"Shirou-sama~~~♡♡♡"
The next morning, the moment Shirou stepped into the dining car, a pink figure came hurtling toward him with astonishing force.
He instinctively dodged to the side, but at that very moment, the star-shaped eye patch worn by the Lolita girl began to glow faintly.
As though she had anticipated Shirou's attempt to evade her, Yvette caught his arm and hugged it tightly against her chest.
Was that her Mystic Eyes...?
Shirou blinked his sleep-heavy eyes. He had no energy at all that morning.
"My, my, Shirou-sama. Whatever happened to you? Those dark circles look terrible."
Yvette frowned, then covered her mouth as realization dawned on her. "Could it be that you spent an especially enjoyable night with those two girls?"
"You actually had a threesome all night long? Shirou-sama, you're incredible!"
The girl puffed out her cheeks adorably. "Waaah! Why didn't you invite me and make it a foursome?"
"Stop going on about threesomes and foursomes first thing in the morning..."
Shirou protested feebly before sitting down at one of the dining tables.
There was, of course, a reason for the spectacular dark circles beneath his eyes.
It all went back to the previous night.
...
"I'm from Japan. My name is Rin Tohsaka."
Rin Tohsaka clasped Luvia's hand and introduced herself with a smile. The moment she gave her name, Luvia's expression froze.
"Tohsaka... Toosaka...?"
"Wait. That family name... I'm certain it's... Huh?"
"From Japan... Shirou's classmate... the Toosaka family of Fuyuki...?"
The next instant, the Edelfelt heiress seized Rin Tohsaka's hand and slammed her into the floor with a flawless over-the-shoulder throw.
"...Huh?"
Shirou stared at the scene in utter disbelief, completely dumbfounded.
Of course, Rin Tohsaka, who had been thrown onto her back with her limbs in the air, was even more stunned than he was.
"Ugh...!"
She clutched her head and struggled to sit up.
Luvia narrowed her eyes. "Oh...? You managed to disperse the force of my throw at the last possible instant?"
Her mind had failed to process what was happening, but her body had reacted instinctively. Rin Tohsaka had absorbed most of the impact just as her back struck the floor.
"Wh-What was that for!?"
"Shut up!"
Rin Tohsaka gritted her teeth, astonished to find that Luvia seemed even angrier than she was.
"You... You, you, you, you scheming little wretch! I never imagined you were that Tohsaka!"
"The daughter of that despicable, shameless, vile, filthy Tohsaka family who used the Holy Grail as bait to lure Magi into a trap...!"
"..."
Rin Tohsaka finally recovered from the shock.
"Wait... What did you just say? How do you know so much about Fuyuki?"
Luvia folded her arms and looked down at her. "Why, of course I know about Fuyuki. I have even investigated your ancestors."
"Listen carefully. Not a single drop of noble blood could possibly flow through the veins of you Tohsakas."
"I have no idea what mistake led your family to begin studying Magecraft, but I suggest you learn your place."
"..."
Rin Tohsaka silently rose to her feet.
Her bewilderment had turned to disbelief, then fury. Now she gradually regained her composure.
"You said you were an Edelfelt, didn't you? Ah... I finally remember."
"That's right. I thought the name sounded familiar. So you're from that Edelfelt family."
"Wait, both of you... What in the world is going on?"
Shirou stepped between them to prevent another clash.
Rin Tohsaka gave Luvia a sly smile. "The Edelfelts from the Third Holy Grail War."
"Aren't they those incompetent Finnish nobles whose sisters turned against each other and withdrew from the ritual in disgrace?"
"They must have held quite the grudge. After fleeing home with their tails between their legs, they spent generations teaching their descendants that 'the Tohsakas are terrifying' and 'the Tohsakas are hateful'..."
"Well? Did I hit the nail on the head?"
"Ugh...!"
Luvia's expression stiffened. "You certainly have a talent for making tasteless jokes... You cannot take back what you just said, you know?"
Rin scoffed. "That's my line."
"I doubt you could even perform a proper dogeza and beg for mercy. Could you, sheltered little noblewoman?"
Shirou thought he finally understood. "Do you two know each other?"
"...It goes far beyond merely knowing each other," Luvia replied.
"Exactly. Far beyond that," Rin Tohsaka said with a sneer.
"The Edelfelts are a barbaric clan based in Finland, commonly known as 'the World's Most Elegant Hyenas.'"
"They shamelessly interfere in conflicts across the globe for the sole purpose of sinking their teeth into precious Magecraft treasures."
"They believe that any valuable treasure naturally belongs in their own vaults. They're like ignorant children throwing tantrums until they get what they want."
"That is precisely why they earned the nickname 'the World's Most Elegant Hyenas.'"
Luvia smiled sweetly. "I am honored to receive such praise from the daughter of the Tohsaka family."
