Part 2
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(Next morning)
After the events of the previous night Archer felt more energized than he could ever have expected, as if a surge of energy was welling within him. Although the feeling came with a quiet awareness that things would now turn a bit awkward between him and the Dark Elf sisters.
Best to be careful.
Mistiora had managed to follow him for a while before the alcohol finally caught up to her and she began to wobble, prompting him to attempt to help her out, only to be met with a scorching glare that made him hold his ground. Neither of them spoke during the walk back, and he could not tell if she was angry with him, confused, or simply tired. No, all she did was stare at him so intensely that he started to wonder if she was contemplating firing an actual spell at him.
It was awkward during the walk, since the girl still kept her thoughts to herself and he just waited for her to lose consciousness and carry her back. He could hear her mutter several things on their way back that barely made sense, accusing him for many things followed by asking questions of what his intentions were amongst many others.
'Why Olga…'
Those were the words that kept being repeated till they had reached the palace, she had reached her limit and passed out, and even when he placed her back in bed.
Truthfully, he really did not know how to answer the woman.
Silence was the only thing he could give. For even if he had an answer, she would not remember it.
After that, in the morning he decided it would be best to keep some distance from the both for the day till things cooled down, at least long enough to avoid drawing attention or raising any bad suspicions, the last thing he wanted was another interrogation. Taking Mistiora back was the only exception, as she had to return with him to the palace, whether they both liked it or not.
Archer pushed those thoughts aside and tried to focus on the errands ahead of him — First he started his day with a cold shower to remove any residual impulses from last night. With the sounds of birds chirping and the sunlight filling the room, Archer walked out of the bath with a towel on his head. Those distracting thoughts, now mostly gone and any lingering sensation long since extinguished.
While standing near the window and using his magecraft to call forth his usual gear back since most clothes provided by the palace were… a bit too extravagant, the man did not fail to notice a pair of eyes that kept staring into the back of his head for the next half hour. Like a pressurized carpenter gun drilling through his skull. So he turned to look at the girl, who despite having her own room, was now sleeping in his own.
'Strange, I'm pretty sure I saw her sleeping in the other room yesterday after placing Mistiora. She must have snuck here after I went to sleep without me noticing. I'm not sure if I should be impressed or worried with how her sneaking has improved.'
Staring back with a puzzled expression.
"Is there something on my face?"
"Where did you go last night?" Radomira asked. Her tone carried suspicion so intense that Archer felt like a student caught doing something he shouldn't be doing by his teacher. It was odd how she managed to make the simple question feel like the start of an interrogation.
"I went to check on Olga and make sure she did not get herself into trouble. I had to bring that dancer girl out with me so those two could finally meet and have their reunion. She had been searching for Olga for centuries. You know how much they missed each other right, so the sooner, the better." He saw no reason to hide it, especially since Radomira already knew pieces of Olga's past and was wise enough to understand the rest.
"Was that all?"
"Well, we had a bit to drink to celebrate. Chloe got too drunk and could not walk on her own, and neither could Mistiora, which is why I had to carry her back."
"No wonder she's been puking since this morning," the Tiefling muttered, remembering the sounds of retching coming from the bathroom before she snapped her attention back to him. She grabbed his collar and shook him with surprising strength. "But that is not what I am talking about! That smell on you and that look of 'someone that did something they shouldn't but don't regret' face of yours. You did it again, didn't you?"
Her voice shot up louder than in her first confrontation, filled with frustration and anger mixing in a way that embarrassed Archer and left him unsure why she was reacting so strongly. He raised both hands to calm her.
"Radomira, it's not what you're thinking. Things just happened, but I'm telling you it didn't go as far as you believe. It wasn't like that time with Alicia, and nothing serious happened."
Whatever more he planned to say stopped when she grabbed him by the collar and shouted at him again.
"Who's the actual Tiefling here, huh? Is it you, or is it me? I'm supposed to be the one with the ridiculous horny powers that make people all hot and bothered, right? And yet! And yet — I haven't even tried to kiss you, not even once, while everyone else has been throwing themselves at you! Yo-You! You've gone and had three, maybe four, wild sex filled encounters, and not just with one person, but with all sorts of women, and all in less than a single month! Hnnn-ah! It's so unfair!
"O-Oi! What are you even saying? This is not a competition, and you shouldn't be talking like that. You're still quite young and have plenty of time for that stuff much, much later."
