Magician in Type-Moon

Page 18

Walking alone in the cave, a cool breeze occasionally blew through the dim cave, and water droplets slowly dripped from the stone pillars above, falling onto Matouchi's neck, as if giving a friendly greeting to the newcomer.

Wiping the water droplets from her neck, Matouchi carefully observed the situation inside the cave.

Under the modification of the three starter families, this originally naturally formed underground cave has taken on a wondrous atmosphere.

The layout is intricate and complex, resembling a maze. The scenery inside the cave is also varied; some places are dimly lit and difficult to see, while others are radiant under the magical vision.

This must be the effect of a maze, a facility specially built to prevent people from accidentally entering.

All around, under the magical vision, countless magical runes were wrapped around the rock.

Matou Ike raised her hand and fired a magic bullet with her 'Little Helper'. The rock engraved with magic patterns shattered, but the magic patterns attached to it suddenly twisted and surged from the scattered rock fragments toward the ground before disappearing into the ground.

Soon the array pattern nodes were restored, and the shattered rock began to slowly grow back.

"It seems to have restorative properties. No wonder it has remained unchanged for so long, after so many Holy Grail Wars."

The Matou family's ancient records contain a map of this underground dragon cave, but upon entering, it was discovered that the scene was exactly the same as described in the ancient records, which led to the test just now.

From his observations, Matouchi realized that he had no way to trigger the strangeness of this place, so he had to resort to the most foolish method.

So, is anyone there?

Chapter 17 "The Deal" (Please add to your favorites! Please recommend!)

Is anyone there? Is anyone there? Is anyone there? Is anyone there?

Echoes came from the depths of the Dragon Cave. Due to the special structure of the large cavern, the echoes lasted for a long time before gradually subsiding.

Realizing the foolishness of his actions, Matou Ike couldn't help but hold his forehead.

Fortunately, no one saw it, he thought to himself.

However, his current problem is how to communicate with the consciousness hidden within the Holy Grail?

It was clearly the creature that lured me here, but now it's not showing itself, just standing by and watching me make a fool of myself.

Recalling the moment when Caster deployed the barrier earlier today, Matou Ike sensed a magical disturbance emanating from the earth.

He shook his head, preparing to shout again, perhaps his previous call had simply gone unheard.

He gave a wry smile, thinking to himself with a touch of self-deprecation, "So what if I'm a bit stupid? It's not like I've never been stupid before."

Just as Matou Ike was about to shout again, his actions were suddenly interrupted because a golden spiritual light suddenly appeared in front of him.

A bright light suddenly flashed in the dim cave, attracting Matou Ike's attention.

Emerging from the light was a person with long silver hair, as radiant as moonlight, flowing smoothly over their shoulders.

She wore a white robe used for ceremonies, adorned with gold thread patterns, and a priest's hat inlaid with gold thread patterns on her head, with a pair of vermilion shawls draped over her shoulders.

A faint smile graced her frail face, and her red pupils appeared slightly unfocused, stirring a sense of unease within one.

She is none other than Justessa Risleich von Einzbern, known as the Winter Saintess. She was an accident for Einzbern, and also the greatest accident of all.

"Stop shouting, I'm awake."

Hearing that voice as warm as winter, Matou Ike snapped out of her daze.

"What brings you here?" Matou Ike's voice softened as she faced this person, even though she knew that the person opposite her might already be filled with something else.

"Didn't you come looking for me?" the 'Winter Saintess' retorted.

Neither of them wanted to reveal their needs before the other, since in negotiations, the advantage of being second often comes first.

The situation was at a stalemate, but Matou Ike didn't care. After all, there was still plenty of time. He walked forward step by step until he passed the 'Winter Saintess' before stopping.

Behind the 'Winter Saintess' lies the core of the Greater Grail, a desolate wasteland covered in lava.

The magic patterns on the exposed magma rock are the result of the expansion and proliferation of the magic circuits of the 'Winter Saintess' beside him.

"What was Zouken Matou's purpose in coming here last time?" The firelight from the lava pool cast ripples of light on Zouken Matou's face.

"This has nothing to do with you right now." The gentle voice rejected the question with such decisiveness.

"You must intend to cooperate with me, and this issue can be considered part of the leverage."

Matou Ike turned to look at the 'Winter Saintess'. He had already played his own bargaining chip, but it was for her, in order to ensure a good start to this cooperation.

"I've already said, this has nothing to do with you right now, and besides, I also have a responsibility to keep this secret."

The 'Winter Saintess' also turned to face Matou Ike, the firelight making her appear even more frail.

"If it's not related to the present, then it must be related to the future. Can you reveal some clues that don't involve secrets?"

Matou Ike was still unwilling to give up. Although she received the good news that Matou Zouken would not be involved in the current incident, she still wanted to know more.

"Reminiscing, the situation of the Holy Grail, and information from outside the world."

Seeing that Matou Ike was about to persist in her pursuit, the 'Winter Saintess' selectively revealed some clues.

"How could you possibly know what's happening outside the world?"

Matou Ike was somewhat puzzled. Logically speaking, the 'Winter Saintess' was already nailed here and did not have the corresponding ability to know about the situation outside the world.

