Fate/Magus Path

"What are you looking at, Roy?"

"..."

It was clear that this blonde woman wasn't really paying attention to what he said. She probably wasn't interested in the files either. With a resigned sigh, he continued leafing through the thick documents Aoko had brought.

"No, you go ahead and finish it."

"Oh."

The first file in the stack contained a record about the blood of magical beasts.

This immediately piqued his interest.

In Japan, magical beasts and demons had always existed, which was why professions like demon hunters, whose role was to exorcise these beings, had emerged.

Originally, the demon hunters were responsible for exterminating magical beasts and demons, accepting offerings from the people, and maintaining a balance between humans and these creatures.

However, this fragile balance was disrupted by the appearance of the Aozaki family.

Rather than seeing magical beasts as enemies to be exorcised like the demon hunter, the Aozaki family, being magus by nature, didn't view magical beasts as inherently dangerous. Instead, they saw them as a potential resource to be utilized.

But cooperating with magical beasts was troublesome. Aside from the more intelligent ones, most were difficult to control.

So, the Aozaki family turned to another branch within the magical beast population... the humans who carried the blood of demons.

Though these people were often despised and ostracized by society, their existence didn't faze the Aozaki family, for societal views held no weight against magus.

With the Aozaki family's guidance and support, these demon-blooded humans began to expand, growing into a power that helped protect the Aozaki family in turbulent Japan.

These human-demon hybrids, under the Aozaki family's control, were able to escape their primitive existence, grow their clans, and integrate into human society.

The Aozaki family had hoped this symbiotic relationship would continue, with the hybrids following their guidance indefinitely. But not long after, something unexpected happened.

The path to the Fifth Magic revealed itself to the Aozaki family. Faced with this miracle, the foundation they had built in Japan, along with these so-called hybrids, became insignificant.

In pursuit of the Fifth Magic, the Aozaki family abandoned everything in Japan and traveled to Britain, eager to perfect the Fifth Magic.

As for the demon-blooded hybrids, they were discarded without a second thought. To the Aozaki family, these hybrids were merely tools for protection or slaves, worth little compared to the pursuit of the Fifth Magic. Abandoning them was no more than a trivial matter.

They didn't care if these hybrids would spiral out of control or pose a danger to the locals.

This choice was typical of Magus.

Without their masters' control, the hybrids became lost, unsure of their purpose or direction. Years later, under the leadership of a bold individual, they began leaving the Aozaki family's land and entering human society.

It was here that they first experienced true freedom.

Empowered by the blood of magical beasts, they were far stronger than ordinary humans. They easily overpowered anyone who dared to stand in their way, and with their newfound strength, they gained unimaginable wealth and status.

But this newfound indulgence soon awakened the dormant demon blood within them. They began to lose control, turning towards their demonic instincts, and a wave of brutal murders erupted across Japan.

As a result, their status underwent a dramatic reversal. Once revered and worshipped by humans, they were suddenly marked as demons and hunted down by humans.

Demon hunters, samurai, and even ninjas... people of all kinds... joined in the hunt to exterminate these demon-blooded hybrids.

Despite their strength, they were no match for the combined efforts of humans and were quickly driven to near extinction.

Only a small number of hybrids, able to suppress their urges, managed to hide within human society, struggling to survive.

Later, when the Aozaki family obtained the Fifth Magic and returned to Japan, they sensed the lingering presence of these former subordinates. They investigated but, upon finding that these hybrids had aligned themselves against human society and were merely clinging to life, the Aozaki family lost interest in reclaiming them, leaving them to continue their existence on their own.

Among the list of these hybrid families, one name stood out prominently: Tohno.

As Roy read this, his expression became thoughtful, deep in contemplation.

This Tohno was, without a doubt, the same Tohno family of Misaki Town.

But…

"The Tohno family, who carry the blood of demons, are supposed to be opposed to exorcist families. So why do they claim the name of an exorcist family themselves?"

"Can the demon blood in their veins really allow them to live peacefully?"

The more he read about the Tohno family, the more questions filled his mind.

Whether because of Shiki Tohno or Roa, Roy knew he had to personally visit this family.

He had a feeling that things were far more complicated than they appeared.

With that in mind, Roy rapidly flipped through the rest of the documents Aoko had provided, hoping to uncover more answers.

...

Misaki Church.

"Damned heretic magus, what on earth did you do last night?!"

"Not only did you set an entire street on fire, but you also destroyed a building. And that's only counting the debris and smoke damage; the actual loss is far worse."

"Do you have any idea how much effort the Church put into suppressing this incident? You heretic magus will be held accountable for this!!"