"Exactly what part of me is young!?" She crossed her arms under her chest as she puffed them out to him; the motion lifted her bust enough that the fabric of her v-cut dress strained from the extra pressure that was added, making it pop under her cloak. As ridiculous as it sounded, Archer was starting to think she kept growing taller both in height and… in other areas, too. He wondered if he had just fed her too much good food or if Tieflings simply grew unpredictably in general. Though from experience, he knew that telling any girl to control her eating would in most cases earn him a scolding, so he decided to keep that thought to himself.
"See? You can't even answer me. Now that I've got this body, I'm much more endowed and mature than all the other girls you've seen till now, well, except maybe Celestine. But that is not fair since she is a goddess."
"As I said, this is not a competition. Archer told her. "Stop comparing yourself to some fixed idea of adulthood. You've still got time to grow and figure yourself out."
Radomira's hair bristled. "Archer... I'm more grown up than you think. Don't call me a child." He didn't notice her irritation and kept trying to explain himself.
"Also, for the record, whatever vibe you seem to think I'm giving off, that was just Olga's idea of rewarding me for bringing back Mistiora. We didn't do that thing we talked about yesterday, and I doubt Olga, and I would do something like that so easily again."
Radomira felt something snap inside her as she scoffed and opened her palm. A cloud of purple gas formed instantly before she threw it at his face. "Gaaah!!!" She then stomped out of the room with loud, deliberate steps that echoed in the hall.
"Cough, cough. What was that for?"
"It's nothing, not like it will even affect you, given you don't need that to go around sleeping with everyone." She shouted the words back at him as she left to go to the bathroom to look for Mistiora, who from the sounds of it, was still emptying her stomach. Just like she said, the concentration of the aphrodisiac she spoke of was hardly strong enough to trouble him. It was a faint ripple that brushed against him for only a moment, giving him a slight floral sensation, before vanishing just as quickly. It's completely insignificant compared to the concentration she had once struggled with when she had no control over her own power. Even without him circulating his magical energy, whatever effect it carried would have clung to him for only a few seconds before fading completely.
He looked in the direction she had stormed off to — he released a long sigh. The man could not bring himself to argue with her because, in a way, he understood the anger behind her retreat. Was the girl afraid he would forget about her? It would not be unusual for someone of her life's temporal age to fall into that kind of fear. He was the one who lacked the experience to guide her through it properly. A moment like this always called up the image of a familiar brown-haired English teacher from his memories. Despite her oddities and her relentless persistence, Taiga knew how to push the young Shirou Emiya onward whenever he would be in a bad mood. He wondered how he could do it.
"Trouble in paradise?" a voice asked behind him.
Archer turned and found Kaguya standing exactly where Radomira had been moments earlier. Her expression carried a glimmer of amusement that she did not bother to hide.
"It is not like that between us. I am her guardian. You should know that."
"Well, she certainly does not look at you that way."
"And you should mind your own business," he replied, louder than before. He knew why the priestess had said it. He had seen the changes in the girl since her transformation. It would be foolish to pretend he had not noticed. Yet he also knew that her physical shifts came with a whirlwind of confusion she had not yet sorted out. She would need time to understand herself again, and pushing her in one direction or another would only harm her.
"Unfortunately for you, keeping you alive and making sure you continue to work with Lady Celestine is very much my business," Kaguya said.
"We are not going to get anywhere by trading words like this. Tell me how Maia is," Archer said, redirecting the conversation. Along with helping Kaguya investigate the matter involving the so-called Cult of the Insect God that had descended into Fullstar, he had asked her to check on Maia as well. While the girl appeared stable and even showed early signs of recovery, he preferred a professional opinion. The answer he received, while not ideal, eased his concerns more than he expected.
"She is not in any life-threatening danger," Kaguya said. "It turns out the attack had been laced with a kind of poison. The dosage was too low to cause a deadly wound or any serious infection, so a healing spell dispersed most of it. What little remained in her system seems to have been effective against her, weakening her more than we initially believed. She simply needs time to recover."
"Poison, huh?" Archer repeated. The word felt out of place. "Were Leona's group using something like that?" He tried to recall the mercenaries' weapons. They were regular fighters who relied on straightforward blades and standard gear. Even the daggers thrown by their leader during their skirmish had carried no unusual coating. The men he fought in the camp had nothing of the sort either. "Did you not interrogate the prisoners? Did you find anything that could help with an antidote to speed up her recovery?"
