Chapter Eight: What Have You Been Up To?

Several days passed, and only a handful of people came to Moriarty’s office for consultation. This suited him perfectly, as it gave him ample time to focus on his research and make significant progress on several new magical techniques.

One advantage of soul materialization was the ability to selectively retain memories without forgetting. During the Holy Grail War, he had intensely studied magic for a time; it was then he learned about suggestion magic and sympathetic magic. The method of developing imaginary space had come as payment when he was once employed by a noble family. Besides these, he had mastered some temporary spells to enhance physical attributes and sensitivity. Yet now, his research had hit a bottleneck.

Magic was the weaving and output of mana in a certain way to achieve a specific effect. To put it in modern terms, it was like writing a program that ran on mana. However, the human body could only sustain a limited mana output. To cast powerful spells, rare materials were indispensable.

Moriarty had seen some magic requiring various gemstones, with ancient natural gems being the best. Other spells demanded all sorts of peculiar items. For example, South American magic used obsidian knives stained with sacrificial blood; necromantic spells from various regions commonly employed human bones and dust of grudging spirits—also called phantom dust. The best bones were those wrapped in curses.

Egyptians used scarab beetles, and Nordic magicians sometimes ventured to the poles to seek ice that never thawed. Some of these items served as spell components, others were used to craft formal wear—magical apparatuses that assisted casting. Think of them as upgrading the body’s simplistic computer with high-end graphics cards, CPUs, or memory sticks to enable handling more advanced spells.

Yet, Moriarty regretfully realized that such materials were extraordinarily scarce in this world.

In the 19th century, though rare, these materials were still accessible. Human bones, for instance, could be found just outside the city. The British Empire had official magicians, and the Royal Navy did its best to fulfill their demands. Hence, some rare materials trickled into the market.

Moriarty’s research had now stalled. To break through, he needed to experiment with materials. However, as a newcomer, he had no channels to acquire them. He had visited a cemetery, only to find it devoid of curses or grudges—let alone usable remains, as the dead were all cremated now.

Still, one spell had seen a breakthrough.

Or rather, Moriarty’s own Noble Phantasm.

“Mathematical Malignant Annihilation”

Rank: B++

Type: Anti-Personnel Noble Phantasm

Commonly known as MMA.

It extracted and seized the malignant nature from a designated target present in the field. Except for perfect saints and mechanical lifeforms, all beings possessed malignancy. By extracting these, it sought to strip their actual combat effectiveness, as malignant traits included fighting spirit, hostility, and murderous intent—emotions essential for battle. Without them, one would be left dazed and inert.

That said, the Noble Phantasm had never been tested. Its true effects and limitations would only be understood through actual combat.

After tidying his laboratory, Moriarty moved to the reception room to prepare for visitors.

A few days earlier, Akako Koizumi had informed him she would visit today. Moriarty wanted to seize the opportunity to learn about the mysterious side from this local heir of a magical family, so he gladly agreed without hesitation.

*Ding dong.*

The doorbell rang, and Moriarty went to open the door.

“Heh, how come a magician from a prestigious European family doesn’t even have a servant?” Akako Koizumi entered, looking around to find Moriarty alone in the space.

“I must correct you on two points,” Moriarty raised his hand.

“First, I am not a scion of an ancient European noble family. My current magical system is entirely built through my own efforts, based on gathered knowledge.”

“Second, I am not a magician. From what I have heard, magic is a miracle beyond modern science’s reach. Magic arts, however, are techniques that use mana to quickly accomplish what science can do, but at a magical cost through spells. Although my current body is formed using magic, I have no actual mastery of the technique. Rather, it’s more like a prize from some competition.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” Akako flopped casually onto the sofa.

Moriarty brought two cups of tea. “This is all I have, please forgive me.”

“I’ve never heard of what you describe. If such things truly existed, no matter how deeply hidden, they would be recorded in ancient magical tomes or manuscripts. To be honest, I may be the last remaining family in Japan still connected to the mystical arts,” Akako said, taking a sip and raising an eyebrow in surprise, “Not bad.”

“That’s not surprising… I distinctly feel the mana concentration in the atmosphere is abnormally low.”

“Feel?” Akako’s sharp senses detected something amiss in Moriarty’s words. “You mean you’ve experienced times when atmospheric mana levels were higher?”

