Fate: Hammer Time

by TedTheRabbit

Shirou Emiya wanted to become a hero. That was clear to all who truly know him. For a long time though, he lacked the power to actually achieve that goal. No longer. No longer will he lack the power, now that the Hammer of the Odinson has chosen him as new wielder. Prepare for Thunder. ShirouxMultiple, Thor-Shirou.

27. Welcome to the Clocktower

Welcome to the Clocktower.

---

When Shirou had accepted Lord El-Melloi's offer of a sponsorship, he'd know that the man was the head of the Archibald-family. The Archibald-family had been one of the oldest and richest families of the Clocktower, right up until Kiritsugu had killed their Crest-bearer so thoroughly that nothing of the Crest could be salvaged afterwards.

Undoubtedly, that loss of their Crest had been disastrous for the Archibald. Even Shirou, who knew little about politics and other facets of Magus Society, knew that a Crest was vital for a family's standing.

He had no evidence to support the theory, but he suspected that the Archibald-family had fallen hard after the Fourth Holy Grail War. The loss of a Crest was a crippling blow on the best of days, and living in the centre of the Clocktower, both literally and metaphorically, meant that there were a great many vultures around that were only too happy to take a bite out of a wounded animal.

Shirou had known all this, but finding out Lord El-Melloi's car was a battered, old thing that seemed barely fit for the road really drove home that his father had absolutely ruined the Archibald.

Since he was raised as a polite man, Shirou showed none of his surprise on his face. It would be extremely bad form to laugh at or mock a man who was helping him, and even more so since it was his father's fault that the Archibald were in this situation to begin with.

Which was incidentally also why his name was now Shirou Fujimaru here in Europe. Acknowledging he was an Emiya would be a bad idea to say the least. It would bring nothing but trouble, and if he wanted to save Illya quickly and efficiently, trouble was the last thing he needed.

As such, he kept his polite smile on his face as they climbed into the car, Bazett in the driver's seat, El-Melloi next to her, and Shirou in the backseat.

No one said anything during the drive to the Clocktower. Bazett was focused on the road, while Lord El-Melloi appeared to have things to think about.

Shirou was tempted to ask more questions about the Magus Association, the nobles, and a variety of other subjects that he needed to know more about, but Lord El-Melloi looked so absorbed in thought that he couldn't bring himself to disturb the man.

It was a few minutes later that they arrived.

After reaching the Big Ben of London, they had turned down a hidden road, one that was obscured from the common folk by Enchantments. The road led them down into the Earth, and after a few more minutes of driving, they arrived in an underground parking garage.

"Welcome to the Clocktower's parking garage, kid." Bazett said without turning around, still paying attention to the road in front of her as she drove. "This is the place the Lords and other nobles can park their expensive cars without worrying about plebs touching or looking at them."

"I see." Shirou muttered as he looked around, before turning back to the redheaded woman. "It's rather… posh."

'Posh' was an understatement. Rather than the concrete bunkers that came to mind when thinking about parking garages, this one had been made out of sparling marble that shone in the light of countless beautiful, intricate chandeliers holding glowing orbs of light. Statues were spread around the place, one more ornate and artistic than the other, while the floor had been decorated with mosaic patterns in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

How they kept it all clean was anyone's guess, though Shirou suspected Magecraft was involved.

And that wasn't even mentioning the cars themselves. Lord El-Melloi's old rust-bucket fell out of tone here like a feather would at a sword display.

Shirou did not know much about the different species of car, but the immense, gilded, and brightly coloured limousines were so obviously high-class that even he could deduce that these were probably among the most expensive and most coveted cars in the world.

There were plenty of them too. Dozens, perhaps even over a hundred cars stood in the garage, together presenting an accumulated wealth that would give any normal man a headache.

All in all, the first impression of the Clocktower that Shirou got was one of immense wealth and an almost obsessive desire for appearing high-class.

Judge was still out on whether he was actually impressed by the gaudy display of decadence or not.

What he certainly wasn't impressed by however were the other people present in the garage.

A man and two women, a bit older than Shirou but younger than Bazett and Lord El-Melloi, were standing in front of a ridiculously expensive-looking car, definitely in the top five in the entire garage.

The four servants that flanked them, clad in butler-outfits far superior to Shirou's, only added to their air of richness and decadence, and so did their magnificent clothes, carefully managed blonde hair, and the subtle make-up on their faces.

Now, on itself, being rich and showing it wasn't illegal or even just wrong really. It was vain, but vanity alone didn't harm anyone.

The young man and women however weren't just innocently showing off their wealth to others. They were giggling behind their hands, their eyes full of mockery as they looked at Lord El-Melloi's old car with scorn.

It was obvious that they were ridiculing him, looking down on him with disdain, and Shirou found himself very irritated by their behaviour. Not quite enough for him to take action, but it was annoying all the same to see people born with a silver spoon in their mouth looking down on those less fortunate than them.

It was highly likely however that such sights were common at the Clocktower, so it wouldn't do any good if he already lost his patience on his first encounter with people like them.

So Shirou swallowed his irritation, helped by the fact that Lord El-Melloi didn't seem the least bit bothered by the mockery.

"It really grates on your nerves, doesn't it?" Bazett grumbled as she came to walk next to him, leaning over to whisper into his ear. "There are a lot of families that think themselves better than everyone else, but the Edelfelt also have the annoying habit of telling everyone that they are superior."

"…! The Edelfelt?" Shirou suppressed a start of surprise with some difficulty and managed to ask his next question calmly. "Those three are of the Edelfelt-family?"

"Yes." Bazett nodded, glaring at the youths. "It's a really big family, so there are plenty of them, unfortunately, but you can always recognise an Edelfelt by their blond hair, which is always done up in elaborate styles, their tendency to show off and mock those with less wealth and fortune than they, and their shifty eyes that are always looking for profit."

The woman's voice became progressively more heated as she spoke, and it wasn't difficult to detect a personal grudge in her words. Still, Shirou committed her words to memory. This was the family Rin had warned him against specifically after all.

Also, since they were Rin's enemies, Shirou decided that their behaviour did irritate him enough to take action.

Mocking Lord El-Melloi was one thing, but mocking Lord El-Melloi and being Rin's enemies went too far.

He silently called upon Mjolnir, not quite materialising the hammer but drawing on its power, and cast a powerful electromagnetic field right into the engine of the Edelfelts' car, tearing it apart beyond repair.

It looked like the Edelfelt had been about to leave, but they wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon now.

A few seconds later, the trio left the garage to head up the stairs towards the Clocktower proper, and Shirou felt a moment of regret that he wouldn't be able to see their faces when they found out they were stranded.

It was petty of him, he knew that, but damn if it didn't feel good.

Also, from what he'd heard, losing the car was nothing but a small inconvenience to them anyway. They could just call upon their army of servants to bring them another one.

"Pay attention now, kid." Bazett spoke up again, drawing his attention to her. "We're almost at the main hall. It's quite a sight, I have to say."

She held open a door for him and Lord El-Melloi, and once he'd stepped through, Shirou found that the main hall was indeed 'quite a sight'.

It was an immense place filled with numerous people walking in all directions. From where he stood, Shirou could spot a cafeteria, a number of shops, a large open place where people stood talking with each other, a square that was lush with trees and plants, and countless doors and hallways that led to other places within the gigantic conglomeration that was the Clocktower.

The precious metals, gemstones, artworks, tapestries, and innumerable other signs of wealth that had been incorporated into every object present had been expected, but it was the sheer size that the Clocktower turned out to be that threw Shirou off.

Wasn't this place supposed to be hidden in the heart of London? How on Earth did they manage to keep something like this, something so enormous, hidden in one of the most densely populated places in Europe?

Probably Magecraft.

Had to be Magecraft.

"Welcome to the Clocktower, mister Fujimaru." Lord El-Melloi spoke up, sounding very Lordly and proper. "What you see here is the common space, where everyone who is affiliated with the institute is allowed to be. Further into the Clocktower, if you follow the larger hallways, you can find the different departments of the Magus Association. Take heed however that you cannot enter if you aren't a member of the department and aren't invited."

"Noted." Shirou nodded.

"The doors and stairs lead towards a variety of other destinations, including but not limited to the dormitories, the chambers of the Lords, the offices of all people high enough in rank to have one, the classrooms, and even the arena."

Shirou almost spoke up at that last one, but decided to hold his tongue for now.

"Unlike what you might hear at other research-and-teaching institutes, I recommend that you do not go out to explore this place." Lord El-Melloi looked very serious now. "Please only go to places that I have cleared as safe. I do not mean to unduly frighten you, but a Magus without allies here should take care at all times to avoid dangerous areas."

"I understand." Shirou nodded, already knowing that caution was warranted in a snake pit.

"Now, since I have an important meeting soon, I cannot show you around to your dormitory and the classrooms myself. As such, I'll introduce you to another apprentice of mine, who will introduce you to this place in my stead."

The redhead nodded again, wondering who that other apprentice could be. Lord El-Melloi hadn't mentioned anyone during their negotiations in the castle of the Sealing Designees.

He would have to see and hope he could get along with them. If they were going to teach him vital knowledge about the Clocktower, he would prefer to stay on their good side as much as possible.

It was going to be an immense task to get used to the place, but a bit of help often went a long way.

Shirou took another look around the hall, already dreading having to learn everything about it, though he did find strength in the very amusing sight of three Edelfelts coming out of the elevator, red-faced and upset, before they immediately made off again, ignoring the curious look Lord El-Melloi sent them.

Now that was a story to tell Rin about.

---

While Shirou was amusing himself by bullying the Edelfelt, Ayako and Sakura were busy with something much less fun, that being explaining to Rin what the precise nature of their relationship with Shirou was.

They hadn't planned on explaining that to her just yet, but they had no choice anymore as Shirou had let the secret out the previous day by quite literally shoving it into Rin's face.

"Both of you?" The black-haired girl whispered, looking entirely lost at the information. "He's… That's… You're…. Really?"

