Two days later, at the Clock Tower, in Kayneth's office.
After reading the report on the task submitted by Naoki, Kayneth nodded to Naoki, who was standing in front of him: "Hmm, I understand the details. With that, the anomalous Mana incident at the Blackmore cemetery is considered resolved. Good work, Naoki."
"It was my duty—actually, I should be the one thanking you, Professor." Naoki smiled.
Storing the report, Kayneth chuckled softly: "If we trace it back, the reason you blew up the lab, I also have to take responsibility. Strictly speaking, I'm just paying for my own actions—so, consider this matter closed. I'll continue to assign you tasks that match your abilities. If all goes well, you should be able to pay off your debt within a year."
A year.
Naoki heard this and sighed: "Studying, part-time work, and tasks... It feels like the next year is going to be exhausting."
"You can relax a bit on the studying. Tasks completed by students will be recorded as your practical grades. Once you pass all your basic courses, the pressure will lessen significantly." Kayneth explained.
"Alright, enough about you. Now, let's talk about the child behind you."
"Mhm..."
Noticing Kayneth's gaze, Gray, who had been hiding behind Naoki, quickly ducked further behind him, pulling her hood over her face to cover it completely.
Seeing Gray's behavior, Kayneth immediately shot a sharper look at Naoki: "Bringing such a young child from the Blackmore cemetery, I don't recall teaching you to act like those lowly nobles, Naoki."
"Actually, Professor Kayneth, almost all the lessons you've given me were combat training..."
Naoki muttered softly, then cleared his throat: "Ahem—about Gray, I remember writing it in detail in the report..."
"[Ordered by Gray's mother, to take Gray away from that remote village to see the outside world]—I did read that sentence in your report, but you didn't think I'd overlook her face, which is almost identical to Caster's, did you?"
Even though it had been over a year, Kayneth still remembered the events of last year's Holy Grail War, and among them, Caster—Morgan—had undoubtedly left a deep impression on him. But the Gray before him bore an uncanny resemblance to her. If this was a coincidence, Kayneth wouldn't believe it for a second.
Facing Kayneth's question, Naoki sighed softly: "Professor, first, I want to confirm one thing—your office isn't bugged by anyone, is it?"
"Of course not." Kayneth replied immediately, though puzzled by the question. "This office also serves as my workshop. It's fully secured."
"Good—actually, about the Blackmore cemetery report, I omitted some details. They weren't suitable for inclusion in the report. If the Policy Department, which reviews these reports, found out, it wouldn't be good for the village."
Naoki's words made Kayneth frown immediately—something the Policy Department shouldn't know? While there were many forbidden things at the Clock Tower that the Policy Department shouldn't be aware of, how many forbidden matters could a simple Mana anomaly investigation involve?
Glancing at Gray behind him, Naoki explained: "For hundreds of years, that village has been planning to resurrect someone. To achieve this, they even made contact with the Atlas Institute."
"Resurrect someone? This is truly unexpected—but it makes sense. According to the Clock Tower's rules, resurrection is one of the most serious prohibitions. If it were written in the report, the Policy Department wouldn't let it slide during their routine inspections."
"Yes—Professor, you also know the three elements that make up a human body: body, soul, and spirit. Over the centuries, the village has completed one of these."
"You mean..."
Kayneth immediately understood Naoki's implication, and his gaze toward Gray grew slightly peculiar: "So, a vessel created with an extremely high compatibility rate to house the soul of a past hero. This child is the only successful individual after hundreds of years?"
"Exactly. The reason her face resembles Caster's is because of this. And the Mana anomaly mentioned in the task was actually a mistake in the village's resurrection ritual, causing a geopathic anomaly. Although I resolved the task while doing my best to disrupt the ritual a second time, within a few years, the ritual will be performed again, and Gray will once again become the vessel for the resurrection."
"So, to prevent this, Gray's mother and her teacher asked me to take Gray away from the village and made me swear to them that we would never return."
Naoki gave his final explanation—though he still concealed part of the truth, such as one of the Seven Great Weapons from the Atlas Institute, the incident of Arthur's possession and reappearance, and the existence of the Atlas Institute's Dean, Zepia... Although Kayneth owed him a favor and was currently on his side, Naoki had no intention of revealing world-shaking news that could cause an uproar in the mystical world.
[A village attempted to resurrect a hero from the past but failed]—for now, spreading this news alone was enough.
After hearing Naoki's explanation, Kayneth rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment, then leaned back in his chair: "Alright, I understand the situation. I'll allow the child to stay. For accommodation, I'll arrange for her to live in the same apartment as you. Her identity will also be fabricated."
"Thank you very much, Professor Kayneth."
"If you want to thank me, show your abilities quickly, then join El-Melloi and Oreos to work for me—now go."
"Yes. Then, sorry for taking up your time, Professor—come on, Gray, let's go."
Taking Gray's hand, Naoki led her out of the office.
After watching them leave, Kayneth sighed wearily, turning to look out the window: "That immature kid, no one told him he's terrible at storytelling?"
"In that case, the Policy Department... I'll have to figure out how to deceive them."