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Chapter 63
🕑 Added 2025-08-30 16:24:43 +0000 UTCMystery. The foundation of our world.
Birthed by belief, birthed by age and birthed by nature. Stabilised by those same aspects of man's world as well. Mystery gave the magus the ability to enact those phenomena that granted them superiority over the common man, and it was also what gave the older magus families their ironclad superiority over any new men and women that joined their world.
By the simple virtue of being an older mystery, a phenomenon could dominate or nullify a younger one. It was why something like the idea of the Clock Tower being a meritocracy was flawed, because by the very laws of nature, merit would almost certainly lie with those of venerated blood.
I refused to, even for a second, believe that none of those lords knew this responsible for the movement. So, in the end, it was a baser endeavour. They just wanted more power for themselves, like most people, like those people they often looked down on.
That seemingly unshakeable part of nature was blown away by an easy breeze the second I came into this world. This they knew too now.
So, when eyes widened and breaths hitched, when words got caught in throats and came out as nothing but gasps, I wasn't really surprised. I enjoyed it terribly instead. It feeded directly into my fantasies. Fantasies I had no intention of reeling in.
First came Byron. Maio and Islo at his tail.
Then, the Professor and Inorai.
Quietly, I watched them gather, exchange uneasy glances, then look between me and the terrible damage. Sadly, I wasn't experienced enough with facial expressions to know what these politicians were thinking.
In the end, it was the owner of the twin towers that ended up unable to keep quiet.
"...Just what happened here?"
However, his gaze went to Touko instead.
She simply shrugged. "Even with recent developments, we are still business partners from time to time. I wouldn't do anything like this here."
"Yes, well then... who-?"
Inorai's folding fan clacked shut as she held up an arm to silence him. "There is another magus here, isn't there? Someone who's proven himself capable of this... much to my surprise. I only have one question."
"I have more. This is simply preposterous. Who's going to pay for all of this? Beyond that... why?"
Reasonable. I imagined that these hunks of metal weren't so cheap to construct, not to mention the clearly expensive furniture and all that. Atop that, there was most certainly a workshop in there somewhere. Seeing as those were often the lifeblood of any research, losing one must have been rather infuriating.
"Yes. I'm curious too." Waver cut through, a cigar held an inch from his mouth. "Why, Henry?"
"I think this is the first time I've had so many Lords questioning me like this. It's pretty exciting. What happens if I refuse to explain myself?" I crossed one leg over the other and leaned forward.
"Then... nothing." The Professor sighed. "This is the way of our world. The Department of Policy does not interfere with grievances or squabbles between magi so long as the principles are upheld."
Their principles primarily concerned concealment of magecraft. Here, in the middle of literally nowhere, there was virtually no chance of any breach happening unless forced.
"But even so, I'd like to ask as your teacher, you're not the kind of boy to do this kind of thing for no reason."
Aw man. He always had to rain on my parade. I'd planned on harassing everyone a bit more before presenting my case.
"Alright." I narrowed my eyes at the timid boy standing beside Byron. "His pharmacist tried to kill me."
Maio's eyes widened. He stumbled back, visibly startled. "I didn't do anything-"
"That is a horrible look for someone who didn't do anything." Reines smirked, raising the same tablet I'd fished out of my burger. "I remember, earlier at the party, you told me poison was easily within your purview. I imagine if we analyze this a bit further, we'll get to the truth."
To his credit, Byron showed genuine surprise at that. He turned to the family pharmacist with a fierce glare that made the boy shrink back even further. Unfortunately, keeping his household in check was also his job.
"Henr..." The aged Lord shook his head. "I know an apology will not matter. Instead, I will not seek any reparations and let this matter be entirely. We will also withdraw the charges against Lady Reines."
A logical proposition. Well, no, not really. He was looking at it through the lens of someone used to everything being political. I wasn't. In the first place, the accusations were false. On top of that, I helped him against his enemies. As a 'reward', his subordinate just poisoned me for no reason.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Reparations? Lil bro, you're lucky a second plane didn't hit the other tower. No, actually, you know what?"
I held two fingers out his way. This time, all of them recognised what was coming when a small dark orb formed against the tips, distorting the very air around it amongst flashes of red and bursts of wind.
"No... no, wait! Allow me to rephrase." He held his hands up in surrender, waving them haphazardly. Apparently, he'd never been in a similar situation before in his life. "My deepest apologies. The Iselma family will pay you for the affront. We will even pay Miss Reines for any perceived insults."
Magi were most detached and unresponsive to most threats, however, their lineage and its continuation was the most important thing to them. I was 'seemingly' moments away from wiping said lineage off the face of the Earth.
Faced with that, he panicked.
Reines smirked wider. "What about reparations for the emotional damage?"
"W-What?"
"Yes, it's quite traumatic for a child to be accused of murder. In America, I could sue you for all you're worth." The little girl wiped a non-existent tear from her eye, a hand over her heart. "I imagine you'll pay for that. And for my beloved elder brother's time as well."
Byron's face tightened. Then he looked at me again, and the orb. A moment later, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Hey hold on, are you serious?" Touko interjected just before he put words to his defeat. "The murder mystery isn't even solved yet. Who just admits defeat like that?"
There was simply no other choice to be made. That was the main issue when faced with an overwhelmingly stronger opponent, even when the conditions for defeat were unfair, there was no reasonable option other than folding and living to fight another day, for magi at least.
At least in this case, though, the faults lied wholly with the Iselma family instead. Still, even I admitted this was a rather boring and unsatisfactory end to the murder mystery. There really should have been a big final battle.
