Magician in Type-Moon

Page 530

The doctor lowered his head and sighed softly, a troubled expression on his face. After a long while, he finally spoke:

“That’s right, I can’t send him to another hospital. Even if his condition is abnormal, he has a pulse and his blood is flowing.”

But no matter how advanced the equipment used for examination, the heart could not be found.

He paused, his tone growing heavy, as if he were reliving that impossible past:

"I feel like I'm dreaming. The strangest thing is that even after losing his heart, he still seems to feel pain."

The pain was almost like his heart being pierced; he often clutched his chest, writhing in agony, as if he had just been stabbed.

"Hmm, he used Hartres as his name. It seems his joke went a bit too far."

The last part of the doctor's words carried a bitter self-deprecating tone, yet it was also filled with a deep impression of that perplexing period of history. That inexplicable phenomenon continues to trouble him to this day.

The Fairy's Curse.

Matou Ike silently recalled those fragmented pieces of information, and memories related to Genki Satsuki instantly surfaced in her mind.

“That’s a phenomenon stemming from the Replacement Child trait,” he said softly, his tone so calm it was almost devoid of any emotion.

"The Replacement Child, also known as the Hidden One." His voice was deep, as if he were offering some kind of interpretation of those long-dormant past events.

The whispers brushed lightly across the pristine white floor, and the entire consultation room fell silent for a moment.

Each word in Matouchi's writing felt like a heavy stone slab pressing down on some ancient secret.

"In the Far East, there seems to be a story called Urashima Taro, a typical example of disappearing into the shadows."

He paused slightly before continuing.

"The abducted humans were taken to a place that was neither the same as their own time nor the same as what they knew."

Perhaps only Hartres himself and the fairy who abducted him knew where he truly came from.

Upon hearing this, Yvette murmured softly, "Do fairies really exist?"

Her voice sounded particularly faint in the empty consultation room, like a gentle breeze that instantly dissipated into the air.

"Although there are so-called fantasy species, as well as beings similar to magician familiars."

Matou Ike's gaze remained fixed on the doctor, her voice still calm.

"But fairies in the true sense are still a mystery that we cannot fully grasp."

Perhaps fairies are even more ancient and mysterious than the magic of mythical times. After all, even King Arthur's sword of victory is said to have come from a fairy in a lake.

His words were like a gentle breeze, sweeping across the walls of the consultation room, carrying an almost intangible ancient aura.

At this moment, the doctor, who was still in a daze, seemed to be pulled back to reality by Matou Ike's words. He seemed to unconsciously repeat in a low voice, "However, that period of time was only about three weeks."

"Three weeks?" Matou Ike was slightly taken aback, raising his eyebrows slightly, clearly drawn to this information.

"Hmm, ah, how could I forget?" The doctor seemed to be blaming himself, yet also as if he hadn't seen it at all.

“He disappeared about three weeks later.” He paused, as if he were once again trapped in that impossible situation.

"He disappeared completely on a crisp winter morning. That morning, the air was unusually cold, the ward was silent, and the cold wind outside made the curtains sway gently."

He vanished without a trace, leaving the sheets neatly arranged as if no one had ever lived there.

"Disappeared without a trace?" Matou Ike's voice was low, tinged with a barely perceptible hint of doubt. "You mean, he completely vanished, leaving no trace whatsoever?"

"Yes, completely gone." The doctor's voice revealed a mixture of shock and lingering pain.

"He disappeared so completely that I even wondered if I was hallucinating. I checked the entire room, and the sheets were still spotless, with no unusual traces around. It was as if he had never existed."

“...It’s in the right time,” Matou Ike said, resting his finger on his chin.

Hartres did indeed begin his activities at the clock tower a few months later.

Most likely, it was Lord Norwich, who had heard the rumors of his disappearance, or someone close to him who helped Hartles.

The modern magic department is called Norwich because it was established with the help of his family.

Matouchi looked at the doctor again and asked this question.

"Please think carefully. Did anything strange happen during his hospitalization?"

"A strange...event?" The doctor's expression was dazed, his eyes wandering in mid-air, as if trying to recall some lost memories.

Matou Ike stared at him, already having some guesses in her mind.

The doctor once said, "Why did I forget?"

This statement undoubtedly suggests that the clock tower may have subjected him to some kind of memory manipulation.

Such details suggest that Matouchi needs to provide more hints in order for the doctor to rediscover those deeply buried memories.

Time slipped by quietly. The doctor lowered his head slightly, his fingers moving anxiously in the air, as if trying to grasp that distant, blurry moment.

Finally, his fingertips touched something, but it wasn't an object from his memory; it was his own face.

He whispered, "That's right... my eyes... I can't see..."

"Eyes?" Matou Ike raised an eyebrow and asked, "Hartlees' eyes?"

"not me."

