Vol 3. Chapter 18. A Death Sentence.
「 Rin's POV. 」
Surveying the room for a third time, I desperately tried to appreciate the fine craftsmanship of the surrounding decor, as I sat on a bench together with Mom.
The walls were either made of stone or old carved wooden paneling, with dozens of walls having large and expensive-looking paintings.
It all felt really wasteful, but really impressive at the same time.
The Clock Tower was just as ostnaratious…. ostantatis… ostentatious! Just as ostentatious as Father… had described…
…
"Rin?" Mom said my name in a low tone, while gently shaking me. Looking up at her, she gave me a worried look. "Are you alright?" She asked gently in English.
Nodding my head furiously, I tried my best to clear my thoughts while wiping my eyes. "This dusty place made me get something in my eye," I hurriedly explained, trying my best to make it sound believable.
"Alright sweetie," she said kindly, before gently wrapping an arm around me.
Closing my eyes, I hugged her back, and tried to calm down, as stressing right now would not be wise, given what is about to happen.
As the minutes passed, a slow echo of multiple sets of footsteps came from the hallway we had entered through.
Breaking the hug, I turned to look down the hallway, only to be met by a large escort of five, with a priest standing in the middle of them.
He looked like a kind old man, with round glasses and expensive, well-fitted priest robes.
As the group came close, most of the men stopped moving forwards, creating a human wall behind the priest, as if blocking him from leaving.
As the old man entered the room, his eyes landed on me, and a small smile spread on his face. "Ah, it would seem I'm not the only one here today," he said kindly, before walking up to me.
Pushing myself up from the seat, I looked up at the old man. "Hello," I said while eyeing him cautiously.
"Hello to you too, it's nice to meet you," he returned, before raising a brow. "Are you doing alright, you seem rather nervous?" He questioned, causing me to stiffen.
How did he know?
Crossing my arms, I turned my head and looked away. "No I'm not," I refuted, earning a slight chuckle from the old man.
Hearing the laughter, I could feel my annoyance grow. He was making fun of me!
Slowly, I heard the old man move close enough to rest a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry too much, and if it makes you feel any better, the people inside will focus more of their anger on me, so you should be fine so long as you act appropriately."
Blinking, I stopped crossing my arms, and turned to look up at the man. "Really?"
Smiling a bit more broadly, he nodded along. "Really."
Returning the smile, I was about to ask his name, only for the large oak doors to open.
Turning to look at it, I felt my throat go dry.
Mom quickly stood up from her seat, and quickly knelt down to give me a hug. "You'll do fine in there, just do what we agreed on," she whispered into my ear, causing me to give a minute nod.
Breaking the hug, I turned to face the door.
There was no stopping this, so it was best to go in there with my head held high.
Entering through the large double doors, we were greeted by a small circular room, and then it opened up into something… strange. The floor didn't go on and meet a wall like I thought it would, instead, it stopped far above me. All around, a ring of people sat on the edge, their faces peering down at us from above.
There were easily over a dozen people up there, with fourteen people sitting in larger and fancier chairs, and a few others sitting beside them, or standing close to them like servants.
As we entered the room, I could feel over a dozen eyes lock onto me, before quickly focusing on the priest beside me.
Gulping slightly, I gingerly walked up to the lectern that had a booster step, allowing me to barely look over it.
Looking up at the viewer gallery, or judge gallery, I tried to give a stoic front while looking at each one.
The people up there were… varied. There was even a small blonde girl there, even younger than myself… How was she even able to get a seat up there?
I want a seat up there.
Slowly the door we entered through locked itself with a low click, and with that sound I could feel their stares intensify.
Straightening up, I tried my best to look presentable.
Slowly, the man seated in the center of all the Lords stood up. He was an older man, wearing round-rimmed glasses, but it was clear that he was outrageously fit for his presumed age, as despite having a short beard, and white slicked back hair, he looked more middle aged than anything else.
"I welcome the two of you to the Clock Tower," he said calmly, before fixing his gaze on the priest standing at the lectern next to me. "But I am sad to say, due to scheduling delays," he emphasized that statement while staring daggers at the old man. "We'll have to make this session shorter than its importance demands."
His words, while clearly not directed at me, made me give an involuntary gulp.
Turning to look at me, the old man, who had to be the Mage's Association's Director due to his position as the head of the gathered Lords, softened as his eyes met my own.
"Rin Tohsaka," he said calmly. "You are here due to your father, the previous Tohsaka head's decision to work with the Church behind the Mages Association's back, when they had signed an agreement to stay as a neutral party in the Grail Wars, how do you plead?"
The accusation made my mouth dry.
Mom had been explaining the situation to me, to the best of her knowledge. As a civilian who didn't practice Magecraft, she herself admitted that she didn't have the full picture, nor understand the full implications of what Father had done… but from the looks of it, it was really bad…
Mom had told me what to do, as regardless of the accusation, we didn't have a foot to stand on, as our family's allies were all dead, or would soon be dead. The Matou had been eradicated by the Pendragons, after apparently learning about the head being a Dead Apostle, the only silver lining being that Sakura had apparently been taken under their wing. The Einzbern were no-shows to the trial, and from what Mom could guess, the Pendragons were not positively inclined towards them, and were likely going to try to wipe them out.
All that meant that Mom and I now stood alone.
No one would help us, as Magi were cutthroat, and I simply couldn't give enough benefits, nor any real value to anyone for them to be willing to help us out of this situation.
So the answer to the Director's question was decided weeks ago.
"Guilty," I said with far more meekness than I meant to inject into my voice.
Nodding, the Director gave me a patient look. "Very well, we shall deliberate your punishment, and will take into account your willingness to come clean," he said graciously, before turning to look at the old priest.
And with the Director's attention redirected to the priest, I felt the gazes of the rest of the Lords shift away from me as well, allowing me to feel some sense of calm.
"Merem Solomon," the Director said solemnly. "You are here as a representative for the church to give their own side of the story on the breach of the agreement between our two parties."
Glancing over at the old man, he only amicably nodded his head along to his words. "That is true," he said cheerily, in a far too unserious manner for someone being placed under such scrutiny.
"Your agreement is noted," the Director said flatly before continuing. "Do you, as the representative of the Church, find yourselves as the guilty party in charge of breaching a century-long agreement between the Mages Association and the Church?"
The old man only gave a slight tilt of his head at the accusation. "We plead half-guilty, Director," the old man said kindly, before gesturing up towards the assembled Lords. "May I expand on my reasoning?"
The old man raised a single eyebrow at the question. "You may," he said with a tone of intrigued patience.
"All of us can agree that the Church is mainly at fault, and us in the Church accept that," the priest stated patiently. "However, we do not want our tenuous cooperation to worsen more than it already has, so we are willing to give a generous offer to smooth things over."
The priest looked really pleased at his statement, and seemed to be waiting for the gathered Lords to ask him for what this 'offer' entailed.
