Alvin reached out and lightly touched the surface of the magical doll.
At the sa ti, the gazes of the people present instinctively turned to the boy.
There was a glimr of interest in Aozaki Touko's eyes. After all, the main reason she had once wanted to take Alvin as a disciple was precisely because of his unique magic circuits.
In her opinion, if Alvin studied seriously, he could at least reach the rank of "typical" magus in the future… perhaps even the "color" rank was not impossible.
She wondered, after these years of training, just how far had his strength co?
Aozaki Touko wasn't the only one holding expectations, so was Kayneth, standing to the side.
The man stood with his hands behind his back, calmly observing the boy. Despite his composed expression, he too was secretly curious.
This magical doll served not only to test a magus's magic circuits, but also to see whether the test subject's magical power had progressed.
He too cared deeply, just how far had Alvin co under his tutelage?
At the sa mont, within the 'lantern' in Gray's hand, a 'creature' was also staring in Alvin's direction.
This was a magical artifact the girl nad Gray had brought from her village.
Add—its full na was Rhongomyniad.
That is, the Holy Lance of King Arthur.
From the mont it first saw Alvin, Add had already sensed that the aura on him was sowhat different from ordinary people.
"This kid definitely has sothing wrong with him…"
Add murmured secretly to itself, eyes also filled with anticipation as it looked toward the boy.
Reines subconsciously glanced at her brother, deeply worried by the solemn expressions of the two Clock Tower Lords present.
Though she didn't understand Aozaki Touko's purpose, the fact that this Grand Magus had been stirred… it must an sothing very significant.
So far, after the three of them had gone through testing, Aozaki Touko hadn't shown much reaction… only when facing Gray did she reveal a trace of curiosity and concern.
…What reaction would Alvin provoke?
Thinking this, Reines's gaze unknowingly turned toward the boy—just in ti to see him reach out and lightly touch the surface of the magical doll.
His magic circuits quietly activated!
In an instant, an incredibly gentle light lit up on the doll's surface.
That light quickly coated the room in a silver radiance, like moonlight.
"Roughly at the 'Opening Rank,' huh?"
Aozaki Touko murmured as though unsurprised, "That's so decent progress."
Kayneth raised his eyebrows slightly, also not particularly surprised.
Although Alvin's magical talent couldn't compare to his own, he was still his disciple… with his guidance, it was only natural that Alvin had now reached the "Opening Rank."
But now, all four of them had been tested, and there still wasn't any clue about the "White Dragon"… Could Aozaki have guessed wrong?
Kayneth and Aozaki exchanged glances, and the latter unconsciously furrowed her brows.
It shouldn't be…
According to the intelligence she had, Morgan le Fay heading to the royal palace had to be related to the White Dragon… and with the recent massive arrival of transmigrators in Britain, there had to be so connection between the two.
Could she really have guessed wrong?
Or perhaps… it was her?
Aozaki Touko's gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally to the silver-haired girl.
Magic circuits, one could say they were a magus's second life.
From the mont a magus is born, the rank of their circuits is already determined.
Maguses, in a certain sense, are also fraudsters, disguising themselves is second nature.
Because of that, Aozaki Touko never believed her own eyes.
She identified people typically through the observation of their magic circuits.
However, Gray's magic circuits… were just far too special.
It was simply unlike anything from the modern era… more like a magus who had crossed over from the Age of Gods.
At the very least, Gray's magic circuits indeed shared quite a few similarities with the ancient magic circuits known from the Age of Gods.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned sowhat eerie and silent.
Crack.
At that mont, a faint, barely audible cracking sound echoed through the silent workshop.
It was the sound of the doll breaking.
Thump, thump!
A deep heartbeat resonated from Alvin's chest.
The magic circuits within his body quietly lit up with a black glow.
—White Dragon Core!
He was rely standing in front of the magical doll, and yet, the aura surrounding him had beco so violently chaotic that even the air itself felt distorted, as if it were affecting everyone present.
Aozaki Touko seed to sense sothing, her gaze quickly shifted away from Gray and turned with surprise to study the direction where Alvin stood.
The magical doll was cracking…?
How is that possible?
Aozaki Touko quickly stepped forward and asked, "What's going on?"
One had to understand—the reason this was called a test doll was because it could withstand and absorb a vast amount of magical energy, and then discharge it through a specialized system...
Even if Aozaki Touko herself had participated in today's special test, this doll still wouldn't have been damaged.
But when the woman reached out and lightly touched the surface of the doll, she quickly noticed a fine crack along it.
From within that crack, a faint trace of magical energy was quietly seeping out…
Unlike ordinary magical energy, that wisp of mana appeared almost tangible, black in color, deep and mysterious.
Was the damage caused by an inability to withstand that magic?
Even during the Age of Gods, such magic was exceedingly rare...
Could it have been caused by that girl nad Gray just now?
No… Gray's magic circuits, while unique, couldn't possibly produce magical energy of this magnitude.
