Upon discovering that El-Melloi II was gravely injured, Gray, Flatt, and Svin rushed to his side immediately. Flatt even began using healing magecraft on him right away, but since healing wasn't his forte, the results were less than ideal.
In the Moonlit World, most magi had some proficiency in healing magecraft—El-Melloi II himself did. Of course, the effectiveness varied greatly depending on one's personal ability.
"You're too slow. Let me handle this."
Daniel stepped in, gently pushing Flatt aside. With his left hand, he traced several runes through the air, activating them to heal El-Melloi II's wounds. Thanks to his intervention, the Lord's injuries rapidly and fully closed up.
"...Primordial Runes."
Now recovered, El-Melloi II stared at Daniel in astonishment. Even though he had never seen Primordial Runes in person before, after experiencing their effects firsthand, he would've been a disgrace to magecraft if he hadn't recognized them.
What shocked him even more than the presence of the runes was Daniel's ability to fully harness their power. Primordial Runes had long been lost to time. Any single character was priceless at the Clock Tower—far more valuable than even Fafnir's blood.
Yet possessing a Primordial Rune was one thing. Being able to wield its full potential in the modern age—that was a different story. Back in the Age of Gods, many could wield these runes. But now? Even those with access to one could barely scratch the surface of its power.
Truth be told, even modern runes—those developed by Touko Aozaki—could barely be used effectively by most magi today.
Primordial Runes remained valuable not just for their power but for the mystery they contained—an irresistible lure to magi.
"Truly deserving of your title as the Appraiser."
El-Melloi II was known in the Clock Tower as the "Appraising Eye" for his exceptional ability to judge the talents of students.
"Teacher, what happened?"
Before he could say anything more, Gray stepped forward, her voice full of concern. She didn't care about runes or magecraft—only that her teacher was safe.
"Right, I nearly forgot… you all came at just the right time. There's still a problem here we need to solve."
El-Melloi II gave a brief summary of the situation. Originally, he had intended to help the café resolve a problem so it could resume business. Although he had immediately suspected a magus was behind it, he hadn't been overly concerned—this was the Clock Tower, after all.
The Clock Tower's reputation within the magical world was ironclad. Under normal circumstances, no one would dare cause trouble here—only fools or completely clueless outsiders would be so bold.
El-Melloi II might've been considered weak compared to other Lords, but he was still far more powerful than most third-rate magi or first-generation outsiders.
While most magi came from long-standing families, there were exceptions: outsiders who stumbled into the magical world, or first-generation magi. Shirou Emiya was one such case—though, of course, his situation was hardly typical.
Then came trouble. Thankfully, his suit and cigar were enchanted Mystic Codes that bought him just enough time to escape and set up a barrier, stalling until help arrived.
If he had known the enemy was so powerful, he definitely would've brought Gray from the start—she was, after all, his personal bodyguard.
"Be careful. It's coming. Flatt, prepare your inversion field."
El-Melloi II led the group forward, guiding them back to the spot where he had been attacked. There, a creature made of electricity—a rabbit—appeared before them.
Normally, rabbits were adorable. But this one? It had the body of a wolf, sharp claws, dagger-like teeth, and glowing red eyes. No one would call this cute.
"Got it, Big Ben Sensei."
Flatt stepped forward and tossed out four cube-shaped Mystic Codes. With a quiet chant, the cubes spun and emitted beams of light, forming a triangular cage that trapped the electric rabbit.
"Gray."
"Ade."
Responding to El-Melloi's call, Gray activated Add, which transformed into a giant scythe. With a single swing, she cleaved the creature in two.
"Here comes another one."
Electric rabbits kept coming. Flatt and Gray worked together seamlessly, taking them down one by one with frightening efficiency. Their teamwork was so perfect that Svin stood nearby pouting—he wanted to team up with Gray like that. Unfortunately, his magic didn't complement hers.
"What the…"
After cutting down about six electric rabbits, the group continued forward. Deeper in the sewers, they discovered piles of human bones. No doubt, these creatures were responsible for the serial killings mentioned in the newspaper.
"Flatt."
"Roger that, London's Shining Star."
When El-Melloi II called his name again, Flatt responded with a new title—making El-Melloi wince. This was the kind of thing that made teachers across the Clock Tower despise Flatt. Whenever they couldn't handle him, they passed him to El-Melloi II.
Flatt approached a wall and began drawing a complex magical circle while chanting. Soon, the solid wall shimmered, revealing a hidden door.
"Magical interference... Void affinity. Tohsaka really was born with incredible talent. Shame she wasn't trained properly."
Flatt's affinity was Void—making him one of Escardos' most gifted disciples in over a thousand years. His family lineage stretched back even before the founding of the Clock Tower. Despite their long history, they'd never produced anyone exceptional—until Flatt was born.
His abnormally high magic circuits had made him the center of attention since birth. At age eight, he completed a magical theorem once thought impossible. That should've been the start of his family's revival… but Flatt lacked the mindset of a proper magus.