…However, none of them seemed impressed, nor did they look enthused at the so-called 'generous offer'.
There was a moment of silence, before the priest gave a low cough. "The Church is willing to bring a small delegation from the Mage's Association to help us catch the ones responsible for the breach, and will allow them to be a part of the judicial committee in charge of punishing the culprits."
As his words dropped, a few low murmurs spread through the viewer's gallery, and the Director himself looked intrigued. "How many people would be allowed into this delegation, and to what degree will their input matter when in regards to the particulars?" He questioned seriously, only to receive a large smile from the priest.
"Their opinions will be treated as if they were our own," he said smugly, before shrugging. "And I believe fifteen would be the absolute maximum."
Once more, the murmurs grew, and it continued uninterrupted for a minute, before the Director sat down. "You have given us all much to think on," he said firmly, while threading his fingers through his beard.
Slowly, I felt the doors behind me creak open. Raising a hand the Director waved for us to leave. "You may all take a recess, we will deliberate over what we've discussed before coming to a verdict," he said, causing me to give an elaborate gulp.
Bowing slightly, I stepped down from my booster step, and turned to walk out of the room. I was quickly followed by the priest, who subtly lowered himself a bit to look at me. "See? That wasn't so bad now, was it? I told you that they'd be focused on me."
Nodding minutely, I glanced up at him. "Yeah, you were right," I replied gratefully, earning a small smile from the old man.
Smiling back at him, I turned to look back into the waiting room we had entered from, only to see one more person standing in the room, who happened to be talking to Mom.
The man had blonde hair, wore a fine suit, and his hair was slicked back.
As we entered the room, he turned to look at us, and flashed me a smile. "Why hello there, Miss Tohsaka."
Feeling a bit uneasy, I looked to Mom, only to find her looking exhausted. Meeting my gaze, she gave a fragile smile.
All those factors made me tense up, and I quietly fired up my circuits, ready to react to anything this man might throw at me.
Turning to look at the man, I continued to walk in his direction, while giving him an appraising look. "Hello," I said curtly, not very interested in whatever this man was selling.
Seemingly not noticing, or at the very least not caring, about my tone, the man stepped away from Mom, and instead started walking in my direction.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I'm Mikael Edelfelt," he said pleasantly, and as I got within arm's reach of him, I heard the doors closing behind me.
Extending a hand, the man's expression could be seen turning slightly more predatory. "You see, I've come here in order to discuss your future…"
~~Fate/False Order~~
「 Alistair's POV. 」
Watching as the 'guests' left through the same way they came, we all waited for the large oak doors to close behind them before starting.
With the sound of the door's lock latching, murmurs began to spread between the various Tower Lords. And with it, the faction lines became visible, as those whispering with one another formed small cliques, while excluding those who didn't align with their views.
Activating the privacy field each seat came with, I turned to look to the side, and I gave Morgan an amused look. "What do you think of the Rat's proposition?"
Honestly, this part of the discussion was the one I had the least amount of stake in. Merem Solomon and the Church meant little to nothing to me, merely being the person who gave the Mage's Association leverage over them was the 'big win' for my family.
Letting the vultures do as they pleased was more to my advantage, but I'd still be remiss to completely cut myself completely out of the discussion.
"Generous," she stated sceptically, causing me to nod. "A bit too good to be true, assuming that he actually holds up his end of things," I agreed, before glancing down at the transcript.
"I can only assume some poor soul in the Church has made him their enemy, be it through incompetence, malice or actual 'guilt', as without such a reason, he is being too agreeable," I said, causing Morgan to give a hum of agreement.
"It could be he is acting on his own to sow more hatred between the Mage's Association, and the Church, by having us trample all over their pride, causing the animosity between our two organizations to grow and fester," she said matter-of-factly, causing me to sigh.
It was a bleak assessment, but it certainly held merit.
"Odds?" I asked while turning to look at her. "Thirty percent," she said dispassionately. "It should be higher, given his Dead Apostle nature, but his 'visible' track record vouches for him in this case," she added clinically.
Merem was ancient, old enough to have been turned by the Crimson Moon himself, and he'd been a part of the Burial Agency for over a thousand years as well.
According to Altrouge, he originally joined due to his collector habit, as the Church itself had amassed an ungodly amount of holy relics, and they were happy to indulge his hobby in return for his strength.
Other than holding something akin to worship towards Arcueid, along with holding something equally close to revulsion toward Altrouge, his true loyalties lie with the Crimson Moon himself.
So, for Morgan's thought to hold some level of truth, then the result of this fallout between the Church and Mage's Association, should lead to something helping his True Lord.
And there was only one thing I knew that could help the Crimson Moon, albeit, I knew scant little about it.
"Let's say you're right," I started. "How long would it take for the two Organisations to come to blows? And how long would it last?" I asked, causing Morgan to give a pause.
"It depends on how far we take things," she stated, clearly mulling over how things might turn out. "It can be between two and eight years, before any reel blowback, and depending on how we acted, it could take a decade at worst to smooth things over."
Frowning, I mulled it over, before giving a slow nod. "Are you sure?" I double checked in a serious tone, earning a crisp nod from her. "I am," she affirmed. "But why do you sound so invested in the 'timeframe'?" She posed curiously.
Mulling it over a bit, I came to the conclusion that now was as good a time as any to inform her of the ritual Altrouge had clued me in on, after our little date.
Fixing her with a serious look, I subtly jerked my head towards the other Lords surrounding us. Noticing my glance, Morgan gave a subtle nod.
"No one should hear us now," she said, and I felt myself relax a bit more.
I knew that the Bounded Field that came installed in each seat was supposedly 'snooping-proof', but I was loath to make such an avoidable mistake given the chance.
And even though I couldn't even feel the Bounded Field she erected, the fact that I didn't somehow made me feel even more reassured.
Giving her a serious look, I started. "According to Altrouge, the White Wing Lord plans on hosting a ritual to revive The Dark Six, along with potentially awakening the Crimson Moon himself," I explained with a frown. "The only thing going for us, is that they plan to host it in our back garden, specifically in Aylesbury."
Morgan's expression was hidden by her veil, but her stillness gave away the shock she was likely feeling.
Crossing my arms and leaning backward, I gave a shrug. "Admittedly, we have twenty-two years before it happens, and even then so long as we prepare, we should be able to shut down any attempts to lay the groundwork for starting the ritual," I explained reassuringly.
Seeing that she still hadn't moved, I tried to lighten her mood a bit.
"Plus," I added casually. "Say that we fail, and they manage to set up everything they need for the ritual, Lorelei would take the opportunity to earn the 'Wizard Marshal' title, and rally most of the Clock Tower and likely even parts of the Atlas Institute to kill as many Apostles as possible before it can start," I said airily.
