To become a king and a magician

That was about two weeks ago. Now, Angelica's Ryougi Shiki suddenly asked her to take out most of the treasures from the treasury and scatter them throughout various parts of Kanbushi City, using the city's spiritual veins to create a barrier that encompasses the entire city.

Although it was unclear why Ryougi Shiki did this, Angelica complied anyway, and afterwards, she even ordered Angelica to conduct regular aerial patrols.

That's basically the situation.

"In addition, Lord Ryougi and Lord Atalanta are currently free of any business. At this time, Lord Atalanta should have just finished class, while Lord Ryougi has remained at home since he gave me the order two weeks ago."

Does she stay at home all the time?

Didn't you go out at night?

"Yes, not even once since that time, which is quite unusual for Lord Ryougi."

This is more than just abnormal; it's an anomaly of the level of a cataclysmic change in the heavens and earth. You should know that Ryougi Shiki has maintained this habit of going out at night for almost twenty years. She would go out at night at least five days a week, and staying out all night was a common occurrence many years ago. It was only after she officially took over the position of head of the Ryougi family six years ago that she restrained herself a bit.

After a moment of silence, Natsukawa Tora spoke.

[Angelica, anyway, you take Fujimaru and Mashu back to the Ryougi family first. There are some things I want to say to Shiki in person—I'm sorry, Fujimaru, Mashu, I told you you were supposed to rest, but it seems I'll have to take up some of your time.]

"It's alright, Minister. After all, it seems to be related to the burning of humanity, so it's definitely not the time to rest."

"I agree with your point of view, senior. Don't worry about our feelings, brother."

I don't think it's that serious; I just wanted to ask about a few things.

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

A few minutes later.

The Two Elements Family.

As she landed on the Vimana at the entrance, Mashu picked her up and jumped off. Fujimaru Ritsuka stared at the enormous mansion before her, her eyes widening slightly. "This is the Ryougi family?"

【Hmm. The Ryougi family was originally one of the four great exorcism families in Japan, but they changed their profession a long time ago. Now they are a powerful local family that controls both the underworld and legitimate society in Kanbuko City. Basically, there is no place in Kanbuko City that the Ryougi family cannot reach. Perhaps the school that you have attended all these years has been sponsored by the Ryougi family.】

"That must be a super-rich family... Come to think of it, you really know a lot about this, Captain." Fujimaru Ritsuka asked curiously, "I was just about to ask, Captain, you said you go back to Kanbuko City once a month... What do you come back for?"

【You know Ata is my fiancée, right? Of course I came back to see her. I can't just leave her because of what's going on here in Chaldea, can I? But to be honest, coming back to see Ata only accounts for half of the reason. The other half, as you can see now, is to come to the Ryougi family.】

【I've been good friends with the head of the Ryougi family for many years... I used to live with Touko in Kanbuko City for a while to learn puppet magic, and that's when I met the head of the Ryougi family. Back then, I lived a life where she was going to stab me with a knife every day.】

(Can these be called good friends?)

Hearing Natsukawa Torato's words, the Chaldea members, as well as Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu, all had expressions that twitched slightly.

However, I didn't stay in Kanbuko City for long. Soon, Kenneth-sensei caught me and took me back. After that, the events in Misaki City happened one after another, and then I was thrown into a parallel world by the old man with the gem. When I came back, it was the Holy Grail War ten years ago... As a result, I rarely went back to Kanbuko City. Only after my work at the Clock Tower became stable did I go back for about a week each month.

"Minister, you're really busy..."

It's alright.

"We've arrived."

Just then, Angelica, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped in front of a door, gently knocked, and pushed the door open a crack. She knelt on one knee and said, "I'm back, Lady Ryougi. Two of Lady Natsukawa's guests have arrived, and I've brought them here."

"Whoosh..."

With a sound like a gentle breeze emanating from within, the half-open door was quickly and fully opened, revealing a dojo to Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu. In the center of the dojo, a beautiful woman dressed in an elegant kimono, with her black hair cascading down her back like a waterfall, sat upright as if in meditation.

Opening her eyes and looking towards the doorway, the woman smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your hard work on patrol, Angelica. And... you're Natsukawa-kun's guests?"

"Ah...yes! I am the minister's...uh...disciple, my name is Fujimaru Ritsuka, nice to meet you."

"I, I am Mash Kyrielight. Nice to meet you."

For some reason, the moment they were seen by the woman in front of them, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu simultaneously felt as if they were facing an incomparably noble princess, and subconsciously became reserved.

"Fujimaru Ritsuka, and Mash Kyrielight, right?"

The woman rose from the floor of the dojo and approached the two men.

"Welcome to the Ryougi family. Nice to meet you. I am the head of the Ryougi family, [Ryougi Shiki]."

66. So, it's a rather rambling event!

Ryougi Shiki.

As a local who has lived in Kanbuko City for more than ten years, Fujimaru Ritsuka has heard of this name before, but very rarely. After all, she used to be just an ordinary high school student who was unremarkable, except for her naturally red hair.

People who have absolutely no connection with Ryougi Shiki or the Ryougi family, a prominent local family.

Naturally, this was also the first time Fujimaru Ritsuka had met Ryougi Shiki. After hearing Natsukawa Torato's description, she had thought that Ryougi Shiki was a yakuza figure who would carry a knife with him, be covered in tattoos, and exude a murderous aura. After all, she was the person the department head had described as someone who would stab him with a knife every day.

But when I actually met him, it was completely the opposite of what I had imagined.

(Isn't he a very gentle person?)

