Type-Moon, the Path of a Magician

"I believe you, Count." Second answer.

"I won't force you. After all, I'm just..."

"Huh? What did you just say?"

"I believe you, Count."

There is no falsehood in his serious eyes. He will not admit his mistake. The light in his eyes is trust and recognition.

There was no sign of retreat, let alone hesitation? This kind of trust was trust that could be trusted, and it was even more than the trust between Master and Servant.

I am even a little jealous of the me outside. I am a vengeful ghost but I can always gain your trust.

"Really? I can't do anything about you."

“Hahahaha, never mind. Since you’ve chosen to continue, just bear with it. I’m a vengeful ghost with no mercy. I won’t stop because of your pain! Be prepared, master!”

"Oh! Count!"

Chapter 5 Becoming a Magician

The dryness in the mouth, the tearing sensation in the body, and the burning sensation coming from the veins in the body.

The pain that was fed back from all parts of his body made Xia Yuan's mind clearer.

He couldn't help but let out a few screams: "Uh, ah, ah..."

"Now that we have begun, then grit your teeth and persevere to the end, Master."

Seeing Xia Yuan’s big reaction, the Earl in the prison tower was a little worried.

outside world--

The sound of mumbling in sleep could be heard from the sleeping Xia Yuan. The sweat on his forehead had wet his entire face. Along with the slight twitching of his body, the outlines of the light blue magic veins on the surface of his skin gradually became faintly visible.

The beads of sweat on his forehead and the distorted expression made the Earl, who was standing beside Xia Yuan, feel a little anxious.

He wiped the sweat off Xia Yuan's forehead with a freshly washed towel. Although he still had that expressionless poker face, the cigarette butts scattered on the ground under his feet reflected his mood well.

He seemed as steady as an old dog, but in fact he was very nervous. He was also very worried about the condition of his Master.

Observing the magic circuits that began to emerge on Xia Yuan's body, his constant mumbling and distorted face, he became anxious.

"Master... hold on..."

As a Servant, he could of course recognize what the light blue veins emerging on Xia Yuan's body were.

【Magic circuit.】

This is the magician's innate source of magic.

It is a magician's unique organ. Its function, in simple terms, is to serve as a converter and driver for the magician to transform vitality into magic power. Without these nerve-like organs, the magician would not be able to use magic.

Similarly, the number and quality of magic circuits can also reflect the magician's qualifications, because the number and quality of magic circuits are determined as early as when he is born. Similarly, the achievements in magic are largely determined by qualifications.

Xia Yuan made a contract with himself, so he would spy on his memories or dreams.

The master was deliberately pulled into the prison tower, with a big purpose of asking another self to help Xia Yuan open up the magic circuit.

The Earl knew very well that his Master would never be mediocre, he just lacked an opportunity and experience to become a truly powerful man.

Although sending him to the prison tower was cruel, he had no other choice at this point.

If he can't make up his mind, the only fate that awaits him is death.

Xia Yuan couldn't supply the magic power he needed. For a Servant, what value did a Master who couldn't supply magic power have? If he didn't have the inherent skill of [Self-Recovery] that could restore magic power on his own, he might not have survived until today.

A Servant who already consumes a lot of magic, having a Master who is unable to supply magic is undoubtedly adding insult to injury. Due to Xia Yuan's limitations, he can't even exert one-fifth of his strength. Xia Yuan himself has no means of countering attacks from other magicians.

He himself has no other means except the fighting methods of a street thug. In this state, his own strength cannot be fully utilized. If this continues, when the Holy Grail War comes, they will definitely be the group that suffers the most miserably.

So he realized very clearly that if he continued like this, it would only be a slow death.

Instead of sitting here and waiting to die, it would be better to send Xia Yuan in and give it a try.

Although it is a prison tower called hell that exists in the world, it houses the prisoners who have committed heinous crimes. It is hell and the gathering place of all pain. The dark fortress contains all the suffering and despair, and the prisoners can never escape from it...

But... there's no escape?

The Earl glanced at the young man lying on the bed and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

There is no prison in the world that is absolutely inescapable, and no predicament that is truly hopeless.

