"Quiet!"
Lorelei looked at the noisy Magi below and forcefully flicked the riding crop in her hand. As the crop moved, a burst of wind-attribute magical energy that would terrify an ordinary Magus exploded at the tip, making a loud sound.
Having completed this action, Lorelei nodded with satisfaction, then turned and sat in the main seat of the large meeting room.
At this moment, the old butler walked to Lorelei's side and whispered,
"Head of the House, all family representatives of our Aristocratic Faction have arrived."
"Good, you may close the doors. Also, please invite those Lords up as well!"
"Yes!"
Afterward, the butler walked efficiently down from the main stage at the center of the meeting room and began inviting the Lords to the stage as Lorelei had instructed. Meanwhile, many Barthomeloi guards began closing the doors of the massive meeting room.
As the various Lords took their seats, the Magi below the high platforms also sat on simple stone benches.
Magic power flashed in Lorelei's hand as she lightly tapped the meeting table, and an amplification spell automatically formed on its surface.
"Alright, let's begin! Regarding Marisbury's death... shall we go to war!"
The former head of the Barthomeloi family, standing to the side, rolled his eyes immediately upon hearing Lorelei's words and secretly cursed, 'That brat!'
"Wait! It hasn't been confirmed yet that the Wandering Sea and Atlas were responsible!"
"Who else could it be? Marisbury was no weakling, and he had four first-class Magi with him at the time. To be able to take out Marisbury and his guards silently in France—I wouldn't believe it if you said the local Wandering Sea wasn't involved."
Rufreus, the Lord of Spiritual Evocation and Kayneth's father-in-law, shook his head and spoke.
"Setting aside whether they did it or not, even starting a war wouldn't be that simple. Would those fellows from the Neutral and Democratic Factions agree?"
"We don't need their agreement. I am the Clock Tower's vice director, and most of the Clock Tower's combat power is under my control. We only need to start the war first; if those guys don't agree, they'll have to agree anyway. As for the Old Director's side, don't worry, I'll handle it!"
At this point, Waver stood up and tapped the table with extreme gravity.
"I feel you have another motive. Is it because of Sajyou Manaka? If it's Sajyou Manaka, she could have easily dealt with Marisbury. You aren't leading a team to start a war just to find trouble for Sajyou Manaka, are you?"
"You!"
Lorelei, her thoughts exposed, glared unhappily at Waver, then turned her head away and stopped speaking.
The high-ranking members of the Aristocratic Faction on the stage breathed a huge sigh of relief, expressions of ease appearing on their faces, and a few even secretly gave Waver a thumbs-up.
However, Waver then changed the subject, causing the expressions of the Aristocratic Faction's high-ranking members to turn solemn again.
"However, putting Lorelei's issue aside for a moment, how do we handle Rin's side? Rin should have received the news by now. If she decides it was the Wandering Sea and Atlas and wants revenge, what do we do?"
At this point, Kayneth also stood up and spoke.
"Prepare for war! Once Rin chooses to go to war against the Wandering Sea and Atlas, we will be dragged into it regardless. It's better to prepare proactively than to wait passively."
Following Kayneth's words, the entire venue became chaotic again, with the sound of discussion filling the air both on and off the stage.
Perhaps some might wonder why Rin choosing to go to war would drag the entire Clock Tower down with her. In the original story, didn't Kayneth die in the Fourth War and that was that?
In the original story, Kayneth proactively ran off to participate in a 'backwater' magic ritual and was defeated and killed during it. For selfish Magi, Kayneth's way of dying was a joke. But this time was different: the Old Director, as the Head of the Astronomy Branch, was killed under mysterious circumstances while traveling to Europe to negotiate with other powers.
As long as Rin, in her capacity as the Acting Head of the Animusphere family and the Astronomy Branch Lord, launches a war of revenge, then the Wandering Sea and Atlas must either give Rin a satisfactory explanation or choose to fight. If a war breaks out, it means the Clock Tower's Astronomy Branch is at war with the Wandering Sea and Atlas. If the Clock Tower doesn't join in then, it would likely become the laughingstock of the entire magical world.
However, none of these Magi thought that Rin might make a different choice. Then again, in the eyes of these orthodox Magi, Rin was probably the Magus who least resembled a Magus.
Rin, this Magus from the Far East countryside, had formed an inherent impression among Magi after causing a massive stir in the magical world: that she was humane, cared about family and friendship, and was extremely protective of her own. Therefore, in the fixed impression of the Magi, the possibility of Rin choosing revenge was almost one hundred percent—even Kayneth, Waver, and Lorelei, who were on good terms with Rin, thought the same.
At the Animusphere family castle, after Rin had comforted Olga Marie and seen her to sleep, she walked out of Olga Marie's room and into the living room.
In the living room, Fujino was sitting obediently beside a gentle-looking Tohsaka Aoi, who was knitting a sweater, while Tokiomi was playing with a gemstone in his hand with a serious expression.
Tohsaka Aoi put down the unfinished sweater and turned to ask Rin.
"Has Marie fallen asleep?"
Rin's lips twitched as she heard her mother's affectionate nickname for Olga Marie, and she nodded.
"What a poor child. How could Marisbury just die like that? Magi are truly terrifying!"
Tokiomi put down the gemstone he was playing with and coughed.
"Ahem, Aoi!"
"Ah! Sorry, I misspoke!"
Rin looked at Tohsaka Aoi, who had aged considerably and become sentimental, and walked over to give her a hug.
"It's okay, Mom!"
Tokiomi stood up, came to Rin's side, and asked.
"Rin, what do you plan to do?"
"I plan to go to France first to take a look. At the very least, I'll retrieve Marisbury's body from the Wandering Sea, and then take it one step at a time!"
Tokiomi looked at his grown-up daughter with satisfaction, patted Rin's shoulder, and a trace of relief appeared on his face.
As a 'traditional' Magus, Tokiomi naturally knew what the consequences would be if his daughter acted on impulse. Worried about her doing so, he had inquired about the affairs of the magical world after a long absence.
"It's for the best that you think this way. However, if it really was the Wandering Sea and Atlas who killed Marisbury... forget it, choose for yourself! No matter what, I will support your decision, Rin!"
Rin smiled and gave Tokiomi a hug, then, noticing Tohsaka Aoi looking like she had remembered something, she quickly hurried toward the door.
"Wait! Rin, you're already this old, when are you going to find a boyfriend? Your father and I both want grandchildren!"
Hearing Tohsaka Aoi's words, Tokiomi also spoke to Rin cheerfully.
"Rin! Your mother is right. Our Tohsaka Family is still waiting for you to pass it on. If you find someone suitable in France, remember to bring them home for your mother and me to see!"
Having run to the door, Rin gave a helpless shout and then sped up, fleeing the area.
"I KNOW!!!!!!!!!"
A dangerous look appeared in Fujino's eyes as she followed closely behind Rin, feeling somewhat nervous.
'I definitely won't let anyone steal Master away!'
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