I've been told I don't plug the server, properly so... uh, here. Join up if you wanna chat.
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Unlike my last visit to Valuay, the eccentric magi that made up the Department of Creation did not just cast a sideways glance before going about their usual business. No, they were visibly alarmed. Some left. Others tried to make themselves appear small. Most failed at hiding their curiosity and their annoyance.
While yes, the magi Valuay aligned to the principles of the Trambelio Faction, the fact that talent almost certainly always lay with esteemed lineages didn't just become untrue. Any new magus, no matter his or her talent, ended up hitting a wall eventually, whether it be from lack of finances, their individual magic circuits, or the very politics I was caught up in right now. In most cases, such a wall simply did not exist for those with ancient blood.
Yet, begrudgingly or otherwise, they had to give me respect. They couldn't afford not to anymore.
Even with their distinct lack of common sense or morality, magi understood that triumphing over a Grand put me near her when it came to raw power. Admittedly, the truth was largely different. Touko had only been 'defeated' because she realised I was stealing her life's work. In fact, politically, she'd caused lasting damage to me.
I was eagerly looking forward to our next altercation. The countermeasures she'd devise.
"Ignore them, Henry." Luviagelita assured me, matching my pace as we walked down a corridor. "Not a single magus here holds a candle to you, I assure you. Scowls and hushed whispers are the only struggle they can afford."
I snorted, "I know. It's pure skill issue."
She let out a satisfied hum.
"Now, observe caution please. I can't speak for her intentions but do remember that she didn't reach her position by being a 'good' person."
Soon, we arrived in front of that same office Luviagelita had dropped me off at all that time ago, back when I was actually intimidated by Inorai. A lot had changed since then. Smiling, I traced a finger along the golden rose engraved into the door before opening it with a light push.
Lord Inorai Valualeta Atroholm sat behind her mahogany desk, fingers steepled and eyes narrowed. Her wrinkled lips stretched into a thin smile as we entered. I noticed that the empty vases from before were now filled with sand, and the daises with sculptures now held up talismans and relics... Mystic Codes.
Hmmm.
That wasn't foreboding at all.
She gestured towards the two chairs placed across from her. Luviagelita held out a hand to stop me the second I moved and shook her head.
"We'll stand."
I did as my sugar momma wished.
"That's a shame. I prepared some fine tea... even that strawberry shortcake he prefers."
A power move. Her way of telling me, or making me think, that every single move I'd made thus far was under her observation.
I shivered dramatically, "That's creepy. Maybe if you were a hot lady~"
"I am a hot lady." She raised a brow, "Even today, I spent about fifteen minutes admiring this beautiful face of mine in a full body mirror."
Short greyed hair, wrinkled skin, a thin body, a creepy smile, and beside all that, a lord among magi.
"That mirror was a paid actor."
Inorai shrugged. "Allow me to conduct my business with Miss Edelfelt first."
Luviagelita straightened her back and clenched her fists, meeting the Lord of Creation with a dry face that betrayed no emotion at all. She offered a curt nod before again, raising her head ever so little. In a way, she was declaring that not even one of the Twelve Lords was enough to make her heel.
And, sure as hell, so long as I was there beside her, no one was going to do anything about that ego of hers unless they wanted me to rearrange their guts with my boot after an intense love-making session between my fists and their face.
"You are hereby relieved of your task..." Inorai's gaze met mine, "You are to no longer report on this boy's progress or abilities."
I averted my gaze, stifling a cackle. Admittedly, Luviagelita was a lot better at hiding her amusement than I was.
"Furthermore, after an intensive investigation, I all but know now that you have been less than earnest in your efforts. The few reports you have given are gravely flawed. I do not believe that Henry could pull the wool over the eyes of someone like yourself. That can only mean that you have sabotaged the Trambelio Faction such that you may add him to your own... Because of your grandmother, I expected far better, even knowing your family's reputation."
The World's Most Elegant Hyenas. The Edelfelts often ended up retrieving the best for themselves after intervening in situations they had no business even knowing, leaving many enraged and fighting over scraps.
Much to my surprise, Luviagelita simply stood there, listening, instead of biting back like I knew her to. After a long few seconds, she bit out. "Anything else?"
"There will be consequences."
Luviagelita tossed a lock of hair over her shoulder, "I look forward to them."
"Now... You, Henry."
Inorai hadn't moved a single inch since we'd arrived. Now, she did. With a simple flick of her wrist, the sand in a nearby vase came to life. It coiled in the air like a serpent before bursting through the air. Not at me though, at Luviagelita.
I held a finger to the side and the entirety of it was swallowed up by Blue. With a raised brow, I dragged that finger through the air until it faced Inorai herself. Only then did I raise a curious brow.
"It was for privacy..." Inorai drawled, smiling amiably, "I meant no harm, hand over my heart."
The Blue faded away.
"Henry, you have the mind to understand we have done much for you."
That much was undeniably true. It was a chance encounter with her that ended with me enrolled in the Clock Tower. In a way, everything that happened after that... the friends I gained, my feelings for Luviagelita, the wealth... All of that was thanks to her.
But, and this was a MASSIVE 'but'.
I'd have ended up at the Clock Tower all the same. That was just the way I was. Under radically different circumstances, but there all the same. My Professor too would have reached out eventually, he was just that kind a person. That was how he found Svin and Flat and Gray. I trusted and knew him well enough to understand that he'd have done the same.