Crossing her own arms, Morgan cocked her head to the side. "You are being awfully nonchalant about a Grand Ritual involving perhaps a dozen of the 27 that will happen in our 'backyard'," she said neutrally, though the tone made it clear to me that she was not exactly impressed.
Sighing, I gave her a tired look. "There is little I can realistically do right now, my training in the Land of Shadows is likely the most impactful thing I can do right now, as it will help regardless of what comes to pass," I explained tiredly.
"All of our information on the ritual is from Van-Fem, who is only funding the operation, but other than that knows 'nothing'," I added with a slight shake of my head. "Altrouge is going to ask about a bit while she arranges a few things with her subordinates before returning, so we might know more soon."
Morgan was silent for a moment before sighing as well. "I see," she replied with a hint of annoyance, though it seemed to be targeted towards the situation rather than me. "I'll let it rest until the corpse returns."
Glancing around the room, I noticed how most of the Lords were no longer talking, likely waiting for the Director to take charge.
Uncrossing my arms, I pressed the button to deactivate the privacy field to show my interest in hurrying things along.
Waiting a few minutes for silence to fill the room, all eyes turned to look at Director Brishisan.
"I believe that concludes the private discussion," he said firmly, before giving a cursory glance at all of the Lords in the room. "We shall start the public discussion with the Church Representative's offer."
Almost instantly, three seats lit up with a small green light. Raising a hand, Brishisan gestured towards Augustus. "I leave the opening segment to the Vice-Director," he said while nodding to the man, before looking at another of the green lights. "Followed by Lord Trambelio," he affirmed, before looking at an old woman clothed in green clothes. "And then Lord Meluastea."
It was truly unsurprising that each of the Faction Leaders wanted to be a part of the opening arguments, given that they themselves represented their faction's views, so it was out of the question for anyone else to hold the honor.
Seeing that the Director was finished with his explanation, Augustus stood up, idly glancing at each of the Tower Lords. "I believe all of us have come to a similar conclusion," he stated in a firm tone. "I will not bother to try and convince you all to agree to Merem's proposal, as if you'd disagree then you wouldn't be qualified to sit where you do."
Trailing his gaze through the room, it landed on Trambelio. "The only question is, who, and how many representatives we will send."
He gave a pregnant pause while keeping eye contact with his rival faction leader. "I propose we keep it fair, and send out a representative from each one of us, totaling fourteen envoys."
As his words dropped, murmurs erupted from the Neutral faction members, while the look on Trambelio visibly soured.
Smiling to himself, he looked to the Director and gave a nod. "That will be all," he said before seating himself down
Honestly, his suggestion was pure garbage, as in wishing to bring in fourteen on this excursion was too many. I wouldn't be surprised if he expects the Neutrals to push for a smaller contingent, and agree with them, but push for the 'fairness' clause he put forth. This was simply a way to get under McDonell's skin, as the Democrats only had two Lords.
Standing up, McDonell tugged at the end of his pinstripe suit to straighten it out, before giving us all a no-nonsense look. "While I agree with the 'esteemed' Vice-Director with his opinion on the Churches proposal," he acquiesced with a nod. "I believe this is an opportunity to allow our rising stars a chance to learn," he said graciously.
"A contingency of seven of the Clock Tower's best up-and-coming of this generation would give a great impression to the Church, along with inspiring our young to strive to be better, in hopes of grasping such an opportunity in the future," he explained passionately, before turning to the Director. "That will be all."
I could barely hold back a snort at his proclamation, and by the squirming of Morgan, it could be inferred that she too was finding his spiel rather amusing.
The Democrats might be the smallest faction among the Lords, but they were easily the largest in pure number in the Clock Tower. They had the principle of accepting close to everyone, allowing them to sift for diamonds, among the vast rabble.
Of course, due to their large numbers, and the covet secrecy most Neutral and Aristocratic Magi keep for their own Mysteries, it is no wonder that the Democrats have a higher 'turn-out' in regards to 'geniuses' or 'rising stars', for they are the only ones who advertise their own accomplishments for recruiting purposes.
The only time Neutrals or Aristocrats publish knowledge, is to increase their ranks in the Clock Tower, for benefits, meaning they rarely publish anything, and once they reach Pride or Brand, they stop publishing completely.
The Democrats need poster children, as without having a few poster children, more would flock to the Neutrals, and the most talented would try to join the Aristocrats, it's as simple as that.
By putting forth this suggestion, McDonell is trying to claim as many spots for himself, along with giving the other factions an incentive to publish more, giving more 'free' information to his faction members.
Honestly, not a completely terrible idea, but no one here is falling for it, even though a few of the current 'rising stars' are from the Neutral faction.
Standing up from his corner of the stands, Meluastea gave a self-deprecating smile to start things off. "Well, I am of the mind to keep things simple," he said relaxedly. "One from each faction, and an open bid for the last two spots, where instead of money, we offer up time slots in various departments as bargaining chips," he said in a pleased tone, before sitting down happily. "That will be all."
How very… opportunistic.
Though that seemed to be very 'on-brand' for him, as from Amelia's reports, it can be surmised that he plans on swallowing Kayneth's department.
The Neutrals were very open with their desires. Don't make a fuss, let us do our research, and we'll not bother you.
The only reason they had so many Lords, is due to the fact that in the past, a lot of legislation was put out that caused trade and research to slow, making them all kick up a fuss.
It led to a surprising rise in their standing, and today they have a total of five Lords among them, with the most prestigious of them being the Director himself.
He was a disciple under Solomon, together with Zelretch, and founded both the Mages Association and the Clock Tower.
Yet despite being such a political figure, he constantly secludes himself in the Department of Lore most days, only coming out when it is serious, or when his position mandates that he must.
Despite his age, little is known about him, other than his 'recent' obsession with the Fifth Ancestor, ORT. He even quarantined the area in which it slumbers, and put a mandate out that if anyone dares to enter the place, they will have their entire family slaughtered down to their roots.
A threat which he has made good on thrice.
Regardless of the terrifying old man, Meluastea's proposition was very much in line with his faction's style of things.
Allowing an 'auction' to take place, one which he and his co-members obviously wouldn't join in on, would likely lead to some of the more restricted classrooms, or ideally labs, to be opened for a short period, allowing their people to do some new research.
Either way, they get what they want.
Seeing that the three had finished talking, the Director spoke up once more. "The floor is open to discussion, but keep it brief, as we have another subject to discuss before our guests return."
And like that, the floodgates opened.
Standing up from her seat, an old woman in green spoke up. "My friends," she said in a calm tone. "We stand at the precipice of a great opportunity."
Gesturing to her fellow lords, she continued. "As the director has pointed out, we do not have much time left, meaning we don't have enough time to bid over Meluastea's open slots, so it is prudent to pick one of the other options."
"Oh?" Cut in another voice from across the hall, equally as old but masculine. "And I suppose you wish to advocate to let the 'younger generations shine'?" Lord Eulyphis said with derision.
