Chapter 154: Behind the Scenes


    <span>First Arc done


    <span>...


    <span>This space is aplete world.


    <span>Pitch-ck and specks of light.


    <span>Inthewidespherical room, where the night sky is stained ck, a wooden chair floats in the center.


    <span>Although its shape alone would be enough to call it luxurious, the faded appearance of the wood gives it a charming appeal, an aged elegance thatdoesn''t evoke a sense of distaste. Instead, its mere presence transforms the surrounding atmosphere into one of solemnity.


    <span>At first nce, it looks like the seat reserved for some noble or aristocrat.However, if that were the case, this chair shouldn''t exude such a powerful presence.It''s so strong that even if a head of state were to sit on this chair, they would be considered an essory to the chair, not its owner.If an ordinary person were to sit on this chair, they would likelybe instantly swallowed upbythe overwhelming presence emanating from it.


    <span>Thisis a chair that makes people think this way.


    <span>This space was preparedto exalt this chair.


    <span>The current scene forces one to ept such an evaluation even when they hear it, but—


    <span>Themanenveloped in an atmosphere that surpasses the solemnity of thechairis causing thebackrest of the chairto emit a loud creaking sound.


    <span>"Ugh..."


    <span>If this room were a scaled-down universe,thenthe man sitting on the chair in the center of the room would be wrapped in an aura befitting that of a master.


    <span>Thisisan elderly man, appearing to be around 50 to 60 years old. Despite his white hair, his posture remains upright, and his robust physique exudes a sense of strength that surpasses that of a middle-aged person in their prime. The wrinkles on his forehead, eyebrows, and the corners of his eyes add a touch of the umted weight of time, the mark of experience, but without the signs of frailty that typicallye with old age.


    <span>The most striking feature of theold manis his eyes. It has nothing to do with the color of his irises or any particr distinguishing characteristic but rather their depth, their profoundness. They are like the starry sky surrounding theold man, extending endlessly as if these eyes hold countless mysterieswithin them.


    <span>The old man''s name is<strong><span>Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg</strong><span>.


    <span>In the mundane world, his fame is not prominent, but in the mystical realm, heis knownby everyone.


    <span>His name itself represents a legend, and people admire, fear, or have various motives for him, bestowing upon himvarioustitles: the Second Magician, the Grand Magus, the Marshal of the Mage''s Association, the Old Man of the Jewels, the Fourth Seat of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors. He is a man who truly stands at the pinnacle of the mysterious side.


    <span>"This axis seems off..."


    <span>Theold manglides his finger through the air, causing the celestial bodies projected on the surrounding walls to rotate.


    <span>"And is this prized lightpletely extinguished?"


    <span>"Oh, this incision is quite good..."


    <span>Following that, the pages of the floating book in front of the old man flip with a rustling sound, recording various "information" in real-time as he moves.


    <span>The front page of the book is adorned with strange patterns, as if countless concentric circlesareyeredupon each other, with intricate lines radiating outward from the center.


    <span>Someof theselines extend to the outermost circle and continue to radiate outward, whileothers stop at one of theyers.


    <span>The thickness of the book is approximately that of a regr encyclopedia.


    <span>Despite its massive size, whenever theold manglides his finger, thousands or even tens of thousands of pages appear and disappear.


    <span>Theelderly mancontinues this work for a while, seemingly discovering<span>something,<span>and his finger pauses.


    <span>"Hmm?Thisis—"


    <span>The rapidly flipping pagee to ahalt, and the previously subtle expression finally undergoes a noticeable change.


    <span>On the opened page,there is a boy whoappears to be of mixed Eastern and Western heritage.


    <span>A cloak envelops his body, and his short, curly hair is deep blue. The most distinctive feature of the boy is his deep blue eyes.


    <span>In the<span>empty<span>space of the page, there is a red annotation—Subject of Project I, Number 13.


    <span>Theold manquietly gazes at the boy on the page, motionless. The entire spherical space seems toe to a standstill.


    <span>It is unknown how much time has passed, perhaps a few minutes or even several hours. In this spherical space,the passage of time cannot be discerned.


    <span>Theold manexhales slowly, and the stagnant space finally resumesitsmovement.


    <span>"Finally, one of the subjects has shown some results. Of the thirteen subjects in Project I, only three remain observable. The rest either died prematurely due to idents or lost their futures due to quantum fixation."


    <span>"The soul that the young man iming to be from Semlya specifically brought, a soul that was not originally part of my ns... Is this the variable he found to change that future?"


    <span>"Number 13, let me see how far you can go. But before that—"


    <span>Theold mandiverts his gaze from the concentrated focus on the pages and moves it to his left hand.


    <span>On the thumb of his left hand, he wears a ring with a gem containing immense magical power as its face.


    <span>Apanied by a radiant dispersion of magical light, a deep, maic female voice emanates from the ring.


    <span>"I suppose it''s time for you to contact me, Zelretch."


    <span>"You''re still as perceptive as ever, Queen Scáthach."


    <span>A long-lost smile appears on theold man''sface, and hisughter, transmitted through the gem ring, crosses the barriers of time and space.


    <span>"So you should already know the purpose of my contact."


    <span>"Regarding the creation of the Third Magic, the ''Heaven''s Cup''? Or is it about one of the disciples I recently acquired?"


    <span>"Both. The Third Magic and that child are both experiments."


    <span>An indescribable resonance and mncholy can be heardin theold man''svoice. Only Scáthach, who has grasped the causality of the world and has lived through countless ages, can understand that emotion. She refrains from saying more and gets straight to the point.


    <span>"The ''Heaven''s Cup'' isindeeda power that can influence the world, much like your Second Magic. However, the ''Heaven''s Cup'' alone is not enough.It is just power, and withouta magus like you to wield it, it will inevitablybe taintedwith other colors.If things continue to developin this way, the power of miracleswill eventually disappear."


    <span>"You''re right, that''s why purification is necessary."


    <span>Upon hearing the old man''s response, Scáthach softly murmurs, "Ah, I see."


    <span>"It seems you have grasped somekind ofkey," she continues.


    <span>"Yes," the old man calmly nods. "But I cannot directly intervene in this matter. If I interfere too much, the worldis likely tobepletely fixed. Therefore, I need to choose a suitable executor."


    <span>"No need to choose.Heis more than capable."


    <span>Theold manisweware that the person referred to is the character spread open on the pages before them.


    <span>"Are you sure he can handle it? It''s not an easy task."


    <span>"That''s precisely why it should be him. He said he would fulfill my wish.If he cannot oveeeventhis obstacle, how can hebring an end tomy eternity?"


    <span>Scáthach''s attitude provides theold manwith the answer to another question.


    <span>"It seems I no longer need to inquire about his evaluation."


    <span>"Let me make this clear. You can havehimdo the work, but youare not allowed totakehimas your disciple. Bing your disciple is no different from bing a wrecked person. I''ve finally seen a glimmer of hope, and if it shatters because of you, be prepared for my ''Thorn of Annihtion.''"


    <span>"Understood, Your Majesty Scáthach."


    <span>Theold manmaintains aposed demeanor. With a wave of his right hand, the red annotation on the pages changes ordingly—


    <span>"Executor of Project H, Subject of Project I—Shinji Matou!"


    <span>PS:<span>Its<span>HIM Again Guys! It''s his fault<span>why we<span>have this fanfic. XD


    <span>=====


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