He was the first person in this world to help with no ulterior motives.
Yet, for now, the fact that I owed Inorai much too remained unchanged.
"Yeah..." I scratched the back of my head, "I wouldn't be where I am today without you."
"Then," her smile widened considerably, "stop sitting on the side so indecisively. Eyes that analyze the flow of mana, magic circuits and the talent to reproduce and even mold that flow. They're not near sixty as Luviagelita here told me, are they? You have more. Join us, you'll go far. It is the least you can do."
"As a subordinate, you mean?"
"Does it matter?"
More than someone like her could ever imagine. For monsters of logic like magi, being under someone mattered little if it meant they were able to pursue their goals. And personally, I didn't have the ego to really care either... But, being a subordinate here meant something like a hound on a leash. No, worse. Because it meant I'd have to be a broodmare for reviving dying lineages and probably be subject to their 'harmless' studies and experiments.
Little more than a slave then. They had spells for that too. Geis, as I recalled from Waver's lessons. Absolute compulsion among much else.
No matter what I owed her, it nearly wasn't enough for that.
I was a man. My own person.
"Because I owe you. I didn't retaliate for what you just pulled. I didn't get bothered by constant surveillance... or the threats your people have been mailing me for a few weeks now."
Anyone who tried that with Luviagelita other than her would end up getting hit by a 'stray' Red before their next blink.
I lowered my aviators, "Since you magi seem to like logic so much. All you did was get me an admission. So, that's repayment enough. I'm not going to become a slave just because you opened a door for me. If you don't like it, bite me."
Her smile didn't fade. It remained as amiable as ever.
"Do you think saying this to one of the Twelve Lords is wise?"
"After the Iselma Towers, I think you realise Brand-ranked Lords don't really have the 'assets' to make me care about what is or isn't wise."
I snapped my fingers and the sand she'd controlled before came pouring out of every other vase in the office. It snapped and coiled and whirled in the office. With another snap, it settled down and returned from whence it came.
If she was startled, Inorai did not show it whatsoever.
"Really, do try."
"I understand." She closed her eyes, craning her neck. "I suppose we'll have to try harder to convince you. My apologies for any insults, boy."
With a hum, I turned to leave.
"Come on, Luvia."
The proud and bold Princess of the Edelfelts let out a strange whimper before following along. The moment the door snapped shut behind us, Luvia pushed me against the wall and kissed me. Then she hugged my chest tightly.
"I-I'm so... proud of you."
...That was... Hm... It made me glad.
God, what was this girl turning me into?
"Are we sure that was good for you? You're always doing tricks on the Twelve Lords."
"H-Hmph! I don't need them. She threatened you, you know? That's enough for me to start cutting ties!" With tinted cheeks, she made those boisterous claims loud enough that a magus walking nearby froze in shock. "I don't... I don't like them talking down to you... You're all that matters to me..."
Daaamn. That was crazy.
I put a hand against the back of her head.
"...I don't have any words right now."
"B-Bedroom?"
Woah.
"I was thinking a date first?"
At that, she seemed to realise just what she was doing. Hastily, Luvia backed off and started fixing her dress. Once that was done, she grabbed me by the hand before practically dragging me out of Valuay. She only spoke once we'd left the premises.
"S-Sorry... I lost myself a bit. You were... very um-"
"Hot? Fabulous? Cool? All of the above? I don't mind," I waved my hand as we walked. "Sh-...It was bloody hot."
"Henry. This does create problems for you... I can't protect you by myself anymore. Not even Lord El-Melloi's influence-"
"Lord El-Melloi II." I corrected.
"Not even his influence will be enough anymore. Now they know. If they know, it's only a matter of time before everyone else knows... and now, now they'll shut me out so I can't keep a track of things from the inside. They think I want you for myself."
I tilted my head. "You don't?"
"I... do. But, it's dangerous now-"
"Um, love, I'm pretty sure Inorai spent the last few weeks ensuring just that."
The sudden ostracization made a lot of sense now. News of my triumph had spread unnaturally fast... and the presence of such 'talents' meant many among our society would covet it for themselves, by force if necessary.
I understood Inorai's angle too.
She alienated me and surrounded me with enemies. Eventually, I'd be forced to turn to my 'ally' for help. Yet, she failed to understand that doing such had killed all the respect I had for her up till now. Perhaps she did understand. Perhaps she concluded that THAT was the better way to make me join her camp. In that case, agreeing to her offer back in the office was the only way for me to ensure a safe and stable life.
Yet, to agree was to deny my very self. Beyond any doubt, my 'self' mattered more.
"That's... yes... that's definitely the case. Forgive me, Henry, I need to mobilise my wealth so we can be prepared for anything. And, your family too... Do you think they'd be open to moving to one of my fortresses?"
I took a deep breath.
Even now, the Mage's Association at large failed to glean one critical fact. No, it was one they utterly refused to accept.
The more they threw at me, the stronger I would get.
Oh well, more code for me to analyze.
"Fighting the whole Clock Tower's gonna be easier than coming up with something to convince my mother."
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And so, the cat is almost out of the bag. Inorai reveals her true colours as a Lord of the Clock Tower but this isn't all of it. But, trust me, you've yet to see the full extent of what she's done in those few weeks. You're gonna see his reaction is completely justified in the next few chapters.
Hope you enjoyed. Please be sure to comment your thoughts, ideas, suggestion and/or grievances. They always get me hyped up to write more.