Fate/Magus Path

26 Mystic Code

"Not bad. You've practiced enough in such a short time to show some real skill. I must commend you; you truly have a talent for illusion magecraft."

As Merlin assessed the situation, he stood up.

Watching the swarms of blue butterflies dancing before him, he couldn't help but praise Roy's training speed.

"Although I have imparted all my knowledge about illusions to you through dreams, it's still quite surprising that you could achieve this level in just one night." Merlin stroked his chin in thought.

"Have you ever encountered illusion magecraft before?"

"No, I only began to study it a few months after receiving my magic crest. After all, for me, illusion magecraft requires the least mana and is the easiest to trigger."

"Least mana and easiest to trigger, indeed. Since the butterflies in butterfly magecraft inherently possess illusionary qualities, and the knowledge stored in your magic crest also includes my contributions, it is indeed the best choice for you."

"However, the speed at which you grasp it is still quite fast... What exactly is going on?"

Feeling something was amiss, Merlin pondered for a moment but ultimately chose to attribute it to talent.

"You did very well today, especially for a human." Merlin smiled and leaned closer, gazing intently at his face.

"However, I still have some doubts."

"What is it? Although I had a strange feeling from the very beginning, it wasn't so profound. The more I interacted with you, the stranger it felt. I keep sensing that your soul is somewhat mottled as if mixed with some foreign substance. I can't quite put this feeling into words."

"Foreign substance? What do you mean? Are you saying something has mixed into my soul? Will this affect me?"

"It's hard to say. It could be due to the uniqueness of the Foreigner, or perhaps some other reason... I'm not sure about the specifics."

"After all, I'm only meeting you in dreams right now. To understand your true condition, I would need to examine you in person. But since you've been living for so long without any issues, there shouldn't be anything to worry about, at least not in the short term."

"Shouldn't there be?!" Roy stared blankly at the unreliable Merlin, a look of skepticism on his face.

"Don't look at me with such distrust. This is something I can't help with. Even though I have clairvoyance, I can only see the present; I can't see the future, and I certainly can't discern the essence. Just being able to detect the anomaly in your soul is quite impressive."

"If we let Gilgamesh and Solomon take a look, they should be able to find something. Their clairvoyance is more effective than mine."

Gilgamesh and Solomon?

"Are you sure I'll come back alive after meeting Gilgamesh?"

"Ah, after the Holy Grail War ends, you should go to the Clock Tower and mention my name to Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. He'll help you take a look. Although he's somewhat unreliable himself, his magical prowess is still quite formidable. I have a decent relationship with him."

Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg... the Old man of the Jewel, the Magician of the Second Magic, and someone who took down Crimson Moon. He certainly knows this formidable magician.

However, magicians in the moonlit world tend to be somewhat eccentric; the more outstanding the magicians, the more troubled they often are.

Zelretch's biggest interest is magical girls; he enjoys transforming young, beautiful girls into his ideal magical girls. Essentially, he is quite a despicable person.