When Aozaki Touko appeared, it wasn't just Alvin who looked surprised, Reines beside him also showed a stunned expression.
At the Clock Tower, magi are assigned a specific rank based on their capabilities.
The hierarchy is: Last-born, First-born, Opening Rank, Ritual Rank, Canonical Rank, Color Rank, and Crown Rank.
Normally, within the Clock Tower, the strongest known magi are those of Color Rank, because no one has ever seen a Crown-Rank magus in person.
But as a member of the El-Melloi family, Reines had heard whispers that one Crown-Rank magus truly existed.
—Aozaki Touko.
Without a doubt, anyone who enters the Clock Tower is a gifted individual, but Touko is a genius among geniuses, standing at the pinnacle.
And in a sense, her story parallels that of Morgan le Fay.
She was originally supposed to be the heir of the Aozaki family as the elder sister, but at the age of eighteen, her grandfather suddenly decided to name her younger sister, Aozaki Aoko, as the successor instead.
From that point on, Touko severed ties with both her sister and the family, entered the Clock Tower on her own, and by the age of twenty-five, had already ascended to the Crown Rank.
—A monstrous genius.
That was Alvin's impression when he first met Aozaki Touko.
On the surface, she seemed gentle and refined, but in fact, she was eccentric and reclusive to an extreme... Which was precisely why Alvin was so shocked to see her now.
He hadn't expected that even someone as strange and distant as her would be drawn out by this. It clearly meant the mass transmigration of magi had become a major concern among the highest authorities... Alvin thought to himself.
All of the Lords ascended to the high platform.
Then, a woman with a ponytail stepped forward.
Lorelei Barthomeloi, Lord of the Political Affairs Department.
As the person in charge of overseeing and managing the Clock Tower's operations, she naturally possessed outstanding abilities.
Throughout the Clock Tower's two-thousand-year history, it had faced many crises... but the gathering of so many Lords at once was extremely rare.
Lorelei's expression was stern as she began to speak slowly:
"I believe most of you already know why this emergency assembly has been called."
No one in the audience spoke, but with many transmigrators present, they already had a pretty good idea.
His gaze swept across the students below as she continued, her tone heavy. "The Age of Gods—Britain. If you don't understand what that name entails... then let me give you an example."
"In a one-on-one situation, most modern magi...well, at least none among those present here, would be able to defeat a magus from the Age of Gods.
This time, magi from all around the world have transmigrated to ancient Britain, and among them, ten Clock Tower members have been confirmed dead, with two still missing."
Those two were most likely body transmigrators.
"In addition, nearly a hundred others have been injured by magical beasts or magi from the Age of Gods."
These words instantly cast a heavy shadow over the entire gathering.
Even though many had already vaguely suspected that this transmigration event might have led to casualties, hearing it confirmed, and so close to home, still brought with it a deep sense of unreality.
Seeing the somber atmosphere, Barthomeloi spoke again:
"I've confirmed that there's still more than a day before the next round of transmigration begins.
For the sake of your safety, I ask that after this meeting, all those confirmed as transmigrators report to the Department of Political Affairs."
"A set of special mystic codes has been prepared for you, specifically, puppets that can mimic the magical circuits of the Age of Gods."
Mystic codes?
They already found a countermeasure in such a short time?!
The crowd below immediately began whispering among themselves.
After all, the reason magi from ancient Britain could so easily identify transmigrators was because the magic circuits inside a modern body were vastly different from those of the Age of Gods.
And now, the Clock Tower had managed to manufacture mystic codes that could simulate those ancient circuits?
Alvin's thoughts stirred as he instinctively glanced toward the curvaceous orange-haired woman standing in the corner.
Aozaki Touko had many achievements in the Clock Tower, but two of them stood out above all, she had successfully reconstructed two long-declined branches of Age of Gods magecraft in the modern era.
One of them being the lost Twenty-Four Runes after the fall of the divine age.
Looks like this mystic code must be her creation...
As Alvin was thinking this, he suddenly noticed a flat paper doll flutter down to his feet.
"Come to my workshop after the meeting."
As Alvin picked up the doll, a woman's voice unexpectedly echoed in his ear.
