C385

It's been more than a week since Rin came back to Fuyuki City. She figured that inheriting her family legacy would involve a simple task of surveying the Leylines here and reporting back to the Mage's Association and the Church. But, once she got her hands into it, she couldn't help but notice how much of a hassle it could be.

The most pressing issue she discovered was the peculiar nature of Fuyuki City's Leylines. There was definitely something eerie lurking within them, muddling the magical energy and making it all chaotic and impure.

With the duty of managing the city's Leylines falling on her shoulders, Rin knew she had to get to the bottom of this situation. After meticulously inspecting the Leylines of Fuyuki City, she pinpointed the most contaminated spot - the side branch Leyline near the coast.

In her mind, this could very well be the root cause of the Leyline's strange behavior in Fuyuki City. She was determined to dig deeper into this side branch Leyline, but there was a problem—it was hidden deep underground.

To carry out the investigation, she had no choice but to break through the surface and venture underground. Unfortunately, the Fourth Holy Grail War had taken a toll on the Tohsaka family's Magic Crest, depleting most of their resources in the search for a Tuner to repair it.

Thankfully, the Edelfelt family stepped in to provide the funds for the excavation. Luviagelita Edelfelt, the current head of the family, had formed a contract with Rin as the "Edelfelt Twins." However, Luvia had a penchant for extravagance. Instead of opting for a subtle approach, she went all out by acquiring the land directly from the Fuyuki City government through a real estate project. Then, with construction fences in place, she wasted no time and started digging right away.

As the one offering financial support to Rin, Luvia had only one request.

"Come on, my silly little sister, show your dear sister a cute smile," Luvia teased in a sarcastic tone, poking fun at Rin, who was wearing a black and white maid outfit.

Rin clenched her teeth, her eye twitched with irritation, and she reluctantly mustered a smile, "Tha... thank you... sister."

Deep down, she was bleeding emotionally. For nine long years, she had always stood her ground against Luvia, but this time, she was defeated by the sheer wealth of the Edelfelt family.

"Hahaha, what a stupid look, Tohsaka! You look just like a pig, how dumb!" Luvia laughed loudly, clutching her stomach in pain, tears almost streaming down her face.

Auguste, the butler from the Edelfelt family, interjected from the sidelines, "Miss, do mind your manners."

Shaking her head, Astraea couldn't help but feel a headache creeping in.

The woman possessed by her was typically as graceful as the goddess herself, but whenever she crossed paths with this certain woman named Tohsaka, her elegance seemed to vanish, and she'd act and do something foolish.

Rin's face darkened, suspecting that Luvia had likely followed her from the Edelfelt family just to taunt her, didn't she?

"One day, I'll find a way to get rid of you!" Rin vowed silently to herself.

Right then, her alchemy stone vibrated ever so slightly.

She carefully set the alchemy stone on a nearby record player, and before long, a male voice emanated from the speakers, "Rin, how's everything going? Have you managed to gain recognition from both the Mage's Association and the Church?"

"The Mage's Association acknowledged me as the manager of Fuyuki City's Leyline. However, the Church requires me to deal with the anomalies in the Leyline first, father," Rin responded.

"I see. Take your time, and prioritize your safety."

"I understand, father."

Tokiomi continued in a softer tone, "You should visit your mother when you get a chance. She's been missing you a lot."

"I will, father."

The record player fell silent, and she let out a sigh. Her father had changed so much. He now seemed like an ordinary, nostalgic dad missing his child who had moved away from home.

The old Rin would find it inconceivable, but now it was the reality. Maybe it had something to do with the Fourth Holy Grail War and how her father lost the Tohsaka family's Magic Crest.

"Hey, Tohsaka, let's get moving. The underground passage is open."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you," Rin complained, "You didn't need to come along. In terms of magecraft, I'm far superior to you. You're just getting in my way."

"Hah? Superior to me? You must be daydreaming! I'm clearly ten times stronger than you! No, a hundred times!"

"Oh please, you're living in a dream world..."

Before she could even finish her sentence, Luvia pulled out a stack of ten thousand yen bills from her pocket and asked, "Whose magecraft is stronger now?"

Rin: "..."

She clenched her fists, grinding her teeth to force the words out, "You... you're stronger!"

"Hohoho~ There was never any doubt! As the esteemed head of the elegant Edelfelt family, my superiority is undeniable. My nobility and grace are far beyond what a countryside minor aristocrat like you can imagine," Luvia taunted, playfully slapping Rin's face with the bills, causing a smacking sound, and laughing triumphantly.

Deep inside, Rin seethed with frustration. If it weren't for owing Luvia money... if it weren't for that! She vowed to herself that one day, she would become wealthy too and give Luvia a taste of her own medicine, slapping her face with money just like this!

The two of them finally reached the underground area near Fuyuki City's Leyline and wandered around for a while, but to their surprise, they didn't find any anomalies.

"This is weird; there's no sign of anything abnormal here," Rin said, looking puzzled.

Earlier, she had thoroughly examined the main Leyline of Fuyuki City and had detected six strange points scattered across the city, with the largest one located in this underground area. However, upon closer inspection, this side branch Leyline seemed to be completely fine, showing no signs of any issues at all.

As Rin thought back to her earlier investigation, she began to wonder if there could have been an error. She lowered her head, deep in thought.

Luvia chimed in, "We can't just rely on what we see on the surface; there might be an overlapping space here."

"Are you saying it's similar to what you encountered in Adra City? Could there be a Mirror World here?"

Luvia nodded, "It's definitely a possibility, don't you think?"

"That's true," Rin mused, touching her chin, before decisively stating, "Alright, decision made. Let's go."

"Go?" Luvia asked, clearly puzzled. "Aren't you going to investigate the situation further?"

"Hah? Have you fallen and hit your head too many times, damaging your brain? Even if there is a Mirror World here, we have no idea what we'll find inside. It could be dangerous."

Luvia puffed out her chest proudly and proclaimed, "I'm here! When the time comes, I'll transform into a goddess-like figure and vanquish any danger. As for you, you just need to cling to my thigh. Isn't that right, Lady Astraea?"

Astraea, still feeling a bit troubled, replied, "If there's any danger, I'll lend my power to Luvia, so Rin doesn't need to worry."

"With Lady Astraea here, I do feel much more at ease," Rin said gratefully.

Luvia huffed in displeasure, "Hey, don't ignore me! I'll be the one using the power, it's me!"

Ignoring her, Rin focused on constructing a magic circle to simulate the imaginary passage. With her five elements and thanks to her years of studying with the prestigious Edelfelt family, simulating the imaginary passage had become much easier for her.

In no time, Rin successfully created an imaginary passage. She raised her eyebrows in amazement, "So there really is another space here!"

If the magic circle hadn't worked, it would have meant that there was no other space. But the fact that it activated confirmed the existence of another space.