To become a king and a magician

Yu Ji is feeling extremely uncomfortable all over.

(I probably can't hide here any longer, so I'd better start moving now, before she finds me.)

Just as Yu Ji was about to get up, the voice of Sha Tiao Lingyi suddenly rang out from outside.

"Master? You've finally arrived. Is the matter of the Clock Tower over?"

"Well, how's things going on your end?"

"We should find them soon, but they'll probably run away soon too; they're quite a troublesome opponent."

Two weeks ago, after discussing it with Marisbury, Natsukawa Torama decided on one of the two people—Akuta Hinako—and entrusted the task of finding her to Sajou Rei. He then returned to the Clock Tower and visited the Archaeology Department, the Spirit Conjuring Department, and other departments several times.

Because the matters to be dealt with were somewhat troublesome, and arguing with those monarchs was unexpectedly exhausting, coupled with my primary duty as a teacher, I only had time to check on Sajou Rei's situation today.

After listening to Sajou Rei's report, Natsukawa Torato thought for a moment and then said, "Rei, do you know roughly which direction she's in?"

"Over there."

Sajou Rei pinpointed Yu Ji's location with pinpoint accuracy: "Master, do you want to go directly to her?"

"No, we're going to let her come out on her own. Actually, it's quite easy to see her, but I forgot to tell you before."

Clearing his throat, Natsukawa Tora looked in the direction of the house where Yu Ji was, and amidst the bewildered expressions of the surrounding crowd, shouted, "Akuta Hinako-senpai! I have a clue that can help you reunite with Lord Xiang Yu! If possible, could you please meet with us? Also, I am an elf! Just like you!"

"Clang!"

A series of clanging and banging sounds followed from a room not far away.

------------------

A few minutes later, inside a restaurant near the street.

Looking at Yu Ji, who was sitting opposite him with a displeased expression, Natsukawa Tora smiled and extended his hand: "Hello, Akuta Hinako-senpai. I'm sorry to meet you in this way. I am Natsukawa Tora... You should be able to sense my identity from my words, right?"

"Hmm, it's quite surprising to me. I never expected that the reason I've been hiding and living in such a miserable state all this time would be my own compatriots."

The moment Yu Ji met Xia Chuanhu, she clearly sensed that, although not entirely, the boy before her was indeed an elf born from the planet itself, just like her. Furthermore, she vaguely sensed the information the world itself was conveying to her.

The born elf, the third Star Holy Sword Wielder...

It was indeed an impressive identity, but that was not enough to appease Yu Ji's anger towards him. If it weren't for the fact that he was practically her compatriot and that he had told her about that important person, Yu Ji would not have given him the face to sit there and would have left with a look of disgust long ago.

"No need for pleasantries. Regarding the clue you mentioned about meeting Lord Xiang Yu again... really? How did you know who I am?"

Yu Ji thought she had hidden herself very well. She had used the name Jie Chuzi for a thousand years without anyone noticing anything unusual. Living in seclusion in a sparsely populated place could also greatly reduce the possibility of being exposed. But this junior in front of her directly revealed her identity.

How did he find out?

“I once had contact with the Roots and gained a lot of knowledge, including some about the predecessors.”

Natsukawa Tora pulled out his go-to excuse that he'd been using for years.

The root—Yu Ji knew about this thing, the place where all things converge, the origin of all things flowing out, so it's normal that there would be something about her in it.

"The root of all things... to be able to know about me from that infinite knowledge, your luck is truly beyond words. Since that's the case, there's nothing more to be done. So, what you're saying is true? You have a clue to seeing Lord Xiang Yu again?"

“Yes, I think you can achieve this goal through Servant summoning,” Natsukawa Torato explained. “Xiang Yu is one of the most important figures in Chinese history. I think it’s impossible for him not to have a place on the Throne of Heroes. After all, Li Shuwen in modern times is qualified to become a Heroic Spirit, so there’s no reason why Xiang Yu can’t, right? He is the only overlord in Chinese history.”

This kid is good at talking—after listening to Xia Chuanhu's explanation, Yu Ji's dissatisfaction with Xia Chuanhu dissipated considerably.

(That's right, it's impossible for Lord Xiang Yu not to become a Heroic Spirit; there's no one more qualified to become a Heroic Spirit than Lord Xiang Yu.)

"So, according to you, we only need to use some kind of Servant summoning to summon Lord Xiang Yu?"

“Hmm. Generally speaking, if you want to summon a specific Servant, you need to prepare a relic related to him, such as a fragment of a weapon he used in his lifetime... But I think you probably don’t need that, since you are Yu Ji herself, and the deep relationship between Yu Ji and Xiang Yu is enough to serve as a relic.”

This kid really knows how to talk!

Yu Ji, who had always been alone and never interacted with others, now genuinely found this junior quite pleasing to the eye!

However, Yu Ji was not naive; she understood human nature and social dynamics. Since Xia Chuanhu was willing to tell her this, it meant he must need something from her; otherwise, there would be no need for her to go to such lengths to please him.

"Judging from your tone, it seems you can help me with this so-called Servant summoning. I imagine it's not free, is it? What do you want me to do?"

"It's just a very simple thing."

Natsukawa Torara laughed, "Akuta Hinako-senpai, would you be willing to join me in saving the world?"

The Holy Sword Wielder Begins to Save the World

1.2015

2015 years.

London, England.

Clock Tower, a city of mineral science.

Bathed in the afternoon sun, Aozaki Aoko strolled along this street, which felt both familiar and unfamiliar, after many years.

The thought that it was really not much different from when she came before came to her mind.

Minerals is a discipline with a long history within the Clock Tower, its origins traceable back to the generation of the great mage who still exists today. As a result, its rich history has created an environment that is difficult to change. Thousands of years of accumulation mean that minerals will not undergo any obvious changes in just a few years.