Touko's puppet magic... She's summoning me?
Alvin's heart stirred as he briefly looked toward Aozaki Touko up on the stage, then calmly looked away.
After the meeting ended, he immediately found an excuse to excuse himself from Reines and Gray, then quietly slipped out the cathedral's back entrance.
Following a secluded path behind the cathedral, Alvin soon arrived at a small, well-hidden wooden cabin.
"Come in, the door's not locked."
A lazy voice came from inside.
Alvin pushed open the door to the magic workshop. Inside the elegantly simple room, he saw the beautiful and seductive Grand Caster—Aozaki Touko.
Her long orange hair cascaded freely over her shoulders, and she wore a deep emerald-green formal gown, adorned with clean, elegant floral patterns.
Under the hem of her dress, a pair of shapely, long legs wrapped in semi-transparent black stockings were crossed lazily, with her left leg resting atop her right.
Reclining on the sofa, her skirt fluttered slightly as one delicate foot swayed gently.
"Ah… what a pain. How did such a ridiculous mess even happen?"
The moment she saw Alvin, Aozaki Touko began grumbling nonstop, sighing,
"Even for someone like me, dealing with ancient Britain is enough to give a headache… I'm honestly surprised you managed to survive in that place."
Just moments ago, when she was wearing glasses, this woman gave off a gentle and refined impression.
But now, with her glasses removed, it was as if she had become a completely different person.
To be exact—a completely different persona.
After removing her glasses, Aozaki Touko would switch to another personality.
This second persona was born the year her grandfather chose to pass the family leadership to her younger sister, Aozaki Aoko.
"What are you standing around for? Come over and massage my shoulders! Inscribing mock God-Age magic circuits onto every single mystic code in just a few days… Ugh. Next time someone else can suffer through that. I'm done helping."
Alvin sighed helplessly. "If you don't fix that awful personality of yours, I don't think anyone's going to want to apprentice under you in the future."
In fact, when Alvin had first transmigrated into the Nasuverse, Aozaki Touko was originally supposed to become his mentor.
But before she could pick him, Kayneth had already taken Alvin in as his student.
For magi, Mystery was the ultimate ideal.
The more mysterious something was, the more it intrigued a magus.
Back then, Aozaki Touko had immediately seen that Alvin's magic circuits were highly unusual.
Of course, Alvin's own effort played a role too… From the moment he arrived at the Clock Tower and chanced upon Touko, he had resolved to cling tightly to this rich woman's thigh.
After all, she was powerful, hot, and many more..well.
"This awful personality hasn't exactly been seen by many people… and I trust you won't go blabbing about it... Mm~"
Under Alvin's skilled shoulder massage, Aozaki Touko slowly closed her eyes in satisfaction.
Her ample chest subtly trembled as her body relaxed bit by bit.
"How many people from the Clock Tower got transmigrated to Britain this time?"
Alvin asked suddenly.
"According to the Political Affairs Department's immediate tally—around 300 or so. But it's possible some are hiding the fact that they're transmigrators,"
Touko replied, her voice taking on a vaguely seductive tone.
This current transmigration to ancient Britain, though extremely dangerous, also brought massive opportunity.
In fact, transmigration didn't start today.
Scattered incidents had already begun appearing at the Clock Tower several months ago.
At first, the higher-ups didn't take it seriously.
It wasn't until this mass transmigration event involving so many students that the leadership finally grasped the scale of the issue, prompting them to call in someone like Aozaki Touko.
"But something still feels off," Touko murmured as she continued enjoying the massage. Beneath her skirt, her black-stockinged foot idly hooked one high heel and swayed it playfully.
"Why has King Arthur's attitude toward transmigrators changed so suddenly?"
"From what I know, the initial policy in ancient Britain was to indiscriminately capture all transmigrators."
This woman might be a bit of a recluse, but she's sharp as hell… Alvin thought, and said aloud, "Maybe King Arthur figured out that things couldn't go on like that."
"After all, if the trend continues, the number of transmigrators in ancient Britain will only grow. Trying to block them all off is pointless. King Arthur surely understands that."
