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East District - Inside Natsuki's home workshop—
"All records related to the Wiseman are here."
A classical beauty with jet-black hair, dressed in a dark-toned kimono, placed a stack of parchment onto the workbench.
The woman with eyes like burning embers, Aya Tokoyogi, lifted her head slightly and looked at Ryo, who was standing by the lab table.
"You're researching alchemy?"
"What, do you know alchemy too?" Ryo asked casually as he examined the structure of the Wiseman's blood with telekinesis.
"I've studied it a bit," Aya replied evenly. "Otherwise, Natsuki wouldn't have dragged me out of the LCO."
"Are you saying your alchemy's better than Natsuki's?" Ryo said with a faint smile.
"I won't deny that," Aya answered calmly, delivering the arrogant statement without the slightest change in tone.
"Hey, that's enough," Natsuki snapped from beside the coffee machine, clicking her tongue. "Mocking my weak points right in front of me. Do you two think I don't exist?"
"Oh, you're still here?" Aya said, putting on a look of belated surprise. "Your coffee's gone."
Natsuki let out a cold laugh, poured the freshly brewed coffee into cups, placed one beside Ryo, then looked at the red gemstone on the center of the workbench.
"So? How's it looking? Can you separate the great alchemist from the Wiseman's blood?"
"Relax. I know a thing or two about souls," Ryo said, a hint of pride creeping into his expression.
Whether it was the Saint techniques of Cancer or the spiritual bodies of Shinigami, he had poured an enormous amount of effort into studying them.
To be a bit shameless about it, when it came to soul-related expertise alone, Ryo believed he deserved at least a four-digit rating.
"Listen to you brag," Natsuki said, taking a sip of coffee. "So separating the soul from the Wiseman's blood won't be a problem, right?"
"Separating body and soul is absurdly easy for me," Ryo replied, reaching out to touch the ruby-like spirit blood. "The real headache is getting Nina Adelard to cooperate."
"A cooperative alchemist and a controlled alchemist are two completely different things."
"That's true," Natsuki nodded slightly.
Talented people were everywhere. People genuinely willing to be loyal to you were painfully rare.
After years of teaching and working with the upper echelons of the Empire, Natsuki had long since understood one truth.
The biggest cost in human society was always the cost of communication.
And Nina Adelard, a great alchemist who had lived for over 270 years, was definitely not someone easy to win over.
"Maybe you should start with the conflict between the Wiseman and the alchemists," Aya said calmly, tapping the documents on the table.
"From what I remember, and from records dating back 270 years, the Hermetic school of alchemy had a falling-out with the 'perfect lifeform' they created, the Wiseman. After a rainy night, they were almost completely wiped out. Only Nina Adelard survived."
"From that perspective, Nina Adelard should have been at odds with the Wiseman. Yet based on the spirit blood we've collected, she seems to have fused with it."
"Isn't that strange?"
"You're saying…" Natsuki narrowed her eyes, surprise flickering across her face.
"A jailer," Aya said with a cold smile. "I suspect Nina Adelard may have become the Wiseman's jailer."
"That's very possible," Ryo said, glancing at Aya before chuckling softly.
According to his memories of the original story, Nina Adelard had indeed become the Wiseman's jailer.
And the Wiseman, in turn, wanted to break free of that surveillance, wipe out all life, and become the most perfect existence on the planet.
Ryo thought the Wiseman's way of thinking was deeply flawed, but whether from the original plot or Aya's research, that did seem to be the case.
With that in mind, he added with a smile, "The intel I got through private channels lines up pretty well with what you said, Aya."
Aya's lips curved up slightly, though her expression remained cool. "My personal suggestion is to awaken Nina's soul. Some answers can only be trusted when they come from someone who lived through it."
Natsuki snapped her folding fan open and praised her, "As expected of a woman who's lived through history. Very seasoned approach."
'So you're calling me an old woman to my face…' Aya shot Natsuki an icy glare.
'An eye for an eye.' Natsuki responded with exaggerated winks.
Pretending not to notice their silent exchange, Ryo pressed lightly against the Wiseman's spirit blood and said calmly, "In that case, let's wake her up."
As he spoke, a faint glow lit up his fingertip and sank into the spirit blood.
Like an engine suddenly flooded with fuel, the Wiseman's spirit blood began to vibrate violently.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Like the beating of a heart, it pulsed again and again as the soul hidden within slowly began to awaken.
After about three or four seconds, a slightly weathered female voice echoed from within.
『Little boy… was it you who awakened me?』
The voice paused, and the psychic fluctuations in the air gathered around Aya.
『Hm? The Witch of the Notaria… you're still alive?』
"You know her?" Ryo asked, looking at Aya in confusion.
"No," Aya frowned. "I don't. I've never met Nina Adelard."
『Heh. Someone of your standing wouldn't remember me. After all, when I met you back then, I was just a little girl.』
"Pfff—" Natsuki couldn't help but snort with laughter.
"..." Aya's expression darkened instantly.
『So in the end, I fell into LCO's hands? No… wait. You're Natsuki Minamiya, right? Why are you with Aya Tokoyogi?』
Nina's tone turned strange.
She clearly remembered being betrayed by her disciple four years ago, forcing herself and the Wiseman into hibernation.
At that time, it had already been five years since Natsuki had captured Aya and sealed her in a prison barrier.
By all logic, these two should have been mortal enemies. Why were they suddenly standing together now?
"I see. You're the one who disappeared in the monastery fire four years ago," Natsuki said mockingly. "Adelard's Abbey… tsk. No wonder we never found any information on that place. To think you even managed to fool the authorities of Itogami Island when you were nothing more than a weak soul. Impressive."
『It wasn't deception. Just a small transaction with the MAR Group.』
Nina smiled faintly. Then her psychic presence shifted and focused on Ryo, her tone turning subtle.
『Standing with the Witch of the Void and the Witch of the Notaria, plus awakening me…』
『If I may ask, you must be someone important, right?』
"Not at all," Ryo nodded in agreement, sounding genuinely amused.
"I'm just an ordinary Primogenitor who happened to be passing by."
『…』
Nina fell silent.
.
.
.