Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

See you next time.

"Goodbye my foot! Who cares to see you again!"

In that instant, Ziyuan seemed to see the 'ugly face' of the first pope two thousand years ago in those words. He was too smug, and what did he mean by not getting married and having only one wife? Wasn't this obviously the process of a philandering scumbag pope deceiving the innocent young headmistress and then ruthlessly abandoning her in the end?

This is a thought she divided into seven parts, all of which she shared.

Thus, this displeasure took root in her heart and could not be shaken off.

How could they not know how to use it? It must be on purpose. Sure enough, none of these religious people are good people. They're all just smooth talkers!

From then on, Shion scoffed at the church's invitation to fight the Dead Apostles, and in short, she disliked the entire church.

Shion also has a wish regarding the Holy Grail War: to summon Pope Novia and then use all her Command Seals to make him willingly admit his scumbag behavior in front of this stone.

So if this subspecies Holy Grail War within the labyrinth were a self-summoned event, Shion would be willing to participate, but unfortunately it was a self-summoned event.

The reason she was so confident that she could summon Novia was probably because she believed that since the stone had been given away and then brought back, it must have been imbued with the Pope's aura, making it a relic.

'This is not a request, but a trial task from the Dean, my dear daughter.'

"You should have just said so earlier. Why beat around the bush like this? Fine, I'll take care of it."

The note reappeared out of nowhere on Ziyuan's desk. After glancing at it, Ziyuan crossed her arms and muttered to herself.

"However, this kind of thing should really be left to those people in the Holy Church. After all, I don't want to run into those guys. Just hearing them mutter about Novia and God annoys me to death..."

078: The Six-Six-Six-Six Magic Array Inside the Maze

After several days of travel, Novia and Sajou Aika, who had come with him, arrived at the first level of the seventh labyrinth of Elcatlas, the entrance connecting to the outside world.

This maze looks ordinary at first glance, but a unique atmosphere permeates the seemingly dim space.

"Um, Novia, why did you drive away those Mage Association's outsourced personnel?"

Aika, standing next to Novia, looked like a student asking a question to a teacher, raising one hand as she asked, while appropriately showing a confused expression.

"Those are just people the Mage's Association sent to their deaths; there's no need to watch them die."

The Mage's Association's outsourced personnel refer to those whom the Clock Tower recruits as collaborators under the guise of cooperation, people who do not explore the mysteries of magic but merely use it as a tool. They are neither people from the magic world nor ordinary people. Most of the time, these people accept tasks from the Clock Tower to help collect valuable items that have magical catalysts or similar uses.

"I see, I understand now!"

Ai Ge touched her head with an embarrassed smile, looking as if she had suddenly realized something.

"As long as you know."

Novia probably knew why Aika liked to present herself in a way that made her seem obvious. She probably wanted to make Aika seem pure and ladylike at her age, subconsciously improving her impression of her.

However, Novia calculated the time and realized that soon the giant serpent that Wolfgang Faust, the mastermind behind the subspecies Holy Grail War, used to fight the Servants would arrive at the entrance to the first floor and nearly wipe out all the outsourced personnel who should have gathered here.

This serves as the opening ceremony for the subspecies Holy Grail ritual, transforming the area into a sealed space of death from which no one can leave until the ritual concludes.

However, that moment was also the time for Novia to summon Nero and Melsin, because although the four Servants of the subspecies Holy Grail War here are theoretically summoned autonomously and can be maintained without a Master.

But that was only because no one realized at that moment that the subspecies Holy Grail War had begun, which led to something like a summoning based on fate. And most of the people were killed by Wolfgang at the beginning.

The subspecies of the Holy Grail, modeled after Fuyuki City in Japan, typically summons Servants and absorbs the immense magical power within their souls to perform the function of a wish-granting device.

The reason why Servants are forced to kill each other in the Holy Grail War is that, in the end, Servants are merely the source of magic to fulfill wishes. Originally there were seven Servants, but the subspecies Holy Grail has a maximum of five. This difference in numbers shows that it is far from being 'omnipotent'.

However, in recent years, the number of magicians holding subspecies Holy Grail Wars has been increasing, probably because they believe that even if they are not omnipotent, they can still bring huge benefits, which is why they keep doing it one after another.

"By the way, Novia, I took a look at the structure here. It should be a planetary magic circle that incorporates Kabbalah philosophy and is designed to connect with the planets of the solar system. This place should be set up to correspond to the solar magic circle, and there are six solar magic circles on this floor."

Aika leaned close to Novia's ear and spoke to him, as if just to make sure he could hear her clearly, but actually she just wanted to find a suitable reason to get even closer.

