Blackmore Cemetery.
Naoki had heard of this place before—not after coming to Clock Tower, nor after arriving in this world, but earlier, before he even came to this world.
Although it's called a cemetery, it's actually a village influenced by Morgan le Fay, who has been secretly carrying out the mission of reviving King Arthur for hundreds of years. Inside and outside the village, there are various artifacts used to bring King Arthur back to life.
To be honest, even though Naoki accepted this task directly, he was somewhat hesitant about whether he should really go through with it.
This is a village that exists solely to revive King Arthur. Its inhabitants deeply revere King Arthur and everything related to him, even spending hundreds of years creating a vessel for him.
Therefore, in a sense, Naoki could be considered the embodiment of their wishes.
Because he is a Demi-Servant of Arthur, a being fused with Arthur's Saint Graph. If Arthur were likened to a god, then Naoki is a god incarnate, or a person possessed by a god.
If he were to appear in Blackmore Cemetery, the part of him connected to King Arthur would undoubtedly be discovered, and what would happen after that... Naoki could guess.
It would be an extremely enthusiastic fan meeting.
Because of this, Naoki was very conflicted about whether he should go or not. Considering his close connection to King Arthur, based on his knowledge of the storyline, it seemed that not going would be the better choice.
But—
"I ended up coming anyway..."
At Cardiff Station, the capital of Wales, Naoki sat in the waiting area with a suitcase and a map in his hands.
Although the outcome might be better if Naoki didn't go to Blackmore Cemetery, as the saying goes, "a little money can make a hero struggle." To pay off his debt, he was forced to come here.
Of course, he had also proposed to Waver to change the task, but the other tasks either didn't match his expertise or were too difficult for a novice mage like him. So, the only task he could handle was this one.
What else could he say?
However, before coming here, Naoki also made some preparations.
"I hope this thing will be useful."
Naoki thought as he touched the silver necklace hanging under his collar.
This was a magical disguise device. As long as he wore it, the part of him connected to King Arthur would be hidden—this was the result of Merlin's hard work after Naoki expressed his concerns to him.
As long as there was no connection to King Arthur, then to outsiders, Blackmore Cemetery would just be an exclusive and somewhat strange place. Although it seemed mysterious, it wasn't particularly dangerous.
The sound of a bus was heard, and an old bus appeared in his line of sight.
Picking up his suitcase and folding the map, Naoki let out a light sigh: "I really hope there won't be any trouble this time. Just do a simple investigation and finish the task."
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From Cardiff, the capital of Wales, to the location of Blackmore Cemetery, it took five hours by long-distance bus. After getting off, he still had to walk through a mountain trail.
Naoki wasn't the type of person who enjoyed traveling. If possible, he would rather relax in his room, lying in bed playing with his phone all day, or playing games on his computer all day.
Unfortunately, aside from the fact that it was still the late 20th century and his favorite forms of entertainment hadn't developed yet, his current situation also didn't allow him to stay at home. Part-time work, classes, special training... various things forced him to continuously improve his physical stamina.
Thanks to that, even this uneven mountain trail only left him slightly out of breath. If it were Waver doing this, he might have already run out of breath.
"Haaah...."
Leaning against a tree by the roadside while catching his breath, Naoki looked up at the sky: "It's almost night. Will I be able to get there before dark? This remote place... I understand why Blackmore Cemetery's reputation in the industry is so bad."
Although not widely known in the outside world, in magical circles, Blackmore Cemetery is actually quite famous. Not only is it one of the most famous cemeteries in the world, but it's also one of the oldest. Many necromancers and spiritualists want to visit it to learn more.
However, the actual location of Blackmore Cemetery has always been a mystery. Although its name is famous, its exact location is unclear. Although there are some rumors about its location, most of them are fake. Over time, Blackmore Cemetery became a real legend.
Naoki knew the location of Blackmore Cemetery because there was a map and address attached to the task letter. However, even so, he had to painstakingly search for its location in the corners of the map.
"I wonder how they maintain their lives in such a remote place. Do they not trade at all?"
Thinking this, Naoki took out a water bottle, took a small sip to moisten his lips, and was just about to continue his journey—
*FLAP-FLAP-FLAP!*
From the nearby forest, the sound of flapping wings suddenly rang out, and dozens of crows flew out of the forest.
"Crows... indeed, when it comes to cemeteries, crows seem to be bound to them. They're bound to be there."
"Because crows carry souls."
As if responding to Naoki, a low voice sounded, and from where the crows had flown, a black shadow suddenly appeared.
It was a man dressed in black. Around fifty or sixty years old. Although old, his robust build was still visible through his jacket. His messy hair was covered by a travel hat.
A crow perched on the man's shoulder, its eyes staring at him. Although hidden under a large hat, Naoki could feel that this man was also staring at him.
"What is a Clock Tower Magus doing here?" The man asked.
Taking out the document from his bag, Naoki said, "Are you connected to Blackmore Cemetery? Previously, Blackmore Cemetery sent a task letter to Clock Tower. I am the Magus assigned to handle it."
"So you're the one handling the issue. Clock Tower is a bit slow."
Even so, the man turned around.
"I am the graveyard keeper, Bersac Blackmore. It's getting dark, follow me to the cemetery first."