Magical User Aozaki Aoko Case Files Chapter 169

The girl, who called herself Ciel, began to recount a tragic tale in a rigid tone: a poor girl possessed by a vampire, who then slaughtered all the townspeople.

While Ciel—Alesia herself—showed little emotional fluctuation during the narration, her assistant standing beside her was trembling, clearly in great pain, which Aoko immediately noticed.

“This child is Noel,” Ciel said, “She is from my hometown. During the time I was possessed by Roa, she was the only one in the entire town who coincidentally survived.”

“Six years ago, on Christmas Eve, our town was chosen by Roa to be the site of a certain ritual,” Ciel explained, “After Roa gained complete control of my body, he began to slaughter the villagers as sacrifices for the ritual.”

“However, Roa was not the only Dead Apostle involved in the slaughter of all the villagers,” Ciel said, frowning, “Besides him, several of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors arrived to participate in the massacre.”

“Eventually, the Nineteenth Ancestor, who held a grudge against Roa, arrived at the ritual site,” Ciel continued, “In his fury, he unleashed his Marble Phantasm, freezing the entire town, killing Roa—and me, thus ending the nightmare.”

“Interesting,” Touko raised an eyebrow, “So your current state, is it Roa’s doppelganger?”

“As expected of the Third Magician…” Ciel’s smile was somewhat forlorn, “That’s right, the reason I’m alive is because Roa didn’t die, so the world ‘believed’ that my body shouldn’t die either.”

“Then,” Aoko spoke, “Why did you say inviting us was your personal decision?”

“Because compared to Roa, the Holy Church and the Burial Agency care more about the Twenty-Seven Ancestors,” Ciel explained, “And Noel and I only seek revenge on Roa, that’s the reason.”

“I want the two of you to help us eliminate the ‘Ancestors” interference and attract the Holy Church’s attention while we hunt Roa.”

“From what you’re saying, the Holy Church sent others besides the two of you?” Aoko asked in surprise. In her ‘previous life’ memories, she didn’t know much about the detailed situation of the Church.

“That’s right,” Ciel nodded, “Originally there weren’t any, but after learning of the arrival of the Nineteenth Ancestor and several other Ancestors, the Cardinal Council sent more people, hoping to at least eliminate a few Ancestors.”

“Furthermore, without your help, Noel and I might be drawn into the hunt for the ‘Ancestors,’ which would prevent us from dealing with Roa.”

“Who did the Holy Church send?” Touko inquired.

“Mario Gallo Bestino,” Ciel said, “Besides him, Merem Solomon of the Burial Agency also came, but his purpose differs from Father Mario’s acting purpose; he is here to assist the True Ancestor princess.”

“He decided to act after hearing the news that the Twenty-Seven Ancestors were going to hunt the White Princess, didn’t he?” Aoko said, crossing her arms, “Hahaha, how should I comment on this? Is he a loyal old retainer entrusted by Crimson Moon?”

“I will not comment on Lord Merem’s motives,” Ciel shook her head, “But as a result, his actions are beneficial to Noel and me, but he alone is not enough.”

“Besides Frolov Arkhangel, how many other Ancestors have come to Japan?” Touko asked, “We will charge different prices depending on the number of Ancestors, you know~”

“First, there’s the White Wing Lord, Tepeum Ortenrosse,” Ciel didn’t hold back, speaking openly, “He is a typical Dead Apostle King, holding animosity towards both Brunestud sisters. This hunt was also instigated by him.”

“And the first to respond to the White Wing Lord’s call was Kromkley Petastruccher,” Ciel’s expression grew more serious, with a hint of anger, “Kromkley was one of the main culprits who massacred my and Noel’s town back then.”

“What is his ability?” Aoko inquired.

“Kromkley Petastruccher’s Marble Phantasm is [Castle, i.e., Kingdom],” Ciel explained, extending her right index finger, “He possesses a Reality Marble capable of containing a city about thirty kilometers in diameter, which he can deploy at a target location.”

“Once deployed, everything inside and outside the castle’s range is completely isolated, and he has complete control and surveillance capabilities within the castle,” Ciel continued, “Back in our hometown, most of the small town residents died from their blood being drained by this Marble Phantasm. He is one of my targets for revenge.”

Aoko nodded and exchanged glances with Touko. This Ancestor’s Marble Phantasm was very interesting; perhaps it could be used as a vacation fortress.

Aoko was actually a bit surprised to learn that Roa was about to resurrect in 1992, because in both the original Tsukihime timeline and the Tsukihime R timeline, this point in time was too early; even Shiki Nanaya and Akiha Tohno hadn’t grown up yet.

But it seemed Roa himself had advanced his reincarnation time for some reason, so Ciel and Arcueid Brunestud, upon learning of Roa’s impending reincarnation, began to act, thereby attracting other Dead Apostle Ancestors.

“Besides the White Wing Lord and Kromkley, Nero Chaos may also have come to Japan, but I can’t confirm it at the moment,” Ciel said, “He is Roa’s ally and was likely summoned by the soon-to-be-resurrected Roa.”

“That Magus of the Wandering Sea?” Aoko exclaimed in surprise, “How did that guy become a Dead Apostle?”

Aoko was very surprised that Chaldea was still under construction, but Phoebus Lowell had become Nero Chaos. Wasn’t that guy killed early in the Tsukihime R story?

“The specific reason is unclear,” Ciel shook her head, “But based on existing intelligence, it’s speculated that one of his research projects involved Roa, and he then became a special Dead Apostle Ancestor known as the ‘Chaos Legion’.”

“Actually, not many people can link Nero Chaos and Phoebus Lowell,” Ciel said with a hint of curiosity, “Does Miss Blue have any cooperation with the Wandering Sea?”

“No,” Aoko shook her head, denying it, “I don’t know him personally, but an acquaintance of mine might have cooperation with the Wandering Sea, so I’ve heard about him.”

“Is that so…” Ciel said, “These are the Ancestors mentioned in the information I’ve received, but it doesn’t rule out more Ancestors coming just for the excitement.”

“Dealing with these guys shouldn’t be a problem,” Aoko said easily, “Now, it’s time for us to discuss the compensation in detail, isn’t it?”