I'd never interacted with the decrepit-looking old man before, but he did give off an impressive level of dread, for a magus that is. The large ruby necklace he had, along with the nearly twenty rings adorning his fingers, emitted the bulk of the feeling, clearly meaning they were some sort of containers for powerful spirits.
Though, I must say, for someone so old and decrepit-looking, it was surprising to know that he was somehow Sola-Ui's father.
The old man propped himself up by his cane to give the equally old woman a derisive look. "With how desperate your faction is to show off their meager accomplishments, it is no wonder you wish to impress on us the importance of giving them more opportunities."
His words caused the old Lord Valualeta to shake her head in disappointment. "You are so quick to judge," she said wistfully. "Especially given the fact that your faction has yet to produce a single one in this current generation!"
… Well that's just wrong, after all, Lorelei and myself exist.
I presume neither I, nor Lorelei is being counted in her statement, as if we are, then she is spouting pure bullshit.
Lorelei is a certified once-in-a-generation genius, if it weren't for my eyes, we wouldn't be even close to equals in practical Magecraft, and I know for a damn sure that she utterly obliterates me in theory.
She is certainly guaranteed to be labeled a Grand if she bothers to publish some of her work, but knowing her, and her family traditions, she likely won't, instead choosing only to 'join' the Clock Tower when it is time to take over her Father's position.
And me? Well, killing a God and over half of the Servants in the Grail war must mean something, no?
Though, admittedly, I haven't posted any research, though I'll change that after my time with Scathatch. Having a Grand title would certainly stroke my ego, though I presume that Morgan might try and get it as well, while I'm gone.
Still an ego boost, but I digress.
The old Eulyphis Lord gave a scornful huff at the comment. "Oho, and you now expect us to vote for your suggestion, after you have so blatantly spelled out our nonexistent presence in the choice pool?" He said derisively. "Hilarious."
"Now, now," the old woman chided. "Seeing as we'll need to perform a thorough check of the candidates qualifications, you'll have more than enough time to have a few of your youngsters to submit a few papers to qualify," she explained, causing the Neutral factions leader to cut in with an amused snort.
"We don't have time for an auction, but we have more than enough time to sift through a multitude of candidates, have a few others submit completely new papers, and then get them reviewed and certified?" Meluastea interjected with clear amusement. "How hypocritical."
And so the cat fight has begun in earnest….
I once more activated the privacy field function, and turned to look at Morgan.
"Do you have anything you'd like to present to the vultures?" I probed, earning an amused huff from her.
I honestly couldn't be fucked to contribute to this shit show of a discussion. Squabbling over who got to parade around in the Church, and potentially convict a few of the corrupt individuals that Merem disliked.
"Of course I do," she said, before pressing the 'speaker' button, causing a green light to emit from our position. No one bothered to take heed, but that was to be expected, as they were deep in discussions, and we were in no rush.
Morgan taking center stage for a bit would be good for her standing, as I would be gone for a while, and me showing that I am comfortable with her speaking for me will go a long way in her legitimacy as my proxy.
After a few minutes of bickering, Brishisan finally grew fed up with the lack of progress. "Enough," he said firmly, and with it, silence descended in the room.
"Seeing as you all have had enough time to deliberate, I will offer Lord Pendragon the last word, as he has been waiting patiently for his turn, before we cast a vote," he said in a no-nonsense way, before gesturing to me. "Lord Pendragon, the floor is yours."
Deactivating the privacy field, I only sunk further back into my seat, letting Morgan take to the floor.
Pushing herself up from her seat, Morgan gave a polite nod to Brishisan. "I thank you for the opportunity, Director," she thanked smoothly, in the soothing tone she only used when she channeled her 'Enchantress' persona.
Turning to look at the rest of the Lords, Morgan placed a hand on her hip before addressing the crowd. "Before I start this, I wish to say that we are all looking at this too positively," Morgan said mysteriously, causing the few uninterested Lords in the room to fully focus on Morgan. "We are quite literally dealing with a Rat," she said clearly. "A rat in human skin, telling us that he is willing to bring us into his burrow, where he hides all his cheese, and will allow us to sample it as we please."
Waving a hand dismissively, she continued. "Say what you will about my analogy, but I still think it pertinent, given that we are debating about a proposition given to us by a man who willingly rats out his own kind to their archnemesis, who is now giving us an opportunity to 'seek justice', against an antagonistic force that we are barely on speaking terms with."
Shaking her head, she gestured at the door the very same man had left through. "It is too good to be true, and I wouldn't put it past him to have a mishap take place, leading to some minor conflict," she expressed with distaste, before tilting her head slightly. "And we all know how little reason Narbareck needs to escalate things."
That line of thought drew some murmurs, as everyone knew how infamous and deep seated the utter hate the Director of the Burial Agencies held towards Magi as a whole.
"My proposition is this," she said while extending a hand to the Neutral factions leader. "We go for the smaller delegation, as Lord Meluastea proposed, but I'd like to make it even smaller and choose the members carefully," she added, before extending four fingers. "I propose we put forth four members to the delegation."
"Two from the Neutral faction, and one from each of the other factions," she stated calmly. "Though I wish to add that the members should either have been an Enforcer, be one, or have experience dealing with the Church, so they can investigate and handle themselves properly."
Her proposition caused another bout of murmurs to reverberate through the room, and seeing that her words got the intended reaction, she gave a polite nod to everyone. "Thank you all for listening to my opinion, and that will be all," she said appreciatively before sitting down.
Smiling, I leaned in closer to whisper into her ear. "Good job, I think your suggestion might even be the one to be picked," I congratulated in a low whisper.
Morgan gave a self-assured huff in response. "Of course it will be picked, with the stipulation of being, or having been, an Enforcer, it means that Augustus will have partial influence over the chosen Neutrals, meaning he'll have something closer to two to three of the four members under his sway, while looking like the Neutrals have the majority, so he can blame them if something goes wrong."
"And the Democrats can't really complain, given they have as many representatives as the Aristocrats. Meaning that both they, and the Neutrals are being over represented in terms of the Lord's to envoys split, so complaining could lead to them being cut out completely," I added in a slightly impressed tone.
Moving away from whispering distance, I leaned back in my chair, and waited for the murmuring to stop.
After another minute, the Director finally took charge. "The period for discussion is officially over, and the vote shall commence," he said before gesturing towards Augustus. "All in favour of the Vice-Director's suggestion?"
No one pressed their vote button, causing the Director to gesture towards McDonell. "Those in favour of Lord Trambelio's suggestion?" And once more his words were followed by inaction.
I could see said Lord giving the most expressionless face imaginable, which only made it ever clearer that he wasn't happy having to resist voting for his own suggestion.
Seeing where the wind was blowing, I subtly bumped Morgan in support, while wearing an amused smile.
"All in favour of Lord Meluastea's suggestion?" Brishisan said, while turning to the aforementioned lord, though it was clear that he wasn't expecting anything.