Even the prison tower is like this.

At least one person had escaped, and the means of escape lay before him...

That prison couldn't hold the Stone King, and certainly couldn't hold his Master, so...

"Don't worry, Master. Nothing will happen to you."

…………

"Uh ah ah..."

Xia Yuan felt a sudden pain from somewhere in his senses, and let out a series of piercing howls in pain. Although he did not understand magic, the Count's method of opening the circuit and messing around was obviously unreliable.

He had never heard of this method of pouring magic power into the body and using it to forcibly break the shackles and open the magic circuit. It was definitely not so painful when he saw Shirou Emiya open the magic circuit in his previous life.

This feeling is much more painful than being stabbed by someone.

As the ceremony continued, the burning sensation in the body's veins became more and more intense. The pain even made Xia Yuan begin to doubt whether the Count really understood the development of magic circuits.

The words that he was just a vengeful ghost, not a magician, and he would not be responsible if any accidents happened later, actually came true at this moment.

"Ah ah ah..."

A heart-wrenching wail came out of his mouth. Whether in the outside world or in his dreams, his body was already soaked in cold sweat. Seeing this, the Earl beside him frowned slightly and shouted at him.

"Hold on, hold on! Do not succumb to the pain in your body. Use your iron will that bursts out in desperation to overcome the pain and complete your revenge on yourself."

"Well, you... who would understand what you're saying..." He retorted sarcastically through clenched teeth.

Can this kind of great pain really be compensated by momentum?

Fortunately, the pain did not last long, only the longest few minutes of life, and then the pain began to recede like the tide.

Seeing Xia Yuan, who had eaten all the magic ashes and was about to collapse to the ground, the count stepped forward in time to support him.

She lowered her head and observed the dozen or so blue veins emerging on his body surface, then nodded with satisfaction.

At this moment, the magic circuit in Xia Yuan's body has been activated, and he has taken the first step on the path of magic.

Similarly, the earl who had signed a master-servant contract with Xia Yuan, whether in a dream or in the outside world, could feel a considerable supply of magic power, which was a very good supply of magic power.

For the Earl in the outside world, this was the first time in such a long time that he had received magic power supply from the Master, except for the skills of eating and self-recovery.

"Well done, Master!"

"This is a good supply of mana. It shows that the magic circuit is very efficient in converting life force into mana. Although the quantity is not that amazing, the quality is quite good... I didn't expect that this chaotic method would be successful on the first try."

Success on the first try?

If you fail, are you prepared to try a few more times?

Thinking of this, Xia Yuan's eyes became a little ugly.

If he were to go through this torture a few more times, he would surely faint from the pain.

"You did a great job, Master. I saw your determination in this desperate situation."

The Earl, who witnessed everything, clapped his hands with great satisfaction and praised Xia Yuan: "The iron will that erupted in desperation overcame the pain in the body. It was like revenge on his past self."

"To defeat one's past self with the willpower that erupted in desperation, and to be reborn and complete revenge on oneself, how wonderful, krypton hahahaha——!"

What do you understand?

Seeing the Earl yelling at every turn, Xia Yuan wanted to complain, but the pain and weakness he felt from his body made him speechless.

Even though she was holding onto the Earl's hand, her legs and feet were still shaking uncontrollably, so she forced herself to ask.

"Are we going directly to the Judgment Room on the first floor? Can I rest for a while? I feel like I could faint at any moment in my current state."

Hearing this, the Earl just laughed, nodded and said, "Of course you can. Your soul entered through the door on its own initiative. You are not a prisoner here. Your words will not be restricted here."

"The prison tower cannot hold you. You can come if you want to, and leave if you want to. You can leave at any time."

"But you have to remember that your ticket is only valid for this Holy Grail War. Once your connection with that me is severed, you will not be able to go back and forth."

"Hmm? Then... you said before that you can't escape..."

"Hahahaha, of course I lied to you. How can I make you explode in adversity if I don't cut off your escape route?"