By the next morning, after an entire night of overtime, Ciel finally finished cleaning up the mess left behind by Roy and Nrvnqsr Chaos.

However, the financial losses and the amount of resources spent had left the Church's personnel struggling to maintain their composure.

Aoko shared similar frustrations. She had spent just as much, if not more, than Ciel, but knowing the true nature of the events, she didn't think much of it.

After all, facing an all-out attack from one of the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, it was a stroke of fortune that they had only suffered this much damage and were able to eliminate him.

If one understood the number of lives lost during the chaos caused by these creatures around the world, they'd realize that the effects in Misaki Town were hardly a fraction of their guilt.

But it seemed that these Executors hadn't considered that.

Well, that was no surprise. After all, the claim of Nrvnqsr Chaos' death was just one side of the story. It was understandable that they didn't want to believe that a heretic magus could achieve such a feat.

Still, inviting Roy to the Church for a public scolding was something she couldn't comprehend.

It was like a group of sheep attempting to challenge a fierce tiger... an absurd idea.

In response, Roy had not rejected their invitation, instead choosing to attend in person.

However…

The way he presented himself hardly seemed like someone who was there to be scolded by this group of Executors.

"Are you done?"

"As the administrator of this Church and a member of the Burial Agency, you failed to detect the Dead Apostles' movements in time, leading to large-scale casualties. This is your dereliction of duty." Roy continued, his voice cold as he took a sip of his coffee, glancing at the increasingly agitated Executors.

"And as outsiders, we managed to eliminate the true culprit... Nrvnqsr Chaos, one of the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors. What have you done besides cleaning up the aftermath? Is that all the Church can do, complain after the fact?"

"I defeated Nrvnqsr Chaos, one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors, in a single night and thoroughly wiped him out."

With those words, Roy's gaze turned frigid, and his powerful magical aura made the surrounding space seem to freeze.

In that instant, everyone in the room felt a deadly threat.

Gulp…

The sound of swallowed saliva echoed.

This killing intent was real. If they continued to speak, they might not leave alive.

They weren't like regular clergy. These Executors had been through life-or-death battles with vampires, so their senses of danger were highly honed.

At this moment, facing Roy's overwhelming killing intent, their battle-hardened bodies trembled involuntarily.

This pressure… even the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors would be no match for this.

Despite the lingering doubts, no one dared contradict Roy when he claimed to have killed Nrvnqsr Chaos. After all, he was a monster on the same level as the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors.

Killing them was as easy as snapping a finger.

Not just them... Ciel, who had long since forgotten the sensation of death, also felt an overwhelming, life-threatening pressure.

Seeing Roy's furious expression, she sighed and endured it silently. She had no intention of interceding for her colleagues.

To be honest, her mood was just as foul. After working all night to suppress the chaos caused by Nrvnqsr Chaos in Misaki Town, she hadn't even had time to grab a meal or rest.

And then, these colleagues, with blood rushing to their heads, did something that nearly gave her a stroke: they invited Roy to the Church to confront him over the previous night.

She hadn't even been able to stop them before the invitations went out, and soon after, Roy arrived.

When she finally returned, she found that Roy was already having coffee in the meeting room, surrounded by her colleagues, all of whom were trembling.

They looked like they had been taught a lesson.

Indeed, after witnessing the hellish scene from the previous night, even though Roy had eliminated the main culprit, Nrvnqsr Chaos, his mood remained extremely foul.

She had warned the Church about the enemies they faced, but their response had been sluggish, leading to the situation escalating to this point.

If it weren't for Kiritsugu and Alice's timely discovery, and Roy's swift actions, even Nrvnqsr Chaos would have remained at large.

Whether it was incompetence or sheer inaction, Roy wouldn't spare them a single ounce of courtesy.

They didn't deserve his respect. There was no need for diplomacy or pleasantries. The best course of action was to go straight to the point with force.

And so, before the gathered Executors, Roy made his next shocking statement.

"If any of you are dissatisfied, feel free to prove yourselves by hunting down the other Dead Apostles hidden in this city, or you can just do your part and leave the cleanup to the real professionals."

As soon as he spoke, he didn't give them a chance to reply. His surging magical power erupted uncontrollably, and a terrifying force and aura slammed into the room, causing the walls of the church to tremble.

The Executors who had planned to argue were immediately deflated, no longer daring to speak.

After hearing Roy's words, the expressions of those in the room were a mix of shock, excitement, confusion, suspicion, and anger.

They were fundamentally being told that their Church's professionalism and capabilities were meaningless, and this insolence came from a heretic magus.

Had it been any other time, these Executors would have drawn their Black Keys and pinned the insolent intruder to a cross, burning him in the holy fire.

