, it's just a matter of changing my body."

"You... how should I put you?" The old lady glanced at her proud disciple, then waved her hand and said, "Alright, if you want to pack, go back to your room. I need to rest."

"Rest? Teacher, are you kidding me? Since when do puppets need rest?" The woman took off her glasses and looked at the old lady with a strange gaze. "Besides, I really can't agree with your perverse sense of humor. The other two are working themselves to the bone, while you, as a fellow monarch, are so relaxed and carefree. Is that really a good thing?"

The old lady chuckled and gently shook her head. "You're still young; there are some things you don't understand."

When the woman heard the other person say that she was still young, her expression became very subtle. Although she looked like she was in her twenties, she was actually in her late forties. Therefore, choosing to become a puppeteer was the best decision she ever made.

However, when faced with his teacher, who seemed to have lived for who knows how long, he realized how young he truly was.

"Just like you said, even if it's the end of the world, going out would be a safe trip for you. So for me, the end of the world is just a scene I'll see in my life."

The old lady looked at her disciple with a naive and clueless expression, "The end of the world and all that? I've seen plenty of things like that at my age."

Upon hearing this, the woman showed a horrified expression.

"Hehe, that's why I said you're still too young, Touko." The old lady stood up, her back to Touko Aozaki. "I think you never intended to come back in the first place, did you? And I think you actually went out this time to find your sister, didn't you?"

Aozaki Touko, having her secret exposed, did not answer, which was clearly an admission of guilt.

Chapter 109 Post-Meal Exercise

"Are you so sure that your mage sister is still alive?" the old woman asked calmly, her hands behind her back.

“How could that guy possibly get into trouble?” Orange smiled wryly. “Besides, the reason I’m going out this time is to go back to my hometown. Qingzi has probably already gone back a long time ago.”

Then she changed the subject, "Moreover, I am also very interested in the person that El-Melloi II called the one who could turn the tide."

Taking off her glasses, Orange took out a cleaning cloth and wiped them. "In this situation, instead of waiting to die here, we might as well go outside and try our luck. Those short-sighted people don't understand, but teacher, I'm not one of those mediocre people."

Orange, having put her glasses back on, picked up her luggage and turned to walk out the door.

"Well then, I'm leaving, teacher~" Orange waved goodbye with her back to her beloved teacher, and then leisurely walked out of the room.

The old lady watched her prized student leave, then smiled and nodded, her body disappearing into the darkness of the room the instant the door closed.

The search party is scheduled to depart at sunrise tomorrow, and there is still a week until Le Zhengling meets these people.

Meanwhile, Le Zhengling, who remained at the supermarket, was being forced to undergo Arthur's training.

He stared blankly at the sword in his hand, completely bewildered. "So, how did things turn out this way?"

Two hours earlier, he and Arthur had been having a friendly cooking exchange, and after they finished the stew, Arthur suggested that they do some exercise to help with digestion, which he agreed to without much thought.

Although he didn't quite understand whether the two of them, one a heroic spirit and the other a soul with a physical body, needed to process this matter, the atmosphere at the time was so friendly that he unconsciously agreed.

However, when Yue Zhengling and Arthur arrived at the exhibition hall on the first floor and saw the dazzling array of weapons, he realized that the other party seemed to have planned this all along.

"Arthur! You tricked me!" Yue Zhengling only realized what was happening when Arthur forced a replica of a Britannian longsword into his hand and the other side even got into a fighting stance.

"Haha, don't say that. After all, in our time, it was normal to have a few practice performances after dinner." Arthur waved his hand with a smile, acting like a nice guy.

"Damn it, you guys must have lacked entertainment back then to do that! I finally got back to the modern world! I have plenty of entertainment options! Why would I want to have this kind of interaction with you! I won't—"