To become a king and a magician

"Hopefully this will work."

As he pondered this, Natsukawa Tora pulled a silver necklace from under his collar.

This is a magical costume for disguise; as long as he wears it, he can hide the part of him that belongs to King Arthur—it was made by Merry after Natsukawa Torama told her about his concerns.

As long as it has nothing to do with King Arthur, then to outsiders, the Blackmore Cemetery is just a somewhat exclusive and special place; although it is eerie, it does not pose much danger.

"Beep beep beep~~~~~"

The sound of a bus came from the side, and an old bus appeared in the distance.

Picking up his suitcase and putting away the map, Natsukawa Tora sighed softly: "I really hope they don't cause any trouble this time. I just want to complete the mission with a simple investigation."

————————————————————————

It takes five hours by long-distance bus from Cardiff, the capital of Wales, to reach the location of Blackmore Cemetery, and then you have to walk a mountain path after getting off the bus.

Natsukawa Tora isn't someone who likes going out. If he could, he'd rather stay in his room, lying in bed scrolling through his phone all day, or playing games at his computer all day.

Unfortunately, setting aside the fact that it's still the late 20th century and his favorite form of entertainment hasn't yet developed, his current situation doesn't allow him to stay home. Working, attending classes, special training... all sorts of things force him to constantly improve his physical strength.

Thanks to this, even on such a rugged mountain path, Natsukawa Tiger only had to pant a little, while Weber would probably be completely out of breath.

"Haa..."

Leaning against a tree by the roadside, Xia Chuanhu took a couple of breaths and looked up at the sky: "It's almost dark. At this rate, will we be able to get there before dark? This place is so remote... Now I understand why the Blackmore Cemetery is so well-regarded in the industry."

Although not widely known in the surface world, Blackmore Cemetery is actually quite famous in the magic world. It is not only one of the most famous cemeteries in the world, but also one of the oldest. Countless necromancers and necromancers want to go there to explore its secrets.

However, the actual location of the Brakmoia Cemetery has always been a mystery. Despite its fame, its exact location remains unclear, and while its location is occasionally mentioned, most of these claims are false. Over time, the Brakmoia Cemetery has become a legendary, albeit real, existence.

The reason why Xia Chuanhu knew the location of the Brackmore Cemetery was because the letter of authorization included a map and the actual address. Even so, it took him a lot of effort to find the location of the Brackmore Cemetery from the corner of the map.

"I wonder how they make a living in such a remote place? Don't they ever trade anything?"

Thinking this, Natsukawa Tora took out his water bottle, took a sip to moisten his lips, and was about to continue moving forward—

"Pat-pat-pat—"

Suddenly, the sound of flapping wings came from the forest not far away, and then dozens of crows flew out of the forest with a thud.

"Crows...that's true. When it comes to cemeteries, crows are like an inseparable part of it; they're something that's bound to be there."

"Because crows can carry souls."

As if in response to Natsukawa Tora, a deep voice rang out, and then a black shadow appeared out of nowhere from where the crows had flown out.

It was a man dressed all in black. He was probably around fifty or sixty years old. Although he was getting on in years, you could still see his strong physique through his coat, and he wore a travel hat on his wildly growing hair.

A crow landed on the man's shoulder, its eyes fixed on Natsukawa Tora. Although his eyes were hidden by the large travel hat, Natsukawa Tora sensed that the man was also looking at him.

"What brings the Clock Tower magician here?"

The man asked this question.

Taking the document out of his backpack, Natsukawa Tiger said, "Are you someone connected to the Blackmore Cemetery? The Blackmore Cemetery sent a request to the Clock Tower, and I'm the magician here to handle it."

"Oh, you're here to deal with that matter. The Clock Tower is really slow."

That's what he said, but the man still turned around.

“I am the gravedigger, Bersak Brakmoya. It’s getting dark, let’s go to the cemetery together.”

14. Quick, wash your mouth with the muddy water.

Led by Belsak, Natsukawa Tiger arrived at a small village nestled against a steep mountainside.