But they were powerless. Even with Ciel, a member of the Burial Agency, they would struggle to deal with a single Dead Apostle Ancestor, let alone kill one.

Standing before them was Roy, who was far beyond their capabilities. They didn't need to think twice about it... if it came to a fight, whether any of them would even walk out of this church alive was in question.

Ciel could only pray silently that these fools would not choose a path to their own destruction.

While the Executors in the room were all tense, others reacted differently.

For example, Aoko and Touko.

The two couldn't help but laugh. After all, what Roy had said about these Executors accomplishing nothing over the years was not far from the truth.

It might be impolite to say, but it was undeniable. The majority of the Dead Apostle Ancestors were still wreaking havoc across the world. The problem of the Dead Apostle was far from solved, despite the church having sealed and destroyed some of them. However, the pace at which new ones appeared far outstripped their efforts. The church's slow response and the distractions of internal doctrinal conflicts only made things worse.

Laughing in a church like this was something only the Aozaki sisters would dare to do. Ciel looked uncomfortable, but when she saw her colleagues were only fuming and had not acted rashly, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Having faced Roy in combat herself, Ciel knew all too well that his power was beyond what any normal Dead Apostle Ancestor could compare to. If these fools did anything foolish, she could not protect them.

Thankfully, Roy merely released some of his aura, putting them in check, without making any further moves.

Once everything had been made clear, Roy stood from the church's chair, turned, and prepared to leave.

He glanced at the group of somber faces, and before exiting, he added coldly, "If you're dissatisfied with what I've said, feel free to come find me or bring the others from the Burial Agency along. I'll be waiting at the Clock Tower."

"Just say you want to meet the Magician of the Third Magic, Roy."

There was a long, oppressive silence in the room.

...

For Dead Apostle, basking in sunlight was an excruciating experience. While it didn't kill them like it would a vampire, it was still unpleasant.

Of course, there was the exception of Arcueid.

She with Beowulf who had been enthusiastically dragging Roy around for shopping, as if everything in the modern world was a source of fascination.

Having been sealed in the Millennium Castle for so long, she was utterly curious about everything. She had had no time for such leisurely pursuits before, being busy hunting down Roa and evading other Dead Apostle Ancestors.

But now, with Roy as her powerful ally, she could relax. She no longer had to worry about those troublesome enemies and could trust that Roy would handle Roa for her. She had complete faith in his words.

Beowulf and Arcueid, an odd yet magical combination of Phantasmal Beast, were having a great time together. The two, both golden-haired, were like mischievous sisters, walking and eating the hamburgers they had just bought while chatting and laughing.

Because Beowulf's mimicry resembled a young golden-haired girl, and she was alongside Arcueid, they appeared to be siblings. Hearing that there were no immediate enemies to face today, Roy had only planned to visit the church, leaving behind Shiki, who was supposed to be dealing with other Dead Apostles. Meanwhile, Touko had goes out to clean up the remaining Dead Apostles in the city.

This situation was clearly more entertaining.

"Hmm… what's wrong? Something on your mind, Roy?"

Arcueid, with a half-eaten hamburger in her mouth, approached Roy, her words slightly garbled.

"No, I'm just looking for someone."

"Looking for someone?"

Arcueid tilted her head, curious.

"Yes, someone you're familiar with. They should be showing up soon."

"Oh? Someone I know…"

Sure enough, after a while, they spotted a plain-looking boy with black hair walking among the crowd. Arcueid's eyes widened in shock, and even the hamburger she was holding fell to the ground.

"I finally found you!!"

...

In a small alleyway, Shiki Tohno, who had been wandering after school, finally parted ways with his classmates.

Looking up at the dim sky, he sighed.

"…It's so late. Akiha's going to be mad."

The thought of his sister getting angry made Shiki speed up.

"Congratulations, young man."

A strange man, holding books in his hands, suddenly spoke to Shiki as he passed by.

"Today is a special day for you."

"You'll have a fateful encounter."

"But… you should be wary of the blonde woman."

"Eh? Are you talking to me?"

Shiki was bewildered by this cryptic remark.

But the mysterious figure did not stop to answer. The next moment, the man brushed past Shiki, vanishing without a trace, leaving behind only confusion on Shiki's face.

"A strange guy…"

Blonde woman?

Shiki suddenly recalled a recent, unsettling dream.

No, perhaps it wasn't just a dream.

A chill ran down his spine.

"Wait!"

He turned quickly but only saw the empty alley, the dim streetlights, and a blue butterfly fluttering in the night sky.

What he had seen seemed like it had all been a dream.

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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