Besides, the one being tested just now wasn't Gray—
Boom!
As if suddenly realizing sothing, Aozaki Touko's pupils beneath her glasses slowly widened, her eyes filled with disbelief as she turned to look at Alvin.
Kayneth had a similar reaction, his expression changed subtly, and he instinctively glanced toward Alvin.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but he still suppressed his inner astonishnt and said, "Reines, Gray—you two wait by the door for ."
The two girls exchanged glances and saw the confusion in each other's eyes, but in the end, they still left the magical workshop.
As she passed by Alvin, Gray subconsciously glanced at him, a trace of worry in her eyes.
Although she didn't know what had happened, the girl faintly sensed that Aozaki Touko seed to be looking for soone specific.
Facing the girl's worried gaze, Alvin simply gave her a gentle smile, and mouthed sothing silently.
What he said was… Don't worry.
Gray paused slightly, suddenly rembering the day she first arrived at the Clock Tower.
The boy had also spoken to her with the sa smile.
Blackmoore Village, the place where Gray had been born.
Unlike the other girls from there, she should have grown up in obscurity and led an ordinary life, yet the villagers treated her as the reincarnation of King Arthur, worshiping her like a deity.
Because of her appearance, Gray had always felt fear and dread.
From the mont she was born, every day of her life had been planned and laid out for her, as if her entire fate had already been decided.
It was then that Kayneth ca to the village and brought her to the Clock Tower.
And when Alvin saw her for the first ti, he had said sothing very similar:
"Don't worry… Everyone at the Clock Tower is friendly. And even if not, you still have ."
His smile had been especially warm.
And he had truly lived up to his promise… No matter the ti, whenever she needed him, Alvin was always there.
Gray's expression gradually relaxed, and as the girl closed the door to the magical workshop, silence returned to the room.
"You really gave a huge surprise, Alvin."
Only after a long while did Aozaki Touko calm her inner shock.
She turned her head toward the boy, and there was a clear glimr of amazent in her eyes.
"...That just now—was that the White Dragon Core?"
Alvin nodded lightly, admitting it without hesitation.
"I rember your magic circuits weren't like this before… Did the change happen recently?"
This ti, it was Kayneth who spoke.
Even as a Lord of the Clock Tower, he hadn't anticipated that Alvin's magic circuits would actually mutate.
He clearly rembered, when he first accepted Alvin as his disciple, the boy's circuits weren't like this.
"It's probably related to the recent matter of transmigration, right?"
Aozaki Touko speculated aloud, then glanced at the boy with a faint and quiet look. "If the higher-ups at the Clock Tower find out… you'll beco an extrely rare test subject."
Magic circuits were sothing determined at birth for a magus.
If soone's circuits could still mutate after growing up… they would definitely attract unwanted attention.
Not to ntion, Alvin was likely a descendant of that white dragon.
The Clock Tower would even have perfectly legitimate grounds to place him under a "Designated Seal" in the future.
"But for now, only the three of us are here. "Alvin smiled. "If I can't trust even you and Professor Kayneth, then I suppose there's no one left at the Clock Tower I can trust."
This was sothing Alvin had already considered during the testing earlier.
What Aozaki Touko could guess, the upper echelon of the Clock Tower surely wouldn't miss either.
Rather than waiting until they noticed sothing and ca knocking, it was better to prepare a response in advance.
Aozaki Touko was far too intelligent, and, having been betrayed before, especially sensitive.
If she were to find out about this in the future, she would undoubtedly take offense.
Instead of letting that happen, it was better to be upfront and let her know now.
After all, Alvin had inherited the character panel from the ga.
Even though magical energy in the modern era was thin, the White Dragon Core was still the White Dragon Core.
If the Clock Tower eventually realized his anomaly, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to escape.
Besides… with both Aozaki Touko and Kayneth, two of the Clock Tower's top authorities, right here, there was no need to flee in the first place.
The boy's calm and open attitude caught the woman off guard for a mont.
For soone like her, who had once been betrayed by her entire family, "trust" was an extravagant concept, or rather, sothing she had stopped believing in altogether.
And yet, in this mont, she saw unconditional trust in the eyes of this boy directed at her.
"Alvin, I've told you before… a magus's mindset is different from that of normal humans. Never try to trust any magus." Kayneth's tone was heavy as he spoke slowly: "The person you trust may one day push you into the deepest abyss."
Alvin fell silent.
Everyone understood that reasoning, but whether one could truly act on it was another matter.
The teacher who had ntored him likely never imagined that the words he uttered today would one day strike directly at his own fate during the Holy Grail War.
His arrogance, coupled with betrayal by the woman he loved, would ultimately lead this Lord to a tragic death in the war.
Of course, in that tiline, Alvin hadn't existed… But now that he did, he naturally planned to alter the course of that future.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Alvin saw Kayneth point toward the door.
Alvin seed to catch on:
"You're asking to set up a barrier so our conversation won't be overheard?"
