[FDJ]Chapter 80: Nightfall Descends

The girl who had let slip the words she shouldn't have immediately realized her mistake, but everyone present was now focused on the astonishing revelation made by Aphaf.

"Magic circuits spread throughout my body? Is there a problem? Can't my Master possess exceptional magical talent?" Rider Eleanor appeared somewhat angry. She wasn't particularly tolerant, and Suzuki was her current Master. It made her feel extremely displeased when someone said in front of her that her Master wasn't human.

"Rider, let her finish speaking. I..." Suzuki had heard similar words from others before, but this was the first time the source of the problem was directly pointed out. Abnormal magic circuits? Was that the reason he couldn't freely use magecraft?

Saladin exchanged a glance with Aphaf, signaling her to continue speaking. From his perspective, Suzuki Yuki simply had an indescribable peculiarity. At a glance, he appeared no different from an ordinary person, but Saladin's divination could detect that Suzuki Yuki had a higher magical energy reserve than an average magi, although not on the level of exceptional individuals like Aphaf. It was still noteworthy that someone like him couldn't use magecraft when considering the abnormality.

"Pardon my audacity, magus from the future, my Mystic Eyes have seen 32 magic circuits throughout your body. While it can't be considered abnormal for magic circuits to be spread throughout the body... strictly speaking, the number of your magic circuits reaching 32 and their complete symmetry, deriving to the limbs in the most reasonable distribution, without any excess or inadequate spacing between them. And according to the flow of magic through your magic circuits... the actual efficiency is likely comparable to someone with more than 40 magic circuits, surpassing the level of an average person." The girl, dressed in a heavy robe, carefully chose her words to explain to the others. Her eyes were covered by a thin veil, and through the purple fabric, the faint glow of magic could be seen.

The conclusion was evident: Suzuki Yuki's magic circuits were an artificially designed masterpiece. Typically, magi who are regarded as magical geniuses have 50 or more magic circuits, with exceptionally outstanding ones reaching 70 or even 80. Having 32 circuits already exceeded the ordinary in the world of magecraft, but to compete with the talents of magical geniuses, it fell short by one level.

If nothing unexpected happened, this was also the result of deliberate design. Even if human technology reached higher levels, precautions would be taken during practical application to avoid awkward situations where the creation surpassed its creator. As long as the tool was practical and useful when wielded, there was no need for it to surpass its creator in reaching the pinnacle of magecraft.

"Are you telling the truth?" Suzuki Yuki, after a moment of silence, asked Aphaf excitedly. The latter was confirmed once again.

"I was created as a magi?" Suzuki repeated the conclusion, piecing together the truth based on his current memories and familiarity with Chaldea. However, he only repeated it and dared not fully accept it. He was afraid to know the truth—what would he be if he wasn't human?

He was unwilling to accept it, unwilling to acknowledge it. Denial, refusal... He believed himself to be human, an individual who acted as a human to fulfill Chaldea's mission of saving humanity. His name was Suzuki Yuki. He had met many other Masters with the same mission in Chaldea and had the fortune of becoming a member of the elite team, "Team A." In addition, he knew the majority of people in positions ranging from the director to security personnel. His existence was witnessed by many others. Suzuki Yuki was real. He was human.

Eleanor saw Suzuki gradually revealing signs of agitation as he muttered to himself. She quickly grabbed his shoulders, but her soft cries had no effect. Suzuki continued repeating a few Japanese phrases, as if unaware of Eleanor calling out to him.

The illusion of flames once again spread through Suzuki's vision, as if he were perpetually trapped in a cage of fire, never allowed to escape.

"Calm down, calm down, Master!"

Eleanor disregarded exposing her abilities and was preparing to forcefully stop Suzuki's mental breakdown when Saladin preempted her. The Sultan hung a talisman inscribed with Arabic script around Suzuki's neck, and soon, drowsiness consumed him, plunging him into a dreamless sleep.

"What's going on?" The aged Knight witnessed the entire process, and in his eyes, his new Master had caused another magus to fall into a state of insanity, even though his Master hadn't used any mind-control magecraft.

Saladin and Eleanor confirmed Suzuki's condition and breathed a sigh of relief. The sudden anomaly had not caused any physical harm.

"My charm can put him to sleep for about three hours. Let him rest until he wakes up," Saladin said, about to summon the attendant waiting outside the door. At that moment, Aphaf spoke once more about Suzuki's physical issue.

"His Magic Circuits have been partially activated... I see, so this magi's Magic Circuits have been in a dormant state all this time? After he falls asleep, his Magic Circuits gradually return to their previous state. This is the first time I've seen such a unique Magic Circuit. Rather than calling it a human organ, it's more like a cleverly designed and intricately structured instrument."

If Aphaf were familiar with the common knowledge of the 21st century, she would use the more fitting term "integrated circuits" to describe Suzuki's abnormally organized Magic Circuits.

