Aozaki Aoko Case File [134] 

Credits: Kloud Paradizo

Aoko quickly signed a self-binding contract with Kayneth, even including the comatose Waver Velvet (who was controlled by Kayneth using the Mercury Mystic Code). All parties signed the oath.

The King of Conquerors had no objections to essentially selling himself with this oath. If it meant saving Waver Velvet while also having the opportunity to fight a powerful opponent in a fierce battle, it was exactly what he desired most.

At this moment, he looked at Artoria and Aoko with boundless battle spirit, while Aoko remained as calm as ever. Artoria, however, exuded a colder and more ruthless aura than before.

"Alright, you don't mind if I inform the three from Chaldea of our location, do you?" Aoko asked.

"Go ahead," Kayneth replied indifferently, waving his hand. "As long as you ensure they don't spread this location to others."

"Once they arrive, you can negotiate the terms with Chaldea's Master yourself, Lord Kayneth," Aoko said while taking out a rune stone. "Though I doubt they'll reject your request."

Aoko held the rune stone, infused it with a bit of magical energy, and the stone began to emit a faint green glow.

"Done," Aoko said. "They've received the message. If nothing unexpected happens, just greet them when they arrive nearby."

The message Aoko sent through the communication rune stone was straightforward. If it had been written on paper, it probably wouldn't exceed one line:

["Waver Velvet in danger. Hurry."]

...

Fujimaru Ritsuka, holding the glowing rune stone, stared at the message in surprise, seemingly pondering the question, "Who is Waver?"

"Senpai, did something happen?" Mash Kyrielight, now fully recovered, walked over and asked while looking at the glowing rune stone in Ritsuka's hand. "Did Miss Aoko contact you?"

"Yeah, it's from Miss Aoko," Ritsuka replied, frowning as she tried to recall. "But... who is Waver? Does it have anything to do with us?"

"Se... Senpai," Mash suddenly panicked. "Waver Velvet seems to be the real name of Lord El-Melloi II, doesn't it?"

"... So you're saying Lord El-Melloi II is in trouble?" Ritsuka finally pieced it together. She immediately wondered if Chaldea's Lord El-Melloi II had been beaten up by someone, but considering that the message came from Aoko Aozaki, it didn't seem to be that simple.

"Who's in trouble?" Lord El-Melloi II, who had just returned to Ryuudou Temple after finishing some investigation work outside, overheard Ritsuka's words as he entered the room. He looked puzzled.

"?" Ritsuka said, "If you're fine, Lord El-Melloi II, then..."

Sensing that something unusual might be happening, Lord El-Melloi II's expression turned serious as he questioned Chaldea's Master for more details. After some discussion, he roughly understood the situation.

"It's probably the 'me' of this world who's injured," Lord El-Melloi II said, stroking his chin. "So, what do you think? Should we go help?"

"That's a strange way to phrase it, Lord El-Melloi II," Ritsuka replied. "That's you, isn't it? How could there even be a choice not to help?"

"Precisely because it's 'me,' I can choose not to help," Lord El-Melloi II said casually. "After all, it's the reckless, immature, and foolish past version of myself."

"That's not acceptable!" Mash said, a little angry. "If someone can't even cherish themselves, how can they cherish others?"

"Alright, alright, no need to get upset, Mash. Let's just head to the coordinates Miss Aoko sent us," Ritsuka stepped in to mediate. "In any case, we should go take a look. But we need to inform Miss Touko first."

...

A moment later, the three from Chaldea bid farewell to Aozaki Touko and left Ryuudou Temple, heading to the location Aoko had provided through the rune stone.

"He probably won't survive the night," Lord El-Melloi II calmly diagnosed as he observed his injured counterpart lying on the operating table. "The Hydra venom has already damaged part of his soul."

"Do you have a way to heal him?" Kayneth asked. "I can provide appropriate compensation."

Lord El-Melloi II was surprised as if seeing Kayneth for the first time. He stared at him for a moment.

"I can indeed save him," Lord El-Melloi II said hesitantly. "But with just the materials at hand..."

"The big guy over there agreed to a duel contract with us just to save this version of you," Aoko interjected. "As long as Waver Velvet is saved, he's bound to have a one-on-one duel with my Saber to the death."

As soon as Aoko finished speaking, the somewhat embarrassed King of Conquerors, Iskandar, scratched the back of his head and walked out from behind a nearby door.

"You don't need to feel burdened," the King of Conquerors said. "This is something I agreed to. You don't have to worry about it."

"I understand," Lord El-Melloi II said after taking a deep breath. "You're exactly that kind of person—I know that very well."

"I can save him," Lord El-Melloi II said seriously, "but I have one condition."

"After I save this person, I need to join the duel between the King of Conquerors and the King of Knights," Lord El-Melloi II declared.

"You should be aware that the terms of the self-binding contract specify a one-on-one duel, right?" Aoko asked.

"I understand perfectly," Lord El-Melloi II replied. "But you've misunderstood my intention. I'm not participating as a third party—I'll be joining as the Master of the King of Conquerors."

"You mean to..." Aoko raised an eyebrow, already guessing what Lord El-Melloi II intended to do to save this world's Waver Velvet.

"I will fuse my Spirit Origin with this person's soul," Lord El-Melloi II said seriously. "Although I'm a pseudo-servant inheriting Zhuge Liang's Spirit Origin, I can perform a similar procedure."

"I'll merge myself with him," Lord El-Melloi II explained. "That way, I can use Zhuge Liang's Chu Shi Biao to purge the Hydra venom from 'myself' and repair the damage to the soul."

"But if you do that, Lord El-Melloi II, you'll..." Mash said worriedly.

"It's no big deal," Lord El-Melloi II said with a smile. "At most, the merged version of me will just seem a bit more immature than I am now."

"You don't need to worry about losing a servant in Chaldea either," Lord El-Melloi II added. "Chaldea has my Spirit Origin record. You can simply summon me again."