The team for the implantation of the first-generation Magic Crest required a pharmacist and a tuner.
After contacting Bazett, Wayland had been instructed to wait at this specific location.
But Melvin Weins was the first to arrive.
Even though they had never met, Wayland recognized him instantly. Melvin was simply too distinctive,snow-white clothes, bone-white skin, and even his hair and eyelashes were a pure, colorless white. Only his crystalline blue eyes provided any contrast.
He stood there, violin case in one hand and a blood-stained handkerchief in the other.
"So you're Waver's student, aren't you? A bit of a shame you're not a beauty like Gray-tan."
Melvin offered a jovial, theatrical greeting, his body twisting in a series of exaggerated movements. "I've got to hand it to you,you really are Waver's disciple. You've got the same reckless spirit. I've repaired plenty of Magic Crests in my time, but building one from scratch? This is a first. Don't let me down! Cough... cough... URP!"
A spray of fresh blood interrupted his sentence.
Dabbing at his mouth, he continued as if nothing had happened. "But why meet in front of the Necromancy division? Don't tell me you're planning to raid the place for a Cursed Core? Because if you are... that would be magnificent! Let's do it right now!"
'Besides Gray, does Lord El-Melloi II have even one 'normal' friend?'
Wayland felt a pang of sympathy for his mentor. No wonder Waver had constant stomach problems; anyone would with friends like these.
"The Necromancy division?"
Wayland realized the misunderstanding. "Wait, I'm looking for the Sealing Designation Execution division. Do you know where it is?"
Melvin looked at him in disbelief. "Every other magus in the world spends their life praying they never run into the Execution division, and you're actually looking for them?"
"I have my reasons. The pharmacist I'm meeting is currently with the Execution division."
"Fascinating!"
Melvin slapped Wayland on the shoulder, looking delighted. "I knew any student of Waver's had to be a bit unhinged. A pharmacist on the level of a Sealing Designation... this is going to be an eye-opener! Come on, I'll show you. The Execution division is located directly beneath the Necromancy department."
"Beneath it?"
Wayland followed Melvin into the building, glancing around as they walked. "You mean it's underground?"
The two of them registered at the front desk. Perhaps because Bazett had already cleared the way, the receptionist didn't press them with questions and allowed them to pass.
"You don't know?"
Melvin pressed the elevator button. While they waited, he looked at Wayland with a mix of surprise and amusement. "It seems Waver hasn't been doing his job as a mentor. Let me tell you: the reason the Clock Tower was established in London in the first place is because of what lies beneath it,the largest and most mysterious ruins in the modern world: the Spirit Tomb of Albion."
"Albion?"
"The exploration has been ongoing for over a thousand years, and we still haven't found the end. Legend has it that at the end of the Age of Gods, a true dragon,two thousand meters long,tried to tunnel its way to the Inner Sea of Stars. It died mid-journey, and its massive, decaying remains formed the structure of this ruin. But as the Clock Tower excavated deeper, they discovered something else: Albion likely remains a physical passage to the Inner Sea of Stars itself."
"The Inner Sea of Stars?"
Wayland suppressed a surge of shock. Avalon. The realm of fairies where Merlin resided.
"Precisely. The reverse side of the world... the home of gods, fairies, and Phantasmal Species."
Melvin explained briefly before continuing. "The Necromancy division was originally established to explore the tomb. Because of the sheer quantity of Cursed Cores and materials that are impossible to find on the surface,dragon scales, teeth, Hydra offspring,it eventually broke away from the control of the Lords and became an independent entity. Unless you have a special permit, it's a one-way trip for most. The few who survive and return to the surface with a find are known as 'The Returnees.'
"Following the Clock Tower's management, Albion is divided into four main layers. The first is what we're in now,the Mining City of Magisphyra. It's where the excavators live. The second is the Great Magic Circuit of Odevina. It's said to be a remnant of the magic circuit used by the fairies to transition to the inner world; because it's indestructible, it's become a complex labyrinth of tunnels.
"The third layer is the Old Heart. As the name implies, it's where the Dragon Core was excavated. Because of the unique nature of a Dragon Core, this layer is protected by the strongest Bounded Field on the planet. Beyond that, the passage to the Inner Sea itself provides its own defense, so this layer is almost entirely preserved in its original Age of Gods state. A thousand meters further down, through specialized fissures, lies the deepest point accessible to the Clock Tower,eighty thousand meters below the surface. This is where the Bureau of Final Rites and the Sealing Designation Execution division are located. The fourth layer is the Fairy Domain... a realm no human can tread."
"I see."
Wayland took a deep breath, his thoughts drifting to Seiji Asagami.
The deal he'd made with the man seemed a little more plausible now, though still incredibly distant. Who knew if he'd ever have the chance to set foot in the Bureau of Final Rites?
The elevator continued its descent.
The walls were a deep, abyssal blue. A normal elevator would never move at this kind of speed,it was a form of Imaginary Number Dive.
Half an hour later, the doors slid open.
They were greeted by a massive clock, a hundred meters in diameter, embedded in a stone wall covered in ancient carvings. Its hands moved with a cold, mechanical precision, and the rhythmic thrumming of its gears echoed through the chamber like continuous summer thunder.
The Hall of the Great Bell.
This was where the Bureau of Final Rites issued Sealing Designations. It was also the gateway.
Bazett was waiting for them near the left-hand tunnel.
The high-pitched hum of the machinery was constant here, and the lighting was clinical and bright against the smooth stone walls. The corridor was wide enough for three people to walk abreast without crowding.
Bazett remained silent, her expression solemn. Even Melvin grew quiet, influenced by the weight of the atmosphere.
After ten minutes of walking, they reached a room.
It was brilliantly lit, with no hint of being tens of kilometers underground. Rows of clinical-looking laboratory tables were arranged with perfect regularity.
Eliza,having returned to her human form,was busy at one of the tables.
As Wayland approached, he saw a chaotic but organized collection of stills, crucibles, mortars, and a dizzying array of magical components. It reminded him of his high school chemistry lab, with a teacher performing a complex experiment on the podium.
"Eliza," Wayland called out.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]