Justeaze glanced casually at the cat's-eye viewer. Her calm expression showed a trace of surprise as she opened the door and said, "Your information network is quite impressive, Zelretch."
An elderly man with white hair and beard stepped into the entranceway. "As agreed, I have come to visit."
Hearing the conversation, Shinji peeked out from the living room and asked, "An acquaintance?"
"An old friend," Justeaze replied, welcoming the elderly man into the living room.
Before she could introduce him, Lorelei suddenly stood up with an undisguised tremor in her voice, "Th-The Second Magician!"
"What! This is the 'Old Man of the Jewels,' the 'Zelretch the Wizard Marshall'?" Shinji also stood up, his expression mirroring Lorelei's.
Their shock was understandable. The elderly man's reputation was legendary. He was an insurmountable figure in the Mage's Association and the entire mystical world, a presence that had dominated for over a thousand years, the boss of all bosses.
Even for top-tier newcomers like Lorelei and Shinji, facing such a powerful and ancient figure was nerve-wracking.
"Oh, so you all know each other. That makes things easier," Justeaze's response also proved that Lorelea did not recognize the wrong person.
The elderly man, bearing everyone's gaze, remained expressionless. He nodded slightly at Lorelei. "I didn't expect to see you here, the new lord of the Barthomeloi family. I've heard you've been quite active lately."
"The new lord of the Barthomeloi family?" Shinji quickly caught on. "You've already succeeded as the lord?"
"Yes," Lorelei nodded proudly, her white neck reminiscent of a swan. "It happened not long after you disappeared."
"No wonder your magic went so out of control earlier—regardless, congratulations, Lord Barthomeloi, though it's a bit late," Shinji sincerely congratulated her.
"It's not late at all," Lorelei shook her head slightly. "Lord Zelretch, may I ask the purpose of your visit?"
"I am here to see Shinji Matou."
"See me?" Shinji was momentarily stunned. Could it be that my secret as a transmigrant has been exposed?
"Indeed."
The elderly man nodded, his serious expression making Shinji increasingly nervous.
"Uh, what is it about?"
"No need to be so tense. You weren't this nervous when facing the White Wing Lord," the elderly man joked.
"You're much more powerful than Ortenrosse."
The elderly man was indifferent to Shinji's flattery or probing and simply said, "Relax, I mean no harm. I was the one who sent the dream demon to you. It seems you two get along well?"
"It was you—so it was you."
Shinji's pupils contracted but quickly relaxed. It made sense that such a rare magical creature wouldn't appear out of nowhere. With the Second Magician's involvement, everything made sense. But—
"Why would you help me? If I remember correctly, we don't have any direct connection."
"No, our connection is much deeper than you think, but you don't know it yet. You will soon enough."
As the elderly man spoke, he raised his left hand. On his strong fingers were five rings of different colors, one of which shone with a particularly dazzling red light.
"What is this?" Shinji asked in confusion.
"This is a message from your Shishou for all of you."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of all the members of the Matou family lit up.
At that moment, Shinji suddenly remembered that Zelretch and Scathach had a connection. It was Zelretch who used the Second Magic to allow Scathach to descend into this world in the form of a Servant.
Sensing the eager gazes from Shinji and the others, the elderly man stopped speaking and activated the magic stored in the ruby.
A familiar, magnetic, deep female voice flowed out from the gem, calling the names of the Matou family members one by one.
"Shinji—"
"Here, Shishou."
"Sakura—"
"Here, Shishou."
"Kariya—"
"Here, Shishou."
"Byakuya—"
"Here, Shishou."
"And Justeaze."
"I'm here."
"Long time no see. How have you all been? Shinji, have you grown taller?"
"Yes, yes, I've grown twenty centimeters," Shinji replied with a smile, a gentle expression that Lorelei had never seen on him before.
"Sakura, have you become even more beautiful?"
"Yes, though still not as beautiful as you, Shishou," Sakura said playfully, sticking out her tongue.
"Kariya, have you gotten closer to your beloved? By now, the obstacles between you should have disappeared."
"Shishou, this..." Kariya lowered his head in embarrassment.
"Byakuya, you must not slack off on your physical training. Your foundation was weak to begin with. To eliminate the negative effects of the past, you must persist in your training."
"Understood, Shishou," Byakuya replied reluctantly. Ever since getting married, he had indeed slacked off, but he hadn't expected Scathach to remember this.
"Justeaze, you should have a deeper understanding of humanity by now. Are you satisfied with your current life?"
"Satisfied, very satisfied. If you could stay, I would be even more satisfied," Justeaze whispered—because you are my first friend.
"You are my disciples, my friends, and my final ties to this world. Live well, strive towards your goals, and make your lives more brilliant. I will be watching over you from afar."
"We will, Shishou (my friend)."
Some spoke these words aloud, like Shinji and Sakura, while others held them in their hearts.
The message from the gem continued: "The following words are for Shinji."
"Shinji, when you hear this message, it means that Zelretch has found you. Like me, he has been secretly observing your existence. It seems he wants to achieve some goal or goals through you."
"I didn't ask what exactly, and he didn't say, but given his character and style, it probably won't be anything bad. So, I agreed to let you help him. Helping him may involve some danger, but it is also an opportunity for you to grow. Didn't you say you wanted to fulfill my wish? This is your trial."
"As for the reward, you can negotiate with him yourself. He has plenty of good things in his possession, and how much you can get depends on your ability. You don't need to question his motives too much; what he can say, he will tell you. What he can't say means it's not something you can handle right now, so don't burden yourself with unnecessary worries."
"Additionally, I must remind you: helping him is fine, but if he wants to take you on as a disciple, absolutely do not agree. Becoming his disciple is equivalent to becoming a cripple. That old man loves to take talented children as his disciples, and I don't want to see you meet an early demise. Convey the same message to Sakura."
Hearing this, Shinji thoughtfully glanced at Zelretch, who remained expressionless, clearly having expected this.
"Finally, Shinji, my most promising disciple, become stronger, strive to become stronger. Strong enough to overcome all obstacles and come before me. I will be waiting for you behind the sevenfold walls."
PS: It is said that the Land of Shadows is separated from the realm of the living by sevenfold walls.