Interlude: The return of the tactician
He has not been on Japanese soil since 1994 and the man hates it to return to this place. Especially this place. As a sign of his hate, he throws his cigar on the ground and tramples it so long that not a single trace of it remains.
"Fuck it, why do I have to come back to this shitty place?! Why don't they send someone else here? I just wanted to play something this weekend, but now I'm here again"
Earlier this week
The clock tower is as always very filled and the students flock into his room like sheeps who are called to eat. The crowd is chatting excitedly and the turmoil fills the room.
"Shut up! Talk later about whatever useless things you want to discuss, but not now!"
The class stops talking and redirects their attention towards the professor.
"So, what will be today's lesson about?"
"Today's lesson… I don't know, why do you think you are here?"
"What?"
"I asked you, why do you think are you sitting here right now? What do you desire?"
The student who was so cheeky to interfere with the professor's lesson is now very puzzled. He does not quite understand what the teacher wants of him.
"Well… I guess, I want to study here? Learn things?"
"I asked you not to what you are doing here, I asked you why you are here"
"Why I am here? Well, because I want to… I want to become a good magus for my family!"
The student is quite proud, because he thinks he got the right answer. Surely this will satisfy him, were his thoughts. However, the professor leans on his desk like he is about to burst.
"I see, you are a hopeless brat"
"What? Don't you think this is a little bit rude, professor?"
The student stands up and is angered about the teacher's remark.
"Sit down, young man or you can leave and I won't teach you any further"
His glance highlights that he is not joking. He is serious about this threat, so the student sits down again.
"I think I will have to teach you why you are even here. Many students think it is their aim in life to develop their magic further, to widen their horizon, to expand their magic crest. Yes, that is what the magus community means by magic nowadays. Isn't that the reality we live in?"
He demands the student who spoke right now to answer.
"Yes, we should all yearn for the perfection of our magic and magic crest!"
"Pathetic! Pathetic… dumb, naive. You only partake in my lessons for this goal? And regarding the others that are currently present, do you agree?"
None of the students speak to him and they all remain silent. They all thought it is like the professor explained it to them earlier.
"I understand. You all are surrounded by a veil of imbroglio. These are merely the conviction of an arrogant unenlightened ignoramus! If you follow this path you will end up nowhere. On the contrary, you will not develop anything, you will just inherit what is already discovered; all your studies here, all your future work, all of it will be inept if you continue following this path you believe is the right one"
"Pr-professor, don't you think that these words are a little bit… too harsh?"
The other students have been shocked by the speech of the teacher, but the one from the beginning is brave enough to defend them.
"I have not finished my explanation yet. So, may you be so well-behaved to not interrupt me?"
The sour face of the professor let all the bravery fade away from the student's body, so he slacks back to his seat.
"As I mentioned, this is the wrong path. You see, this understanding of magic will not work for the future. It is true that a long history and a strong bloodline gives the next magus in line a great potential. However, if you rely on this antiqued tradition, you are a failure as a human"
He leans on the desk and stares into his student's faces to make sure that the last sentence reverberates through their brains before he walks around the table to continue.
"It is absolutely important that we strive for our goals with honesty and diligence. Tell me, what is the greatest feat a mage can accomplish?"
Another young student in the back stands up to answer his question.
"To find the root of all knowledge, this is what all magi want to achieve. It is the ultimate goal for every magus that has ever lived"
"Indeed. Despite, the magi in the modern era rely on their magic crest to achieve this primordial goal. This is truly a method that only a sloth would prefer. Only true merits and honest work can help the community to flourish as a whole. So, what I am trying to convey is that you are here to study magecraft in order to try your very best to get to the root of everything"
This made all of the puzzled and frightful students clairaudient. They still cannot grasp the true essence of the professor's oration, but they get the basic message: They had a wrong understanding of their being.
