"Albion…"
Shane rolled the unfamiliar word over in his mind again and again.
More than anyone, he knew where his magic came from—it was born from Lancer's Dragon Reactor Core.
So if these local magi were identifying that power as "Albion," then following that clue backward led to an almost obvious conclusion—
the "dragon-side" true name corresponding to Lancer was very likely Albion.
Thump.
His heart contracted sharply, and a huge wave of delight struck Shane.
Who could have guessed?
In 1888—a time so far removed from his own era, and one that should have belonged entirely to Assassin—he had stumbled across this clue in such a dramatic way.
"So… it hasn't all been bad after all."
For the first time, Shane truly felt the benefit of the illusion becoming closer to reality.
To the people inside this illusion, this might have been nothing more than common knowledge.
But to Shane, it was a gold mine waiting to be dug up—full of nuggets that could reveal twisted history and expose the true names of Heroic Spirits.
"Calm down… don't pop the champagne too early."
He took a deep breath, forcibly pressed down the corners of his mouth, and made himself think clearly again.
"This name is still only their side of the story. I need proof."
His mind started racing, dragging up everything he could remember about "Albion."
First of all, in standard Western mythology, there was no dragon by that name.
But instead of discouraging him, that only deepened the smile in his eyes.
Because as far as he knew—
while the name was obscure in myth and legend, in human history and geography it referred to something very special—
the island of Britain itself.
It was also the oldest known name for that land.
As early as Greek and Roman times, texts such as the Massaliote Periplus had used the word to refer to that island across the sea.
And even later, in 930 AD, England's legendary king Athelstan had incorporated it into the title "King of All Albion" to proclaim his rightful rule over that land.
Even now, it still survived as an evocative old poetic name for the island.
"And Lancer's human-side true name… is Lancelot."
"One of the most famous—and strongest—of the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend."
Shane's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
If one of those things alone were a coincidence, that would be one thing.
But—
one was an ancient name symbolizing Britain itself.
One was a knight who protected Britain.
And now there was this "same-source magic" acknowledged by what were clearly native magi.
Those three things intertwined together—
there was no way that was a coincidence anymore.
It was ironclad fact.
The dragon-side true name of Lancer was Albion.
Once he understood that, Shane felt his whole body relax with satisfaction. Even the sight of these arrogant magi in front of him suddenly became a lot more pleasant.
At the same time, the lead magus was staring hard at Shane, watching his expression shift and twitch like an idiot.
"To accept Albion's magic into a mortal body without collapsing, and to possess anti-magic power on par with a phantasmal species…"
"This man may possess a talent that truly deserves preservation."
He tapped his cane, and his tone had lost its earlier arrogance, turning into something more like the feverish fascination of a man looking at a rare beast.
"This is beyond what our field personnel from the Department of Law can handle alone."
"Report to the Lord immediately. Contact the Sealing Designation Enforcement Bureau and the Department of Spiritual Tomb Autopsy."
"'A talent that deserves preservation'?"
Now in an extremely good mood after learning one-third of Lancer's true name, Shane couldn't help asking about that odd phrasing.
"If you value my so-called talent that highly, then if I cooperate… do I get any special treatment?"
"Of course."
The gentleman turned back and answered as if it were obvious.
"If, after examination, it is confirmed that you truly possess such a rare talent, the Clock Tower will forgive your crime of stealing from the Spirit Tomb."
"More than that, we will bestow upon you the highest level of Sealing Designation."
"We will properly 'protect' you, and ensure this talent is preserved and passed down into the future."
"Passed down?"
Shane looked puzzled. "I'm not an object. How exactly do you 'pass me down'? By making me have children?"
"There is no need to rely on such an inefficient method."
The gentleman explained without expression,
"With the Clock Tower's current technology, we can easily preserve both your flesh and your soul in a fixed state, ensuring that your magical properties remain eternally unchanged."
"Like a frog in formalin—forever intact, forever preserved."
"…"
Sealed? Preserved?
At last Shane fully understood.
So these bastards wanted to turn him into a specimen.
"Your idea of 'special treatment' is really something I'd rather live without."
He tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Still, seeing that they had stopped attacking because they were "waiting for reinforcements," he was perfectly happy to take the break.
In any case, this illusion was going to end soon, and once it did, these people and this whole city would vanish.
Whatever they wanted to do would amount to nothing.
Which meant he might as well use the chance to squeeze out a little more information about this world's "mystery-side."
"Fine."
Shane simply crossed his legs and sat down on the ground, looking completely cooperative.
"In that case, I'll just sit here and wait a little for your people to arrive."
"But while we're at it… could you refrain from interfering with my companions' 'exam'?"
He pointed toward the increasingly chaotic battlefield in the distance.
"You are now the 'highest-priority object for preservation,'" the lead gentleman said after glancing at Shane. "We have no intention of creating unnecessary risk."
"So we have an understanding, then?"
Shane smiled brightly.
The gentleman opened his mouth, then hesitated.