"Yes, Nee-san, really." Sakura nodded for the third time, smiling patiently at her poor, slow sister. "Senpai, Ayako, and I really are in a relationship together."

"S-S-So you… k-k-kissed?" Rin finally moved on to another question, and it was a cutely innocent one too.

"Yup, we kissed alright." Ayako grinned widely, clearly enjoying how Rin's face lit up. "Every day and as often as we could get away with."

"I-I've never s-seen you k-kiss." Rin protested, still completely off-balance by the discovery.

She was doing better than the day before however, when she had just stared with empty eyes at Sakura and Ayako the entire time, to the point where the girls had just taken her to the Emiya-estate and gave her the guestroom for the night, to let her get some sleep.

It was odd, how the normally so unflappable girl became such a stuttering mess when something managed to take her by surprise, and it was even more odd that it was a subject like relationships that got her this flustered.

Even the discovery that Senpai was a Magus, that her father was a monster, and that her sister had been tortured for all of her childhood hadn't thrown her off this much. No, it took the revelation that something indecent had been taking place under her nose to really get her on the backfoot.

Honestly, it was kind of adorable.

Ayako and Sakura had long decided to enjoy it while it lasted. Rin might have been unbalanced, but knowing her, she'd regain her composure quickly enough.

"We haven't been very open about it yet, Nee-san." Sakura answered in response to Rin's earlier protest. "We thought it was better to tell people after Senpai came back from London."

"But then he decided to just reveal it anyway." Ayako grumbled, crossing her arms petulantly. "We're lucky Fujimura-Sensei took it so well."

"I think she sort of knew already, and just didn't care about how unusual it is." Sakura shrugged. "She's unusually perceptive sometimes, and very open about things too. She almost never rejects something because of prejudices."

"Fujimaru-Sensei is fine with it?" That piece of information somehow seemed to get through to Rin, and she rubbed her face as she slowly shook off the shock. "So, you're really together?"

"Yes, Nee-san, we are really together." Sakura repeated for the fourth time, hoping this time it would be the last. "That is what we decided and that is what we are doing right now."

"Well, okay, I guess." Rin still didn't seem to know what to make of it, but at least accepted it as best as she could. "How does that work though?"

"How does any relationship work?" Ayako shrugged, a 'what can I say'-expression on her face. "We love each other, show affection to each other, and try to make it all work. What else is there?"

"So you really are completely fine with sharing him? Just like that?"

"It's hardly 'just like that'." Sakura protested, frowning deeply at the blasé statement. "We talked all of this over with each other, at length, and we decided to give it a try. So far, none of us have any complaints."

"So far? How long has this been going on for?"

"Can't be more than two months." Ayako replied, looking at Sakura for confirmation. "Yeah, about two months now, though we intend to make it last much longer of course."

"Oh..." Rin's eye twitched, her embarrassment rapidly making room for irritation, which seemed to be Nee-san's go-to emotion whenever she wasn't sure what to feel. "Have you considered how other people will react to it?"

"While we would like to say that we don't care, we have indeed. That is why we are keeping it quiet right now, from just about everyone." Sakura explained calmly, before glancing at the brunette. "Not even Ayako's parents know."

"But you did decide to tell me?"

"Shirou decided that." Ayako pointed out grumpily. "And I guess he considered it safe enough to do so. It's not like you're going to tell others about it after all."

"Oh? Are you sure about that?" Rin smirked, clearly delighted at finding new teasing material, but Sakura would have none of it.

"You aren't the kind of person who would reveal other people's secrets, Nee-san." She pointed out. "Besides, I don't think the Tohsaka-family's honour would allow for idle gossiping, would it?"

"…No." Rin wasn't happy to admit it, but her pride prevented her from lying about it. "Nevertheless, you are taking quite a risk here, not telling Ayako's parents about it."

"We know." Ayako sighed, the guilt she'd been feeling even since the beginning of the relationship worming its way to the surface again. "But we just didn't think it was a good idea to tell them when Shirou was about to leave on a two-month trip. My family, and I mean my entire family, likely won't react all that well, though my mother has surprised me so far, and it would be better to have Sakura and Shirou with me the entire time when I tell them."

"Right, I suppose I can't argue with that." Rin hesitated for a moment, before she pressed the tips of her index fingers together as she looked at the floor. "Well, I can't say that I am happy about this, but i-if this is what you have decided, I w-will accept it, a-and I'll help you keep it hidden too."

"…"

Sakura blinked several times in stupefied silence. Had Nee-san just told them she would accept their unusual relationship? And not just that, but help them keep it hidden too?

"Awww, Rin." Ayako cooed, linking her hands under her chin as she beamed at the black-haired girl. "That's so nice of you."

"Of course it is." Rin bit out, her hackles rising again. "I am nice. So you better appreciate it!"

"We appreciate it." Sakura smiled, not sure where the altruism suddenly came from, but grateful for it nevertheless. "Thank you very much, Nee-san."

"Yes, well… That's what big sisters do, isn't it?" Rin grumbled, crossing her arms strongly. "They have to support their little sisters in romance."

That was really sweet of her! Sakura almost felt like hugging her big sister, but seeing that said big sister was firmly in Tsun-mode right now, she decided not to push it.

Instead, she waited a few seconds for Rin to regain her composure and cool off. When that had happened, it would be much safer to talk again. All she had to do was not speak or move for a short while-

"So, when are you going to join our relationship, Rin?"

But of course Ayako decided to poke the tsun-tsun even more with an outrageous statement, and made Rin's face explode in a blush and made Sakura's cheeks fairly hot as well.

Sakura loved the brunette a lot, with her whole heart even, but sometimes, the girl was so infuriating.

The worst part was that Sakura didn't even know whether Ayako was joking or not. For the sake of her sanity, she was going to say that she was, but the fact that that wasn't certain was vexing and confusing.

"Join you!? W-What on Earth are you talking about, M-Mitsuzuri!" Rin reverted right back to using Ayako's family name in her outrage. "I-I'm not going to join your little play, t-that is ridiculous!"

"Oh, what's stopping you?" Ayako challenged boldly, unflinching even in the face of Rin's anger. "Another Magus rule?"

"Common sense. Nothing but common sense! I am not going to humiliate myself by joining a-a harem!"

"…What?" Sakura turned towards her sister in shock. Her blood was roaring in her ears, and she was pretty sure tears were threatening to leak out of her eyes. "H-Humiliate? Y-You think our r-relationship is h-humiliating?"

"Wha? NO!" Rin shouted in a panic when she saw Sakura's tears, shooting up from her seat and reaching out to Sakura. "No! Absolutely not! I-I just meant… Dammit Mitsuzuri, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Hey now, you are the one who went off like that." Ayako defended herself, gently taking Sakura into a hug. "Really, if you could just be a little more honest with yourself and admit you like us, this wouldn't have happened."

"I… I don't… Argh!" Rin stomped her foot in frustration. "Why do you keep going on about that? Why is it so important to you that I join you three?"

"Because you want to. Because I want to see you happy. Because I like you too." Ayako summed up on her fingers. "Because Shirou likes you and you like him in return. Because that would bring you much closer to Sakura again."

"Too close!" Sakura and Rin shouted at the same time.

"Aw, but I was looking forward to some sister-yuri…"

And with that entire tankload of oil that Ayako threw onto the fire, the living room of the Emiya-residence exploded in anger, embarrassment, and perverted laughter.

---

Lord El-Melloi's office turned out to be located in the Eastern part of the Clocktower, at around twenty to twenty-five minutes of walking away from the main hall, inside the Department of Modern Magecraft Theories.

It wasn't actually all that far as the crow flies. If they could have walked in a straight line towards the office, it would have taken five minutes at most. However, it seemed the Clocktower didn't do straight lines. They had gone through such a maze of halls, alleys, turns, twists, and staircases that it had taken them five times as long as it should have.

Apparently, most of the Clocktower had been built in such a confusing way for reasons long lost to time, and it was something you just learned to deal with.

The lord's office itself was rather nice. It wasn't big, but spacious enough to move around, hold meetings of up to ten people, and place plenty of good furniture in. Though, in this case, the size of the office was reduced quite a bit by all the piles of paper strewn about everywhere.

As Lord El-Melloi looked at the papers with nothing but despair in his eyes however, Shirou wisely decided to not ask about them, or even acknowledge their existence.

"Well then." Lord El-Melloi said as he sat down behind his desk, placing his elbows on the plateau and linking his fingers together. "Once more, let me welcome you to the Clocktower, mister Fujimaru. This place is the Magus Association's headquarters, the biggest research institute in the world, the homebase of the Enforcers, and a thousand other things, half of which are secret. As such, you can probably imagine there are numerous rules you have to keep yourself to."

"Of course, my Lord." Shirou nodded, applying all the concentration his permanently Reinforced brain was capable of to absorb the enormous list of rules that undoubtedly was coming.

"Just call me 'sir'." The Lord waved away his title. "Well then, I'll give you a written list later, but for now, the most important rules are to not go anywhere you have no permission to be, to stay out of the Lords' sight as much as possible, to never interfere with another's research unless they are violating laws or asking you to, and to keep any violence out of sight. Have I forgotten anything, Bazett?"

"There is really only just one rule here, kid, and that is that the strongest make the rules." The redheaded woman huffed, sitting in a chair with her legs spread wide, sharpening a knife. "The current bosses really like rules though, so they made a lot. Best if you follow them while they are around. If they aren't however, everything goes."

"Quite." Lord El-Melloi agreed, apparently cynical enough to acknowledge the rules were based on nothing but intimidation and threats. "I cannot stress this enough. The rules are only worth something when someone strong enough to enforce them is around. If there isn't anyone around who is both strong enough and has respect for the rules, you are going to have to fight for yourself, mister Fujimaru."

"I understand." Shirou nodded, the presence of Mjolnir a comforting influence now that it was confirmed that this place was essentially nothing more than a free-for-all fighting pit. "Is that everything though? I thought you said there were lots of rules?"

