Madam Margaret had fainted, perhaps due to a recurrence of her appendicitis. Just in case, I blindfolded her and quickly made my way toward the Hollow Shrine.
As both a magus and a puppetmaster, Touko Aozaki was well-versed in human anatomy. By extension, her skills in the medical arts were undeniably top-tier.
"…You've been working me to the bone lately, haven't you?"
"I'm paying you for it. Every cent."
"Hmm… I suppose that's true. By the way, the Mystic Eyes of Distortion this time? I settled in this city because I thought it would be interesting, but I didn't expect it to be this overflowing with material…"
"Just in case you're getting ideas—if you try to sell her off to the Rail Zeppelin, I will personally shred your soul into a thousand pieces."
"I wouldn't. Do you think I'm crazy enough to openly antagonize both a user of the Fifth and the Third Magics?"
Indeed, the title of 'Magician'—even if it was a technical lie in my case—seemed to carry immense weight even for a Grand-ranked puppetmaster. Especially for one who constantly migrated her consciousness between surrogate bodies.
"Anyway, this kid has been through a hell of a lot."
"…Is it that bad?"
"A hairline fracture in the spine, and her vertebrae were in a precarious state. Ruptured ribs, a ruptured uterus—but the most dangerous thing was the appendicitis. She almost died from it."
"People actually die from appendicitis?"
"If you leave an inflamed appendix alone, it turns into peritonitis. That leads to systemic infection and death… Seriously, what was this girl's guardian doing? If they wanted to suppress her Mystic Eyes, they should have looked into the Rail Zeppelin instead of pumping her full of sensory-suppression drugs."
"Probably because they were fools. Still, this woman is something else… She must have been in excruciating pain, yet she ignored it all to try and kill me with a smile on her face."
There is a concept known as a 'compensation organ.'
The sensory-control drugs administered to Fujino Asagami had almost entirely robbed her of her sense of touch. In exchange, over time… they had made the power of her Mystic Eyes exponentially stronger. It functioned as a type of compensation mechanism—much like a Geas found in Celtic mythology.
Part of it was likely her awakening as a killer, allowing her to disregard pain itself… Regardless, she was a chilling opponent, especially after dealing with a Beast of Humanity.
"The ability to distort the left to the left, and the right to the right. Used in tandem, the output is more than doubled. Honestly, I'm no expert on Mystic Eyes, but these are at least Gold-rank, maybe higher."
"They're much stronger than simple Mystic Eyes of Charm. Minimum Jewel-rank, I'd wager."
"…More powerful than a natural pair of Mystic Eyes?"
"In terms of raw physical force, they might surpass even the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. They could even be Rainbow-rank…"
While Touko-san and I continued our discussion, Kirie Fujo was in a corner of the room, helping the post-surgery Fujino into a patient gown.
"I've treated all her mystical symptoms and physical illnesses… her actual senses should have returned to normal. The problem is her Mystic Eyes of Distortion and that 'murderous impulse' you mentioned…"
"About that… it seems Fujino Asagami has awakened those impulses to a certain degree."
Fujino Asagami was a being very similar to Kotomine Kirei.
A being possessing superhuman power that can only be incompletely controlled… someone destined to experience a fall from grace.
In the original story, Fujino Asagami found salvation, while Kotomine Kirei was judged by a Hero of Justice… but was there really a need to follow that script? At the very least, Kotomine Kirei has grasped his essence without experiencing a single fall, and Fujino Asagami hasn't fallen yet either.
"You want to tell her the truth? I'm against it. I don't know what you're thinking, but dragging a kid who's only just established a first-generation connection to the Mystery into this world is madness. Especially one holding Gold-rank eyes."
"Does it really matter? The Einzberns and I will protect her personally. Besides, the Einzberns have plenty of experience with artificial Mystic Eyes transplanted into homunculi, so training won't be an issue."
The original plot was already ruined beyond recognition anyway.
The main routes of 'Overlooking View' and 'Paradox Spiral' had been shattered by my hand. Since I intended to deal with the serial killer Rio Shirazumi myself, the latter half of 'A Study in Murder' was also effectively broken.
Touko Aozaki suggested wiping Fujino's memories several times, but I refused. She eventually stormed out of the workshop in a huff.
"Well… I can handle Shiki Ryougi's awakening myself."
In the 'Hollow Shrine' arc, Shiki Ryougi's memories partially return as she slaughter ghosts to establish her sense of self. From there, through various incidents, she fills her void and defines her existence.
Those events were orchestrated by Souren Araya to perfect Shiki. He tried to claim her at the last moment and was countered… So, if I simply deal with Souren Araya and awaken her, that will be the end of it.
