Abnormal Moon

As they descended the city wall, Kasumigaoka Utaha followed Roy's steps.

Through the brief conversation, she gained some understanding of Roy's personality. He seemed quite easy to talk to, so she mustered up her courage and asked her question.

"What about ten years ago? Was there no city wall here, or were there other defensive structures?"

"Quite perceptive."

Roy nodded approvingly.

"Ten years ago, there were no city walls here, because the world was not like this back then."

"Ten years ago, in 1994, the world was still quite ordinary, probably similar to where you were before you came. Even if there were some discrepancies, it was within the limits allowed by parallel worlds. All the changes started ten years ago."

"That year, on a certain night, a massive curse appeared without warning, sweeping across the entire world in a short period of time. Not only neon lights, but the entire world burned for a whole year. After the flames died down, the world became like this."

"The world's population has dwindled to less than one-hundredth, government agencies have completely shut down, and it is no longer possible to survive in the wild. The surviving people built a few base cities in the embers of the fire, protecting themselves with huge walls and mysterious magic. Since then, humanity has been hiding in the base cities, barely surviving."

“Take Japan as an example. Currently, the entire population of Japan is less than one million, which are distributed across four base cities. Fuyuki City is one of the four base cities in Japan.”

Stepping onto the cobblestone streets of the main city, Roy gazed at the dark sky, the scorched earth, and the murky sea, his heart filled with a myriad of emotions.

He had some understanding of the Type-Moon universe, but this Type-Moon universe was not any of the Type-Moon universes he knew.

Whose Type-Moon universe would turn out like this?

My Type-Moon is not normal at all!

Following Roy's footsteps, the two returned to his home.

This is a Japanese-style mansion with a very spacious courtyard. In addition to the living room and master bedroom, there are several secondary bedrooms, which can easily accommodate more than ten people. There is also a warehouse in the corner of the front yard. Not to mention in Fuyuki City now, even in the normal Fuyuki City in the past, it would be a luxurious mansion like that of a landlord.

Before entering the courtyard, Kasumigaoka Utaha consciously glanced at the sign on the gate.

The pure white nameplate bears the two Chinese characters "苍崎" written neatly.

Chapter 5 Aozaki Mansion

"You can wear this outfit."

Back at the mansion, Roy found a shirt and trousers in the side bedroom and gave them to Kasumigaoka Utaha. Seeing that she was rubbing her arms from the cold, he also found her a down jacket.

"We don't have any clothes for your age here. I'll take you to buy a few sets tomorrow. Just make do with what you have today."

Kasumigaoka Utaha took the clothes, went to the next room to change out of her dusty high school uniform, took off her torn tights, and put on the classic office attire Roy had given her.

Although it's a bit outdated, it's good that my body type is similar to hers. After I put it on, the chest area was still a bit loose, as if it had been stretched open.

"What should I do?"

After changing her clothes, she returned to the living room and asked Roy.

"Sweeping, washing clothes, and the like."

Roy sat in front of the kotatsu in the center of the living room, looking very comfortable and cozy.

Several paper documents were laid out in front of him. He browsed through them while answering Shiyu's questions.

"This yard is quite big, and I live alone, so cleaning it is always a hassle. That's why I'm planning to find a servant at the refugee camp. You can take care of the cleaning; that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"I understand."

Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded, found the cleaning tools under Roy's instructions, walked into the yard, and began cleaning.

"...Don't worry about the lawn, just sweep the open space."

Kasumigaoka Utaha paused for a moment, then picked up a broom and went to the open space facing the gate to sweep up the fallen leaves and paving stones.

"...There's no need to sweep all the fallen leaves into the dustpan; just sweep them onto the lawn next door."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's breath hitched slightly. Somewhat embarrassed, she gently touched her temples and, following Roy's instructions, swept the fallen leaves on the ground into the grass on both sides of the road.

If you look closely, you can see that her posture in holding the broom is actually not quite right.

Soon, her breathing became heavier.

Well, let her figure this out herself.

Roy withdrew his gaze and focused on the documents in front of him.

"The escort mission and the mission to remove the curse from the farmland... The escort mission is more dangerous, since it requires leaving the city, while removing the curse from the farmland is more difficult..."

After thinking for a moment, Roy signed his name on the escort mission.

