Attendance… plz…)
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"Hmm..."
Back in London, Rimuru tapped his finger on the desk, processing the report.
"So, you're saying you asked Alice to keep an eye on things, and she chose to start with a polite, formal visit... is that right?"
"Isn't that just standard procedure?" May took a sip of water and nodded.
When a Magus visits a region, it is customary, mandatory, really, to pay respects to the local administrators or the ruling magical families. It was a matter of etiquette.
Rimuru had originally assumed May would just send a few subordinates or familiars to keep watch. He hadn't expected Alice, a woman who was famously a complete shut-in, to personally fly halfway across the world for his sake.
In his memory, Alice rarely left her mansion, let alone the country, unless she was attending school with Aoko.
"Although the only family in Fuyuki truly worth visiting is the Tohsaka, Alice also paid visits to the Church and the Matou estate," May continued, pausing to recall the report.
"But according to the Robin, both Alice and Aoko are quite confused. They don't understand why you care about the Matou lineage."
"According to their assessment, the Tohsaka family is doing well. The current head possesses the talent and refinement of a first-rate Magus, and his newborn daughter has already displayed significant magical aptitude."
"But the Matou family... appears to be a lineage in terminal decline. Their magical potential has withered. The title of 'One of the Three Founding Families' is now just an empty shell."
"In decline?" Rimuru blinked, then a knowing smile crossed his face. "Then the 'Head' who received Alice must have been Matou Byakuya."
The old worm, Zouken, was hiding. Naturally.
"You mentioned the Tohsaka child has good aptitude?" Rimuru asked, his interest piqued.
"Yes." May found Rimuru's erratic focus strange, but she answered anyway. "Apparently, she possesses the rare aptitude for all Five Great Elements. A child perfectly suited to inherit their Jewel Magecraft. Barring any accidents, she might become a genius in the Department of Mineralogy in the future."
"So..."
Having delivered the intel, May looked at Rimuru with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. She stood up, looming over the petite blue slime-boy with an air of interrogation.
"Are you going to explain yourself now? Why are you so obsessed with them?"
"My objective..." Rimuru tapped his fingers on the desk, deep in thought.
The confirmation of Tohsaka Rin's existence clarified the timeline significantly. He had initially thought Reines, Rin, and Sakura were the same age, but it seemed Rin was a year older than the others.
That wasn't the critical part. The critical part was power.
With Alice, Aoko, and May on his side, Rimuru had no doubt that he could wipe the Matou family off the map with a single sentence. Zouken might be slippery, but against two Magicians (potential) and a Lord? He was dust.
But... there was Matou Kariya.
Rimuru hesitated. Kariya was a tragic figure. If Rimuru wiped out the Matou family now, he would be killing an innocent man.
Or worse, if he left Kariya alive after slaughtering his family, he might inadvertently push Kariya down the exact same path of tragedy, accepting the Crest Worms to seek vengeance against Rimuru.
It would be a cruel irony.
And then there was the butterfly effect.
However, if he didn't destroy them, Sakura would be born next year. He had to intervene.
To prevent Sakura from falling into hell without destroying the old worm immediately, he needed a different approach. He needed to offer the Tohsaka family a better deal.
Adoption by the Matou was about preserving the mage bloodline. But what if there was a better option?
What if a Clock Tower Professor, backed by the Archelot and Kuonji families, offered to take her in?
Surely, that carried more weight than the "friendship" of a rotting lineage like the Matou. Unless Tokiomi was truly brainwashed by his obsession with the Three Families.
Rimuru's goal was the Holy Grail. That was non-negotiable.
Rimuru looked up at May, who clearly wasn't going to let him leave without an answer. He smiled. He decided to offer a half-truth.
"May, do you know about the Holy Grail War?"
"The Holy Grail War?"
May blinked. She furrowed her brows, searching her memory for a moment, before slowly shaking her head.
She sat back down, resting her chin in her hands and looking up at him with the expectant expression of a child waiting for a bedtime story.
"Centuries ago, the Three Founding Families of Fuyuki City established a special ritual in pursuit of the Root. That ritual is the Holy Grail War," Rimuru began, weaving his narrative.
"I recall reading about it in the archives, though the details are a bit fuzzy. Legend has it that the Holy Grail can grant the victor a single wish."
"But what does that have to do with you asking me to monitor the Matou family?"
"Because among those Three Founding Families are the names Tohsaka and Matou," Rimuru smiled gently. Before she could interject, he continued,
"Fuyuki City possesses three spiritual ley lines, one of which feeds directly into the Greater Grail. Therefore, no matter how far the Three Families fall into decline, the ritual of the Greater Grail will proceed smoothly."
"And as the initiators of the ritual, the Three Families are guaranteed a qualification to participate in every war."
"And you need that qualification, correct?" May blinked. "When is the next Holy Grail War?"
"Seven years from now."
"..."
May's jaw dropped slightly. She slammed her hand on the table. "Seven years?!"
"In seven years, you might already be a Lord... no, you will definitely be a Lord by then! Why waste time on a backwater ritual?"
Rimuru found her indignation amusing. He countered with a simple question: "If the Holy Grail connects to the Root, would you still consider seven years a long time?"
"The Root…"
May's voice cut off instantly. To a Magus, the Root was the ultimate ambition. A lifetime spent pursuing it was considered short. Seven years was nothing more than a blink of an eye.
Seeing he had her attention, Rimuru decided to add more weight to his argument. He organized his thoughts, preparing to mix truth with a compelling fabrication.
"However, my goal isn't just the Root. It is Magic."
"Seven years ago, during that incident... Aozaki Aoko peered into the Root and grasped the Fifth Magic. Meanwhile, I stopped aging. I was frozen forever in the appearance of a fourteen-year-old."
Rimuru reached out with his small hand, gently lifting May's chin until their eyes met. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"I have researched countless texts. My hypothesis is that this phenomenon is related to the legendary Third Magic, Heaven's Feel, also known as the Materialization of the Soul. However, because the contact was incomplete, my soul was fixed in this state, creating a phenomenon where my body refuses to age."
"It may be just a guess, but I have no desire to remain a child forever, getting patted on the head by you people every day."
Looking into Rimuru's eyes at such close range, a flush of red swept across May's cheeks. She pulled back from his hand, turning her head slightly.
"So... you want to attempt to reach the Root again?"
"Correct. And coincidentally, I've heard that the core nature of the Holy Grail War is Heaven's Feel. So, whether for the sake of the Root or the Third Magic itself, I am determined to obtain it."
"What I failed to grasp seven years ago, I will surely seize seven years from now!"
Rimuru waved his small hand dramatically, striking a domineering pose, expecting a gaze of admiration from May.
Instead, she looked at him with lingering confusion.
"But even so... that doesn't explain why you need to pay attention to the Matou family right now..."
"..."
Rimuru's pose faltered.
"Fine," he sighed, dropping the act. "The real reason is that my damn conscience is acting up again."
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