The restless dead in the hospital are nothing but food for the Rinnegan, and an Origin Awakener with a craving for cannibalism is hardly a threat worth worrying about. As for Cornelius Alba… he should be manageable with Touko Aozaki's assistance.
Having reached a brief conclusion, I quickly turned around to face Fujino Asagami, who was staring at me with wide, blinking eyes.
"I thought you'd be waking up soon. Perfect timing."
"…Where is this?"
"Ah. It's a hospital. You can rest easy now."
"…Huh?"
As she gave me a bewildered look, I forced a smile and continued.
"Actually, that tone doesn't suit me, so let's drop the act. Nice to meet you, Fujino Asagami-san. You remember what happened yesterday, right?"
"…Yes. And the pain is still there."
"To put it bluntly, your life was at stake. Your spine was fractured, your appendix was on the verge of bursting, and you had neuromyelitis. You were literally on the brink of death."
"Did you… treat me?"
"You could say that. But right now, there's something more important we need to discuss."
When she tilted her head awkwardly, I let my smile fade into a neutral expression.
"You heard everything Touko-san and I were saying just now, didn't you?"
"…!"
Her face stiffened, and I transformed my eyes back into the Rinnegan.
I was stronger than her, but I had absolutely no desire for an ending where my neck got twisted by the Mystic Eyes of Distortion.
"Wh-what are you talking about…"
"The murderous impulse. The Mystic Eyes of Distortion. You've heard it all, haven't you? And you have your memories of yesterday… You were fighting me with everything you had, trying to kill me. Don't tell me you've forgotten?"
"That's impossible… When did I ever do such a thing? I would never kill a person…"
In terms of optics, I probably looked like a villain badgering an innocent high school girl by accusing her of being a murderer.
However, this had to be said now. Just like with Kotomine Kirei, people of this sort only get worse the longer they are left alone to fester.
"I'm telling you clearly, just as I told Touko Aozaki: you are a person who finds joy in killing."
"What nonsense are you talking about? I am not a murderer!"
"But you are a 'potential' murderer, aren't you?"
In that moment, I felt the Shinra Tensei field I had maintained around my body ripple and twist.
It wasn't severe enough to break, and I could easily restore it, but she clearly felt the feedback as her face hardened.
"Please leave. I don't want to talk to you."
"Asagami-san, do you truly wish to say that you aren't a potential murderer?"
"Of course. How could I be such a horrible person?"
"No, you are exactly that kind of person. Because… back then, and even now. You're smiling."
An unfit existence who feels pleasure from twisting people to death.
Unlike Kirie, who was easily persuaded, I had to find a way to make Fujino accept the fact that she was not a 'normal person.'
* * * * *
Her face went pale instantly, yet her expression remained fixed in a smile. Sensing she needed time to process her thoughts, I quietly closed the door and stepped out, only to be met by a stern-looking Touko-san.
"Why did you go that far?"
"Pardon?"
"That girl. You could have just told her about the Mystery and been done with it. Why bring up the murderous impulses?"
"It's her own condition; she has a right to know. Besides, I can only bring her into my work once she accepts that she is 'abnormal.'"
Kirie Fujo had no backing and owed me a 'debt'… more importantly, while she was decent for reconnaissance, her abilities weren't world-shaking. She was backup support.
But Fujino Asagami… she had the sheer power of the Mystic Eyes of Distortion. Down the line, she would even awaken Clairvoyance, turning her into a monster capable of sniping people with distortion from miles away. Given she managed to ripple my Shinra Tensei and completely ignore my Preta Path's Seal Absorption… most magi would find it impossible to fight her.
Imagine if I had recruited her with nothing but sweet lies.
Trusting a killer, forming a united front, only to be stabbed in the back the moment they realize their true nature… isn't that a scene we've seen many times before? I have absolutely no intention of following in Tokiomi Tohsaka's footsteps.
"If I'm not certain of her, I have no intention of recruiting her."
Kotomine Kirei had become aware of himself and had gone on a long journey to reflect on that nature. He would likely look into the truth behind his wife and seek out his daughter in the Burial Agency.
But Fujino Asagami? Nothing was settled for her yet.
She was essentially a massive pressure cooker destined to explode, much like Kirei, and this incident had served as the first release of steam.
Furthermore, if I simply left her alone and she awakened as a murderer, there was a 100% chance that Riesbyfe, the Director of Reien Academy, would step in to eliminate her.
"…This is becoming a headache."
"Just watch. It'll be settled."
Before long, a presence stirred within the room, and a voice as faint as a crawling ant whispered, "Please, come in."