Magician in Type-Moon

Page 639

Arcueid followed half a step behind him, her platinum blonde hair tied up at the back of her head, hidden under the oversized hooded coat that Matou Ike had somehow found.

Her crimson pupils darted nervously in the shadow of her hat brim, like two lava balls thrown into unfamiliar waters, warily scanning for every movement, every sudden sound—

The distant siren of an ambulance, the clinking of cutlery at the next table, and even the creaking of a waiter's shoes on the floor, all instantly tensed her slender body, like a startled bowstring.

Matouchi offered no explanation or comfort, but simply pulled out a plastic chair by the window and sat down, his movements as natural as if he were going home.

An invisible pressure forced Arcueid to sit hesitantly and stiffly opposite him, her hands gripping the rough edge of the tablecloth tightly, her knuckles turning white.

The greasy menu was shoved in front of her. The colorful pictures showed golden-fried fish fillets, meat patties drizzled with thick sauce, and suspiciously brightly colored vegetable salads.

Arcueid's gaze swept over the images, his crimson pupils devoid of appetite, only a deeper, incomprehensible bewilderment.

She simply followed her intuition, her slender, pale fingers hesitantly touching the center of the menu—a picture of an enormous cake covered in thick cream and topped with a bright red strawberry.

"One of these," Matou Ike said to the waiter in a flat tone. He ordered himself a cup of black coffee, the dark brown liquid steaming faintly in the rough porcelain cup.

The food was served quickly. The cake was placed in front of Arcueid; the cheap cream glistened unnaturally under the harsh white light, and the large strawberries were an eyesore of red. An enticingly sweet aroma filled the air, instantly overpowering all other smells in the restaurant.

Gollum-

Her stomach protested loudly and urgently again, the sound clearly audible in the relatively quiet corner.

Her physiological instincts burned like a red-hot iron onto the nerve endings of hunger. Almost instinctively, with a touch of impatient clumsiness, she grabbed the heavy metal fork from the table.

His movements were as clumsy as a toddler using a tool for the first time.

however--

"Well……!"

Just as the tip of the fork, coated with copious amounts of cream, was about to touch her pale lips, a strong, soul-deep sense of nausea erupted without warning!

That wasn't just ordinary nausea; it was a more fundamental rejection reaction that seemed to touch the very foundation of existence!

It's like pure water being forcibly poured into the core of scorching lava!

Her throat suddenly spasmed, her slender neck tensed, and her crimson pupils instantly contracted, the burning confusion within them replaced by intense physical disgust!

She forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit, her hand holding the fork trembling violently, her fingertips squeezing so hard they almost dented the metal handle!

"..." Matou Ike's Mystic Eyes moved silently, precisely recording every subtle physiological reaction she made: the frequency of spasms in her throat muscles, the amplitude of pupil contraction, the estimated pressure exerted by her fingertips on the fork handle...

The cold, hard data stream slid rapidly through the core of his mind.

He picked up his black coffee, took a sip, and the bitter taste spread across his tongue, creating an eerie contrast with the sweet, creamy aroma in the air.

"Is it not to your liking?" a slightly hoarse female voice asked.

It was a middle-aged woman at the next table, wearing faded overalls and looking tired.

She seemed to notice Arcueid's violent reaction and the untouched cake, a simple concern in her eyes.

"The cream here is a bit too rich. How about we try the fried fish? It's fresh out of the fryer and crispy." She pointed to the golden-brown food on her plate.

Concern. Pure, unfamiliar, human-based, and without any ulterior motive.

This unfamiliar kindness is like a drop of water thrown into boiling oil!

"—!"

Arcueid's body jolted violently! As if struck by an invisible electric current! She abruptly raised her head, and for the first time, her crimson pupils, hidden in the shadow of the hat brim, truly met the woman's gaze!

There was no gratitude, no understanding in that gaze, only a deeper kind of confusion and...fear caused by the overwhelming amount of information!

It's as if that simple kindness itself is some kind of incomprehensible, unclassifiable, and even potentially threatening alien entity!

She jerked her gaze away as if burned, lowered her head in a panic, her shoulders involuntarily tightened, and she almost curled up inside her large coat, trying to completely isolate herself from the noisy environment filled with "human" energy.

The bitter smell of that cup of black coffee seemed to be the only compass that could help her calm down.

Matou Ike's gaze swept over the woman's tired yet kind face without any expression, but instead turned his attention back to the white figure opposite him, who was almost curled up in a ball, looking at the cake as if it were a formidable enemy.

"It seems..." His voice remained calm, devoid of emotion, as if stating an experimental phenomenon, "...regular food cannot meet your needs."

His fingertips tapped lightly on the rough tablecloth, producing a dull, muffled sound.

Matouchi's heart stirred.

Hints at magic. Cognitive shielding.

The silent command spread like ripples on water, instantly and precisely enveloping the shop owner behind the counter who was wiping greasy cups.

The shop owner paused slightly, his cloudy gaze becoming increasingly vacant, as if an invisible veil had been draped over the bar area in front of him, completely ignoring any abnormality that occurred next to the plastic table in the corner that went beyond the scope of "ordinary diners".

He continued mechanically wiping the same cup, completely oblivious to the stagnant air in the corner, the girl's violent trembling, and the faint, increasingly dangerous, inhuman aura permeating the air.

The noise of the restaurant, the sizzling sound of frying, the laughter of the neighbors... all became indistinct background noise.

Matou Ike's gaze returned to Arcueid, who was almost hiding in the shadow of her coat.

Her initial physical aversion to the sweet cake, stimulated by the kindness of strangers, has fermented into a deeper fear and rejection of the entire "human" environment around her.