This was the first time he had ever seen someone react so casually to the prospect of receiving a Sealing Designation from the Clock Tower.
Could accepting Albion's magic cause some kind of mental corruption too?
The truth was, Shane found it strange as well.
With his strength, killing these few people instantly would have been easy.
So why were they still this calm?
Was it the confidence the Clock Tower gave them—or just simple ignorance?
Unable to figure it out, he stopped bothering and shifted his attention back to the completely derailed "exam" battlefield.
He hadn't forgotten that he was still technically the examiner, so he did need to at least keep one eye on things.
…
"If you're not going to fight back, then get out of my way!!"
Laxus exploded with lightning, his entire body turning into a bolt of gold as he charged straight into the middle of Ur's clash with the killer.
Crackle!
A powerful current gathered in his hand, instantly forming a brilliant spear of lightning.
Now that he knew this was only a shadow of the past, he had absolutely no hesitation.
And more than that, the dense smell of blood clinging to that small figure left no doubt that she really was a killer.
"Die!"
With a roar, Laxus hurled the lightning spear with enough destructive force to make the scalp crawl.
At the same time, the other side of the battlefield had also devolved into chaos.
Without even glancing at Ur's fight, Mira went straight for Erza.
"We didn't finish our fight last time. We're continuing it now!"
"Perfect."
Erza drew her sword, and it crashed against Mira's demonic claws in a shower of sparks.
As for Natsu and Gray?
Those two idiots were the kind who could start fighting the instant they stood next to each other, even without any reason at all, completely throwing the exam out the window.
Boom, boom, boom.
Buildings all around them began collapsing one after another as they brawled, smoke and dust rising everywhere.
Looking at the complete mess, Shane couldn't help covering his face.
If this had been a real city, even draining ten of Makarov's vaults dry probably wouldn't have been enough to cover the repairs.
Before he could even finish sighing, a brilliant bolt of lightning tore through the night sky and came crashing down with a destructive force that made the skin crawl.
Flash!
Faced with the incoming lightning spear, the killer's hollow eyes didn't change in the slightest.
She twisted her body in a way that completely violated normal human anatomy, almost as if she had no bones at all.
Boom!
The lightning spear passed so close it grazed her scalp, then obliterated a house behind her.
"You're pretty fast."
Laxus gave a cold snort and gathered lightning in his hand again, this time denser, sealing off every possible escape route.
"Wait!"
At that moment, a wall of ice erupted from the ground, blocking him from the killer.
Panting, Ur stood in his path.
"That child's condition is wrong! Don't kill her yet!"
After that brief clash, a mother's instinct had told Ur that the thing in front of her was less a vicious "killer" and more a child lost in darkness, desperately yearning for love and never able to reach it.
She had to understand that first.
"Hah?!"
Laxus spat irritably, the lightning in his eyes growing even more violent.
"This is the S-Class exam! I don't have time for your bleeding heart nonsense!"
"If you won't move, then I'll take you down too!"
Unlike Ur, who still had doubts, Laxus attacked with a full killing intent and no restraint at all.
"Raging Bolt!!"
He raised his right hand high, and terrifying magic surged straight into the sky.
Rumble—
The already gloomy night was instantly swallowed by storm clouds, and huge serpent-like bolts of lightning rolled and roared inside them, turning the night as bright as day.
In the next second, all the lightning fell at once.
It was a full, indiscriminate area bombardment.
"Will you just listen when people talk?!"
Ur gritted her teeth and finally stopped holding back too, slamming her hands together.
"Ice-Make: Rose Garden!"
Countless enormous thorns of ice surged upward like blooming roses, racing against the falling lightning.
If she brought him down, then he'd finally listen.
"So you really do want the S-Class position too, old lady?"
Laxus grinned savagely and poured even more magic into the attack, expanding the area until both she and the killer were included.
At the instant the crashing lightning and shards of ice obscured sight, the killer seized her chance.
Like a nimble rat, she slipped free of the lock of the lightning and fled frantically toward the edge of the battlefield.
And that direction… was exactly where Natsu and Gray were still fighting.
"Trying to run?"
Catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, Laxus immediately roared:
"Natsu!! That little brat is the target!!"
"Stop wasting time fighting each other and block her!"
"Ohhh! Leave it to me!!"
Hearing that, Natsu's eyes lit up. He abandoned Gray on the spot and charged forward wrapped in flames.
Ur panicked too and shouted,
"Gray, stop Natsu! Don't let him screw this up!"
"You don't have to tell me!"
Gray slapped his hands together, cold rushing into his palms.
"Ice-Make: Shield!"
A heavy wall of ice exploded from the ground and slammed down directly into Natsu's path.
Bang!
Natsu couldn't stop in time and ran headfirst into it, rebounding off like a ball.
He clutched his already-swollen forehead and was just about to start screaming—
when an even more nauseating presence suddenly spread across the whole battlefield.
The filthy, stinking fog hanging over the East End began silently expanding once again, like something alive.
~~~
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