Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 212: Battle At the Gertler’s Workshop (Part 1)

A qualified magecraft workshop needs to meet the following three conditions:

First, it must be isolated from the outside world, hidden within a bounded field.

Second, it must be strong enough to withstand various magical experiments.

Third, it must have tight security measures in place to deal with unforeseen circumstances. It can be imagined that the defensive power of a qualified magecraft workshop is quite high.

Although the Gertler family has only been passed down for three generations, their magecraft workshop is constructed to a very high standard. The foundation of the workshop is made of century-old spirit wood, and the coatings on the walls, floors, and doors are made of a special material mixed with magical essence.

What's even more astonishing is that after learning the specific time of Kenneth's return, the members of this family temporarily added a layer of composite bounded field to the exterior of the workshop. Whether it was cut by Shuiji's mercury blade, blasted by firearms he conveniently brought along, or deciphered by rune magic, none of them were able to break through the workshop's defenses.

"The defensive strength is almost on par with the outer walls of my house. Among the workshops we've invaded today, yours is the toughest," Shinji remarked, looking at the workshop's outer wall that had been drilled through five centimeters without seeing an end.

"If I had enough time, I would like to unravel it slowly and see what surprises await me. Unfortunately, there are only a few minutes left until dawn. Time is essence—"

He flipped his right hand, and a golden magical artifact with flickering lightning appeared out of thin air.

"—I can only resort to forced demolition. Behold, my Indra Vajra!"

Speaking to himself, his words were isolated by his cloak, unheard by others, but the roaring of the thunder of Indra was a different story.

The golden thunder, symbolizing the might of the Thunder God, shook the atmosphere and rattled the very foundation of the entire house.

But this was only the beginning. The thunder concentrated at the tip of the Noble Phantasm easily pierced through the bounded field plating that could rival the current main battle tanks of the British military, tearing apart the defensive magecraft accumulated by three generations.

The workshop's gates, which were claimed to be more than just a modern military fortress, were forcefully blasted open by the thunder of the gods, leaving a gaping hole.

With the path clear, Shinji dispersed the physical form of the thunder of Indra, simultaneously raising an AK47 and unleashing a barrage of fire into the opening.

Unlike the previous three families, Kenneth had issued a kill order against the Gertler family, so Shinji had no reservations and could freely wreak havoc, embodying the true essence of the Assassin's Creed (Shadowless Night).

Emptying his magazine, he threw the last hand grenade into the workshop, protected by the Mercury Mystic Code, and dove into the breach.

According to Shinji's estimation, as soon as he stepped into the workshop, he would immediately face a fierce counterattack, possibly high-level magecraft or even grand magecraft, or various trap mechanisms. For a magus with workshop support, bullets, and grenades were not difficult attacks to deal with. If the head of the Gertler family didn't possess even this level of ability, the family would have been wiped out long ago and wouldn't have survived to this day.

However, in reality, nothing happened—

Yes, nothing at all. There was no counter magecraft, no traps, not even the most basic barrier suppression. If it weren't for the detection provided by the moon spirit's essence, Shinji would have almost thought he was in the wrong place.

Curving his right index finger, he created a few small openings in the mercury film that enveloped his body and looked through the holes to observe the situation inside the workshop.

The interior of the workshop was empty, devoid of any experimental equipment and magical tools that a workshop should have. It seemed they had been moved elsewhere.

Sitting by the remaining experimental table were two individuals.

One was a middle-aged man in his fifties, dressed in an exquisite tailcoat with a small mustache on his upper lip. He was the final target of Shinji, the head of the Gertler family.

The other was a girl of around fourteen or fifteen years old, with flaxen hair tied in a ponytail that hung behind her head. Her attire, somewhat similar to an equestrian outfit, not only did not diminish her beauty but also added a touch of imposing dignity to her exquisite face, which was no less than that of Sakura or Fujino.

With just one glance, Shinji determined that this girl was not a member of the Gertler family. The family, which relied on climbing up by serving others, could never produce such an influential figure.

Who was this girl? And why did she appear here?

Just as Shinji was puzzled, the middle-aged man stood up and bowed deeply. "Greeting envoy of Lord El-Melloi, I am the head of the Gertler family. I wonder if the sacrifices made along the way have somewhat appeased your anger, allowing me a moment to speak. If not, I am willing to continue offering sacrifices."

The attitude of the head of the Gertler family was extremely humble, truly living up to his reputation as someone skilled at attaching himself to others. Most influential figures wouldn't reject having such a "dog" by their side. The prerequisite, of course, was that the dog was loyal, not a backstabber.

Seeing that Shinji did not speak, the man bowed again. "I thank you for your generosity. The Gertler family acknowledges its mistake. As long as Lord El-Melloi can temporarily quell the wrath of thunder, I am willing to pay any price to compensate for El-Melloi faction's losses. I only hope that the Gertler family can continue to exist."

In Kenneth's demand, the task of "removing the head of the Getler family" was not just about having the head atone for his sins through death, but to destroy the family. The most important magic crest of the Getler family was engraved on their necks, and removing the head was equivalent to destroying the magic crest, thereby destroying the very foundation of the Gertler family.

"We know that my family is not qualified, nor do we have the position to make such a demand, therefore we specially invited Ba--"

As the word "therefore" left his mouth, Shinji's expression suddenly changed. With utmost speed, he took out a "rune silver bullet" and fired it before the head of the Gertler family could utter that heavyweight name.

Before taking action, Kenneth specifically reminded Shinji that even if he blocked the doors and refused to see visitors, there was still one last way for a family facing retribution to seek a mediator, which was what Shinji witnessed—the arrival of the "Avenger" alongside the mediator. If the mediator held enough weight, the "Avenger" would have to consider the consequences and leave room for negotiation.

The only way to break this cycle was to not give the mediator a chance to reveal their name. Only in this way could Shinji use the excuse of ignorance to defer responsibility and avoid revealing identities.

Shinji was stunned earlier because he hadn't expected this girl, who was only slightly older than himself, to be the mediator. After more than three years of experience, Shinji's perception had become increasingly sharp, especially when it came to accurately determining people's true age. It was a necessary skill when dealing with the mysterious side of the world, considering there were so many monsters who liked to act young. Now that he had realized it, he wouldn't give Gertler a chance to say anything more.

The silver bullet pierced through the air, activating the hurricane rune. The resistance of the atmosphere instantly turned into propulsion, and with the elasticity of the rubber tube, it shot out a bullet faster than a sniper rifle.

Shinji believed that this bullet would be enough to make the target's head explode like a ripe watermelon before they could react.

However, reality once again exceeded his expectations. The bullet, traveling at its maximum speed, was deflected. It wasn't deflected by the head of the Gertler family, a middle-aged magus of average magical ability who hadn't reacted that quickly, but by that noble girl.

The girl, wearing white gloves on her left hand, lightly waved it, immediately diverting the bullet's trajectory. It grazed past the ear of the middle-aged man and embedded itself into the workshop wall.

The girl held a whip in her right hand, which also functioned as a magical wand. The tip of the whip was aimed at Shinji, whose head was covered by a cloak.

"Stop right there, you insolent person!!!"

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