"Hmm? Princess, your friends are truly extraordinary..."
Touko Aozaki looked around at everyone in the room, a hint of surprise appearing in the depths of her eyes. "A Magician who has mastered an Inherent Reality, three Servants with self-awareness, and a hybrid of a Homunculus and a human... a combination like this might not be seen in a lifetime if not for this land."
"I've already told you the details in the email. Can you make a puppet of the same specifications as this child?"
Pushing up her glasses, Touko Aozaki smiled. "No problem. However, the steps regarding transferring the soul into the puppet body will still be somewhat difficult for her..."
After all, she is a hybrid of a Homunculus and a human, and had been subjected to countless adjustments before she was even born. It was no wonder Touko Aozaki said such things.
"With your strength, there shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Of course, but the price..."
Akatsuki smiled. When it came to money, she was completely confident. After all, there was still plenty of gold in Arcueid's Millennium Castle. Although gold prices in this era weren't as high as they would be decades later, carrying gold was still an amount that would make some small countries look on in envy.
Of course, Akatsuki didn't intend to spend all the gold inside. After all, that was Arcueid's property, and she could only use a portion of it. If she spent it all, she would inevitably have to go inside the Millennium Castle and explain things to Arcueid.
"As expected of the royalty of the True Ancestors, how straightforward."
"If I were still at the Clock Tower, I probably wouldn't be in such need of money. After all, right before my eyes are three existences that could make my thesis a sensation throughout the entire magical world."
"That was in the past. You shouldn't be interested in those things anymore, right? After all, a while ago, the 'Fifth Magician' spent a fortune at an auction to buy a certain 'antique' with a long history."
Hearing this, a helpless smile couldn't help but appear on Touko Aozaki's face. "So you did your homework before coming to find me? It seems you know me very well."
"Don't worry, a certain old man has already paid the reward for you. Regardless, he still dotes on you royalty of the True Ancestors."
"The Second Magus..."
"Wait!" Tohsaka Rin suddenly spoke up. "Akatsuki, do you know the Second Magus?! The one who uses the Second Magic to travel freely between countless parallel worlds?!"
"I suppose I know him... I have some interaction with him because of my identity, but overall, I'm not very familiar with him."
Akatsuki shrugged. She understood why Tohsaka Rin was so shocked. After all, the Second Magus, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, was the teacher of Tohsaka Rin's ancestor, Nagato Tohsaka, and had left the project of the Jewel Sword to the Tohsaka Family.
Speaking of identity, Tohsaka Rin remembered a legend about the Second Magus. A long time ago, the Second Magus killed the original True Ancestor. Calling it killing was just destroying her physical body, but her spirit was not completely destroyed.
For a moment, Tohsaka Rin fell silent.
"I will have the puppet ready in ten days. During this time, I will be staying at a hotel in Fuyuki City. If you need anything, come find me."
After saying that, Touko Aozaki prepared to leave. Before leaving, she turned her head and said to Shirou Emiya, "Young man, it's better not to show your power to other Magicians casually, unless you want to be listed as a sealing designation like your grandfather."
Shirou Emiya:?
Seeing Shirou Emiya's face full of confusion, Tohsaka Rin began to explain: "A sealing designation refers to the Mages Association's treatment of holders of magic that is only possible due to their bloodline or constitution and cannot be acquired through study. The Association treats them as precious items to be favored and protected. However, I always feel that this so-called sealing designation is full of problems..."
"Under the name of 'protection,' a sealing designation involves detaining and capturing Magicians who possess rare talents or have touched upon taboos, imprisoning them for life."
Akatsuki took over the conversation after recalling the setting of the sealing designation.
"Classmate Emiya, the Inherent Reality shared by you and Archer is one of the types that would be subject to a sealing designation. The Mages Association arrests Magicians under a sealing designation to preserve their magical characteristics unchanged, passing them down to future generations as precious samples."
"Wait, isn't this just..."
As an orthodox Magician, Tohsaka Rin immediately realized the problem.
"Exactly. From a certain perspective, it's no different from a specimen soaked in formalin. To the Association, it's a sealing designation based on goodwill, but to the chosen Magician, it's equivalent to a death sentence."
"So most of them refuse the edict and flee to other lands. It's not because they fear death. Those who receive a sealing designation are all Magicians who have reached the limit. Their priority is the pursuit of the magical path; they stopped caring about their own lives long ago. For them, who are obsessed with research every day, a sealing designation is absolutely unacceptable. Being soaked in formalin means they can no longer study magic."
"Rin, you are still too young. Plus, you haven't had a proper guide on the path of magic, so it's better not to believe everything."
Learning the truth, Tohsaka Rin immediately thought of Sakura Matou's magical attribute. If the sealing designation was like this, then her father, Tohsaka Tokiomi, adopting Sakura Tohsaka into the Matou Family wasn't actually abandoning her, was it?
"Ten days... plus the time for the body transfer, it might take even longer. I wonder if it will be in time..."
Akatsuki murmured to herself as she looked at Illya, who hadn't figured out the situation.
"Wait, what does that mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. Since your body is the vessel for the grail, we just need to change your body. We'll transfer your personality and consciousness into a new vessel, while the original body remains to carry out the command to avoid danger and complete the greater grail."
"How could such a thing be possible..."
"Are you trying to say 'how could it possibly succeed'?" Akatsuki smiled. Indeed, if any other puppeteer were to do this, Akatsuki would never agree. However, the one here right now was the Grand Master Puppeteer—Touko Aozaki!
"The secluded Einzbern Family doesn't know the Mages Association. Have faith in the strength of a Grand Master Puppeteer. After all, not just anyone can have their sealing designation lifted several times."
Akatsuki patted Illya's head and looked at her with a smile.
"By the way, do you have anything to say about the Second Magus? For example, wanting to be his apprentice or something. If you want, I can go ask him, though he might not necessarily agree."
"No need. I want to try and complete the Jewel Sword through my own efforts!"
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