"It proves that the Tohsakas fear my Edelfelt family but are powerless to oppose us, leaving them no choice but to live in poverty while turning green with envy."
"Though personally, I would prefer to be called a Hunter rather than a hyena. Le Chasseur in French would also be acceptable."
Rin Tohsaka covered her mouth and snickered. "My, look at you pretending to be an aristocrat... Your family is nothing but nouveau riche who only entered the world of Magecraft during the Renaissance~"
Shirou thought that maintaining a family lineage for five hundred years was already quite impressive. By the Clock Tower's standards, however, even families with histories stretching back more than a thousand years were hardly unusual.
"...My fighting spirit has been ignited. Nothing can extinguish it now."
Luvia's eyes widened as she demanded, "You! Do you have the courage to accept my gauntlet!?"
Rin looked utterly fearless. "Gladly. As long as you're willing to throw it, I'll even catch that tasteless Western outfit of yours."
"Excellent spirit."
Luvia nodded in satisfaction. "Then let us settle this with a duel and decide who gets to share a room with Shirou tonight... Eek!"
Shirou brought the edge of his hand down on Luvia's head.
"Shirou!?"
"I'm not a prize for you two to fight over. Behave yourselves if you want to stay in this room."
Shirou had certainly said that, and both Luvia and Rin had indeed settled down.
However, the brief peace did not last even half an hour.
After the three of them returned to their respective beds and turned out the lights, Luvia and Rin Tohsaka resumed their battle.
The good news was that they did not come to blows. They simply lay beneath their blankets, staring at the ceiling while trading insults.
The bad news was that Shirou's bed stood directly between theirs.
Shirou had finally fallen asleep close to dawn. Rin and Luvia seemed to have stayed awake even longer, which was why both of them were still sleeping soundly now.
...
"Oh~ So that's what happened... Still, Shirou-sama really is kind!"
"Why do you say that?"
The eye patch-wearing girl tapped her chin with one finger. "You could have stopped them last night, couldn't you? But you chose not to."
Shirou took a bite of the toast served for breakfast. "Well... I didn't want to ruin the friendship they had worked so hard to build."
"Are you perhaps misunderstanding what the word 'friendship' means?"
Yvette regarded him with great interest. "Rin-chan and Luvia-chan, huh…"
"They're both adorable, gem-themed beauties. I certainly hope we can all get along. Let's work hard together as Shirou-sama's underage mistresses~"
Shirou had already learned how to deal with Yvette. In simple terms, he selectively ignored her.
"Speaking of which, Yvette-chan..."
"Ah!"
The girl shrieked.
Shirou frowned. "What's wrong?"
The eye patch-wearing girl cupped her flushed cheeks. "Calling me by such an intimate name without warning, Shirou-sama, honestly~"
"I wasn't emotionally prepared... Ah, but my body is already ready."
"Sorry, I wasn't fully awake. Miss Yvette."
"Please go back to calling me what you did before!"
Shirou continued, "You said earlier that you were one of Kayneth's students, didn't you?"
"That was a lie. I really am a student in the Mineralogy Department…"
"But Professor Kayneth is no longer the one managing El-Melloi's Lecture Hall."
"What do you mean?"
"Someone else is currently in charge of El-Melloi's Lecture Hall. Someone you know, Shirou-sama."
The Lolita girl smiled.
"Third-Class Lecturer Waver Velvet."
"Waver... He returned to the Clock Tower?"
After the Fourth Holy Grail War ended, Shirou had exchanged letters with Waver for a while.
At some point, however, they lost contact.
Waver had been traveling around the world alone at the time. Shirou had even wondered whether he had been captured and eaten by cannibals.
"Yes. A few years ago, Professor Waver returned to the Clock Tower after completing his journey around the world and began teaching in the Mineralogy Department."
Yvette began recounting Waver's struggles at the Clock Tower.
He had initially been appointed as a Third-Class Lecturer, but quickly made a name for himself.
Although he served under Lord El-Melloi of the Aristocratic Faction, his teaching methods were completely opposed to those of his mentor, Kayneth.
At first, he had not even been assigned to a formal faculty. He barely managed to keep a small class of only a few students running.
However, his strangely accessible and practical teaching methods quickly became a topic of conversation among members of the New Age who had no place for themselves within the Clock Tower.
Waver eventually persuaded several lecturers who had lost out in political struggles to teach alongside him, creating an unprecedentedly diverse educational system.
"I'm surprised Kayneth tolerated something like that..." Shirou said.
They really had changed a lot...
Both Kayneth and Waver.
"He did more than tolerate it. Whenever anyone criticized Waver, Kayneth would personally step in to defend him!"
Yvette imitated Kayneth's voice.
"'Here in the Mineralogy Department, Kischur, results are everything."
"'Even an incompetent failure like Waver-kun will have a place here as long as he can produce results.'"
"Things like that."
