Fate/Magus Path

About a day later, in a clean infirmary in Misaki Town.

The resurrected Arcueid finally opened her eyes.

The once-dormant body and spirit regained their vitality.

"Where is this...?"

Upon opening her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling, and the room was filled with a pungent mixture of disinfectant and the smell of blood.

This was not her temporary cheap apartment.

She was about to sit up, but the intense pain radiating from all over her body caused her expression to involuntarily twist in discomfort.

It hurts!

This was the most direct feeling.

Every part of her body, from her head and neck down to her limbs, was feedbacking with intense pain. Just enduring the pain without fainting was already her limit.

Her entire body felt like it had been chopped into pieces and then sewn back together with needles and thread, with each spot burning with pain.

Chopped into pieces?

Seventeen pieces!!

Arcueid suddenly remembered that she had indeed been cut into pieces by someone.

It was probably around yesterday afternoon when she had just returned to her apartment and was ambushed at the door. The assailant used an exceptionally sharp knife to slice her body into seventeen fragments.

What was even more bizarre was that when she was cut by that person's knife, her high-intensity self-healing ability seemed to malfunction, providing no healing effect whatsoever.

Having relied too heavily on that physical trait usually, coupled with the enemy's ambush, resulted in her losing her composure when that strange pain hit, allowing the assailant to slice her up. Her entire body lost its ability to resist in her dazed state, leaving her at the mercy of his actions until she completely lost consciousness (death).

If she were not the most special among the True Ancestors, she would have died entirely during that strange dismemberment, with no chance of resurrection.

And now… where was she?

Touching the wounds sewn with moonlight fluid on her body, Arcueid curiously surveyed her surroundings.

This was a clean room, with a white ceiling similar to that of a hospital, and she was the only one lying on the pristine bed.

It looked like an infirmary...

Had someone taken her away?

What surprised her even more was that the one who picked her up could actually treat her in that state; it was truly unbelievable.

Arcueid struggled to sit up, and outside, the waiting Roy heard the noise inside and pushed open the door to enter.

Seeing Arcueid struggling to sit up, he offered a word of advice.

"You'd better not move around too much. Although your body has been stitched up with my mystic code, the internal injuries won't heal so easily. If you move around recklessly and the wounds reopen, it will become very troublesome."

"…"

Arcueid did not reply.

Her gaze had been deeply drawn to Roy the moment he stepped into the room. She just lifted her head and carefully examined Roy's face and body. This person...

Was so strange.

In every way imaginable, could this person really still be considered human?

Putting aside the swirling black flame in his soul, his existence status, the perfect body derived from the Root, and the terrifying power to manipulate the laws of magic.

He didn't need to make an effort to display anything; just standing there, every move he made brought her a tremendous impact.

Was this a God?

Originally, she thought it was strange enough to find beings like herself in the world, but today she encountered someone even stranger.

So she couldn't help but ask, "Are you human?"

"…"

Upon hearing this strange question and noticing that Arcueid was constantly scrutinizing him, Roy realized that she had used Counter Force to check his information.

Arcueid indeed had such abilities.

A princess of the Earth, unlike the constant discord he had with Counter Force, she was truly favored by the world.

Any question she wanted to know, Counter Force would feed the answers into her mind... truly a mobile Earth library.

"Stop staring; I am indeed human, just different from ordinary people."

That was an understatement; in fact, there was hardly anything similar.

Arcueid tilted her head, showing a puzzled expression.

"My appearance isn't that strange, is it? There's no need to keep staring at my face."

Roy touched his face and joked.

"No... I'm actually looking at the inside. Although you say you're human, your soul and body are clearly…"

"Wait, let's stop this topic for now."

Roy interrupted her, "While I understand your keen curiosity, it's impolite to casually explore other people's secrets, especially those of your savior."

"Some things can be understood just by observation. Keep it to yourself; I don't want to attract any unnecessary trouble."

Looking into Arcueid's eyes, Roy sighed.

Currently, besides Zelretch and Merlin, she was the first person to see through his essence. Truly deserving of being the favored princess of the Earth; as long as she wanted to know, Gaia would transmit the relevant information to her mind.

"Oh…"

Arcueid nodded, obediently refraining from asking further questions.

Then she thought of another problem...

She wasn't wearing any clothes.

The wounds on her body were carefully treated by this man, which meant that...

Thinking of this possibility, her mood worsened.

Roy also realized that Arcueid was currently not wearing any clothes.

"Ahem, it was indeed I who pieced you back together from the body parts. However, you were so thoroughly dead at the time that I could only perform a simple stitching on your body; it hasn't fully recovered yet, which is why I didn't put any clothes on you."

