To become a king and a magician

Upon hearing Aozaki Aoko's self-introduction, the three of them were all stunned and stood there for a moment.

Meanwhile, inside Chaldea, upon hearing the message transmitted through the communication device, everyone in the control room turned their gaze to Natsukawa Tora, who was currently using summoning magic to clean Roman's clothes.

Roman nudged Xia Chuanhu with his hand and gave him a look.

(Why is your partner at the First Singularity? It seems like they're after you? Did you have a fight?)

(How should I know! She hasn't even sent me a single message! Besides, our sex life is very harmonious. Although we haven't seen each other for more than half a year, we haven't had any conflicts! At most, we'll have a little argument in bed and make up before we get out of bed!)

After conveying such a large amount of information with a rather bizarre glance, Xia Chuanhu casually tossed the ball of water in his hand into the nearby trash can, settled back into his command post, and was just about to say a few words—

"minister."

As if speaking into a communication device, Fujimaru Ritsuka's voice came back.

How many fiancées do you have?

Merry, Rei Sajou—Fujimaru Ritsuka already knows of two, plus Director Olga Marie who seems to have ulterior motives towards the club president, and the club president knows an unusual number of women within Chaldea, such as Ms. Tsuru, Da Vinci, and Ms. Orange...

And then there's Aozaki Aoko, who suddenly appears and claims to be the minister's fiancée.

"Or rather, Minister, how many women do you actually know?"

【Uh... well... I don't think it's a lot... By the way, why are you there, Aoko?! I haven't received any messages from you! Did you just run out of Avalon without saying a word again?】

Upon hearing Natsukawa Torato's voice, Aozaki Aoko immediately looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka's wrist: "The voice is coming from here. Is this your Chaldea's communication magic weapon? Could I borrow it for a moment? I need to talk to my partner."

"Ah, okay, please use it."

Thank you.

After receiving the communication device from Fujimaru Ritsuka, Aozaki Aoko smiled and said into it, "It's been a long time, Tora. The last time we met was during our New Year's shrine visit."

[Wait, no! Let's get down to business! Aoko, when exactly did you get to the Singularity?]

"It's all because you haven't called or texted me once in the past six months. When you finally managed to get me to come over, you left me in Avalon and went off to Chaldea in Antarctica. I wanted to see you, so of course I had to come out on my own. Besides, it's stuffy in Avalon, and I feel uncomfortable if I don't come out for some fresh air."

"The reason I came to this singularity is because Merlin said that this was the most likely place for your first stop, so I rushed over here. Who knew I would arrive a little early? I thought I would find a place to wait for you."

[And then, by chance, you became the guardian of this place while trying to drive away the dragons?]

"I couldn't refuse your kind offer, and saving lives is a good deed, so I agreed—but you should explain why you're not here right now! Wasn't this supposed to be a world-ending crisis? Why are you, the Star Sword Master, the professional world-saving expert, still stuck in Chaldea?"

As Aozaki Aoko spoke, she looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka: "Or is it just not the right time for you to make your appearance yet?"

[Pretty much, at least it gives Fujimaru, this newcomer, some experience—speaking of which, this kind of conversation is really a bit troublesome. Mash, set up a spell; it'll be better to talk face-to-face.]

"Yes."

.......

A moment later, on the floor in the center of the room.

Looking at the 3D image of Natsukawa Tora floating on the surface of the shield, Aozaki Aoko hesitated for a moment, then sighed heavily: "Sigh~~~~ I thought I would be able to see you in person this time, but it turns out there's only a projection."

If you had told me you were coming earlier, I definitely would have gone with you. Just bear with it.

Natsukawa Tora smiled, then looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and the other two.

[Fujimaru, Mashu, Akuta-senpai, let me introduce you. This is Aozaki Aoko, my lover and fiancée, a mage.]

"A magician? Not a sorcerer?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka did not understand the difference.

Roman, who was standing to the side, immediately offered an explanation.

"Magic and magic are different, Fujimaru. 'In this era, a phenomenon achieved through miraculous means, which technology can also replicate in terms of its result, is called magic.' For example, the fire-lighting magic trick—a magician can ignite a flame from their fingertips, but an ordinary person can do the same with a lighter."

When something can be achieved simply by spending time and money, no matter how difficult it may be, it cannot be considered magic.