"We did question them," Kaguya replied. "They have not been cooperative. They claimed ignorance at every turn. Even if they had offered answers, I doubt I would trust them. I prefer to depend on my own people to examine her and provide proper care. You do not need to worry. I have looked after the Princess Knights for years. I know how to tend to them when it becomes necessary."
"Yet the moment I appear, many of them end up either getting injured or influenced by some kind of drug they have consumed." The smile on the priestess's face widened, although her eyes grew sharper with a faint edge of annoyance. "That is because I would consider you a bad omen overall. They were not getting nearly as many injuries and issues before you arrived."
"Oh, what a convenient excuse. Are you sure you are not just saying that because you want to hide your inefficiency?"
"And would you like me to remind you who is the only one capable of facilitating your journey back to Feoh through a not so simple teleportation spell without forcing you to walk the entire distance and waste days getting there?"
Sparks continued to fly as one gazed at the other, each throwing barbs at one another.
"Something tells me that helping you deal with this matter will also burn through several days." He replied without breaking his gaze from the priestess. She stepped forward with calm steps yet she also carried a quiet fury in her eyes. The way she stared at him made it clear she wanted to roast him where he stood. Unlike Alicia in the beginning, this woman understood how to hold herself together and remain courteous.
"You are free to not aid me in this matter, 'Sir' Archer. As a guest of the goddess, I cannot force you to do anything. Instead, I will offer you something I am certain you will appreciate. I am willing to send you and your group back to Feoh without requiring any further assistance from you. This cult is not as powerful as people like you seem to imagine, and at the end of the day, they are enemies I wish to face with my own hands. Now that the goddess Celestine is here to support us, with the Crown of FullStar also prepared to intervene, not much would be lost by your absence."
This time, it was his turn to narrow his eyes. She had a point. There was no obligation for him to help.
"..."
As if! It was his job to hunt down the group that brought a Beast here in the first place and make sure they couldn't enact another tragedy. It was literally in his job description as a Counter Guardian.
Well, at most to take care of threats that could summon them, he usually left actually fighting them to the Grand Servants and the Humanity of the time.
Also, the thought of simply walking away from this entire situation refused to sit well with him. Still it seemed that Kaguya was pretty insistent on her being the one to take care of it, so he thought he should at least throw her a bone. "Maybe I will take your offer up only after Maia wakes up. I do not feel safe leaving her here. Nor do I feel safe letting the people from Feoh check on her after what happened back there. Furthermore, you'll have to convince me you really got this handled, otherwise I will interfere."
Kaguya remained silent for a few seconds as she looked at him, before smiling gently. "But of course. It will be a pleasure to have you on our side once more, Sir Archer." She spoke while he walked past her toward his room's exit. He could hear her footsteps behind him and her voice dropping to a whisper. "You really cannot help yourself when it comes to aiding those in need, can you? My goddess was right about you after all."
His eye twitched, and he fought back the urge to retort immediately. "I will quote Maia here, but I would rather you shove that up your ass. Though knowing you, it might count as a blessing for your god."
"Oh my, such classy words. They certainly sound like something Maia would say."
"Guess she just rubbed off on me more than I thought."
"She does have that effect on others."
After that they said nothing else, merely walking through the castle till they came to the entrance. He stepped outside with Kaguya guiding him toward a carriage she had prepared. He entered with Kaguya following behind, both of them sitting on opposite sides of the other, followed soon by the horses beginning to move.
While the carriage began to leave, he looked out into the distance, where he noticed Radomira dragging Mistiora towards a nearby maze garden.
"If you are worried about her, then rest assured. I have fortified this entire area with the Queen's permission. Nothing, not even a fly, can get in without being detected."
"I am not worried. She can protect herself now, unlike before." He worried more for himself since the likelihood of the girl planning some revenge and dragging Mistiora along to play along as her accomplice was high. Or maybe he was just overthinking things… Anyways, the man shook his head.
…
(A half hour later)
Soon, the horses pulled them toward the center of the bustling kingdom, where he could see people of a variety of races all living peacefully as they went about their ordinary day. Crossing his arms, he once more continued his prior discussion with Kaguya after a brief respite to look at the kingdom, "So what is your plan?"
"As you may recall, there was a small gift left behind by the Insect God Cult at our doorstep not that long ago. They left behind quite a number of their little souvenirs inside the late priestess."
