Chapter 173: Unreal Beauty

"A Grand title in her twenties…"

Darnic couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy and bitterness.

Though he himself held a position of similar prestige, he had achieved it not through talent or effort, but through years of scheming and deception. Compared to Aozaki Touko, he felt like a fraud.

["Aozaki… Touko!"]

[Reines' expression changed drastically, her voice trembling as she stammered, "You're the one under Sealing Designation…"]

[Gray tilted her head in confusion. "Sealing Designation?"]

[The term Sealing Designation referred to magus of extraordinary talent. It was both a title and an order issued by the Mage's Association.]

[Magecraft that could not be reproduced through simple study or research, that required a unique bloodline or physical constitution, was typically restricted to a single generation. The Association issued Sealing Designations to preserve such rare phenomena indefinitely.]

[Of course, these were merely the official justifications.]

[In truth, it was an act of control. If someone's talent or power became too threatening to the Association's authority, they were marked for containment. Under the guise of 'protection,' the Mage's Association sought to imprison them for life, preventing them from ever growing beyond its grasp.]

[Sealing Designation was, in essence, a death sentence for a magus' freedom, reducing them to little more than a specimen suspended in metaphorical formalin.]

[Though it was seen as the highest honor for a magus, it was also a curse. To be preserved was to have one's research and life's work forever halted.]

[Most magus with the talent to warrant a Sealing Designation would rather die than abandon their research. Consequently, many of them fled, hiding in remote territories or disappearing entirely.]

Tohsaka Sakura: "So that's what Sealing Designation means."

She remembered her father once warning her that if she didn't pass on her family's inheritance, she could end up sealed. Until now, she hadn't fully understood what that meant.

Tohsaka Rin: "So, having talent is a crime?"

Darnic: "For the Mage's Association, anyone with exceptional talent outside their control is automatically guilty."

Zhang Jiao: "Sealing Designation is nothing but a tool for the ruling elite to maintain their power."

Kayneth: "Without the Mage's Association to uphold order, the world of magecraft would descend into chaos."

Zhang Jiao: "Oh, so you're saying I'm one of those who disrupt order?"

Chihiro: "That's not quite the same. In Japan, for example, the Mountain Shrine serves as a higher governing body, and the Spiral Tower has its own security forces to maintain balance."

Tohsaka Rin: "What's the Mountain Shrine?"

Chihiro: "It's a coalition of the strongest individuals—basically, a group of grand-level monsters who enforce their own rules. The Spiral Tower has to operate under their influence."

Tohsaka Rin: "We have an organization like that in Japan? Doesn't the Mage's Association have something similar?"

Chihiro: "Technically, yes. The Mage's Association has the Wandering Sea and the Atlas Academy, but those are independent entities that don't actually follow the Association's orders."

Kayneth: "How do you know all this?"

Chihiro: "What can I say? I'm a collector of information. Some people call me Mr. know-it-all ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ."

["The Sealing Designation was lifted years ago," Aozaki Touko said calmly.]

[Normally, once a Sealing Designation was issued, it was irrevocable. However, several years ago, a catastrophic event at the Clock Tower's Arcanum Arbitration Bureau and the Observatory which handled Sealing Designations, had shaken the institution to its core.]

[Not only was Aozaki Touko's Seal lifted, but the seals on several other individuals were removed as well.]

"A major incident at the Observatory years ago!"

Kayneth was visibly stunned by the revelation.

Such an event was unheard of. Sealing Designations had never been lifted before. What could have caused this?

["It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Reines El-Melloi Archisorte."]

[Reines introduced herself respectfully. "Gray, this is the Grand magus I mentioned earlier."]

[Gray: "!!!"]

[Aozaki Touko nodded. "I'm familiar with your faction. I've had dealings with the previous El-Melloi. He once hired me for a job."]

[Reines: "You mean… Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald?"]

[Aozaki Touko: "Yes."]

[She pressed a finger lightly to her lips, as though keeping the details a secret.]

[Her gaze then shifted to Gray.]

[Aozaki Touko: "Oh, you have a fascinating face."]

Kayneth was completely baffled. "When did I ever interact with Aozaki Touko?"

He couldn't recall any such event. The timeline in the video clearly showed events that occurred after the Fourth Holy Grail War, long after his death.

But that could only mean he had encountered her during the war itself.

