To become a king and a magician

"You've worked hard, Natsukawa." Ayaka Sajo came up and helped him wipe the rain-soaked hair. "Are you hurt anywhere? I'll learn some recovery magic."

"There isn't even a scratch. You can rest assured. This is nothing more than a minor scuffle."

Xia Chuanhu smiled.

Arcueid nodded in agreement: "That's right, that's right. If Nero alone could injure Tiger, he would have been dead seven years ago. Ayaka, don't worry about his condition."

But one should always be careful in battle—looking at the two who seemed completely unconcerned, Ayaka Sajou swallowed those words. She was just a weak magician, lacking their immense power, and it really wasn't her place to worry about it.

After Ayaka Sajo wiped the rainwater off him, Natsukawa Torama turned to look at the person who had been watching from the sidelines.

"Well then, let's get on with your business."

"Aster Altram Atlasia".

60. If they knew beforehand, there's no reason they wouldn't set a trap, right?

Inside the apartment.

Looking at Shion sitting nervously on the sofa, Aozaki Touko, who was left at home, gave Natsukawa Tora a clearly sarcastic look.

He goes out and brings back a woman every time. Yesterday it was Ayaka Sajou, and today it's the talented woman from Atlas Institute.

Aozaki Touko was very suspicious that her apprentice might bring back another person tomorrow. His luck with women was really absurd. It was a good thing that his family hadn't grown in the past two years. This could also be attributed to Grey's good discipline.

As a result, this is what happened after I left Grey's Entertainment.

(As expected, Grey will continue to follow him.)

Without Gray or Sajou Rei watching over him, Natsukawa Tora, who probably went out alone, would have returned with more than a dozen people by his side.

Just as Aozaki Touko was lamenting Natsukawa Tora's interpersonal relationships, Natsukawa Tora was also having a conversation with Shion.

"I am truly grateful to you for saving me, Mr. Natsukawa."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Shion bowed her head sincerely and thanked Natsukawa Tora.

"I was wondering if the dean's evaluation of you was a bit exaggerated, but I didn't expect you to be as strong as the dean said. I'm really sorry."

“Dean? Ah… Mr. Tsbia?” Natsukawa Torato remembered the person he hadn’t seen in a long time. “He mentioned me to you?”

Shion nodded: "Before leaving Atlas Institute, the Dean specifically instructed me that if I encountered any trouble in Misaki City that I couldn't handle, I could seek your help and cooperation, and said that you are the most trustworthy and reliable man."

In fact, after witnessing Natsukawa Torato's near-total domination over Nero Chaos, Shion was already completely convinced of Tsbia's statement.

Upon hearing Shion's words, Natsukawa Torato immediately turned to Aozaki Touko and Sajou Ayaka: "Touko, Ayaka, listen to this! This is the most fair and objective evaluation of me. The Clock Tower's evaluation of me is pure slander!"

What messy interpersonal relationships, what gigolo who hooked up with a rich woman, what nouveau riche—is Xia Chuanhu really that kind of person?

Seeing his expression, both Aozaki Touko and Sajou Ayaka looked away and sighed with a hint of helplessness.

(Fine, whatever makes you happy, Tiger.)

(I actually think Ms. Shion's assessment is not fair enough, Natsukawa.)

Ignoring their actions, Natsukawa Tora looked at Shion again: "But it's a wonder that Tsbia mentioned me to you. The last time I met him was ten years ago at the cemetery in Brackmore, and we only exchanged a few words."

"According to the dean, you are one of the more special magicians he has ever met. In addition, you have often done some amazing things over the past ten years. Even if you don't follow him, you will still hear about you, so he has a deep impression of you. Also, there is the relationship with LogosReact."

Ziyuan explained with a smile.

(I'm referring to Zero... well, I've already turned her into a doll, and there are two Root Princesses inside, but let's not talk about that for now.)

After hearing what he said, Natsukawa Tora sensed that Shion might be in a rather unpleasant situation.

"Speaking of which, why did you come to Misaki City?" Natsukawa Torato continued to ask. "Although the Atlas Institute itself doesn't have a rule that you can't leave once you're inside, it's relatively secluded. Magicians inside rarely show up on their own initiative, and you don't seem like the kind of magician who would do that. Is there some special reason for coming to Misaki City?"

