Aozaki Aoko Case File

Credits: Luke Matthews

Aoko stood in the air with her hands on her hips, looking somewhat dissatisfied at the destruction she caused.

It wasn't that she hadn't won. It was just that the results didn't match the level of destruction she had anticipated.

The Demon Pillar Barbatos, the transformed state of the old worm Zouken Matou under the influence of Makiri Zolgen, seemed capable of amplifying some special skill by working in unison with the other eight Demon Pillars. This allowed Barbatos to absorb and weaken part of Aoko's magical projectile damage.

Aoko speculated that this ability was likely due to the water-attribute absorption magecraft inherent to Zouken Matou, which had been sublimated by Barbatos's Demon Pillar form.

"Master, I found this," Artoria flew to Aoko's side on horseback, holding a golden goblet in her hand. "Is this…?"

"The Holy Grail, right? That's what you were about to say?" Aoko took the golden cup and examined it closely. "This object can indeed be called a Holy Grail, but it's not the 'Heaven's Cup' capable of manifesting the Third Magic. At best, it's just a mana furnace."

"Is that so?" Artoria's tone held a hint of disappointment, but she understood that changing history wasn't something achievable by simply defeating a few Demon Pillars.

"This thing can realize wishes in a certain sense," Aoko said, tossing the golden cup lightly in her hand. "At its core, the Holy Grail's wish-granting function is based on accumulating a large amount of mana. As long as something can be achieved through magic and the method is known, the Holy Grail can consume enough mana to make it happen."

"…I see," Artoria murmured thoughtfully. "That does sound logical. After all, all the injustices and conflicts in this world ultimately stem from the unequal distribution of resources."

"Eh? Artoria, your thinking is quite advanced, isn't it?" Aoko said in surprise. "I thought ancient monarchs wouldn't grasp such concepts."

"In a way, it's the kind of painful realization one only gains through experience," Artoria replied with a wry smile. "If I could, I wouldn't have wanted to learn this lesson the way I did."

"I won't try to persuade you to let go of the past," Aoko said, shaking her head. "I'm not you, and I haven't lived your life. But I can give you a small piece of advice, Artoria."

Artoria didn't say anything, merely looking at her Master and wondering what kind of advice Aoko might offer.

"Go on a journey, Artoria," Aoko said with a smile. "After we win this Holy Grail War, I can ask Touko to help make you a physical body. Then, you can return to your homeland, Britain, and see what it's like now. Maybe you'll find your answer."

Artoria froze for a moment, then slowly turned her gaze toward the distant horizon, where Britain might lie. After a moment, she understood what Aoko was trying to convey.

Aoko had long noticed that someone had been observing her battle. However, since she could handle a 1v9 alongside Artoria, she wasn't particularly concerned about a few extra onlookers. If necessary, she could just deal with them all at once.

She and Artoria slowly descended from the sky, landing near the Chaldea group and Kayneth's team.

"You've been watching for a while. Were you planning to wait until I was worn out before challenging me?" Aoko asked, arms crossed, looking provocatively at Kayneth and the two Servants on the chariot.

"You jest, Miss Blue," Kayneth replied calmly. "I only came to investigate unexpected enemies and see what was going on."

"Moreover, shouldn't the esteemed Magician explain why your enemy bears such a strong resemblance to King Solomon's Demon Pillars?" Kayneth countered, questioning Aoko. "Has there been some conflict between you and your ally, Lord Marisbury Animusphere?"

"What? A Magician!?" Mash exclaimed in shock at Kayneth's title for Aoko. As a diligent student in Chaldea, she naturally understood the weight of that title in the world of magecraft.

"Mash, what does Magician mean? Is it the same as a Magus?" the orange-haired girl, Ritsuka Fujimaru, leaned closer to Mash and whispered curiously.

"A Magician is someone who can perform true miracles!" Mash explained seriously. "Magic is something humanity cannot achieve through magecraft or technology, no matter how advanced. There are only five Magics in the entire world!"

"But if someone that powerful exists, why would they participate in the Holy Grail War?" Ritsuka asked in confusion. "Do Magicians have wishes they need the Holy Grail to fulfill?"

...

Meanwhile, in a distant time and space, the control room of Chaldea was in chaos.

"There's something wrong with this Singularity," Da Vinci calmly analyzed. "As an extension of the Third Magic, Fuyuki's Holy Grail War shouldn't involve Magicians, and yet…"

She glanced meaningfully at the visibly flustered Romani Archaman.

"Dr. Roman, what do you think about the Demon Pillars and King Solomon appearing in this Holy Grail War?" Da Vinci asked, her tone sharp.

Her question seemed to make Roman even more nervous. He appeared at a loss for how to explain this to Da Vinci, Ritsuka, and Mash.

"It's strange. King Solomon shouldn't have been summoned at this point in time…" Roman muttered, trying to evade the issue. "Maybe there's a problem with our Rayshift… I'll go check it out."

...

Back near the foot of Mount Enzou in Fuyuki, Aoko spoke to Ritsuka Fujimaru with a smile, hands on her hips.

"Just think of me as a Magician who happened to pass by, acting out of personal interest!" Aoko said. "As for the Demon Pillars, I think there's someone better suited to answer your questions."

With that, Aoko pulled out a communication rune and activated it with her mana.

Moments later, a spatial vortex appeared nearby, and three figures emerged from it: King Solomon, Marisbury Animusphere, and Marisbury's apprentice, Kirschtaria Wodime.

"Director! And Senior Wodime!" Mash exclaimed in surprise. "How did you…?"

"Who are you?" Kirschtaria asked, looking at the Chaldea group with confusion as if he didn't recognize Mash or Ritsuka.

Marisbury said nothing, merely staring pensively at Mash Kyrielight.

"I see… so that idea worked, did it?" Marisbury smiled, seeming to confirm something.

King Solomon's gaze fell on Ritsuka Fujimaru, but his eyes didn't seem to focus on her directly. Instead, they pierced through vast distances, as if looking at someone hidden far away in the South Pole.