Aozaki Aoko Case File [162]

Credits: Adrian Kacprzycki

Unlike the Fifth Magic, which primarily governs consumption and destruction, the Third Magic of soul materialization is a genuine method to achieve immortality.

Within the Clock Tower, many elder magi, whose lives were barely sustained, showed great interest in Touko's Third Magic. They spared no effort in sending her extravagant gifts. Touko, who was never one to shy away from such treasures—some of which were so precious their owners wouldn't normally dare reveal them—accepted these gifts without hesitation. However, she was extremely restrained in actually using the Third Magic of soul materialization.

From the hundreds of families that showered her with gifts, Touko chose the oldest among them, represented by an elderly magus who offered the most valuable gift: a dormant, living dragon egg. In the presence of the entire family, Touko performed soul materialization on the elderly man.

In theory, this old magus was transformed into a higher being with infinite mana and immortality. However, he also lost all desires that sustained human rationality, becoming a meaningless existence so lazy that he wouldn't even bother to think. This was the so-called salvation of humanity sought by a certain white-haired priest and a certain magus killer, but in practice, it now seemed utterly ironic.

Even the Golden Wolf, Lugh Beowulf—who was born as a materialized soul—questioned the meaning of his existence. How, then, could a mere human who underwent soul materialization possibly maintain their sanity?

Surprisingly, the heir of this family was not angry. On the contrary, he was quite satisfied with the results of Touko's experiment. Ecstatic, he took over the position of family head and turned the materialized soul of the elderly magus into a perpetual mana generator for the family. However, due to the subconscious restraint of the elder magus, the output of mana was deliberately limited. While it was a sustainable source of mana, it lacked the overwhelming power one might expect from such a creation, instead producing mana at a slow, steady pace.

When word of the elder magus's fate spread through the Mage's Association, the noble families grew even more wary of Touko. To maintain rationality after achieving soul materialization would require immense internal and external strength. This fact cemented Touko's status as the Third Magician—a testament to her unparalleled power.

Touko was quite satisfied with her current reputation and standing in the magical community. Gaining access to magic and becoming a Magician had always been her obsession. Now that she had reached her goal, she felt a sense of relief.

However, Touko was not the type of woman to stop after fulfilling a lifelong goal. The Third Magic, after all, was merely a method to reach the Root. Her journey as a magus had ended; she could access the Root whenever she wished using the Third Magic.

The Einzbern Heaven's Feel ritual, in the end, was a legacy of the past. While Touko had achieved the miracles of complete soul replication and soul transfer by herself—both belonging to the domain of the Third Magic—the ultimate achievement of soul materialization was not her own.

Thus, she set a new goal for her life: to use the nearly infinite time and mana provided by the Third Magic to search for other methods to reach the Root.

Her sister, Aoko, had no objection to Touko's new ambitions. After all, a person needs desires and motivation to have a reason to live. Those who lose their desires would inevitably fall into the same fate as that old magician—reduced to nothing but a walking husk of flesh.

And so, the Aozaki family busied themselves through 1991 and entered 1992.

Aoko successfully completed a project under the guidance of her professor in computational number theory. Using the cutting-edge Mathematica software (released in 1988, relatively new at the time), she solved numerous complex number theory problems, earning her professor's admiration. Not only did he write Aoko a top-tier recommendation letter, but he also invited her to pursue her doctorate under his mentorship, an offer she gladly accepted.

When the precious winter vacation arrived, Aoko didn't run off to fight in any Holy Grail Wars. Instead, she returned home to Misaki Town and spent the New Year at the Kuonji residence with her family.

Since the Aozaki sisters' parents were not outsiders oblivious to the world of magecraft, Aoko received permission from Alice to invite them to the Kuonji residence for the New Year's banquet. Although Alice wasn't fond of noisy gatherings, she relented under Aoko's relentless pestering.

With the teleportation array installed in the Kuonji residence's workshop now stabilized Irisviel, Illya, and Caren were able to travel quickly from Germany to Misaki Town. Aoko considered inviting Kohaku and Hisui's mother as well but ultimately decided against it, knowing that Alice disliked strangers. Instead, she figured the sisters could visit their mother the next day.

The Aozaki sisters' parents were surprised to see so many people at the Kuonji residence. From what they knew, Alice wasn't someone who enjoyed lively company, so the arrangement was clearly Aoko's handiwork.

Fortunately, all the children attending the banquet were well-behaved. Even Caren, who usually had a mischievous streak, sat quietly beside Illya, enjoying the exquisite desserts.

Since cooking for such a large group would overwhelm Aoko, she enlisted help from her mother, Sella, and Kohaku. Meanwhile, the others busied themselves decorating the Kuonji residence for the New Year.

Robin, the robin familiar, was the opposite of Alice—it loved lively gatherings. It performed a hilarious bird comedy routine with Aoko's familiar, Stark, which had the children laughing uncontrollably. Even Alice found herself amused.

Aoko, who didn't care much about appearances, still spent a significant amount of money to have custom-made yukatas prepared for all the women. Touko, ever insistent on maintaining her adult form, seemed particularly attentive to this matter. Aoko suspected that Touko might have secretly adjusted her figure during the fitting session, though she didn't dare confront her about it.

As the New Year's countdown approached, everyone gathered in the Kuonji residence's dining hall. They watched the dazzling fireworks over Misaki Town's night sky, raising their glasses to celebrate the arrival of a new year. Naturally, the children drank fresh fruit juice squeezed by Aoko, while the adults enjoyed alcohol.

Touko, who had always been fond of drinking, fully embraced the festive atmosphere. She drank heavily, finishing off much of the Old Dunn's Reserve brought by her father. By the end of the night, she was thoroughly drunk, swaying unsteadily.

In theory, a Third Magician shouldn't be able to get drunk. However, Touko had deliberately suppressed her physical abilities for the occasion, allowing herself to experience intoxication.

Unfortunately, humans sometimes invite trouble upon themselves. After drinking too much, Touko passed out in front of everyone, losing her ability to maintain her adult form and reverting to her childlike appearance. Thankfully, their mother was quick to react, catching Touko's loosened yukata before it could slip, thus saving the great Third Magician from public embarrassment.