To Become a King and a Magician

He killed a ghost with his bare hands?

Ayaka and Ciel, rushing out from the alley, saw the remnants of the upside-down spider-man still lingering on the ground, their minds filled with shock.

Seeing the two women appear, Naoki swung his fist. "Miss Sajyou? And… Ciel (whispering)… Why are you here?"

"That's what I want to ask. Why is Natsukawa-sama here… and what was that just now?"

"Oh, you mean this?"

Naoki kicked the remains at his feet.

"Mordred and I just finished dinner and stepped out, then ran into this thing by the roadside. Without much talk, it attacked us, so we lured it here to deal with it. I was initially worried whether my punch could kill it, but turns out it was no problem."

"Killing it with bare hands…"

Ayaka and Ciel both frowned.

"Uh… This spiritual phenomenon is like a ghost, a spiritual entity. You used your bare hands… Could you have channeled Mana through your fist?"

"No, it was just a regular punch, not Magecraft at all. Besides, I can't use Magecraft right now. Anyway, let's set that aside. As the Magus managing Tokyo, can you explain what this is, Miss Sajyou?"

"…"

After a brief silence, Ayaka glanced at Ciel. Seeing her nod silently, Ayaka spoke. "I understand. I'm truly sorry for getting you involved in our situation. I'll explain—"

*Grumble~~*

Before she could finish, an slightly embarrassing sound came from her stomach.

Ayaka's cheeks instantly flushed!

Chuckling lightly, Ciel said, "Let's grab some dinner first. After all, tonight's work is done. Leave this place to me—I'll head back to the Church to gather information, alright?"

"Yes, thank you, senpai."

Waving, Ciel leapt onto a rooftop.

After watching her go, Ayaka turned to Naoki and Mordred. "Let's head somewhere else for now."

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

A few minutes later, at a fast-food restaurant.

"I'm gonna eat!"

"You just ate and you're hungry again?"

Naoki looked at Mordred, who was digging in again, with a hint of exasperation. He had to admit the strength of a king's stomach, though in front of him were two large plates of fried noodles and a super-sized plate of fried rice.

Seeing the mountain of food in front of Naoki and Mordred, Ayaka was slightly stunned. "You two… can eat this much?"

"Piece of cake!"

"I could eat twice this amount."

Where did these two mukbangers come from? Compared to them, Ayaka felt her small plate of pasta was downright pitiful.

While eating dinner—and a second dinner—the three began discussing the earlier incident.

"Lately in Tokyo, spiritual phenomena have been happening frequently. At first, they were just urban legends, like stories of Kuchisake-onna (the slit-mouthed woman) or Hanako-san in the toilet. Now, for unknown reasons, these legends are taking physical form one by one, becoming spiritual phenomena. The one you two encountered was one of them."

Urban legends.

Spiritual phenomena.

Naoki was no stranger to either. If anything, so-called myths and gods shared many similarities with them, just in reverse order. Compared to gods and myths, urban legends and spiritual phenomena severely lacked in quality accumulation.

Of course, from a mystical perspective, if an urban legend spreads significantly enough, it could naturally gain physical form and become a spiritual phenomenon, but that takes a very, very long time.

"However, Tokyo's situation isn't like that." Ayaka explained. "For example, one of the spiritual incidents I handled tonight, which only recently started being considered an urban legend and spreading, emerged just two or three days ago."

"Two or three days to gain physical form?"

Naoki raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Isn't that too fast?"

"We think so too. The Church is investigating the details. Of course, this has nothing to do with you, Natsukawa-sama. This is a local Tokyo issue—you don't need to worry too much. Senpai and I will handle it."

"Even though I've already been affected?"

"I'm truly sorry about that. Though this situation was only recently confirmed, it was indeed my oversight. I'll do my best to compensate—"

"Stop."

Naoki pointed his chopsticks at Ayaka, cutting her off. "I don't need compensation. This incident was like a post-dinner stroll for me—no real harm done."

Something that could be dealt with in one punch? Naoki wasn't greedy enough to take advantage of something so trivial.

Besides, even if she wasn't the same person, she was still Ayaka. If he took advantage of this, Arthur might go berserk.

"However, if possible, I'd like you to tell me more about Tokyo."

"About Tokyo?" Ayaka was slightly confused. "It's not about things like 'places worth visiting,' is it?"

"Of course not—those are in travel guides. I actually have a lot of questions about Tokyo right now. Urban legends, spiritual phenomena, the strange feelings I've sensed… Though I'm used to weird things, this is a first for me."

Naoki had no intention of actively meddling in Tokyo's affairs. He was leaving tomorrow afternoon, so there wasn't much he could do. If it were just him, he'd pretend not to notice.

But Gray was here.

So, Naoki had no choice but to get involved. Whatever the situation, ensuring Gray's safety came first before considering anything else. If this incident posed a threat to Gray's safety…

"I understand."

Ayaka nodded.

"Then what do you want to know? As long as I know, I'll do my best to tell you."

Though she was Tokyo's local Magus, Ayaka's knowledge of Tokyo's affairs might not match the Church's. At best, she only knew about the recent frequent spiritual phenomena.

Naoki smiled. "I think my questions might be things you already know, like…"

"About your sister, Sajyou Manaka."