Then, she continued in an expectant tone:

"Corresponding to the 'maze' of the sun, and the solar magic circle has a total of sixty-six columns. Obviously, that's the number of the beast's name recorded in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament edited by the pope with the same name as you. Yes, I actually really like the church's Bible. I have them all at home. It's true. Why don't you come to my house to take a look when you get back?"

Although Novia had already passed away before John wrote the Book of Revelation, perhaps Nero vaguely understood something after reading it, and in any case, he still included the Book of Revelation as part of the New Testament.

However, just as some have speculated that the Holy Spirit in the story is actually a metaphor for the first Pope Novia, naturally some have also speculated about the identity of the woman who poured the wine on the Holy Spirit. Some believe it is just a simple story, while others have conspiracy theories that Novia's disappearance was actually due to Nero seizing power and killing her, and that John used a woman to represent her in order to prevent the truth from being lost.

However, the real focus of Aika's words is the latter part, which is an invitation condition no less than a cat's backflip.

"Okay, everything will be fine once things here are over. After all, I really like Aika the way she is now."

Novia answered with a smile, but Aika inexplicably saw in his smile the feeling that her undisguised thoughts had been known, and the word 'like' she said made her blush again.

To be honest, if Ayaka hadn't brought it up, Novia wouldn't have remembered the Beast of 666. After all, in his mind, Nero should have understood him in the end and left peacefully, so she shouldn't have turned into a beast again...

Then I must also take on the responsibility of summoning Nero and Melsin, who have been lonely for so long, and then suffer the consequences.

Just as Novia was pondering to herself, a loud rumble shattered the tranquil atmosphere.

"Aige, a monster is coming."

"There's nothing to worry about, Novia. You don't need to lift a finger; I'll handle it," Aika said with a soft laugh. "But are you worried about me?"

"Of course, because this kind of monster looks like it specifically eats the flesh of young girls."

"Wow, that's really scary."

After Ai Ge uttered those words with a smile, she faced the enormous snake approaching from the other end of the passage, making a screeching sound as it cut through the surrounding stone walls and floor, obscuring the entire passage and emitting a chilling noise.

Seemingly surprised that someone would dare to stand in its way, the giant serpent angrily charged towards Ayaka—

The girl gently pressed her forehead against it, and then, using some kind of magic, shattered the enormous snake so badly that its original appearance was unrecognizable.

"What a pity, there's so little left to eat." Aika showed a hint of regret, then smiled brightly. "I'll cook it all for you, Novia... Hey, what's this?"

The girl looked at Novia with curiosity as three scratches inexplicably appeared on her right hand.

However, for some reason, Aige always felt that although Novia seemed to have not changed much, her magic seemed to have suddenly increased a lot.

........

"It's finally begun, and all the magic power has gathered in one place this time. It looks like these Servants are about to start fighting until only one is left. What a pitiful fight, pathetic heroes."

At the bottom of the labyrinth, where the subspecies of the Holy Grail was located, Wolfgang Faust, a vampire descendant of Arcadia, smiled, then looked at the blond man who had appeared out of thin air behind him as if he had discovered something.

"...The White Knight?"

079: Love at first sight? It's just hormones at play.

"I didn't expect you to be so amazing, Novia."

In the deepest hall of the first level of the seventh labyrinth of Elcatlas, there is a shallow layer of water around it, barely enough to see the ground. In the center lies a blue magical beast that looks like a horse, whose flesh has now been cut off by Aika.

"Alright, let's eat something and rest for a bit."

Aika casts a projection magic spell that creates objects from empty space, and a metal frying pan appears in her hand. Then she uses a water elemental conversion magic spell, filling the pan with water and then creating flames.

"It has to be cooked before it disappears." The girl smiled shyly and continued, "The ingredients are all fine. Along the way, I picked out a few edible 'parts' from the fantasy creatures and chimeras you defeated and carried them with me. You should eat more to replenish your magic power, after all, Novy, you're currently using the power of some Servant, right?"

This 'demon's den' is filled with monsters that are difficult to see with modern eyes, but that doesn't matter to Aika. The most important thing is that she can spend time alone with Novia to deepen their relationship, and that's enough.

"Yeah, almost."

Originally, Novia planned to use herself as a medium to summon Nero or Melsin during the brief interval between the previous attack by the giant serpent, which was the moment the subspecies Holy Grail War began, but she failed and no Servant appeared.

To be precise, yes, there was some, because the magic power from all directions did come, but it was absorbed by Novia in the blink of an eye, as if it had never come at all. The magic power supplied to his body was like a completely dried-up ocean flowing into a river; it wasn't completely useless, but it was just a drop in the ocean.

Fortunately, the monsters here are food that Wolfgang Faust specifically provides for Servants without Masters to replenish their magic power, which can also help Novia replenish some of hers. In his current state, he should be considered a Demi-Servant, and Ayaka has naturally become his Master. However, for some reason, Ayaka's magic power cannot be transferred to him.

