To become a king and a magician

9. Tower Cat, Temple, Three Days and Three Nights

The following morning.

Inside the playground of a middle school in Guanbuzi City.

Natsukawa Tiger and Atalanta are now standing at the starting point of the track.

"The rules are the same as before: as long as we can win, any means are acceptable, right?" Atalanta asked. "However, your method of directly opening a spatial portal is prohibited."

"I know without you saying it, that would be too much of a rip-off to you."

race.

This is what Natsukawa Torato and Atalanta agreed to do last night.

Around the middle of last year, when Natsukawa Tora returned from a summer vacation, he talked to Atalanta about the Golden Apple out of interest.

Of course, not the golden apple that sparked the argument among the three goddesses, but the three golden apples that caused Atalanta to lose the race.

During her lifetime, Atalanta's fame spread throughout Greece due to her participation in numerous adventures, including the Argonauts. She attracted a large number of suitors, and her father hoped that she would marry a certain warrior.

But Atalanta had already sworn to the moon goddess that she would remain pure forever and did not wish to marry. In order to get rid of those suitors, Atalanta suggested that the winner be decided by a race.

If someone beats her in the race, she will marry that person; but if someone loses, they will be killed—in short, it's an unconventional "martial arts contest for marriage."

The final outcome is self-evident: with the help of Aphrodite, a man named Hippomenes defeated Atalanta with three golden apples and married her.

If someone could beat you fair and square in a race, would you marry them?

When he was talking about this topic with Atalanta, Natsukawa Tiger asked casually out of interest and a desire to tease her. He thought Atalanta would get angry and yell back, but to his surprise, she directly invited him to have a match with her.

Because Atalanta said from the beginning that any method was acceptable, in the first competition, Natsukawa Tora shamelessly used his imagination to create a portal and stepped to the finish line. He was chased by Atalanta for quite a while before being forgiven.

After that, seemingly to wash away the shame of being defeated by despicable means, Atalanta would find ways to make Natsukawa Tiger compete against her every time he returned.

Incidentally, excluding the first match which doesn't count, their head-to-head record is—Natsukawa Tora wins all fifteen of their matches.

"Speaking of which, after so many races, Ta-Miao, you should know you can't outrun me, right?"

During the warm-up exercises, Natsukawa Torama suddenly said, "In terms of pure physical ability, we're not that different, but if we use magic, it's basically no different from me opening a portal, right?"

In terms of Servant stats, both Natsukawa Toramaru and Atalanta have an A-level agility, but the fatal flaw is that Natsukawa Toramaru also possesses a magical ability that allows him to unleash magic power. If he uses magic power, his speed will far exceed that of Atalanta. Even if Atalanta also uses magic power, the magical power levels between the two are not on the same level.

Atalanta glared at Natsukawa Tora with annoyance and sighed softly, "So? You think there's no need to compete with me?"

"Not really. If you want, I'll go with you as many times as you want. It's just that if we keep going like this, you'll have to marry me a dozen times. Speaking of which, we already owe each other a dozen times, right?"

"Well......"

Atalanta paused for a moment.

[If you beat yourself in a race, you can marry yourself] - Although the two did not make such an agreement before the competition, they simply wanted to determine a winner. Atalanta herself certainly did not mean it that way, but in fact, it was just as Natsukawa Tora said.

If reincarnation exists, then in her case, she already owes fifteen lifetimes' worth of debt.

But then again...

"So you mean you really want to marry me?" Atalanta chuckled. "Indeed, given our record, even if you really wanted to marry me, I wouldn't have any reason to refuse. Fifteen defeats in fifteen battles—it's a crushing defeat I've never experienced before."

Aside from the one time he cheated by opening a portal, in the rest of the matches, Natsukawa Tora didn't use any abnormal methods at all. Just as he said, he defeated Atalanta fair and square.

After a moment of silence, Xia Chuanhu stood at the starting line: "So, what do you mean? Regardless of winning or losing, would you like to marry me?"

"Well... we'll talk about that after you beat me this time."

.......

The competition was the same as before: an 800-meter track, and whoever finished ten laps first won.

The eight-kilometer distance was no problem for either of them, and they finished quickly. And as in the previous fifteen runs, Natsukawa Tora won by a three-lap lead.

