Chapter 172: Grand Puppet Master, Aozaki Touko

Tohsaka Rin: "Hey! Was the carriage driver just a toy?!"

Kayneth: "No, it's a puppet. A specially crafted magical puppet. The Department of Creation excels at this sort of thing."

Waver: "So… the Grand invited to this banquet must be…"

Kayneth: "Yes, that woman. The pinnacle of puppetcraft—Aozaki Touko."

Kayneth: "It seems your future self met her here."

["As expected of a legitimate branch of the Department of Creation, they truly excel at these kinds of tricks."]

[Reines gazed at the two dolls on the ground and smiled faintly.]

["It is an honor to be praised by you."]

[A middle-aged gentleman with a neatly trimmed beard, appearing to be around 45 years old, approached them at the entrance. He bowed respectfully to Reines and greeted her.]

["Welcome, Lady Archisorte."]

[The man had brown hair and wore a striking scarlet suit. However, it was evident that he had trouble walking, as he leaned heavily on a cane.]

["I am Byron Valualeta Iselma. Thank you for coming all this way."]

[Reines: "The head of the Iselma family? My apologies for not greeting you sooner."]

[Byron: "Think nothing of it. Please, come in. The banquet has already begun."]

[Led by Byron, Reines and Gray stepped into the grand hall of the Moon Tower.]

[The hall's high ceiling exuded an air of solemn magnificence, while the plush carpet beneath their feet was so soft it felt as though one could sink into it with every step.]

[Mechanical puppets, each intricately designed, were stationed throughout the room. They played "In the Mood," a famous jazz piece composed by Joe Garland in 1939.]

[By now, nearly all the invited magi had arrived. They stood in clusters, engaged in lively conversation and polite laughter.]

[However, beneath this veneer of harmony, how much deceit and malice lurked unseen?]

["It's just like a pile of filth stacked as high as the eye can see."]

[The released Trimmau muttered.]

[Reines frowned in irritation. This must have been something that troublemaker Flat had taught it.]

Chihiro: "Pfft!"

Gilgamesh: "Hahaha, what an amusing phrase."

Zhang Jiao: "Haha, that's actually quite fitting."

Darnic: "Hahaha, yes, the description is absolutely spot on."

Sisigou: "But you're pretty bold to say that out loud. If someone hears it, they might make you 'clean up' the mess."

Kayneth: "Waver, it seems your future self hasn't taught the puppet you made proper etiquette."

Waver: "What does this have to do with me? Shouldn't you be blaming Reines for this?"

[Reines glanced around the room, observing the attendees. About sixty percent of the magi present were from the Trambelio faction, thirty percent were from the Barthomeloi faction, and the remaining ten percent belonged to the Meluastea faction.]

[Gray: "Are these the names of the factions?"]

[Reines: "Yes. Trambelio represents the democratic faction, Barthomeloi represents the aristocracy, and Meluastea represents the neutral researchers who care only about advancing magecraft."]

Darnic: "Hah, democracy, is it?"

Having seen the hypocrisy of the Mage's Association firsthand, Darnic couldn't help but scoff at the use of such a lofty word to describe them.

["Oh? Do you dream of carving your name into the noble history of magecraft with such shallow bloodlines?"]

["Do you honestly think you can sustain magecraft alone now that it's declined this far? When will you wake up from this unattainable dream?"]

["Do you think the current Clock Tower can survive without the new generation?"]

["Hahaha, the Clock Tower was built for the aristocracy. Do you think a few scraps from our table make you equals?"]

[The false peace didn't last long, and tensions quickly boiled over into open conflict.]

[After drinking several glasses of wine, the younger magi, fueled by both arrogance and alcohol, began hurling insults at each other.]

[With these two groups at the center, the atmosphere between the factions became increasingly volatile.]

Darnic: "It really is a false peace."

Sisigou: "Young people lack composure. They can't even hold their liquor without making a scene."

Kayneth: "Hmph. Behaving like this in public is an utter disgrace."

["It hurts, it hurts… Ow, no, I'm sorry!"]

[Just as the argument was about to escalate into a physical altercation, a figure staggered into the middle of the fray.]

[A clearly drunk young man spun around unsteadily, his wine glass flying from his hand as he collapsed onto the ground in the shape of a starfish.]

[The overwhelming stench of alcohol wafting from him forced both groups to take several steps back in disgust.]

