Or, why don’t you find another savior?

After a few seconds, she let out a soft sigh.

“Although the core is another technology, the external processing is another.”

After she placed the cage on the table, she simply snapped her fingers in front of the cage, and Yad began to tremble, but calmed down again after a moment.

"So, do you want to chat for a while?" Ash looked at Yade, his tone light and teasing.

Then, Yade spoke again. It was the same voice, but it was calmer and more mature than before.

"I don't think there's any need to talk. Since you've returned to this village in person, do you want to complete the final ceremony yourself?" Yade asked.

"It's hard to say. After all, you got the cause and effect wrong from the beginning." Ash disagreed. "It's better to say that I might do the exact opposite. As an artificial personality set by "this side", no, to be more precise, as the seal of the Holy Spear, will you resist my actions?"

“…” Yade fell silent.

This short conversation was more confusing than Gray could imagine.

Whether it was the sudden change in Yad's tone or the woman's attitude that showed she was fully aware of the village's affairs.

"Please help yourself."

Then, after saying this, Yade entered a dormant state.

"Is that all?" Shiomi began to scratch his head.

He thought there would be some exciting showdown, but in the end it was just this.

"Don't have too high expectations, my husband." Ash sat back on the bed. "It's just that the seal was made by the same person to some extent, so I can manipulate it so easily."

Xijian could only smile and spread his hands, expressing his approval of Ash's behavior.

"Um, is Yade okay?" Gray asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen." Ash spoke to Gray in a gentle tone, even mixed with sympathy, "In a sense, what happened to you is also my responsibility."

She said this and looked at Shiomi, "It seems that this journey will be more meaningful than I expected."

"After all, I just came here to help him explore the way, and by the way, I also serve as his guard when he moves here." Xi Jian waved his hand, "If you plan to do something, just do it as you want. You go in front, and I will try my best to follow behind."

Having said that, Shiomi looked towards Gray.

"But your 'friend' is indeed right, Gray." Shiomi extended her hand to signal Ash and introduced him again, "She is willing to come here, which may be the greatest luck for you."

Chapter 7 Other Guests

The accommodation conditions in the hunter's lodge are not satisfactory.

Even after cleaning it with insect-killing magic, the old bedding still made it hard to lie down on it peacefully. In the end, Shiomi wrapped herself in a blanket and leaned against the head of the bed, while Kazue wrapped herself in a blanket and slept in his arms.

Originally, Jian wanted to say that this was not a big deal, but when Shiomi proposed it, she readily accepted this option.

After barely making do for the night, the two welcomed the second day in Blackmoor Village. ;

The sky was clear and the air was fresh, in stark contrast to the somewhat gloomy sky of yesterday. In the midsummer sunlight, this village located on the hillside did not look so desolate.

After breakfast, Shiomi and Ash strolled around the village together.

Gray told them that the village rules only said that it was not allowed to approach the cemetery alone. Since they were traveling together, they were naturally not within the scope of the prohibition.

They started from the hunter's cabin and walked along the path beside the village, all the way to the cemetery located a little further north than the church in the north of the village.

"As expected..." After using magic to slightly strengthen his eyes, Shiomi said while looking at the cemetery here.

"What did you see?" asked Jian.

"Can't you see?" Xijian lowered his shoulders weakly.

Although he doesn't have the magic eye, he did learn a lot of skills in the Kingdom of Shadows. Being able to see spirits is just a very insignificant skill.

Besides, Jian herself was also a Servant, and in the realm of spirits, she was also the highest level. She didn't even need any special means, just looking over like this, she could see the spirits floating in the cemetery.

"I really can't see it." Ash, whose hand was held by Shiomi, stretched out his other hand from under the cloak and elegantly pulled the front of the other side.

Most of her face was still hidden in the shadows, which did hinder the view a bit.

"Okay..." Xijian pinched his brows and complained about his negligence, "How should I put it? The spirits here seem both dense and thin. The magic power around this area is very dense, and there are naturally residual thoughts in the cemetery, but the outline of each spirit is very thin, almost indistinguishable from the flowing magic power."

He looked around the cemetery and shook his head. "Unfortunately, I'm not a necromancer. I can't translate the lamentations of these spirits into concrete language. Only the directionality here is of concern."