"I will end today's lesson earlier. Homework for you is to write an essay of your understanding of magic. We can't proceed if I don't know why you desire my teachings, so have a great day now"
The professor leaves the room as his disciples are still processing what he said. Nobody is in the hallways right now, so the teacher lights a cigar and leans on the wall while he peers out of the window; letting his train of thoughts go on an uncontrolled journey…
"My Lord, the director wants to speak you"
A young female interrupts the professor and he wants to ignore her, because he wants her to leave.
"I spoke to you, so notice me!"
He has no choice than to face her. He never saw her before, but judging by her long blue dress, she must be an aristocrat. Behind her is a man who puts his hand on the young girl's shoulders.
"Excuse me, but my daughter can be quite spirited sometimes"
"Mister Edelfelt, what are you doing here?"
The professor has seen him some years ago and he is a member of a quite distinguished family. It is even said that the Edelfelt sisters have fought in the third Holy Grail War.
"I was just visiting the Clock Tower once in a while and my daughter wanted to accompany me, too. You see, she will be a student here in one year, so you might encounter her"
He is not sure if he wants to have this girl as a student, because he has a strange feeling about her.
"Still, it is true what my daughter said. I met the director of summoning and he asked me to tell you that the director himself wants to see you"
"I understand. I will immediately go to him then"
"Until next year, my dear Lord! Come on, say something, too"
The young Edelfelt sighs and turns around to wave her hands while smiling.
"We will surely meet us again next year; I'm looking forward to this!"
"Sure"
With this word, the Lord quickly walks to the director's room. He has actually absolutely no motivation to speak to him now, but he is still the director and if he wants to use the academy's resources, he has to follow his orders. At least from time to time.
He opens the door to see the director gazing out of the window and only showing him his back. As he finally notices that someone entered his room, he turns around his chair to look at the annoyed professor.
The Director of the Clock Tower, a mysterious entity whose true identity is rarely known by anyone. The professor saw him the first time two years ago as he was requested to go to the Director's office. Usually, no one can enter the room without permission, but he was allowed to visit him. The Director has reigned over the Mage's Association since a long time. Many do not know it, but the professor got to learn it from the Director himself: He is in fact the head of the Association since ancient times, even dating back to the founding of it in 500 AD. He was also a disciple of Solomon himself and is therefore over two thousand years old. For the meeting's sake he appears in his human form. In this form, he is the young man as he was in his days as a disciple with his white messy hair and the slightly tanned skin making his origin of the Middle East clear.
"Welcome back, Lord El-Melloi"
"You forgot the second"
Even though he is in front of a being that is said to rival the magi of the Wandering Sea with ease, Lord El-Melloi II does not fear him. The first meeting was for sure overwhelming for him and he was affrighted that such beings exist. However, over the time they developed a somewhat friendly relationship.
"I am sorry, must be a force of habit. Please, sit down"
Lord El-Melloi II follows his order and sits down in front of the director who calmly smiles at him.
"We haven't talked since last year, or am I mistaken?"
"No, this is true. It has been one year since our last meeting"
The sour man and the cheery one look like the exact opposite, yet their nature is more similar than the Lord assumes to be.
"Are your researches successful?"
"Yes, I am making progress in spite of my lack of the magic crest"
"It is a true shame that the young Archibald offspring took your crest. However, you still want to achieve your goal, right?"
"Of course, I will. How else could I ever face him again?"
"I see. I am sure that he would be proud of you as I knew him"
For a while, both men are silent, but eventually the Director broke the silence.
"Lord El-Melloi II, I have a request for you"
"I hope it won't waste my time"
"I am sure it will peak your interest. I want you to investigate a certain anomaly"
Now El-Melloi II interest has indeed been peaked. He likes to investigate things and being a detective. It is a chance to get out of the Tower and do practical research.
"An investigation? You know me very well; you have my attention"
"Very well, I will describe you the exposition. A school has been the victim of an attack that can't be analyzed properly. Naturally, the Clock Tower sent some mages to fix the problem, but they said that they couldn't resolve how all of it happened"
"I see, what intel have we gained so far?"
