Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Luvia: "...It's more than just knowing each other."

Rin Tohsaka sneered, "That's right, it's not just that we know each other—"

Edelfelt, that's a savage tribe that settled in Finland and is known as "the most beautiful hyenas in the world"?

Shamelessly interfering in global conflicts, solely for the purpose of tearing apart the magic treasure—

To assume that since it's a valuable treasure, it should rightfully be stored in one's own warehouse is like the unreasonable and ignorant behavior of a child...

It is precisely because of this quality that it has been given the nickname "the most beautiful hyena in the world".

Luvia smiled sweetly: "I am very pleased to receive such high praise from the Daughter of Tohsaka."

This shows that Tohsaka fears my Etifeld family, yet is powerless to do anything about it, and can only live a life of poverty and destitution while being envious.

If I had to choose, I prefer being called a hunter rather than a hyena. Of course, the French "Le Chasseur" would also work.

Rin Tohsaka covered her mouth and chuckled mischievously, "Pfft, pfft, pfft, what are you pretending to be, some kind of aristocrat... You're just a nouveau riche who only got into magic during the Renaissance~"

Shirou thought it was already impressive that his family had been able to survive for 500 years, but according to the Clock Tower's standards, even families with a history of over a thousand years would not be uncommon.

"...My fighting spirit has been ignited and cannot be extinguished."

Luvia's eyes widened, and she shouted, "You! Do you even have the heart to take off a glove?!"

Rin looked fearless: "Very well, as long as you're willing to throw it away, I can even take that tasteless dress."

"What spirit!"

Luvia nodded in satisfaction: "Let's decide with a duel. Who gets to share a room with Shirou tonight... Eek!"

Shirou chopped Luvia on the head with a chop.

"Shirou!?"

“I’m not the prize you’re fighting for. If you want to stay in this room, you’d better behave.”

Although Shirou did say that, and Luvia and Rin did indeed behave themselves...

But this brief peace did not last more than half an hour.

But after the three of them lay back in their respective beds and turned off the lights—

Luvia and Rin Tohsaka clashed again.

The good news is that the two of them didn't fight. Instead, they lay in bed, covered with blankets, staring at the ceiling and arguing back and forth.

The bad news is that Shirou's bed is located between the two of them.

Shirou fell asleep close to midnight, while Rin and Luvia seemed to have gone to bed even later, as they were still fast asleep.

"Oh, so that's what happened... Come to think of it, Shirou-sama is so kind!"

"Why do you say that?"

The girl with the eye patch poked her chin with her finger and said, "You could have stopped them last night, couldn't you? But you didn't."

Shirou took a bite of the toast served at breakfast and said, "Well... I don't want to ruin the friendship that they've worked so hard to build up."

Is there some misunderstanding about the word "friendship"?

Yvette looked intrigued: "Rin-chan and Luvia-chan...?"

As fellow adorable gem-like beauties, I really hope to get along well with them. Let's all do our best as Shirou-sama's underage mistresses!

Shirou has figured out the best way to get along with Yvette, which can be summarized as selective ignoring her.

"Speaking of which, Yvette-chan..."

"what!"

The girl screamed, and Shirou frowned: "What's wrong?"

The girl with the eyepatch cupped her flushed cheeks and said, "You're suddenly calling me so intimately, Shirou-sama, really~"

They're not mentally prepared yet... but their bodies are ready.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t fully awake just now—Miss Yvette.”

Please continue to use the form of address you just used!

Shirou said, "You mentioned before that you were Kenneth's student, didn't you?"

Yvette said, "That was a lie. I really am a student in the Minerals Department..."

But Kenneth isn't managing the El-Melloi classroom right now.

"What does it mean?"

"The El-Melloi classroom is now managed by someone else—someone you, Shirou-sama, also know."

The Lolita girl smiled and said, "It's Weber Velvet, a Level 3 Instructor."

"Weber...did he return to the Clock Tower?"

After the Fourth Holy Grail War, Shirou also exchanged letters with Waver for a period of time.

However, at some point, the two sides lost contact.

At that time, Waver was traveling around the world alone, and Shirou thought he had been captured and eaten by cannibals.

"Yes, just a few years ago, Mr. Weber, who had traveled around the world, returned to the Clock Tower and began teaching in the Minerals Department."

Yvette then recounted Weber's struggles at the Clock Tower.

He temporarily became a Level 3 lecturer and quickly distinguished himself.

Although he was under the tutelage of the aristocratic monarch El-Melloi, he adopted a teaching style that ran counter to that of his teacher, Kenneth.

Although it wasn't even officially established as a faculty at first, and the courses were barely maintained with only a handful of students, the inexplicably easy-to-understand, practical teaching method immediately became a hot topic among the New Age students who had nowhere to go in the clock tower.

Weber eventually persuaded several lecturers who had lost in power struggles to teach, creating an unprecedentedly diverse educational system.

