Chapter 14: Lord El-Melloi II
"It's not that short, is it?" Shirou tilted his head.
"Eh?"
Saber blinked, momentarily stunned by his response. "Is this how modern students dress?"
"Well... times change, I suppose."
In reality, this specific school uniform and skirt were indeed shorter than the ones Sakura wore. That was because they were sized for Illya.
"If it's truly unacceptable, we can change into a different set tomorrow morning."
"Is that so..."
Saber finally let out a sigh of relief; she didn't particularly relish the idea of heading outside in such a short skirt.
"Let's put that aside for now. Come and eat."
Shirou brought the dishes to the table. Upon hearing the word "eat," Saber's attention was instantly diverted. She decided to ignore everything else for the moment; she would deal with other matters only after finishing her meal.
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Two months prior. England, Clock Tower. Inside the El-Melloi residence.
As the mansion's front door was pushed open from the outside, a black-haired man dressed in a black suit, topped with a red overcoat and a red scarf, walked in expressionlessly. He walked with steady steps toward the sofa and then collapsed onto it like a pile of limp mud.
"Phew... that's the end of today's lectures."
As the somewhat gaunt man exhaled these words, a girl's playful, mocking voice drifted from the adjacent room.
"Collapsing from just that? You're far too weak, Lord El-Melloi II."
"Please... stop teasing me, Reines," Waver said somewhat helplessly.
A few seconds later, brilliant blonde hair entered Waver's vision as the room door opened. Following it was a girl with skin as fair as a porcelain doll and a slender physique. Wearing a top hat, she smoothed her skirt with movements that could be described as nothing less than perfectly elegant.
However, the most striking feature was her pair of flame-colored eyes—eyes that held a formidable will mismatched with her age. Her pupils were usually blue, turning flame-colored when in contact with magical energy. Judging by her appearance, she was only about fifteen years old, leaving one to wonder what kind of life she had lived to possess such eyes.
Reines El-Melloi Archisorte.
She was both the niece of Waver's mentor, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, and the woman who had bound Waver to the position of "Lord." Her mother's talent as a magus was mediocre, so she had not inherited the family name, but had instead married into the branch family, Archisorte, and given birth to several children.
Starting from November 1994, when Reines was about five years old, the previous head of the El-Melloi family, Kayneth, died in the Fourth Holy Grail War, after which his remains were transported back to the Clock Tower. One of the Twelve Families, the House of El-Melloi, fell apart due to the sudden loss of its Lord. Not only did external forces seize their assets, but numerous branch families also broke away after looting what they could, leaving behind only the name of El-Melloi and a massive debt.
Among what little remained of the El-Melloi faction, the Archisorte branch was considered minor. After many twists and turns, it happened that Reines, who possessed a high compatibility with the Source Crest, became the successor. At that time, to settle the dispute between Archisorte and Archibald and to declare a legitimate right of succession, Reines was adopted as Kayneth's niece. However, out of a small act of resistance, she still retains the surname Archisorte to this day.
Meanwhile, the young Waver Velvet survived that same Holy Grail War, inherited the derelict El-Melloi classroom, and became a third-class lecturer at the Clock Tower. As Waver's reputation grew, Reines finally took action.
One day, in the third year after the war, Reines had Waver kidnapped and brought before her. Reines casually remarked that Kayneth's death was all Waver's fault; Waver admitted his responsibility without a word of protest and was prepared to face death, but he requested that Reines spare his life because he still had things to do.
With great amusement, Reines told him that if he wanted to take responsibility, he must pay off the astronomical debts of the El-Melloi faction and repair the El-Melloi Source Crest—of which only ten percent remained. These were nearly impossible tasks, yet Waver agreed instantly. Reines made one final demand: until the then eight-year-old Reines grew old enough to inherit the title of Lord El-Melloi, he must protect the seat of the Twelve Lords of El-Melloi.
After signing the contract, Reines and the man who became Lord El-Melloi II worked together to maintain the House of El-Melloi.
Memories of the past surfaced one by one in Waver's mind, then gradually faded. Waver looked toward the blonde girl. Following behind Reines was a maid of somewhat peculiar appearance. By peculiar, it referred to her skin tone—she was neither white, nor black, nor of the yellow race, but glowed with a color humans should not possess: silver.
This mercury maid, named Trimmau, was said to be one of the top-tier automatons in the industry. Although the magical concept of human imitation has declined, the essence of this automaton does not rely on that concept.
"What a death-warmed-over look you have. It makes me worry if you'll even live through tomorrow."
A smile bloomed on the girl's lovely lips, like cherry-colored petals dampened by dew. With a mischievous grin, the blonde girl spoke again.
"By the way, the Saint Relic you wanted is ready. If you take a flight to that island nation now, you'll still be in time."
Waver, who had been so exhausted by the numerous lectures that he hadn't wanted to move a single finger, suddenly sat bolt upright as if he had been injected with a stimulant. Despite being twenty-nine years old, Waver's eyes still held the same burning heat as in his youth.
"I've finally waited for this day...!"
The events of that day were still fresh in Waver's memory. Having survived the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City ten years ago, he had returned to London harboring hatred and the wretchedness of a loser. No one in the Clock Tower expected that Waver Velvet, considered the most immature participant in that war, would return safely; thus, even though he returned, he was given the cold shoulder.
He spent several years in a daze after that. Rebuilding himself with thoughts of revenge, Waver temporarily became a third-class lecturer at the Clock Tower, where his extraordinary talent in this field quickly allowed him to stand out.
Although he initially didn't even have a formally assigned faculty department and held lectures for only a handful of students, those exceptionally simple and dynamic practical lectures became a topic of conversation among the new generation at the Clock Tower in the blink of an eye. He even persuaded several lecturers who had failed in power struggles to join the podium, realizing an unprecedentedly multifaceted educational system.
In fact, it wasn't intentional on Waver's part. Perhaps his luck, which had been at rock bottom, simply turned around. In any case, the next few years proceeded quite smoothly for him.
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