Sitting with Natsukawa Tora on a chair near the finish line, Atalanta took a sip of water and said, "Natsukawa, I am very grateful for everything you have done for me over the years."

"Whether it was helping Jack the Ripper get out of trouble before, or arranging an identity for me afterward so that I could live a normal life in modern society... I am very grateful for everything you have done for me."

"The reason I joined the Holy Grail War two years ago was actually to repay a debt of gratitude. I wanted to provide you with some assistance during the Holy Grail War so that you could win more easily... Although I can't fully repay the debt of gratitude, I should be able to repay part of it."

That being said, Atalanta didn't feel much help to Natsukawa Torato during the Holy Grail War two years ago. Perhaps she did help him a little on the night he was tricked by Melly, and maybe she could count it in the final battle against the demon army in the fight against King Solomon.

That seems to be all. In the end, Xia Chuanhu didn't really need her help much.

"Fortunately, we both have a long future ahead of us... I can do something for you during that long time to repay your kindness, and that should be enough, right? In essence, my thoughts are similar to those of that Knight King, except that compared to her, my feelings for you are somewhat different..."

The words were not finished, but Natsukawa Tora roughly understood what this "Mrs. Natsukawa" meant.

"So, are you going to move into the Camelot Apartments?"

"Forget it, I'm fine here. At least here, besides Shiki, you're mine alone." Atalanta tugged at Natsukawa Torato's collar. "From now on, you have to come back for a week every month, alone, understand?"

"It's a bit...I'll try my best."

If someone comes back for a week, Natsukawa Tiger feels that he will probably spend three days and three nights in bed.

10. Observing the Mother of Buzi

From Ryougi Shiki's perspective, the work of the Ryougi family is somewhat tedious.

Although as the second head of the Ryougi family, she didn't need to do many tasks herself and only needed to give orders, perhaps due to her nature from her youth, she didn't really like staying in the Ryougi family mansion all the time, and she would stay out at least three nights a week.

The Ryougi family has always been troubled by their capricious patriarch. It's not that they dislike his ways, but when it comes to important decisions, if Ryougi Shiki happens to be absent, finding him takes a lot of effort. To avoid being followed by her family, Ryougi Shiki has diligently studied how to counter-track them.

Of course, she would still do what a head of the family should do, for example—

Clean up any suspicious individuals who have appeared on the Ryougi family's territory.

Although they were originally a demon-slaying family, after the era entered the modern age, the Ryougi family gradually began to transform. Today, they have developed from a demon-slaying family into a family organization that has influence in both the underworld and legitimate worlds of Guanbuzi City, turning the dark side of Guanbuzi City into a den of demons.

Therefore, maintaining the stability of Kanbushi City became a matter that the Ryougi family needed to manage. If their territory was in chaos and rumors were frequently circulating, it would be difficult to do business on the black market. So, whenever suspicious individuals or bad rumors appeared, the Ryougi family would deal with them immediately.

This was not a trivial matter that Ryougi Shiki should have handled; it was usually done by lower-ranking members of the group. However, Ryougi Shiki wanted to take a rare stroll through the alleyways and decided to deal with it as a side trip.

"That's true, but the main problem is that if someone like you is handed over to those little devils, there might be some issues with how to handle him."

Deep in the alleys of Guanbuzi City, in a corner that ordinary people would never come to.

With her hands tucked into her leather jacket, Ryougi Shiki walked to the very end of a dead-end alley. Looking at the table in front of her and the woman in black sitting behind it, she said, "At this age, aren't you planning to retire yet? Old woman."

"Oh dear, I thought it was someone else who had come, but I never expected it to be you, my esteemed guest."

The old woman opened her somewhat cloudy eyes and looked at Ryougi Shiki in front of her.

"Welcome! As before, would you like me to do a fortune telling for you?"

The old woman—the mother of Kanbuko—was once considered a legendary figure in Kanbuko City.

That was when Natsukawa Torama temporarily left Kanbuko City in order to advance his priesthood. Having heard some rumors about the mother of Kanbuko, Ryougi Shiki, who was interested, made a special trip to visit her.

No, calling it a visit isn't quite right; it's more like picking a fight. After all, it's someone who is rumored to be able to accurately foretell future misfortunes, someone Orange mentioned who possesses the Mystic Eyes of the Future. As a fellow Mystic Eye holder, Ryougi Shiki is somewhat interested in the supposedly miraculous ability to see the future.