"Yes I am aware of that." The memories of those insects lingered in his mind and made his stomach tighten with disgust. "What about them?"
"Well, those insects aren't your ordinary creatures. Even the most useless ones share a single trait. They are mystically labeled and linked together with a mark that Shamuhaza uses to control them all."
"You don't mean their God?"
"Kind of. The god of the cult also has a type of middleman through whom it speaks to every follower; its apostle and priest. One could say that both the god and Shamuhaza share a direct link to the swarm. They cannot be separated without killing the insects involved."
"So all of them are basically familiars belonging to one person." He muttered the thought while a comparison rose in his mind. Great, it just kept getting more similar to Zouken, whom he had the unfortunate misfortune of dealing with several times during the Holy Grail War. The more he learned about this mess, the more uncomfortable similarities appeared and piled up.
He was already mentally preparing for stomach churning sights.
"Not exactly similar to a familiar. Those creatures do not possess any proper magical function. They are simply beings that were branded and formed a connection. They are no different from containers meant to carry eggs, so they can implant the very same branding method into victims and produce more. They are born with only one command etched into them. That command can never be changed or altered, not even by its owner."
The way she explained it was processed by Archer. He took a moment to collect his thoughts on the insects and the way the cult was structured. Eventually arriving at Kaguya's opinion on the subject, he rethought her intentions and what she was planning to attempt, arriving at a probable conclusion.
"You did not discard those insects. Am I right?"
"Yes. That is correct."
Archer paused as he stared into Kaguya's eyes, her expression as neutral as always.
"So either you have a disgusting habit of collecting things that came out from those who once served you, or you intend to use them to help us locate our perpetrator." He expected the small jab to be noticed. Archer was not trying to sow conflict between them. He only wanted to observe how she reacted. Even now, something about her unsettled him deep in his core. Being near her kept his mind alert in a way that was hard to explain, not the same kind of sensation as Celestine. It was not fear for his own life. It was the simple fact that this woman was nearly impossible to read.
"As expected of Sir Archer. You managed to estimate correctly."
"And judging by how long this method of locating them has taken, along with the fact that you asked for my help, I assume no one in your temple is capable of tracking the use of these insects. Otherwise, this would have been handled long ago."
It seemed simple from his perspective. Use the link the marked insects had to reach out and locate others like them through the connection. Then either remove the label or eliminate the ones with it, all in one fell swoop to let the whole system collapse. Sadly for some reason they couldn't, which is why they turned to him.
This time, the woman let out a quiet sigh that felt heavier than her usual controlled tone. "You have no idea how true that is. This dilemma has haunted us for centuries. If we could reverse the brand on the insects without killing them and thus make them useless, then the cult of the insect god would have faded into history. They would not even be a footnote in our records."
"Then what makes you think I can change that? I can try if you insist, but tracking isn't really my specialty when it involves insects so small and spread out. Especially when it involves… magic that does not fall within anything I am familiar with. You're more of an expert in this field than me."
Kaguya hummed, "You say that even though you managed to track down the Kuroinu and Vault all the way to Olga's castle before the attack began. You were most likely already positioned there, waiting for them to capture the Dark Queen so you could eliminate them all in one place. Not even the Dark Queen herself knew where those mercenaries were located, yet somehow you knew beforehand."
"I was given the information of the danger when I arrived here and was sent to act on it. Still when I came here I still needed to locate them, though the Kuroinu's battle with Olga's forces made them stand out enough to at least give me a general idea of where to look for info. I did not just discover their exact time and location on my own, you know."
"…"
"I'm not proud of how I got some of the other extra intel, but once I had it, I just kept following the bread crumbs straight to the castle. It's not that hard to find, as it was originally their goal in the first place, so all I had to do was wait for them to come to me. Word of mouth on their actions from various sources played a part and helped me reach the castle before they arrived there. That was the whole story."
"So can your god not do the same with the insect cult? I imagine they do not appreciate the idea of the insect god gaining any influence."
"You are right," he agreed at once, which drew a brief look of surprise from Kaguya, as if she had prepared herself for another long retort. He knew trying to explain the nature of the Counter Force to her would serve no purpose. It was easier to let her call it whatever she wanted. "As long as the majority of human lives across the world are threatened, then it becomes my responsibility to confront that danger. The existence of the Beast is tied directly to that insect god you mentioned. That alone is reason enough for its immediate termination."
