Oh so close to 700.
-
Unlike Adra, where there was no one to supersede the authority of the Lord of Norwich, the people involved this time were wholly different. The Lord of the land denied his request, as did the Lord of Valuay, Inorai, claiming they simply weren't in the mood to argue this late into the day.
The Professor had no choice but to back down in the face of such a vehement denial, and when I offered to gather all of them by force, he denied my help, telling me it was stupid to put myself in more danger than I already had. I complied.
Now, I sat beside Reines in the dining hall, poking my burger boredly.
A day here meant a day away from my family and my pursuit of greater magecraft. Touko Aozaki wasn't the least bit interested in fighting me again, and no one else really had anything I wanted. The Iselma were a family dedicated to designing beautiful people. Since I was already one fabulous bitch, their magecraft was wholly redundant.
I sighed and rested my hand in my palm as I idly stabbed my fries with a fork.
The leader of the El-Melloi raised a curious brow, "Are you a toddler?"
"I don't think you get to call anyone a child when you look like someone they'd find in an Epstein video... or, is it R. Kelly right now? Both work."
"What's that even supposed to mean? I'm not very in touch with whatever is popular among the lower class."
She wanted a reaction, it was plain as day. Just like me, she antagonised people for the love of the game and nothing else. Unfortunately, she looked an 11 year old trying to play at being an adult so most of her insults just... didn't quite register.
"Crazy. I'm richer than you are." I sipped my tea like that one Ronaldo video.
"Luviagelita's wealth isn't yours, you know."
"I do know, ya angry midget. I'm talking about my shares in Carnac worth what? A couple hundred million?"
"Oh that..." She tilted her head to the side, hoisting a wine glass that one of the servants standing around rushed to fill. I curiously watched the fine red liquid trickle into the glass from an expensive-looking bottle. "I've heard of that. A woman won them for you, right? That does remind me. How does it feel to have a girl protecting you from the big bad world? I'm quite curious about the experience."
Now that she said it... Luvia had been a filter of sorts. With her continuous presence, long before I ever even recognised her for it, she was persistently driving off any never-do-wells by presenting herself as a wall. In a way, she was declaring that antagonising me would be antagonising her, something not even the highest of lords were capable of easily doing.
I raised a brow at Reines.
Judging by the thin smirk spreading across her pale lips, she possibly took my silence to be defeat. Unfortunately, I was a shameless bitch ON TOP of being a fabulous one.
I grinned. Her confidence faltered.
"It's extremely hot. I want her to hold me in a princess carry. Are you jealous~?"
She shivered and covered her nonexistent chest with her arm. Clearly, she'd underestimated my freak. A mistake many tended to make.
"What are you even trying to hide? A literal plane could take off that flat a surface."
"You're a very-"
"Handsome lad? I know. But I'm sorry, I'll have to reject your feelings. I'm not interested in children."
"...I'm not going to win this, am I?" Her shoulders slumped with a sigh. "Let's talk about something more serious then. The El-Melloi are aligned with the Barthomeloi, and judging by how it took you less than five minutes to rush to my brother's aid... What do you think about joining us instead?"
The teasing, rather, downright rude tone simply evaporated. In its place, was the face of a girl who took control of an ancient faction of magi while being a child. Credit where credit was due, that was pretty impressive. In response, I discarded my snark too. She was Waver's sister, just because of that, I held no ill will for her at all.
I opened my burger up and carefully began removing the lettuce, "What do I get in exchange?"
"What is the Edelfelt Princess giving you?"
"Nothing at all." I expertly tossed the lettuce on her plate. She gave it a dry look, before turning to face me again, "Well, she has been flaunting me from what I hear. I appreciate the rep."
"Then-"
"The aristocrats, your faction, raised my rank and made a whole fake background just to make sure they weren't outdone by a newcomer. The Democrats want to do more."
"Those people will-"
Wiping my fingers on a napkin, I snapped my fingers. Instantly, a bound field cut us off from the rest of the people in the hall, namely the servants, and the member of the Iselma family sitting across from both of us in silence. The Princess of Silver.
"Make me a tool. No shit. These are magi. Still, I need to make them believe I'm on their side so they don't do anything rash."
That was to say, so they didn't turn their ugly eyes towards my family any more than they already had. They were under observation, definitely, but so long as I was 'technically' aligned with one of the three factions, touching them would interfere with the delicate balance that stopped the Clock Tower from undergoing a civil war.
Before Reines answered, I snapped my fingers again. The bounded field providing us with secrecy dissipated. Interestingly, she stopped herself the second she noticed, and held her mouth shut. She brought her wine to her lips with narrowed eyes.
"Wait, aren't you underaged?"
She just shrugged.
Right, we were English.
"You're not as stupid as you look."
I snorted. It wasn't even worth responding to that. So, to do something about my boredom, I directed my full, undivided, attention towards the blind girl quietly sitting across the table with her hands in her lap. The weird thing was, she wasn't even eating anything, just... there.
"Say Estella,"
She raised her head with a start.
"Yes... sir?"
Sir? Wow. Was it cause of the thing with Touko?
I exchanged glances with Reines.
"What's the deal with that Maio guy? He was getting press-... I mean, he was screaming at us for no reason."