Not to mention that Aozaki Aoko would return about once every two or three years, and in such a short time interval, it would be even less likely that the Minerals Department would undergo any changes that she would notice.

In addition, if I had to say something, her own attire, like that of this academic city, has remained largely unchanged since the beginning.

A simple shirt and worn-out jeans, long black hair casually draped down her back—no makeup to accentuate her femininity, no elaborate styling. Yet, she exuded unparalleled feminine charm. This was probably due to the refreshing aura she radiated and her perfect figure.

On the streets of the academic city, many magicians who lived there saw him appear. After their initial surprise, they all showed expressions of "Ah, here we go again."

The Fifth Magician, Aozaki Aoko, is a celebrity in the Clock Tower, not only because she caused a lot of trouble when she was studying there, but also because in recent years, in addition to traveling all over the world and doing all sorts of things that raise the Clock Tower's blood pressure, she has also visited the Mineral Department a lot.

Why does this mage come to the Minerals Department so frequently?

Over the years, various speculations have circulated within the Clock Tower regarding this issue. Some believe that the Lord of the Minerals Department reached some kind of agreement with her, while others think that the Minerals Department offended this magician—some even wonder if Aozaki Aoko has joined the Minerals Department and is preparing to assist them in their power struggle.

Of course, these speculations eventually dissipated on their own. Aozaki Aoko neither explained nor interfered, simply continuing to act according to her own ideas. Furthermore, the Mineral Department itself didn't comment on her actions, and over time, the speculations about her behavior ceased to be raised. Even now, although the magicians in the Mineral Department are still surprised by Aozaki Aoko's arrival, they have, to some extent, come to regard it as part of their daily lives.

As usual, after passing through the somewhat evasive gazes of the surrounding magicians, Aozaki Aoko arrived at her only destination in this academic city.

As if returning to her own home, Aozaki Aoko took out her keys from her pocket and expertly opened the front door, stepping into the house.

"Here you are, the slowest and last one to arrive."

The moment she stepped into the house, that sound reached her ears.

That was the voice of a woman she used to hate, but now she didn't hate as much.

"At least consider where I came from. The moment I received the news, I bought a plane ticket and flew over from Nevada."

Aozaki Aoko looked at the red-haired woman sitting on the sofa in the room, who was supposedly her older sister: "Big sister, when did you arrive?"

Aozaki Touko stubbed out her cigarette: "I was already in Italy yesterday, so I flew over quickly. After all, it's rare for that guy to ask us to come over, so we couldn't be slack off."

"So you are one too... Then, where is my husband?"

After tossing her suitcase onto the sofa, Aozaki Aoko looked around for someone she hadn't seen in a while.

Hearing her address, Aozaki Touko frowned: "You make it sound so natural. You two aren't even engaged, let alone married, right? How dare you say that?"

"Why wouldn't you dare? There are others around."

"My husband isn't here."

The person who answered Aozaki Aoko's question was not Aozaki Touko, but another acquaintance of hers who appeared on the stairs.

As Lydia descended the stairs, holding onto the handrail, she smiled at Aozaki Aoko: "He hasn't been here for a year. He's in Chaldea in Antarctica now, with Gray and Zero with him."

"He ran over there. By the way, Lydia, how come you look so young?"

Aozaki Aoko and Lydia are the same age, both forty-one years old now. Aoko's appearance doesn't change because of magic, but Lydia's youth is a bit much.

"Have you finished researching that potion for eternal youth that you started researching in the plant science department a few years ago?"

"Pretty much, but I only made one for myself. Anyway, you guys don't need it, so making more would be a waste."

Sometimes, Lydia envied the people around her, whose appearances remained unchanged for various reasons, while she, a relatively ordinary person, could only grow old day by day.

In order to avoid becoming an old witch and unworthy of her husband, Lydia tried every possible method, and fortunately, the potion for eternal youth was eventually successfully developed.

Slightly surprised, Aozaki Aoko continued, "So it's just the three of us? Where are the others? I think they've all arrived."

"We set off a long time ago. We only stayed here to wait for you. It's your fault for being the slowest to arrive."

"Um—I'm really sorry. But... let's set off? Where to?"

"In Meryl's words, it's the 'inner world'."

Lydia explained, and the moment she finished, the entire room was suddenly filled with countless flower petals. Fortunately, the three of them were already used to this sudden change and simply stood there quietly waiting for the petals to disappear.

The sensation lasts for about one minute—

As the petals dissipated, Aozaki Aoko and the other two looked around and found themselves on another dreamlike platform, which looked like the top observation deck of some huge building.

Not far away, the same people that all three of them knew were also sitting around.

Upon seeing the three arrive, Melly, who was closest to them, stood up and waved to them: "Long time no see, Orange, Aoko. Welcome to the inner side of the world, to Avalon, the border tower of the Starry Sea. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Avalon..."

Aozaki Aoko looked around: "The tower where Merlin imprisoned himself in mythology?"

"Yes, more or less, except that their tower isn't here; this tower is borrowed from them."

"Borrowed? Then who was the original owner?"

In response to Aozaki Touko's question, Meryl pointed to the sky, where a white object, resembling a human figure, was hanging from the dome atop the observation deck.

"what is that?"

"Don't worry about him, he's not an important person at this stage."

2. Merlin: I dare not resist.

After a brief greeting to Artoria and the others whom she hadn't seen in a long time, Aozaki Aoko left her sister behind and went straight to Merry, who was sitting on the edge of the observation deck gazing at the distant sea of ​​flowers.

"What a beautiful place!"

“Right? After all, this was [my] doing.” Meryl said with a smug look on her face.