"…Is that so?"
"Yeah if left to their own devices they may strengthen the Beast further, or worse even, they could summon another one. The last thing I want is a second one appearing, because even if there were a hundred copies of me running around, this world would still be finished." He gave her a small, bittersweet smile. The truth was that the world was already hanging by a thread with just a single Beast wandering freely. Their only saving grace was the specific weakness they could exploit, and even that single advantage could vanish in an instant if they continued to play politics. If they lost that advantage, nothing would remain for him to rely on except the faint hope that Alaya would send a Grand Servant fast enough to intervene. "However right now the connection is shaky so for now it's only me."
"I am glad that at least on this point we see things the same way. Still, do not worry. I did not bring you here solely so you would help track that creature. What I want is to use that particular skill of yours as a skilled traveler and capable warrior; the one you demonstrated when you carried the Dark Queen from her castle all the way back to the capital without dying, and when you rescued several of the other Princess Knights. I am hiring you as a protector, a bodyguard who will keep the person responsible for tracking this individual safe."
"Must be someone skilled…so then is that where we're going?"
"Correct…In fact we've already arrived there?"
The carriage slowed and came to a stop. They stepped out together, and he realized they had halted in front of a massive structure that looked almost large enough to rival half the palace. From the outside, it resembled an isolated building left untouched by most daily activity, with only a handful of people entering and leaving. Nearly all of them wore matching outfits that included long dark purple robes and tall pointed hats. It only took one look for him to understand that this was no ordinary library.
"Don't tell me this is some sort of Mage Association headquarters?" he asked.
"Close. This is a mage school located in Fullstar with connections to passing guilds, this kingdom, and even Kimia's Order of Sorcery which is the world's largest magical organization. This building in front of you is a library restricted to the students and a few others authorized by the headmistress. Because we have written permission from the Queen herself, we can enter freely." Kaguya gestured for him to follow, so he did, climbing the steps with her and stepping into the vast interior.
His eyes opened wider as soon as they crossed through the door. The inside was far larger than anything the outer walls suggested. The opening hallway opened up to a massive library, where in the center was a stairway to descending floors that went on for a while underneath, with floors near the walls with an abundance of books. Books flapped overhead like restless birds. Candles drifted from shelf to shelf while small characters shimmered around their edges. Students moved constantly between floors and platforms, some walking, others floating, a few vanishing only to reappear on distant walkways. There was an entrance above the roof where some individuals floated in and out.
"Impressed? Do not be. This is nothing compared to the library owned by Lady Celestine," Kaguya said with clear pride slipping into her tone.
"I cannot judge or compare anything when I have never seen her place yet," he replied.
"You only need to ask her. Something tells me she would love to show it to you."
"I know." Considering her recent behavior, he suspected that almost anything he requested would be granted without a second thought. Even so, he would not deny that he was curious. If this enormous structure was considered unimpressive, then Celestine's library had to be genuinely enormous. "So where is our mysterious tracker?" he asked.
Students continued wandering around them without sparing either of them so much as a proper glance. One or two looked directly at them, only to sneer before moving on.
"Something tells me we are not very welcome here," he muttered.
"Strange, we agreed to meet that person at the entrance around this time. Please hold on a second, I will go search for her. If you want to use some time productively, you are more than welcome to grab something to read." She barely left him room for a reply before turning away, her steps echoing briefly as she disappeared into the maze-like halls and left him standing alone in a place he barely understood.
"I suppose a few minutes will not hurt." He muttered the words to himself while moving toward a quieter corner where no one would bother glancing at him. The shelves nearby rose far above his head, twice his height at least, and stretched into several rows that formed an orderly forest of books. Each shelf was packed with countless volumes arranged so tightly that the whole place felt like a library built by someone who valued knowledge more than space or comfort. He noticed there were no ladders anywhere, not even tucked away between aisles, and that strange absence made him look up out of curiosity. A handful of books drifted high in the air as if weightless, gliding near the ceiling like lazy birds. He wondered if there was some spell that let people call them down, though he had no intention of trying anything that elaborate just to pass time.
Archer reached for the nearest book directly in front of him. It was thick, covered in worn red fabric, and had a faint smell of dust and age that clung to his fingertips once he opened it. The title written inside greeted him like a slap. "How to Achieve Immortality in Ten Easy Steps. Guaranteed Method. Written by Grand Mage Rodrigue."