Her lips parted, but no words came out. She looked to one side, then the other, realising her maid wasn't there with us, before finally relenting. "Maio is... the family pharmacist."
"How illuminating. I feel like I've known the guy my whole life. Are you sure it's safe? Sharing this much with a stranger?"
She ducked her head with tinted cheeks. "No, I mean. He... He grew up with us. I think, no, I know. He loved my sister, Diadra, since we were children. I hope you can forgive any outbursts. He is grieving."
That was... exactly what I'd accused him of. It was almost hilarious.
"Lemme guess, she didn't reciprocate those feelings?"
Slowly, she shook her head. "But Regina loved him. And, she's dead too now."
That was some cliche ass-... wait no, besides that, there was something about the way she told it. There was definitely something more to the story they kept feeding me about the dead maid, and she definitely knew what it was.
Reines pursed her lips. "I'm sorry for your loss."
I looked down at my still open burger, lying there like a surgery patient whose doctor forgot he existed for half an hour. Knowing people, that definitely happened at some point too. Then, I noticed something in it. Something that wasn't supposed to be there in my meal.
"Maio's a pharmacist... that means he deals in medicine and tablets and that sort of stuff."
She gave a confused nod, watching as I jammed a finger into my meat and pulled out a small white tablet, the size of half of my nail. I held it up for her to see.
"I-"
"This has to be one of the stupidest, least thought-out attempts on my life I've ever seen. Reeks of desperation. But, what can you expect from someone who was born into a world of magick and chose bloody medicine, not even healing spells. Don't even try to tell me it's not poison either since last I checked, burgers don't come with literal tablets inside them."
Surprise flashed across Reines' features, but she gathered herself quickly.
"A murder attempt, along with two other actual ones. Do you think he got upset over a rejection and murdered our dear princess?"
"No... Maio wouldn't-..."
"No, that was her father."
Reines only sighed, already briefed on the situation by her older brother. "You don't have any tact at all, do you?"
Estella, however, stared at me wide-eyed.
"Don't play stupid, you knew." I pointed a fork at her.
"She... my sister collapsed. Maio is just... He must've done this in grief, yes-"
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not angry at all." I smiled politely. "No, I'm happy even. I thought it'd be boring. Reines!"
"What is it, Henry?" The El-Melloi Princess smiled sweeter than I, having read my intentions perfectly.
"Someone from the Iselma Family just made an attempt at my life. As Lord of El-Melloi, you're my witness. As an independent party, I'm entitled to revenge. Hmm, yeah, since I'm such a kind person, I'll only take one tower."
That was the way of the Jujutsu Sorcerer. Unnecessary property damage. However, I wasn't Sukuna. The second tower was reserved for guests, and the Iselma used puppets in place of servants. Since there were no guests other than us, the other tower was vacant of life right now since everyone was currently occupying rooms in the main family tower.
"I think that's fair-... Wait... O-One what?!"
I held a hand out to the side. Amidst crimson flashes, an impossible force took shape against my palm. The air swirled and then it shot forth. The next instant, the wall beside was torn to shreds. Outside, a massive chunk of the tower adjacent to us was... just gone.
The earth trembled, the steel beams buckled and the concrete began to crumple under the sudden weight. The golden tower groaned and moaned, then, unable to support itself, began collapsing in on itself. With a terribly loud boom, the upper floors toppled into the yard, and some fell into the lower floors. A storm of dust and smoke rose from the fresh ruins.
I brought a hand to my chin as the smell of nature mingled with the precious aromas that previously dominated the dining hall. "A bit unrestrained but... nice. Really nice."
These people were magi. The master of the land was one that had no qualms about murdering his own flesh and blood then cutting her up. Needless to say, I didn't regret my actions in the slightest. It was time for entertainme-...er, it was time for the consequences of trying to murder me.
The Princess of Silver only watched, hands held against her stomach. Past her initial surprise, she made no effort whatsoever to stop me... almost like she wanted that to happen. From the corner of my eye, I saw the girl bow her head. Her silver hair fell all around her.
"Please. Forgive Maio... I beg of you. He doesn't understand his actions."
This... She seemed to believe my actions were only natural.
"D-Did you love him too?"
I was truly surprised.
"Not like Regina... but he is my childhood friend. I care for him."
I sighed, stepping past her to make my way towards an auspicious looking chair. One of those grandiose ones with the curved back and the intricate carvings.
Easily, I plopped down on it.
Eagerly, I awaited the music.
Unexpectedly, the first person to arrive was Touko Aozaki. The fiery-haired Grand chewed on her cigarette and observed the damage.
"This is the sort of thing I might do depending on the circumstances. I have to ask. What brought it on?"
"Poison. Stupidest murder attempt ever."
"Yes, that would do it. It's more insulting that someone tries it than anything else."
She found a chair and made herself comfortable.
Reines was still rooted in her spot, beads of sweat on her forehead.
Seeing her, I couldn't help myself, "Imagine if I were the type to get pissed off by insults."
Mechanically, her head turned my way, then back at the ruined remains of a grand tower. Then, like a true politician, she said, "It appears I've made a rather severe and continuous lapse in judgement-"
-
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