If he'd lived in the normal world, he would've been beloved. But in the Moonlit World, he was an outlier. Some in his family even believed he wasn't truly one of them—maybe not even from this world. They attempted to assassinate him multiple times, but he survived and eventually fled to the Clock Tower.
There, the Tower welcomed his raw talent—but his lack of mental discipline meant he was eventually sent to the Modern Magecraft department.
His gift? Interference. He could disrupt other people's magic—lowering spell success rates, even causing backfires. Later, he'd even go on to interfere with a certain Atlas Institute mage's spells.
In short, for someone like him, barriers were easily broken.
"Flatt, this is someone's workshop. Don't rush in!"
Despite El-Melloi II's warning, Flatt stepped right through the revealed doorway. It was a huge faux pas—entering another magus's workshop uninvited was tantamount to a declaration of war.
Still, El-Melloi had no choice but to follow—he couldn't leave a student behind.
"I thought it was that little thief poking around in my workshop. Turns out it's you—Clock Tower's biggest nouveau riche."
A figure appeared atop a massive altar—an elderly man in a green cloak, wearing glasses and holding a wand. He looked at El-Melloi II with a mix of disdain and jealousy.
"Lord Davenant, do you even know what you're doing?"
Recognizing him, El-Melloi II stepped forward, pushing Svin and Flatt aside. Davenant was one of the Clock Tower's lecturers.
"What I'm doing? I'm standing in my own workshop. You're the ones trespassing, Lord El-Melloi. Shouldn't you be apologizing?"
To magi, violating another's workshop was practically a casus belli.
"You've killed countless innocent people."
Gray couldn't stay silent any longer. As a gravekeeper, she valued life deeply.
"Innocent? Who's innocent? If sacrificing a few thousand—or even millions—can get me to the Root, then so be it!"
Davenant's expression was scornful. To him, normal people were just resources—fuel for magecraft. Plenty of magi would sacrifice entire cities if it meant reaching the Root.
"Hey, old man. You're wrong about one thing. Teacher's not just some nouveau riche—he's Clock Tower's number-one nouveau riche."
"Flatt..."
Even Davenant was momentarily stunned. Of all times, how was Flatt cracking jokes now?
"You've violated the fundamental secrecy of magecraft. I suggest you surrender to the Policies Department."
In the Moonlit World, secrecy was sacrosanct. Anyone who violated it was subject to immediate sanction.
"Secrecy? A century ago, everyone did what I'm doing now!"
Davenant was furious—he knew the consequences of his actions.
"You said it yourself—that was a hundred years ago. Old man, times change. Magic evolves. You're obsolete."
Flatt's voice was cheerful, even as he declared it.
Although many claimed the ancients were superior in raw power, modern magecraft was more versatile. When you lacked power, you compensated with technique.
"So bold! Fine then—stay here and die. Awaken, my pets!"
With a stomp of his staff, lightning crackled throughout the workshop. Dozens of human-sized electric rabbits surged into view.
"Not bad… but kind of dumb."
Indeed, secrecy was vital. But whether it was enforced depended on visibility. In the end, Davenant's biggest mistake was not that he committed crimes—but that he did so in public, right under the Clock Tower's nose. That left the Tower with no choice but to act.
If he'd operated in some remote part of Africa, no one would've batted an eye.
"…This is trouble."
El-Melloi glanced at Daniel. Even though Gray, Flatt, and Svin were powerful, they couldn't hold off endless waves of enemies—especially within the enemy's own workshop.
"Guess it's time to act."
Flatt took the lead, casting a spell that disrupted the foremost rabbit—it dissolved into scattered lightning.
Svin completed his chant, transforming into a tall, lupine humanoid—his beast magecraft taking form. With one swing, he batted a rabbit aside.
"Shall we use it? Shall we use it?"
Gray and Add leapt into the fray. Add, of course, was asking whether he could activate the Noble Phantasm, Rhongomyniad. With it, the entire workshop could be destroyed in one strike—but Gray wouldn't use it without El-Melloi's permission.
Even Rin began to fight, using her precious gems to unleash destructive spells.
"Interesting magic… but that weakness is too obvious."
Daniel hadn't joined the battle yet. Instead, he observed. This workshop was a perfect case study—and quickly, he spotted its fatal flaw.
"You're all impressive… but let's see how you handle this!"
Davenant summoned more rabbits. As long as his workshop had power, he could generate as many as he wanted.
But just as the creatures launched themselves again—and as El-Melloi II finally gave Gray permission to use her Noble Phantasm—they all began to flicker and disappear.
"…Impossible?"
Davenant was stunned. No matter what he did, he couldn't summon a single rabbit.
"No point trying. I've cut off all the power in the area."
That was the workshop's fatal flaw: it depended entirely on electricity. And Daniel had just flipped the switch.
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