Aozaki Aoko Case File

Credits: Cinder Kitsune

Due to the great distance between the battlefield and the landing point of the Rayshift, the Chaldea group had no choice but to have Lord El-Melloi II borrow an innocent bystander's Honda sedan using suggestion magecraft. He drove Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash Kyrielight to their destination.

However, the journey was far from smooth. Mash's shield was just too large, so they had to stuff half of it into the trunk, leaving the other half sticking out.

This led to the Chaldea crew being stopped by patrolling police officers no fewer than three times during their trip to the battlefield. Each time, Lord El-Melloi II had to carefully use suggestion magecraft on the officers, altering their memories so they'd forget about the strange car speeding down the highway in the middle of the night.

Despite the numerous setbacks, Lord El-Melloi II managed to get them to the foot of Mount Enzou, thanks to the magical knowledge he inherited from Zhuge Liang and the driving skills honed through years of corporate drudgery.

The moment the three got out of the car, they gasped audibly.

The area had been completely devastated, reduced to a barren wasteland. A Servant who appeared to be King Arthur and a beautiful young woman in modern clothing were locked in fierce combat against nine Demon Pillars.

"Where did so many Demon Pillars come from?" Fujimaru Ritsuka thought in disbelief. Since joining Chaldea, she had never encountered so many Demon Pillars at once. Every time they appeared, it required rallying countless heroes to fight together, shoulder to shoulder, to defeat even one.

But the battle before them was entirely different! The strange-looking King Arthur was one thing, but how was the mage in modern clothing flying through the air and firing light beams like punches?

"Se-Senpai, what should we do? Should we help?" Mash Kyrielight hurriedly pulled her shield out of the car trunk and positioned herself protectively in front of Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Huh? I don't know what to do either!" Fujimaru Ritsuka replied in confusion. "Those two don't seem like they need our help... Lord El-Melloi II, what do you think?"

"This is completely different from the memories I have!" Lord El-Melloi II's voice was slightly panicked. "The Holy Grail War I participated in didn't have this Master, and this King Arthur doesn't resemble the one I remember..."

After pondering for a moment, he turned to Mash.

"Mash, can you summon a Servant?"

"No... if anything, the ley lines here are incredibly hard to utilize," Mash replied, somewhat disappointed.

"As I thought... It's difficult to perform such feats on land strictly managed by legitimate magus," El-Melloi II remarked.

"What does that mean?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked in confusion. "Does that mean Chaldea's summoning system won't work here?"

"I was hoping we could find an opportunity to summon a Servant and strengthen our forces, but it seems that idea was overly optimistic."

"...Her father's skill is truly exceptional," Lord El-Melloi II said with a sigh. "Now I understand—his techniques are truly straightforward and robust."

"What do we do now?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked, still at a loss. "I thought we'd be able to summon local Servants here..."

"Even though the Demon Pillars have the advantage in numbers, that Master and King Arthur aren't losing ground," El-Melloi II analyzed calmly. "Besides, the battle is too intense right now. If we intervene recklessly, we might only distract them or put ourselves in danger."

"Let's find a good spot to observe for now."

["Lord El-Melloi is right,"] Dr. Roman's voice came through their communication device. ["We still don't know this Master's intentions, and her magical energy levels are off the charts! Is she even human?"]

"I feel like I've seen this woman somewhere before..." El-Melloi II frowned, stroking his chin in thought. "But she's not one of the Masters from the Holy Grail War I remember."

As the Chaldea group watched the battle, a deafening roar of thunder echoed from above.

"Ulalalalala!"

The sound of thunder was accompanied by a voice that haunted Lord El-Melloi II's memories. He spun around, and just as he expected, he saw the figure of a king seated atop a chariot.

What he didn't expect, however, was that the chariot held not just the two familiar figures he remembered.

To his astonishment, seated beside the immature magus he knew was the former Lord of the Department of Mineralogy—

And Lancer Karna, whom he had once seen in Chaldea.

"Who are you people?" the seated Lord El-Melloi called out loudly. "I've never seen Servants or Masters like you in this Holy Grail War!"

"We're magus from the Chaldea!" Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly responded. "An affiliate of the Mage's Association's Department of Astromancy!"

"?" Waver Velvet, seated beside the King of Conquerors, looked confused. "Professor Kayneth, does the Department of Astromancy have such a division?"

"Hmm... Not that I know of," Kayneth replied, scrutinizing the trio before him. "But I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Lord Marisbury pulling some strings behind the scenes. Still, among these three, two of them are Servants?"

"No, something's strange about one of them. Is she a Servant?"

"Lord El-Melloi, we're not participants in this Holy Grail War," El-Melloi II said calmly. "And neither this lady nor I are summoned Servants."

"Oh?" Kayneth looked intrigued. "I wasn't aware that the Department of Astromancy's spirit-summoning magecraft could summon Servants. Your vague answers won't fool me."

"Then I'll be frank," El-Melloi II said resolutely as if he had no choice. "I'm from the future."

"...Oh?" Kayneth said with interest. "A so-called time traveler? I've heard some people are quite obsessed with that field of study. That does sound like the Astromancy Department's fanciful, theoretical style..."

"Then, are you here to support Lord Marisbury from the future?" Kayneth immediately cut to the heart of the matter, leaving the Chaldea group struggling to respond.

"What? The old director is here too?!" Mash exclaimed in surprise. "But didn't he win the Holy Grail War in 2004?"

"Old director? Who's that?" Fujimaru Ritsuka was thoroughly confused. "Isn't the director of Chaldea Miss Olga Marie?"

Their brief exchange left everyone present in stunned silence, even Dr. Roman and Da Vinci back at Chaldea momentarily at a loss for words.

Ps: The plot thickens.