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To explain this, we must first understand the concept of the "Magic Association," which at first glance seems like a fairly formal organization.

The Magic Association was founded in the year 1 AD and will soon celebrate its two-thousandth anniversary, joining ordinary people in the real world to celebrate the millennium.

The organization was originally established to protect magicians from external enemies and to develop magic in the human era after the complete decline of the Age of Gods, attempting to unite the scattered magicians.

But naturally, magicians, who are generally ruthless and will stop at nothing for their research, cannot possibly be absolutely united.

The establishment of this loose association alliance was based on three points.

Abundant resources;

Shared goals;

Absolute power.

These three points are indispensable, and a system of checks and balances must be established to prevent a winner-takes-all mentality, ensuring that unscrupulous schemers do not fight amongst themselves to the point of crossing the line.

In Western Europe, where there are the most magicians, more than 90% of magicians have joined magic associations, with the "Clock Tower" being the dominant headquarters of these associations.

Although the Clock Tower is called a "tower," it is actually a massive organization based in London.

Centered around the central campus, which resembles Big Ben, eleven academic cities are scattered throughout London and its suburbs, hidden away in the city, with a massive, counterintuitive labyrinth underground.

The founder of the Clock Tower, and also the only dean who continues to this day, is said to be a direct disciple of the Magic King Solomon.

Just like King Solomon widely accepted disciples and taught them his magic.

The dean also transformed the Clock Tower into an educational institution with a strong academic atmosphere, which over time developed into a university system of twelve monarchs and thirteen disciplines.

Due to its relatively formal management and operation, even its biggest rival, the Holy Church, maintains a certain level of cooperation and exchange with it. The two sides can even work together to fight the Dead Apostles.

Furthermore, the clock tower also employs many modern management systems.

For example, paying patent fees to magicians who are willing to transfer their patents, instead of directly seizing them by trickery, has earned praise from small, remote rural families like the Tohsaka family.

Of course, if this patent is truly outstanding to a certain degree and is deemed worthy of being sealed and permanently preserved, then there is no reasoning to argue about it.

Ultimately, a magician is still a magician.

There are school rules but no laws, and students are responsible for their own personal safety.

The strong are entitled to oppress the weak, and rules and academia are also things that the strong should rightfully possess and control.

The Clock Tower only honors the strong; this is the only and absolute underlying logic.

After explaining the science, Ms. Aozaki Touko gave a summary to her companions:

"So there's no need to be polite to the old woman we're going to meet later. If we don't show our strength, she'll devour us immediately. Just treat her like a clever and greedy wolf."

"Even if that lady is Miss Orange's mentor?" Miss Jeanne, who respected her teachers, repeatedly confirmed, afraid of making a mistake.

At this very moment, Luo Zhen and his group had just disembarked from the plane and arrived in London.

The members are Rozen, Jeanne d'Arc, and Touko; there are only these three.

Orange was wearing a camel-colored long trench coat and high heels.

The strong wind at the airport billowed the hem of her coat, revealing her enviable long legs and giving her the impression of a very powerful and successful female CEO.

Joan of Arc, on the other hand, seemed much more like a student.

She wore a white shirt and denim shorts, her full blonde hair tied into a large braid that hung down her back. A bow was pinned to her collar, and she wore a short-sleeved top over it.

Those healthy, fleshy legs, even plumper than an orange, were now encased in black stockings. The tops of the stockings dipped slightly into her firm, elastic thighs, creating a clear distinction between her fair skin and the black stockings, making Luo Zhen unable to tear herself away.

To outsiders, Luo Zhen walking with these two might look like a female CEO and her two followers, or a young female professor with two hardworking research assistants.

In fact, Artoria, Ishtar, and Kyo, as well as Aoko, Canaan, and Azusa who were originally in Japan, also came.

However, they all used different modes of transportation to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.

Irisviel returned to Fuyuki City with several maids to take care of Ilya and Karen.

The reason why Luo Zhen only brought Jeanne d'Arc was simply because she was the least conspicuous.

A young, blonde woman with a great figure—this is one of the most common characteristics among the people around Luo Zhen.

This was also the first time in Joan of Arc's life... and two lives, that she had truly set foot on English soil, and she was very excited!

To Joan of Arc's ridiculously silly question, Orange grinned and said, "My mentor is indeed my mentor. I don't deny that she taught me a lot."

"But that's how magicians exist. After I successfully deciphered the lost divine runes, that old woman immediately burst into laughter and ordered me to seal them. She forced me to sell the primordial runes to her in exchange for the resources to escape the Clock Tower."

"This means that in that old woman's heart, [Aozaki Touko]'s value is just this much, and it's time to fatten her up and slaughter her. I am also very clear about her thoughts. What Monarch Balyeleta can teach me ends here. My master-disciple relationship with her will be settled at that time, and the price will be three runestones."

“Waaah…” Joan of Arc’s face fell as she could no longer bear to watch.

She could understand these values, but she really didn't want to agree with them.

The saintess nodded sympathetically: "It's because she was corrupted by such distorted values ​​when she was young that Miss Orange was so dishonest with Luo Zhen and even tried to get him to seduce Miss Aoko... I've read Shakespeare's play, and this is the one he wrote about 'the one who fires the cannon gets blown up by the cannon,' right?"