Kayneth gave him a faint glance.
"I'm telling you to leave as well."
"…"
Kayneth was good at many things—but his temper?
Not one of them… Alvin grumbled internally and silently walked out of the magical workshop.
At the door, Reines imdiately approached him, her tone carrying a trace of concern and curiosity.
"Alvin, what did they say to you?"
Gray was also looking at him. She didn't speak, but it was clear she cared just as much.
Alvin paused for a mont, then replied, "Professor Kayneth just realized I'm unusually talented, so he and Miss Aozaki are now discussing how to train the next heir to the Clock Tower…"
Reines rolled her eyes at him.
"Fine, don't say if you don't want to."
She'd only asked out of worry. Now that she saw he still had the energy to joke, she felt much more at ease.
On the other side, Gray looked to Alvin with a questioning gaze, and the latter simply gave her a gentle smile.
"Don't worry," he said softly.
.
.
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Inside the Magic Workshop.
Kayneth turned his head to look at the woman, whose classical and gentle deanor stood out.
Under the soft lighting, her long orange hair shimred with a radiant luster. She lightly pressed her lips together, as if nothing had happened monts ago.
"What do you plan to do next?"
After a brief silence, Kayneth spoke slowly.
"Going upstairs to report it?"
Both of them were high-ranking mbers of the Clock Tower, and the mont they saw the test doll break, they already understood the implications.
"If I were going to report it, I wouldn't still be sitting here talking to you."
Aozaki Touko's voice was exceptionally soft and pleasant. "But I really didn't expect it… My initial guess turned out to be correct.
To cause the test doll to break in an instant—only a descendant of the White Dragon could do that, right?"
Ever since Morgan entered the royal palace, the higher-ups of both the Clock Tower and the major magical families had been speculating about her motives.
But who would've thought… Morgan le Fay's real goal might simply be a child.
Even if they said it out loud, no one would probably believe it.
"What about you? What do you plan to do?" Aozaki Touko suddenly asked.
Kayneth gave a cold snort. "Alvin is my disciple. If I can't even protect my own student, then I may as well give up the title of Lord of the El-lloi family."
For soone as arrogant as Kayneth, protecting Alvin wasn't just about their teacher-student bond—it was about nobility, and the honor of the entire family.
To sever ties with Alvin now, just to protect himself after learning that the boy's magic circuits resembled the White Dragon's… for a man whose pride was etched into his very bones, that was simply unthinkable.
Aozaki Touko cradled the black coffee in her hands and took a small sip.
Soon, she gave a soft smile.
"If this gets exposed, you won't be able to protect him."
Kayneth frowned. "As long as you don't say anything—"
"What I can guess, the other high-ups at the Clock Tower will figure out sooner or later."
Aozaki Touko cut him off lightly. "Morgan's trip to the palace, Alvin's magic circuits—these things are bound to be exposed."
"You have a plan?" Kayneth picked up on her composed and calm attitude.
"It's very simple." The woman took off her glasses and smiled brightly, radiantly: "Hand Alvin over to ."
"In other words, I'll be Alvin's teacher from now on—"
"Absolutely not!" Kayneth rejected her on the spot.
In fact, Aozaki Touko had already tried to ask for Alvin once before, but had been flatly refused by the Lord of the Mineralogy Departnt.
And now… she was bringing it up again.
Aozaki Touko's smile didn't waver. "Then let's switch to a different proposal."
"I've always been very interested in his magic circuits. From now on, halve the ti you spend teaching Alvin—and let him co help out at my magical workshop during that half."
"Even if Alvin's identity is exposed in the future, this will serve as a warning to the other higher-ups as well."
It would tell them that behind Alvin wasn't just Kayneth, his teacher—but Aozaki Touko as well.
Without a doubt, this was already the most perfect proposal, and Aozaki Touko had even made concessions.
Yet Kayneth still felt a bit frustrated.
Wasn't this just another way of making Alvin her half-disciple?
First, she proposed that over-the-top idea of taking Alvin as her student.
After being rejected, she imdiately followed up with a more "compromising" alternative.
It was obvious that she had planned this from the very beginning.
Everything Aozaki Touko had said just now had been to build up to this final line.
And yet, Kayneth couldn't even refuse.
Much as he hated to admit it, this woman's involvent would indeed be a significant layer of protection.
Alvin really has given a headache this ti... Kayneth rubbed his brow. "Fine... I accept."
Aozaki Touko gave a gentle smile.
"One more thing—about that test doll. I just made it recently, and it cost quite a bit in magical materials…"
Kayneth naturally understood the industry rules.
As the Lord of the Departnt of Mineralogy, he was wealthy enough not to care about such a cost.
He nodded slightly and said calmly, "Calculate the price. I'll have soone pay the compensation."
"Fifty million euros. Thank you for your patronage," Aozaki Touko said with a smile.
Kayneth's calm expression froze for a mont.
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