The shades of night erased the last lingering rays of the setting sun. The night sky, like a velvet curtain in a theater, slowly descended.
Thus, another day came to a close.
Yae Shrine.
A woman with sakura-pink hair sat in the shrine, skillfully grinding shade-grown tea into a fine powder with a natural stone mill. She placed it into a tea bowl and, using a bamboo whisk, stirred it at a steady pace until it was perfectly uniform.
In front of her, the guests of this trip quietly watched as the Miko prepared tea for them.
As time passed, a thick layer of foam appeared in the tea bowl, possessing a profound beauty.
"Everyone, please."
The Miko who had taken in the trio of foreigners poured the tea for her guests.
---o---
"Matcha. It truly is a nostalgic flavor."
The young man with vivid red eyes sat on the tatami mat, holding the tea bowl. He took a light sip and sighed with emotion.
"The last time I drank matcha was at the Matou residence. Setting aside that old man's character, his tea-making skills were first-class."
"An old man?"
Seele, who had lived at the Matou residence for a time and had no memory of any old men there, looked bewildered.
"Matou Zouken. An insect mage from Kyiv, Ukraine, and the true master of the Matou family."
"A great sorcerer whose soul decayed in his pursuit of immortality."
An extremely concise character introduction came from the young man's mouth.
Once upon a time, there was a man with grand ambitions.
However, the passage of time twisted everything about the man into something monstrous.
His appearance, his soul, and his ambitions.
"I accepted a commission from the current head of the Matou family. After visiting the Matou residence, I killed that old monster who devoured people to extend his life, only for his soul to degrade over five hundred years to the point where he'd forgotten who he even was."
He lived for five hundred years?!
Yae Sakura, who had just finished pouring the tea, as well as Seele and Durandal, who were sipping their tea on the side, were all stunned.
The information contained within those words carried a bit too much impact.
A sorcerer, cannibalism for longevity, soul degradation...
Honestly, these terms could be used to write dozens of horror stories.
Seele, who had once lived in the Matou residence, felt her face turn pale in an instant. She had no idea that such a demon had once lurked within that seemingly harmonious family.
"Captain, what exactly did you do in the past?"
Durandal looked at her captain, who spoke of visiting a demon-like character in such a nostalgic tone, her expression one of utter astonishment.
In her impression, Li Zihan was a scientist.
This was a normal assumption. After all, someone who could accomplish feats as ridiculously advanced as time travel and creating artificial Herrschers seemed like a scientific genius no matter how you looked at it.
However, the story Li Zihan had just told was clearly outside the realm of science.
"I was doing research."
The young man, who had indeed been conducting magecraft research in the past, said this with perfect composure.
"My main focus was on Spatial Magecraft, an extension of Imaginary Numbers. I minored in Jewel Magecraft and Time Magecraft. Of course, as a magus who came up through the orthodox path, I know parts of other disciplines as well."
So impressive.
It seems the captain has a high level of expertise in many fields of research.
Durandal, who considered herself a mediocre person who could only work hard, looked at the young man who had casually listed off a string of high-level terms. She felt a slight twinge of envy.
"Captain, could you tell me what these 'other disciplines' of magecraft are?"
Li Zihan's file at Schicksal had always been a blank slate.
Many people were interested in him and wanted to look up his information, but none had found anything reliable.
They did, however, find a huge pile of romantic rumors.
Durandal, though she had never taken the initiative to investigate, was in fact very curious about who Li Zihan really was. She transformed into a Curious George and continued to ask.
"It's just twelve departments, like your language, math, and English; your physics, chemistry, and biology; your politics, history, and geography."
Li Zihan, who was clearly a top student from the Clock Tower, explained.
The Mage's Association divides thaumaturgy into twelve domains:
General Fundamentals, Individual Fundamentals, Evocation, Mineralogy, Zoology, Anthropology, Botany, Astrology, Alchemy, Curses, Archaeology, and Modern Magecraft Theory.
"The only difference from a university is that the subjects are replaced with things like Evocation, Alchemy, and Astrology."
Li Zihan, himself a member of the Clock Tower, said with a smile.
"It all sounds so profound."
Durandal listened to the classification of disciplines, which sounded impressive even if she didn't understand it, and couldn't help but marvel.
However, her marveling didn't last long. She soon picked up her tea bowl and began to drink. The savory taste of the tea, completely different from thin tea, spread in her mouth, making her eyes light up.
"Miss Yae, excuse me, could you pour me another cup?"
Durandal, who clearly enjoyed the taste of matcha, asked the local host with an invigorated expression.
The Miko of Yae Shrine did not respond.
"Miss Yae?"
Durandal, seemingly ignored, was taken aback and looked at the Miko sitting opposite her.
This Miko, who had given her an impression of being extremely polite, was now staring blankly, her cyan eyes gazing as if at some distant place.
"Miss Yae?"
Durandal looked at the Miko, who seemed to have something on her mind and was ignoring her, her expression puzzled.
Her voice couldn't help but rise a notch.
Then, the dazed Miko, as if waking from a long dream, snapped back to her senses.
"I am here."
"Is there something troubling you?"
Li Zihan, who had noticed the change in Yae Sakura's demeanor when she heard the word "Evocation," narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile.
"I was just a little curious... about this 'Evocation' you mentioned."
The Miko, who had lost the most important person in her life—her sister—four years ago, stared at the young man who had mentioned "Evocation" with her indigo eyes.
Her tone was as calm as ever, but deep within those eyes was a distinct longing.
"So-called Evocation, just as the characters imply, is a ritual to call down the souls of the dead."
The magus, who had put a great deal of thought into the art of Evocation because of the Holy Grail War, did not adhere to the principle of Concealment of Mystery and explained freely.
"If you cultivate it to the extreme, you can even achieve Heroic Spirit Summoning and bring down Divine Spirits."
Call down the souls of the dead...
This was, in fact, a taboo topic.
To awaken the dead and turn them into your servants... no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like an evil, demonic art.
But—
This art... it could let me meet my sister.
The Miko, who often dreamed of her sister, murmured to herself in her heart.
Just as Otto could never forget the sight of Kallen dying under the claws of the Honkai Beast he himself had released, Yae Sakura could never forget the splash of blood when Rin died by her own blade.
Just one meeting would be enough.
To take Rin to see the cherry blossoms.
To tell Rin that her big sister has become a proper Miko.
Yae Sakura looked at the young man from another land, her eyes shining with the light of longing.