The flames in the hearth danced merrily, orange-red tongues licking at the firewood with a faint crackle. Warm air drifted slowly through the room, chasing away the cold the wind and snow had brought, bit by bit.
Outside the window, snowflakes fell without a sound, freezing into glittering frost flowers on the glass. The world beyond was a vast expanse of white ice and snow, a stark contrast to the firelight and warmth indoors.
Crackle...
The glow of the hearth and the warm-toned Magic Stone lamps bathed the entire sitting room in a comfortable amber.
Everyone sat gathered in the soft sofas, listening quietly as Irisviel softly recounted where she'd come from. It wasn't until she reached the part about that mysterious black invitation bringing her to this world that her story, simple yet faintly bizarre, came to a close.
...
"...Alchemy, homunculus technology? I... I've never even heard of any of this!"
Compared to the bewildered Laurier, Aura, who specialized in the occult and the study of magic, was utterly stunned after hearing about the homunculus techniques the Einzbern family excelled in.
"It's impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Creating life is the domain of the gods. How could mortals down here ever manage it?"
Einzbern alchemy had delivered an enormous shock to Aura, one that practically shattered the worldview she'd held all her life.
Especially since they lived in a world that truly had gods, gods who lived down here in the lower world and could be seen every single day.
Noticing the trace of existential doubt on the elf girl's face, Leon raised a hand and gently pressed down, signaling Aura to settle down.
"The world is vast and full of wonders. It's not just Iri's world. Even our own alchemy here isn't necessarily so far behind."
Then he shifted the subject:
"The Philosopher's Stone. Ever heard of it?"
The Philosopher's Stone?
At that name, not only the puzzled Aura but everyone present went rigid.
Kureha pressed her lips together and asked uncertainly:
"The Philosopher's Stone... You mean that one... the supreme masterpiece of alchemy, the Philosopher's Stone that can make an elixir of immortality and turn stone into gold?"
Leon nodded firmly:
"That's the one. The very Philosopher's Stone hailed as alchemy's highest achievement. And this isn't some empty, far-fetched legend cooked up by bards. It actually exists. In fact... as far as I know, the man who made it, the Sage himself, from a great magical nation eight hundred years ago, is still alive somewhere in this world to this day."
"Nani!?????"
The news Leon dropped left everyone reeling, Aura most of all. Her mind went blank, almost incapable of thought.
"The Philosopher's Stone, it actually exists? I... I always thought it was just a legend, like those hero epics in the storybooks."
Seeing the girl's dazed expression, Leon spread his hands like a little bear.
"So now you should be able to understand, right? It's another branch of the same alchemy. Next to a Philosopher's Stone that can grant immortality and turn stone into gold, doesn't homunculus technology start to seem a little more acceptable?"
"Mm..."
Mm my ass!
Jeanne and Rose exchanged a glance, both privately razzing Leon's smooth-talking routine of dodging the hard parts with Aura.
Still, neither of them called out his little scheme. If this turned Aura into a basket case, the blame would land squarely on them.
This was good enough for now. By the day the girl finally put it all together, her mind would have matured. After all, anything that didn't make sense could be waved away with one reason: magic is just a miracle.
This was a world with gods and magic, after all!
...
...
After the double blow of the Philosopher's Stone and homunculus technology, when Irisviel admitted that she herself was in fact an Einzbern homunculus, created with a purpose, made to serve as the "Lesser Grail" of the next Holy Grail War, no one's heart so much as rippled.
After all, when even immortality had already become reality, when that maker from eight hundred years ago was still alive, and on top of everything they'd all witnessed of the countless impossible things about Leon, plus gods walking around all over the streets, it left everyone able to calmly and readily accept this homunculus lady from another world without batting an eye.
"Story's over. So next... it's time to get down to business."
With that, Leon stood and held out his palm to Irisviel, who sat on the sofa in a prim, ladylike posture.
Then, under her curious gaze, he spoke:
"Iri, become my daugh... my familia member!"
"..."
The sudden invitation left Irisviel slightly stunned.
"Familia member?"
"Mm, join my Familia, become part of our family!"
"Eh? Join a Familia? Become family? Um... what exactly is a Familia?" Only then did he remember: Irisviel hadn't been summoned after signing a contract. The moment she touched the invitation, she'd been forcibly teleported here.
Which meant she'd had no chance to read the explanations written on the invitation.
Once he'd worked out the whole sequence of events, Leon was left speechless at the nonsense the invitation had pulled.
Just as he was about to explain the basic common sense of this world to Irisviel, Jeanne patted his arm, signaling for him to leave it to her. With a slightly complicated look in her eyes, she sat down beside Iri and said softly:
"Iri, let me explain it to you. If I'm not mistaken, from what you've described, the two of us must come from the same world..."
"Huh?"
...
...
The flames burned in the hearth. In this winter season, the combination of comfortable warmth and a soft sofa always left people lazy and drowsy.
But driven by curiosity, no one felt the slightest bit of sleepiness.
Except Leon.
He sat there serene as an old sage, eyes closed and resting, dozing off in the warmth of the fire. As for the conversation between Jeanne and Irisviel? He showed no interest, none whatsoever.
What he was really interested in was the bodies of Jeanne and Iri.
...
Half an hour later.
When Jeanne had finished explaining the basics of the world, the gods, the Dungeon, Adventurers, and Familia to Irisviel one by one, the other girl belatedly took notice of her name:
"Huh?"
"Are you really that famous Holy Maiden from history, Jeanne d'Arc?"
"Mm..."
Irisviel let out a soft cry:
"You really are! Wow! According to the legends of later ages... we in the magus world guessed that you'd long since become a Heroic Spirit and ascended to the Throne of Heroes!"
Jeanne glanced at the dozing Leon and smiled faintly:
"Mm... as you can see, when I was at the stake, a little accident happened."
"Um..."
Iri was innocent, but she wasn't slow.
Even without Jeanne saying it outright, she read something in the other woman's expression. And connecting that with the mysterious invitation and the means of summoning people from other worlds, the answer practically leapt out at her.
A mysterious man!
Almost, she slapped that label onto Leon in her heart.
"So, what do you say? Want to join our Familia?"
Now that she'd already escaped the fate of being the "Lesser Grail," there was no way Irisviel would give up this hard-won new life!
She drew a deep breath, an enraptured look spreading across her face.
The taste of freedom!
"I do!"