Chapitre 60: Chapter 60: Bazett
First of all i would like to apologize for the late chapter, i got a complete set of viral sickness such as fever, headache, flu, stomach ache, ngl, all my stool is water, i think i eat something wrong. Anyway, this chapter is unedited, i do edit it, but not too much only the obvious one, the headache is killing meee omg. As a compensation, ill do a double chapter and will edit shi if my health is a little bit better.
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Early the next morning, Li Xiang arrived at the Law Enforcement Department. He made his way to Hishiri Adashino's office on the first floor. After knocking on the door and hearing no response, he tried the handle—it was locked.
"Is she standing me up?" Li Xiang muttered as he pulled out his phone and dialed.
"Captain, I'm outside your office."
"You're up this early on a Sunday? Don't you know that late nights and early mornings are a woman's worst enemies?" Hishiri Adashino replied with a yawn.
Li Xiang began to wonder if he had called the wrong person—her tone sounded more like Illyana than the usually composed captain.
"Wait there. I'll be over soon," she added.
"Alright." Li Xiang hung up and waited.
A few minutes later, Hishiri Adashino appeared, dressed in her usual kimono and glasses but looking a bit tired. 'Did she not sleep well?' Li Xiang thought as he followed her into the office.
Once inside, Hishiri Adashino sat down at her desk and gestured for Li Xiang to take a seat on the sofa.
"The ruins expedition went quite well, and your contributions are obvious. You can request any reward you have in mind," she said.
"I was wondering, if the reward I request exceeds my contributions, does that mean I won't be able to claim it?" Li Xiang asked.
"Naturally," Hishiri Adashino replied, resting her chin on her hands. "Equivalent exchange is the principle of magi."
"I have a somewhat excessive request, so I'd like to defer claiming my reward for now."
"An excessive request?" There was a hint of curiosity in Hishiri Adashino's eyes. After spending some time with Li Xiang, she had come to understand him as a calm and collected individual. A faint smile appeared on her face. "How excessive are we talking? There are few things the Law Enforcement Department would consider too much."
Li Xiang remained silent. He was thinking about the Holy Grail War. Asking for a spot in that event now would be difficult to explain. It would be better to wait until the right opportunity presented itself.
"It wouldn't make sense to bring it up now," Li Xiang finally said.
Hishiri Adashino didn't press further. After a brief pause, she seemed to recall something. "If you're looking to accumulate merit, I have a mission available. Would you be interested?"
'Why does this sound so familiar?' Li Xiang thought to himself. 'Captain, are you moonlighting as a quest giver in a video game?'
"What mission?" he asked, trying to suppress a smile.
"It's a collaborative mission. Within the Mage's Association, some departments are understaffed or too busy, so they send out requests for assistance from other departments. Naturally, there's compensation involved," Hishiri Adashino explained, crossing her arms as her tone became more serious. "Do you know about the Sealing Designation Enforcers?"
Li Xiang's face remained impassive as he nodded. "I've heard of the infamous Sealing Designation Enforcers."
"A bunch of dangerous battle maniacs," Hishiri Adashino said with a raised brow. "Even the Law Enforcement Department doesn't like dealing with them, but the reward for this mission is tempting."
'So, they're offering something too good to pass up?' Li Xiang glanced at her. "If it's the Sealing Designation Enforcers, why do they need our help?"
"They completed a Sealing Designation, but an unexpected complication arose, and now they're short-handed."
"Are you sure you're not sending me to my death?" Li Xiang chuckled nervously. "With my level of strength, I don't think I can handle something like this."
"You won't be going alone," Hishiri Adashino reassured him, rubbing her forehead as though still weary from the previous night. "Late last night, the Sealing Designation Enforcers sent an urgent request, and I've already dispatched Pascal with a team."
'Late night?' Li Xiang glanced at her, noting her fatigue. 'No wonder she seems exhausted.'