The village, with a population of just over a hundred, was a place that could disappear at any moment, yet had spent a long time hidden and silent. Most of the buildings were made of stone bricks, and even a layman could tell they were old. The sparse pedestrians wore clothing that could be described as modern, but the style was clearly outdated to Natsukawa Tiger.

However, considering the village's geographical location, it's understandable. After all, cars can't get in at all, so it's understandable that it would seem relatively underdeveloped.

When the two arrived at the village, it was already completely dark. Naturally, there were no streetlights in the village, and the road could only be barely seen through the light coming from the windows of the houses.

"It really is a rather lifeless village."

Natsukawa Tora spoke to Belsak.

“After all, this is a place like this. But we’ve lived here for generations and we’re used to it. Let’s go to the church first, and we can talk there. We need to keep quiet when we’re out at night.”

The rules here are quite strange—Xia Chuanhu thought to himself, and quickly followed Belsak. The old man looked old, but he walked really fast; when they were walking on the mountain path earlier, Xia Chuanhu could barely keep up with his pace.

The church that Belsak mentioned was a building located at the northernmost end of the village. It had a rather simple appearance, with ivy climbing all over its fish-scale-like walls.

Upon entering the church, the interior space was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside, perhaps due to the high ceiling.

Although the interior decoration was not luxurious, everything from the benches to the metal candlesticks was spotless, clearly indicating that it had been cleaned with great care.

However, the most eye-catching thing is the statue standing deep inside the sanctuary.

Unlike a normal church, what appeared in Natsukawa Tora's eyes was a black statue of the Virgin Mary.

"The Black Madonna..."

Although still cradling the infant who is the savior, the statue of the Virgin Mary remains tall and majestic, with piercing eyes looking down. She looks more like a female general than a loving mother.

Normally, statues of the Virgin Mary are white, but in a few scattered areas of Europe, there are also black statues of the Virgin Mary, which is said to be due to the evolution of religion and different beliefs.

but--

"They really do look very similar."

Looking at the black statue of the Virgin Mary, Natsukawa Tiger murmured softly. Others couldn't see it clearly, but Natsukawa Tiger knew that the face of this statue of the Virgin Mary bore a seventy or eighty percent resemblance to someone he had seen in the Holy Grail War a year ago—that person was Morgan le Fay.

(Hundreds of years ago, after the Battle of Camlann, Morgan le Fay visited the Blackmore Cemetery and gave the villagers the Mystic Code, Infiltrated Gold, to the villagers near the cemetery. He also gave them the order to resurrect King Arthur and placed various items for the resurrection of King Arthur inside and outside the village. The villagers called her the Black Mother...?)

Recalling his memories of Morgan le Fay and the Blackmore Cemetery, and looking at the statue of the Virgin Mary before him that resembled Morgan's face, a thought involuntarily arose in Natsukawa Torato's mind—

(Could it be that those places with black statues of the Virgin Mary, like the Blackmore Cemetery, are all part of Morgan's scheme to resurrect King Arthur?)

Natsukawa Torato didn't know Morgan's true attitude towards Arthur—Artoria—only that there must have been jealousy and hatred in it, because she had been deprived of her position as Queen of Britain. But why would she set out to revive Artoria after the Battle of Camlann?

"Are you very interested in this statue of the Virgin Mary, magician?"

The voice of Belsak could be heard from ahead.

Xia Chuanhu nodded slightly: "After all, this type is rare. Also, one of my... well, an old friend, looks somewhat similar to this statue of the Virgin Mary, so I was a little concerned about it."

“I see... This is something that has been passed down in the village. I don’t know the details. Perhaps the priest here would know, but he doesn’t seem to be here.”

"Let's talk about the commission at my house, it's behind the church. But before you come, could you please offer a prayer to the Virgin Mary? That's the custom in the village."

After speaking, Belsac himself knelt down first, and because of his robust physique, his prayer looked more like a knight taking an oath.