[The party had only just started—how much had this guy already drunk?]

["I'm sorry, everyone…"]

[Crawling on the floor like a caterpillar, the man's slurred apologies and pathetic state disgusted both factions enough to make them lose interest in continuing their argument. With disappointed sighs, they began to disperse.]

["Uh…"]

[Gray reached out and caught the wine glass the man had thrown. Not a single drop of the wine inside spilled.]

["Just in time."]

[Reines took the glass from Gray and handed it back to the young man, who had managed to stand up, albeit unsteadily.]

["No… sorry…"]

[The young man's face turned pale as he clutched the glass with trembling fingers.]

[Reines: "You're welcome. That was quite an effective way to defuse the tension."]

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "That young man is surprisingly clever. He used an unconventional method to calm both sides down."

Sola-ui: "He must truly not care about appearances if he's willing to humiliate himself like that."

[Young man: "Haha, did I try too hard?"]

[Reines: "No, not at all. Most magus have such inflated egos that they'd never dream of exposing their own weaknesses. Your performance may have been amateurish, but it got the job done."]

[Reines: "But tell me, were you really drunk? How did you pull that off?"]

["This," the young man said, pulling a small pill from his pocket, "is a drug that makes you instantly drunk."]

[He then flipped his palm, revealing another pill held between his fingers.]

["And this is the hangover cure."]

[After swallowing the second pill, the smell of alcohol vanished from the young man's breath in less than ten seconds.]

Tohsaka Rin: "Wait, there's a pill like that?"

Waver: "The Department of Botany has developed all sorts of bizarre drugs. Most are useless, but with the right timing, they can be surprisingly effective, like in this case."

Illya: "What other kinds of drugs are there?"

Waver: "Well, I've heard of drugs that induce cold-like symptoms, ones that suppress hunger, and even ones that make people who dislike meat feel nauseous after eating it."

Sisigou: "There's also a drug that prevents someone from sleeping no matter how tired they are. Apparently, it's used for torture."

Emiya Kiritsugu: "That does sound fitting for torture."

Tohsaka Rin: "What a collection of strange medicines."

[Reines: "You certainly know your tricks."]

[The young man scratched his cheek shyly. "Well, I'm also a pharmacist."]

[Reines: "Oh? Are you from the Department of Botany?"]

[Young man: "No, I'm Maio Brishisan Clynelles, from the Department of Lore."]

[Reines: "Ah, so you're from the Brishisan family."]

[The Brishisan family was a prominent neutral faction. While they didn't possess the power of the Barthomeloi, their historical and research achievements were second to none.]

[Maio's name placement suggested he was either a branch family member or someone under the family's protection.]

[Maio then noticed Trimmau and, clearly intrigued, began rattling off excitedly.]

["Incredible! Instead of mimicking the human body, the focus on 'fluid manipulation' and 'personality endowment' takes on a form best suited to its function. Though contradictory, the way the container adapts to its content is correct as magecraft. The magic power circulation mechanism is so elegant…"]

[Maio: "Is this your creation?"]

[Reines: "Yes, but my brother gave me some advice during its development."]

[Maio: "Your brother? So, you must be…"]

["Maio."]

[A soft voice interrupted him. Turning, they saw an elegant Asian woman with dull red hair and glasses. Despite the unusual hair color, it looked natural rather than dyed.]

[Her crimson eyes seemed to hold an otherworldly depth, drawing attention as she approached.]

[Woman: "It's fine to be enthusiastic about research, but you should be more careful when handling the mystic codes of other families. You'll have no right to complain if you lose your life."]

[Maio: "Oh, my apologies, Ms. Aozaki."]

[Aozaki Touko: "You're welcome. I thought your method of resolving the fight earlier was quite creative."]

[Turning to Reines and Gray, she added, "Nice to meet you. My name is Aozaki Touko."]

Tohsaka Rin: "Wait, this is the Grand Magus?!"

Kayneth: "Yes, that's her."

Tohsaka Rin: "I always imagined her as some ancient crone. She's so young!"

Illya: "She's not an old monster who found a way to stay young, is she?"

Kayneth: "No, she really is that young. When she became a Grand few years ago, she was only about twenty."

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Twenty years old?!"

Kayneth: "Yes. She's a true genius, the kind of talent everyone envies."

Kayneth: "Judging by the timeline in this video, she should now be in her thirties."