The entire cemetery looks like a huge undead ghost. Is it because it is related to Altria Pendragon?

Thinking about this, Xijian suddenly noticed that in the mist composed of spirits and magic, there were several almost imperceptible threads of magic floating.

"That's it." Ash chuckled. "Someone is interfering with the spirits here from the outside. And because the people here don't know much about magic, they have no intention of hiding it."

She slowly raised her finger and pointed to the southeast of the village, where there was a small hill with an old windmill cottage standing on it.

Without any verbal confirmation, the two of them reached the same idea. They left the cemetery and walked towards the hill where the windmill cottage stood.

When they got closer, Shiomi let go of Ash's hand, walked in front of her, and motioned for her to slow down.

Although it looked dilapidated and the windmill's blades did not move no matter how strong the wind was on the hill, Shiomi was clearly aware that someone had been using it all the time. Even if there were no traces of entry or exit, they would not be hidden from Shiomi's eyes.

"Please open the door and come in. I should have been there to greet you early in the morning, but the sun is too strong today, which is a bit troublesome for my physique."

A calm and proper voice came from the windmill hut. When the voice, which was gathered by magic power, reached their ears, the fluctuation of magic power was also transmitted.

"What should we do? Is it a trap?" Jian said with a smile, showing no intention of retreating.

Shiomi reached out and held the door handle of the windmill hut. "Since the other party has taken the initiative to invite you, let's go in and take a look."

Although he always advocated a peaceful life, he would not back down even when faced with danger. Therefore, Jian often said that he was an adventurous person at heart, but he just didn't want to admit it.

Suddenly remembering this when opening the door, Xiomi could only smile to herself.

The clean and tidy house was filled with computer screens that looked like they were cut from crystal, but there were no peripherals such as keyboards and mice.

The magicians of the Clock Tower generally hate modern science, but Shiomi is one of the few who doesn't hate it and is even quite familiar with it.

However, there is indeed a group of magicians in the Magic Association who use such a large number of modern electronic devices.

They are often teased as moles that like to hide underground to do research, but their strength is too strong to be ignored.

"What an unexpected stage, to have the Sword of the Creation Master and a few Servants who still exist independently outside of the Holy Grail War visit my workshop."

A head of golden hair cut through the darkness of the room and slowly walked into the sight of the two.

The room was obviously so dilapidated that every step would make an annoying sound, but the man stepped as quietly as a cat.

The man was wearing a long cloak and had his eyes closed. He looked about the same age as Shiomi, but in fact, he might be much older than Shiomi.

"This is really embarrassing. I don't remember having such a close relationship with Lord Baliuereta." Shiomi put one hand on his waist.

After closing the door, Jian, who was standing by, took off his hood and revealed his face.

"Oh, how disrespectful! You are the famous British witch." The man bowed to Morgan politely. "It is a great honor for you two to visit us."

The man was very polite and looked like an elegant gentleman, but Shiomi knew that he was not that simple.

The Magic Guild is divided into three parts.

One is the Clock Tower where most magicians belong, which often becomes synonymous with the Magic Association at some point. Of course, this is also related to the mystery of the other two parts.

The second group is called the Wandering Sea, and they worship the ancient magic of the Age of Gods.

The third is the organization that the man in front of him belongs to. This organization mainly studies ancient alchemy, which is different from Western magic, and can be called heresy.

"Would you like to introduce me to someone you know?" Ash said to Shiomi.

Shiomi smiled helplessly, "I'm not so proud as to be an acquaintance of Mr. Zibia Eltnam Atlassia, one of the three deans of the Magic Association."

The man in front of him, named Zibia, is the dean of Atlas Academy, one of the three major organizations in the Magic Association.

Chapter 8: The Dean of Atlas Academy

"Familiarity is a subjective thing. Maybe if we move around more often, we will naturally become familiar with each other." Zibia did not pay attention to Ash, but focused his attention on Shiomi.

He was not a magician of the Wandering Sea, and he only had basic respect for the magicians of the Age of Gods, but no enthusiasm beyond that.

But the Shiomi Tenki in front of him was indeed a magician that Zibia was paying close attention to - although Shiomi didn't know this.

"So, what is Dean Zibia doing here?" asked Xi Jian.

"Just collecting some data," said Zibia. "I will stay here for a while."