"Haha. His mouth is as foul as ever..."
Shirou asked, "So did Waver produce results impressive enough to satisfy even someone as harsh as Kayneth?"
"The heirs to Papilio Magia: Butterfly Magecraft, Verner Caesarmund, Roland Berzinsky, Org Rum…"
"The sisters Radia Pentel and Nazica Pentel , as well as Fezgram vor Sembren..."
Yvette tilted her head as she rattled off a long list of names.
"What is this?"
The girl replied, "They're all Magi who have risen to the rank of Pride or Brand over the past few years. They were also all students of Professor Waver."
"…That's incredible," Shirou murmured in amazement.
Brand was effectively the highest rank in the Clock Tower. Aside from a certain parallel world where Magecraft was in decline, the only Grand Shirou knew of was Touko Aozaki.
Even Lord Eulyphis and Lord Valualeta, the teacher of Touko and Souren Araya, were only Brand.
As for Pride, the rank below Brand, wasn't that a realm we Makiri had striven for over a century to reach without success?
Well… his research into Heroic Spirits and the Holy Grail War really was far too surreal. It was only natural that the Clock Tower refused to acknowledge it.
Returning to Waver, Shirou had already sensed his latent talent during the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Although he had no aptitude for Magecraft whatsoever, he possessed extraordinary insight, or rather, powers of observation.
That applied not only to his observation of Magecraft, but also to his observation of people.
Even so, there was still an enormous gulf between possessing talent and bringing that talent to fruition.
Hearing that Waver had successfully realized his potential filled Shirou with genuine satisfaction.
"That's what Professor Waver said," Yvette remarked casually as she cut into her fried egg. "He said that one of the reasons he'd come this far was the influence of a friend he met in the Far East… When he was at his lowest, that person encouraged him. And because that person praised his abilities, he was able to keep working hard all the way to the present… Hmm~ Shirou-sama, does that give you any clues?"
"Hmph. How should I know?" The corners of the red-haired boy's mouth curled upward.
…
"Good morning, Tohsaka. Good morning, Luvia."
Rin Tohsaka and Luvia entered the dining car with yawns and sat across from Shirou.
Perhaps because they had spent the entire previous night making a commotion, both of them were unusually well-behaved today.
If those two started fighting in a public area… Just imagining it was enough to make Shirou's head ache.
During breakfast, the train's operators also presented some of the items that would appear at the auction.
An auctioneer named Leandra was introducing the Flaming Mystic Eyes to the passengers as they ate.
Shirou watched the eyeballs drifting inside a cylinder filled with solution while biting into a slice of toast covered in jam.
"For this auction, we plan to display two pairs of Mystic Eyes today, followed by another two to four pairs tomorrow. We appreciate your understanding."
"Is that about the usual number of Mystic Eyes?" Yvette muttered.
Perhaps noticing Shirou's gaze, the Lolita girl touched her eye patch and explained, "This auction was originally just an excuse for the former manager to show off her collection of Mystic Eyes. The highlights, the items that will truly draw everyone's attention, are scheduled for tomorrow."
Shirou asked, "Who owns this train?"
"Huh? Shirou-sama, you boarded without even knowing that?"
Yvette looked astonished, then leaned close to his ear. "The manager of the Mystic Eye Collection Train is a high-ranking Dead Apostle named Rita Rozay-en. No, I suppose there's no need to hide it… Rita Rozay-en is one of those known as the Twenty-Seven Ancestors of the Dead Apostles."
"..."
Shirou was inwardly startled.
The Twenty-Seven Ancestors were the originators of the vampires known as Dead Apostles, who now lived hidden throughout the world.
Only the strongest and oldest members of the vampire race could attain the title and status of Ancestor. They were the undisputed kings of the Dead Apostles.
Among them were Ancestors of the Age of Gods faction known as the Elder Title, who had lived for more than four thousand years. There were Ancestors who counted the passage of time in secret realms unknown to humanity, and others whose seats were passed down through bloodlines every five hundred years.
Each had established their own faction, and although they were kin, they still fought one another for power.
Even mighty Ancestors could perish. Most had been hunted down and sealed away by the Holy Church, but because successors would eventually arise, the Twenty-Seven Seats would never disappear.
To all Dead Apostles, becoming one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors was the ultimate goal of their existence. Even those at the very bottom dreamed of accumulating enough power to one day reach the rank of Ancestor.
Touko and Beo fought something like that…?
Yvette continued without seeming particularly concerned. "I only started attending these auctions some time after the acting manager took over, so I don't know the details. Not prying too deeply into each other's affairs is the secret to maintaining a lasting relationship, don't you think? Especially in this line of work."
Shirou nodded in agreement, and the girl with the eye patch continued.
