Shinji Matou at Your Service

Angels were not only a concept in religious systems but also one of the foundations of magecraft. They represented mystery. Even inanimate objects like sculptures and murals, even without magical power, possessed a shocking power when many angelic elements were gathered together.

Without targeted training, one would fall into a state of respiratory distress or even suffocation the moment they stepped into the hall. This was the case for Gray. She felt that the air in the entire room was a viscous liquid, and she was the one drowning.

Fortunately, at this time, the breathing technique she had been practicing on the way here started to work automatically, relieving the pressure on Gray.

Noticing that Gray's breathing gradually calmed down, Shinji nodded secretly, "Your reaction is quite fast, but the direction is wrong. Meditation is more suitable for dealing with mental pressure than breathing techniques—look at Miss Rosalind."

Gray turned her head and found that Rosalind did not fall into the same predicament of respiratory distress as herself, and she couldn't help but feel useless.

"Why am I so stupid..."

"You're not stupid."

Shinji shook his head at her.

"You're just receiving too much information in a short period, and your brain's processing speed can't keep up. You'll get used to it after a while."

While Shinji and Gray were observing the Istari siblings, the other side also observed them. Heine asked, "What are you two—?"

"Completing the homework assigned by the professor. Miss Gray has a rather special constitution and is not suited to traditional magus training, so the professor specifically found an breathing technique for her."

"I see."

Heine sincerely praised him, "Professor Velvet is dedicated to teaching his disciples. Your diligence is also admirable—Rosalind, you should learn more from them."

"Yes, brother."

Rosalind nodded vigorously.

"...Oh, that Commoner Lord didn't come himself?"

There were spiral staircases on both sides of the hall. An old voice came from one of them, accompanied by the "creaking" sound of metal friction.

It was a wheelchair, and sitting in the wheelchair was an old man with white hair. Pushing the wheelchair behind him was a young man who looked like an assistant.

The wrinkles on the old man's face were layered one on top of the other, making him look more like a mummy than a magus. He was conservatively estimated to be over eighty years old. His ten fingers, like dead trees, were all wearing rings, and the magnificent colors set off the aura of time on him even more profoundly.

An existence almost comparable to this Castle Adra, a magus in the truest sense—a creature that was still human on the surface but had already approached something inhuman on the inside—let out a low laugh.

"Huhu, huhuhu, huhuhuhu. He still has some self-awareness. A guy who still hasn't been able to ascend from the position of lecturer should stay in the classroom and teach peacefully instead of running to the castle of my old friend, Geryon, to seek something that doesn't belong to him."

"This is—?"

A rare trace of displeasure appeared in Gray's voice. Although she had long known that her teacher had no talent in magecraft, it was still a little hard to swallow being told that to her face.

"Orlocke Caesarmund, an expert in Papilio Magia magecraft, with considerable influence within the Clock Tower. It is said that he is an old friend who has known the owner of the castle for many years, and the two often discuss and research magecraft together."

Shinji looked at the old man with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Papilio Magia sounded related to Insect Magecraft and was an evolved and upgraded version. He wanted to know if the old man's Papilio Magia could make the ugly magecraft developed by Zouken Matou complete its transformation and truly break out of its cocoon and become a butterfly.

The old man didn't care about Shinji's gaze, he just fumbled with the armrest and winked at the person behind him.

"At least he has a good eye for picking students—let me introduce you."

Then, a young man in strange clothes rushed towards Gray and Rosalind.

"—Oh, oh, there are beautiful ladies here!"

He was about the same age as Heine, wearing a pure white linen robe, a fist-sized conch shell hanging around his neck, an eye patch over his right eye, and a polygonal box tied to his head. He greeted the girls energetically in heavily accented English.

"I am the ascetic monk, Jiroubou Seigen Tokitou, pleased to meet you."

Gray was not used to dealing with this kind of person and looked at Shinji with pleading eyes. Shinji immediately stepped forward.

"How rare, to see an ascetic monk of Shugendō here."

"You're quite knowledgeable, young man. You even know about such a niche sect that's not very common even in Japan."

"My name is Johnny Smith. I once practiced as a monk under the Tamil Buddhism."

Shinji put his hands together, and the other party did the same, returning the Buddhist greeting.

"So you're a practicing monk from India."

"Although I've heard that monks from some Japanese sects don't exclude women, it seems that your Shugendo is not one of them."

"It's not that we don't exclude them, it's that we regard women as taboo. But faith and one's preferences are two different things. There's no need to be so rigid with the precepts when we're abroad. So, you two, how about making friends with me?"

Jiroubou took a step forward with a grin, trying to bypass Shinji. Shinji shifted to the side without changing his expression, blocking his way.

"So you're a monk who breaks the precepts."

"That's going too far, young man."

"Once you enter Buddhism, you should abide by the precepts."

"That way of speaking is as annoying as those old geezers."

As he spoke, Jiroubou suddenly jumped up, his body almost defying gravity, floating lightly over Shinji's head. From a magical point of view, this was a type of movement magecraft. Within Shugendo, it was called the Flying Crow or Tengu Flying Slash technique, a type of Gyoja-ryoku.

"On high blossoms the boundless brilliance, casting its light, illuminating heaven and earth, guiding all beings."

Shinji kept his hands clasped together as a solemn golden light emanated from his body. Jiroubou, who was in mid-air, touched the light and was thrown straight back down as if he had hit an invisible wall.

"Ugh! Owowowowow—I surrender, I surrender! I was just talking. I'll obey the precepts, I'll obey the precepts."

Seeing Jiroubou awkwardly raise his hands, Shinji dispelled the Godly Thunder Barrier. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly turned his head towards the door behind him.

A man was peeking his head in from the doorway. He was a man who seemed very out of place in the castle. His free-growing beard looked like it hadn't been groomed in months, and his dirty, loose-fitting nomadic clothes couldn't hide his muscular physique. Although he was only slightly taller than Heine, he was twice as bulky.

Seeing this man, Heine's expression immediately darkened, and his voice became sharper.

"I didn't expect him to come too. The Master-Killer among magi, the spellcaster, Flueger"

"No, it's not just him."

Shinji's gaze passed over the open door, looking further out.

"So, I'm the last one."

Accompanied by an elegant yet ornate voice, a beautiful figure walked into the hall.