The doctor's tone suddenly turned somber, and his gaze gradually became unfocused.

"At that time, I contracted a strange illness where all the scenery in front of me would disappear intermittently. It wasn't complete darkness, but rather a complete loss of the ability to 'see'."

He paused for a moment, as if trying to relive that feeling of loss and despair. "Think about it, if we couldn't see what was behind us, we wouldn't feel that there was darkness behind us, would we?"

He smiled bitterly.

“That period of time, which lasted only about ten minutes, almost made me wonder if I had a brain lesion. At that time, I had just fallen out with my father, was depressed, and too busy to take time to do other tests. Until one day, Hartress gently touched my back, and then my vision returned to normal.”

The doctor sighed softly, as if recalling that scene.

"I was taken aback. I turned around and saw him smiling happily. It was the first time I had ever seen him smile."

His voice lowered, filled with emotion.

“Since then, I have never experienced those symptoms of blindness again. Then, we started talking frequently, exchanging books and ideas. We had similar tastes in reading. I recommended some classic science fiction works to him, which he always finished quickly and then shared his thoughts with me.”

He paused, a warm glint in his eyes.

"We often discussed Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics and Helein's works after his marriage to his second wife, and we talked enthusiastically for more than an hour until time passed quietly."

He smiled gently. "Back then, I even fantasized about how wonderful it would be if I could become an astronaut."

Matouchi listened quietly, his expression serious and focused, like a believer listening to a priest's divine pronouncement, not daring to miss any detail.

The conversation continued, and the doctor's sighs gradually rose, tinged with weariness, but mostly with reminiscence and relief:

"Well? I've tried my best to recall what I can remember."

“…Thank you.” Matou Ike bowed her head slightly, her tone sincere. “This information was very helpful to me.”

He reached out and gently touched the doctor's shoulder.

"Are you tired? I'm so sorry to have bothered you for so long."

"It's nothing serious." The doctor smiled slightly, his eyes filled with gentleness.

"It's been a long time since I've had the chance to chat with you like this, and it feels very pleasant."

Although he spoke lightly, he appeared somewhat tired, leaning back in his chair, his gaze peering through the gaps in the curtains at the rays of sunlight streaming into the room.

The sunlight shone on the back of his hands, outlining the marks of time.

The doctor murmured with emotion, "Is he happy?" A deep sense of reminiscence flashed in his eyes, as if he had returned to the young man he was many years ago.

"Although I haven't thought about him for a long time,"

He muttered to himself.

“But he was a gentle young man, and although he must have been in more pain than anyone else, he always cared about me.”

The doctor's tone carried a hint of helplessness, yet also a touch of warmth.

"I once jokingly asked him, 'If you'd like, would you like to be my assistant?'"

He shook his head, a hint of regret in his smile. "If he had agreed, perhaps my life would have been different."

Matou Ike paused slightly, his voice low: "I cannot judge his life."

He paused, then looked up at the doctor: "However, he seems to have a group of disciples who cherish every word he says—'Dedicate your life to the most brilliant things.'"

These words seemed to subtly alter the temperature in the air. A flicker of emotion crossed the doctor's eyes, and he asked softly, "Really?"

Matouchi nodded.

Karl said this at the Secret Relics Dissection Bureau's facility.

Even if Karl betrayed Hartres from the very beginning and ultimately died at Hartres's hands, it would still be the same.

The doctor smiled, as if he had regained some of his lost radiance:

“Oh dear, I’ve said something similar to him before… He said he had nothing to do, and I told him, ‘Then go find the most brilliant thing in your heart.’”

He gently pressed down on the white lapel of his shirt, his eyes filled with the light of memories. "Human beings should dedicate themselves to the splendid things they pursue, even if it is a dream they have never realized."

He paused, a genuine smile appearing in his eyes: "A disciple? He's taken on a disciple... That's wonderful."

He smiled and shook his head, "So it turns out that even in old age, there are things to be happy about."

That smile seemed to lift all the burdens off the doctor's shoulders. His face finally radiated that long-lost warmth once again.

With that smile as their last, Matou Ike and Yvette walked out of the consultation room.

Chapter 583 Occupying the Real Name (4k)

As I left the clinic, dusk had already deepened. A chill filled the air, and the sky had turned from bright to a deep, dark purple.

As the sun gradually disappeared below the horizon, the town's outline became increasingly blurred.

In the distance, the ancient buildings appeared exceptionally serene in the afterglow, their white stone walls reflecting the last rays of sunlight, weaving soft light and shadow through the green grass and low walls.

The sound of bells echoed through the air; they were the bells of the church in the square.

The church bells rang out melodiously and steadily, their rhythm seemingly calling every resident of the town back to their warm homes.

As the bells toll, the children must have already returned to their parents' arms, and a hot dinner awaits them on the table.