Her body trembled slightly beneath her oversized coat, and her crimson pupils contracted sharply beneath the brim of her hat, like a wild beast trapped in a transparent cage.

Regular food won't work.

Even well-intentioned contact can be a potent poison.

So... what does she really need?

The answer is already etched deep in our blood.

But to offer blood directly? That cup of rejected dark red liquid already proved the stubbornness of the psychological barrier.

She needs... a medium. A "food" that can bypass her current confused perception and conform to the logic of her existence.

Matou Ike's left hand, resting under the table, hung down with perfect naturalness. Her pale fingers silently opened in the shadows, the fingertips trembling almost imperceptibly—

hum...

Several invisible threads, yet powerful enough to distort the air, composed entirely of highly concentrated magic, burst forth from his pale fingertips like living beings!

These magical threads darted, wove, and coiled wildly in the dimly lit space beneath the table! They moved so fast that they left behind tiny ripples of energy in the air.

They are not disordered, but follow a profound blueprint derived from taboo knowledge, precisely outlining a form!

In the blink of an eye!

All the magic threads suddenly converged and condensed, like a swarm of bees returning to their nest!

On the pale, dry palm of Matouchi—

A strange "fruit" floated silently.

It is about the size of a thumb, and its entire body is a deep, viscous, dark red amber color, as if it were congealed blood.

The surface was not smooth, but covered with extremely fine, capillary-like golden veins, floating slightly above the palm, radiating a restrained yet heart-stirring ripple of life and magic.

It has no branches or leaves, no roots or stems; it is as if it were an essence condensed out of thin air, exuding an unnatural yet fatally attractive aura.

Deteriorated fruit.

This is a replica created by Matouchi through his understanding of the core principles of the forbidden knowledge "Fuhailin" and his own subtle manipulation of life energy based on the principles of his fruit.

Its prototype—

The mature fruit is the life crystallization that condensed at the core of the walking vampire forest, "Fuhai Forest," after devouring countless living beings and absorbing an immeasurable amount of blood.

Effect: Legend has it that those who consume the true Fruit of the Fuhai Forest will receive the cursed blessing of immortality.

Special effects on True Ancestors: More importantly, for beings like True Ancestors who feed on blood and constantly struggle with the urge to suck blood, the "essence" contained in the Fruit of the Fuhai Forest, filtered and transformed by the massive life energy of the forest, can greatly suppress that eternal thirst for blood that originates from their bloodline!

The dark red amber floating in my palm, though far less vital than the fruit formed in the heart of a real forest, could never grant immortality.

However, it encapsulates Matouchi's understanding of the core principle of "blood essence transformation," containing highly purified and transformed life magic.

For Arcueid, whose body was extremely empty at this moment, who instinctively and frantically craved the essence of "blood," yet who psychologically resisted directly drinking blood...

It is the closest thing to the essence of "food"!

Matou Ike remained silent, offering no explanation. He simply and calmly extended his outstretched palm forward, the degraded fruit, suspended in mid-air, radiating a dark red amber luster and strange life force, hovering silently before Arcueid's lowered gaze.

hum...

The fruit, as if drawn by some force in the air closer to her, trembled very slightly. The golden, capillary-like veins on its surface seemed to glow with a barely perceptible light.

"—!"

Arcueid jerked her head up! Even the wide hood couldn't completely conceal the sudden change in her expression!

It was a kind of... the most primal and pure attraction that originated from the very source of life!

It wasn't the destructive "appetite" greed I had for Matouchi's blood, nor the physiological craving for ordinary food, nor the fearful rejection of strangers' kindness!

Rather, it is a kind of... a deep stirring and calling from the soul, like a desert traveler on the verge of death seeing an oasis and a clear spring!

Her crimson pupils widened instantly in the shadow of her hat brim, burning with chaos, fear, and bewilderment... like mist blown away by a hurricane!

All that remained was an almost instinctive focus, completely captivated by the strange fluctuations emanating from the dark red amber fruit!

Her body stopped trembling, and her tense muscles strangely relaxed. Her hands, which had been gripping the tablecloth tightly until her knuckles turned white, unconsciously loosened. Her gaze, like iron filings attracted by a magnet, was fixed intently and greedily on the suspended fruit.

A suppressed sob, filled with longing, escaped from deep within his throat.

The instinct to resist was still sending out faint warnings deep in her subconscious, but her body... no, every particle that constituted her existence was screaming madly—it was it!

She didn't even think, didn't ask what it was. Faced with the immense, primal attraction, her remaining reason was as fragile as thin ice.

Pale, slender fingers, with a hint of urgent clumsiness and undeniable determination, suddenly stretched out!

Snapped.

The moment her fingertips touched the dark red amber, a warm and powerful life energy surged into her arm! Almost instinctively, with an almost pious urgency, she grabbed the deteriorated fruit into her palm! Then, without hesitation, almost rudely, she stuffed it between her pale lips!

No chewing.

The dark red fruit melted in my mouth!

It transforms into a thick, warm current with a strange sweet and fishy smell and the fragrance of herbs, instantly sliding down the throat and into the body!

"Uh……!"

Arcueid's body stiffened abruptly! Immediately afterward, an indescribable sense of satisfaction, like parched earth being nourished by sweet rain, accompanied by a powerful yet gentle current of magical warmth, swept through her entire body!

All the emptiness, restlessness, and nausea caused by hunger and resistance... were washed away as if by a warm tide!

She tilted her head slightly, her crimson pupils momentarily losing focus before slowly focusing again, as if an invisible force had smoothed out and calmed the turbulent storm within them.