"Most of them only apply to a small part of the Clocktower." Lord El-Melloi looked to the side with a huff of laughter. "The Department of Mineralogy won't care in the slightest if you do something strange to an animal, while the Department of Zoology will only shrug their shoulders when you waste precious gems, and the Department of Lore won't care about either of those instances, should they occur. Just make sure you know the rules of a place you want to visit, and you should be fine."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, there's one more thing I need to tell you before I'll send you on your way. I have a meeting with Reines in a few minutes and I really don't want you around for that." The Lord took a cigar from his pocket and lit it, before taking a deep drag. "Are you perhaps aware of who the highest authority of the Clocktower is?"

"I heard that was the president, or the director, both words are used, or headmaster I suppose." Shirou answered hesitatingly, wondering where this was going. "I don't think I'll be meeting them though."

"You won't be meeting the director." Lord El-Melloi agreed. "The man has been in power for over a thousand years and has received no visitors for the last couple of hundred. Some even doubt he still lives, though no one is willing to take the chance, in case he is in fact still around."

That wasn't a bad strategy of the director. By practically disappearing, he could keep everyone under his thumb merely because they were frightened by not knowing where he was or what he was doing. He ensured total loyalty by doing nothing.

Provided he wasn't just dead of course.

"More important right now are the three main families of the Clocktower." Lord El-Melloi went on, holding up a hand and raising one finger. "The Trambellio-family, who are the leaders of the Democratic Faction," another finger went up. "The Valualeta-family, who are loyal followers of the Trambellio," the third finger went up." And lastly, the Barthomeloi-family, the leaders of the Aristocratic Faction and the most powerful and influential family of the entire Clocktower. It is the current head of the Barthomeloi-family, Lorelei Barthomeloi, who is the vice-director of the Clocktower, which means she is the representative of the director. Most people even refer to her as the Queen of the Clocktower."

Shirou nodded sharply, committing the names to memory. He might not have a lot of interest in politics, but it was always wise to know the names of the bosses.

"What's the difference between the Aristocratic Faction and the Democratic Faction?" He then asked.

"The Aristocratic Faction believes that the management of the Clocktower should be handed to the noble families who have proven to have excellent bloodlines; they are puritans, essentially." Lord El-Melloi explained, his lips pursing in distaste. "The Democratic Faction on the other hand believe bloodlines should be disregarded and only those with talent should be in charge. Then there is also the Neutral Faction, and they don't care one way or another."

"I see." Shirou nodded slowly. He didn't know any details, but the Democratic Faction certainly sounded more sympathetic.

"Please don't think that the families of the Democratic Faction are in any way kinder or more reasonable than those of the Aristocratic Faction." Lord El-Melloi warned him sharply, perhaps having guessed where Shirou's thoughts were headed. "They are as selfish as the Aristocratic Faction, and only give their spiel about talent being the deciding factor because that would allow them to increase their rank and standing in the Clocktower, not because they are in favour of equality or honesty."

Well, there went that idea. Shirou inclined his head to the Lord, grateful for the timely warning. He probably wasn't the first fool to have fallen for the idea that the Democratic Faction might be nicer because of their name and goal.

"Keep that in mind." Lord El-Melloi said gravely, before he turned towards a door at the back of his office. "You can take over from here, Grey."

Shirou's ears perked up at the name of Lord El-Melloi's other apprentice, and he turned towards the door as well, curious what they were like.

They turned out to be a young girl, about Shirou's age, wearing black boots, thigh-high black leggings, and a black jacket over a very short black-and-grey dress. Additionally, she had the hood of the jacket up, mostly obstructing her face in shadows, though Shirou could still see her perfectly well, as he could now see past shadows easily enough.

Her face… seemed familiar somehow, and for some reason, he could feel Avalon start pulsating softly when he looked at her. The sheath stopped however when Mjolnir gave her a prodding.

"Mister Fujimaru, this is my other apprentice, Grey." Lord El-Melloi introduced her. "Grey, this is my new apprentice, Shirou Fujimaru. I told you about him."

"Yes, sir." Grey nodded, speaking with a soft and demure voice, before turning towards Shirou and bowing deeply. "It is a pleasure to meet you, mister Fujimaru."

"The pleasure is all mine, miss Grey." Shirou rose from his chair and bowed in return, taking care to precisely match the depth of her bow and then go a bit deeper. She was his Senpai now after all. "As my senior, please take care of me."

"O-Oh, s-sure." Grey whispered, glancing at Lord El-Melloi for a moment, who nodded. "I-If you would please follow me. Sir has an appointment soon."

"Of course." Shirou bowed in goodbye to both Lord El-Melloi and Bazett. "Thank you both for bringing me here, and thank you again for accepting me as your apprentice, sir."

"It was my pleasure."

"Heh, no problem, kid."

Then Grey took his hand and softly but insistently pulled him out of the office, again stealing a glance at Lord El-Melloi, and standing up slightly straighter when the man nodded in approval again.

Once they were about a minute of walking away from Lord El-Melloi's office, Grey stopped for a moment to look around. Then, she pulled him over to a closed door and opened it, before stepping through.

Inside, there was a tiny room with a few couches and chairs, and a small coffee table standing in front of the hearth. It looked like a place someone could comfortably hole up in, and Shirou wondered just how it had come to be here in a place like the Clocktower.

"Sir and I furnished this room when I asked for a private place." Grey said, as if having read the question off his face. "In the beginning, when sir had just taken me on as his apprentice, I was… scared, often, but sir has been really kind, and I barely come here anymore lately."

Her face brightened when she spoke about Lord El-Melloi, and Shirou wondered for a moment how the Lord had managed to win so much loyalty from this girl.

"S-So," Grey began once they were both seated, pressing her fingertips together. "Sir asked me to introduce you to the Clocktower and tell you everything I know, w-which isn't a lot, I only came here myself recently, b-but I will do my best!"

"Well, no matter how little you know, it can't be less than what I know." Shirou laughed kindly. "A short while at the Clocktower is more than no time at all."

"R-Right!" Grey seemed to find some strength from his words, as her posture became slightly prouder. "Uhm, t-then, what did sir tell you so far?"

Shirou gave her a quick summary, telling her what he knew so far about the rules, the leadership, the three factions, and the names of a few departments.

"I see." Grey whispered, placing a finger on her lip. "Then sir already told you most of the really important things. T-There is more of course, but… I'm not sure where to start."

"Why don't we start with introductions then?" Shirou suggested, before rising from his chair to give a small bow, as was proper in Japan. "My name is Shirou Fujimaru. I am a Magus from Japan."

Shirou had spent many hours in front of the mirror, practising without end to ensure he would give the correct name when introducing himself. One slip-up in introducing himself as Shirou Emiya could spell the end of his entire mission, so he had to be as prudent as possible.

"…My name is Grey." The girl answered after a few seconds, her hand coming up as if to shake his, before she let it drop at her side again. "I'm sir's apprentice."

No more information was forthcoming, and when Shirou locked eyes with Grey, he could see that it wouldn't be forthcoming for a long while.

It seemed that miss Grey had her secrets, just like he did. Not that he could disagree with that practise, the Clocktower was a very harsh place, where wearing your heart on your sleeve would just get it stabbed.

She had secrets, and he knew that. He had secrets, and she knew that. There was no need to think further about it.

"Well met, miss Grey." He thus said, smiling brightly. When she didn't reply though, he continued. "With introductions out of the way, could you perhaps tell me about Lord El-Melloi?"

"Huh?" Grey's eyes, which had been flitting all over the room, suddenly locked on to his. "Why?"

"Because I would like to know about my own sponsor." Shirou explained. "But I know very little about him except that he is the Lord of the Archibald-family."

And that he'd been the Master of Rider during the Fourth Holy Grail War under the name of Waver Velvet, the apprentice of Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, but Shirou didn't think it wise to mention that he knew that.

"I can only tell you what sir would have told you in my place. I will reveal none of his secrets." Grey said immediately, with her characteristically soft voice that nevertheless brokered no argument. When Shirou nodded, she went on. "Well, uhm… I think… Uuuh, where to begin?"

"What about his name and family?"

"Ah, yes! S-Sir's name is Waver Velvet, a member of the Velvet-family." Grey gratefully accepted the straw he offered her. "He is a third generation Magus without talent, riches, or power. He works really hard though, and that makes him almost as good as the others."

That last bit was clearly her personal opinion on the matter, but Shirou's couldn't disagree. Hard work was indeed very valuable.

"I am sure Lord El-Melloi is very impressive despite his lack of talent."

Let it never be forgotten that Kiritsugu had been a worthless Magus as well, and that hadn't stopped him from becoming a man of international renown who could scare the pants off any Magus who spoke of him with derision.

"Yes, indeed!" Grey seemed happy that he understood, her voice rising slightly in excitement. "Sir thinks a good work ethic is the most important quality to have as a Magus, even more important than power or talent. O-Other people don't like it when he says that, b-but I think he has proven it to be true."

"He did make it to being a Lord of a powerful family. That's more than most can say about themselves." Shirou smiled, before frowning when Grey flinched slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"…Uhm, well." Grey seemed unsure what to tell him, nervously rubbing her hands together. "I-It's… W-Well…"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Shirou tried to assure her. "You already told me you won't reveal his secrets."

"It's not a secret." Now the hooded girl looked positively miserable. "Everyone knows, and people always laugh at sir about it."

"Once more, you don't have to tell me."

"N-No, sir would want you to know, and he doesn't like talking about it, so it's better if I tell you, b-but… Y-You won't l-laugh, r-right?"

"I promise I won't laugh."

For a few seconds more, Grey seemed to hesitate, peering at his face as if trying to determine his honesty, before she began talking, the words tumbling out.

"The Archibald forced sir to become their family-head. They abducted him and threatened him so he would take over their debt and would work to restore their Crest and recover their reputation. They say it is his fault the previous head died and the Crest was lost, and they blame their downfall on him too. Lady Reines said he would be their slave for the rest of his life."

