True Magician

Chapter 25

Kuoh Academy.

Ranking Game Day.

- I give up. - Riser stated in a feignedly pitiful tone while Issei stood over him in his Balance Breaker.

- Riser Phenex admits defeat. The victory goes to Rias Gremory. - Greyfia's voice echoed through the arena, ending the game.

Well, it went about the same as in canon, except for the last scene.

He had planned to win at first, but when Issei used the Balance Crusher, he decided to give in after all. And that way there would be no questions from the demons about him losing, even though he could have single-handedly scattered Rias' entire retinue. And neither her nor his reputation would suffer.

Heh. Playing the pompous and self-righteous jerk has its perks, eh?

And at those thoughts, I waved my hand, and the screen in front of me disappeared. And my gaze slowly drifted toward another person present in the medical room.

- Why are you looking at me like that, Romani-sensei? - She asked incomprehensively.

- Don't play dumb, Alaya. In canon, Riser wins the game, not loses it, right? - I asked her, to which I got a nod - And if that's the case, why don't you say anything about it?

- Well... Issei beat him.

- At the wedding, not in the game.

- But the bottom line is the same.

- So it's the outcome that matters, not the events leading up to it, right?

- Uh-huh. But that's what I said, right?

- Actually, no. - I rubbed my temples.

Yeah... And how this world hasn't fallen into oblivion yet... I guess that's the cost of Mankind's overly human Unconscious Will. But thanks for confirming my theory that the order of events is not important, only the outcome.

Right. The next arc is Kokabiel, and if my memory serves me right, Issei didn't defeat him, but was captured by Vali and imprisoned in Cocytus, and now all I have to do is wait for the arrival of the two "competent" owners of Excalibur. Well, and start thinking of a plan to reskin him, though that will require me to contact the descendants of the local King Arthur.

- Skipping class is bad, Aika-san," I said, coming out of my thoughts, "Get out of here.

- But, sensei...

- Shoo, I said.

Alaya made a pouty face and walked out of the medical room, stomping loudly on the floor.

I guess I can sleep for the rest of the day.

-0-

West of England.

I didn't get much sleep. Why not? Alarm bells went off in my head when I sensed that TWO Shadow Servants had arrived at once. Not only that, as Merlin was acting suspiciously quiet and the Shadow Servants' mana was flaring up every now and then, apparently from using Noble Phantasm.

When I arrived, I saw a huge, ornate mansion in typical English style. Well, or rather, it had once been so, as half of this mansion was now in ruins. And a huge crevice in the ground that started within the building extended hundreds of meters away from it, and ominous red lightning crackled near the place where I appeared. It appeared to me that the place was a garden or something, like in those old-fashioned movies.

As I looked around, my hearing picked up a rather mature male scream filled with rage.

- Die!

It was followed by the sound of metal clinking, like swords clashing. Heading in his direction, I entered the mansion and saw a middle-aged man with blue eyes and blonde hair who looked very shabby, and the numerous wounds and cuts on his body were bleeding. He glared fiercely at the Shadow Servant dressed in gray armor with red stripes on it. And watching them from the second floor balcony was a second Servant, dressed in a dark-colored dress with blue lines, and in her hand she held something between a spear, an axe, and a staff in the same color scheme.