"It's amazing that Kenneth can tolerate this kind of thing happening..." Shirou was somewhat surprised.

So much has really changed...

Whether it's Kenneth or Webber.

"It was more than just tolerance—Kenneth even stood up for Weber when people criticized him!"

Yvette mimicked, “In this mineral-rich Cogishua, results are everything.”

Even an incompetent failure like Mr. Webber will have a place if he can achieve something.

...things like that.

"Haha, your mouth still stinks as much as ever..."

Shirou asked, "So, did Weber achieve a result that even that mean-spirited Kenneth was satisfied with?"

"The successors of the Butterfly Magic, Werner Schamud, Roland Pakinsky, Aug Ram..."

Sisters Lettia Pantel and Najik Pantel, Fitzgerald Voll Sembelen…

Yvette tilted her head and rattled off a long list of names.

"what is this?"

The girl replied, "They are all magicians who have climbed to the 'Master' or 'Color Master' ranks in the past few years—"

They were all students of Weber.

“…That’s really surprising.” Shirou clicked his tongue.

"Color Rank" is actually the highest rank in the Clock Tower. Apart from a parallel world where magic has declined, the only "Grand Rank" that Shirou knows of is Aozaki Touko.

Even the monarch Yulphis, and the master of Orange and Araya Sōren, the monarch Balyeleta, are only "color positions".

As for the "classical position" below the "color position," isn't that the realm that we, Machillion, have struggled for over a hundred years to reach?

Well... his research on Heroic Spirits and the Holy Grail War was indeed too surreal, so it's normal that the Clock Tower didn't recognize it.

Returning to Waver, Shirou did indeed recognize his potential talent during the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Although he has absolutely no talent as a magician, he possesses extraordinary eyesight, or rather, observational ability.

It's not just about observing magic, but also about observing humanity.

Even so, there is still a huge gap between "possessing talent" and "realizing talent".

Shirou was very pleased to hear that Webber had successfully realized his talent.

"That's what Professor Weber said."

Yvette said casually as she cut the fried egg.

"One of the reasons I am where I am today is due to the influence of a friend I met in the Far East..."

During my lowest point, it was that guy who encouraged me—

Because that guy praised my abilities, I've been able to work hard until now... huh~

"Lord Shirou, do you have any leads?"

"Hmph, who would know about that kind of thing?" The red-haired boy curled the corners of his mouth.

……

……

Good morning, Tohsaka. Good morning, Luvia.

Rin Tohsaka and Luvia yawned as they entered the restaurant carriage and sat down opposite Shirou.

Perhaps because they were noisy all night yesterday, they were both very well-behaved today.

If the two of them were to get into a fight in a public area... Shirou's head would split open just thinking about it.

During breakfast time, the train operators also showcased some of the items from the auction.

An auctioneer named Leandra is introducing "The Blazing Eye" to the dining passengers.

Shirou stared at the eyeballs bobbing in the cylinder filled with solution, then put a piece of toast covered in jam into his mouth.

"The Magic Eyes to be exhibited at this auction will have two pairs on display today, and two to four pairs will be on display tomorrow. We appreciate your understanding."

"Is the number of Mystic Eyes that have appeared the same as usual?" Yvette muttered.

Noticing Shirou's gaze, the Lolita girl touched her eyepatch and explained.

"This auction was originally an excuse used by the previous manager to show off his collection of Magic Eyes."

The featured item—as the name suggests—is tomorrow!

Shirou asked, "Who is the owner of the train?"

"Huh? Lord Shirou got on the train without even knowing this?"

Yvette was taken aback, then whispered in his ear.

The manager of the "Eye-Collecting Train" is a high-ranking Dead Apostle named Rita Roggean.

No, it's okay to just say it directly...

Rita Rogéan—she's one of those people known as the "Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles."

"........."

Shirou was secretly taken aback.

The Twenty-Seven Ancestors are the origin of the vampires—the Dead Apostles—who are now hiding in the world.

Only the most powerful and ancient vampires can obtain the title and status of "Ancestor," and they are the true kings of the Dead Apostles.

This includes ancestors of the Elder Titles who are over four thousand years old, ancestors who calculate time in unknown secret realms, and vampire-like ancestors who give way to their successors in units of five hundred years.

They each established their own factions, and although they were compatriots, they were vying for power.

Even the mighty Ancestors will perish. Most of them were hunted down and sealed by the Holy Church, but because successors will appear sooner or later, the Twenty-Seven Seats will not be dismantled.

For all the Dead Apostles, the Twenty-Seven Ancestors can be said to be the ultimate purpose of their existence. Even the lowest-ranking Dead Apostles harbor the idea that by increasing their power, they will one day reach the level of the Ancestors.

Orange and Beo, have you ever fought against that kind of guy...?

Yvette said, seemingly unconcerned:

"People started participating in the auction some time after the acting manager took office, so they don't know the details."