“Every time a Heroic Spirit is summoned during the Holy Grail War, there is a brief connection to the Boundary Recording Belt, which allows us to observe some things,” the 'Winter Saintess' explained.

"So what did you observe?" Matou Ike pressed.

"This involves the secret aspect." The 'Winter Saintess's' voice remained gentle.

But after saying that, she closed her lips tightly and stopped replying, and the atmosphere instantly turned cold.

"Are you really the 'Winter Saintess' Justissa Rislesie von Einzbern?"

Matou Ike decided to expose the other party's disguise, since talking to someone who looked like the 'Winter Saintess' was torture for him.

Furthermore, revealing the other party's true colors is beneficial for subsequent transactions. It not only exposes the other party's intentions but also increases one's own leverage, which is entirely advantageous.

"What are you doubting? I am of course Justessa Risleich von Einzbern. Who else could be here?"

The 'Winter Saintess' put on an innocent expression and even coughed twice, but her shadow revealed the changes in her heart.

"Stop pretending, Angra Mainyu. How long are you going to keep disgusting me with that image?"

Seeing Angra Mainyu strike that pose, Matou Ike wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling both the rising temperature in his heart and being troubled by his attitude.

Upon hearing Matou Ike utter that name, the 'Winter Saintess' realized she could no longer pretend.

Illuminated by the firelight emanating from the lava below, his shadow began to swell and twist, eventually taking on the form of a ferocious beast.

The shadow in the form of the ferocious beast eventually detached from the wall it was attached to, thus achieving a three-dimensional form.

Immediately afterwards, the shadow of the beast swelled even more, eventually bursting open into a black torrent that enveloped Matouchi and Angela Mainyu.

Matou Ike narrowed his eyes, not feeling any real harm, and understood that the other party's actions were just a slight intimidation.

Soon the black mist dissipated, and the 'Winter Saintess' before them had transformed into something else entirely.

This was a guy covered in strange red and black tattoos, with a dark red rag wrapped around his head and waist, and black bandages wrapped around his forearms and calves. He looked to be about the same age as Matou Ike.

"Is this your original appearance?" Matou Ike asked the guy.

"No, it's just an image I randomly picked from the boundary record tape, and then added some of my favorite style," Angra Mainyu replied with a grin, like a cynical scoundrel.

"So what do you need me to do?" Faced with Angelo Manuel's demeanor, Matou Ike finally reverted to his cold demeanor; speaking softly was not his style.

Chapter 18 "Contract"

"No, no, no, shouldn't the basis of cooperation be understanding each other's background? You just revealed my identity, so you must know me to some extent."

Angra Mainyu directly rejected Matou Ike's question, instead steer the conversation elsewhere, as if he were deliberately looking for someone to chat with.

Perhaps he had been trapped in this place for 60 years, and the lonely and mundane life had become somewhat depressing.

"But I don't seem to understand why you accepted the invitation in the first place. It makes me feel like I'm at a disadvantage, doesn't it?"

Why did I come here? My reason? Matou Ike closed her eyes and fell into thought. Although her short-term goal was clear, her long-term expectations still seemed somewhat uncertain.

"It should just be that natural, everyday routine..."

(silence)......

(silence)......

"Hahahaha, is this just your normal daily routine? You came all this way for this? You came all this way to find me, the most evil person in the world?"

The person in front of me suddenly burst into laughter, his body trembling, and the red scarf on his head fluttering in the air as he shook his head. He seemed to have heard something extremely pleasant.

"After being poured into the Holy Grail, I saw many tragic wishes in the records. Some prayed for wealth, some for power, some wanted to save the world, and some wanted to destroy the world."

"And you, you actually made a deal with a devil like me just for something like that? Are you serious?"

Angra Mainyu's gaze suddenly sharpened as he stared intently at the man before him, as if he would tear out his heart and lungs and grind his bones to dust right there and now if he couldn't give him a satisfactory answer.

Matou Ike remained silent, simply watching Angela Mainyu with an indifferent expression that conveyed his thoughts, as if the threat before him did not exist.

(silence)......

The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive; despite being inside a volcano, the air felt as if it were about to freeze.

Angra Mainyu's terrifying shadow expanded once more, spreading from the cave walls to the ceiling, even reaching above Matouchi's head. The threat was self-evident.

(Silence)... (Eye contact)...

Angra Mainyu suddenly transformed into a cloud of black mist and rushed towards Matou Ike.

Matou Ike jumped backward, creating distance between them.

Before entering, he had already applied a layer of enhancement magic to his legs.

The spot where he was standing suddenly exploded.

When Angra Mainyu revealed his true form, he had already buried three fire ants under his feet to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Angra Mainyu disappeared, which was to be expected.

He still had his last trump card: Caster. He had previously instructed Caster to keep an eye on his situation.

But he had strictly ordered Caster not to act without his summons.

Because during his previous spirit summoning, he obtained information that his opponent had a special ability to corrupt heroic spirits, which could be considered a special attack on heroic spirits.

Furthermore, what remained here was merely a clone composed of demonic worms; Matou Ike's true form was still observing the situation from the sidelines.