He went through the castle to its foundations making sure that nothing was left unexamined. Every detail, every corner, every book and every secret passageway. In his mind awaited a whole gigantic map of the castle and that was good for him, too convenient to some extent, but that was the problem. It was all too convenient, as if the owner of this gloomy castle really wanted to be discovered in his fake mystery.
Mystery, what does that mean? The meaning itself is something very simple, but not when it comes to magecraft. The magecraft is the mystery itself. A mystery that must be kept as such because, if uncovered, it loses its effectiveness, it loses its power.
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald many times told the young Waver that if he continued that way, with respect to modern magecraft, he would only become a destroyer of magecraft, a simple thief, someone who unravels mysteries and says them out loud. That means destroying magecraft; destroying the name of everything that is known as a mystery. When you solve a mystery, it ceases to be a mystery. The same thing happens with magecraft.
But that's beside the point right now, because this time it's not just about Waver, it's about this eccentric spirit assassin.
"I've already solved this fake mystery!"
He said and then ran off through the castle. Sakura and Gray watched that boy with confused expressions on their faces, but with Waver it was different. It wasn't about the talent for solving mysteries that Toru has, but the availability of information. Thanks to this Assassin being here, it is extremely easy to find information. Waver was aware of that and that was his trump card. Plus Toru could learn very quickly, adapting to the situation around him.
In a way, that's all very....
"Scary..."
For it was nothing but the characteristics of a monster possessed by that boy.
"We have to follow him. Let's not lose sight of him! Sakura, follow his presence and guide us!"
Sakura didn't understand at first, but then she realized that this was the key to the mystery of the castle. Toru's presence was fading more and more, so they had to follow him immediately. So Sakura ran in front of everyone and frowned asking something.
"Father, what do you think it could be?"
"Whatever it is, this somehow lifted Assassin's spirits. He even seems to be having fun knowing everything that's going on here. Surely that's the part that excites him, knowing something that no one in this castle knows makes him feel like he's in control of everything."
"What do you mean?"
"You could say I've seen a part of that boy's heart in the past. In that war, on that bridge where I lost and also won. However, seeing his face under that hood brings back very bad memories. It scares me every time my eyes meet that 'death' in that boy's eyes. We haven't talked about it yet. When this mystery is over, we'll talk about it at home more calmly."
"I understand. Thank you... I never thought you would react this way. It makes me feel guilty..."
That feeling of guilt that somehow was reborn the night before. She thought everything was fine as long as her father doesn't find out the secret, but trying to hide something from him is like trying to cover the sun with your thumb. But in the end everything turned out fine.
For Gray, though, it all gets more complicated. After hearing her mentor mention that he knew Assassin in the past, it gave her a lot to think about. There were key words she kept to ask about later. For now, she followed Waver and Sakura in silence, for this mystery now lay in the hands of that lone Assassin.
'The hands of an Assassin...'
More than just a Servant class....
***
He went to the scene of the crime to secure and start this whole show. He raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand in front of his face and the release seal was completed. In every corner of this castle, in every room, Toru's clones returned.
'Yesterday I made the mistake of not watching every corner of this place, but I won't do it again. Now I have what I want and I can begin the end of this challenge. In the end, it seems that if I can learn from my mistakes as pathetic as that sounds."
Because his clones had gathered valuable information.
After a few seconds, Waver and company came rushing in, suddenly slowing down when they saw that Toru was kneeling before Adashino Hishiri's corpse, looking at her very carefully with those mysterious Mystic Eyes. Moreover, as soon as they entered the scene, a clone of Toru appeared and ran somewhere in the castle, rushing to look for something specific or to set the stage for all this.
Sensing the presence of his Master, Toru looked back.
"Waver-san, I need you to bring all the guests to this place. Also, I'm going to need you to instruct me in magecraft that will allow me to bury my hands in the 'depths' of this castle. Once I do that, the mystery will be solved."
"Are you sure about that?"
"I'm one hundred billion percent sure of everything. I already know who the culprit is, but this will be a way to show the evidence on the table before everyone here. I already have everyone's alibis too, so that's the first thing I'm going to use. So, sensei, bring those Magus here."
Sakura looked at Toru. He was different somehow. Different from the 'wild beast' or the 'lonely onii-san'. This time he was someone extremely curious; desperate to solve this. Just knowing the answer to the mystery, he was too excited by the slight change in his tone of voice. He speaks faster, without even stuttering. Every word he said was wrapped in mystery, perfect for a Magus, but she knew Toru is not a Magus, he is something much better....
Besides that change of attitude in him was too radical for her, but the explanation was sadder than it should be, because the fact is that this mystery is making Toru forget everything just to concentrate on that. The mystery occupies his broken mind at the moment, like a tranquilizing drug.
Waver finally nodded and turned around to look for the others. Gray looked at him without saying anything, though thinking hard about what he heard earlier.
'My mentor almost never talks about what he experienced in the war for the Holy Grail, but if this Assassin was also present at that time, that means that part of his past is now in front of the corpse of the one who was Adashino Hishiri...'
Not only was Waver's past something that stirred her heart, but also the need to discover the ghost lying there before her. Like that strange night, the spirit speaking with a Russian accent despite looking like someone out of the depths of Japan.
"Can I help you with something?"
Approaching him, feeling useless in all this, Sakura approached Toru, but he replied in a way....
"Not for now. I already have everything I need..."
He said that to her without even looking at her face, being distracted in his research. Sakura just remained silent after that and stepped back. She looked at the ground as if Toru's words were being distorted into "I don't need you". That somehow made her feel miserable, something that darkened her gaze for a few seconds.
***
"That's Miss Sakura's blissful Servant, isn't it?"
Heine was the first to ask. Beside him stood little Rosalind, who looked at the new guest with a bit of curiosity.
"A young girl chosen to participate in such bloodshed. Somehow it would be thrilling to see her die in battle."
Elder Orlocke made a very tenacious comment, but this time no one cared, for everyone already knew the way this old man spoke. It was not worth getting angry about it, as it would be wasting time in a verbal fight with no winner.
For his part, Flue just kept quiet. Ignoring the fact that a few hours ago Luviagelita asked him to kill Waver because of certain differences they had, he just wanted this to end quickly, as everything was already becoming very irritating. All this mystery and the danger of dying had him stressed.
"If you called me to this place something good must be about to happen. Let's hope it's something good."
The yamabushi was somehow excited, but the moment he looked at Toru, Toru also looked at him coldly. In response Seigen only greeted him politely by waving his hand in the air.
In the end, who was the last to arrive at the great hall of this statue of the archangel Michael was Luvia together with her bodyguard, who saw that the Servant could create copies of his own body. They were not mere illusions, they were real, which quite surprised Luvia.
So, with everyone assembled, Toru began by snapping his fingers.
"Let me tell you something."
He stood up and looked at those present. Already knowing the truth, he continued:
"I've figured this all out. I finally know it all, but I know that you, as Magus that you are, need proof to believe my words, for you are not simple minded beings who can easily swallow any humbug, so I will ask first. How does one repair a Magical Crest?"
A question that generated conflict in this large empty hall.
Gray then answered the question innocently.
"With other Magic Crests?"
"Error"
Toru shook his head.
"Certainly that's a very childish thought, but not such a far-fetched one either. However, it's still the wrong answer."
Luvia interrupted:
"Then they must be some kind of regenerative magic."
But the old Orlocke chuckled.
"I don't think so. If that's all you can answer, I'm afraid you've disappointed me."
The old man knew something, but dismissing that for the moment, Toru continued:
"No. You can't repair one ridge with another. All ridges will be incompatible with each other, the same goes for Miss Edelfelt's answer. You can't regenerate something that can't be healed."
He bent down to look at the corpse again, clearly seeing that this lifeless body no longer had a magic crest, as if it had been ripped off.
"What I'm getting at is that it takes a special magic, a magic capable of making something "reborn" because Magic Crests, from what little I know, cannot be repaired. So, here comes in one of the clues given to me by Lord El-Melloi II a few hours ago. That clue was the nail that sealed the coffin."
He summoned a clone and they both bit their finger to get the blood flowing. As the clone drew a magic circle on the ground, Toru continued.
"Mr. Orlocke, I have a question for you. Something I would like to confirm. So, can you tell me what your magecraft is called?"
The old man for a moment hesitated, but then agreed to answer.
"Papilo magic."
"I see. I understand. In any case, that would be the magic that was used to restore the Magic Crests in this castle."
The old man smiled at the boy's insight.
"It is a powerful magic based on a certain caterpillar creating its chrysalis and emerging as a beautiful butterfly. Rebirth, in every sense of the word. I hear you worked with Geryon Ashbourne, I suppose that's where that magic stems from, from his peculiar research. But there is also something important in all this and it is in the lucky owner of this castle. Now I will prove it to you. Lord, please, I need your help."
Waver nodded and approached the magic circle.
"I need you to help me execute the magic that will shatter the Bounded Field that spreads throughout the castle. If I do, something interesting will happen."
"Why not do it with your eyes?"
"Because doing so would not give the result I want. Everything would be an absolute zero percent on this and the development of the mystery would be ruined."
"I understand what you're getting at. I assume you want to apply one of the concepts I teach you. If so, then put your hands on the circle. Let's begin today's class."
Toru obeyed and placed both hands on the ground. Those present were puzzled by this. This boy, the Servant of that girl named Sakura, appears out of nowhere and acts arrogant in front of everyone. But this was not arrogance, it was something else disguised as that.
However, the one who instantly understood what Sakura's Assassin was doing was Luvia. The magic that Assassin wanted to employ was something that would capture the castle's information on the ground. That would be a good way to uncover the mystery, but that wasn't the result this boy wanted.
"It really is confusing..."
Luvia touched her chin in thought.
"What do you mean?"
Sakura asked her. She folded her arms without looking away from the magic circle.
"I'm confused by the magecraft that Servant uses."
At the same time, Waver put his hand on Toru's back and helped him.
This required 'visualizing' and 'executing' a thought. This would be done with keywords that can help, which Waver was quick to do.
"Water flows down your arms; it spreads across the floor and fills the room. As the circle glows, shake the water and freeze it to break the walls. When you do, the water should be a liquid again. Repeat this five times and destroy it. That's the mental picture you should have of this spell. But the basic concept is-"
"Spare me the magecraft basics. I feel it's already starting to work."
"Too fast again, huh..."
The magic was starting to flow. Like codes carving and cracking on a screen, words and whispers were written on his arms. Breaking and reassembling, words that vanished in his hands. The magic circle glowed even brighter and began to bring forth flickering rays that enveloped Toru's body.
Waver noticed that. He saw that the spell was becoming unstable and that the prana in the air and in the bodies of those present was beginning to become disturbed.
"This is not how the spell should react."
Toru whispered in response to Waver's words:
"I know..."
Something was wrong. The circle was glowing too brightly and lightning began to spread all over the place. All the Magus present realized too late that this was a trap and prepared to attack, but the magic circle suddenly exploded and covered everything with a white light.
Thus began the end of this arc...
To be continued...