Fate/Magus Path

130 Hidden Past

Night had fallen.

The shadows grew deeper, extending their reach like an ominous curtain that shrouded the entire city. It transformed the quiet streets into a vast, eerie stage, lit only by the cool, bright glow of moonlight, like the spotlight of an unending play.

The performance continued.

...

Roughly thirty minutes had passed since Roy left with Shiki Tohno.

With Shiki taken away by Roy and the looming threat of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, the Tohno family, renowned as a demon hunter lineage, could not afford to remain idle.

Thanks to Kohaku's intervention, Akiha Tohno managed to suppress the reverse impulses stirred by her bloodline. She wasted no time rallying the best among the Tohno family to conduct a citywide search for the Dead Apostles.

As a result, the Tohno residence was left vulnerable, with only a handful of defenders staying behind.

After Roy delivered Shiki Tohno to the safehouse, someone took advantage of the opportunity.

In the expansive courtyard of the Tohno estate, faint blue butterflies emerged from the windows and chimneys, flitting through the pale moonlight before disappearing into the shadows.

Under the cover of darkness, the butterflies gathered into a human figure. A familiar silhouette stepped out from the obscurity.

"I understand the situation now."

Roy, formed from the amalgamation of butterflies, emerged from the shadows. With a flick of his finger, he processed the information gathered by his familiars, forming a mental map of the Tohno residence.

Earlier, he had observed Akiha's outburst of reverse impulse and her interaction with the girl from the Fujou Family through the eyes of the butterflies.

The Fujou Family... demonic blood...

Piecing together the fragments of the Tohno family's hidden truths, Roy could now follow the clues further.

The Tohno family, an inhuman clan that had prospered for centuries, wielded considerable influence in Misaki Town. If one were to exclude the Aozaki family, the Kuonji family, and Alice Kuonji the Witch, they could practically rule the town unchallenged.

For an inhuman lineage to remain hidden while expanding to such an extent was no small feat.

Of the many rooms in the mansion, Roy focused his suspicions on the study and the adjacent hidden chamber. While the Aozaki family's records provided broad insights into inhuman clans, the specifics could only be uncovered here, including potential leads on Roa.

During his previous visit, Roy had discreetly released familiars while following Hisui, ensuring he could return later when the defenses were sparse to investigate the Tohno family's secrets.

His movements were swift and deliberate. With a single leap, he landed on a second-floor balcony, gently pushing open a window to enter.

Guided by the intelligence gathered by his familiars, Roy began searching suspicious rooms while avoiding traps. Some areas were protected by bounded fields that would alert the mansion's residents if triggered.

But these bounded fields posed little challenge. Activating his azure Mystic Eyes, he saw through the mansion's enchantments with ease, identifying which to bypass and which to disable.

As he navigated the halls, he encountered a few patrolling servants. To Roy, they were of no threat. Instead of harming them, he used a blend of suggestion and illusion magecraft to obscure their perception, ensuring they wouldn't interfere.