Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"What? The two sisters of the Wu Jing family were kidnapped by a woman named Koyanskaya who led an army into the shrine? So, the one who is now replacing the Wu Jing family's position as a [shrine attendant] is that child, Wu Tiao Li E?"

Upon learning of this turn of events and hearing that familiar name, the ancient snake couldn't help but roll its eyes and scoff.

"Tch, you sly fox, you're everywhere..."

"Do you know?"

"Sorry, we're not familiar with each other!"

As Samael showed a rather disgusted expression, Aozaki Touko's voice, which had been gradually lowering, instantly returned to normal.

"So, you're not going to take back your offering?"

"That's not necessary."

The ancient snake shook its head and patiently began to explain, its deep gaze carrying a profound meaning.

"You should know that the duty of a priestess is to serve the gods, and in a sense, she is the greatest one in this land."

Aozaki Touko instantly understood, and the obscure answer surfaced in her mind in horror.

Golden hair and white face, Amaterasu Omikami!

"So, do you understand now? She just took what was rightfully hers. If we're going to be honest, we're the ones who stole her away."

"It's 'you,' not 'we.'"

"Okay, okay, I got it!"

Faced with Aozaki Touko's uncompromising denial, Samael could only raise his hands in frustration and take the blame alone, not really caring about his act of poaching her.

Anyway, that scumbag fox can't beat him.

"You don't need to worry about the amber and jade. Although that dead fox seems unreliable, he actually values ​​relationships and will definitely treat the sisters well."

Seeing Aozaki Touko's uncertain expression, Samael patted his disciple's shoulder and comforted her gently.

"Worried? What are you worried about?"

After being comforted, Aozaki Touko came to her senses and looked at Samael beside her in surprise, suddenly realizing what had happened.

"Oh, I was thinking about the newly opened agency and doll shop. It's really short-staffed. Tsk, it seems I really have no choice but to continue to find ways to recruit shop staff from the community."

"Let's hire then."

"It's too difficult. If the conditions aren't right, I won't take them. If they are right, I won't come because I think the salary is too low."

How much are you driving?

"2000."

"Sure, two thousand an hour, that's a good offer."

"What are you thinking! That's a daily wage! That's what interns are paid!"

"..."

As a certain red-haired mature woman put her glasses back on and angrily complained about the unfavorable market conditions, Samael's face darkened.

So, after all this time, you're reacting so strongly because that dead fox has poached the free labor you've prepared?

I was afraid you magicians had a strong sense of morality, I'm really sorry!

What does a daily wage of 2000 yen mean in this day and age?

A dishwasher can earn 15 to 20 yuan a month by working eight hours a day and excluding holidays, working 22 days a month.

Working for you is worse than washing dishes. You risk dying while dealing with all sorts of bizarre events. The fact that you can recruit employees is a desecration of the capital market and the labor market!

After a moment of internal monologue, Samael seemed to have thought of something and turned to look at Aozaki Touko with a wistful gaze.

"By the way, after Shiki, Akiha, Fujino, and Rie graduate, they won't be working for you, will they?"

"Otherwise what? Then I'd be raising them for nothing!"

Aozaki Touko rolled her eyes at someone and answered confidently.

Samael twitched the corner of his mouth and gave a quiet reminder.

“That’s supported by Parliament; I remember there’s a special allocation from above…”

"Don't I need compensation for my labor and effort? Anyway, they'll have to work for me to pay off my debts for the next few years after graduation."

Aozaki Touko crossed her arms and snorted coldly, showing no shame whatsoever, revealing the true nature of a heartless boss.

"Pay off the debt?"

"I took out a large high-interest loan in order to successfully complete my elective courses at the Clock Tower."

"Loan sharking? It's interest-free! How can you slander a conscientious creditor like that?!"

Aozaki Touko looked at the indignant man in front of her with surprise, and was taken aback.

"What kind of look is that? Don't make it seem like I don't care about you at all."

Samael shook his head and gave a snort of annoyance.

"Who do you think would be so kind as to lend you a large loan without any collateral? And even proactively help you open [Galan Hall] and prepare for repayment?"

Aozaki Touko instantly understood, staring blankly at the man in front of her who had a half-smile.

"It's you!"

"What else? To ensure your studies go smoothly, I've used up all my savings. How about that, are you simmering now?"

Samael snorted and winked playfully.

And as his gaze fell upon her, the coldness on her pretty face melted away without her even realizing it.

Chapter 179 Master, Please Give Your Orders (4.2k)

Sensing the somewhat awkward atmosphere, Samael stepped forward and casually asked a question, breaking the silence.

"By the way, what brings you to Fuyuki City?"

This time, Aozaki Touko seemed to forget to resist Samael's approach, pretending to be nonchalant and answering indifferently.

"Business in Guanbu City is not good. I can hardly pay the salaries of so many people, so I want to expand my business and plan to take over a shop in Fuyuki City."

It turned out to be the case.

Samael seemed to be deep in thought; he had probably already guessed why Aozaki Touko was here.

Kanbuko City is located near Tokyo, a prime commercial area with a theoretically vast market. She will likely encounter many challenging "big clients" in the future.

Unfortunately, Samael managed to ruin almost all of Orange's potential future customers.

First, there is Cornelius Aruba, a rune expert and renowned magician.

In the battle on Eminmego Island decades ago, Aruba was thoroughly defeated by Samael. Not only did he fail to retrieve Emiya Norikan's magic crest, but his own magician army also suffered heavy losses. As a result, after returning to the Clock Tower, he was heavily criticized, and even his position as the next abbot of Spongheim Monastery was taken away by someone else.