"Seriously?" Whatever mystique this place had offered him a moment earlier quietly collapsed under that ridiculous title. "Hold on, it could just be a flashy name. Achieving immortality in ten steps sounds ridiculous, but would not hurt to examine at least." He wondered if this world held genuine methods to overcome mortality, he knew the elves and dwarves had long life spans, but packaging such a thing like a beginner's guide for it made the entire claim difficult to take seriously.
Ten pages in, his faint hope of finding something worthwhile died out faster than a candle dumped in cold water. "The first ten pages alone talk about how this guy was born under a unique phenomenon and how the stars served as a sign that he was special. Then he goes on and on about the meaning of his name for the rest of the section." It became clearer with every paragraph that the entire work served no purpose other than to praise its author. Not a single step of the promised method appeared. Not a phrase about immortality. Just exaggerated tales about this so-called sage and how kings and queens from distant lands supposedly traveled to witness his brilliance. Archer suspected half of it was fabricated, and the other half was probably stretched beyond recognition.
"Awawaaa! U-Um, excuse me, coming through… waah!" A startled voice cracked through the silence, followed immediately by the heavy thud of someone hitting the floor at his side. Several books were scattered across the ground in a clumsy sprawl. Archer closed the useless volume in his hand and lowered it, his attention shifting to the mess at his feet. Another book had landed close to his boot, its cover more interesting than the one he had been holding. The title caught his eye instantly, as it was something he knew about. "The Philosopher's Stone Legend."
Not just that one, but this particular name appeared in nearly every book scattered around him, each one circling back to the same stone mentioned in their titles. At the center of the chaos lay a girl sprawled on the floor with her face pressed to the ground and an open book draped over her head like a flimsy shield. A soft, miserable groan slipped out of her, the sound carrying enough discomfort to make Archer pause. Feeling mildly bad that she had taken the brunt of the fall, he shifted closer and started lifting a few of the heavier volumes that had landed on her. As he moved them aside, he found himself staring at a long waterfall of pink hair spilling outward in a tangled curtain that practically surrounded her. The girl slowly pushed herself up while rubbing her nose with a trembling hand.
"Uuuuh… I-Is it broken? It hurts…" Her voice was so faint it nearly vanished between each syllable, and her eyes gleamed with unshed tears as if the pain alone was enough to make her cry again. Unlike the other students in this strange place, she wore no pointed hat and no purple robe. Instead, she had on a simple large beige dress, plain and familiar, the kind of garment that did nothing to reveal whether she was a noble's daughter or someone from a family with no title at all. The simplicity of it made her stand out even more among the others wandering the aisles, who spared her only a passing glance before moving on, some like before sneering at her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, extending his hand. The gesture startled her so sharply she flinched back with a squeak, looking from his face to his hand several times before she finally accepted it with a cautious grip. He helped her back to her feet, trying not to make the fall feel any more embarrassing than it already was.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you! Please don't report me to the librarian! The exams are almost here, and I don't want to lose my chance to get accepted here!" she burst out, her panic rising so quickly it seemed to overwhelm her all at once. She dropped to her knees without warning and clutched the edge of his shroud, tears now running down her cheeks while a thin line of snot crept toward her upper lip. The look was not pleasant, and she seemed painfully aware of it, yet her desperation overpowered her pride.
"Sniff… I have some money I can give you! For your silence, please, I only wanted to look at the book you were reading and ask if you were done! I didn't mean to bother you, but I tripped! If you want more money, please wait a few days. I'm going to get paid soon, and then I can pay you back with that!" She rambled without pause, speaking faster and faster until the situation no longer resembled anything close to reality. In the span of a breath, she had somehow transformed what should have been a simple mishap into something that sounded like an elaborate extortion scheme if either of them had spectacular acting skills. Several students who had been peeking over their books now stared openly, their suspicion shifting into something harder and colder.
"Hold on, hold on. Just… Slow down for a minute. You're making it worse. I'm not going to ask you for money." He raised his hands slightly as he spoke, hoping to calm her down before anyone else decided to involve the guards or the librarian.
"Not money? Then…" Her voice faded as her eyes widened with sudden realization. The color drained from her face until she looked nearly translucent. She covered her very large and ample chest that was mostly hidden by her dress with both her hands and slowly backed away. "Please, anything but that? I'm still a virgin! I don't want to be sold like a prostitute and used as a toy just to repa… hmm? You're not that bad looking~… m-maybe just a bi—ouch!"