“Technically, yes,” Moriarty set down his cup. “To be frank, I may have jumped here from a parallel world’s 1873. I suspect someone meddled—there’s only one person with such power, and that’s the Jewel Elder… Why are you looking at me like that?”

Akako’s mouth twitched.

“It’s strange. Even if mystical manuscripts in the Far East have vanished into history’s dust, information about immortal and ageless powerful beings shouldn’t be deliberately sealed. What if someone careless provokes him?”

Moriarty sensed unease and asked, “Or you haven’t seen this title in records? The disciple of the Magic King Solomon, Jewel Elder, Marshal of Magic, Second Magician—Kishua Zelrich Shubeinog—walker between parallel worlds… No way?”

Holy Grail... Where did this come from?

Is this still my Earth?

“Could you tell me about the current state of the mystical side? I will reward you with a unique spell of mine,” Moriarty ventured.

Fortunately, Akako agreed.

“Let me ignore your nonsense for now,” Akako straightened up. “Here’s what I know about the mystical side.”

“For centuries, the mana concentration in the planet’s atmosphere has been declining. My family fled the witch hunts of the Middle Ages, eventually settling in Japan in the Far East. Records over these centuries remain intact, but I find no mention of anything like what you describe.”

“Today is the age of the End of Magic. Almost all traditional mystical systems in Japan have been destroyed; Shinto is on the verge of collapse. None of the shrine maidens I’ve seen have received blessings; most don’t even believe gods exist. Onmyoji and mediums are losing their power. Fortunately, the spirits and monsters born with innate mana can no longer survive in today’s atmosphere—they’re nearly extinct.”

“However, since ancient Japan was a realm where humans and youkai coexisted, some individuals today may have latent bloodlines granting slight physical enhancements. Yes, only physical enhancements. Mana-talent bloodlines cannot awaken due to the insufficient mana concentration, and thus gradually fade away.”

“How do I maintain my power? Ha, I’m just gifted, isn’t that enough?”

“Europe? Honestly, I don’t know much. I thought you came from there.”

Moriarty clicked his tongue, thinking if not for his lucky soul materialization via the Third Law and his nearly infinite native mana, he might not cast a single spell in this world.

Considering his current need for materials, he felt a pang of pessimism.

No materials—how can I experiment?

Still, on a whim, Moriarty asked Akako about the availability of magical materials here. To his surprise, some still existed.

“Where do you think I get my experimental materials from?” Akako said with a hint of exasperation.

“However, these materials are now far rarer than before. Only in closed environments with higher mana concentration can their properties be preserved. You could try searching deep mountain caves, wilderness springs, unknown ancient tombs—even inside pyramids or secret chambers of castles. If you can find them, you might get usable materials,” she said with a slight edge of mockery.

Moriarty paid no mind but pondered silently.

It seems that alone, it will be hard to gather sufficient usable materials.

Should I pick up a side job?

He then discussed imaginary space construction magic with Akako, explaining that without imaginary mana, materials could substitute; if imaginary attribute materials were absent, relative mirrors might suffice, though effectiveness was not guaranteed. After receiving his prepared spell models and construction notes, Akako greeted him and hurriedly left.

Moriarty didn’t mind, lying back on the sofa and staring at the ceiling.

He wondered if there were any similar local organizations. It would be nice to find one ready-made. Or perhaps start his own? Being unfamiliar with the land, he needed to gather intelligence and funds. Maybe infiltrate Scotland Yard—no, the Tokyo police? Or maybe...

Turning on the TV and flipping channels, Moriarty mulled over possible entry points. Suddenly, a news report caught his attention.

“Last night, the leader of an Italian robbery gang, Tino Cabana, was arrested in a building near Tokyo Tower. He refuses to speak.”

“A negotiator fluent in Italian is en route, while Tokyo police pursue Cabana’s fleeing accomplices with no leads so far. Additionally, 15,000 maple gold coins stolen by the gang remain missing...”

A criminal gang. Gold coins. Though the people may be useless, gold coins might not be a bad find.

Moriarty chuckled softly, stood up, grabbed his coat, and stepped out.

“Maple gold coins... I wonder what their gold content is, and how much they’re worth...”