Yet Kayneth had read every account of the Fourth War. Nowhere was Aozaki Touko ever mentioned.

"Kayneth's brain must be overheating right now," Chihiro thought with a quiet chuckle.

During the Fourth Holy Grail War, Kayneth had been defeated by Emiya Kiritsugu. Desperate to regain some semblance of normalcy, he arranged for his family to hire Aozaki Touko at an exorbitant price to craft prosthetic limbs for him. This allowed him to regain limited mobility in his hands.

This entire process was omitted in Fate/Zero, and Aozaki Touko's name was never mentioned.

Thus, no matter how hard Kayneth tried, he couldn't recall when he had interacted with her.

[Just as Aozaki Touko reached out to touch Gray's cheek, the hall suddenly erupted in cheers.]

[It was the arrival of the Golden Princess of Iselma.]

[Seeing this, Aozaki Touko withdrew her hand.]

[On the spiral staircase leading to the second floor, which extended out like a terrace, stood two maids of similar appearance, almost identical twins.]

[The maids lifted their skirts in a synchronized curtsey, addressing the figures behind them in unison.]

["Lady Diadra..."/"Lady Estella..."]

["Please, enter."]

[Two figures slowly emerged onto the stage, and in that instant, the room seemed to lose all sense of reality.]

[It was perfection itself. Any words used to describe their appearance felt inadequate, even insulting.]

[No vocabulary could capture the sheer beauty of the figures before them.]

[These were the famed Golden Princess, Diadra Valualeta Iselma, and the veiled Silver Princess, Estella Valualeta Iselma.]

[Minutes passed before the magi in attendance could collect themselves. Many dropped their wine glasses in sheer awe.]

[Even Reines was no exception. When she regained her senses, she realized her consciousness had completely blanked out.]

The entire group watching the video fell silent at the sight of the Golden Princess.

Though Chihiro had mentally prepared himself, he was still overwhelmed.

She truly deserved her title as the Golden Princess—beauty beyond description, a manifestation of perfection.

Gordes: "I'm honestly shocked. I didn't think such a woman could exist. She's like Venus herself, descended to Earth."

Ishtar: "Hmm??????????"

Ishtar: "What nonsense are you spouting, mortal? No one compares to my beauty."

Tohsaka Rin: "Exactly!"

Chihiro: "Why are you agreeing? Isn't her face literally your face?"

Tohsaka Rin: "So what? Are you saying I'm not as beautiful as the Golden Princess?"

Chihiro: "..." Don't you know there's a word called 'self-awareness'?"

Tohsaka Rin: "You're saying I lack self-awareness?!"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Ahem, stop it, Rin."

Tohsaka Rin: "Father, were you also stunned just now? Be careful, or I'll tell Mother."

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "???!!!"

Chihiro: "Haha, filial piety truly is a source of strength."

Gilgamesh: "She's ugly. So ugly that words can't describe it. That so-called beauty is utterly fake."

There are limits to everything, and beauty is no exception.

A woman with balanced, striking features could captivate an entire nation. But when beauty exceeded that threshold, it no longer felt real. Instead, it felt like an illusion, something artificial.

The Golden Princess, a creation meticulously crafted by the Iselma family in their pursuit of ultimate beauty, had far surpassed the boundary of what could be considered natural.

["I see… so that's the Golden Princess," Aozaki Touko murmured.]

[Aozaki Touko removed her glasses and lowered her gaze, speaking softly.]

["I'd heard the rumors, but I didn't expect her to be this extraordinary. Even I must acknowledge the legacy of the Iselma family."]

[Reines and Gray exchanged confused glances, as Aozaki Touko's tone was unlike anything they had heard from her before.]

["I was just a little shocked," Aozaki Touko admitted. "So I switched."]

[Aozaki Touko put her glasses back on and nodded to the two girls.]

[Gray: "Switched?"]

[Aozaki Touko: "I switched my personality."]

[Aozaki Touko clearly had no intention of elaborating further. Instead, she turned to Maio.]

[Aozaki Touko: "Apologies, but I need to step out for a moment."]

[Maio: "Ah, alright."]

[While the others were still reeling from the Golden Princess' appearance, Aozaki Touko quietly led Maio away.]

Tohsaka Rin: "Switch personalities? What is she, a video game character?!"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Don't make a fuss. She's a Grand Magus. For someone of her level, switching personalities isn't difficult."