"Oh." Shirou's mood darkened as he listened to the pained words, able to fill in any missing gaps himself with the information he already had. "Oh, now that, I hate."

Typical Magus-arrogance and hypocrisy. 'To be a Magus is to walk with death', but only when it came to killing others apparently. The moment a Magus themselves were in danger of dying, it was all 'unfair' and 'someone else's fault'.

Blaming Waver Velvet for Kayneth's death… How low could they get?

No matter how one looked at it, Waver Velvet had had the full right to fight against Kayneth El-Melloi during a Holy Grail War. In fact, he'd had the full right to kill him and take everything the man owned.

And that hadn't even happened. It had been Shirou's father who had put an end to Kayneth's life. All Lord El-Melloi had ever done was steal Kayneth's relic, which wasn't nearly the same as killing him.

According to Kiritsugu, Lord El-Melloi hadn't even contributed to Kayneth's death in any way. It had been purely his work.

No matter how one looked at it, the downfall of the Archibald could be placed only at the feet of Kayneth and Kiritsugu, no one else.

Kiritsugu for actually killing Kayneth of course, but Kayneth himself should have known there was a significant chance he would die in that bloody slaughter and should have left his Crest behind. And when he took it anyway, his family should have anticipated his death and the subsequent loss of their Crest and made preparations accordingly.

But no, there was no trace of dignity or resourcefulness to be found among them. The moment things didn't go as they wanted, they plucked a boy off the street, a boy who hadn't even killed Kayneth, and saddled him with all their problems because they couldn't handle it themselves.

"I take it Lord El-Melloi isn't happy about that." Shirou stated more than asked, but was surprised when Grey shook her head.

"Sir thinks it is his duty to his former master to lead and help his family." She whispered, sounding both confused and proud. "He says he won't leave or die until he manages to repay the debts of himself and the Archibald."

"A noble sentiment, if a little misplaced." Shirou huffed. If it had been him, he would have told them to go take a hike. To be a Magus was to walk with death, and if they were unable to deal with the death of their Lord and loss of their Crest, they shouldn't be a leading family in the first place.

He was aware it was uncharacteristically harsh of him to have such an opinion; it didn't seem like him at all, but being a Hero of Justice didn't entail helping a spoiled family get their power and influence back after they lost it fair and square.

Then something Grey had said earlier caught his attention.

"They want Lord El-Melloi to restore their Crest?" Shirou fully turned towards Grey, his expression one of disbelief. "But you said earlier that it was lost."

"Y-Yes, but they want sir to repair it, somehow."

Shirou blinked, before he sighed deeply as he rubbed his hand over his face in consternation. Kayneth El-Melloi had been struck with one of his father's Origin Bullets. That Crest was gone and never coming back. Lord El-Melloi stood no chance at all.

"So Lord El-Melloi has to restore the reputation of a fallen family and recover their destroyed Crest, all for free because they decided to blame him for what happened to them." Shirou summarised, before sighing. "That cannot be an easy life."

"Sir also borrowed a lot of money from mister Melvin, to buy Lord Kayneth's class and to pay off the Archibald's debt." Grey added, looking more forlorn with every word. "Sir told me he owes mister Melvin hundreds of millions of pounds."

Shirou choked on air when he heard that number. Hundreds of millions? Good gracious, Kiritsugu had several bank accounts in the United Kingdom, but even all together they only contained fifty million pounds or so, not hundreds of millions.

Of course, with the treasures in his Vault, even a billion pounds wasn't all that much for Shirou, but for a man from a three-generation family who apparently had no talent, money, or power? That debt had to be crippling.

"Is this Melvin threatening him about it?" The redhead asked sharply, wondering how much time Lord El-Melloi had to repay the man. "Do you know if he needs to pay anything back soon?"

If the need was dire, Shirou could perhaps pitch in by selling a few Mystic Codes. Those were worth a lot, or at least, so he'd heard.

"O-Oh, n-no, please don't worry." Grey tried to sooth him, looking at him with a strange hint of wonder in her eyes. "Melvin doesn't care when sir pays him back, he just enjoys seeing sir squirm whenever he reminds him of the debt. He also gets sir to do things for him in return."

"…So this Melvin is one of those types." Shirou muttered distastefully, relaxing in his seat again. "It would seem Lord El-Melloi is a puppet on the strings of an awful lot of people."

"D-Do you regret coming to study under him?" Grey's soft voice was filled with anxiousness, her hands clutching the armrests of her seat. "I-I assure you, his students are always left out of things, so you don't have to worry-"

"I don't." Shirou was quick to set her at ease. "I don't regret accepting his offer. I was merely surprised that a man like him is letting himself be pushed around so much, though, from what you have told me, it might be the only logical path Lord El-Melloi can see."

"Sir's sense of duty is too big." Grey nodded furiously, clasping her hands into fists below her chin. "I tried to talk to him about it, but he only says it is his duty to his king."

Ah yes, Iskandar, or in more modern language, Alexander the Great. King of Macedon, emperor of Greece and Persia, and King of Conquerors. Waver Velvet's Servant during the Fourth War.

Not that Shirou was supposed to know that of course.

"His king?" Shirou asked, injecting an amount of curiosity in his voice that he hoped was just enough to convey that he had no idea what she was walking about.

"Ah, um." Grey seemed flustered again, rubbing her head, before looking in the direction of Lord El-Melloi's office, and then back at him. "H-How much do you know about the Holy Grail War?"

Well, let's see. He was supposed to be a young Magus from a lineage no one had ever heard of before, without influence or power, so the correct answer would be-

"Almost nothing."

Far from being daunted at just how much she had to explain to him, which was what Shirou had half-expected, Grey just cleared her throat, gave no sign of being exasperated or bored, and began talking.

"It's all centred around the Heaven's Feel ritual…"

---

Waver was fully and completely aware that he was only where he was because of Melvin Weins.

If it hadn't been for Melvin, he would never have been able to make it to Fuyuki-City for the Fourth Holy Grail War, with or without the artifact he'd taken from Kayneth. Without Melvin, he couldn't have bought Kayneth's class in a thousand years. Without Melvin, creditors for the debt he'd taken over from the Archibald would have torn him apart years ago.

If it hadn't been for Melvin Weins loaning him the money necessary for all those things, Waver would have been a total nobody until his probably very untimely death. He knew this and acknowledged it and was willing to do a lot to repay the man.

But by the Root the man was annoying sometimes. Or most times really.

"I heard you got a new apprentice, Waver." The white-haired Tuner threw his arms wide, flopping down on a couch like a piece of rubber after entering Waver's office like he owned it. "Why didn't you tell me? We are friends, aren't we? Don't we share such information with each other?"

"I did tell you, Melvin." Waver pointed out tiredly, more than used to Melvin's antics by now. "I told you several months ago that I agreed to take on a student in exchange for those criminals I had been searching for."

"Oh? OOOOOH! Right!" Melvin seemed confused for a moment, before he brightened up. "Yes, yes, you told me indeed. Silly me, forgetting all about that. My brain isn't what it once was."

Melvin's brain had never been quite impressive, but Waver wisely kept his mouth shut about that.

"Still, you could have told me you were going to pick him up today from the airport. I could have come along!" Waver wasn't even surprised Melvin knew about that. "Oh, I so want to meet him, your new apprentice. Is he like that other one of yours, Grey? I would love to have another Grey around, she's nice to me."

"Mister Fujimaru is not like Grey, at all." Waver replied with a sigh, hoping Melvin wouldn't bother the boy too much. "Again, as I have told you before, he had no problem seeking a confrontation with the Sealing Designees and Bazett and won in both cases. Grey would have never done so on her own."

"So he's strong? Huh, wonder why I never heard of him then." Melvin's brow crinkled as he thought, his lips moving without sound for a moment. "Fujimaru, Fujimaru, Fujimaru… Nope, doesn't ring any bells."

"I'd never heard of him or his family before either." Waver admitted. "I suspect he is either a first-generation Magus or from a small, very new family that hasn't dared contact the Clocktower yet."

"Or he's lying about his name." Melvin pointed out with a lopsided smile, not all that bothered by the possibility.

"Or that." Waver nodded, not needing Melvin to point that out. It was his main theory after all.

"Well, so he's either a total newbie or a liar with ulterior motives. I'm looking forward to what will come of it."

"I'm sure you are."

"I mean it! Seeing newbies get slapped in the face with the cruelty, pettiness, and vitriol that is so widespread here never ceases to amuse me. Even more when they survive it all and become the same in response. I do so like people falling from their pedestal." Melvin's smile remained kind and pleasant as he spoke, and Waver had to suppress a shudder at the unsettling disparity between his jovial tone and the dark contents of his words. "On the other hand, if he is a liar with ulterior motives, then following you as your new criminal student goes around fucking things up sounds like time well-spent too. Oh, Waver, I was so right to lend you money. You always deliver the most amusing- Blerg!"

Melvin's rant was interrupted when blood sprouted out of his mouth as if he'd just been stabbed straight in the chest. He coughed violently, each heave sending more blood splattering around and paling his complexion further.

Far from being panicked about this, Waver just sighed and took a handkerchief to clean the blood that had landed on his desk. It was hardly an uncommon occurrence for Melvin to cough up blood. He had some sort of unknown disease in his lungs and heart, one that seemed to involve coughing up blood at regular intervals.

There was no use in getting angry about it. The greatest of healers had attempted to heal Melvin to no avail, so the white-haired man could not be blamed for his body's weakness.

"Sorry, got a little too excited there." Melvin apologised bashfully when he finished wiping the blood from the couch. "But to return to our previous subject, I'm really happy you brought me such an amazing source of amusement. If you continue like this, feel free to ask for more money. You can get everything you want. In fact, I'll give you a million pounds right now for this wonderful gift of bringing an apprentice from Japan. No need to pay me back!"

"Excuse me?" Waver stopped himself from appearing too surprised –it wouldn't do for a proper Lord to show much emotion– but he did raise an eyebrow.

