To become a king and a magician

"Because I don't really like being a riddle teller, nor do I like dealing with other riddle tellers. Isn't it better to just say things simply if they can be said simply?" Xia Chuanhu sat down on the sofa in the office, which was probably used for receiving guests.

Seeing Natsukawa Tora's straightforwardness, Maris Billy, who had originally intended to try and reason with him, couldn't help but smile wryly: "You really are free-spirited. Alright then, I won't beat around the bush—let's get down to business. I've drafted a list of personnel for the operations department, and I'd like to show it to you."

"List?"

"Yes, they are all people I think can become your capable assistants."

Natsukawa Tora took the list from Marisbury and glanced at it.

The list wasn't long, but it wasn't short either, around twenty names. Natsukawa had heard of some of them; they were all magicians and magicians with some reputation in the magic world. Among these names, Natsukawa also saw a few familiar names.

“Beryl Gat…”

"Are you interested in him, Lord Natsukawa?" Marisbury asked. "He is a magician of the plant family, from a family that, while not particularly famous, is considered to be very ancient. However, regardless of his family, his reputation in the Clock Tower is rather poor."

"I've also heard of the title 'Werewolf Man,' and Lydia even complained to me about why she had such an oddball under her command."

Looking at the photo of Beryl on the document, some distant memories surfaced in Xia Chuanhu's mind: "You want me to manage such a problem child?"

"There probably isn't anyone more suitable than you, and if it's him, I think you can dump all the chores on him. According to intelligence, he seems to be quite enthusiastic about these things."

"Hmm... I think I know what you want me to do, or rather, 'interview'? Basically, you want me to get in touch with the people here and see if they're suitable to come to Chaldea, right?"

"After all, that's the department you'll be managing in the future. If my autocratic approach leads to the infiltration of people who displease you, our cooperative relationship might be affected. I still hope that our cooperation can continue smoothly."

Maris Billy replied with a smile.

With a slight sigh, Xia Chuanhu glanced down a few more times and said, "Your understanding makes me feel a little embarrassed. Do you want me to unintentionally owe you a favor?"

"No, it's just about being considerate of our partners. Similarly, I hope that Mr. Natsukawa can also consider my considerations in some areas."

"An experiment?"

"You really can't hide it from me."

After Beryl, Natsukawa Tiger met several acquaintances: Kirstalia Wodem, Ophelia Famsolone... and a Chinese woman whose name was blank and listed separately on the last page.

"Marisbury, the last one?"

"Her situation... is a bit special. Rather than having me explain it, I think it would be best if the two of you met in person, since you are of the same kind."

Yes, of the same kind.

The girl in the photo, with black hair and black eyes, and wearing somewhat nerdy glasses, is a kind of Natsukawa Tora.

Her name is [Akuta Hinako].

Her true form is an elf, like Natsukawa Tora, born in the Starry Sea. Because she has characteristics similar to vampires, she can also be considered an alternative vampire. Her true identity is Yu Ji, the mysterious concubine of Xiang Yu, who is mentioned sporadically in the Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han.

As someone who was not understood by ordinary people, he had been escaping from and living in seclusion for a thousand years after the death of Xiang Yu, the only one who understood him.

"I have this lady's contact information. Although she only granted me one contact permission, if Mr. Natsukawa wishes, I can convey your wish to meet with her."

"Okay, thank you for your help. Please let me meet her. Also, regarding the list you gave me, I will personally meet some of the people on it. There are some people whose information cannot be fully understood just from written documents."

"No problem, please do as you please. After all, the operations department is under your management, and I have no right to interfere."

(Hmm, very good. I'll kill Beryl when I get back.)

Putting away the list, Xia Chuanhu changed the subject: "So, that's it for business. What about personal matters? Perhaps you want me to help you deal with some of your business rivals?"

"Of course not, that would be me looking down on you... In fact, I hope that you can take care of my daughter inside the Clock Tower."

"daughter......"

"Her name is Olga Marie Animusfia. Originally, the Astronomical Society rarely appeared in public because of its reclusive nature, but now, because of Chaldea, both the Astronomical Society and the Animusfia family will inevitably come into the public eye. As my successor, Olga Marie will act as my representative to handle all matters while I am not in the Clock Tower."