The spine of the book he tapped against her head had silenced her immediately. He made sure it was done gently, but the message was clear enough. Any more of her wild assumptions and the librarian might call the guards without a second thought.
"I'm not angry. I don't care that you disturbed me, since you didn't actually disturb me at all. I was only worried that you were hurt and needed help. Nothing more, nothing less." He spoke slowly to make sure every word reached her properly, then he handed her one of the books she had been carrying along with the one he had been reading. "I was about to put this back anyway since it didn't have anything useful for me. So take it. You wanted it, right?"
"Really? You won't blackmail me and shake me for the little money I have?" she asked, wiping the tears that were on her face with her sleeve while eyeing him with lingering suspicion.
He lifted an eyebrow. "What kind of environment is this for you to expect something like that? Shouldn't you tell the headmistress if the students here are bullying you? Besides, I'm not even a student. You have even less reason to be afraid of me."
She looked down, shoulders slumping as her earlier panic drained into a softer sadness. Her eyes welled again, tears threatening to fall for the third time.
"I can't do that since I'm not even an official student yet. I have to pass the exam first before I'm promoted to a real mage. Right now, I'm only an assistant in training for a cadet mage."
An assistant in training was nothing unusual, and he remembered that the Clocktower ran on a similar structure where magi from old families often traveled with retainers who learned beside them. He assumed this pink-haired girl was something like that. "For someone who is not even a mage yet, you are certainly interested in reading about something massive like the Philosopher's Stone of all things," he said, trying to nudge the conversation away from whatever fear or suspicion she had built up about him and hoping it might finally pull her out of her tears.
He was stunned to find a Philosopher's Stone here, a legendary creation of Paracelsus von Hohenheim that shaped the magecraft of his world and was famed for its impossible requirements and miraculous abilities. He recalled only fragments, but enough to know its value: a photonic crystal born from purified magical energy, capable of acting as an infinite supercomputer, storing anything from mana to souls, granting false immortality, healing all illness, and even rumored to potentially restore a Dead Apostle to humanity. It could bypass equivalent exchange and drastically amplify an alchemist's power in ways his own magecraft could only mimic. Despite all his travels and studies, he still didn't fully understand its workings.
Though he doubted both stones would be similar outside of the name, immortality, and energy reserve part.
"Are you also curious about the famous Philosopher Stone!?" she asked excitedly, her question shaking Archer out of his deep thought, as he stared at her sudden shift in tone. Her mood flipped so suddenly that he wondered if this was how she behaved normally. Her eyes brightened with an eager sparkle, and excitement spread across her face like a switch had been thrown. It looks like his staring at the book had given her the impression of him being a fellow fan of the subject as well. He answered her enthusiasm with a relaxed grin.
"If you mean something like a highly advanced supercomputer that can analyze magical energy and help its user recreate certain patterns or properties on command, then yes, I suppose I have some idea."
The pink-haired young woman tilted her head. "What is a supercomputer?"
He waved a hand with no real intention of explaining the concept in depth. "Just something from my homeland, think of it like an incredibly smart brain that works with you to improve and help with your tasks you normally couldn't do on your own. Though based on your reaction, I suppose that is not what your Philosopher's Stone actually is."
She nodded and raised an index finger, shifting into a more serious expression as if reciting something she had studied for years. "Yes, I feel the Philosopher Stone is actually a crystal that holds a massive abundant amount of mana. Reaching such a state that it starts generating its own source of energy!" Archer raised his eyebrow, wondering if there were actually similarities with the stone in this world and his world, or if this girl was actually smart enough to arrive at that conclusion on her own. "It is so condensed that most believe it should be impossible to contain without going critical and exploding on the spot. But it is not only a reservoir of energy that can remain stable. It can also use that near-infinite supply of power to benefit its users in several ways. It can enhance spells, strengthen the body, and most importantly if what I recall from past recorded experiments is true…grant a version of immortality!"
The moment she spoke the last part, her voice softened into something filled with longing. She stared at the book he had handed her earlier and touched the title with her fingertips as a frustrated look crept across her face. "I am hoping to research the subject properly and write a thesis paper that will be strong enough to impress one of the grand mages who teach at the academy. If I can do that, then maybe they will take me in as their apprentice."
