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Despite the foreboding nature of the little altercation, and the alarms rung by Luvia's observations right after, nothing of note happened. No one tried to jump me. No one showed up to give warning glares in front of my home. But, I wasn't stupid enough to lower my guard just because of that.
Of course, there was always a decent chance that Lord Inorai simply backed off but... no. That wasn't how a magus operated, and it was certainly not how one who ruled them would operate, especially in her case. Inorai was exactly the kind of person to show no reaction and then enact insane schemes that seemingly had no relation to her whatsoever.
Shaking my head of the thoughts, I rubbed my hands together in a futile attempt to ward off the cold and picked up my pace. The wind stung. I wished I was at home with a cup of hot chocolate, spoiling Ellie, instead of exploring the Clock Tower for a new department to enroll at.
"Hey, hey Hal. HEY!"
"What?" I eyed Flat with pursed lips. "Stop begging the world for the attention your family never gave you."
Somehow, the cold didn't bother him at all. He still wore the same white button-up shirt, and the loose straps of his jeans flew about wildly as he spun. Hell, the weirdo stopped wearing his vest once winter started.
"How cru-el. I just wanted to spend my last day helping out one of my pals. After all, you're not very reliable when it comes to taking care of yourself."
"You don't get to say that. Last I saw you, you were trying to ride some bronze bull from the Department of Creation." I sighed.
"And I won! I rode it! Although the owner scolded me a lot after. But I did manage it!"
Geh... I couldn't let him find out I was planning on doing the same thing and he just beat me to it. So, I expertly changed the conversation with all the conversation skills of a man whose sole social skill was vicious instigation.
"What was that about your last day?"
Suddenly, Flat stopped. He firmly gripped my shoulders and stared right into my soul with those blue eyes of his.
"Henry. I haven't told you this but... I have a life-threatening disease. When I was born, the doctors said I only had till tomorrow to live. That's why I do all I do, so that I can make the most of my short life. Because I'm worried, I decided to spend my last day with you."
...What?
I stared at him in silence. He stared back, fully serious. That felt... well... if it was true... hm...
"See I knew you were a bloody faggot, you narcissistic fuck! That's why you didn't kiss that girl back then! Go makeout somewhere else!"
Oh my fucking God, it was the same guy from before. He bolted down the road the moment I turned to sock him as if he knew what was coming this time. I only caught a bare glimpse of his trenchcoat flapping in the wind before he disappeared. When I turned back to stare at Flat, he was looking down at the sidewalk, a hand over his mouth.
I narrowed my eyes, "Flat... why are you covering your mouth?"
"N-No reason."
"Flat, I know you just made that whole thing up."
That was a lie.
"You do? W-Wait no, I mean, it's true! Believe me!"
...
He ducked under a vile haymaker that nearly ripped his head off, avoiding it by a hair's breadth.
"Kya~! Nooo! Don't hurt a terminal patient!"
I raised my fist again, "You're not a terminal patient, dick."
"Okay okay! But I am going away, that much is true." He folded under no pressure whatsoever, even threw his hands up in surrender. Desperately, he tried to keep himself from busting out in laughter when he saw my unamused face... A few seconds later, he gave up and started cackling.
Honestly, I had to give it to him. I was of the belief he truly lacked the mental capacity to pull off a joke of that nature. So, I put a hand on his shoulder this time, and gave him a look of pity.
"I'm sorry, Flat. I thought you were a full-blown retard."
"...Wut?"
I diverted his attention again, "So, what's that about you leaving?"
Since he was actually just one or two numbers short of being classified as mentally inept, it was easily accomplished.
"Oh, I have some business with my family! That's why I'm going back during the vacations. Everyone will leave, even Svin. So I thought you'd get lonely! And that's why I decided to come with you to-... Um... where were we going again?"
"The Department of Lore."
"Ooooh, I've been there before! Although I got kicked out... Let's go!"
Sometimes, I wondered how this creature had stayed alive without the Professor. He took off running like a child, narrowly dodging other pedestrians, vaulting over cars and whatever else was unfortunate enough to cross his path.
This was not to say I was much better.
I was decidedly cooler though.