"The discrimination the boy's going to face and his reaction to it will be worth every penny I dare say." Melvin offered by ways of explanation.

…Melvin had no idea how right he was.

Images of the broken bodies of racists flashed through his mind, and Waver resolved to keep Grey with Fujimaru at all times. Otherwise, Melvin might get more amusement than he could ever anticipate from the boy.

"You're staying silent for an awfully long time there, Waver." Melvin pointed out after a few seconds of silence. "Did I hit the nail on the head?"

"That is irrelevant." Waver immediately dismissed the topic. "Rather, tell me why you insisted on meeting me now. It can't have been just about my new apprentice, he only arrived today."

"Fine, fine." Melvin sighed when he saw Waver wasn't going to budge. "I am here because my mother told me something very interesting recently, and I thought you should hear it too, especially considering… the recent developments."

Now Waver was all ears. Melvin Weins was the son of Lillian Weins, who was one of the top info brokers of the entire Clocktower. She had bits and pieces of information stored away that were worth millions of pounds, which incidentally was also why that family was so obscenely rich.

That, and the fact that the Weins were a branch family of the Trambellio, one of the three leading families and the heads of the Democratic Faction.

Lilian Weins had been born into wealth and power, and she had made the most out of it.

Quite why a woman like that continued loving and supporting her no-good son was anyone's guess, but she did it to this very day.

"You just thought of something very unkind to me." Melvin complained with a whine. "I know I'm garbage, but you don't have to be so obvious about your opinion of me, Waver. I thought we were friends."

"I apologise. It was not my intention to insult you." Waver's apology was sincere, which put the grin right back on Melvin's face. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"The Edelfelt have joined the Democratic Faction at last." Melvin's grin became wider when Waver pursed his lips in response to the information. "They were on the democratic side for quite a long time already of course, but now it's official. The deal was sealed this afternoon, not long before you arrived. In fact, you might have met their delegation in the parking garage."

"I did." Waver nodded, his mind already furiously going over the information. The Edelfelt joining the democratic faction wasn't good news for him. Yes, it was true that everyone knew they were already as close to the Democratic Faction as a family could be without actually joining it, but it seemed they had passed the point of no return now.

Since the Archibald-family was quite firmly in the Aristocratic Faction, that put them squarely in opposition to the Edelfelt now, which could pose a serious problem. Not that the Edelfelt were particularly powerful, but they were powerful and influential enough to be able to disturb a very fragile balance that had been close to tearing apart already.

The centuries-old rivalry between the Aristocratic Faction and the Democratic Faction was about to reach critical levels, and it wouldn't surprise him if the Archibald-family-council would soon start pushing him to find neutral families to convert to the aristocratic side to balance things out again.

To them, his class was just a recruiting ground and his students nothing but potential recruits. Something that angered him greatly, yet he was entirely powerless against. He could only complain to Reines, and that wouldn't do any good.

His 'little sister' was a sadistic little girl who delighted in his misery.

Pretty much just like Melvin actually.

Thank the Root for people like Grey and Bazett, or he would have been surrounded solely by people wishing to see him in pain.

"You saw the Edelfelt?" Melvin's joyous exclamation pulled Waver back to the present. "Did you see how they were stranded there?"

"Stranded?"

"You missed it? Oh man, that's a pity. Yes, apparently, the Edelfelt delegation had come with their best and most expensive car, to show off and everything, in which they were planning to make a dramatic exit, but it failed. Their car didn't start at all. It had been completely fucked up, forcing them to go back into the Clocktower proper to call their family to ask for a replacement."

"Oh?" That got Waver's interest. The car had looked fine when he had passed it, though he admitted he had mostly been looking away from the Edelfelt to escape their mocking looks.

"I heard the engine was completely torn to pieces, largely melted too. They say it was definitely Magecraft, but no one has any idea how it was done without anyone noticing."

Waver licked his suddenly dry lips. If what Melvin said was true, then the engine had broken while he and his little group had been passing by.

He had done nothing, and he was pretty sure Bazett hadn't either, so that left only one possibility.

It seemed Fujimaru was already making trouble on his first day.

Waver very wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. If he pretended not to see or know anything, perhaps it would all leave him alone.

"I heard people were having great fun at their failed exit, the Archibald most of all." Melvin continued, a sly smile gracing his face. "They should be in an excellent mood now, so if there's anything you need to clear with your family, now's the time."

In other words, 'tell the Archibald about your new apprentice now that they are in the best mood they're likely going to be in for the foreseeable future'.

"That shouldn't be difficult. I'll tell Reines during my meeting with her."

"Ah yes, that meeting you're about to have." Melvin cocked his head to the side. "Do you want me to be here for that conversation, or can I go and meet your new apprentice?"

"…Go. They're probably in the lounge room."

Melvin didn't need to hear that twice. Within a second, he'd sprinted out of the office, the anticipation rolling off him.

Waver made a mental note to apologise to Fujimaru later for using him as a distraction for Melvin, but he really didn't want the man around during a meeting with his 'little sister'.

Reines El-Melloi Archisorte was the de-facto head of the Archibald-family. Waver might have been the official head, but it was Reines who called all the shots. She had been the one to force him to take the position of Lord El-Melloi, and she could remove him just as easily.

She was a sadistic little girl who enjoyed toying and messing with people, and Waver often had to bear the brunt of her moods and whims.

For some unknown reason, Reines insisted on calling him her big brother, and she had expressed her wish for him to call her his little sister multiple times. It was a strange sort of role-play that might have been intended to discomfort him, though he wasn't quite sure that was actually the case here.

He had the feeling there was more behind her brother-sister play than just bothering him for the fun of it, though he really didn't know what that was.

Ultimately, it had to be said that he had no clue what to think of her, even after years of knowing her.

He remembered the first time he'd met her, after her goons had kidnapped him from the street, brought him to some kind of abandoned warehouse, and hung him upside down from the ceiling. She'd been only a child back then, not even ten years of age, yet she'd already been a cold-blooded Magus with no compunctions about blackmailing or killing him in retribution for getting Kayneth killed.

Kayneth had taught her well.

She was a cold creature that would not hesitate to kill him should it become more advantageous to her than letting him live.

But, she was his boss, and that meant he had to live with her as well as he could.

Even if that meant having regular conversations with her.

---

"And that's how Sir became the Lord of the Archibald-family." Grey finished at last, having spent the past ten minutes talking about the Fourth Holy Grail War, though she didn't tell Shirou anything new. "Because Lord Kayneth was murdered, and the Archibald-family decided it was Sir's fault."

"Shouldn't it be Kiritsugu Emiya's fault?" Shirou wondered, taking extreme care to keep his tone detachedly interested. "Maybe I'm wrong, but shouldn't the one who did the actual killing be blamed for the death of Lord Kayneth?"

"They would, but they cannot find mister Emiya." Grey's voice became a whisper as she told him that, as if she were afraid of being overheard. "They're still really, really mad at him for killing Lord Kayneth though. Mister Rampusa keeps telling everyone that he wishes to kill mister Emiya himself, but miss Gladys says he's just grandstanding, and that mister Emiya would easily kill him."

"They have no idea where he is?"

"I don't think so, or they would have done something by now." Grey nodded, though she sounded a bit unsure. "From what Sir told me, no one has seen mister Emiya for years. Some people think he is dead."

"Hm, scary." Shirou commented dryly, to which Grey nodded rapidly.

"Yes! I'm really scared the Magus Killer will go after Sir again." She admitted, drawing her hood further over her head. "Sir says he has no reason to, but what if he just wants to kill Sir? Everyone always wants to kill Sir."

"Then I suppose we'll have to protect him, right?" Shirou supplied, though he knew the one they would be protecting Lord El-Melloi from was already dead. "I'll do my very best."

"Oh, me too!" Grey said enthusiastically, or at least, in a somewhat louder voice with the faint beginnings of a smile on her face. "We will protect Sir!"

"Damn right we will!"

Shirou started when a cold, nasal voice suddenly came from within Grey's jacket. He almost summoned Mjolnir out of reflex to vanquish the threat, before he realised Grey looked more annoyed than scared.

"Please be silent, Ad. I'm talking with mister Fujimaru." She said as she reached into her jacket and… pulled out a birdcage holding a grey cube with a face?

"That's precisely why I am speaking up." The cube refuted. "If it was up to you, you'd never introduce me to him, so I took matters into my own hands. Now, let me see this boy that little Waver was so nervous about-"

The cube shifted in its cage and looked at Shirou. At the same time, Shirou looked at the cube.

Both froze in place.

Shirou's eyes, normally so adept at finding the truth, began itching and pricking when he tried to study the cube. His brain started acting up, sending flashes of pain through his head while blaring nonsense.

Shirou's mind swore up and down that the cage contained a beautiful, gigantic lance that shone like a beacon at the edge of a black sea, but his eyes insisted it was just a grey cube, nothing more.

In the end, after several seconds of staring, Shirou still didn't know what that thing was, but he did know it wasn't just a cube.

It was a Noble Phantasm, an extremely powerful Noble Phantasm, one that he couldn't understand.

In turn, Ad was faced with someone whom he had never met before yet seemed more familiar with than anyone else.

The face, hair, and body were entirely foreign to the cube, but the aura that radiated from the boy, the pure, peaceful aura that spoke of a utopia, was intimately familiar, almost like family.

The cube and the boy could have stared at each other for the rest of the day, neither able to make sense of what they saw, but Grey loudly clearing her throat managed to pull their attention away from each other.

"Mister Fujimaru? Ad?" She asked in concern, clearly not understanding what had just happened between the two.

"My apologies." Shirou managed to get out, carefully looking away from the cube. "You have something quite unusual there; I couldn't understand what I was looking at."

"Indeed." The cube agreed, sounding far more serious than before. "You seem familiar, boy, but I can't put my finger on where I know you from."

"Hm."

Both boy and cube pondered for a few seconds longer, before Ad decided that he would think on the matter later. For now, he had to cheer up his king's descendant.