Seeing Xia Yuan's face full of black lines, the Earl couldn't help laughing. He raised his hand and patted Xia Yuan on the back with a happy expression, which made Xia Yuan's face even uglier.

"Don't blame me, Master. These are what the other me told you. If I don't tell you this, it will be difficult for you to struggle with all your heart!"

"You actually plotted against me!"

"Don't be angry. Anyway, the result is not bad. Master, take a good rest. See you later."

Seeing Xia Yuan's fatigue, the Earl stopped teasing him, slowly raised his hand and hit him on the back of the neck, using a single blow to physically hypnotize him. Then he took off his cloak and draped it behind Xia Yuan, helped him up, and tried to make him feel better.

In a daze, Xia Yuan heard the count's final farewell.

"Take a short break, Master."

"See you again, my accomplice."

……

……

outside world--

When Xia Yuan woke up again, the first person he saw was the Count who had been guarding his bedside all night.

But this time he was touching on reality.

What I saw was no longer the gloomy and damp prison tower, but my own warm and familiar little house.

"Hey, are you awake, Master? I slept for two days and two nights. It's good to be young. You can fall asleep as soon as you lie down."

"Ok?"

Seeing the green-faced guy at the head of the bed teasing him, Xia Yuan suddenly became furious. He didn't bother to pay attention to him and picked up the pillow at the head of the bed and threw it at him.

"what?"

Seeing that Xia Yuan was still full of energy, the Earl couldn't help but smile. He felt relieved and easily grabbed the pillow thrown by Xia Yuan. He shook his head and said.

"This morning I'm really in a bad mood."

Chapter 6 The Visiting Priest

After waking up, Xia Yuan went to the bathroom to wash off the cold sweat. He was still a little dazed, and the fatigue reflected in his body made him feel a little weak. Dreams and reality are interconnected, and what he experienced in the prison tower was also reflected in his body in the real world.

He raised his hand and tried to convert magic power. Seventeen light blue circuits of different thicknesses flashed fluorescent light, and several streams of magic power began to circulate in his body along the magic circuits.

He began to try to refine and mobilize the magic power.

"Is this the magic circuit?... It feels wonderful to feel the magic power flowing through my meridians. It's really good."

Trying to circulate magic power and familiarize himself with his current physical condition, Xia Yuan nodded.

Although he was still a little uncomfortable with the condition of his body as he had just cleared his magic circuits, the feeling of fullness of magic power flowing through his body gave him an unexpected and novel feeling.

Watching Xia Yuan successfully operate his magic power, the Earl sitting on the chair also received the corresponding supply. Feeling the magic power filling his body, the feeling of weakness from the lack of magic power supply for such a long time was gradually disappearing.

Although his inherent skill, self-recovery, can help him supply magic alone when he is separated from his Master, the amount of supply can only allow him to maintain the most basic activities. It is okay for small-scale battles, but if he wants to use a Noble Phantasm to fight a servant, it is far from enough.

After Xia Yuan opened up the magic circuit, as a contracted servant, he could naturally perceive the changes that took place most clearly.

He couldn't help but admire in his heart: "This is a pretty good supply of mana. It seems that the Master's magic circuits have a very high conversion rate of mana and vitality. Although the number of magic circuits doesn't seem to be that outstanding, the quality is excellent. With this kind of mana supply, plus my own [Self-Recovery], I can go all out in the next battle."

After feeling the magic circuit that had just awakened, Xia Yuan was familiarizing himself with his body while pondering his next move.

Now that the most important issue of demon supply has been resolved, time does not allow him to waste any more. He must think about what to do in the next war.

Before he had time to recover, there was a sudden knock on the door, which startled him. He glanced at the earl in the corner of the room and signaled him to hide. The earl nodded in understanding, and then slowly turned into a spirit and dissipated.

"Is anyone there?" A deep male voice came from outside the door.

"coming."

Pretending to look lazy as if he had just woken up, Xia Yuan stretched, put the pistol in his pocket on his waist, walked quietly to the door, and opened it with great caution.

"Hello, are you the seventh Master of the Holy Grail War, Mr. Xia Yuan?"