Garnering no reactions, he turned his head in our direction, before gesturing at Morgan. "Those in favour of Lady Pendragon's suggestion?"
One by one, each of the surrounding lords' seats lit up in green. Gesturing for Morgan to cast the vote, she pressed the 'speaker' button, which doubled as the voting button in cases like these.
Once our own box glowed green, the Director's own position lit up. "We are in a unanimous agreement," he said pleasantly. "The delegation that is to be sent to the Church will consist of four individuals, which are to be decided by each faction's leader, while putting an emphasis on choosing those with Enforcer backgrounds, or experience with the Church."
Shifting slightly in his seat, the Director pulled out a small document before speaking. "Seeing as we've come to a consensus, we shall move onto the next topic with due haste," he said while gesturing at the entrance. "The floor is open to discussion on how to handle the Tohsaka family's case. I leave the floor open to anyone in hopes of a speedy discussion."
Not wanting to drag this into a long discussion as well, I quickly stood up, knowing now was not the time to bother with the speaker button. "I agree, so in the spirit of keeping things brief, I suggest this," I said aloud, while leaning slightly forwards and gripping the railing. "We postpone any judgment and further action until she is an adult and mentally fit for her headship." My suggestion caused a few murmurs to echo through the room.
Of course, this was as much a backhanded comment to the little girl sitting on the El-Melloi's seat, surrounded by her puppeteers, as it was me giving an attractive solution.
Letting go of the railing, I gestured at the guest entrance. "While we could drag her back in here, empty her pockets, trespass on her lands, and confiscate the Greater Grail, it would be in poor taste," I explained dismissively. "Her imbecile of a father was the fool who allied himself with the Church, and helped weaken the tenuous trust between our two associations. And he paid it back in full, by getting stabbed in the back by his 'student'."
Shaking my head pitifully, I gave my fellow Lords a tired look. "So, while as disappointing as the Tohsakas have been in recent years, they are a relatively old family, boasting a half-completed tenure under the Wizard Marshal, and the creation of a grand ritual."
Shrugging, I gave them all a lopsided smile. "All I'm trying to suggest is that we give the girl a chance to spread her wings, and if all goes well, we'll have an excellent magus and a lot of goodwill for giving her a chance. Well on the flip side, we can always just drag her back here, and have her turn her pockets out, if she turns out to be a disappointment."
"And how would you expect a young girl with no teacher nor connections, to become this 'successful magus' which you have imagined up?" The Meluastea Lord interjected, causing me to look in his direction. He too was standing up, and was giving me a wholly unimpressed look. "I assume you'll be so kind as to offer up your own services to make this come true?"
The tone and look he was sending made it clear, he really thought that I wanted to 'claim' Rin. Likely in some attempt to claim the Greater Grail to pick it apart and study it. And of course someone from the Neutral faction wouldn't want such knowledge hoarded, and least of all stolen from right under their noses.
Shaking my head, I gave him a dubious look. "No, I won't offer them anything," I stated firmly. "I've already taken her younger sister under my aegis, so I do not have the time for the other one currently."
Raising a brow, the Neutral Faction leader gave me an appraising look. "Then why are you suggesting such leniency?" He probed with curiosity, before raising his hands and gesturing at all of us in the room. "All of us will get more out of this if we just get this over with immediately," he stated firmly. "Even if we postpone the reparation payments, the Greater Grail is something we should confiscate to study it."
This was the largest, and most obvious point of contention, the Greater Grail.
While it has been a complete and utter failure in its intention, it is still a marvel of Magecraft with its use of the Throne of Heroes, and its 'wish granting' properties.
It is obvious that most, if not all of the Neutrals would want to dissect the Mystic Code in hopes of replicating it, if not improving it.
His words had the intended effect, and people were looking at one another and clearly mulling over his words.
Sighing, I gave him a tired look. "The Greater Grail is stable, and can be collected at any time within the sixty year charging phase, meaning that letting it rest there for a decade won't hurt a soul," I explained, before giving him a pointed look. "Though I find it very telling that you wish to snatch someone's 'research' as quickly as possible when they are vulnerable, it makes me wonder if you'd take similar steps if one of us stood down there?"
My words caused his smile to cramp up.
That shut him up.
Before I could continue, someone else stood up. "I believe the Pendragon Lord's words hold some merit," interjected a feminine voice, and with it, all eyes locked onto Trisha Fellows, the current stand in for the Lords of the Department of Astromancy.
"I now find myself thinking of how something similar to this could have happened to my dear Olga, had her father been less cautious with his dealings," she said, before turning a hard look on Meluastea. "So I too find it in poor taste to take family secrets away from their rightful owner, before they have had a chance to learn of them, or at least defend their houses actions."
The vehement defense of my point by her was unexpected, but very much welcome nonetheless.
"We'll make this simple," I said firmly, returning the room's attention to me. "Rin Tohsaka's judgment will be postponed until she is twenty years of age, and until she is of age, she'll learn under a family that's either a relative or one that practices a similar branch of Magecraft, to keep an eye on her, and to ensure that she stays on the straight and narrow."
And like clock work, McDonell stood up as well. "I find this suggestion agreeable," he stated with crossed arms.
Of course he does, I'm all but handing her the girl, and with her, hopefully future access to the Grail.
Augustus gave me a glance, while raising a brow, as if asking me if I was sure about this.
Of course, it was to be expected. Me having Sakura under my protection meant that I had an easy route to getting the elder sister into my charge as well, and by having both the last Matou and Tohsaka, I'd certainly have the last word when it came to any decision about the Greater Grail.
I'd likely even be able to block an inquiry, by saying that it was my property, and therefore not something the Tohsaka's can reasonably hand off to the Association.
But honestly, with Morgan on my side, and with her having all of the notes from the Einzbern's library, I wouldn't be surprised if she could build me another one, so having 'majority control rights' over it isn't worth a damn to me.
Having a second kid around would be a hassle for Morgan as well, as I am kind of ditching her, so it wouldn't be fair on her either.
Nodding at Augustus, he subtly nodded back, and stood up. "I think we have come to a consensus," he said before looking up at the Director. "If you will?"
Brishisan raised a brow, before turning to look at everyone else. "All in favour of Lord Pendragon's suggestion?"
Pressing my voting button, I watched as every member of the Aristocratic Faction, along with every member of the Democratic Faction booths lit up in green.
And after a minute, Brishisan gave a nod. "Nine in favour, five against, the movement passes."
Seeing the result, I gave a light smirk before sitting down. Looking aside at Morgan I waggled my eyebrows at her. "Not quite the same landslide win as your suggestion, but good enough for me."
Lightly bumping her elbow into me, she gave me a reproving hum. "Good for a first time, but you should have given something for the Meluastea Lord to chew on, as your antagonism made him and his faction unanimously vote against you."
