[Class: Magus]
[Rank: Frame]
[Elemental Affinity: Wind]
[Magic Crest: None]
[Magic Circuits: 5]
[Status: Haunted by a Ghost.]
"Haunted by a ghost?"
["Yes, a ghost has set its sights on him. So, Master, do you want to take on this quest?"]
Wayland considered the offer. To be honest, his relationship with Flyn was incredibly shallow; there was no real reason to risk his life for the boy. "Can you give me a sneak peek at the rewards?"
["Combat training memories from Scathach."]
"???"
"Irigal, you're not joking, are you?" Wayland sat in stunned silence after hearing a name he never expected to hear.
["I'm not! It's exactly who you're thinking of--Scathach, the Queen of the Land of Shadows herself! See? Aren't I an amazing system?"] Irigal practically beamed with a 'praise me' energy.
"That's impossible."
Wayland's rational mind immediately pushed back. This system was built by Chaldea to assist a Master. While Chaldea's technology was peerless, it still relied on the 'Fate' Heroic Spirit Summoning System. Chaldea hadn't even been fully established yet in this timeline, and as her name suggested, Irigal should only be an auxiliary system.
Irigal pouted, looking a bit deflated. ["Fine, fine. It's actually just a fragment of memory."]
"I see." Wayland nodded, still impressed. Even a memory of Scathach's training would be a godsend. But then, a thought struck him.
["Actually, it's not even a memory of the real Scathach. It's a memory from the Lancer-class Scathach summoned by Chaldea."]
"So you really are from the future?"
["Ah..."] Irigal went silent for a moment. ["To be more precise, I'm from a Chaldea in a parallel world."]
"A parallel world?" Wayland narrowed his eyes. "Was me being brought here also your doing?"
["Oh, stop! I'm just a little system! I don't know anything about that!"]
'I'll believe that when I see a ghost with my own eyes.'
However, the mention of parallel worlds brought one person to mind.
The Wizard Marshall, Zelretch.
The old man featured on one of the most coveted five-star Craft Essences in the game. Wayland had always wanted to pull that card, though he could never remember the man's full, ridiculously long name. Everyone just called him 'Kaleidoscope' or 'Zelretch.'
Zelretch was one of only five True Magicians in the world.
In the Type-Moon universe, 'Magic' (True Magic) was defined as a phenomenon that neither science nor magecraft could achieve. Zelretch's Magic, the Second Magic, allowed him to travel freely between parallel worlds.
Wayland suspected that his transmigration might be linked to Zelretch, though Spiritron Transfer technology could achieve similar results.
["Master, are you accepting the quest?"] Irigal asked again.
"I'll take it." Wayland didn't hesitate this time. Combat experience was exactly what he was missing.
In the Mage's Association, most magecraft was focused on academic research. Only a small fraction was dedicated strictly to combat. Those who focused solely on the practical application of magecraft were often looked down upon as mere 'magecraft users' (Magus Killers).
The most glaring example was Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, the Lord who had met a tragic end in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Kayneth, as the Lord of Mineralogy, was a genuine genius. He had already reached the rank of Brand when he entered the war. Despite his overwhelming raw power, he lacked the practical combat experience needed to survive, mistakenly believing that his magecraft and workshop would be enough to secure victory.
While the Clock Tower did offer self-defense classes, they couldn't possibly compare to training under Scathach.
[Side Quest 4 Generated: Ghostly Haunting.]
[Quest Description: You've inadvertently discovered that Flyn is being targeted by a ghost and have decided to lend a hand. Investigate the cause of the haunting.]
[Time Limit: Thirteen Days.]
[Quest Reward: Combat training memories from Scathach.]
"Is there a reason for the thirteen-day limit?" Wayland gathered his books and stood up.
["Because after thirteen days, the quest will no longer exist."]
"I understand."
Wayland left the classroom and headed straight back to the Department of Modern Magecraft, arriving just in time for lunch.
It was free.
While the fact that it didn't cost a cent was a nice perk, the taste reminded him vividly of his high school cafeteria. Different world, same terrible food.
After lunch, he rested in his dormitory for about two hours before heading back to the Clock Tower for his afternoon lectures in General Fundamentals.
The Encyclopedia of Modern Magecraft Basics.
The lecturer, a man named Mill Isidore, was an incredibly old-fashioned and stiff magus. He spent the entire lecture reading directly from the textbook and even dragged the class on for an extra thirty minutes.
It was a massive headache, but Wayland walked away with a decent overview of the field.
The term 'Modern Magecraft' here didn't refer to the department he had joined, but rather the magecraft developed after the end of the Age of Gods. There were more varieties than he could count.
The textbook only covered the most common forms--most of which Wayland had never heard of--but a few were familiar.
Projection: Materializing an image using prana. Most projected items were of poor quality. However, Shirou Emiya's projection was fundamentally different, a result of his 'Unlimited Blade Works' Reality Marble manifesting his inner world.
Jewel Magecraft: Storing prana within gemstones. It was powerful but incredibly expensive. Rin Tohsaka, for instance, had famously gone bankrupt after her father's death because of her reliance on Jewel Magecraft.
Charm Magecraft: Magecraft that creates a powerful attraction in others. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's 'Love Spot' from the Fourth Holy Grail War was a perfect example.
Beyond those, there were Chaos Magecraft, Bestial Magecraft, Electrical Magecraft, Necromancy, Time Magecraft, and countless others.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]