"If anyone tries to strike at little Waver, we'll kick their asses good." He announced bombastically, pretending not to notice how Fujimaru relaxed again at the change in topics. "Just have a little more faith in yourself, girl, and you will be fine. Now, tell the boy the important stuff."

"Heh? But I thought I was doing that? And Sir already told him a lot."

"That was not what I was talking about. All that stuff about laws and departments and Holy Grail Wars is interesting and all, but you gotta tell him where to get his food, where the books are at, who to speak with and who to avoid, where his classroom is. Lead him around, girl, show him where to go, or he'll be stumbling around like a fool."

"Oh, yes." Grey mumbled, her eyes widening in realisation. "That."

"I would appreciate a tour, if that is at all possible." Shirou agreed.

"I-It should be." Grey nodded rapidly. "T-Then, perhaps we should go now?"

"If you have the time."

"I believe I do-"

Grey never got to finish her sentence, as right in the middle of it, the door of their room was thrown open and a white-haired man walked in, a wide grin on his face.

Shirou had sensed the man coming, but since multiple people had already passed by the small room without stopping, he'd ignored him, figuring he was also just a passer-by.

Despite being taken by surprise by the entrance however, he reflexively placed himself between Grey and the potential new threat fast enough that even the swiftest of spells wouldn't have hit her.

This sickly-looking, extremely pale man was unlikely to be a threat, but better safe than sorry.

"Wow, easy there!" The newcomer held up his hands in surrender, immediately taking a step back when Shirou crouched in preparation of launching himself forward. "I did not come to fight. I merely came to say hello. Ask little Grey behind you, I am completely harmless."

"This is mister Melvin." Grey said from behind him, and Shirou turned his head enough that he could keep an eye on both her and the man. "He is indeed harmless, mostly."

Melvin. He remembered the name from Grey's earlier story. This was the man who had loaned Lord El-Melloi hundreds of millions of pounds, and who was annoying.

Shirou relaxed slightly at the confirmation that Grey knew the man and did not consider him a threat, though he kept his guard up nevertheless. While his instincts told him Grey could be trusted to a degree, this man had no such approval from them.

"Right, there's no need to be worried, or violent." Melvin grinned when he saw Shirou stand down, before walking up to him and holding out his hand for a shake. "My name is Melvin Weins. A pleasure to meet Waver's new student. He didn't tell me you were coming to the Clocktower today."

"Shirou Fujimaru." Shirou introduced himself in turn, accepting the handshake after verifying there were no weapons or Magecraft involved in the gesture. "I am most grateful that Lord El-Melloi saw enough in me to accept me as his apprentice."

He didn't comment on the matter of Lord El-Melloi keeping his coming to the Clocktower a secret. Commenting on such matters never went well.

"So stiff, so formal." Melvin grinned as he let himself fall backwards onto one of the couches like a doll that had been thrown down by its owner. "There's no need to be. Anyone who's friends with Waver is a friend of mine, especially if they promise to be as interesting as you."

"Interesting?"

"If Waver is willing to practically smuggle you into the Clocktower without informing even his leash-holder Reines, there has to be something fascinating about you, and I want to find out exactly what that is. I love uncovering secrets, you see."

"There is no secret. I merely prefer to keep a low profile."

"Oh? And why is that?" Melvin asked, leaning forward curiously, his eyes sparkling at the promise of an interesting story.

Shirou sighed internally. Great, a meddlesome pleasure-seeker. The most bothersome people in existence, according to his father. They purposefully made things more difficult just for the thrill, and never contributed anything of worth unless it served their own, very selfish goals.

The redhead immediately resolved to keep Melvin at arm's length as much as possible.

"No particular reason. I just like peace and quiet." That was an outright lie. Shirou very much did not like peace and quiet. Of course, a bit of it was always good, but he much preferred being with his girlfriends, or working at a busy café, or hanging around in the crowded hallways of his school, or even fighting criminals in the middle of the night.

But alas, it was the best explanation he had for Melvin, even if it was a direct lie.

"I see." Melvin didn't believe it for a second, judging from his amused look. "But now that you're here, you're going to introduce yourself to everyone, right?"

"I don't know about everyone, but miss Grey was going to show me around." Shirou replied, to which Grey nodded in agreement.

"Oh? Mind if I tag along?" Melvin seemed eager to join them, and although Shirou would rather not bring him along, there was no real reason why they shouldn't.

Melvin was supposed to be their ally, or at least, that was the gist Shirou got from what he'd heard of the man so far, and refusing to let an ally accompany them on a simple tour of the facilities was not proper.

"I don't think that should be a problem." Shirou shrugged, ultimately not caring much. The man would probably be annoying, but that should be the extent of it.

He did somewhat enjoy the flash of disappointment in the man's eyes when he realised Shirou wasn't going to protest or make any kind of problem of the matter.

Really, those troublesome types were so predictable. The best way to deal with them was to take them along to do something indescribably boring. Shinji had always been chased off by going to repair some old equipment, but since there was no equipment in this archaic institution, maybe Shirou could try manually dusting off every book in the library until Melvin fled?

"Let's not just stand around, come." The white-haired man seemed to have regained some of his lustre, probably having decided to make the best out of it. "I know some places a newcomer absolutely needs to have seen at least once- URGH!"

Shirou's hand shot out and grabbed the collar of Melvin's coat, and he pulled the man behind him and positioned himself between the door and the other two people present.

The next moment, two men barged into the small room, looking ready for a fight.

Shirou had sensed them coming, but again, since it was fairly normal for people to pass through the hallway, he hadn't acted yet. The moment when it became clear they were going to enter the room however, he had thrown Melvin behind him.

The sickly man didn't seem particularly strong or powerful, so it was best that Shirou took point.

"Shirou Fujimaru?" One of the intruders asked in a serious voice. "You will come with us."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Shirou smiled apologetically, his mind furiously going over the possibilities of why these men were after him. "Miss Grey and I haven't finished our conversation yet, and we were about to tour the Clocktower with mister Melvin."

"That is not your choice to make." The other man barked, his fists coming up as the scent of Magecraft started to fill the room. "Lady Reines wishes to see Lord El-Melloi's new apprentice at once."

"Uhm." Grey piped up from behind Shirou. "Mister Fujimaru, lady Reines also summoned me when I arrived at the Clocktower. I'm sure she doesn't mean you any harm."

"Lady Reines can wait her turn." Shirou refused to accept such behaviour. He was not a dog that could be summoned at her leisure. "I have other plans."

"It would be unwise to refuse her summons." The man on the right warned him, taking a step forward threateningly. "We'll take you to her by force if we have to."

"That is obvious from your behaviour." Shirou huffed, taking a good look at the two men. The scents he caught from them indicated they were combat-Magi, and quite skilled ones at that. Still, from what he could tell, they were good, but not nearly good enough to defeat him.

He wouldn't know for sure until they really started fighting, but Shirou got the feeling either man was about half as strong as Bazett, meaning they could equal her together.

That wouldn't be enough however. He'd gotten quite a bit more powerful since his fight with Bazett in the castle of the Magi, enough that he was quite confident he could defeat her handily if they fought again.

These two wouldn't be a problem at all.

"There is no need for this to end in violence." Shirou tried to deescalate the situation nevertheless. "You can tell lady Reines that I am open to planning a meeting at another time."

"M-Mister Fujimaru, it would be wiser to accept her invitation." Grey tried once more, though she was ignored again.

Shirou didn't miss how Melvin made no attempt at de-escalation, instead watching with glee as the situation unfolded. That man really was a troublesome one.

"You will answer the summons of lady Reines." The man on the left repeated like a broken record, before launching himself forward in an attack, a fist flying at Shirou's temple, probably aiming to knock him out.

Shirou easily parried the blow, slapping it aside hard enough for the man to lose his balance, before brutally headbutting him, slamming him into the floor headfirst.

He didn't get up again, but he was largely fine. Bruised, but nothing was broken.

The other man had half a second to feel surprised at his partner's immediate defeat before Shirou rushed over and gave him a chop to the neck, also sending him to dreamland.

Just like that, it was over, and Shirou had to adjust his initial impression of the men.

No way these two were anywhere close to Bazett. She would have defeated these guys as easily as he had.

Though to be fair, he'd taken them by surprise. They clearly hadn't expected him to fight back, or to be able to fight back in the first place.

They had underestimated him, and paid the price.

"M-Mister Fujimaru!" Grey cried, grabbing her head in her hands as she looked at the downed men. "W-Why did you do that?"

"To defend myself." Shirou replied shortly.

He was of course aware that fighting on his first day at the Clocktower was not an ideal way to keep a low profile, but if it was necessary to make it clear he wouldn't be pushed around, then it was worth it.

Judging from what the Archibald had done to Lord El-Melloi, he had to make sure he wouldn't give these people an inch, or they would try to take a mile.

Again, he wanted to become a Hero of Justice, which meant he had to be kind as much as he could, but that didn't in any way involve serving an arrogant Magus-family that had already proven that it gladly took advantage of honourable people.

When Shirou turned around fully to address his companions, he saw that Grey was still looking shocked, her eyes flitting between him and the men on the ground, while Melvin looked positively delighted, rubbing his hands in glee.

"Lady Reines is not going to like this." Grey whispered nervously, one of her hands reaching into her robes, into the pocket Shirou now knew to contain Ad, in a way that reminded the redhead of someone reaching for a weapon. "She is not going to like this at all."

"Meh, don't sweat it." Melvin shrugged his shoulders, the wide grin on his face never wavering. "She's not going to try anything; not when mister Fujimaru over here didn't even hurt those goons of hers all that much. No way she's going to bother Waver's student over basically nothing, she wouldn't dare."

"Oh?" That was news for Shirou.

"Waver can take a whole lot of suffering when he needs to, but he has his limits. Someone hurting his students definitely crosses those limits." Melvin explained, before he bared his teeth in an almost feral expression. "If Reines tries to retaliate against you for beating up her goons, I imagine Waver will finally rebel against her."