"So far, we know that the sky turned red and got split in half. Furthermore, all lifeforms in the building fell victim to an unknown force that caused them to fall unconscious. Additionally, the building itself suffered from severe damage and the pieces that broke apart from it were said to be floating around. The effects of it all vanished after a while without a single trace of its origin"
"Hm, it rather sounds to me like the usual dark magic, but performed by someone who knows how to hide their track"
"That is what the others believed it to be and they were satisfied with this answer. So, they stopped the investigation and returned"
"Basically, you are trying to say that this is no ordinary case but something weirder?"
The Director's face expression changed and now he is really serious-looking.
"Lord El-Melloi II, this incident was not caused by magic"
"No magic? What do you mean?"
Lord El-Melloi II sits up in his chair as the case becomes more and more interesting.
"It is the literal meaning my friend. Whoever did this was able to pull this off without any single drop of magical energy. In other words, it is something new apart from the regular magic we knew so far"
"Something… new?"
"Yes, a new branch perhaps. At least something that never occurred before, not even in the Age of Gods"
"So, you are saying you have no clue what happened as well?"
The Director shakes his head and looks down at his desk.
"This is indeed something that even I never encountered before, I doubt even Master Solomon has seen such a thing. Therefore, I want you to investigate this"
"I understand. Where is this ominous school located?"
The Director looks up again to the Lord.
"It is… in Japan"
Lord El-Melloi lowers his head and sighs.
"I express my utmost apologies, but I cannot consent. You should know that I despise that crappy isle"
"I know, but I beg you to go there. Besides, this happened during the fifth Holy Grail War"
Lord El-Melloi II is surprised upon hearing this name.
"The… Grail War?"
"Indeed, the Holy Grail War. So, the place is Fuyuki and you are the most suitable for the job, because you have participated in the fourth, am I right Mr. Velvet?"
"Now this is a name, I haven't heard in a long time"
"Please, you must investigate this anomaly in Japan"
Lord El-Melloi II jumps up and thrusts his fist on the Director's desk who remains calm.
"Do you even know how much I hate this place and its people?! I will never forgive the Japanese and I will especially not return to that place for this particular event! I give a fuck on what is happening over there, I won't investigate this!", Lord El Melloi II yells at the Director. His whole body is currently on fire.
"I know, but still… this anomaly might bring you closer to the root"
Lord El-Melloi II relieves his pressure on the desk and lifts his hand.
"Bring me… closer to the root?"
"In point of fact, I believe that this incident is strongly connected to the root. So, investigating this might help you reach your ultimate goal"
"But if this is true… why don't you go yourself, why don't you examine this shit by yourself?"
"Unfortunately, I believe it is not possible with the current situation as it is. I would truly like to go to Japan and investigate this shit as you said, but it is impossible for me in the current circumstances"
"Then, answer me why you chose me. There are many way more talented magi to accomplish this task and if there is really something so powerful and unknown, it might be a wiser decision to choose someone else"
"My dear friend Waver. There is also another reason why I have chosen you for this task. I can see the same flame in your eyes as Master Solomon. I believe that you, of all magi of the Clock Tower, have the greatest potential and the purest heart to achieve the ultimate goal that me and Master Solomon as well as all the other great magi before us and the Gods themselves sought. You are the best candidate for this mission"
The Director smiles at the sour man light-heartedly. The man sits down again, closes his eyes and audibly breathes in and out for some time. Then he opens his eyes again.
"Can I bring some people along?"
"By all means, do as you please, Waver, I have no right to determine how your expedition will be."
Lord El-Melloi II sighs again and awaits the Director's next words.
"So, do you agree, Waver?"
"Why did I agree to this in the first place! I could've been home now and playing the spinoff of the VN, but now I must investigate some weird things for this old man"
Lord El-Melloi regains his composure and exhales.
"He said that I should visit the local priest first before I begin investigating. I hope he is still awake at such a time"