Chapter 7

"What?"

Ciel was not someone who easily gets surprised

In the Magus work, the Church holds a considerable influence when it comes to the more undesirable aspect of their activities. After all, their Mopus Operandi doesn't usually involve magical research of any kind unless it is for the benefits of their purpose, a fact most Magi were relieved for due to the decrease in competition

"Yesterday, Natalia just contacted us. She specifically requests for your cooperation regarding certain matters" 

Unlike normal Magus, many of the Church's Department involves hunting down holy relics, heretics, heathens, and any supernatural entities they deem as contradicting to the normal world, at the same time trying to stabilize and meditate different conflicts between the magical community due to their status as a neutral third party

The "Holy Grail War" that will take place in Fuyuki the next few years is a prime example. With Magus scrambling for a wish fulfilled, backstabbings and ulterior motives are a common sight. That's why they need someone they can rely on without being influenced by any of the participating faction

However, different departments means different objectives. The Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament's main purpose is to find and research artifacts with holy origins. The Executors specialized in killing demons. The Chivalrous Order were tasked with defending against intrusion on any of the world's Holy Ground, acting as the bodyguard for the Vatican

The Burial Agency, meanwhile, could only be described as "pure chaos", consisting of only the weirdest of individuals you could find on the planet

"Okay, what does that pedophile have anything to do with me?"

"That's no way to refer to your fellow Executors, Seven"

Left unsaid is the confirmation that Natalia often sexually harass Kiritsugu in his youth

"I can say whatever I want, Boss" The blue-haired girl crossed her arms, spectacled eyes narrowed in annoyance "And you haven't even answer my question" 

"Three days ago, Odd Borzak was sighted in one of the hotel near the Clock Tower" The woman threw down three pictures on the table

The first one was the photograph of a white-haired man getting off the plane to London, his colorless eyes focused on some distance in front of them, seemingly in a trance

The second was of him standing in front of a high-class lodging house, this time the Dead Apostle sports a smile on his face

The third one depicts the inside of the hotel, where bloodstains and bullet wounds were etched on the floor, obviously the aftermath of what happened there

"Notice something peculiar?"

Ciel's eyes narrowed as she picked up the three photographs and inspect each of them, mentally comparing each details presented with scrutiny. Several parallel were drawn, each time telling her of the story behind them

"The first one was taken at night" She pointed to the background of the airport "The moon were half-full, and if we take the time for him to settle into account, that would be right at when he's strongest: During full moon"

"The Second one I see nothing noteworthy" Ciel flipped it backward "In the background there's some blurred figure before him, but I don't know if they're important at all"

"The third one, however, is the most interesting" She paused "It seems like someone's beat her to the punch"

Just judging from the splatter that only face one direction, the other side must have posses intense firepower in order to overwhelm such a large horde of Apostles, likely a volley's worth of them if the distance between each marks are any indication

Furthermore, those shots weren't fired by Natalia. Having taken several missions with the Executor before, Ciel can differentiate between Holy weapons with that of the other, more mundane firearms used by normal human

In this case, however, there was no indication to the woman or her apprentice having used a Tommy gun before

A Mystic Code that can provide infinite ammunition, maybe? She immediately discard the thought

Impossible, such a thing would cost more than a fortune to procure. Ciel is sure no sane Magus would invest that much money into what they see as "Inferior technology" from their point of view

"(Y/n) (L/n)" The Director knitted her hands together "Clock Tower dropout. Rank: Fes. Below average Magic Circuit, is noted to be well-versed in theoretical subjects and incantations"

She raised an eyebrow in reply, prompting the woman to continue

"He's the figure behind Borzak in the second picture. Due to the natural light and angle in which it was taken, his features were blurred under the camera lens when scanned by us" 

"Oh. Then you mean to tell me..." Her eyes trailed by the third picture, taking in the scene of carnage in it "An unremarkable Magus, with absolutely no talent in the practical field of magic, inexperienced in real combat, and not coming from an Old Family, was able to ball-bust a horde of Dead Apostle of all things?"

Nod

"Are you fucking with me?" Ciel rubbed her temple "Next you're going to tell me he did it with a gun Projection or something"

Nod

"Oh you're definitely fucking with me"

Shake

"Natalia herself saw the boy materializing a Tommy gun from thin air" Narbereck's eyes hardened "Furthermore, he is the only survivor of the entire incident, and is also the one who killed Borzak when he left his guard down. That indicates no small amount of skill regardless of what the Clock Tower reports say"

....

Then, why would he try to hide it? She wondered, gazing at the blurred figure in the background. At first, it was only a passing glance, but now that she looked back Ciel could admit her interest had grown a little

"And your mission is to scout him out. Hunt down this boy and decipher his capabilities" Leaning back in her seat, the First lit up a cigarette, the smoke rising high up into the ceiling "If you deem fit, give him the Agency's crest" 

Her eyes widened

Oh, of course. So this (Y/n) boy is an "anomaly" just like her. 

Unnatural proficiency in projection

Experienced in combat

Ruthless. Focused. Committed

He's abnormal just like the rest of the Agency. It's only obvious that the First would like to meet him in person

"But since she had asked for me specifically, does that mean this (Y/n) is some where in Japan?"

Kaminski and her apprentice is still in London hunting stray Magus. Dawn and his partner is on the trail of some strange object found in south America. Merem is too busy hunting for treasure. And Anderson is just being his usual crazy self

"He's in Misaki town. Last I heard it was exactly where you operate, no?"

"Yes, then I will set to find him" She turned around to leave, but paused  "Are you really intending for him to become the Eighth seat?"