Groaning slightly, I gave her a nasty side-eye. "You made it sound like I was incompetent," I huffed, though there wasn't much heat behind it.
Morgan gave a sigh of exasperation before linking her arm with mine. "There there, no need to sound so down, I did say you did good," she soothed.
Before I could bicker my way to some more compliments, the guest doors cracked open.
Instantly a hush fell over the room, and the two 'guests' entered once more, and took to their individual lectern.
Once more, the Director stood up from his seat to address the two 'defendants'. "We have come to a consensus," he stated imperiously, before turning to look at the Rat.
"Merem Solomon, we of the Mage's Association have come to a unanimous agreement, and will be sending a delegation of four to join you in the hunt for justice," he said firmly, earning a slight bow from the priest.
"And you, Rin Tohsaka," he said while turning to the child, who instantly clamped up at the addressal. "We have chosen to postpone your judgement until you are twenty years of age." And like that, you could almost see all the stress drain out of the girl.
"But," added the Director, and suddenly Rin's posture became rigid once more. "You will in turn be under the purview of a relative, or a family practicing the same, or a similar branch of Magecraft that your family practices, until adulthood. You will as well showcase your progress by studying in the Clock Tower, once your studies allow it."
"Do you understand?" He questioned, to which the girl nodded her head furiously. "Yes, of course sir," she said primly.
Looking at the two, Brishisan gestured at the door. "Then we can consider this hearing is concluded," he said with clear finality, and followed by his statement, the doors opened once more. "You may leave."
The priest gave a shallow bow of his head, while Rin gave a slight bow, before the two scurried out of the room, with the doors closing behind them.
"As this concludes the important part of our meeting, I shall be excusing myself back to my office," said the Director, before glancing at Augustus. "Vice-Director, would you be so kind as to take over this portion for me? And of course, you're free to do with my vote as you please for the service," he prefaced, earning a nod from the Policies Department Lord.
"Splendid," Brishisan said with a good natured smile, before walking towards the Lord's entrance. "Then I shall be excusing myself from the rest of the proceedings, a good day to the rest of you."
Idly watching the man who could be argued to be the most powerful living magus on the planet for the past two to three thousand years, scurry away while dumping the responsibilities on the, comparably, far younger shoulders of Augustus was a bit amusing.
With the doors closing behind the old man, Augustus looked around the room, before settling on the El-Melloi seat. "I believe it is time that we go over our own personal disputes, before we tackle the Einzbern problem," he said calmly, before giving the child sitting on the Lords seat a pointed look. "The Director might not have seen an issue with you being here, but I must still ask you this," he said pointedly. "Are you sure that you are capable of representing your Family's interests, with all the responsibilities and consequences such a position comes with?"
He was basically asking if she was ready to not be treated as a child, but instead as an adult. Honestly, it was surprisingly kind of him, but knowing that her family was a part of the faction he was leading, it made more sense that he was trying to give them an out, before she did something to make his entire faction look bad.
In return, the girl gave a radiant smile. "Do not worry, Vice-Director," she said with surprising cheer. "My family has seen me fit to take on the responsibilities of my older brother, as is right by the line of succession."
That… that was not the words of a five to six year old girl.
It was obvious that the two 'guards' surrounding her were there to make sure nothing went wrong, but it would seem that one of them is feeding her lines.
Her words however, only drew an unimpressed raise of the brow from Augustus. "I see," he returned blandly, before looking at me. "Then I present the floor to Lord Pendragon, for his grievance with the El-Melloi family."
With his tacit agreement, I stood up and idly looked at the girl.
"Your 'brother'," I pronounced the word with distaste. "Tried to kill me, my wife, and force my Mother, the then head of my Family, to become something akin to a vassal to his own family," I said coldly, which elicited uncomfortable reactions from the El-Melloi group.
"What are you willing to do to make up for this terrible attempt on my life, and my family's autonomy?" I questioned calmly.
Honestly, I was not sure what to expect, as apparently the family was rolling in debt after loaning a ton of money for the two catalysts Kayneth had to purchase for the War, so I was curious to see what they'd give to smooth things over.
The little girl's expression flashed with some nervousness, before she quickly schooled it. "Well, you must understand," she began slowly. "You yourself put yourself in the situation where you were perceived as the weakest party in the city, so it was only natural that someone would try to take advantage of your situation, due to your lack of perceived strength."
Blinking slowly, I now finally bothered to put my full attention on the girl.
The sheer fucking gaul the person who was feeding that girl her lines had was unimaginable.
Daring to thinly phrase that we 'deserved' to be ambushed, killed and enslaved, just because we didn't have a Servant, and dared to be a neutral party during a Grail War was disgusting.
If I didn't already hold a dislike for their family, I certainly did now.
Standing up, I gave the girl a flat look. "Let me see if I understood this," I said blankly.
Seeing as the little imbecile had given me the perfect opportunity to play theater with her, I'd be a fool to not grasp the opportunity.
Focusing inward, I gently, minutely, stimulated my Origin, just enough to the point where the Mysteries surrounding me were amplified to the extreme. Locking onto a point, I double checked the fact that none of the Bounded Fields would interfere with what I was about to do, before committing to the jump.
I had only tested this a handful of times behind both Morgan and Altrouge's backs, but to be fair, I knew that nothing would go wrong, as I had observed Morgan doing this over a dozen times, and analyzed it at least half a dozen times, so my calculations were assured.
Feeling that nothing would interfere, I acted.
Space folded, and in a blink, I stood behind the brat's chair.
Showing my near-instant teleportation was a tactical choice, as I was the only person capable of doing this in this room, bar Morgan of course. It would give credence to my abilities, and make my 'feats' a lot more believable, while showing that I was confident enough to show it off, meaning I likely had a lot more 'tricks' in my back pocket.
This would ensure that no-one would bring up the fact that I should realistically be a Sealing Designee, as I could A) teleport out of most confinements or at the very least out of danger and B) trying to convince a bunch of smart people to slap a Sealing Designation on a person who can mimic True Magic when they are in the very same room would be considered extremely suicidal.
So doing this now would just make things easier for me, and odds are, most will vote in my favour in hopes of cozying up to someone capable of mimicking True Magic.
A win-win in the truest sense.
Gasps and exclamations were heard the second I disappeared, including a startled yelp from the girl sitting in front of me, but now was the time to leave an impression, so I had to ignore the reactions.
"According to your logic," I said coldly, causing Reines to stiffen from the cold tone, and the fact that it was coming from behind her. Stepping forwards, I practically loomed over her seat while looking down at her, meeting a pair of intensely shocked and terrified blue eyes.
I could feel the two 'guards' or whatever they were stiffen, but neither dared to come the girls rescue.
Placing a hand on the back of the chair, I slowly applied some pressure on it, causing it to creak. "I should now kill your family members," I said while increasing my grip on the chair, causing small cracks to form. "Force the survivors into a Servitude Contract," I continued, and I could see the color drain on the girl's face, as I stared down at her. "All because I am the one with more power in this situation?"