The two pairs of Master and Servant didn't have time to share information because Suzuki's anomaly ceased. From Eleanor's perspective, she compelled the elderly Knight Servant with an unknown occupation to act. The girl possessed exceptional magical talent, with a pair of Mystic Eyes hidden behind a thin veil that could make greedy individuals harbor thoughts of seizing them. The level of her Mystic Eyes was not low, and it might be challenging to control these gemstones that could see through the Magic Circuits of others solely based on exceptional talent.

It was only the beginning of the night...

A snake slithered through the stream flowing through the valley, monitoring the movements of a magician on the outskirts. The serpent's vision lasted only about ten minutes before a dagger made of ice shards severed the familiar's head. The magus employed by Saladin were professional mercenaries who earned money based on their abilities. Although they weren't friendly towards each other, they wouldn't harm each other in the larger scheme of things.

The monitored magus extinguished the light bulb he had just lit and nodded to his "companion" revealing itself down the hill. He had also noticed the familiar observing him, but someone else had acted before him.

"Be careful. If familiars from hostile forces infiltrate the camp, the consequences would be unimaginable. Don't make me feel like I'm working with a bunch of subpar individuals all the time." The magus who used ice blades had an unfriendly tone. Using the melted water from the ice blades, he instantly moved to the side of the water stain and carefully examined the severed snake's head.

"A similar familiar has been spotted a couple of days ago. Perhaps there are more in the vicinity." The magus who used lightning magic took a few steps closer, remaining vigilant of his surroundings. He used magecraft to instantly relay a warning to Aphaf, the captain of the magus squad. He didn't care that a young girl was his superior. Gold and gemstones didn't change based on who the captain was. Magus valued matters of the face more than ordinary people and was more decisive in discarding such matters.

Soon, the magus who used lightning magic sensed another snake, a bit further away, hiding in a bush.

"Step aside. There's another snake familiar about 30 meters behind you."

The magus relit the light bulb and was waiting for his "companion" to move aside, but there was no response from them.

"Don't you understand what I'm saying? Move aside, or deal with it yourself." The magus was growing impatient. Though maintaining the magical energy consumption of the light bulb was minimal, wasting magic still put him in a bad mood.

The other person remained in place, neither moving aside nor responding. The abnormal atmosphere made the magus worried. He quickly moved to the side of his "companion" and carefully observed them, only to find their head had fallen to the ground. Fresh blood gushed out from the severed neck, and a living person had died before his eyes.

"This..."

While the magus was still in shock, a sense of danger made him immediately envelop his body with the power of lightning. The assailant effortlessly killed one magus and could kill another. He left behind the corpse of his "companion" and approached the nearest sentry post. His hands didn't stop as he began to construct a magical spell to transmit information.

A slender blade silently passed through the magus' hands, and the electric arcs couldn't touch the assassin hidden in the darkness of the night. Fear silently eroded the magus' mind.

The magus stood helpless before the enemy, like a vulnerable child. He held up his half-arm, trying to continue moving forward but couldn't muster the strength to take a step.

With a precise strike through the heart, the assassin ended the life of a living person who had fallen into her hunting range. Just like an ordinary civilian who didn't understand magic, they were merely a living person.

Blood dripped into the void, and the sound of blades rubbing against each other seemed to echo in the wind. The assassin's presence couldn't be captured. Fear spread through the densely populated valley, and soon the fresh blood would stain the night's fire, bringing the assassin ample satisfaction through the desperate cries of civilians and soldiers.

The snake familiar that narrowly escaped crawled out of the bushes and silently approached the headless corpse on the ground. Caster had an interest in the magus' body, as she wanted to fuel the flames of tonight's disaster even further.

---

"An enemy has entered the outskirts of the camp!" The meditating girl suddenly jolted awake. She heard the warning from the mercenaries outside the camp, and while the first mention of a snake familiar could be disregarded, the second plea for help was undoubtedly serious. They were facing a formidable enemy, most likely an enemy Servant.

The elderly Knight Servant stopped oiling his sword and quickly picked up the nearby lance, taking action before his Master gave any orders.

The girl, Aphaf, with her Mystic Eyes, followed closely behind her Servant as they left the house. But she didn't forget to send her pigeon familiar to deliver a warning to Sultan Saladin, as it involved a Servant that humans couldn't contend with. She didn't dare to openly disclose it to others in the camp, as it would play into the enemy's plans if the camp descended into chaos.

"Vivar, slow down! The enemy might have an ambush..." Still not accustomed to the darkness outside, the girl was pulled onto the horse by the old Knight Servant.

"Don't worry, Master. I still have confidence in dealing with non-Top Three Knight Servants." The resolute and fearless face of the old Knight Servant provided a sense of security under the faint light of the fire.

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