Before long, Kasumigaoka Utaha finished cleaning the yard and began cleaning the entrance hall and living room. After cleaning the dust, she carried a bucket to the corridor and wiped the floor like an old ox plowing the field.

A touch of dusky yellow tinged the horizon, transforming the already polluted sky into something resembling a demonic realm.

Kasumigaoka Utaha sat on the tatami mat, panting heavily. Sweat poured from her forehead, streamed down her cheeks, and disappeared into the depths of her collarbone. Her shirt was soaked through, and the dark outline of her shirt was faintly visible.

She looked around the mansion and a sense of powerlessness welled up inside her.

It took her two or three hours to finally do a rough clean-up of the front yard and living room.

She didn't touch the bedroom, kitchen, or storage room at all.

I hope the rest won't have to be cleaned up today.

She cautiously looked towards the kotatsu in the living room, but didn't see anyone there. Instead, she heard the sound of spatulas clattering in the kitchen, and a faint aroma wafted through the air.

With a gurgling sound, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but clutch her stomach, feeling somewhat embarrassed, but she couldn't resist her body's instinct and swallowed hard.

She suddenly transmigrated to this world and was escorted back to the city by the guards. She hadn't eaten for a long time and was now doing work that she was completely unaccustomed to. She was both tired and hungry.

"Let's eat first."

Roy came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of food and greeted her.

Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't want to engage in unnecessary formalities, so she went straight to the dining table and was slightly taken aback when she saw the food on it.

"Chinese cuisine?"

"The authentic kind, based on personal preference."

Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at the dining table: braised pork chops, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, green peppers, and seaweed and egg drop soup. There weren't many dishes, but the aroma was enticing.

After a short while, the girl clutched her swollen belly and lay down on the chair in a very unladylike manner.

She was convinced; it was indeed authentic.

"very tired?"

Seeing her lying there helplessly, Roy didn't continue to order her around, but picked up the plate and went to the kitchen.

"It's just that I'm not used to it yet."

Kasumigaoka Utaha defended herself.

"Well, this house is quite big, so you don't have to force yourself. Anyway, there aren't many people in the family, so it's okay to lower your standards a little."

Roy's voice came from the kitchen, which was separated by a wall, and his tone was gentle and understanding.

"I am a magician of the lowest rank. At this rank, you can only choose one attendant each month. Get used to it this month, and I will find you an assistant next month."

Having a helper would be a huge help.

Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't reply, but she felt relieved.

But at this time, she also became interested in other things.

"The lowest rank is... what kind of rank is it?"

"Literally the lowest rank. There are seven ranks of magicians: Grand Rank, Color Rank, Festival Rank, Ritual Rank, Opening Rank, as well as First Son and Last Son. I am the lowest rank, Last Son."

His tone was quite frank.

He doesn't seem like the kind of person who is obsessed with his rank and sees it as an untouchable taboo.

"Is this ranking based on skill level? Are magic tricks also divided into the same levels?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha realized she had touched on something too deeply and quickly added a sentence.

"If you can't say, then forget it."

“I couldn’t really say that before, but things are different now.”

Roy's tone was as gentle as before, full of nonchalance.

“In the past, magicians were closer to researchers, and their ranks were based on their achievements in researching magic. Simply put, it was like an academic level such as undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. Moreover, they strictly adhered to the principle of secrecy and were not allowed to be known by ordinary people. If ordinary people learned of the existence of magic, there would even be special organizations that would kill them to silence them. However, since the great catastrophe that occurred ten years ago, magicians have abandoned half of the principle of secrecy and have stepped onto the stage with some reluctance. The assessment of their ranks has also added the standard of strength.”

The reason it is said that half of the confidentiality principle has been abandoned is because the principle has not been completely abandoned.

Magic remains, in the eyes of most citizens, an urban legend.

After all, it is common knowledge that the more people know about Type-Moon's magic, the less powerful it becomes. The total amount of mystery is limited, so the fewer people who know about it, the more they can control.

However, in the past, when the total number of humans was still small, the existence of magic was almost universally known. This is because magic itself is a technique for manipulating concepts. If all of humanity forgets the existence of magic and the concept of magic disappears, then magic itself will naturally disappear as well.

Therefore, in order to ensure the continued existence of magic, a certain number of people must be aware of its existence and pass on the concept of magic.

Now, with the total number of humans on Earth less than 100 million, it's no longer the time when strict secrecy was necessary.