Shinji Matou at Your Service

The foundation of the train comes from two aspects.

First, the Mystic Eyes. Each Mystic Eye possesses unique powers. The ones that are auctioned off are just a small portion; most are stored in the train's special warehouse, Pandemonium Room. If used properly, they could become a terrifying force.

Everyone believes the train possesses this ability—if it can perform risk-free extraction and transplantation, merely using them should be a trivial task.

Second, the owner of the train. The train's owner, Rita Rozay-en, is one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, with formidable strength. Though she hasn't appeared on the train for a long time, no one can ignore her presence.

It's no exaggeration to say that the Mystic Eyes Collection Train is a true den of dragons and tigers, so dangerous that no matter how much Waver prepares, he still feels uneasy and has no choice but to ask Shinji for help.

"Can you accompany me to the Mystic Eyes Collection Train?"

"No problem. When do we leave?"

When it comes to Iskandar's relic, Shinji didn't hesitate. Besides, someone he is particularly interested in will appear on the train this time, and a series of interesting events are bound to happen—he can't miss it.

Hearing Shinji's agreement, Waver finally tugged at his tie and took a long breath.

"Three days later, at midnight, the old train station in the suburbs—"

"What did you say?"

However, before Waver could finish, Shinji sitting opposite suddenly clutched his forehead and exclaimed in shock, his deep blue pupils rapidly filling with gold.

"Damn it, what are the odds?"

"What happened?"

Waver's expression changed slightly as he asked in a serious tone.

As the golden light faded from his eyes, Shinji lost his usual confidence, replaced by worry and apology.

"I just received a message from Arcueid. The Forest of Einnashe is about to appear."

"The Forest of Einnashe... the Seventh Dead Apostle Ancestor..."

Waver frowned. Although he didn't know how Shinji got this information, he could see that Shinji wasn't lying and that the Seventh Ancestor had an extraordinary significance to him.

"Do you have to go?"

"I have to go. The Forest of Einnashe appears only once every few decades. If I miss this chance, who knows when the next one will come? It doesn't matter to me, but Arcueid can't wait—her bloodlust has grown so severe that she has to seal herself away to control it. To relieve this impulse without resorting to bloodsucking, that Crimson Moon Fruit is essential."

He had promised Arcueid to explore Mooncell with her.

He had promised Arcueid to see the world with her.

He had promised Arcueid that he wouldn't let her sleep in loneliness.

He had promised Arcueid that they would kill Roa together.

He had to obtain that Crimson Moon Fruit, even if it meant breaking his word, apologizing, or being scolded by Waver for being untrustworthy.

"I'm sorry, Waver. I know that relic is important to you, but the matter with Einnashe can't be delayed."

Seeing Shinji's firm stance, what else could Waver say? He wasn't a spoiled child who thought the world should revolve around him—he had no choice but to accept reality.

"I understand; there's nothing we can do. We both have tasks we must complete, so let's do our best."

"Yes, let's both do our best."

This attitude was what Shinji appreciated most.

"I'll be heading back now. There's not much time, and I need to prepare—"

"Wait, don't be in such a hurry. I can't go with you, but that doesn't mean I can't help."

"Really?"

Hearing this, Waver's face lit up. When Shinji first refused, his mood plummeted, but now it seemed there was a silver lining.

"Of course," Shinji said with a smile.

"How can you help?"

"That depends on your plan—I just checked, and the invitation is limited to three people. If it weren't for the Einnashe incident, it would be simple: you, me, and Gray could handle anything, even if Rita Rozay-en herself showed up. But since there's a scheduling conflict and I can't go, we'll need to find a replacement. First, let's rule out the lecturers; those guys are all seasoned veterans, and bringing them might result in them shirking their duties. We can't take the security personnel hired by the department either—they're suspects until the relic theft is solved. That leaves only the students. Flat's gone back to Monaco, so he's out of the picture for now."

Monaco was Flat's hometown, and rumor had it that some family issues forced him to return.

"Svin has just been promoted to rank, and he's got a pile of troubles waiting for him."

Rank is proof of status—the higher the rank, the more privileges one has in the Clock Tower, and the more complicated the procedures for promotion. Svin's promotion to rank was manageable, but when Kayneth was promoted to Grand rank, it took him a full month to deal with everything.

"The remaining candidates—Pentel Sisters and Roland Berzinsky—aren't bad, but they're not quite as strong as those two."

These three names were also well-known students in the El-Melloi classroom, especially the Pentel Sisters. Their peculiar personalities and the unique synchronization of their magical energies as twins made them stand out wherever they went, giving Waver plenty of headaches.

"However, I don't recommend taking them. Their tendency to cause trouble is proportional to their strength—it's too easy for something unexpected to happen. You might not find the relic, but you'll run into conflicts with other passengers."

"..."

Waver was speechless, his stomach churning—why were all his students so troublesome?

"Then who do you suggest?"

"The new student seems well-behaved, right? He's not bad. You even taught him the Baghdad Battery technique, and Reines scolded you for it."

The Baghdad Battery, or the primitive battery, is a secret magecraft of the Galliasta family. It wasn't meant to be taught to outsiders. Unfortunately, during the recent Iselma incident, the technique was deciphered and improved by the human-shaped universal CPU, Flat, who then turned in his results as homework to Waver.

Waver casually inquired at headquarters and found that this magecraft hadn't been patented, so he combined Flat's work with his theories, actualized it, and taught it to a promising new student with exceptional aptitude for current magecraft.

The reason Reines scolded Waver was that he had violated a taboo again. For magi, the secrets of their magecraft are as valuable as their lives. Not patenting the magecraft wasn't due to its insignificance but because patenting would spread the knowledge among magi. Secrecy itself is more important than small privileges.

Deciphering someone else's magecraft is an affront to magcraft and an insult to the generations of a magus family who refined that magecraft. Being killed for it wouldn't be surprising. Reines had scolded Waver more than once, telling him to restrain himself, but Waver not only ignored her but also escalated the situation by directly copying and teaching the results to others. If Atrum found out, a war would be inevitable.