"All in due time, my dear"

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Or at least that's how it goes in her mind. There's no doubt in Ciel's mind that Narbareck only want to distract her from the current hunt for Roa

A fruitless endeavor. She thought. Between the two of them, he should be put at the top of her priorities, or priority, as she had all the time in the world until she can kill him. Beside, how is she supposed to track down some unknown Magus with no description of him?

Thus, it is unlikely that if he appear in front of her, he'd be wearing the same name-

"Class, today we have a new transfer student" The teacher announced, her voice cheerful as always

"Ciel the Executor" disappeared and "Ciel the girl" took her place. Said girl immediately took to gossip with the nearby students as to who it can be

"Now, don't be shy, let's come in"

"Ah, excuse me"

Bowing, the transfer student walked to the platform of the class. The movement in his body was calm and collected, coupled with the regal way in which he bear himself had the class descended into silence

"My name is (Y/n) (L/n)" He smiled sincerely, an expression that made every females present swoon with a charmed expression "Please take care of me"

Ciel, however, felt shivers travelling down her spine at that declaration

"Now, (L/n), would you like to tell us something about yourself?"

"Ha, I'm afraid there's nothing worth mentioning about me" He appears to be deep in thought "I moved from London back here due to family issues. I'm quite average when it comes to...well basically everything. My hobbies are crafting and tinkering with machinery. So if any of you need something fixed, please don't hesitate to come to me"

Clapping and cheers greeted him as he finished his introduction. A surprised look flashed across (Y/n)'s eyes before he bowed

"With that out of the way, let's find you a seat" It just so happens that her eyes met with that of her sensei's "Ah, how about next to miss Ciel here?"

Well now

She assumed this would make things a lot easier for her

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Things have just gotten a lot harder for me

I shifted in my seat, trying not to pay attention to the blue-haired girl beside me

'I shouldn't have gone to this school' I hummed in irritation 'Curse me and my boredom'

Of course, while the first few days of me tinkering with my new power is no doubt fun as hell, I realized that I miss socializing with other people my age like a normal human being. No matter how much of an introvert you are, lack of stimulation from speaking can lead to detrimental effect to your psyche later

That fact, coupled with the relatively peaceful atmosphere of Misaki town only served to bolster my decision in attending a school even more

So engrossed in my thought, I didn't notice my surrounding until the eraser fell from my desk. However, before I can pick it up the girl is faster as she held it in front of me with a gentle smile 

Most people would think I'm flustered by her presence, and I won't deny it. Ciel is a girl with short blue hair and a nice figure with cute complexion, especially with that pair of glasses on her face. She looks like the archetype of the "kind, helpful Senpai" that most underclassmen would adore and gossip about between lunch breaks

Which..in reality, is a fucking lie

No, the fact is that right now I'm sitting next to the Seventh member of the Burial Agency. The one known for housing batshit crazy members and getting their reserve killed on a regular basis, considered to be the most heretical division among the Holy Church seeing they have no qualm about killing their own kin

Though being the lowest number among them, that doesn't make her less dangerous than your average priest from the Holy Grail war. No, I would say Kirei Kotomine at his peak wouldn't even have a chance against this girl, that's just how skilled she is

So, why am I feeling nervous?

That's because her presence here can only spell trouble for me 

No, I'm not worried about her killing or maiming me in any way. First, she's an Executioner from the Church, which means she and the rest of the Agency won't trouble me unless I did something to catch their attention

And I haven't done anything that made me stand out, so I don't have to worry for now

Second, as much as I worried about combating high-tier Servants like Gilgamesh or Karna, a human with excellent physical parameter is considerably easier to subdue. I have the ability to project, alter, reinforce and create different Noble Phantasm and weapons, which will give me an edge in battle against them

But, being right next to an immortal Executor with supernatural abilities and an unstable mentality when it concerns her object of vengeance does unsettle me somewhat

Deciding to just ignore it, I let my mind wandered to other places while still jotting down notes from the lesson 

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Ciel found herself unable to approach this Magus for the rest of the day

Upon the finishing of the first period and the subsequent breaks after that, (Y/n) (L/n) had been hounded by almost any other females in the class, coupled with more girls from other classes who came here due to curiosity, thus hindering her attempt at approaching him

Even Satsuki is among them. The bitch

Just when she thought she can get some private time with him after class, the boy had already ran across the room in the blink of an eye in a hurry to get home

But she wasn't an Executor for nothing. 

Swiftly weaving around the crowd, her eyes never once left his form as Ciel silently pursued after him. Whenever he got out of view, she would relocate him almost instantly after, effectively locking him in her sight again

Yet despite her vigilance, the Executor is sure (Y/n) did stopped a few times and glanced around in her direction, his eyes narrowed with such intense concentration that she was forced to hide herself among the crowd of adults around them

Ciel unconsciously licked her lips. He's good, too good for a supposed Magus

And with that thought, she tailed him from a distance for the next several hours among the stream of people that thinned more and more as night approached. Something that she noticed is how the road he chose to travel always end up with less valleys in sight, only leaving a wide road with closed building to the side

Is his house located at the edge of the town, or...

The absence of objects and individuals to hide oneself forces her to find a vantage point to stalk him. Ciel jumped from rooftops to rooftops, watching as the boy circled around the town and visited several bookstores

The sun begun to set as night descended down Misaki town, yet she realized they had been going nowhere until then. He had not led her to his home, so he must be conscious of someone following him 

'Fuck it' Her eyes twitched 'Now that we're alone, I can finally do what I've been wanting to do for the last few hours'

Deciding to be a bit bolder, she closed the distance between them and jumped from one street lamps to another, gradually closing in on him with intentions for a private chat

But it was at that moment that the both of them stopped

Ciel's frame was frozen in shock

(Y/n) meanwhile is trying not to curse his bad luck

Because at the other end of the road, was the beast of Chaos himself