Upon hearing his request, Natsukawa Tora made the sign of the cross, but... perhaps it was just his imagination, Natsukawa Tora always felt that the eyes of the black Madonna statue were always looking at him.

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

After offering their prayers, the two left through the back door of the church.

Looking up from behind the church, you can see a swamp near the hilltop. It's surrounded by layers of metal fences, with several stone tablets in the middle. It seems that's the cemetery.

"This way."

Belsac's voice drew Natsukawa Tora's attention away from the cemetery and turned him to a dilapidated house near the church.

However, it was more like a large storage room than a house for people to live in, but judging from the necessary furniture inside, he seemed to actually live there.

On the dirty oak table sat several brass cups filled with coffee. The coffee looked like muddy water, and it actually tasted similar. Even a man like Natsukawa Tora, who could drink plain water for a month without any problem, couldn't help but frown at the sight of this coffee.

However, looking at the silent Bersak—

(So ​​you won't talk unless I drink?)

Gritting his teeth, as if drinking Chinese medicine, Xia Chuanhu held his breath, took a small sip, and quickly swallowed it.

Hmm, it really tastes like muddy water; it was so bad that Natsukawa Tora almost gagged.

After seeing Natsukawa Tora take a sip, Belsak finally got to the point: "Let's start talking about the commission. To be honest, I didn't expect the Clock Tower to actually send someone. I only tried it because I was advised to. Even if you hadn't come, I think we could have handled it ourselves in a while."

"If possible, I don't want to make a wasted trip."

"I thought so too. So now that you're here, it means you also know the specifics of the commission, right?"

"Investigate the magical anomalies near the cemetery—right?"

Belsac nodded: "We're just gravediggers after all. All we know is about things related to spirits. For other things, it's best to ask the professionals."

“You overestimate me. I’m far from being a professional; I’m just a beginner.” Xia Chuanhu shrugged. “But since I’m here, I’ll handle your request, whether I can do it or not.”

"That's good."

Bersak nodded.

"However, it is getting late now, and you must be tired after your long journey. Why don't you rest for tonight and continue your investigation tomorrow? There is a hunting hut outside the village where you can stay for the rest of your stay."

"It's troublesome."

15. Four Rules

First of all, it should be noted that Natsukawa Tora is not a person who cares much about his living environment. Whether it is an old apartment or a cramped rental room, as long as it is habitable, he can sleep there.

But after Belsak led him to the so-called "hunting cabin," he ended up staying in Bengbu.

The dilapidated state of the room was a level above that of Belsak's. It was obvious that the wooden bed was infested with mites and lice. The musty, dusty smell rushed into Xia Chuanhu's nose the moment he opened the door, making him almost unable to feel his nose.

(Although I expected this, it's still a bit too much...)

Seeing that Xia Chuanhu's expression and eyes were clearly off, Belsak said helplessly, "The environment is a bit simple, please forgive us. We rarely have guests in the village, so this is the only place we can use to entertain them."

"It's alright, it's alright, I understand."

"That's good. I'll bring dinner over later. I'll be going now."

Thank you.

After watching Belsak leave, Natsukawa Tora let out a long sigh and put his luggage on the floor of the hunting cabin, which immediately stirred up a large pile of dust—how long had it been since this place was cleaned?

"Sigh, thank goodness I've already learned some magic tricks that make life easier, otherwise cleaning would be such a hassle."

As Xia Chuanhu spoke, he snapped his fingers, and a few sparks immediately ignited in the lantern on the wooden table. Then, a slightly stronger gust of wind suddenly wrapped around the blanket on the wooden bed, swirling up all the dust on it and sending it flying out the window.

This is the foundation of elemental magic—the basic application of wind and fire elements. It was taught by Weber.

Natsukawa Tora's magical attributes are fire and wind, and his magical characteristics are transformation and release. In terms of compatibility, he is quite suitable for elemental magic, which is why Waver prioritized teaching him these.