Chapter 15

New Year's Day, three updates each day, starting from the early morning of January 1, 2011.

Ah, right, and also, Happy New Year, hehe.

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The bento prepared by Chachamaru, as always, was a feast for the senses, but Levi did not immerse himself in the food as he usually did.

There was only one reason for this.

The silent girl sitting across from him.

Levi was certainly not a shy boy who felt embarrassed to show his appetite in front of the opposite sex. Nor would he pretend to be refined just because the other person was a beautiful woman.

Although the short hair of the girl, who had been reading a book with her head down, covered her eyes, Levi had already seen her face during their brief conversation. She was indeed a beauty, with a petite figure, clear eyes, and simple short hair, and the image of her holding a book and reading intently was the epitome of a refined literary girl.

But that was all.

Levi was not a naive boy who had never seen a beautiful woman before. Magic, after all, was a method to turn the impossible into the possible. Just as modern medicine was highly developed and used for artificial beauty, the magical world was also not lacking in women who used illusions to change their appearance.

Moreover, even if one excluded the beauty that came from postnatal modifications, there was a beauty who had captivated Levi for a hundred years right by his side—vampires, known for their perfection, were a race that rivaled elves. Especially the most noble of vampires, the True Ancestor, even with an eternally youthful appearance, Evangeline still possessed an irresistible beauty.

What Levi was concerned about was the identity of the girl sitting across from him. Not her social identity as a student or teacher, but her fundamental classification as a living being.

Apart from the occasional movement of her hand when turning pages, Levi, with his pride in his dynamic vision, could not detect any change in the girl's body, not even the slightest. Even the intervals between her page-turning movements were precisely timed, down to the second. This was not something an ordinary human could achieve; it was as precise as Chachamaru, a robot with a meticulously constructed body.

However, Levi could not find any trace of artificial modification on the girl. Her body temperature, heartbeat, and breathing all confirmed her human identity to Levi.

If it were before, Levi, who had long been accustomed to magic, high-tech wonders, and mysterious superpowers, would have only paid slight attention to such a girl.

But now, he had no room for carelessness.

Last night, he had just performed the summoning of a Heroic Spirit, and the Holy Grail War might have already begun!

But since this school island was filled with unimaginable beings, Levi would not rashly test the girl. What if she was just an ordinary student with special abilities...

He did not want to expose his secrets at this Central District No. 2 High School. At least for now, he did not want to lose this peaceful and comfortable workplace.

Finishing the last bite of his meal, he ended this awkward lunch.

When he had tidied up his dishes and was about to leave to avoid trouble, the reading doll across from him suddenly moved.

"Levi McDowell."

Levi finally heard the girl's voice, flat and lifeless, devoid of any emotion, more like a machine-generated sound than a human voice.

Stopping his steps towards the iron door, Levi turned around and first saw the book the girl had closed—The Greek Coffin Mystery, by Ellery Queen—written on the hardcover.

So she was a first-year student—Levi raised his gaze and identified her by the color of her school uniform collar.

"Student, do you know me? Is there something you need?"

It had only been a few days since the start of the school year. Even if he was a well-known figure at the school, he did not think he would gain such high recognition among the first-year students so quickly. Judging from the girl's solitary reading on the rooftop, she did not seem to be the type interested in gossip. Levi's surprise at her knowing his full name heightened his inner vigilance.

"I have no ill intentions, please do not be overly cautious. This meeting is only to convey some necessary information effectively."

Levi tended to believe her seemingly peaceful declaration.

After all, no matter who it was, there would always be some warning signs before an attack. The pressure of magic, or the tension in nerves and muscles, were necessary preparations for an effective attack. Even Chachamaru, with her purely mechanical body, would show some subtle changes in temperature and other aspects.

Levi did not sense any abnormalities from the first-year student, but this was not enough to make him lower his guard.

"Please continue."

He decided to listen to what she had to say. Levi maintained a safe distance and connected with Evangeline's senses. As a Heroic Spirit of the Assassin class, while Evangeline might be relatively weaker in absolute combat ability, she possessed some extremely convenient special abilities. For example, the shared perception with her Master was an excellent method for relaying messages and gathering intelligence.

"I am a human interface terminal created by the 'Integrated Data Entity' for contact with organic life. I am Nagato Yuki."

The girl's self-introduction caused a significant shock to Levi. Having traveled and worked across much of the universe, he had heard the term 'Integrated Data Entity' more than once.

In the vast universe, besides life forms similar to humans, composed of organic matter or other substances and possessing physical bodies, there existed life forms that possessed only intelligence without a physical form.

They initially existed as information, combined to form consciousness, and evolved by absorbing other information.

Existing purely as information, or in a mental form, they could not be detected even by the most advanced optical inspection methods. Not to mention, they might have been born with the universe, possessing abilities that no one could imagine. All of this existed only in the hypotheses of the top scientists in the universe.

Many unexplainable phenomena were attributed to the interference of the 'Integrated Data Entity.' In a sense, they were considered hypothetical beings similar to the concept of 'gods.'

Levi was momentarily at a loss for how to react to the girl's astonishing statement. Should he laugh and deny her strange delusion? Or should he accept it with the mindset that it's better to be safe than sorry? Just by the fact that the girl could mention the term 'Integrated Data Entity,' Levi could not outright deny the truth in her words. After all, on this planet where technology was far from truly advanced, he had never heard that familiar yet unfamiliar term before.

On the other end of the shared perception, Evangeline, who had received the information through Levi's senses, also expressed her surprise with silence.

Regardless of how many thoughts flashed through the minds of master and servant, Nagato seemed to have known that Levi understood the meaning of the term, so she did not elaborate but continued her speech.

"The 'Integrated Data Entity,' which has existed since the formation of the universe, is already well-versed in the entire universe. It has knowledge of the information of all life forms that have been born and died over the vast expanse of time in this universe. After absorbing all the information it could, the Integrated Data Entity found that its own evolution had reached a stalemate."

Levi, who had initially thought the girl was a quiet and introverted type, was surprised by her sudden loquacity. However, he had no time to lament the error of judging a book by its cover. Absorbing, thinking, and analyzing Nagato Yuki's words already occupied all of his attention outside of his vigilance.

"Three years ago, we discovered an information highlight different from other organic life forms. The information sparks emitted by a single individual instantly covered the entire planet and spread into outer space. The center of this phenomenon was a student at this school."

"Then you believe that by studying this student, you can break through your evolutionary stalemate?"

Levi was not skilled in detailed information analysis. After much thought, he decided to leave it to Evangeline, who was listening through the shared perception. After all, the golden shadow of his memory was a renowned top assassin in the industry, known for making independent judgments without relying on information supply.