I waved my hand, dissipating the spell, "One last thing, why poison me?"
Byron fixed Maio with an intense glare. "Explain yourself, boy."
"B-Because... I'd... I'd..."
Waver chose that moment to steal my spotlight, the damned aura farmer. I hoped he stubbed his bloody toe and both sides of his pillow were warm forever for the shit he pulled then.
He scoffed, and blew out smoke.
"Because you'd get found out?"
Maio stuttered over himself.
"Because he'd find out you killed the maid? Or was it because we'd find out that the Princess of Gold presented at the event was a fraud?"
Unfortunately, there was no gasping audience awaiting his accusations. Mostly because the people in attendance were the toughest crowd ever. Half knew the truth before he said it, the other half simply did not care or already knew it.
"Lord El-Melloi. You-"
"It took me a bit to figure out why a Grand would be here but I believe I have it. As someone closely attuned to the dead person, you hired Touko Aozaki to give her face and appearance to the dead maid. Then, to use her illusions to present the princess just for the duration of the gathering. Regina. That is the name of the Princess of Gold you presented at the event. Yet, what came of that surgery was beyond even your expectations wasn't it?"
I wasn't much surprised by the revelation... because I knew it. Hell, he'd discussed it with me beforehand.
"Something that far exceeded what you produced. No, the very ideal that your family has pursued since its inception. That was what Miss Touko managed to create."
"Good job, me, I guess." Touko whistled, shamelessly patting herself on the back.
"But, she doesn't remember it. Because you had Maio make something to remove her memories of the event. I trust that was written in the contract you agreed upon, because I doubt it's something that she'd miss otherwise."
Thoroughly, while smoking his cigar, the Professor dismantled the entire case. Something no other person in the room could do. It was truly inspiring. My Professor was, after all, probably the weakest magus ever. Yet, even if I weren't here to force it out, he'd have accomplished a victory regardless. He didn't need me to figure out what happened. He was just that smart.
"Miss Touko went a step beyond with her illusions, didn't she?"
"The incense at the party." Reines whispered.
"The smoke from the incense was what you used for the illusions. There's one thing I have to ask you, Miss Touko. What did you use as the fuel to create an illusion so powerful?"
The Grand-ranked magus closed her eyes in thought. "Well, if things are indeed like you say they are, then I probably used that leaf they gave me as payment for the job."
"The leaf?" Waver repeated, confused.
The leaf... The fucking leaf... Siegfried's leaf. The one Atrum was attacking them for. A relic of legend, soaked in ancient mystery from the Age of the Gods. She used it for a simple illusion spell. Damn. That was... amazing.
I excitedly looked over to the Grand.
I needed to get her autograph later.
"That... leaf?" Byron seemed crestfallen, more shocked than he'd been when faced with eradication. The poor man was in disbelief. Probably over the fact that someone would so flippantly waste a relic of that magnitude. "For an... illusion?"
"Well, it created something interesting so..." Touko shrugged her hands, "I'm satisfied."
"Hell yeah! I love you, lady!" I cackled like a madman, hands held out and all.
"But then, who murdered Regina?"
The Professor whipped around and jabbed a finger through the air, right at Maio, "It was you, wasn't it? You damned idiot."
"I-"
"That girl asked you for help saving her sister and the Princess of Silver. Yet, you were so obsessed with that beauty that you murdered her for thinking of escape. All because it meant you wouldn't have a chance of witnessing it again."
"You're a liar!" Maio shouted at the Professor, lashing out at the air. "You're just trying to-"
"Don't you remember? She didn't even resist. Because despite your shitty nature, she loved you. If you asked, she'd probably have killed herself for you. You pathetic monster. For your obsession with worldly beauty, you killed. You're a stain on our world."
I whistled.
Silence descended on the hall, disturbed only by the faint rumble of thunder and the wind howling through the destroyed wall. I shivered to think of what awaited me if I ever made an enemy of the professor. The sort of vile dismantling that he'd throw at me. As exciting as it was to consider though, there was no chance of it actually happening.
I refused to betray him, no matter what.
"A..And..." Maio grit his teeth. "And what's so wrong with that?! She wanted to run! Abandon all we achieved!"
"Your honour, this man has clearly lost his calm, rip his balls of-... I mean, arrest him." I rose to my feet, grinning.
Finally, a fight.
Actually... What kind of fight was a herbalist going to put up?
Just when I started losing heart, Maio glared at me. "You! Do you think I'm stupid enough to put a tablet that obvious in your food?!"
I nodded.
"I'm not! The medicine was in your food. If you don't want to die, kill everyone here!"
Woah. Now that was more my stride. He'd just made a critical mistake though, just one teensy mistake. Or, maybe he was just blind?
I jabbed a thumb at the long table I'd been sitting at. To be specific, at my plate.
"Buddy... I never ate my food."
Reines snorted. I cackled. Even the silent Gray stifled an abrupt giggle before averting her gaze, ashamed.
"W-Well! She did! Touko! I poisoned the memory medicine you ingested. If you don't do as I say, I'll stop your heart."
All gazes fell on the Grand, awaiting her next move with bated breaths. Slowly, Touko stood up, leaning on the table before her for support. Slowly, she cranked her neck.
"Alright, fine."
...That was just great.
Infinity formed around me as I locked gazes with a Grand and I noticed something. There was barely veiled mischief in those crimson eyes.
-
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Bleap
compliments like me mean more to me than I could ever put into words. Thank you, bro.
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God i love your characters and writing
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This is Actually Peak.