There was pin-drop silence after my little speech, no one spoke, but I could see the girl trembling in her seat, while opening and closing her mouth like a fish, as if struggling to speak.
Honestly, it didn't feel good scaring the daylights out of the kid, but the sooner I scared her out of her seat, the sooner the person actually in charge would take it, and I'd be able to get some proper concessions out of them.
"Well?" I questioned apathetically. "Is that what I should do?"
That seemed to have finally snapped her out of her stupor, and she frantically shook her head. "N—no, I— I'm sorry, I misspoke," she hurriedly said, and when I didn't budge she continued. "You shouldn't do it, we are all civilized people here, there is no need for that," she deflected.
Smiling, I let go of the chair, before blinking right back next to Morgan. "Indeed, we are all civilized people here, meaning you should know that reparations are in order for your family's attempt on my life, along with your 'brothers' attempt of vassalizing my family to yours."
Smoothly sitting down, I ensured that my smile stayed the same. "So, how will your family compensate me?"
The girl seemed to fidget in her seat, while looking over at the two people accompanying her. One of them was likely feeding her words to say, as I refuse to believe that a girl her age would know a fifth of the words she's spoken, let alone their implications.
It didn't take long, before she hesitantly met my gaze. "We are currently not in a position to compensate you, so I ask you to show me the same kindness as you did the Tohsaka heir, and allow me to wait until I am of age, before I compensate you."
You see, I might actually have done that if she was the one who would need to foot the bill, rather than her somewhat large family full of debt-ridden millionaires, so too bad that that was the case.
Smiling, I gestured in her direction. "How about this: I will give you a gift, and Kayneth's Crest as a sign of goodwill?" My words caused the girl, and the two men accompanying her to widen their eyes in surprise, before the girl smiled at the 'kind' gesture.
"That would be nice," she said happily.
Dropping the smile, I focused on the small platter of 'gifts' I had prepared back at home, before calculating the approximate coordinates above Reines's lap. In an instant, a silver platter appeared in the air in front of her, earning a squeak of surprise from her, before gently falling onto the girl's lap.
On it, a leathery scroll could be seen, along with six small rectangular wrapped objects stacked in a pyramid shape.
The girl's expression turned a bit queasy upon spotting the scroll, before focusing on the other objects, likely in an attempt at not becoming even more queasy.
"What are these?" She questioned, causing me to give her a blank stare. "Open them and find out."
Frowning at my sudden mood change, she slowly picked one up, and pulled the wrapper off, revealing a shining bar of soap.
"Soap?" she questioned while rubbing it a bit, and even raising it up to her nose to smell.
Nodding, I didn't let up on the blank stare. "Yes, it is my limited edition 'Kayneth El-Melloi' soap collection, scented and made from the aforementioned imbecile."
There was a moment of pin-drop silence, only broken as the soap bar slipped out of the girl's hand.
Reines face instantly paled, and her body started to tremble, causing the silver plate to clatter onto the floor, spilling all of its contents. Slowly, she started hyperventilating, before frantically wiping her hand on her sleeve, as if trying to remove the little soap she had come into contact with.
I watched on impassively, trying my best not to let it show on my face how much I disliked this.
I was certainly traumatizing a little girl, which was something I was vehemently against, but she wanted to be treated as an adult, so she would be.
The two men flanking her finally jumped into action, and tried to help her, but she was clearly catatonic, which was a very understandable reaction for a girl her age.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, one of the men seated himself on the spot the girl had been occupying. "I'm sorry, but our young miss seems to be out of commission, so I'll be subbing in for her, for the meeting from this point on."
He was a blonde man with blue eyes, and was probably Reines's cousin, or something.
"Assuming that you can actually speak on your family's behalf," I countered, earning a small nod from the man, before fishing out a small locket, and showing it off. "I was given this to prove my qualifications in the event that something were to happen to Reines," he explained.
Leaning forwards from his seat, Augustus gave the trinket a glance, before nodding. "Seeing as it is genuine, this body will treat you as the substitute for Lord El-Melloi."
Seeing as Augustus was finished confirming this guy's new status, I returned to the offensive.
"Now, this was my mistake for not being clear enough earlier, but I'll rephrase my question," I said flatly. "What is your family willing to give me in return, for me not starting an 'El-Melloi' scented soap assembly line?"
The question caused the man to grimace, before slowly hanging his head. "What do you want?" he asked bitterly.
"A handful of signed agreements, mostly surrounding some favourable trade between our two families and a few concessions regarding acquisition, along with a payment of forty million pounds," I listed calmly, and in an instant his head snapped up to look at me incredulously.
"Fo–forty million?!" He winced out, and I only raised a brow. "A penance for the value of my own life, and that of my wife," I countered, and I could see his expression contort helplessly.
"Isn't there any room to bargain, or compromise?" he questioned, and I fixed him with the best frown I could give.
"The only reason you are getting a compromise like this is due to your family being a part of the same faction as me," I explained harshly. "Without it, I doubt that you'd be here today."
Nudging Morgan, a small list popped into existence in front of the man, causing his eyes to widen. It was a list of things Morgan had personally hammered out, so it was incredibly cutthroat, and just toeing the line of extortion.
Knowing that I was serious, the man tremblingly grabbed the pamphlet out of the air, before reading it.
Giving him some time, I watched with some amusement as his expression turned worse and worse, and to put the icing on the cake, he knew that he couldn't feasibly deny the list, as it was just barely within acceptable parameters, for similar cases.
After a minute or two, the man looked up from the list he was reading, while giving me a pleading look. "If we do this, can you return Kayneth's Supreme Mystic Code; Volumen Hydrargyrum?" He questioned with mild helplessness.
While it was a 'Supreme Mystic Code', Morgan had dissected it completely, so replication was only a matter of material, so it was no real loss.
"Done," I returned, causing the man to give a sigh. "Then you shall have all the minor agreements signed within the week, and the more… difficult ones within the month, and the money will be paid in installments over a year."
Seeing that he had acquiesced to my demands, I gave him a toothy smile. "A pleasure doing business with you, and I hope that this encourages you to stay on good terms with my family."
Seeing as things had calmed down, I gestured to Augustus, causing him to look at me.
Seeing as I was done with my 'spectacle', he turned to look at the other Lords and gave out a tired sigh. "The last topic is regarding what we are going to do about the Einzberns, as they have been charged with endangering the secrecy of the Moonlit World, conspiring, and succeeding in materializing a Divine Spirit, endangering almost half a dozen families after tampering with the Greater Grail, lastly they have refused to attend today's hearing, and therefore forfeited disputing these claims."
Instantly I stood up. "This one is easy," I proclaimed while sweeping my gaze through the room. "There is only one punishment fitting such a crime, and I myself am more than happy enough to be the executioner in this specific case," I said graciously, only for the Meluastea Lord to stand up as well.
