"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my flesh has been destroyed, yet in my body I will see God…"
Within the cemetery, solemn and steady prayers echoed softly.
All the mourners wore black funeral attire.
The sky seemed painted over with gray fuel, and the air carried the chill of freshly fallen rain.
Leading the ceremony was a boy only fifteen years of age.
His name—Aozaki Ryouma.
At this moment, Ryouma's expression was serious.
Even though the one buried before him was his own father, he did not allow grief or unease to show upon his face.
This was Ryouma's fifteenth year since arriving in the Type-Moon world.
A world where incinerations of human order, erasures of reality, and Holy Grail Wars were real.
A world where humanity could vanish in the very next second without surprise.
Who could have thought that a death brought on by an accident in his previous life would let Ryouma cross into this world? He had been reborn here, and now had grown into a fifteen-year-old youth.
Aozaki—that was the family name he had inherited.
On the surface, the family appeared to be a lineage with several centuries of history yet little wealth. But in truth, within the world of magecraft, they were a renowned and exalted house.
The reason was simple: the Fifth Magic was born from the Aozaki family.
Magic was a divine law beyond the world, a miracle unreachable by human-crafted magecraft.
Before the birth of the Fifth Magic, magi across the world fought with bloody fervor, each desperate to be the first to conceptualize it.
The outcome was ironic: no one expected that the Fifth Magic would be born from a rural noble house in the Far East.
The Aozaki family—descendants of the Fifth Magician.
The weight of that sentence was unimaginable to ordinary humans.
Even the oldest magical bloodlines, stretching back over a thousand years, had no choice but to acknowledge it—Aozaki had surpassed them, reaching the goal they had all sought: the Root.
That being said, this fact had little to do with Ryouma.
His status was that of the only son of the branch family. At present, only Aozaki Touko and Aozaki Aoko of the main family were qualified to inherit the Fifth Magic.
Ryouma, as the branch family head, bore the mission of safeguarding the Aozaki lineage and paving the way for the sisters' future.
This was the responsibility entrusted to him by his now-deceased father.
The prayer ended.
The coffin was lowered into the freshly dug grave.
The funeral over, the guests rose and began to speak among themselves.
Among those who had come to pay their respects were members of the Aozaki main family. Relations between the branch and the main had always been cordial.
The first to approach Ryouma was someone from the Asagi family.
"You've worked hard, young master… You've done well, even from a young age. With someone like you inheriting the family, I'm sure Lord Yuuki must be very comforted."
The middle-aged man in a black suit spoke with emotion as he looked at Ryouma, his eyes carrying a complex expression.
"Uncle Takeshi, I only did what I could. Now that father has passed, I can't hide in the shadows anymore."
"Don't worry. The Asagi family and Aozaki family are of one heart. We will support you just as we supported your father.
To be honest, even if we wanted to, we could never push you to the forefront so casually. If others discovered that the Aozaki family's rise was thanks to you, none of them would be able to sleep soundly."
Asagi Takeshi waved his hand as he spoke.
The Asagi family were distant relatives of the Aozaki.
Unlike the branch family tied by blood to the main house, their kinship was much thinner.
Takeshi himself had been one of Aozaki Yuuki's trusted retainers.
And now, with Yuuki gone, it was natural for Ryouma to inherit not only his father's seat but his father's retainers as well.
Ordinarily, no one would truly trust a mere fifteen-year-old.
But Ryouma was no ordinary youth.
In 1972, at only eight years old, Yo convinced his father to use family funds to purchase vast amounts of oil.
Barely a year later, the first global oil crisis struck Japan.
Crude oil that once cost $2.60 a barrel soared more than fourfold in under a year.
As a transmigrator, Ryouma had turned foreknowledge into a sword, carving out immense commercial triumphs in Japan during the seventies.
And thus, the Aozaki family had risen.
Aozaki Yuuki never concealed his son's business genius.
With the intent of establishing authority, he made sure his retainers understood that Ryouma was no less a beacon of hope than the main family's young ladies.
That was why Asagi Takeshi, head of his clan, gave Ryouma his respect. Not because of his bloodline, but because of his talent and achievements.
"Young master, I've always wondered… those investments you recently had us make—surely you don't mean…"
"Well, that—"
Ryouma had just opened his mouth when a slender, strikingly beautiful girl walked toward him, cutting the conversation short.
"Uncle Takeshi, Yuuki-ojisan has only just been laid to rest, and you're already discussing business with Ryouma? Adults should act like adults—don't keep throwing difficult problems onto a minor. That's too shameful."
"U-uh… Touko-sama…"
Before the girl, Takeshi shrank back.
Her hair fluttered, her beauty dazzling.
Even without her words, her graceful poise alone made her captivating to behold, and she carried with her the natural aura of one destined to stand above others.
She was Aozaki Touko, eldest daughter of the main family.
At just fifteen, she had already been hailed as a prodigy among magi, regarded as a future Magician.
With a sympathetic glance at Ryouma, Takeshi hurriedly excused himself—like a man tossing away a ticking bomb.
"That old geezer…"
Ryouma couldn't help but chuckle helplessly.
But there was one thing Takeshi didn't know—
To Ryouma, Touko was no terrifying figure. The two of them were lovers.
They had confirmed their relationship in secret not long ago.
"Really, not even a funeral can keep you still… Ryouma, you don't need to thank me for chasing them off."
Touko's smile carried a mischievous charm.
She looked impossibly cute.
"Touko, don't worry about me.
Even though father has passed, life still has to go on. Besides, this isn't my first funeral."
Ryouma's voice was calm.
Of course he felt grief within.
When he had first reincarnated, he hadn't regained all his past memories. They only surfaced gradually as he grew.
In those years before his memories returned, Aozaki Yuuki had been nothing less than a worthy father to him.
And now, Ryouma didn't want to bring sorrow to Touko.
Men would always show strength before the women they loved.
"Well then—how about this.
I already spoke with my parents. Why don't you come stay at my place for a while?" Touko suggested eagerly.
"Eh… you want me to stay in Togawa?"
"What, you don't want to?
I already arranged everything for you.
Anyway, Ryouma-kun, you live alone here in Misaki. If you come, my parents will be delighted."
Touko used her parents as a shield.
But the blush on her face betrayed her true feelings.
"It's not that I don't want to. I was just thinking of the matters with the consortium… but, well, since you insist, I'd be a fool to refuse.
After all, I'm not such a clueless boyfriend, am I?"
"Hmph, you only ever say things to make me happy~"
Arms crossed, Touko feigned a proud tsundere air.
But after turning her head away, her face soon melted into a smile.
Sadly, no one was there to admire it.
The Aozaki family had long been landowners in Misaki.
Though they had their own business group, it was only ever at the level of rural landlords—far below those nationwide, or even multinational, conglomerates.
But that was in the past.
Now, under Ryouma's leadership, the Aozaki family had tasted commercial triumph.
They had every possibility of becoming a true zaibatsu (conglomerate).
From his perspective, what they needed most now was time to digest their newfound wealth.
Taking a short break would not be an issue.
Minor affairs could be left to his trusted subordinates.
"…That's not all, though. Grandfather wants you to return as well."
Touko's tone turned cold.
Whenever the subject of her magus grandfather arose, she was always like this. Ryouma was used to it.
Still, that the old Magician wanted to see him—
Ryouma couldn't guess at his intentions.
[End of Chapter]
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