Although Novia's power is not yet complete, using this magic to clear out the fantasy monsters here is incredibly easy. She walks through the dark passages, eliminates traps, and crushes the monsters.

"It's ready, Novia, come and try it."

Aika used edible parts from the monsters that Novia had defeated along the way, along with magical catalysts like tree spirit roots as vegetables, so the dish she made looked like a stew with vegetables.

She watched Novia eat with anticipation, wondering what it would taste like. She hoped it would be delicious for Novia; although it had been over twenty years since she had cooked, she thought it should still be alright.

Previously, Aika would 'lock' certain things she didn't want to know, deliberately ignoring them. But now, although she hasn't 'locked' them, she genuinely doesn't know if the food is good or not. This is an incredibly strange feeling for her, second only to the decision she secretly made to bring Novia home.

".........Is it tasty?"

No salt was added.

Although Novia didn't give a direct answer as to whether it tasted good or not, Ai-ka, upon learning that she hadn't added any salt, naturally knew it definitely wouldn't taste good.

"I'm so sorry, I was too impatient and didn't even think of that. Novia, you don't have to force yourself to eat..."

Aika gently tugged at Novia, who was still chewing her food, and gave her an apologetic look.

"It's okay, just be more careful next time. You just forgot by accident. It's not that it's inedible, it's just that the taste is a little bland."

He was simply stating the facts. Although salt existed in the ancient Roman Empire, due to its importance, only the wealthy could obtain large quantities, while ordinary and even poor people could only obtain a portion.

Novia ate similar flavors in the early years of the year before Lucius arrived in Rome, so it wasn't too difficult for her to adapt; after all, it was still quite a dish.

The two then decided to continue into the second level of the maze. The steps to the second level were quietly located in a corner of the hall; it was a rather long staircase.

After passing the last corner of the stairs and entering the second floor, the two saw a person's back.

"So the Clock Tower has already sent a magician to solve this problem?"

The purple-haired girl said this expressionlessly, turning to the two people behind her.

She gives the impression that her whole body is filled with inorganic matter, and you can't feel any human emotional fluctuations at all. It's like facing a human-shaped piece of metal.

As Shion looked at the two people in front of her, the information naturally came to mind.

Sajō Aika, the eldest daughter of the Sajō family in Japan, is a 37-year-old girl who can only make a living by relying on her younger sister who studies at the Clock Tower.

However, she was not the unkempt and magic-challenged person she was rumored to be at this moment. Instead, she exuded a natural elegance and surging magic. Indeed, rumors should not be believed. Judging a person requires long-term observation. She might be an ace secretly cultivated by the Sajou family or the Clock Tower.

As for the person next to him—

For a moment, Ziyuan fell silent, because she could feel her heart inexplicably racing.

love at first sight?

Ziyuan didn't have that thought; she just felt that it was probably because of the unknown changes in the various hormones in her body, such as phenylethylamine and dopamine, caused by the magic here.

I could not possibly have such a reason, I could not possibly have such a reason, and I could not find such a reason at all.

'Stop Line 2'

The purple-haired girl sealed away her fragmented thoughts and turned her gaze back to the silver-haired boy.

"What is your name?"

Shion asked earnestly, her bright eyes fixed straight on Novia, as if he were the only one in her gaze, with no one else in sight.

"Shouldn't you state your own name before asking someone else's name?"

In Ziyuan's eyes, this person's smile seemed to carry a sense of recognition, which made her frown slightly, containing a sense of anxiety she was experiencing for the first time in her life. However, she calmed herself down and continued speaking.

"If you're asking about the name, it's Violet Eltenham Atlasia."

"I'm Ayaka Sajou."

When Ai Ge spoke first, a smile remained on her face.

Although her endearing voice didn't match her age, it did match her appearance. If it weren't for the somewhat strange smile on her face, Ziyuan might have thought that this was a princess from a fairy tale speaking to her. Unfortunately, for some reason, it carried a hostile tone.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you, Aika Sajou."

Although Shion was replying earnestly, she stared at Novia without moving, as if she were watching something. Her gaze was like a pair of eyes that wanted to devour someone. This kind of gaze made Aika grit her teeth. How dare she provoke this lady in front of her like this?

"Novia, that's my name."

In an instant, although Shion remained expressionless, her gaze sharpened.

080: Ancestor (me)! Witness this great achievement!

"No...Novia...Novia..."

Ziyuan murmured expressionlessly, her purple braids swaying in the dark cave in the wind. The way she swayed was like neat geometric shapes. Rather than a person, she gave the first impression of a number in human form.

It's just a coincidence of names, but why do I react that way to people with that name...?

Since she had no clear answer to the questions that arose in her heart, Shion began to divide her thoughts and discuss them.