This is what is known as monarchical representation.

"That's quite a lot of expectation placed on your daughter—and then what? You expect me to protect her in such a huge toxic quagmire as the Clock Tower?"

“There’s no need for protection. Excessive protection will only prevent her from growing. It’s good for her to be exposed to the darkness of the Clock Tower to some extent, as this is necessary for inheriting the Animusfia family. What I want to ask of you is—when she encounters difficulties that she can’t solve no matter what, you can provide her with some help.”

As he spoke, Marisbury pulled a black invitation from his pocket: "This is an invitation to the Eye of the Demon train, you should know it, right? The train that travels all over Europe."

“I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been there. I’ve never received an invitation like this before.”

"In order to raise funds for the construction of Chaldea, I sold some Mystic Eyes that my ancestors had bought through the Mystic Eye Collection Train. Because of the transactions, the train would send me an invitation every time it held an auction. Some time ago, Olga Marie contacted me and said that she wanted to attend the auction this year."

"There's nothing wrong with the auction itself, but among those who attend, there are bound to be some with ulterior motives..."

At this point, Xia Chuanhu understood: "Bodyguards."

"If you need it, I can pay the fee."

What do you think?

20. The Magic Eye Collection Train: Danger!

Inside the Clock Tower, every noble student can bring one of their attendants with them when they enroll.

After all, if one is a disciple of a prestigious magic family, there is often a risk of being targeted and having one's life threatened. Therefore, for their own safety, magicians have an obligation to keep an attendant or servant by their side.

As the monarch's representative and also the magician of the Clock Tower's Astronomy Department, Olga Marie naturally needed her own retinue. However, within the Clock Tower's unfathomable depths, no retinue of any level could guarantee Olga Marie's absolute safety, especially since she was now, in name, the monarch's representative and leader of the entire Astronomy Department.

There are countless people who want her to step down or get into trouble. After all, she is only a thirteen-year-old child. Some veterans are bound to be dissatisfied with having a child as the leader of the Department of Physical Education.

Therefore, Olga Marie needs the strongest support, someone who can help her no matter what happens, someone who can pull her out of the filth of the Clock Tower at any time.

Natsukawa Tora was the only person Marisbury could think of.

"According to my informants, there should be some magicians who are dissatisfied with Olga Marie attending this auction for the Magic Eye Collection Train. If possible, I would like to request that Lord Natsukawa protect her in secret."

In every sense, Olga Marie was someone Maris Billy absolutely could not afford to have anything happen to. If she were to die prematurely out of his sight due to some pointless power struggle, it would be a truly devastating loss.

Looking at the invitation to the Magic Eye Collection Train in Marisbury's hand, Natsukawa Torama thought for a moment: "If we don't want anything to happen to her, why don't we just tell her not to attend the auction? Anyway, the Animusfia family has no reason to attend auctions now, right?"

"Or are you actually using the opportunity of those disgruntled magicians rebelling to teach your daughter a lesson? And to clean up those disobedient hands and feet?"

"Your Excellency is wise."

"That's typical of a magician, isn't it? [He's a man with the inherently unstable qualities of a magician]—that's how someone in the Clock Tower described you. You're the epitome of a magician. Would you even use your own daughter for your own purposes?"

“But it’s undeniable that it works very well as bait, especially since Olga Marie seems to want to prove her abilities through this,” Marisbury laughed. “She’s a bit like me when I was young, wanting to prove herself, a little bit of a show-off, and with an aristocratic arrogance—she needs some lessons and failures, don’t you think?”

"It sounds like someone who would be difficult for me to get along with."

“You are too modest. If you can even conquer that monarch Acherlot, I believe it's only a matter of time before you get along well with my daughter. Besides, does that mean you are willing to accept my request?”

I'm making a request.

Xia Chuanhu patted the list in his hand: "Consider this a return gift for the 'favor' you showed me by giving me this list. Since we're in a cooperative relationship, shouldn't we at least 'take care' of each other a little, right?"

"Let me think about it... How about three times? I can help Olga Marie three times if she really reaches the end of her rope, including this Mystic Eyes Collection Train. What do you say?"