She was so gentle that it was impossible to imagine that the person in front of her would be a woman who would stab someone with a knife. Instead, she seemed to be the kind of traditional Yamato Nadeshiko that Fujimaru Ritsuka had heard about. Just by listening to her voice, Fujimaru Ritsuka could feel her mood gradually calming down.

"minister......"

Subconsciously, Fujimaru Ritsuka raised her hand and spoke to Natsukawa Torato.

"Is this kind of person really that close to you?"

Why ask this?

"Because I feel that Miss Ryougi and you are completely mismatched, it's like a princess paired with a wandering adventurer."

【Well......】

Natsukawa Torato's brow twitched slightly, while Ryougi Shiki chuckled: "A very interesting analogy, Fujimaru-san, and quite apt. However, I know Natsukawa-kun's situation well; he's just that kind of person, not someone you can keep by your side forever."

Don't make me sound like an ungrateful stray cat. As long as I don't cause any trouble, I'm happy to stay in one place—well, speaking of which, it really has been a long time, 'Shiki'.

Although Natsukawa Torama returns to Kanbuko City once a month, he has never met her because Ryougi Shiki has been in a deep sleep for many years. The last time they met was eight years ago, right after Tsuru was settled.

"Yes, it's been a long time, Natsukawa-kun."

Ryougi Shiki nodded slightly, then looked at Angelica: "Go and prepare rooms for the two guests first, Angelica. Since they are Natsukawa-kun's guests, they are also our guests."

"I understand, Lord Ryougi. Lord Fujimaru, Lady Mashu, please come with me."

"Oh, okay, thank you very much!"

“You’re welcome.” [Ryougi Shiki] shook her head. “Also, Ms. Fujimaru, if it’s alright, could you please lend me the device on your wrist for the time being? I have something I want to say to Natsukawa-kun, and I think he feels the same way.”

"Huh? This..."

[Leave it to her, Fujimaru. I already said you're going there to rest, so don't worry about anything and just relax. I do have something I need to discuss with her privately.]

Hearing her captain say that, Fujimaru Ritsuka readily took off her bracelet and handed it to Ryougi Shiki, then followed Angelica with Mash.

After watching Fujimaru Ritsuka and the other two disappear around the corner, Ryougi Shiki closed the dojo door again, returned to the dojo, sat down, and placed the bracelet in front of her. Soon, a half-length statue of Natsukawa Torato appeared in front of her.

"Is this also an effect of magic?"

[It's a product of the combination of technology and magic, a trick that's not worth mentioning to you.]

Xia Chuanhu smiled.

[Compared to this, your appearance is the most unexpected thing for me. Although I expected you to take action, I didn't expect you to be away for such a long time... Are you asleep?]

Ryougi Shiki nodded: "Yes. This incident is a bit troublesome, and Shiki alone can't handle it, so I helped out a little."

Are you a little busy?

In a world where the human history has been destroyed by fire, and where the entirety of human history has been burned away, the fact that a place like Kanbushi City has been preserved is beyond what "small busyness" can describe.

However, Natsukawa Torato also knew that this was something only Ryougi Shiki could do; even he, Rei, and Aika couldn't do it now.

This is a miracle that only the Ryougi Shiki can achieve.

【You've really had a tough time, Shiki, maintaining this situation all by yourself】

"It wasn't too difficult, because Angelica's Noble Phantasm provides semi-permanent and fully automatic protection for Kanbushi City. All I had to do was use a tiny bit of magic power to activate it," Ryougi Shiki explained. "Compared to the future that Natsukawa-kun will face, this is nothing."

"However, Natsukawa-kun, there are a few things I need to explain to you regarding the future you will be facing."

[The future... about singularities?]

Ryougi Shiki nodded: "According to Natsukawa-kun's order, it should be the sixth one. That singularity has become a completely unfamiliar situation for you. Be careful when you go there in the future."

The Sixth Singularity... the Divine Round Table Realm?

Natsukawa Tora remembered that it was an "IF" scenario where Bedivere failed to return the Holy Sword, preventing Artoria from returning to Avalon and forcing her to wander the earth forever. King Arthur, who wandered the earth for two thousand years, eventually became a god due to the corruption of the Holy Lance.

But now, Bedivere has indeed returned the Holy Sword, and Artoria is now a diner in Avalon, spending her days settling old scores with Merlin and learning about the outside world through the internet.

Therefore, the situation regarding the sixth singularity that Natsukawa Torato knew about will not actually occur.

But the sixth singularity still exists, which means...

[A singularity I'm unaware of?]

"Yes. Unfortunately, for some reasons, I can't tell you the specifics about that place, but Natsukawa-kun, there is one singularity you absolutely must go to. It's a singularity that only you can resolve."

[Only I can solve this... Hmm, I understand, thank you for telling me, 'style'.]

"That's alright. Now, another matter concerns another singularity that also appears in this country. The formation of that singularity is actually somewhat related to my situation here."

The words about "Ryougi Shiki" surprised Natsukawa Torato—was it related to her?

"To be precise, it was caused by a series of coincidences. In order to ensure that time here flows normally, I used some of the Noble Phantasms related to time, and the effect of these had an impact on the ley lines."

"Due to the influence of the ley lines and the effects of time-related Noble Phantasms, coupled with the events that have occurred, an event that happened in the past has undergone an abnormal change."

[Past events? Do you know what those events were?]

"Ah."

"The time was 1945, the end of the Pacific War, and the location was the Imperial Capital of Japan, which is now Tokyo."

"The time that took place there was—the Third Holy Grail War."

67. Fujimaru Ritsuka's Homecoming

Showa 20 (1941)

Imperial capital of Japan.

The Third Holy Grail War.

Listening to the information mentioned by Ryougi Shiki, Natsukawa Torato began to search his mind for events that matched this time and place.