(If it's for the Tatali... then Tsbia here isn't the Tatali, and Shion probably didn't experience those things, so she shouldn't have any reason to pursue the Tatali.)

"I was kicked out by the dean."

Ziyuan answered very directly.

"I was doing well with my research in my own workshop when the dean suddenly called me over, said a bunch of nonsense, and kicked me out of the Atlas Institute. If I don't complete the task he gave me in Misaki City, I won't be able to return to the Atlas Institute."

"A mission?" Ayaka Sajou frowned. "What kind of mission is that?"

"【Go to Misaki City and kill Tsbia Eltram Atlasia】—This is the kind of suicide mission the Dean gave me, isn't it ridiculous?"

Sending Shion to Misaki City to kill himself would surely puzzle anyone unaware of Tsbia's actions, and indeed, that's exactly what Shion did. However, those present had already been exposed to the true nature of Tatari by Natsukawa Torato, and thus understood the true meaning behind Tsbia's instructions.

"It's not exactly inexplicable, since he didn't give you any wrong instructions."

"Huh?" Shion was a little confused as to why Natsukawa Torama would say that. "You mean... there's another director in Misaki City?"

Natsukawa Tiger nodded: "More or less. The Nero Chaos who attacked us just now wasn't the real him. He was killed seven years ago. The one we saw just now was an imposter created by someone who read the intelligence left in this city."

"The opponent's name is Tatali, or rather, the Night of Varazia. He is one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors of the Dead Apostles from a parallel world that does not exist in this world. He is also the [Tsbia Eltram Atlasia] from a parallel world."

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

The tallest building in Misaki City.

The temple—that's what the people of Misaki City usually call it. It sounds like a very special high-rise building, but in reality, it's still an unfinished building.

And at its top, Hier is now there.

Compared to the idle Aozaki Touko and Natsukawa Torato who took Sajou Ayaka and Arcueid on a trip, Shier was probably the only one who took dealing with Tatari to heart. Or perhaps he hadn't fully transitioned out of his role as the Proxy?

Since the opponent is one of the twenty-seven Dead Apostles, it is necessary to make full preparations. Knowing that it will appear the night after tomorrow, the time before then can be used to arrange various methods.

For example, magical barriers specifically designed for Dead Apostles—and so on.

If you were to ask what the difference is between the current Siel and the Siel of seven years ago, it would undoubtedly be her magical skill. She used to hate Roja, and she always resisted and refused to touch the magical knowledge he had left in her mind. But now, her perspective has changed; in the past seven years, she has mastered most of Roja's magical knowledge.

That's why she set up this barrier here.

"Tatali... Phew~~~~~ I hope the battle the day after tomorrow night goes smoothly."

Looking up at the increasingly round moon, Hiel sighed softly.

61. Steal the base!

Tsbia from a parallel world.

The information Shion received from Xia Chuanhu surprised her for a moment, but as someone from the Atlas Academy, she was used to living in all sorts of bizarre events every day, so the idea of ​​a parallel world wasn't unacceptable to her.

"I see... Parallel worlds. No wonder the dean said that. There's no paradox in what he said."

"But why would the Dean have such an idea—to kill his parallel-world counterpart?"

This is incomprehensible.

Magicians are fundamentally egoists; they only care about their own interests and nothing else. Even if the world were to be destroyed, a magician would only continue his research, hoping to reach the source before the world ends.

This is the idea of ​​the vast majority of magicians.

But the magicians at Atlas Academy are slightly different.

"Perhaps in his calculations, his actions in a parallel world might lead to the destruction of this world."

That's what Natsukawa Tora thought.

The magicians of the Atlas Academy do not seek the root cause; they seek to "save the world." Because their first headmaster proved that in the distant future, the world will inevitably head towards destruction, the magicians of the Atlas Academy continuously carry out their "save the world" in order to avert that future, endlessly repeating the act of destroying and forging weapons.