"Don't worry; you were in such a state that you didn't look human, so I didn't see anything other than the body parts."

Upon hearing this, Arcueid tilted her head.

Having successfully understood Roy's actions, she couldn't help but feel a bit of affection for him.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Hmm…"

Trying to move her limbs, Arcueid still felt a dull pain throughout her body. However, aside from the pain, her basic movements were no longer problematic; it was only a matter of time before she fully recovered.

Such remarkable healing methods?

Surprised, she asked, "How did you manage to heal such injuries so quickly?"

Arcueid was aware that the wounds inflicted on her had strange and unique properties, which even her regenerative ability couldn't directly heal. How did he manage to stitch her up and revive her in such a short time?

"Because the injuries caused by the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception are difficult to heal using magical means, I could only use special tools to help stitch up the wounds and then infuse your body with magical energy through blood to accelerate your self-healing process."

"I see, so these mercury-like threads on my body were indeed stitched up by you. Wait! You also infused my body with blood?!"

Upon hearing the word blood transfusion, Arcueid's eyes widened.

She always remembered the last time she was tricked by Roa into having her blood sucked, resulting in a painful rampage.

Now, just hearing about bloodsucking made her feel fearful.

"Don't be nervous; it's just a transfusion, not bloodsucking."

Roy didn't hide anything from her and continued, "At the time, both your body and spirit were in a state of death. I confirmed that you wouldn't enter a bloodthirsty frenzy before I dared to infuse your body with magical energy through blood."

"How do you feel? Is there anything unusual in your body now?"

"No, not really. Aside from the intense pain in various parts of my body, I don't feel anything particularly unusual. However, I can sense that there is indeed an unusual magical energy within me; that must be your blood…"

"That's right. Since you can feel the condition of your body, it seems the recovery is going quite well." Roy nodded, knowing that his treatment method had worked effectively.

"Then I really have to thank you for saving me."

After a brief casual chat, Arcueid suddenly focused on the key point of what he had just said.

"By the way, what did you say killed me?"

"The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception."

"You mean the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?"

"Yes, that's correct." Roy nodded.

"Besides that miracle of a mystic eye that can kill anything, I doubt there's anything on this planet capable of easily slicing you apart without any resistance."

At this point, Arcueid couldn't help but recall the bloody scene of her dismemberment. This terrible memory sent a chill down her spine, causing her body to ache even more.

"Is that true? Such eyes still exist in this age?"

That said, upon hearing the name of this eye, she still found it hard to believe.

She had heard of these eyes but had never truly seen them.

Now, encountering them for the first time, she never expected to test the power of these eyes with her own body.

"They exist, and not just one pair. At least among the people I know, there are two pairs, one of which belongs to the murderer who sliced you apart last night."

"You know who killed me?!"

Upon learning from Roy that he actually knew the murderer who had dismembered her, Arcueid's mood instantly became uneasy, her tone sharpening. The vigilance she had gradually lowered shot back up.

Having endured such pain, she had already vowed in her half-dead state to find the despicable bastard who dared to ambush her once she recovered. She must make him taste the agony of being sliced apart into seventeen pieces.

Just as she was about to explode, Roy's broad palm gently rested on her head.

"Calm down."

As his words fell, a cool breeze entered her mind, suddenly soothing her raging feelings.

"I only know him; it doesn't mean I'm his accomplice. Otherwise, I wouldn't have saved you."

"Although the stitching is complete, your body's condition is still very unstable. If you don't want to collapse, lie down and rest properly. Don't move around casually or use magical energy; that group of Dead Apostles outside is frantically looking for you."

With the magical energy flow suppressed by Roy and feeling the severe pain feedback from her body, Arcueid's mind suddenly became clearer. She gradually withdrew her chaotic magical energy and let out a gentle sigh.

"I understand. I'm sorry; I was a bit reckless…"

"It's fine; it was just instinct. If I were in your position, having been sliced into seventeen pieces, I would react the same way."

"The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception… such a legendary eye that even in the age of gods is difficult to appear. If I was truly killed by such an eye, I have nothing to say."

After a moment of reflection, Arcueid accepted Roy's suggestion, stopped her movements, and chose to lie back comfortably.

"So… who are you, and why did you save me?"

She turned her face to look at Roy.

After chatting for so long, did she finally remember to ask someone their name?

Roy gazed into her eyes and replied.

"Roy, the current Magician of the Third Magic. I accepted the commission from Zelretch to handle the matter of the Dead Apostles here."

"Saving you was just a casual act."

