Fate/Magus Path

75 First Meeting

The Mage's Association, as the name suggests, is a secretive organization formed by magus who treat magecraft as a scholarly pursuit, focusing on the study and exploration of the magical arts.

The Mage's Association is comprised of three distinct institutions.

The first is the Atlas Institute, located beneath the Atlas Mountains in Egypt. This place is a sanctuary for alchemists, where countless legendary mystic codes that defy the common laws and magecraft have been born. Even the Dead Apostle Ancestor, Night of Wallachia, was once a renowned alchemist from the Atlas Institute when they were still human.

The second is the Wandering Sea, a massive mountain range drifting in the North Atlantic. It exists on the boundary between the world of man and the other side and focuses primarily on researching the Age of Gods magecraft and more profound mysteries and taboos. The Dead Apostle Ancestor, Nrvnqsr Chaos, also hailed from the Wandering Sea.

The third is the place he headed to, the Clock Tower, the premier magical academy located in the London area.

The Mage's Association was founded out of fear that Mystery would leak to those outside their side, gradually becoming common knowledge. If such Mystery became widely understood, they would lose their power and cease to be Mystery.

Such a situation would extinguish any hope of reaching the Root, the ultimate source of all magic and magecraft, and block the path to accessing it.

Thus, magus who seek the Root, regardless of nationality or school of thought, formed a unique group that encourages cooperation and mutual support (at least, in name). However, discrimination and conflict have never ceased within the association.

The Mage's Association was established to manage and conceal magecraft, with its mission to promote the development of magecraft. To protect themselves from threats, they maintain armed forces. They also hold research facilities and qualifications to further the advancement (or perhaps the decline) of magecraft, and laws to suppress magical crimes.

Unlike the hidden first two institutions, the third part of the Mage's Association, the Clock Tower, is known as the public face of the world of magecraft and is open to all magus.

The Clock Tower's headquarters is located on the outskirts of London and is divided into eleven disciplines. It can be considered the highest educational institution in the world of magecraft. Even in the golden age, it was regarded as the central hub of the world of magecraft, with its influence extending over 80% of the magical forces in Western Europe.

Most magus from Western Europe, except for those involved in hidden mysteries, choose to join the Clock Tower for further education.

At this academy, any magus with talent is welcome to study. The entrance exam is not particularly difficult; it merely tests a person's aptitude for and talent in magecraft. However, this is only easy for families with generations of lineage. For first-generation magus or those from recently established magus families, passing the Clock Tower exam is still quite challenging.

However, if you possess a personal recommendation from a high-ranking member of the Clock Tower, such as a Lord, the situation is different. With such a letter, you can directly enter the institution without any need to take an exam.

The Clock Tower.

Though it is called an academy, it is far from being a safe and stable place. Most magus are self-serving and devoid of moral standards. Some even disdain humanity, viewing themselves as separate from it. Expecting these individuals to follow established rules or adhere to human ethics is nothing short of a fantasy.

At this point in time, the entrance exams for the Clock Tower have long since concluded.

However, due to possessing a recommendation letter from Lord Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, the Lord of the Department of Mineralogy, Roy was granted the privilege of entering the Clock Tower without needing to take the exam. Additionally, he was allowed to bring a companion to study with him.