They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 215 Aozaki Orange
The streets of Kanbuko City present a leisurely atmosphere that is completely different from that of Fuyuki City.

Sunlight filtered through sparse clouds, lazily spilling onto the shop windows along the roadside, reflecting dappled light.

Amazed and curious gazes, like iron filings drawn to a magnet, converged on the center of the street.

"..."

Kenneth glanced at the woman beside him without showing any emotion, a sense of helplessness rising in his heart.

Scáthach wore a simple black dress, a modern outfit that Kenneth had specially prepared for her after she left the Clock Tower.

Even so, her extraordinary charm was like a lighthouse in the dark, impossible to conceal with ordinary fabric.

Not to mention her stunningly beautiful face that could outshine everything else in the world, and the natural regal bearing and elegance that flowed from her every step.

Like the Knight King Artoria, who also could not be spiritualized, Scáthach's true form did not truly die, but resided in the "Land of Shadows" on the outer edge of the world.

Therefore, she is also unable to transform her body into a spirit form and hide from the gaze of the real world, like most Servants.

This attention-grabbing situation, though not Kenneth's intention, has come to an end, and he has no choice but to accept it.

He came to this city for only one purpose—to find the puppeteer of the world, Aozaki Touko, who was designated as the "Sealing Designation" by the Magic Association.

According to the information left by [Kayaba Akihiko] in his mind, at this point in time, this genius puppeteer, nicknamed "Red of Pain," was living in seclusion in this seemingly ordinary city to avoid being captured by the association. He had established an agency called "Galan's Hall," which ostensibly specializes in solving mysterious events that are incomprehensible to ordinary people.

And so, under the increasingly dense gaze of passersby, the two walked slowly and leisurely through several blocks.

Finally, they stopped in front of a half-finished commercial building that was still under construction.

The building stands alone, surrounded by construction fences, appearing somewhat out of place and desolate.

"Oh? A rune barrier?"

Scáthach paused slightly, and for the first time, a genuine look of interest appeared in her crimson eyes.

She looked at the unremarkable building in front of her with great interest.

"Although the technique is a bit naive, the idea is quite ingenious. It's not a simple replication of the magic formulas from the Age of Gods, but rather an improvement and simplification of the runes from the Age of Gods based on modern magic theory and the environment... Hmph, how interesting."

A faint smile appeared on her lips. To see such a novel application in this degenerate age was like a wine connoisseur tasting a unique new wine, enough to pique her interest.

As she spoke, Scáthach tapped her finger lightly in the air.

Om-!
An invisible ripple spread out, and the barrier surrounding the entire building trembled violently for a moment, as if a giant rock had been thrown into the surface of a lake.

Inside the building, several runes that served as barrier nodes suddenly became flickering and then collapsed.

……

Inside the Hall of Garan.

Aozaki Touko stretched out a big yawn, her joints making a series of crisp sounds.

She leaned back on the sofa, bored, her gaze sweeping across the empty room, and couldn't help but yawn.

Her decision to come to this remote city of Kanbuko and open this so-called agency was partly due to a whimsical, perverse urge.

On the other hand, it was also to avoid those annoying "sealing designation" enforcers from the Magic Association.

However, this peaceful life, far from the strife but also far from the core of the magic world, is so boring it's almost rotting away.

Thinking this, Aozaki Touko picked up the coffee beside her and brought it to her lips.

at this time
"puff--!"

Aozaki Touko suddenly spat out the mouthful of coffee she had just brought to her lips. She abruptly stood up from the sofa, her languid expression vanishing completely, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity and shock.

Just now, the defensive barrier she constructed with runes collapsed instantly.

But how is this possible?
Rune's magic system had been lost in modern times, but she revived it a few years ago, and it was because of this achievement that she was awarded the Grand rank by the Association.

In terms of rune skills alone, no modern magician could compare to her.

But just now, her barrier was instantly hacked and collapsed.

Who is it? Does the association's executive have this kind of ability?
Just then, "knock, knock, knock," someone knocked slowly on the heavy wooden door of the firm.

Aozaki Touko's eyes sharpened, and her body involuntarily tensed as she prepared to activate the dolls in the warehouse.

She took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Please come in."

The door was pushed open, and a tall, slender figure walked in. It was a man with brilliant blond hair, wearing a well-tailored black suit.

The moment she saw the man's face clearly, Aozaki Touko's expression darkened even more. Although she had been away from the center of the magic world for a long time, the reputation of this man was simply too great.

One of the twelve monarchs of the Clock Tower, a first-level lecturer in the Spirit Summoning Department, he earned the reputation of "prodigy" at a young age thanks to his undeniable talent in that monster-infested place.

Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald.

"I never expected that the head of the prestigious El-Melloi family would condescend to come to such a rural place?"

Aozaki Touko forced herself to calm down and put on that nonchalant smile again, but her palms, hidden behind her back, were already covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

As she said, the magic system of the island nation in the Far East is more inclined to that of the ancient continent.

Although it also uses magic circuits, its foundation is mainly an ancient system that borrows some of the powers by signing a contract with the "divine body" left behind by ancient gods.

Now that the Age of Gods has long since ended, this system has naturally fallen into disrepair.

Therefore, to the monarch of the Clock Tower, this place was indeed a worthless "countryside".

The other party could not have appeared here for no reason, so there is only one answer left—he came for me.

"Calm down, Miss Aozaki. I did not come here to be your enemy."

Kenneth seemed oblivious to the barb in her words, a gentle smile on his face, as he walked to the sofa and sat down, his demeanor as composed as if he were in his own living room.

"Moreover, the mysteries hidden on this island are far greater than the outside world imagines..."

He said something meaningful, then slowly raised his right hand, revealing the three bright red, blood-like holy marks on the back of his hand—the Command Seals.

"Oh? The Holy Grail War?"

The moment Aozaki Touko saw the Command Seals, her pupils contracted sharply. Then, her gaze passed over Kenneth and landed on the purple-haired woman behind him who had remained silent throughout but exuded an astonishing presence.

She had naturally heard about the Holy Grail War.

It could instantly shatter her barrier; a divine magician who has mastered runes would indeed possess this ability.

But this is a real problem...

"Yes."

Kenneth's voice was calm yet powerful, carrying an undeniable confidence.

"So, let's make a deal, lady."

He leaned forward slightly, his golden eyes fixed on Aozaki Touko, and threw out a bargaining chip that would stop her heart from beating.

"I can help you remove the 'sealing order' imposed on you by the Mage's Association..."

"..."

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Aozaki Touko's smile froze completely. She stared intently at Kenneth, as if trying to find even the slightest trace of a joke on his face.

But she failed.

There was no hint of a joke in the other person's eyes.

She did not question whether the other party had such ability.

As the head of the El-Melloi family, one of the twelve monarchs, and with close ties to the Euryphus family, who are also part of the monarch faction, Kenneth certainly wielded considerable influence within the Clock Tower.

It's not impossible for him to pull this off, provided he's willing to pay the price.

But...why?
For magicians, "equivalent exchange" is an ironclad rule engraved deep in their souls.

There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

What's more troublesome is that she knows very well that she probably doesn't have the right to refuse at all.

The monarch immediately displayed his Command Seals and Servants, giving her a rude awakening. The subtext was clear: do not try to solve the problem with force, because you have no chance of winning.

After a long while, Aozaki Touko let out a long breath, raised her hand to her forehead, and showed an expression that was a mixture of headache and helplessness.

“Tell me about it, Lord El-Melloi.”

What...do you want me to do?

"It's very simple... In order to crack the Einzbern family's technology, I need an expert in this field..."

(End of this chapter)