Conversely, if something is absolutely impossible for human technology, no matter how much time and money it takes, can be achieved miraculously, then that is magic. Examples include parallel world travel, time travel, and the materialization of the soul.

Currently, there are only four confirmed mages worldwide.

[Aozaki Aoko, Miss Blue, she is one of only four, a legendary figure known to everyone in the world of magicians.]

"Wow, he's that amazing?!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes visibly trembled, while Aozaki Aoko smiled casually: "It's not that exaggerated. Magic isn't exactly a convenient thing. I haven't used it for years. And the claim that everyone knows about it is really just a bad reputation."

"Infamy?"

[A human rocket launcher—or something like that. After all, she's a destruction expert who can easily cause massive damage to her surroundings. Her magic output is in no way inferior to mine; she can easily blast the streets to smithereens.]

"Compared to someone like you who can pull the moon down so easily, I'm still far behind. Your idea of ​​materializing reality is even more outrageous than magic, isn't it?"

We're evenly matched.

Listening to the conversation between Natsukawa Torato and Aozaki Aoko, the people around could understand to some extent why the two of them became a couple.

Birds of a feather flock together.

43. Suspect Aozaki Touko

The reunion between Natsukawa Torato and Aozaki Aoko didn't last long. They weren't exactly a couple in the throes of new love; they'd been together for over a decade, and it was common for them to be apart for a year or two. It had only been half a year, and they were already used to it.

If you really want to catch up, you can always go to the Singularity later; there's no need to rush.

"However, although I already knew that you, Natsukawa, have a wide network of connections, I didn't expect even a mage would be willing to come and help."

In Roman's mind, because of the incineration of humanity, Chaldea is now completely cut off from the outside world, and even mages probably cannot survive the effects of the incineration of humanity.

"I just heard you come to the Singularity from Avalon? Could it be that you were in the Inner Sea of ​​the Stars all along?"

"I only went there recently; before that, I was constantly traveling around the world," Aozaki Aoko explained. "The reason I went to Avalon was because of a message from Tora, who said that all of us connected to him should go to Avalon to avoid being affected by the Burning of Humanity."

Upon hearing this, Roman immediately looked at Xia Chuanhu: "Xia Chuanhu, did you already have this idea in mind all along?"

"How could that be? You saw it too. I was shocked when I saw Aoko in the Singularity. At first, I just wanted them to go to Avalon for refuge. I should protect my wife, right? Who would have thought that Aoko would run away from Avalon because she couldn't stand being alone?"

[I've already told you, it's because you haven't come to see me at all. Not only have you not come, but you even brought Orange to your place. Just wondering, you haven't done anything bad to Orange, have you?]

Hearing his wife's questioning, filled with distrust, Xia Chuanhu frowned in confusion: "What are you talking about, Qingzi? Chengzi is my teacher, and also our older sister. How could I possibly harm my teacher and older sister?"

[Fujimaru, is what he said true?]

[Uh, I think so, at least I didn't see the Minister doing anything bad to Miss Orange in Chaldea.]

"So that's why you all think I would do something bad to Orange!"

(Don't you have any self-awareness? After all these years, can't you understand what they're implying?)

Roman, standing to one side, stared at Natsukawa Tora with a rather suspicious look.

Among the group of people far away in the singularity, apart from the naive Mash, the other three looked at Natsukawa Torato with somewhat ambiguous expressions (from Natsukawa Torato's perspective).

However, despite the doubts, Aozaki Aoko knew her own little man's personality. With his blockheaded nature, it would be a miracle if he took the initiative. Thinking about it carefully, he would only take the initiative when it came to Meryl. Otherwise, he was always passive.

Whether it's her, Lydel, or even Sajou Rei and Sajou Aika, if they don't take the initiative, this iron tree will never bloom.

Therefore, rather than saying that Aozaki Aoko is questioning whether Natsukawa Tora did anything wrong to Touko, it would be more accurate to say that she is questioning whether Touko did anything wrong to Natsukawa Tora. Although the sisters' relationship has almost been restored in recent years, there are still some frictions between them that cannot be eliminated.