As the headmaster of the Atlas Institute and a Dead Apostle who had lived for hundreds of years, Tsbia may have sensed some anomalies in the world and foreseen his own arrival. Believing that the actions of his alter ego might lead to the destruction of the world, he made the decision to have Shion eliminate him.

"Saving the world... well, that's the only way to put it."

Ziyuan showed an expression of understanding.

You should know that within the Atlas Institute, every minute and every second, magicians predict new world destruction outcomes. "Saving the world" is just a daily routine within the Atlas Institute. If someone were to say "I must save the world" within the Atlas Institute, they would most likely be met with a lot of eye-rolling.

That wasn't mockery, but anger—instead of wasting time talking big here, they should hurry up and do research to find a way to avoid the world's destruction as soon as possible.

"But it's still strange. The dean has always believed that he should solve the destruction of the world he foresaw. Why would he suddenly hand over the future he predicted to me? My adoptive father, who doesn't care much about anything, wouldn't rely on anyone else."

Each Atlas Academy magician predicts a different world destruction, therefore, they believe that only they themselves can resolve the star's end as they foresee, and this is also true of Tsbia, the abbot.

But this time, he entrusted the matter he had predicted to Shion, letting her handle it.

"I'm clearly no match for Zu... No, could that be the reason?"

As if suddenly understanding something, Shion muttered to herself as she looked at Natsukawa Tora: "Is it because of you?"

"Me? What happened to me?"

"Although it's a somewhat far-fetched guess, the dean sent me here... [to get to know Natsukawa Tora] is probably about 60% of the reason. After all, he seems to really like you. But why did he send me to get to know you?"

“The Holy Sword Wielder,” Ayaka Sajou suddenly said, “could it be because Natsukawa is the Holy Sword Wielder?”

Ziyuan frowned: "Holy Sword Wielder? What's that?"

"Literal meaning."

Natsukawa Tora made a grasping motion with his hand, materializing Excalibur, and then explained, "This is the Star Sword, forged by the elves to defeat the invaders who sought to destroy the stars. If you were to say it was the Excalibur once wielded by King Arthur, you should be more familiar with it, right?"

"I am now its wielder, and I have been designated by the two great restraining forces as the third Star Holy Sword Wielder. How should I put it... I'm the kind of person who treats what you call 'saving the world' as a mission."

In fact, Natsukawa Tora has saved the world several times, and you could even say he was saving the world every day before. In order to prevent the Sixth Beast from descending, he fought to the death with the two Root Princesses every day.

Ziyuan didn't understand what Xia Chuanhu was talking about, but looking at the holy sword in his hand, she instinctively felt that Xia Chuanhu wasn't talking nonsense. A voice in her heart kept telling her that the person in front of her was the holy sword wielder who could truly save the world.

Did Tsbia know this, which is why she arranged to meet him? For the magicians of the Atlas Academy, whose goal is to save the world, the Star Sword Wielder is arguably the most desirable ally.

"Yes, if we put this assumption into account, the dean's intention does make sense. Although the truth is probably not like this, I'll assume it is for now."

Standing up, Shion smiled and extended her hand to Natsukawa Tora: "Let's get to know each other again. I am Shion, Shion Eltram Atlasia, an alchemist. I may need to ask you for help in many ways in the future, you holy swordsman who saves the world."

(It's not just possible, it's definitely certain.)

During the period of frozen human reason, Shion was the unsung hero behind Chaldea's continued reclaiming of the world. If she hadn't prepared a new Chaldea in the Sea of ​​Wandering, Chaldea would probably have faced certain doom in the future.

As the current operations manager of Chaldea, Natsukawa Torato will definitely meet Shion again in the future.

"I am Xia Chuan Hu. You can just call me Xia Chuan or Hu. There's no need to be so formal."

Natsukawa Torama grasped Shion's hand and smiled at her: "It's no trouble for me. I'll do my best to help you with anything within my power. Please take care of me in the future, Shion."

(So ​​dazzling!)

Looking at his sunny smile, Ziyuan immediately felt as if she were enveloped by the gentle midday sun in the dead of winter.

To give her such a gentle smile... that's practically cheating! It's incredibly powerful! Doesn't this person ever try to be more reserved?!