"Actually, the invited guests aren't necessarily limited to the people already aboard. Quite a few only board on the day of the auction. It's just that anyone absolutely determined to win usually comes from the beginning. The same goes for the highlights I mentioned earlier. In most cases, the Mystic Eye Collection Train is the one that sends out the invitations."
"W-wait. What does that mean…?" Rin Tohsaka's mouth fell open.
Yvette chuckled softly. "Exactly what it sounds like. The Mystic Eye Collection Train takes eyes from its passengers. Even if someone ignores an invitation, they'll be abducted by force. By the time they're found, they'll be a corpse with both eyes gouged out. Basically, the invitation is a message saying, 'If you value your life, surrender your Mystic Eyes without resistance.' As for the reason, it's probably something like, 'Because every Mystic Eye in the world belongs to me.'"
"That certainly sounds like a vampire."
Shirou asked, "Then where can I meet the former manager?"
Yvette's expression went blank. "Did you hear nothing I just said? She's one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors of the Dead Apostles. No sane person would ever think of seeking her out willingly!"
Shirou wiped his lips with a napkin. "Meeting her is the entire reason I came to this auction."
"..."
The corner of Yvette's mouth twitched.
Just then, a commotion swept through the dining car.
The auctioneer had unveiled the second item in the auction, the Mystic Eyes of Looting.
According to Yvette, the Flaming Mystic Eyes shown earlier were ranked as Noble Color within the Mystic Eyes hierarchy, while the Mystic Eyes of Looting was Gold-grade.
Once Mystic Eyes reached the Gold level, they were rare enough that receiving a Sealing Designation from the Association would hardly be surprising.
The Clock Tower lacked the technology to guarantee the safe removal of only the eyeballs, so they simply took the holder into custody along with them.
Above Gold were Jewel-grade Mystic Eyes. Those were already the stuff of legend.
The eyes of the Gorgon, the snake-haired monster of Greek mythology, belonged to that category.
As for humans… Perhaps some of the noble families among the Clock Tower's Lords, lineages that had endured for thousands of years, possessed Jewel-grade Mystic Eyes in their collections.
The girl with the eye patch murmured, "I didn't expect the second item to already be Gold-grade. Perhaps we can look forward to a Jewel-grade Mystic Eye appearing at this auction…"
"What about Rainbow-grade Mystic Eyes?"
A voice rang out.
The girl who stood was Olga Marie, whom Shirou had met the previous day.
As expected of the daughter of the Lord of the Department of Astromancy, she radiated an incisive presence that drew every eye in the room, despite being barely over ten years old.
"What are you referring to?" asked the female auctioneer, whose eyes were bound with leather straps.
"Exactly what I said."
Olga Marie spoke with unmistakable conviction. "Since this is the Mystic Eye Collection Train, surely it also possesses the legendary Rainbow Mystic Eyes, the highest rank of all?"
Shirou sensed every Magus in the carriage hold their breath.
Rainbow-grade Mystic Eyes were the highest rank among Mystic Eyes, fantastical existences that transcended even myth and legend.
The mere mention of the term was enough to send a shudder through every Magus present.
So the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception are really that extraordinary… Shirou thought.
"Under the present circumstances, I am unable to answer that question," the female auctioneer replied.
She had not said they did not exist. Her answer was simply that she could not say under the present circumstances.
"...?"
"Is something wrong, Shirou-sama?"
The red-haired boy shook his head.
Was it just my imagination?
The female auctioneer's eyes were hidden beneath leather straps, and yet…
When the Rainbow-grade Mystic Eyes were mentioned, Shirou had distinctly felt her gaze turn toward him.
…
"Excuse me, Shirou-san. Do you have a moment?"
After breakfast, Shirou was wandering through the train in search of clues about the former manager when someone suddenly called out to him from behind.
He turned and saw a young girl with magnificent golden hair and delicate features.
"You're Kayneth's…"
"Reines Archisorte. I am attending this auction as Kayneth's representative."
The girl responded smoothly and with impeccable grace. She carried herself with such maturity that it was difficult to believe she was not yet fifteen.
"Hello. What do you need?" Shirou asked warily.
Yvette had already given him a general explanation of the situation.
El-Melloi, Eulyphis, and Animusphere, the three Lords represented aboard the train, all belonged to the Aristocratic Faction.
Considering that the Aristocratic Faction had effectively ruled the Clock Tower ever since Kayneth's marriage to Sola-Ui, it was perfectly reasonable to view them as representatives of the Clock Tower's official position.
"Well, I would like to ask you for a favor."
As she spoke, Reines adopted a frail, pitiful expression.
Shirou saw through the act immediately, but he was not tactless enough to expose a little girl's performance.
"Of course. What can I do for you?"
"Well, it isn't actually for me. It's for Olga Marie-sama."
Shirou followed Reines back to the guest compartment.
There, he found a room in complete disarray, with Olga Marie huddled in one corner, hugging her knees as she sobbed.
***
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