"Good thing that guy failed. Otherwise, this would've turned into another Fate/Grand Order."
Marisbury's abandonment of his plans was, in many ways, a blessing for this world—and for Daniel. Both Human Order Incineration and Human Order Freezing had been born from Chaldea's actions. Though there might be hidden agendas behind it all, Daniel didn't know what truly happened to the future of the Human Order. If it could be avoided, then it was better that way.
Just like the Marvel universe with its countless parallel worlds—many of which ended in destruction—the Moonlit World had its own endless variations. Human Order Incineration, Human Order Freezing… who could guarantee victory in every timeline?
"Come to think of it, that Director was pretty incredible. Did he discover the corruption of the Greater Grail using Mystic Eyes?"
To discover the Grail's pollution at this stage required exceptional skill. Combined with the prior murders of seven Mystic Eye bearers, it clearly wasn't a coincidence.
If one used a mix of Mystic Eyes like Future Sight and Retrocognition and analyzed the gathered intel, it wasn't impossible to reach the truth.
Marisbury didn't have Clairvoyance. If he did, things would've been far simpler. Just one look, and everything would be laid bare—like Merlin, who was probably peeping at them right now.
"Why are you all here?"
"We must quickly deal with the Son of Einnashe. Otherwise, the auction might be called off."
In Waver's room, Olga-Marie and her attendant, Hazakura Ritsuri, Yvette, Father Caleb, and others had gathered.
The Mystic Eye Collection Train wouldn't suffer too greatly even if the auction were canceled—they could always sell again next year. But for those who desperately needed Mystic Eyes, a year's delay was unacceptable. Olga-Marie, Yvette, and Caleb were among those unwilling to wait.
"And it's not just about the auction. If the Son of Einnashe continues expanding, we'll all be in danger."
The train was currently halted in the middle of nowhere, and the conductor clearly had no intention of helping. Several magi had already been killed.
As for why the conductor did nothing—it was likely because both he and the auction host belonged to the same camp. The train was operated by Rita Rozay-en, the fifteenth of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors. A noble vampire and hedonist, she used to attend the auctions personally, but after Aoko Aozaki's infamous rampage, she now only sent a projection.
"Indeed. To deal with the Son of Einnashe, we'll need to destroy the spiritual veins anchoring it. With Yvette's Mystic Eyes, we should be able to find them. Luckily, it's not the real Einnashe."
Waver considered the situation and proposed a plan. The creature had likely been roused by the train's spiritual energy.
"Gray, stay here and protect your teacher. I'll go with them."
As Gray volunteered to join the mission, Daniel stopped her. Her reasoning was simple: she wanted to protect Waver, who was too weak to defend himself. The cold from the frozen forest didn't affect most magi much, but for Waver, it was deadly.
"Be careful."
Waver had no objections, especially knowing Daniel could project Gray's Noble Phantasm.
"I'll lend a hand."
Melvin opened the violin case he always carried and began playing. As one of the Clock Tower's rare "Harmonizers," he practiced an exceptionally rare magecraft that allowed him to repair Magic Crests.
Currently, he was working on restoring the El-Melloi family's crest—a task estimated to take fifty years.
When Melvin was young, due to his poor health, he withdrew early from the family's magecraft succession. Most around him, including his father, looked down on him—except for his mother, who always supported him. His current wealth was thanks to her.
When it was discovered that he had the gift of a Harmonizer, his family's attitude shifted instantly. Even without inheriting the crest, Melvin rose to the rank of Faculty with just his Harmonizer abilities, the same level as Waver.
As for his illness, even the Clock Tower's top mages couldn't diagnose it. He now lived on blood replenishing potions.
Besides repairing Magic Crests, Harmonizers could temporarily enhance magical circuits—boosting their vitality, mana throughput, and casting speed.
"Watch me."
With Melvin's enhancements, Daniel, Caleb, and Yvette disembarked and entered the snowy forest. Yvette removed her eye patch, revealing a crimson gemstone in her eye socket. Flames erupted, instantly burning through the obstructing trees.
It was the Mystic Eye of Incineration—a fire-attribute Mystic Eye.
"Now it's your job to protect me."
After clearing the way, Yvette swapped out her Incineration Eye for a blue gem—her Compass Eye, crafted from an iolite gemstone. It would lead them to the spiritual core of the Son of Einnashe.
"Relax. You won't be hurt while I'm around."
Daniel was there to guard Yvette, while Caleb's role was to use his Black Keys—perfect against vampires—to destroy the spiritual nodes.
"Runes? I thought you used Jewel Magecraft?"
"Jewel spells are expensive, and I didn't bring many gems with me."
Though Daniel was wealthy, he hadn't stocked up on gems—mostly gold to exchange for currency. He made a mental note to prioritize buying gemstones after this.
"Here's the first one."