"Oh? That is quite the task you have chosen for yourself. With such an impressive-sounding item, is it even possible to create or recreate it? There's a chance it's only a legend?" he asked.
"It is real!" she said, slapping the nearby table hard enough that he flinched slightly at the sudden burst of energy. "And it has been recreated several times. One of the most recent cases was done by someone in Kimia, and another one that I admire greatly, someone I wish to study under in the future. But she does not visit this academy often, so I am hoping to become a proper mage first. If I succeed, I might one day learn under her tutelage and recreate the stone myself and finally reach true immortality."
At least she was the first person he had met in this world who reminded him of a type of Magus from his own world. The pursuit of immortality appeared just as common here as it was amongst many in the Clocktower. The way she spoke made it obvious that her passion ran deep and that she would go to great lengths to accomplish her goal. It echoed the same determination the magi back home carried in their lifelong chase for the Root.
"You really do love magic like this, don't you?"
"Yes, I love it! There is just so much good that one can do with it and there is still a lot about it that we haven't discovered! It is the building blocks of so many mysteries and wonders, doesn't it just excite you!"
"I see. I hope it works out for you."
"Thank you very much!" She paused before asking him a question. "The way you described The Philosopher's Stone, as this supercomputer. You called it a brain. Does that mean you think it can actually help a mage with the actual formulas and magic circles, like easing the burden on them. If that's the case it's a completely new idea that can revolutionize what we know about it. You've got to tell me more." She was practically shaking in place at the excitement of delving into her magecraft studies with her fellow researchers.
It was kind of cute.
"Well, I cannot help you much in that field, but I can at least wish you good luck. Maybe the next time we meet, you will have already found a method to recreate that stone. Alright see ya!" he said. He meant it sincerely and turned to head toward another aisle, expecting their discussion to end here.
Before he took more than a step further, he noticed Kaguya in front of him, hurrying toward him at a brisk pace. Her expression was flustered, and a thin line of sweat ran down her temples, showing that she had been running around the academy in search of their tracker. She looked mad despite her emotionless face, so he braced himself instinctively, expecting to be yelled at for a reason he could not yet guess. She did yell, but her words were not aimed at him. Instead, she focused entirely on the girl beside him.
"Miss Flamel! Where have you been all this time? I have been searching for you everywhere, and you did not even wait for us at our agreed location! Are you trying to go back on our deal?"
The girl immediately started to panic. "S-Sorry! I got too pulled in by some of the content of my research, and I completely forgot about the time! Please, it was my mistake, I promise it will not happen again! Please do not abandon me, I need the money!" Her voice trembled, and the tears arrived right on schedule.
Archer, however, had already pieced together the situation. He pointed a finger toward the young woman who, according to Kaguya, was not even a fully recognized mage apprentice. "This is the person you said could track down a group that you and Celestine have failed to locate for several centuries?"
Kaguya nodded without hesitation. "I understand your doubts, given the impression she is giving right now, but I assure you she is reliable and she shows genuine promise. Oh, and in case you have not been introduced properly, this is Lady Astrid Flamel. She is an assistant of a friend of mine and will soon be a recognized mage once she succeeds in her exams. Lady Astrid, this is Sir Archer. He will be the one keeping you safe while you track down the person we discussed."
"Eh?" Astrid snapped her head toward him, staring at him as though he had just transformed into someone entirely different. "You were not a student?"
"I literally told you that. Hah." He rubbed his forehead, wondering if this partnership was a mistake and whether Kaguya knew what she was doing. Still, if the priestess was confident, he could at least try to give the girl a fair chance.
"H-Hello! My name is Astrid Flamel! I will be in your care from now on, Sir Arche—oou!" She bowed deeply while reintroducing herself despite Kaguya having already done so. On top of all that, forgetting the table she'd slammed her hand on existed, she collided face-first with the wooden edge and dropped to the floor in a heap before she could finish her sentence. With a bit of blood coming out of her nose.
She definitely broke it now.
"..."
"..."
Both the Counter Guardian and the priestess stared down at the unconscious girl with a dry, flat expression that held no real surprise anymore.
"I am having doubts," he said plainly, before moving to help the girl up, carrying her in a bridal style to a nearby chair.
"I cannot blame you, Sir Archer. I am feeling the same way, I am afraid."
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No, Astrid is not an OC and she appears in Kuroinu 2. As for how a human from 200 years in the future is alive now? Well, there are some big hints in this chapter.
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.