I just used Blue to teleport into the air. Then, I used Infinity to stand and watch from the skies. Expectedly, Flat got distracted less than halfway through the journey. He stopped near some paved outdoor cafe. Since it was December and the temperature was cold enough to freeze your balls off, it was mostly empty. The chairs and tables being made from metal didn't help much either.
I appeared next to Flat.
"Flat... come on, let's get going."
He shook his head, then pointed at the sole customer sitting under a blue parasol, an unnamed book in one hand and cup of tea in the other. "I recognise him. I don't know where from but I remember he's supposed to be super important or whatever!"
Hm.
The super-important person in question was a terribly pale man with pure white hair done in a single braid that fell down to his shoulder and distant eyes paler than the colour of his hair. He wore a, surprise, white suit and his lips broke into a thin smile the second he laid eyes on us.
He was a magus. There was no doubt. Or he was crazy... but lately, I was coming to terms with the fact there was no real difference between either.
But, Flat was right. He was either super strong, or super important. I'd long learned that the weirder a person seemed outwardly, the higher their ranking in our society.
"And besides, he called out to me!"
"...Maybe say that first, mate." I shook my head and faced the strange magus. "How can I ruin your day this fine evening, uhh..."
He chuckled softly, far too softly for a man. "I mean no harm to you... Henry. I merely recognised young Flat, and recalled your fellowship. Ah, please don't misunderstand. I have no vested interest in following you like some of my peers, your eccentricities are simply that well-known."
"Are you calling me crazy?"
"Would I be wrong?" He smiled politely, gesturing to the seat in front of him.
I plopped down across from him, crossing one leg over the other, "Yes. I'm the picture of sanity compared to the rest of you."
"Hm, perhaps there is some truth in that."
If he was lying, then all the better for me. It just meant my day was about to get more exciting than I initially assumed. That was never a bad thing.
Flat vaulted onto the chair next to me. I had the sneaking suspicion that he was going to tune out the whole conversation past the first few sentences. But, it mattered little. I raised a curious brow, beckoning for the white-haired magus to continue.
"Your prowess is well-known to the Mage's Association, I daresay word is beginning to spread across our other branches and members throughout the world... in no small part due to the efforts of the Trambelio Faction, for a reason that continues to elude me. Even then, to triumph over a Grand of Miss Aozaki's standing is... a baffling accomplishment. An accomplishment that declares to the world the depth of your understanding regarding the mystery that underlies our world. A master of thaumatu-"
"Spit on that thing some more. Gobbling it raw is crazy."
"...What?"
"I like to talk dirty when someone is guzzling my..."
He closed his eyes and inhaled. "Perhaps I should get to the point."
I raised my brow further.
"I come bearing a manner of warning and nothing else."
"Threat?" I pushed down a grin.
"No. A friendly gesture."
How boring. I relaxed back into my chair, and noticed that Flat was making strange faces at random passers-by.
"Lord Inorai has put forth a request for a Sealing Designation under grounds that magecraft capable of toppling Miss Touko Aozaki, who has only recently lost her own Sealing Designation, is a mystery that should be preserved by the Mage's Association so as not to risk its loss."
Sealing Designations... Edicts issued by the Mage's Association for the incarceration of magi whose abilities were designated too 'important' for our society to risk losing by letting them be. In a way, it was an honor, recognition of one's personal ability. Towards that end, the full combat forces of the Mage's Association were unleashed to hunt them down and bring them in.
Suddenly, Flat put his head on the table, mumbling to himself. A second later, he screeched. Something about how cold it was. I was too enthused with the magus to care.
The white-haired magus steepled his fingers together in a manner that bore a striking resemblance to the way I'd often seen Inorai do it. Hell, he also had that same friendly tone, the same friendly smile and that oh-so-distant gaze that failed to see people as people.
I could connect the dots. This wasn't the sort of information some run-of-the-mill magus was privy to. This man had definitive influence... and yet, I failed to recognise him.
I put a hand on the freezing table between us, "When?"
He removed a bang of hair from his eye, tucking it behind his ear.
"A few weeks ago, but it was halted and has only now started gaining traction once again. Ah, if you're curious how, it is because the Lord of Policies denied it. Of course, the Lord of Astrology also rejected the motion. But, the Valualeta Family does hold a severe influence. Wheels can be greased, opinions can be changed. The decision ultimately lies with the Secret Judgement Division, the ones responsible for granting and repealing them."