Now, this magician, who has suffered setbacks in both his career and personal life, is utterly dejected and has no desire to go out and cause trouble.

Secondly, there are Asakami Fujino, Majo Rie, and Ryougi Shiki.

These three problem children had their inner twistedness and demonic nature suppressed by Samael's baptism during the Holy Body Descent incident in Misaki City.

Finally, with the head of the Japanese diocese replaced by Yuika Shuse, the church's influence in the Far East reached a balance with the four exorcism families and the Dark Council. The three parties had less filth and thus began some cleansing work, which also dealt a heavy blow to Aozaki Touko's private office business.

Incidentally, a well-meaning person, while slacking off and fleeing, also reported to the Dark Council, the Magic Association, and Japanese exorcism organizations that a former esoteric monk who had lived for over two hundred years was conducting illegal human experiments and had recently apparently fled to the Tokyo area of ​​Japan.

Therefore, a dangerous individual named "Araya Sōren" had long been on the wanted lists of various mysterious organizations.

Because they might be a ticking time bomb lurking beneath the Emperor's feet, the local forces, including the powerful monks of Konohaji Temple and the four families that exorcise demons, are working exceptionally hard.

The latest news about Araya Sōren is that after being seriously injured, the old man went to Africa, intending to communicate with the local Voodoo cultists and black sorcerers, both physically and spiritually, and to promote his transcendent philosophy of saving the world.

In short, without these troublesome potential customers, Aozaki Touko's "Garan no Do" suffered a dismal business, forcing her to travel far away to expand her business.

Now, having pieced together the clues, he finally realized who the culprit was. Looking at the Grand Puppeteer with a bitter and resentful expression, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.

"This is not the place to talk. Let's find another place."

Fortunately, Aozaki Touko, who lacked future vision, didn't think too much about it. After glancing at the messy tunnel and hearing the faint sound of police sirens in the distance, she decisively pulled Samael along and ran away.

She was so poor that she had to borrow money from her subordinates to make ends meet; she couldn't afford to lose money on a tunnel that cost tens of millions to build.

Of course, as one of the major shareholders of [Garland Hall] and the number one victim of the Holy Grail War repair costs, Samael also wholeheartedly agreed.

Even the fattest sheep can't withstand being fleeced like this. If he hadn't recently made a small fortune at the casino, he would almost be penniless to the point of despair.

The two, working in perfect harmony, skillfully erased their remaining scent and evidence, and quickly fled the crime scene.

However, just over ten minutes later, two figures sped by, arriving before the police and firefighters at the entrance to the now unrecognizable tunnel.

"It seems we're too late."

Dressed in a beige casual outfit and open-toed light purple high heels, Scáthach looked every bit the professional office lady. With her hands in her pockets, she stepped over the rubble along the way, walked to the highest point of the collapse, looked around, and after a moment of mental contemplation, shook her head and frowned slightly.

"What about him?"

Bazett clenched his fists and hurriedly stepped forward to ask, his eyes revealing a hint of anxiety and unease.

It seems that due to the summoning of a physical entity and the change in the rules of the Holy Grail War, Command Seals are unable to forcibly teleport Scáthach to the battlefield in spirit form.

As a soldier, retreating on the spot was not to escape, but to call for reinforcements and bring her teacher over as soon as possible to prevent the situation from getting out of control.

However, even at her fastest speed, she was still a step too late.

"Judging from the traces at the scene, they did indeed engage in a rather fierce battle, so it was the right thing to do for you to leave."

Scáthach dropped the rubble in her hand, the internal structure of which had been completely destroyed, stood up, looked around, and casually made a joke.

"teacher……"

"Okay, there's no blood or body at the scene. The person who helped you should be fine. And judging from your description of the positions, he seems to be the one with the upper hand."

Hearing Bazett's emphasized tone, Scáthach abandoned her teasing, clapped her hands, observed carefully for a moment, and, with her professional eye, quickly reviewed the general course of the battle in her mind, explaining her speculation.

"That's good!"

Bazett breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Scáthach rested her chin on her hand, her gaze sweeping over her disciple's face before she spoke with amusement.

"What? It seems you care about him a lot?"

"He saved me twice, isn't it only natural for me to care about him?"

"Just out of concern?"

"Uh, of course..."

Bazett coughed slightly involuntarily to defend himself, but due to his straightforward nature and poor communication skills, he only made things worse under the teacher's ambiguous gaze.

However, Scáthach quickly dropped her teasing expression, looked at Bazett seriously, and her voice became lower and more serious.

"It better be this way."

"what?"

This sudden change left Bazett somewhat bewildered.

"It's nothing, the police are almost here. You go back first, leave the rest to me."

Scáthach glanced at the vehicles approaching from the highway in the distance and casually gave her some instructions.

"But……"

"Don't worry, he'll be fine."

With the teacher's assurance, Bazett, still somewhat worried, could only nod and obey as the police car lights drew closer.

Scáthach watched her disciple's conflicted back as he tried to turn back several times, shook her head slightly, and re-examined the unrecognizable tunnel before her with her deep gaze.

Previously, she had hoped that Bazett could have more life experiences outside of work.

However, it now seems that we were oversimplifying things, thinking we could easily defeat the Grand Magician and gain the upper hand.

"He" has probably transcended the realm of humanity, so having too deep an entanglement with this guy might not be a good thing.

Moreover, considering what was happening in Fuyuki City, Scáthach could roughly guess the identity of this "kind person".

Pretender? Interesting.

He possesses immense power, is proficient in various ancient scripts including runes and organ script, and can instantly recognize the magical artifact behind Bazett as being modeled after Flagrak, the "Sword of Vengeance" wielded by Lug, the sun god in Celtic mythology, and understands its function...