"If Pascal's handling it, why are you asking me to go?" Li Xiang asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Because the reward is good." Hishiri Adashino flashed a sly smile. "It was Saturday night, and Pascal only gathered ten people. They didn't specify a limit on how many could assist, so I'm sending more reinforcements to demonstrate the Law Enforcement Department's cooperation."
'She's quite the strategist.' Li Xiang raised an eyebrow. "What kind of reward is the Sealing Designation Enforcers offering to make you so eager?"
"Your job will be to escort a certain Elisa Verdi, an alchemist. You should understand what it means for the Sealing Designation Enforcers to protect a magus."
"It means she possesses extremely rare talents," Li Xiang said, his eyes narrowing.
"Exactly. And as compensation, they've offered us elixirs crafted by her."
Li Xiang's eyes lit up. His first thought went to his magecraft crest. 'This is an opportunity I can't miss!'
"How does that sound? Tempting, right?" Hishiri Adashino added, sweetening the deal. "And the Sealing Designation Enforcer leading the mission is Bazett Fraga McRemitz."
Bazett—known as the most powerful Sealing Designation Enforcer of all time, a Master in the Fifth Holy Grail War, and a descendant of the Red Branch Knights, the heroic order once led by Cú Chulainn. She wielded godly relics, possessed exceptional magecraft and combat skills, and was renowned for her ability to fight Heroic Spirits head-on. She was called a "human weapon."
Li Xiang took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll take the mission."
"You'll need to catch the West Coast Line from London Station and meet up with Pascal in Oxenholme," Hishiri Adashino instructed.
"Understood! Anything else, Captain? If not, I'll head out now."
"No, that's all."
As Li Xiang left, Hishiri Adashino's expression shifted. Once he was out of sight, she picked up her phone and spoke with a more respectful tone.
"Lord Barthomeloi, I've assigned the escort mission to Li Xiang, as you instructed."
"Good," came the calm voice from the other end.
"But didn't you say earlier that he should focus on his studies at the Clock Tower?" Hishiri Adashino asked, puzzled.
"I've reviewed your report on the Morgan le Fay ruins."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Hishiri Adashino furrowed her brow, trying to recall if there had been something noteworthy in her report.
"He recognized a *Primordial Rune* from the Age of the Gods."
"Li Xiang mentioned that Lord El-Melloi II gave him special permission to view certain tomes in the library. Doesn't that explain it?"
"No. That particular rune does not exist in the Clock Tower's records. Even Aozaki Touko's reconstructed *Primordial Runes* don't include it."
"They don't?" Hishiri Adashino's voice rose in surprise.
"Someone taught him a *Primordial Rune* right under our noses," the voice said with a tinge of amusement.
"Is this mission a way to test him? Why not just use enchantment magic like last time to question him directly?" Hishiri Adashino inquired.
A faint chuckle came through the phone. "This mission is quite interesting. Aozaki Touko seems to be in Oxenholme as well. And as long as Li Xiang is under the protection of the Law Enforcement Department, certain vermin will hesitate to act."
"Isn't this a bit dangerous?" Hishiri Adashino asked, her thoughts turning to the potential risks of a second-rank mage getting involved in high-level conflicts.
"Aozaki Touko may have a harsh temperament, but she won't harm someone weaker than her. Besides, Waver knows her well enough to keep him safe—as long as Li Xiang doesn't do anything foolish.
The Sealing Designation Enforcers will be handling the mission. If anything goes wrong, they'll be the ones taking the brunt of it. Your main priority is to safeguard Elisa Verdi. If things get too dangerous, retreat immediately.
And with Bazett on the job, even though she's classified as second-rank, she's someone that even top-tier mages find troublesome. As for the vermin... hmph! I'll make sure they understand that even after hiding for millennia, they remain nothing more than ghosts under my magecraft."
"After all, it's foretold..." Hishiri Adashino began.
"Watch your words!" Barthomeloi interrupted sharply, though there was unmistakable amusement in her voice. "Those fools think they know everything, that all is within their grasp. But I intend to make sure they know nothing."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone