At first, it was very slight, but it soon became obvious.
The ground was shaking, the experiment table was trembling.
Shinji, who had lived in Japan for so many years, knew very well what this meant - an earthquake.
But this was not Japan, where earthquakes are common, but stable Britain, which was not located on a volcanic earthquake belt. Earthquakes only occur once every five or ten years, so could this be just a coincidence?
No, it couldn't be a coincidence.
Before an earthquake, the earth's energy would become unstable. This was the headquarters of the Mage's Association, so it was impossible for them not to have detected any abnormalities. Which meant this was man-made!
Tightening his grip on the two Noble Phantasms in his hands, Shinji's gaze pierced through the cloak, looking towards the unknown young girl.
She was also looking at Shinji, with undisguised bewilderment on her face.
It wasn't her, then it must be -
"Quaerere (Detection)"
Shinji chanted softly, re-establishing the magical connection with the mercury. The coalesced magical mercury spread out across the floor and walls like a sea urchin.
At that moment, the workshop's main door suddenly started to move, the hole that Shinji had violently broken through was rapidly closing up before their eyes. The mercury tentacles had just climbed up to the door but hadn't yet extended out of the workshop when the breach was completely sealed.
Shinji sensed a conspiracy.
A few seconds later, the results of the mercury's detection also came back - the mana node underground was abnormally active, like an active volcano on the verge of erupting, but its interference had been blocked by the workshop's bounded field, which was why Shinji hadn't sensed it before.
"What's happening?" the young girl asked again.
"In simple terms, this place is about to explode. I hope you two make the most of your remaining time," came the reply, but it was not from Shinji. It was the voice of Getler, whose location was unknown, as it seemed a long-distance communication magecraft had been set up in the workshop beforehand.
"Lord Getler, what do you mean by that?" The young girl furrowed her brow, her slender eyebrows trembling involuntarily.
"Nothing much, I just want you two to die here. Don't blame me, young lady of the Barthomeloi. Blame Lord El-Melloi for not leaving us any room. To deal with our Getler family, he even took out a Mystic Code from the Age of Gods, and two at that. If you all hadn't been so merciless, I wouldn't have had to resort to this."
At this, both the young girl and Shinji understood. The root cause of all this was the two Noble Phantasms that Shinji had revealed. Noble Phantasms belong to Heroic Spirits, not humans. But this doesn't mean humans don't have mysteries that can rival Noble Phantasms. Many ancient families have preserved mysteries passed down from the Age of Gods or the Fairy era, and these mysteries are no inferior to Noble Phantasms.
As one of the Twelve Lords, the El-Melloi family has ruled the Clock Tower for centuries, so it's normal for them to have inherited an Age of God's Mystic Code. But even for a family like the El-Mellois, an Age of Gods Mystic Code would be a precious treasure kept in reserve. Once deployed, it would represent the family's most resolute stance.
From Getler's perspective, and even from the young lady's perspective, the deployment of two Noble Phantasms signified the El-Melloi faction's unwavering determination to destroy the Getler family. That's why Getler had resorted to this scorched-earth tactic.
Of course, understanding is one thing, but being able to accept it is another matter.
The young lady gathered all her magical power to the tip of her whip, unleashing a series of wind blades to cut through the workshop's door. Her attacks were indeed effective, slicing the door into a mess of gashes, but these gashes instantly repaired themselves.
"Self-repair?"
"That's right," Gertler's voice was filled with triumphant satisfaction. "Although the Gertler family is relatively new, we are still part of the Mineralogy Department. We know a thing or two about how mineral forms can change. I'll remind you two, the magic power to repair the workshop is coming from the ley line, so it's probably futile to keep trying."
This statement subtly revealed that Gertler was able to monitor the situation inside the workshop.
"You-" The young lady of the Barthomeloi family gritted her silver teeth in anger.
"My anonymous assassin, you must be Lord El-Melloi's trump card, am I right? Your death will deal a further blow to the already unstable El-Melloi faction, and the fact that you and Miss Lorelei will die here together will likely incite conflict between the Barthomeloi and the El-Melloi, perhaps even sparking a war."
Towards the end, Gertler could not suppress his laughter. His words were not empty threats. If Shinji truly died here, it would disrupt many of Kenneth's subsequent deployments.
Even more serious was Lorelei's identity - Shinji had never in his wildest dreams imagined she would be here.
Barthomeloi Lorelei, the head of the three great noble families of the Clock Tower, the leader of the aristocratic group, and the daughter of the Barthomeloi family - the most powerful of the Twelve Lords. She is not a mere vase like Sola-Ui, without any inheritance rights, but the family head's successor, destined to reign over the Clock Tower and become the future Queen of the Mage's Association.
Although she has only appeared briefly in the prologue of "Melty Blood 2" and the side novel "The Dark Six", she has left a deep impression on every reader.
The Magus of the Highest Peak - The Queen.
Candidate for the position of Director of the Clock Tower. (Considering the current Director is over 2000 years old, this position may just be an honorary one.)
Commanding the elite armed forces of the Clock Tower, the Holy Choir - the Clone Corps.
A vampire hunter who has defeated one of the "Twenty-Seven Ancestors of the Dead Apostles", striking fear into the hearts of vampires.
The title "Twenty-Seven Ancestors of the Dead Apostles" originates from the Church, originally referring to the oldest twenty-seven Dead Apostles. However, as the majority of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors have since been destroyed or sealed by the Church, they have been replaced by their subordinates or other powerful Dead Apostles, and the title now refers to twenty-seven powerful Dead Apostles.
Each of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors possesses strength on par with that of an average Servant. Roa, who has caught the attention of the Touko Aozaki, is counted as one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors in the Church's records but is not recognized as such by the other Ancestors, thus lacking a corresponding seat and being designated as a special "EX" seat. The fact that Lorelei was able to defeat one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors attests to her immense power.
However, that was the future Lorelei. The current Lorelei has not yet inherited the Barthomeloi, and her strength and mentality have not yet reached the heights of the future. Now, she is angrily addressing Shinji, "Hey, say something, would you?!"
Shinji remains indifferent.
Gertler's laughter grows louder and more frenzied.
"How does it feel? Didn't expect a lowly person like me to be able to kill two big shots and make two great families suffer, huh?"
"Hmph, serves you right. You looked down on me, wanting to destroy the ancestors and the family and the cause I've been fighting for. You wanted me dead, so now I'll make you die first!!! Don't worry, I'll go down with you, I'll erase all the evidence and use myself as the sacrifice for the destruction."
This is laughter that has been suppressed for a long time. Who truly enjoys being a dog to others? Who doesn't want to be on top?
This is also the laughter of one who has run out of options. The normal rules do not apply in the world of magecraft, and magi have many ways to uncover the truth. To solidify this, the only option is to eliminate all traces as completely as possible, without leaving any loopholes.
So Shinji and Lorelei must die, and their bodies must be disposed of. The head of the Gertler family and the family crest must also be destroyed.
"From now on, there will be no more Gertler lineage of magi. Die, Barthomeloi, El-Melloi!"
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