"...That's wonderful! Even an illiterate saint like you can read Shakespeare now!"

Orange, oblivious to Joan of Arc's sharp tongue, could only twitch her eye when her embarrassing past was exposed. She was ruthless.

Joan of Arc didn't even realize it was a sarcastic remark; her sympathy for the orange was 1000% genuine, which only made it more infuriating.

Luo Zhen desperately suppressed a laugh: "Alright, let's go."

"With Sister Chiel in charge of Fuyuki City, the Mage's Association hasn't figured out what happened during the Holy Grail War yet."

"During this time, Webber, who returns with Kenneth's coffin, will be the most watched person in the world. The right to interpret the situation is in our hands, and whether we can make a final decision depends on this."

-----------------

London is the Clock Tower's stronghold, and there's no way to keep Orange's return a secret.

But there's no need to hide it; it's just a deliberate attempt to divert attention.

Both Ryougi and Jeanne d'Arc, who had been given a physical body, could perfectly disguise themselves as ordinary people. In the eyes of the magician, they were at most just two of Orange's attendants.

Then, as soon as Orange got off the plane, amidst various observers near and far, she got into a black luxury car outside the airport.

That was arranged by the monarch, Balyeleta.

Everyone in the Clock Tower immediately knew that it was Balyereta who had brought back Orange, and that the master and apprentice were up to some conspiracy again.

The car was also undisguised, driving all the way into the vicinity of Trafalgar Square.

This location is near the National Gallery in London and is home to the Creative Department, one of the thirteen departments of the Clock Tower, in the art field of Baru Yeretta.

The monarch's residence is a quiet little Western-style house in a bustling area, even smaller than the Tohsaka family's residence.

However, the protective barrier surrounding the building, as well as the magical defense system formed by the structure and the artworks inside, made Joan of Arc instinctively shudder as soon as she stepped inside.

She lowered her voice and muttered to Luo Zhen, "I don't understand it, but it seems really amazing. I felt a bit prickly on my body just now. There are so many magics in this house, and there are hundreds of magicians around. If we encounter any danger, I'll take you away to escape, Master. Don't worry, leave it to me!"

"No need, you've already ruined it." Luo Zhen smiled slightly.

"…(ο€€€€д€€)??"

With Joan of Arc looking completely bewildered, the three of them quickly entered the living room of the mansion.

The monarch himself was already standing casually at the door waiting for them.

She was an elderly woman over seventy years old.

Although there are many ways to prolong life in the magic world, not to mention makeup or plastic surgery techniques to disguise one's appearance, maintaining a youth for over a hundred years is actually a very simple thing.

But this woman made no attempt to conceal the marks that time had left on her; her regular features bore obvious wrinkles of age, yet they gave her an incredibly harmonious appearance.

Just as Orange described her as a "hungry wolf," this woman had silver hair reminiscent of wolf fur. She wore a bright green dress and her back was so straight that she didn't look old at all.

The moment she saw Orange, Luo Zhen, and Jeanne, she immediately revealed a fierce smile, making the wrinkles on her face even more obvious.

"You're really something, Orange. You destroyed dozens of barriers I set up as soon as you walked in, and even your own rune magic crashed. Is this your way of intimidating this old woman?"

Those sharp wolf eyes passed over Orange's shoulder and fixed on Joan of Arc, the culprit.

Miss Joan blinked awkwardly, like a child who had accidentally broken a relative's toy, desperately trying to come up with an excuse.

Baruyeleta's eyes lit up: "Blonde hair, a girl. Although she looks like a human living in the present, she possesses an exaggeratedly inviolable magical power."

"And that sense of holiness, those pelvis that look like they'd be perfect for childbearing, and that chest that rivals a 190cm tall man... I know, Joan of Arc of France, right? What a feast for the eyes... And who's that handsome young man next to her? Her mate?"

"You old geezer." Orange spat on the spot. "You're supposed to be a creative monarch who pursues the beauty of art, stop focusing on people's reproductive value. How disgusting."

"Hmph." Baruyeleta shrugged.

Her presence was just as strong as Orange's, and she even enjoyed debating with her.

"To view sex as something disgusting, that's the repressive value system of you Japanese, Orange."

"Love and desire, birth and procreation, are clearly all part of 'beauty.' Our world is also born from this source, and the excellent people nurture even more excellent next generations, reaching the source through the beauty of procreation—isn't that also a kind of...etc."

Baruyeleta's sharp ghost eyes flickered, and he raised an eyebrow.

She exclaimed in surprise, "Orange, aren't you a virgin anymore? Which man took my precious disciple's virginity? And with your pursuit of 'perfection,' how could you allow a man to turn you into a flawed product? ...Is it this guy behind you? Young man, I'm very interested in you. Come into the room with me, let me check your body..."

"Get out!" Orange immediately snapped.

Orange stomped her foot and immediately activated the runes she had carved with her high heels, blasting them away. The runes were then blocked by sand that appeared out of nowhere amidst the old lady's hearty laughter.

The sand manipulated by the old monarch instantly transformed into swords, axes, and spears, which were then hurled at the orange.

The back-and-forth between the master and disciple left Joan of Arc completely bewildered.

She could only weakly ask Luo Zhen, "Is the relationship between Miss Orange and that old lady good or bad?"