However, after actually meeting her, before learning about her future misfortune, Ryougi Shiki was told some past events that she didn't really want to know. Combined with what she was told afterward, the meeting was not very pleasant.

Of course, those are all things of the past. Ryougi Shiki is not the kind of person who dwells on the past, otherwise she would have sent the old woman in front of her to the hospital long ago.

Ryougi Shiki pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Kanbuko's mother, saying, "Recently, some bad rumors have been circulating in this area. It is said that a suspicious person is setting up a fortune-telling stall here and spreading some unpleasant things, causing people to feel uneasy."

"Oh dear, it seems you've come to interrogate me," Guan Buzi's mother laughed. "So, are you here to drive me away?"

“If you can leave on your own, I can save some effort. Do you want me to arrange a place for you in a sanatorium? You’re getting on in years, so don’t cause trouble for others. I don’t want to hear from my men one day that they found a corpse here.”

“I’m only in my fifties, not old enough to need a nursing home yet. I appreciate your kindness, but I don’t plan to quit this line of work. If I’ve caused you any trouble, I’ll be more careful.”

She really is a stubborn old woman.

Ryougi Shiki sighed: "This is just a warning. Next time I come, I'll really kick you out."

"Yes, I will keep it in mind. I'm sorry to have troubled you to come all this way to warn me, my benefactor. In return, would you like me to do a divination for you? Although I am a bit weaker than before, I can still see some things."

Future vision?

Most future visions are fake, only able to predict the future to a certain extent, or limited to a certain aspect of future vision. Ryougi Shiki once cut down a similar one.

But she also knew that the old woman in front of her had a genuine vision of the future, unlike the one she had chopped up.

"Let's do it once."

What future do you want to know?

"Just take measurements at random points; I don't care about the future."

"Whatever" is the most troublesome condition for shop owners, as they really don't know how to meet the customer's request.

After silently touching the crystal ball that was just for show for a while, Mother of the Cloth smiled and said, "After you leave this alley, you will meet an acquaintance on the left side of the exit—is this divination acceptable?"

He's someone I know.

Ryougi Shiki considered the people she knew who could be considered acquaintances, and most of them were not in Guanbuzi City. If she had to say who she might be, it would only be Atalanta. Today happened to be Saturday.

"Sure. This is just a piece of advice: at your age, don't open a shop in such a dark and gloomy place; it's not good for your health. There's a so-called fortune-telling street in a nearby shopping mall; the environment there is quite nice."

"Hehehe, it's not a good idea to compete with others for business."

"Yes, take care, old lady. I hope you'll still be this energetic when I see you next time."

After saying this, Ryougi Shiki left the fortune-telling stall without looking back.

Watching her figure gradually disappear into the distance, Guan Buzi's mother smiled slightly: "Your personality seems a little gentler than it was a few years ago, Miss Liangyi. You must have met a good person... It's a pity that I can't see the situation of that good person."

Regarding the divination of Ryougi Shiki just now, the mother of Kanbuko didn't actually tell the whole story. In the future she saw, Ryougi Shiki would indeed encounter acquaintances after leaving this place, but not one, but two. Besides the cat-like lady, there was another person she couldn't see clearly, as if shrouded in a mist, who seemed to be a man.

"Is there a man who can live peacefully with that Ryougi-san to this day, and even change her personality somewhat because of him?"

"Hehehe, there are some advantages to getting older."

11. Mrs. Natsukawa, may I borrow your husband for a moment?

"Should we make a phone call before going to Ryougi's house?"

"No, I think her subordinates have already informed her."

Before Ryougi Shiki could even emerge from the alley, she overheard this conversation. The moment she heard those voices, she understood who the "acquaintance" in the prophecy spoken by the Mother of the Cloth was.

Emerging from the alley, Ryougi Shiki turned her gaze to the left and saw Natsukawa Tora and Atalanta walking hand in hand down the street. Because both of them looked quite young, not much different from teenagers or twenties, and were dressed in casual clothes, they looked like a college couple on a date.

Ryougi Shiki suddenly had a strong urge to stab Natsukawa Tora in the head, the kind of stab that goes straight into his brain.