"This is actually quite flattering. Your help in three desperate situations is a promise that no amount of money can buy. On behalf of my daughter, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you. So, I will leave this invitation to you. I will also contact Olga Marie later to explain your situation to her."

"Thank you for your help. Hmm, the auction starts in two weeks? That should be more than enough time."

Putting away the invitation, Natsukawa Tora stood up from the sofa: "Also, Grey and I are planning to stay here for three or four days, is that alright?"

"Of course, I welcome you, Lord Natsukawa."

——————————————————————————————————————

at the same time.

Naples, Italy.

At the door of a house near the sea, a deliveryman rang the doorbell and called out, "Excuse me, is Miss Aozaki home? There's a letter for you here."

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm here, just a moment."

A few seconds later, an echo came from inside the door, and then a beautiful woman with messy red hair and slightly disheveled clothes appeared in front of the deliveryman.

She is Aozaki Touko.

Two years ago, after the Holy Grail War ended, he left and returned to Kanbu City while Natsukawa Torama was asleep. After closing the Garan Hall, he began wandering the world aimlessly, just like his sister. Currently, he is temporarily settled in Italy, doing his old job of making dolls for people.

After receiving the letter from the courier and exchanging a brief conversation with him, Aozaki Touko closed the door and returned to her room on the second floor.

If Natsukawa Toranosuke were here right now, his blood pressure would probably rise a bit. The room, which wasn't very big, was filled with Aozaki Touko's things, and her underwear was scattered everywhere. It was obvious that it hadn't been cleaned up in a long time.

No, it should be said that she hasn't tidied up her room since she moved in. Aozaki Touko was spoiled rotten by Natsukawa Torato and Gray many years ago. Calling her a useless person is not an exaggeration. If you ask her to honestly clean her own room, she might as well be an automatic cleaning doll.

Sitting down at her workbench, she opened the envelope and stared at the black letter that fell out. Aozaki Touko's eyes trembled slightly. She took off her glasses, lit a cigarette, and grinned.

"This is truly... an unexpected letter. I never thought that place would send me something like this. But I should be on their blacklist, so it's impossible for it to be sent to me under my name. So, it was... sent out anonymously and randomly?"

The black envelope and the unique wax seal—in Aozaki Touko's knowledge, there was only one place that used this special format.

"The Magic Eye Collection Train, RailZeppelin—"

"Hmph, this really brings back some long-forgotten memories."

21. The Junior Director and the Junior Sima Yi

Of the twelve disciplines in the Clock Tower, law and politics is the most unique.

Other disciplines primarily teach magic tricks suited to their respective fields, but the Department of Law and Politics is not a place for studying magic. Instead, it teaches various skills that can be used in power struggles and organizational management.

Those who graduate from the Department of Law and Politics will eventually become the elite who manage the Clock Tower, the execution force that intervenes in the struggles between magicians, or, through the introduction of the Clock Tower, take up important positions in various countries that have close ties with the Clock Tower.

Based on this nature, aristocratic scions, descendants of noble families, and heirs to monarchy—these and other such new generation of magicians—all study here.

Olga Marie, who was thirteen years old at the time, was the same.

Previously, the Department of Astronomy was the department furthest removed from the power struggles within the Clock Tower, and they did not participate in such power struggles. However, since Marisbury began building Chaldea and participated in the Holy Grail War and returned victorious, Olga Marie, as the second head of the Animusfia family, had to come before the people of the Clock Tower and act as the monarch's representative.

To be honest, it was a rather tough job. The affairs of the monarch were not something a mere thirteen-year-old girl like her could handle. She had to deal with those awful adults, subtly trying to figure out each other's thoughts... This kind of scheming life left Olga Marie quite mentally exhausted.

Fortunately, she was not alone; like many noble children, she brought her own entourage with her to school.

"Miss."

After leaving the classroom following the end of her law and political science class, Olga Marie soon heard someone calling her name.

Olga Marie's gaze fell on the woman by the door, and she smiled, "It must be so kind of you to wait for me here every time, Theresa."

"No, this is my duty as the young lady's servant."

Theresa Filhods.

Olga Marisbury's governess, who was also her attendant, was the only person Olga Marisbury could fully trust during her time at the Clock Tower.