That meant... It meant she put it through the moment we returned from the Iselma lands. Long before I ever even rejected her offer to join. Yeah, if I held even the slightest regret for shutting her down in that way, it was gone now.
But still, the help from the Lord of Policies... Barthomeloi. And, from the Lord of Astrology too... Why?
"You're wondering why?" He smiled, and for the first time, his eyes seemed to gain some life, "I suspect it was nothing more than the simple fact that the Barthomeloi Faction is in opposition to hers and nothing more."
Hmm. That made some sense. People in power were unusually fickle and petty most of the time. The two factions were also enemies on the brink of an all-out war. Still, I wasn't about to write off the chance that this Lord Barthomeloi possibly had a scheme of his own in the works.
"What's so bad about this?" I questioned rhetorically.
"Hm, I understand the sentiment. A Sealing Designation is the highest recognition. Preservation of abilities that can not be accomplished by any other than the individual himself. But, we also use it to rule in undesirables, or exert influence over those that deny it. Henry, do you know how one is carried out?"
Noting my silence and curiosity, he took a slow sip of his steaming tea before continuing, "The brain, eyes, nerves and magic circuits are removed from the body. They are then stored in jars. It is a certain death sentence. I do not understand the point, personally. And I do not understand what she possibly hopes to gain, unless she means to revoke it at the final moment... An interesting thought, don't you agree?"
I put a hand on my chin. "...I imagine I wasn't supposed to find out about this, yeah?"
Since the Sealing Designations were handed out by the Mage's Association as a whole, there was no chance of me learning where it came from unless I broke into the Department responsible for their enforcement and beat it out of them. It also meant that if it went through, the full might of our society was going to come crashing down on me.
Accomplishing that after just a couple months of 'study' was insane.
He shook his head from side to side, confirming my conclusion.
"See? I really was trying to be helpful. Might I suggest a solution?"
"Join a faction? Yours?"
"It would be ideal, but no. I understand that to be impossible." He chuckled again, then spoke softly, "Attain a height where enforcing it is simply not worth the cost."
Unless they possessed a ton of magi on the level of Touko Aozaki in their employ, I had already attained that height. But, he didn't need to know that. So, I simply smiled.
"Say..."
"Hm?"
"How do you happen to know all this?"
He stared at me a moment before gently placing a hand against his chest.
"Well, I do happen to be the Lord of Astrology. Yes, the very one. Marisbury Animusphere. A pleasure. You have certainly met my expectations. I must request that you stop considering murdering me."
Huh. That was... the Second of the Twelve Lords I'd met thus far. No, the third if I counted my Professor.
At that revelation, I only uttered one word. "...Why?"
"It really is as I say, Henry." His smile betrayed a sort of childish excitement. "We are enemies, her and I. Trifling with her machinations is only natural. Of course, I do expect you to help me out at least once somewhere down the line but... only if you want to. I have no intention of forcing your hand. My servants tell me it wouldn't be a very good idea. I am inclined to believe them. We do dabble copiously in the art of Divination after all."
He rose to his feet and fixed his suit.
"Do show me something interesting, yes?"
"I plan on it."
With a satisfied hum, he left.
Honestly, the revelation should've struck fear or paranoia into my heart. But, all I felt was excitement. If her plan went through, they would hunt me down. Exceptional Enforcers. Ah, so many spells, so much code. New heights awaited on the other side.
How could I not be excited?
No, I was even incentivized to cause as much collateral damage as possible, to FORCE the entirety of the Mage's Association to decide that I was too much, to force them to humble themselves and back off.
The next person to come at me, was going to become an example.
Beyond that however, the Democratic Faction that lifted me up, had now decided to become my opposition. A betrayal that was wholly unsurprising. They were magus. I expected nothing less. They, however, probably weren't expecting what was going to happen next.
"Time to get myself some new techniques."
"What's that, Hal?"
Oh yeah, I forgot Flat was even here.
"By the way, Hal, he left us with his bill."
...
I snorted.
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Hope you enjoyed.
Hope you enjoyed. Please be sure to comment your thoughts, ideas, suggestion and/or grievances. They always get me hyped up to write more.
Our boy almost got given a death sentence... but he likes it. To clarify, the Sealing Designation did NOT go through. However, it's under consideration and MIGHT.