"There will be no need for Lord El-Melloi to get involved." Shirou shook his head, not about to let someone else take the fall for his actions. "I will deliver these two to lady Reines and work things out with her myself."

Grey seemed relieved at his words, undoubtedly happy Lord El-Melloi wouldn't get even more on his plate, and Melvin, after pondering for a moment, just shrugged in acceptance.

"If you need a hand carrying them, Grey will no doubt be more than willing." Melvin started out kindly, even taking a step forward as if to actually help, before he made a heel-turn and pointed at the white-haired girl next to him. "She is quite strong, you will find. I am pretty weak though."

"There is no need to help me." Shirou declined the offer, holding up a hand to stop Grey, who had actually started to come forward without complaint. "I can carry them myself."

Shirou picked up first the one, throwing him over his shoulder, and then the other, throwing him over his other shoulder. The men, being tall, fit, and muscled, were quite heavy, though to Shirou, they might as well be feathers for all that they encumbered him.

"Pweew, you are indeed quite strong." Melvin remarked as Shirou began walking out of the small room, following close behind with Grey, giving Shirou a sharp look. "You aren't even using any Magecraft, are you?"

"No need." Shirou replied shortly. "Do either of you have any idea where lady Reines is?"

"I think she's in Sir's office. She was supposed to have a meeting with him now." Grey supplied, looking at him with eyes full of wonder. A bit too much wonder, it almost made him feel uncomfortable.

"I can confirm this. Waver told me he'd have a meeting with her to discuss 'important business'." Melvin nodded, poking one of the men on Shirou's shoulders in the side. "Knowing her though, she's probably just telling him stuff he already knows, while irritating and annoying him as much as she can."

"Like you, you mean?" Grey mumbled, loud enough to easily be overheard.

"Not at all, miss Grey! Far from it!" Melvin declared strongly, his voice suddenly rising as he clenched his fists. "And to be honest, I do not appreciate that comparison at all."

Grey seemed taken aback at the sudden vehemence, and admittedly, Shirou was as well. Melvin had not made the impression of a man who felt strongly about being compared to others, but it seemed Grey had successfully raised his hackles.

"Reines is like a child, poking and prodding without shame, annoying people purely for the sake of enjoying their embarrassment and sometimes even their pain. She does not care what happens exactly, what the scenario is, as long as someone suffers in some way." Melvin started an entire rant, shaking his fist as he talked. "I am not like that at all! I am someone who takes enjoyment from interesting things. Yes, I suppose tragedy and pain are part of that, but I also like to see people rise, to see them happy and accomplished, to see justice prevail over evil. I like spectacle and grand tales, not petty bullying. Don't get me wrong, I am still a monster and an evil person, but even at my darkest moments I am not a pest like Reines."

His rant finished, Melvin unclenched his hands again and smiled brightly at Shirou and Grey.

"Don't tell her I said that."

Shirou snorted and Grey groaned at the last sentence. Nevertheless, it had been quite a speech, and Shirou's opinion of Melvin went up a notch, just like his level of caution against the man.

While he lacked physical and magical power of any kind, he had just shown he had conviction, ambition, and a purpose in life, and that was enough to make him a threat to be reckoned with.

Or a potentially useful ally, depending on the situation and most likely Melvin's mood.

When they arrived at Lord El-Melloi's office and looked through the windows, they found him in conversation with a small, blonde girl, who was prancing around his office while periodically looking at him. Her size suggested she was very young, but her face and body-type were those of someone well in their teens. If Shirou had to guess, he'd say she was a bit younger than he was.

It seemed she had just been born small, but perhaps that was a family-thing. According to Kiritsugu, Kayneth had not looked like the picture of health either.

"It seems they are still talking." Grey pointed out quietly, holding out a hand to stop Shirou from walking inside. "We should give them some time."

"Absolutely not." Melvin refuted immediately. "Reines lost any right to good manners and politeness when she sent her thugs after mister Fujimaru. I say we barge right in."

It was clear Melvin was just hoping for the maximum amount of chaos possible, but that didn't mean his suggestion didn't hold merit.

So Shirou took a step forward, but before he could reach for the door, Grey placed herself squarely in front of him, holding her arms out to the sides.

"Mister Fujimaru." She hissed, her subdued façade showing cracks as she glared at him. "Please do not disturb sir when he is having a meeting."

Shirou stopped, before he frowned when he realised he was in a bind.

Reines had it coming to have her meeting disturbed, and from what he'd heard from both Grey and Melvin, Lord El-Melloi would welcome the distraction, but the white-haired girl had been nothing but kind to him so far.

There was no way he was going to bully her by pushing her aside now.

"Tsk, it seems we're stuck here." Melvin seemed to have the same idea as he did, crossing his arms with a frown. "We're going to have to enter at some point, miss Grey. We can't have mister Fujimaru walk around with those two until tomorrow."

"Please wait until their meeting is finished." Grey repeated insistently, remaining in her position like a silent guardian, unmoving in the face of arguments or attempts at persuasion.

No matter what the two men tried, she wouldn't step aside, standing firm even against attempts from Melvin to push her aside, and eventually, they resigned themselves to standing around in a hallway for a while.

"You still good with those two?" Melvin asked Shirou, motioning to the unconscious men. "You could put them down, you know?"

"I know, but there's no need. They don't weigh all that much." Shirou replied truthfully, as he could probably last hours more if needed, if not days.

"It is good to see you are so strong." Melvin nodded with an envious smile. "It makes me jealous, honestly. I wish I had but a fraction of that power. It might have made my father more interested in me."

"You are sick, are you not?" Shirou looked at the man, having seen both the frail body and the strange, purple haze that hung around him, visible only to Shirou's eyes. "That you aren't strong is not your fault."

"That is kind of you to say." Melvin grinned, patting Shirou on the back. "And yes, I am indeed sick. I have been for my whole life, and I have been a waste of space and a lazy lay-about besides. It is no wonder father abandoned me, though I have to wonder why my mother didn't immediately follow his example."

"Didn't your father speak with you last week?" Grey broke her stoic, silent guard to ask a surprised question to Melvin, who nodded with a very wry smile.

"He came back as soon as it became clear I was a Magic Circuit-tuner, able to enhance the power of people's Magic Circuits and of their Crests." He told them happily, bluntly revealing his abilities. "That was so valuable my loving father immediately received me back into the family with open arms. Isn't family great?"

"You seem quite happy to be sharing this with us." Shirou replied bluntly, giving no words of comfort, knowing that a man like Melvin had no use for sympathy. "Are you sure you should give out all this information so freely?"

"It's nothing that isn't already common knowledge among most of the Clocktower." Melvin shrugged with a grin. "Much like poor Waver's debt and his… difficult situation. You see, I was hoping I'd get the two of you to tell me about yourselves in return. I know so very little about either of you after all"

"Well, if you must know, I was raised by my father, who taught me everything I know." Shirou began, seeing no harm in sharing that. "He died several years back though, and I have lived on my own since."

"Oh, you have my sympathy."

"That's terrible, mister Fujimaru."

"Not at all." Shirou replied, more for Grey's sake than Melvin's. "We knew his death was coming for some time beforehand, so we said everything we needed to say and parted without regrets. He too was ill."

"What did he suffer from?" Melvin asked, a note of seriousness entering his voice. "Were his symptoms like mine?"

"He suffered from a wasting disease that ate away his flesh." Shirou answered with a half-truth, before giving Melvin's body another close look. "You do not have this disease. You wouldn't look so good if you did."

"…Look so good?" Melvin slowly scratched his head, now looking almost nervous. "It… It almost pains me to hear that."

"I am sorry."

"Well, at least it puts things into perspective again." Melvin sighed deeply, a wistful smile on his face. "I might be sick, weak, and largely talentless, but at least my flesh isn't being eaten away. At least my mother always loved me, as much as that woman can love anyone. And of course, at least I'm not being held down by my supposed little sister who enjoys tormenting me a little too much."

The last sentence was clearly referring to Lord El-Melloi, whom Melvin gave a sorrowful look. A bit too sorrowful to be genuine.

"You know, I actually feel pretty bad about complaining now." Melvin went on, rubbing his chest with a hand as he kept looking at Lord El-Melloi through the window. "Poor Waver is giving it his best while Reines and the elders sabotage everything he does. They mock him, curse him, use him whenever they please, and will discard him when they are done with him."

Grey twitched once.

"Why, just the other day, I overheard them threatening Waver, saying they would start putting more pressure on him if he didn't deliver adequate results soon. Of course, they mean torturing him."

Grey twitched again.

"Though it seems that recently, this has changed." Melvin leaned closer to Shirou and Grey, who subconsciously leaned towards him as well. "I heard, though this is just a rumour, that Reines plans to marry Waver once she becomes of age."

Now there was a visible glint of panic in Grey's eyes.

"She cannot stand to lose such a useful tool, so she's gonna take some measures. Of course, once they are married, there will be children, and we all know what happens to children of ruling families. Heavens, can you imagine how pained Waver would be once the Archibald take away his own children to indoctrinate them? He'll be heartbroken, truly."

That seemed to be the last straw for Grey. Without another word, she turned around resolutely, her eyes spitting fire, and marched towards the door, her determination of not disturbing Lord El-Melloi forgotten in her rage.

When she placed her hands on the door handle however, she froze again, realising just in time that she was supposed to guard the door, not open it herself.

This realisation came too late however, and with an impish laugh, Melvin came up from behind her and pushed the handle down, opening the door.

"Now's your chance, mister Fujimaru." He shouted over his shoulder, placing his hands over Grey's shoulders to keep her from stopping him.

Giving Grey an apologetic look, Shirou walked straight in.

---

A few minutes earlier

"Waver!" The blonde imp called out happily when she entered his office barely a minute after Melvin had left it. "My dearest big brother, how are you today?"

"I am well, Reines." Waver answered, before sighing when she gave him an imploring look. "I mean, my dear little sister. How about yourself?"

"Pretty good, pretty good." She grinned, clearly in an excellent mood. "Hehe, I'm doing pretty great actually."

