Paracelsus von Hohenheim

Miyama, Residential Area.

A young man in a black postal uniform rode a bicycle came from a distance and stopped in front of a luxurious mansion.

His gaze lingered on the engraved name of 'Matou' on the mansion's fence before he pressed the doorbell.

After about ten minutes, the gate opened, revealing a middle-aged man.

His head of blue disheveled hair resembled a clump of seaweed, his face pale, eye sockets sunken, and his demeanor weary, clearly displaying signs of a body drained by indulgence.

"Who? It's early in the morning; doesn't anyone know I'm still sleeping?" The man rubbed his bloodshot eyes with irritation.

"But it's already noon, Byakuya-san." The mailman kindly reminded the man named Byakuya.

"Oh, it's you, kid." Byakuya assessed the young man in front of him. "What's up? Someone sending us stuff?"

"Yeah..."

The mailman took a package from his bag, checked the address and sender's name, and then handed it to Byakuya.

"It's from Europe."

"Europe? We don't have many relatives or friends in Europe, do we? Is it for Kariya...?" Byakuya muttered, glancing at the recipient's name on the package.

Matou Zouken.

As he read the name, Byakuya's eyes instantly widened. His arm trembled, almost throwing the package away.

"What's wrong, Byakuya-san? Any problem?" The mailman, noticing Byakuya's reaction, asked in confusion.

"No-Nothing." Byakuya pretended to be calm.

After signing for the package, the mailman pedaled towards the next house.

"Someone's actually sending something to that old man. This is getting weird..." Byakuya couldn't help but mutter as he looked at the package in his hands.

Holding the package, he walked towards the secluded courtyard deep behind the mansion. Due to his aversion to direct sunlight, Zouken spent most of his time here.

As soon as Byakuya entered the courtyard, a chilling atmosphere enveloped him. Rustling sounds echoed from the grass, and countless pairs of eyes cast evil glares from the darkness.

'A devil's playground...' Byakuya thought to himself.

As the eldest son of the Matou family, he knew well the number of innocent souls buried beneath this seemingly tranquil land. But what could he do? The entire Matou family served that devil. Even as a bloodline descendant like him, he was just a mere tool in the hands of that devil.

As he thought like that, a self-deprecating smirk curved on Byakuya's lips. In times like these, he admired the courage of his younger brother, Kariya.

But of course, it was just admiration.

He couldn't imagine completely severing ties with the Matou family and leaving home like Kariya. At least here, he could enjoy a worry-free life thanks to the family's wealth. Without this family, he wouldn't have the capability to survive on his own.

Regarding the future, Byakuya didn't have many expectations. As long as he could live a carefree life like now, it was enough for him. To achieve this goal, he readily took on the task of taking care of the little girl who had been adopted from the Tohsaka family a year ago.

The girl named Sakura had excellent magecraft talent and potential. The old man intended for her to be the Matou family's heir. If he maintained a good relationship with her, he wouldn't have to worry about his future.

Because the old man was interested in her 'Imaginary Element', he deliberately delayed his research for a year but didn't come up with anything valuable. Originally, the old man was planning some modifications to her body recently, but it seemed like he made some deal with someone and sent the girl away.

Byakuya had never been interested in magecraft, especially anything related to Matou Zouken. He was just a bit regretful that his efforts for the past year to get close to Sakura seemed to have gone down the drain.

"It's you, Byakuya. What do you want?"

Inside a small cabin, Zouken's raspy voice came out, and a nauseating decay smell began to fill the air.

Byakuya respectfully bent down.

"The mailman just delivered a package, it's addressed to you."

"..." Zouken fell silent for a moment before asking, "Who's it from?"

Byakuya looked at the sender's name on the package, a long string of English characters. Fortunately, relying on the English mastery he had accumulated from studying abroad when he was young, he managed to decipher it.

"The sender's name is... Paracelsus von Hohenheim."

*BOOM!*

As soon as Byakuya finished speaking, an incredibly powerful magical energy fluctuation instantly enveloped the courtyard.

*Buzz—!*

Sensing the change in their master's emotions, the worms hiding in the shadows began to restlessly squirm, emitting a restless noise.

Byakuya's face instantly turned as pale as paper, his legs trembling like a sieve. He never expected that just a mere name could excite the old man so much.

After a while, as the magical energy fluctuation gradually subsided, Zouken's voice rang out again.

"Place the package on the ground."

"Yes!" Byakuya quickly put down the package and ran out as fast as possible, as if his life depended on it.

Not long after, Zouken, leaning on a cane, walked out of the small cabin in the corner of the courtyard. Looking at the package on the ground, a rare look of confusion appeared on his face.

The moment he heard the name 'Paracelsus von Hohenheim', a strong tremor instantly surged in his heart as if this name held special significance for him. But he couldn't recall who this person was.

After a moment of silence, Zouken lightly tapped the ground, an invisible blade swept through, and the outer packaging of the package scattered, revealing its contents.

It was a book with strong magical energy, its cover made of human skin depicting a child with eyes covered by fabric, hair dancing like snakes, and a painful expression.