[227] Class Card - Caster

"A week ago, we discovered that multiple nodes of Fuyuki City's leyline had been disrupted by unknown interference. A large amount of mana has disappeared, severely disrupting the normal flow of the leyline..." 

As the temporary staff member of the church spoke, he handed a marked map to the silver-haired nun. Under her icy gaze, he awkwardly passed it to the boy priest beside her. 

The latter thanked him politely but didn't even extend his hand. After a quick glance, he frowned.

"Thirteen locations in total?" 

"Yes. Originally, the Enforcers from the Mage's Association's Sealing Designation Bureau cleared two of the locations, but they didn't share any information with us. The next day, they flew back to the Clock Tower." 

The temporary staff member didn't catch the subtle tone in Sakatsuki's voice and continued to explain, "Actually, it's not just Fuyuki City. Even the neighbouring cities have experienced leyline abnormalities. We're currently in negotiations with the Mage's Association." 

"Negotiations? More like mutual finger-pointing. No one wants to take on such a thankless task," Sakatsuki sneered, fully aware of the nature of the two major mystical organizations in the Nasuverse. 

"However, it won't be long before those old fools at the Clock Tower suddenly put on a righteous facade and eagerly take on this job." 

No one understood the true nature of the leyline abnormalities better than Sakatsuki, especially after gaining the Ainsworth family's thousand-year accumulation of magecraft knowledge. 

What was absorbing the mana from the leylines were the Class Cards from another world, deployed by the Ainsworth family. These were the very same cards that Sakatsuki once possessed and later sacrificed to the Holy Grail—the original forms of the heroic spirits. 

These cards represented advanced magical theories from different timelines, treasures that any magus seeking ultimate knowledge would covet. 

But why were there so many cards? In the original storyline, only eight cards appeared. 

Of course, Sakatsuki didn't know that because of his actions, the Ainsworth family had directly locked onto this world. As he pondered this, Danzou sent him a message. 

"Master, the umbrella's tracking signal has stopped in front of a residential building." 

"Understood. That should be Illya's home. Record the address, set up familiars, and then return." 

"As you command." 

After ending the communication, Sakatsuki nodded to the temporary staff member: "Thank you for your hard work. We'll handle the rest." 

"Have you finished discussing?" The nun, who seemed as if she had no bones, lazily leaned against the doorway. "What's next, little boss?" 

The crisp, slightly rising tone made Sakatsuki raise an eyebrow: "Still sleepy?" 

"Mm, jet lag, you know." 

"Is that so? Then, would Miss Caren do me the honour of accompanying me to investigate the abnormal sites?" Sakatsuki smiled, not as if he were ordering a subordinate, but rather as if inviting a lady out on a date. 

Knowing she couldn't slack off, the silver-haired nun sighed and stood up: "Just so you know, I'm somewhat useful against men, but against women, you're on your own." 

"You don't need to fight. Just record my heroic deeds and write a report. Sounds easy, right?" 

"...You just want someone to write the report, don't you?" 

"Hah, how could that be? You're overthinking it." 

***

A sleek black motorcycle, adorned with shiny silver and bold red accents, sped through the city with the roar of its engine. 

The rider was a boy dressed in black clerical robes, looking as if he hadn't even started elementary school yet. Clinging to his waist without hesitation, the nun pressed tightly against him, her silver hair fluttering in the wind as she squinted her eyes. 

"Do we really have to use this mode of transportation?" 

"It's the fastest way to reach our destination. What, would you prefer strolling through the streets and maybe stopping by a store to buy some cute clothes?" 

"That's unnecessary. I exist to serve the Lord in heaven and the people He loves. Any other indulgence is the beginning of corruption." 

"Tsk tsk, it's only in this aspect that you truly resemble a devout saint." 

The evening glow drowned the horizon as Fuyuki City lit up, with people flooding the streets to enjoy their rare leisure time. 

However, no one could hear the roar of the engine, just as they couldn't see the fleeting shadows speeding past them, only feeling the passing evening breeze. 

"...Magecraft?" 

"Just a little trick. Alright, we're here." 

With a smooth and stylish skid, the motorcycle came to a stop under the Fuyuki Bridge. Looking down the grassy slope, the river flowed with a starlike glow under the night sky. 

"It must be quite comfortable to perform here," Sakatsuki remarked casually, dispersing his motorcycle into spirit particles with a wave of his hand. Caren merely glanced at the strange phenomenon before looking away. 

"According to the leyline compass, this is the H abnormal point. The question is, how do we reach the leyline, or rather, the source of the abnormality?" 

This was the key issue plaguing the Holy Church branches everywhere—the Church did not recognize mysticism that contradicted its doctrine. Therefore, even if local representatives were skilled in combat, they often lacked general magecraft methods. Once the issue involved hidden mysteries, they were at a loss. 

Take Kirei Kotomine, for example: ask him to kill his master, purify Zouken, or carry Illya while running over ten kilometres, and he'd say it's a piece of cake. But if you asked him to perform some fancy tricks like imaginary number jumps or phase observations, he'd pull out his Black Keys and shoot you in the face. 

Allowing Kirei to learn magecraft was already a special privilege due to his status as an Executor. Now you want him to do these flashy magecraft tricks like a proper magus? 

Heretic, die! 

But Sakatsuki was different. 

He had become a priest of the Church through the recommendation of Old Man of the Jewel, not as someone who had been baptized since childhood and belonged to the Holy Church as a devout believer. 

Moreover, Sakatsuki was all too familiar with the Ainsworth family's techniques. 

"If you don't have a solution, let's just leave. After all, this is a problem that so many people couldn't solve. It's fine if you can't either," Caren quipped sarcastically. But then she saw Sakatsuki wave his hand, and a diamond-shaped spatial distortion appeared. 

"What are you staring at? Let's go," Sakatsuki clapped his hands and calmly stepped into the space, disappearing from sight. 

"..." Caren stared at the diamond-shaped space, which radiated an unmistakable aura of mana, for a while before sighing helplessly and stepping into it as well. 

As soon as she entered, she was stunned by the sight before her. 

It was a large group of dark green, writhing snakes— 

"Watch out!" A cold shout rang out. Caren felt her body lighten as she was pulled into someone's arms. The overly tight and forceful contact made her frown, silently enduring the wave of pain that surged through her. 

"Sorry, I might have hurt you," the person holding her seemed to realize something and loosened his grip. "Are you okay? Can you move?" 

"...I'm fine." Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, the stinging pain from her ankles and abdomen gradually subsided. 

The silver-haired nun squinted her left eye and looked forward, finally seeing what kind of creatures had completely engulfed the spot where she had just been standing. 

They were covered in suction cups that resembled tiny jaws, far from ordinary snakes. They looked more like the tentacles of a squid or some other alien creature. 

Each amorphous monster was about the size of an adult human, with no body or limbs, resembling a giant crown-of-thorns starfish. At the root of what appeared to be countless tentacles was a circular mouth filled with shark-like teeth. 

They polluted the mind, branded fear into the soul, and mutilated the body— 

This was the true nature of the creatures before them. 

And there were hundreds, no, thousands of such disgusting beings in this space, densely packed like sand filling a water bottle. 

"Tsk, the one who stole the spotlight has come to collect his debt, huh?" 

Amidst her shock, Caren heard Sakatsuki's disdainful snort. 

"This cold, slimy place is indeed the perfect breeding ground for you, Caster." 

With a chilling arrogance, he raised his hands, conjuring the Black Keys. Blades of sacred fire gleamed with an eerie blue light—just like his golden, slit-pupiled eyes.

***

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