Guided by Yvette's Mystic Eye, they soon reached the first spiritual node. Observation suggested there were three in total.
As they advanced, tree monsters tried to stop them, but Daniel's rune spells burned them all to ash.
"The last one should be ahead."
After destroying the second node, they pressed on. Suddenly, Caleb shouted, throwing two Black Keys at a shadow that darted from the forest. The figure deflected them with ease.
As she was about to attack again, Daniel's fireball blocked her path.
"Leave the rest to us. Go destroy the node."
He recognized the attacker—a long black-haired woman in red foreign attire.
"You're up against me," Daniel said, stepping forward.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're Hephaestion. I already warned him, you know."
Activating his concealed Mystic Code, Daniel snapped his fingers—four Keys of Truth materialized in the air.
Truthfully, he'd always wanted to fight Iskandar and see Ionioi Hetairoi—his King's Army—but for now, he'd make do with showcasing his own "Law of the World."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions from the Keys of Truth forced Hephaestion to flee in disarray. She was furious but powerless to close the gap between their strength.
Moments later, the forest began to collapse—the final node destroyed. Without its anchors, the Son of Einnashe vanished.
"Battle's over. Go tell your Master not to get in my way again."
Before the avalanche could hit, Daniel summoned a blue-and-white motorcycle, revved it, and a glowing white road appeared in the air.
"No wonder that duck loves motorcycles—this is pretty fun! I should take Rin for a ride later."
With a joyful shout, Daniel soared through the sky, pulling off an aerial stunt.
"Humph."
Hephaestion, watching from below, scoffed before vanishing into spirit form.
"It's done."
"Not bad. We did run into a Servant, though."
When Daniel returned, Caleb and Yvette had already made it back. His sky-high acrobatics had delayed him slightly.
"A Servant?! But the Holy Grail War hasn't even started yet!"
Waver and Rin both turned pale at the mention of a Servant.
"I'm sure. She said her name was Hephaestion."
"Hephaestion… as in that Hephaestion?"
Most mages were well-versed in lore. Only Gray was unfamiliar, but Caules quickly explained it to her. She immediately looked at Waver in worry.
"The train's moving again."
With the enemy gone, the Mystic Eye train resumed its journey. The group in Waver's room dispersed.
"A future Heroic Spirit… I guess I'll follow his lead."
In the cargo hold, a cloaked figure listened to Hephaestion's report and speculated about Daniel's identity. No known historical figure matched him, and his power was abnormal. The most reasonable guess: a Heroic Spirit from the future.
He had no interest in fighting someone like that here—not with the Grail corrupted and no wish to fulfill.
"Don't worry. There will be other chances."
"Caleb."
On the third day, a mysterious woman approached Caleb, guided by the conductor, and removed his eyes.
The Mystic Eye Collection Train didn't just auction Mystic Eyes—it bought them too. Caleb was here to sell his, which he couldn't control. The eyes activated at will and seized control of his body.
Controlling Mystic Eyes was no easy feat. Even for natural-born holders like Lainis, it took time and help from Waver to master them.
"Bubble Mystic Eyes. Jewel-Rank."
After extracting Caleb's eyes, the mysterious woman examined them and declared their rank. Upon hearing "Jewel-Rank," many mages in the room looked on with greedy eyes.
The fact that Caleb couldn't control them didn't matter—they believed they could.
"Five million."
"Six million."
"Twenty million."
"Twenty-five million."
The bidding war began. While many mages were interested in the Bubble Eyes, the price quickly soared beyond their means—especially with Mystic Eye clans, the Department of Policies, and two Lords involved.
Some decided it was wiser to bid on lower-grade Eyes earlier, knowing they'd never win the grand prize.
For mages, possessing Mystic Eyes meant overwhelming combat advantage.
"Binding, Inhibition, Ignition, Freezing…"
Ordinary Mystic Eyes were auctioned first. Out of curiosity, Daniel bought a few. The pace was quick. The Bubble Eyes soon reached the stage—with a starting price of thirty million USD.
Naturally, that was just the start. The price rapidly escalated to one hundred million before Daniel even entered the fray.
"This auction's too intense. I propose a break."
"Agreed."
At Melvin's suggestion, the auction paused—not for rest, but to let bidders gather more funds. The conductor had seen this happen countless times.
"Strange… why isn't there a Rainbow Mystic Eye?"
Olga-Marie's maid was visibly distraught.
"Your Future Sight was likely interfered with."
"Interfered with?"
"Yes. I don't know how, but that's the only possibility," Waver replied, frowning deeply.
"Master, Caules is missing."
Gray hurried over to deliver the news.
"…So it's true."
"Ahhh!"
Before Waver could process it, Lainis' scream rang out. The group rushed toward the source—at the rear of the train, Lainis and Caules were falling through the air.
______
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