"I get that… but I also heard Morgan le Fay personally went to the palace recently. And didn't she and King Arthur engage in a full-blown battle using God-Age magecraft?"
"Morgan, who had disappeared for years… why did she just happen to return to the palace at this exact time—right when so many transmigrators are arriving? Could the two events be connected?"
Alvin kept a calm expression.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence?"
"But if it isn't a coincidence," Aozaki Touko said slowly, "then I have a theory."
"I've heard that Morgan has been conducting experiments to revive the White Dragon, right?"
"I'm wondering… could it be that there's someone among the transmigrators she's specifically looking for?
For example, a descendant of the White Dragon… a transmigrator who carries the White Dragon's core?"
"…"
Silence stretched between them.
It wasn't until some time had passed that Alvin finally broke it with a seemingly casual tone:
"A descendant of the White Dragon… Even if someone like that exists, the transmigrators are scattered all over the world. Wouldn't finding them be like looking for a needle in a haystack?"
However, hearing her words, a faint, alluring smile curled at Touko's lips.
"Alvin, then let me ask you—why do you think Morgan le Fay, who has been working on the White Dragon's revival plan for years, would suddenly return to the palace at all costs, even facing King Arthur and the entire Round Table alone?"
"The answer's simple…"
"The person Morgan is looking for… might have already been in the palace at the time."
A soft glint passed through Aozaki Touko's beautiful eyes.
"There were soul-transmigrated individuals in Camelot.
According to our intelligence, among those who physically transmigrated and were present in the palace at that time, there were only four people."
"Reines. Gray. Kayneth… and you."
Alvin remained outwardly composed, but his heart surged with violent waves.
He had always known Touko was frightening, but to deduce this much so quickly, she really was an absolute genius of monstrous caliber...
However...
Knock knock.
Just then, a knock came from the door.
Normally, no one would dare approach Touko's private workshop, who could it be now?
Alvin instinctively withdrew the hand that had been massaging her shoulders.
"I called the other three over as well," Touko said, glancing at him knowingly. "Once we complete the mana testing, we'll know whether my guess is correct."
Mana testing?!
The White Dragon's mana was extraordinarily unique. If they went through with this test… Touko would likely notice it right away.
As Alvin's mind raced with thoughts, the door to the cabin was pushed open.
"Alvin?"
The first figure to enter was Kayneth, his signature slicked-back blond hair and sharp gaze sweeping the room.
He looked at Touko reclining lazily on the couch, then at his own disciple, frowning slightly.
"What are you doing here?"
"I called him here in advance," Touko said smoothly.
At this moment, she had already put her glasses back on, regaining her usual gentle and elegant persona.
She stood up, then retrieved a pre-prepared white puppet.
"I'll have to trouble the four of you. Please channel your mana into this puppet one at a time. If there's anything abnormal about the magical energy, the puppet will react immediately."
The latter didn't hesitate, and as he reached out and touched the puppet, a soft, silvery glow radiated from its surface, then quickly faded.
"As expected of the El-Melloi family's genius. Your capabilities seem to have improved even more since last time," Touko said with a light smile.
Kayneth let out a sharp hum. "Coming from you, Miss Aozaki, that compliment is more irritating than flattering."
A Grand Caster calling a Color-Ranked magus a genius... somehow it just didn't feel like praise.
As the two spoke, Reines also stepped forward and placed her hand on the puppet.
Being of the same lineage, her magic circuits were naturally quite similar to Kenneth's.
Touko observed for a moment and nodded. "Not bad. The El-Melloi family seems to have a bright future ahead."
"…Hmm?"
Just as Touko was speaking, Gray had already stepped up.
As her delicate hand touched the puppet, she quietly channeled mana into her circuits.
And in that moment, the puppet emitted a surge of unusual magical energy…
"What's going on?" Kenneth asked.
Touko narrowed her eyes, her voice low and meaningful.
"This girl's circuits are… quite unique."
Gray, huh...
These circuits were completely unlike anything Touko had seen before.
…Could it be her?
Touko set aside the thought and turned to the boy who had been silent and still the whole time.
"Alvin. You're next."