Ascending the stone-like steps, they reached the top of the city wall.
The moment the scene outside the city came into view, Utaha instinctively held her breath.
When she had entered the city from the wilderness earlier, her mind had been in chaos, and she hadn't paid much attention to her surroundings. Only now did this world finally reveal a glimpse of its true nature to her.
But even this glimpse was far too terrifying.
Outside Fuyuki City, the land was covered in endless darkness.
Everything in sight looked as if it had been scorched by fire. The ground was blackened, with no trace of greenery—no grass, no trees. The world before her was pure darkness, and even the sky was a murky, oppressive colour. The entire landscape was devoid of any other hues.
This land seemed dead.
Desolate, barren.
Utterly hopeless.
As she gazed at that world, Utaha felt an inexplicable heaviness in her chest, as if a boulder were pressing down on her. Each breath carried the scent of burning, making her lungs feel scorched.
"Don't stare too long."
Roy noticed her breathing becoming uneven and raised his hand to block her view.
"This land has been cursed. Even just looking at it can make you feel unwell. Prolonged exposure to the wilderness can even lead to mental instability—or, in simpler terms, madness."
Utaha couldn't help but shiver.
So, when the guards had brought them into the city, they had genuinely saved their lives!
"But that's not the greatest danger."
Seeing that she had regained her composure, Roy lowered his hand and pointed in a certain direction outside the city.
"Look over there."
Utaha followed his finger and looked.
With a ferocious roar, several massive, grotesque beasts emerged from the horizon, charging menacingly toward the city walls. Their movements caused the ground to tremble as if in agony.
"Will it be okay?"
Utaha couldn't help but voice her concern.
Those monstrous beasts, though not as large as elephants, were far more massive than lions. If they all charged at once, could these stone walls really hold?
"It'll be fine. These walls have stood here for nearly a decade. They won't be breached by monsters of this level."
Roy waved his hand dismissively, his demeanour calm and composed.
His unshakable confidence gave Utaha a small sense of security, easing her worries slightly.
She looked back at the monstrous beasts.
Were those the so-called magical beasts?
Soon, the beasts reached the base of the walls. But before they could get close, the walls shook violently, and the sound of cannon fire rang out. A flash of light streaked across the sky, and the beasts were sent tumbling to the ground.
"The wilderness is a no-go zone for humans. Almost no one dares to live outside, and a big reason for that is the presence of dangers like these. Magical beasts are bad enough, but if you run into demons, cursed spirits, or even those corrupted Servants... that's when things get really troublesome."
Roy extended his hand, his fingers tracing glowing, intricate symbols in the air.
Hum!
Suddenly, flames erupted from the symbols, forming a wave of fire that surged toward the beasts.
In moments, the beasts were engulfed in roaring flames, collapsing to the ground with agonized howls.
"So, Utaha, for someone like you—an ordinary person—unless you're accompanied by a magus like me, never, under any circumstances, step outside these walls."
"Yes, I understand."
Utaha stared at the blazing flames, stunned for a while before finally regaining her senses.
It was truly a supernatural power.
Creating fire with just symbols—such an ability was far beyond what technology could achieve!
"Lord Magus?"
"Was that magic just now?"
Roy's display of power drew the attention of the city wall's guards. The captain of the guard personally came up to the wall and bowed respectfully to Roy, his eyes filled with genuine admiration.
"I was just here to take a look. You all should carry on with your duties."
"Yes, sir!"
The captain responded with a firm voice.
That said, with a magus present, the guards' attention was completely captivated by the mysterious magus and his magic.
Not wanting to disrupt their work, Roy led Utaha away from the wall.
"Lord Roy, you said the walls have been here for nearly ten years?"
As they descended the wall, Utaha followed closely behind Roy.
From their brief conversation, she had gained some insight into Roy's personality. He seemed approachable, so she mustered some courage and asked her question.
"What about before ten years ago? Were there no walls, or were there other defenses?"
"Quite sharp, aren't you?"
Roy nodded approvingly.
"Ten years ago, there were no walls here. Back then, the world wasn't like this."
"Ten years ago, in 1994, the world was still normal—probably similar to the place you came from. Even if there were differences, they were within the acceptable range of parallel worlds. Everything changed ten years ago."
"That year, on a certain night, a massive curse emerged without warning and swept across the entire world in a short time. Not just Japan—the entire world burned for a full year. After the flames died down, the world became what you see now."
"The global population was reduced to less than one percent. Government systems collapsed completely. The wilderness became uninhabitable. The survivors built a handful of fortress cities from the ashes, protecting themselves with massive walls and mysterious magic. Since then, humanity has been hiding in these fortress cities, barely surviving."
"Take Japan, for example. Currently, the entire population of Japan is less than a million, spread across four fortress cities. This Fuyuki City is one of them."
As they stepped onto the stone-paved road of the main city, Roy gazed at the dark sky, the scorched earth, and the murky sea, feeling a wave of emotions.
He was familiar with the Type-Moon universe, but this world was nothing like any Type-Moon world he knew.
Since when did the Type-Moon world become like this?
This Type-Moon world is anything but normal!
Following Roy, the two arrived at his home.
It was a traditional Japanese-style estate, with a spacious courtyard. In addition to the main living room and master bedroom, there were several guest rooms, enough to accommodate over ten people. There was even a storage shed in the corner of the front yard. Even in the current Fuyuki City, let alone the old, normal Fuyuki City, this was a luxurious mansion fit for a landlord.
Before entering the courtyard, Utaha's eyes deliberately scanned the nameplate by the gate.
On the pure white nameplate, two characters were neatly written: "Aozaki."
***
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