"Zelretch? I know him. In 300 AD, he was the Magician of the Second Magic who defeated the Crimson Moon…"

This name was one that the True Ancestors in the Millenium Castle had told Arcueid about. That old man had once visited her in the Millenium Castle.

So, Arcueid had a deep impression of him.

"That's right. Because that old man still has some matters to handle, he entrusted me with the affairs here, and then I encountered you."

"Nice to meet you, the White Princess of the Dead Apostles and the True Ancestors, Princess Arcueid Brunestud."

He then called out Arcueid's full name.

"Oh, so you already knew my identity…"

A smile appeared on Arcueid's face as she said, "Although I don't know what your intentions are, I still want to thank you for your help. If it weren't for your assistance, I don't know how long it would have taken for me to revive."

"If there's anything you need my help with in the future, feel free to ask. I will repay this kindness."

Repaying kindness? What a coincidence.

"That's perfect, Miss Arcueid. I happen to have something here that I need your help with."

"Ah…"

Upon hearing Roy's straightforward response, Arcueid momentarily froze, the latter half of her gratitude almost caught in her throat. She could only tilt her head.

What's wrong with this person?

Shouldn't he try to deflect a little and then accept it?

Her small eyes were filled with big confusion.

"I didn't save you out of kindness; treating you also made me bleed quite a bit of precious blood, so I won't be polite to you. You should repay me."

"I see, that's fine then."

Upon hearing this, Arcueid nodded, "If you saved me out of kindness and I was just an ordinary person caught up in the incident, I would feel guilty. But if it's a mutual benefit, I can be more at ease."

"In any case, what do you need me to do?"

Arcueid tried to get up from the bed, but Roy stopped her.

"Don't rush it; your current physical condition is still terrible. After being killed by the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, your revived body is in an unprecedented state of weakness."

"In this condition, you can't help me at all. If you really encounter Roa or other Dead Apostle Ancestors, you might even hinder me."

"You actually know about Roa? Are you with the Church?"

"…"

Before Roy could answer, Arcueid quickly dismissed that thought.

"No, if you were an Executors from the Church, encountering such a weakened me, you would definitely try to seal me up instead of helping me revive."

"Don't be nervous; I just have a bit of knowledge about the secrets between the Dead Apostle Ancestors, including the grudges involving you and Roa."

As he spoke, Roy sat on a chair beside the bed and started brewing a cup of coffee.

"Would you like some?"

"No, thanks."

"…"

"Don't underestimate me; Roa is just a minor obstacle. I could easily kill him."

"If it were your peak period, you indeed wouldn't need to fear him."

Without denying it, Roy nodded.

"But frankly speaking, how much of your ability remains after just reviving? With a body and soul that could crumble at any moment, you can't even exert one-tenth of your power. Are you still so confident in this state?"

"…"

Seeing through her, Arcueid sighed.

"You're right; I am indeed heavily injured right now. But even with just this power left, killing Roa would still be easy!"

"You're quite confident, but unfortunately, your mind isn't very sharp."

"Are you calling me stupid?"

Arcueid glared at him, displeased.

"No, I'm just describing Roa's cunning."

"As a prerequisite for our cooperation, I'll first provide you with some information." Roy raised a finger.

"Based on your current physical state, the combat power you can exert is only about 10% to 20%, and that doesn't include the debuffs that prevent sustained combat. Roa is currently hiding in this city, his identity unknown, but I have gathered some clues related to him. Additionally, one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors, Nrvnqsr Chaos, is already searching for you in the city. What do you think their purpose is?"

'They are here to hunt me down…'

Gaia had already informed her of her current predicament.

These Dead Apostle Ancestors have gathered here to hunt both her and Roa. In the eyes of some, she and Roa are enemies who need to be dealt with.

If she were at her peak, she certainly wouldn't fear a few Dead Apostle Ancestors, but in her current state, facing them could be dangerous.

So…

"There's one more thing, due to the recklessness of the Dead Apostles, the Holy Church is naturally reinforcing its forces here. Besides a local member of the Burial Agency, a few more Executors from the Burial Agency may come later. If you encounter them, it would definitely be quite a hassle for you right now."

"…"

Arcueid fell silent and didn't respond.

"What do you want to do?"

"I just want to cooperate with you a little; it would benefit us both, and the terms of cooperation are very simple."

"I'll help you find Roa and kill him, but you also have to play your part."

"For instance, help me find Roa. No matter how well he hides, for someone who has hunted him down many times, it shouldn't be a problem to find him. Also, act as bait to draw out the other Dead Apostle Ancestors; I'll take care of the rest."

"Are you serious?"

"How about it? This is a pretty good deal, right?"

He sat on the edge of the bed, and before she knew it, he had extended his hand toward Arcueid.

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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