Xi understood what was going on, but didn't ask any more questions. Instead, it was Jian who spoke up.

"The dean of Atlas Institute turned out to be a Dead Apostle."

"It was a long time ago." Zibia did not hide this, nor was there any point in hiding it. He looked at Shiomi and said, "Would you two like some wine? I heard that you are exploring the way ahead for El-Melloi II. It would be better if you could get enough information before your companions arrive here."

Shiomi did not try to keep this outing a secret, but she did not mention it to anyone either.

Then there is only one possibility left, that is, Zibia has been paying attention to Shiomi's movements.

"Thank you for your care." Xi Jian did not refuse, but responded after narrowing his eyes.

Zibia led the two men into the room inside the cabin.

The room was made of hastily piled wood, but there was not a single leak in the air, and there were elegant tables and chairs placed inside. The wine bottle on the table floated up automatically under the control of magic, and filled the glass that was automatically turned over and placed.

"I hope that as the rising star of the Clock Tower, you don't mind my excessive attention to you." Zibia continued, "I just happened to notice a special existence like you from Fuyuki's Holy Grail War data."

"Oh?" Xi Jian wanted to ask who asked him to do this, but he knew that he couldn't get the answer by asking, so he gave up and took a sip of the wine glass.

Compared to the Holy Grail War nine years ago, Shiomi can drink much better now. At least he doesn't need to use magic power to keep his mind clear after drinking.

"What do you think of this Blackmoor Village?" asked Zibia.

He had his eyes closed the entire time, but he could feel his attention on Shiomi. Only when he said this did his tone seem to be signaling to Ash who was standing beside him.

"Extremely boring." Ash commented calmly, "Altria has died as expected, but you are still thinking about resurrecting her. This is a contradictory behavior that is hard to accept."

Zibia laughed, "It sounds like you're talking about someone else's business. No, it's someone else's business, but it's definitely related to the witch."

The dean seemed to be aware of Ash's background and identity. This kind of knowing attitude made Xijian a little unhappy.

But in fact, there is nothing that can be done about it. Although Atlas Institute is a magic association like Clock Tower, its perspective is so far away that it is located in another dimension. They observe every possible future from a perspective that transcends the countless possibilities of the development of the world.

This is not a question of who is higher or lower, but the starting point is different from that of Shiomi from the very beginning.

He just looked down at the direction of the development of the universe from a place isolated from the world, while resisting the urge to commit suicide by jumping from a height for hundreds of years.

Even for the dean of Atlas Academy, it is a very difficult task.

"Living too long is really not a good thing." Xijian couldn't help but sigh.

Jian shook his head. "Who knows? The truth is often the opposite. One can always endure the long years better than one expects."

"......Yeah." Xijian couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Zibia sat down on the chair opposite the two of them and said, "Let's get back to the issue of Blackmoor Village. Judging from the attitude of the Witch Lady just now, you two should have other plans?"

"Is this important to you?" Xi Jian crossed her legs and looked at the man in front of her.

"In a sense, it is very important." Zibia opened his eyes a little, with a shrewd smile on his face, "After all, the resurrection of King Arthur is one of the contracts issued by the Atlas Academy."

These words made Xijian's heart tremble.

The Atlas Academy, which existed before the Christian era, issued seven contracts over the past two thousand years.

This is one of the few pieces of information that the Clock Tower also knows.

It is said that by three years ago, in 2000, Atlas Institute had already collected four contracts.

It seems that the purpose of Atlas Institute's current operation is to complete the recovery of the seven contracts.

I just didn't expect that even resurrecting King Arthur was part of the contract of Atlas Court. Shiomi couldn't help but look at Ash who was standing aside.

However, Ash also reached out and covered his face.

An attitude of disdain.

How twisted is this "Morgan" here?

At the same time, most of the Knights of the Round Table were sent to Artoria, and finally Artoria's rule was destroyed, and Artoria was buried as well.

But on the other hand, after Altria's death, he was planning to resurrect King Arthur, and even got the contract from Atlas House and asked for their help.

It was simply unbearable to watch. Jian felt a rare sense of discomfort.

"Logosreact." Zibia said a term, "The Atlas Academy lent it as one of the seven weapons to extract the spirit of King Arthur, and it is not allowed to interfere with the ceremony."

Then, his words stopped abruptly and he did not continue.