After staring at Natsukawa Toramaru for a while, Aozaki Aoko finally looked away and her stern expression softened, and she smiled easily: "Well, let's not talk about that for now. I'll have a proper chat with Toramaru later. Let's talk about the Singularity and the Incineration of Humanity first, right? You came to this Singularity for this, right?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded: "Yes. Miss Aozaki, may I ask—"

"Just call me Aoko. Although I'm probably around the same age as your mother, thanks to someone, I'm still very young in every way. Just call me Aoko to be friendly," Aozaki Aoko said with a smile. "You want to ask about something I know, right?"

"Hmm, Aoko... Miss seems to have been here for quite some time, so she probably knows more than we do. Could you tell us if you could?"

"Of course, that's fine."

After walking to a table, pouring herself a glass of water, and taking a sip, Aozaki Aoko recounted her experiences over the past few weeks: "I came to this singularity about a week ago, back when dragons weren't running around like they are now—it became like this a day later."

"The resurrected witch Joan of Arc, waving the banner of the dragon, led her dragon horde and issued a declaration of destruction to all of France, centered on Orléans."

“We already know that. We happened to encounter a pair of soldiers on the way here,” Hinako Akuta interrupted. “Is there any more detailed information?”

Aozaki Aoko paused for a moment: "If I had to put it simply, the enemy's situation is actually quite simple. Broadly speaking, it can be divided into three parts. First, there's the witch Joan of Arc leading the charge, and a man dressed as a wizard. Then there are the several Servants led by Joan of Arc. And finally, there's the dragon horde."

The man dressed as a wizard... is probably Gilles de Rais.

"Gil de Rae? Who's that?"

[A 15th-century French nobleman, the Grand Marshal who fought alongside Joan of Arc, was originally a decent person. However, after Joan was burned at the stake, his personality changed drastically. He began to be drawn to demonic possession and kidnapped children from his territory for experiments, ultimately leading to his execution. The character 'Bluebeard' in Charles Perrault's fairy tales is based on him.]

Roman was the one who answered Fujimaru Ritsuka's question.

[Compared to Gilles de Rais, I'm more interested in the Servants that Ms. Aozaki mentioned... How many exactly?]

“I saw two,” Aozaki Aoko said. “That was three days ago. They must have known that this place hadn’t been captured yet. That witch Jeanne d’Arc led Gilles de Rais, along with two other Servants and a large number of dragons, to attack. They were very powerful, but I still managed to drive them away in the end.”

[You drove them all away? That was two Servants and a huge horde of dragons, plus Jeanne d'Arc... You drove them all away by yourself?]

Even if she is a mage, Aozaki Aoko is a modern person. Apart from magic, the mysticism she uses is limited to the modern era. How could she possibly defeat two Servants whose mysticism level far exceeds that of the modern era?

"What's so surprising about that? To catch up with that Holy Sword Wielder over there, I've never stopped training all these years. If I can't even handle one or two Servants, I might as well just go home and take care of his kids—well, actually I just made a super~~~ huge magic cannon and bluffed them all away."

Aozaki Aoko laughed and said, "It's something I made by imitating Tiger's Moonfall, but it's only similar in appearance and aura. Its actual power is completely inferior. It's just a magic balloon. Although it's not completely invincible, if it were, we would have to use magic, and the resulting damage probably wouldn't be enough to protect this fortress."

[Bluster... I can't believe you'd actually do that.]

Xia Chuanhu gave a few wry smiles.

"So, can you describe what those two Servants look like? If you can describe their appearance, I can probably guess who they are."

"Okay. One of them is a knight servant who is dressed in black armor and carries a staff. He shouts 'Arrrr' when he fights. And the other one... well, if I'm not mistaken, it should be Atalanta."

44. So, the minister is my master?!

Ata.

Atalanta.

Upon hearing Aozaki Aoko mention her name, Natsukawa Torato paused for a moment before speaking.

[It's just a coincidence. Servants are all clones that split off from the Heroic Spirit's main body located in the Throne of Heroes. Theoretically, multiple Servants can exist simultaneously. Atalanta, whom you saw, is an example of this; she created another Servant after already having one.]

"Oh, I see. No wonder she didn't recognize me... By the way, I didn't see Ata in Avalon. Didn't you call her over? And Shiki and Angelica too."

"They'll be fine. You know Shiki's situation; even if I asked them to come, Shiki wouldn't. She's quite stubborn about that. But I think they'll definitely be alright."

That being said, Natsukawa Tora did explain the situation to Ryougi Shiki, and after the explanation, Ryougi Shiki gave him a reassuring answer.