"I'm sorry, but I believe that this is a bit excessive," he quickly interjected, causing me to frown.
This man had been making a nuisance of himself, more so than the Democrats, which was surprising to be sure.
It wasn't too surprising, given the fact that the Einzbern could be considered a 'merchant'-like family, as they supply the majority of high quality homunculi on the market, and provided a few other services as well, so they were popular among many families.
Putting on a blank expression, I stared into the man's eyes. "Are you willing to side with a senile golem, who corrupted a grand ritual, to the point an evil Divine Spirit managed to fully manifest, almost exposing the Moonlit World?"
Quickly he shook his head. "No, but I think eradicating them is too extre—" "Despite not being a part of the Association, we have given them the opportunity to build a case for themselves, only for our grace to be spat on. Doing nothing in retaliation would be a bad look on us, especially given their crimes," I interjected, earning a scowl from the man.
"You plan on eradicating a near-millennia-old family, and let all that accumulated knowledge go to waste!" He all but spat, and I only raised a brow.
"You make it sound like I am not going to share the knowledge, though of course I'll be giving most of it to my fellow faction members, but I see no issue with sharing, as their Magecraft is incompatible with my own," I countered, causing him to almost real back in surprise.
It was an understandable reaction, after all, 1000 years worth of knowledge was a monstrous boon, so being willing to share it was unheard of.
"You are willing to share?" He questioned, probably just to ensure that I wouldn't go back on my word, but disbelief was probably no small part of the reason he asked.
Crossing my arms, I raised a brow. "Alchemy is not something I specialize in, though Morgan will probably claim a bit, as some of it is applicable to her specialties within Mystic Code Creation. So I see no reason not to strengthen my allies, and hand some more out for goodwill," I said casually.
The calculus on who to support now, was now a lot easier for most people. Either A) support the Einzbern, who are notoriously hardheaded, and probably will give little in return for the support, or B) support a man willing to end that headache and do all the dirty work, while afterwards giving away a large portion of the spoils, for nothing in return.
It was an easy choice to make, and even if they wanted to be the ones to plunder the Einzbern, as they weren't confident in their own skills when it came to breaching the Einzbern Castle. The only family I knew had a good chance to breach it easily were the Barthomeloi, and that was mostly due to their bullshit Reality Marbles that could break practically all Bounded Fields, no matter their strength.
Honestly, I needed to get onto replicating the damn thing, it's such a pity that every time one has been used, it wasn't either within eyesight or I'd be spotted activating my eyes. I'd need to go Vampire hunting with the crazy bitch once I got back from the Land of Shadows, it's just too good to give up on.
Clapping my hands, I gave the Meluastea Lord a conciliatory look. "How about this," I said placatingly. "We give an announcement, where we state that if the Einzbern do not send a representative within three days, I will wipe them off the map for their transgressions? It gives them a chance to backtrack, and I still get my chance to enact some well-founded revenge. A win-win, no?"
Once more there was silence.
The opportunity to see me 'go all out' or at least to evaluate my threat level based on how I 'eradicated' the Einzbern would be valuable in itself. And with how public the announcement would be, it was obvious that people would come to spy on me, allowing them to send in their own spies without much scrutiny.
Hearing no counters, I turned to look at Augustus. "It would seem no one else has a suggestion, would you mind setting this to a vote?" I asked, and the older man slowly nodded his head.
Seeing this, I sat myself down. Standing up, Augustus scanned the room. "Those in favour of Lord Pendragon's recently amended suggestion?"
Instantly, all booths lit up in green light, and the Vice-Director nodded. "It seems we have come to a unanimous agreement," he said seriously, before looking directly at me.
"If an Einzbern representative does not come within the allotted three days to stand trial, Lord Pendragon may make an example of them as he sees fit," he said with utmost seriousness, before clapping his hands together. "With that, I bring this meeting to an end; you may all leave."
Seeing how everyone started to shuffle around, with a few sending me not so discreet looks, likely in hopes of a private meeting, I instead sunk further back into my seat, and turned to look at Morgan.
"It seems we're tied for unanimous votes in our favour," I commented idly, and while I couldn't see her eyes behind that veil I was sure she was rolling her eyes.
"How was that for improvement?"
A/N
Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and reviews, as it would be much appreciated.
Yeah, no, sorry for the delay, but I hope you all can see the effort it took to make this chapter, but I was also doing semester start stuff, so I needed to split my time between the two.
All the dialogue, and politicking made it rather exhausting to write, as I had to give so many differing and contradicting opinions, while trying to keep in mind the personalities and temperament in line with their few canon appearances. It got really tiring, really quickly, but it was still interesting to write, so it wasn't too much of a chore, but it was incredibly time-consuming.
But holy fuck! Twelve thousand words in one chapter, or the equivalent of 31 pages?! That's like three regular chapters! I need those three chapters to make the damn Patreon! This is all your fault for having me be so nice, and not splitting the chapter into three parts! How dare you all make me sabotage myself!
… Yeah, I'm a retard, but I, like many, do not like multi-part chapters, when everyone agrees that they should rather just be one long chapter. So, to not be a hypocrite, I must adhere to that doctrine as well, so no splitting this chapter. Yes, I am shooting myself in the foot, yes, I know I am stupid, and no, I will not look out for my own interests!
…
God I'm going to die as a brokie.
Alright, the name Brishisan has been thrown around a lot, and a lot has been mentioned and alluded to, but know that a lot of it is conjecture from me as there is little info on the man himself. All we really know about him is that he was one of Solomon's students, along with Zelretch, that he founded the Mage's Association, along with having been the acting Director ever since it was created, and the fact that he is obsessed with ORT, or at least wishes to know how to stop it, to the point of becoming something akin to a recluse in his own department.
I myself think of him as potentially being among the tippity-top of Magi to ever have existed, placing him above Zelretch levels in terms of Magecraft (which I think is fair as he is 'mainly' a Magician), but probably some levels below him in combat capabilities, as I see him more as the researcher type. I mostly attribute my high evaluation of him due to his teacher being Solomon himself, and the fact that Solomon's other pupil became a Magician and beat the Crimson Moon. It just feels weird to me to even consider him as less, when it fits so well if you think that Solomon likely picked him to guide Magi as a whole, thereby putting him on the path to create the Mage's Association, and become its Director.
All of it points to Solomon planning this ahead of time, likely due to his Clairvoyance, so it would be obvious that he picked the cream of the crop, when choosing whose shoulders he'd place the future of Magi and humanity on, after looking at what the two have individually accomplished.
Now, any questions?
Hop onto my Discord Server, I'd love to have a chat: https://discord.gg/HAPhryp5M2
Now, hand over those Power Stones, can't you see they are lonely when not used? Give them to me, and allow them to socialize, it's for their best... I swear…