"Really? Did something good happen?" Waver asked her, though he had an inkling already. "Is this about what happened to the Edelfelts?"

"Oh, you heard about that?" Reines spun in place as she practically danced into his office. "Did Melvin tell you? No, never mind, it doesn't matter who told you. Yes, I am so happy because the Edelfelt got humiliated."

"A little too happy if you ask me." Waver remarked. Sure, he understood she was glad that a rival family had suffered an embarrassing accident, but that was hardly a cause to start dancing through his office.

"Certainly not, my level of happiness is entirely appropriate." Reines refuted immediately. "Don't you see, my dear, dumb, big brother? This was an incredible windfall."

He must have still seemed utterly confused, because she let out an exasperated sigh and began explaining.

"The Edelfelt joined the Democratic Faction, you heard about that as well, right?"

"It has reached my ears."

"Well, the Democratic Faction meant that to be a huge development, and a massive shock to us, the aristocrats. The Democratic Faction and the Edelfelt kept it a secret right up until the last moment for maximum effect. They succeeded too. The different groups in the Aristocratic Faction immediately organised panicked meetings to discuss the development, while they, the Democratic Faction and the Edelfelt, laughed. They played their role to perfection."

"Yes?"

"But then they messed up at the last moment!" Reines shouted triumphantly, followed by another gale of laughter. "All that bombastic behaviour, all that pompousness, all that effort to put on an air of invincibility, and then their car just fails, and they have to go crawling back to arrange alternative transportation. The whole matter of them joining the democrats has amounted to absolutely nothing!"

Right, Waver understood now.

He had almost forgotten just how much importance the Clocktower placed on appearances and facades, but now that Reines reminded him of it, it did make sense that a car that failed to start could ruin months of preparation and effort.

It would have been funny if it wasn't so sad and upsetting that the foremost research-institute of the Moonlit World functioned like a particularly toxic model agency.

"It will be quite a while before the Edelfelt will be allowed to forget about this." Reines' smile was positively malicious. "And the Democratic Faction has lost face along with them. They shouldn't be much of a problem for a while now."

"I see. Is that what you wanted to meet me about?" Waver asked, hoping against hope that Reines was done now and would leave him be.

"Partially. I also want to hear about that new student that you picked up from the Far-East. You know, the one you didn't tell us about." Reines narrowed her eyes slightly, though the grin remained on her face. "What's the deal with him?"

"I believe I informed you months ago that I had offered a sponsorship to a Japanese Magus in exchange for the Sealing Designees he had captured." Waver pointed out, just like he had with Melvin.

"You didn't tell us he would arrive today though."

"I didn't think it worth mentioning."

"Your new student arriving at the Clocktower is definitely worth mentioning."

"Is that so? I'll remember it for next time."

Reines' grin now had an awful lot of teeth bared as she glared at Waver, who remained entirely cool under it.

Eventually, the blonde girl was the first to break the silence again.

"Well, alright then." She huffed as she let up on her glare, looking away for a moment. "Since I'm in such an excellent mood, I'll let it slide."

"Much appreciated."

"I'll be meeting him later though. I want to know what kind of person you have taken into the family."

He had hardly taken anyone into the family, but alas. "I'm sure he'll be willing to meet with you."

"Heh, he will."

Waver raised an eyebrow at the strange reply, but Reines continued before he could question her about it.

"What's he like though, your new student? Is he like Grey? I like Grey, she's cute. Although, you said he'd captured several Sealing Designees, and that's not like my sweet Grey at all."

"He is not like Grey." Waver repeated what he'd said to Melvin. "You can see for yourself when you meet him."

"Hm, I suppose I will."

There was that odd undertone again, that smugness that spoke of her knowing something he didn't, but again, she continued before he could ask about it.

"The elders of the family will be having a meeting tonight. I will attend, but you have not been invited. I'll let you know if we have discussed anything concerning you."

"Of course." Waver didn't bat an eye at the news. It was hardly unusual for him to be excluded from such meetings. Aside from the fact most of the Archibald still considered him an intruder and thus untrustworthy, they also took every opportunity possible to slight and insult him. Keeping him in the dark was just one of the ways they tried to bully him.

Well, they could go right ahead. Waver had better things to do than be sneered at for the better part of three hours, which is what usually happened during meetings he was allowed to attend.

"Hm." It seemed his apathetic reaction to not being allowed to attend the meeting vexed Reines, something Waver enjoyed perhaps a little too much. "Well, I suppose that was everything I wanted to tell you."

"Very well. Good evening then, Reines."

"Yeah, good evening."

Waver then turned back to the paperwork that had been accumulating on his desk, but when he hadn't heard the door of the office open after almost a minute of silence, he looked up again to find Reines still standing before his desk.

The annoyed remark he wanted to give her died on his lips when he noticed her mood. She looked uncharacteristically hesitant, her expression one of doubt and even slight nervousness.

It wasn't obvious of course. A person unfamiliar with her would have never seen the signs on her poker face, but to Waver, who for good and for bad had been interacting with her for years now, it was as obvious as if she was biting her lip and fidgeting in place.

"What is it, Reines?" He prompted her, startling her out of her contemplations.

"Oh, yes, well, there was still something I wanted to discuss about the Edelfelt." She said quickly, actually looking behind her to make sure the door was still closed, which made Waver sit up straighter in his chair. "They… They failed pretty badly today, and I think it can be said that they have become laughingstocks in the Clocktower, right?"

"They are, at least for now." Waver nodded. "The Edelfelt are influential and powerful enough however to recover swiftly from this."

"Yes, I thought so as well." Reines nodded distractedly, and Waver started to get the idea this wasn't actually about the Edelfelt. "You are a laughingstock at the Clocktower too, aren't you?"

"I am, as you very well know." Waver nodded, wondering where this was going. It could of course be a new way to remind him of his poor reputation and status, but it might not be.

"But, you have been one for years." Reines continued with a strange intensity in her eyes. "You have been a laughingstock since you came to the Clocktower."

"I do not have the necessary influence or power to improve my situation." Waver reminded her. "You lot, the Archibald, do not wish to help me, and even if you wanted, you couldn't. You don't have the power or the influence either anymore."

Reines didn't react to the dig against her family, which was unusual enough that Waver now really started to pay attention.

"How do you deal with that?" She asked him, and Waver finally felt as if they had arrived at the core reason she had called this meeting for. "How do you handle being a laughingstock? How have you always managed to stay so calm even when you're mocked relentlessly?"

That was a surprising question, and not one he'd ever been asked before.

"At first, I didn't 'handle it'." Waver began slowly, unused to Reines giving him her undivided attention like she did now. "I was angry, bitter, and insulted. I was determined to prove everyone wrong and did some pretty stupid things. Things that included stealing an artifact from my teacher after he publicly tore my thesis paper into pieces in order to head into a conflict that I wasn't remotely ready for, all to prove some kind of point."

He spoke of course of his foolish decision to head into the Fourth Grail War with Kayneth's artifact.

"When I came back however, I came to see that I was wrong before. I had been trying to change people's minds through my efforts when it was clear they were never going to change their minds no matter what I did. At that moment, I decided I would no longer be like that. Instead of worrying about being a laughingstock, I just did what I needed to do. Instead of worrying about people who will never approve of me anyway, I just did my duty. That was all I could do and is still all I can do now."

"So, your solution is to ignore them?" Reines asked incredulously.

"My solution was to firmly keep in mind what is important and what not. I decided to live my own life, to laugh and cry and celebrate as I want." Waver corrected her too-simple summary. "I had spent my life kneeling to the mockery and laughter coming my way, and though I still cannot quite stand up like my king could in his day, I have found that remaining safely on my knees has at least become a little harder now."

"So, ignore them?" Reines repeated, though her half-smile indicated she was just messing with him now. She then flipped her hair and looked away. "Well, I suppose as far as big-brother speeches go, that one was okay."

"How kind of you." Waver smiled thinly, though on the inside, he was a tiny bit relieved she was acting normally again. "Why the sudden interest though?"

"Well, there is a chance I might become a laughingstock myself soon."

That took him aback. Reines thought she might become an object of ridicule soon?

"Now what could you possibly base that on?" He decided to ask her, his curiosity piqued by her statements.

"The fact that I am failing at one of my core-responsibilities as heir of the Archibald-family and the fact that, as you just said yourself, the Archibald aren't powerful or influential enough to stop me from becoming an object of mockery as a result of my failings."

Reines' sudden openness was extremely unusual, and Waver started to get the feeling he was losing control of the conversation entirely.

"What brought this on all of a sudden?" He asked, more to win time than anything else. "Has anyone treated you with mockery recently?"

"Not in person. So far, it's just been whispers. Whispers and rumours, spread by forked tongues." Reines hissed, looking as upset as he'd ever seen her be. "They say that I am useless. That we, the Archibald, have been entirely useless since the Fourth Grail War ended, and that the only reason we still matter is because of you and your work. They say it's like Kiritsugu Emiya killed the entire family in one blow."

"I cannot disagree." Waver answered frankly, quickly continuing when Reines' eyes flashed dangerously. "Have there been any serious attempts from the Archibald-family at regaining power and influence since the loss of your Crest that wasn't pathetically sucking up to families you previously were allies with? More than that, when was the last time one of the Archibald did something noteworthy?"

Reines opened her mouth angrily, no doubt intending to slap an answer in his face, before she closed it again, an almost lost expression appearing on her face.

"Not since Kayneth died." Waver answered for her, and she hung her head in response. "So I do not know what I can do about the whispers when they only speak the truth. If it is support that you want while people laugh, that I can try to give you. I do not control the moods of others however."

"Then help me with my projects." Reines made the suggestion as if it was the thing she'd been working towards for the entire meeting. "I am close to a break-through with my lightning spell. I only need a bit of help. If I can just do that, if I can prove that I can do research, I won't be considered useless anymore."

So she wanted his help with her research.

Waver sighed. In truth, he did feel for her. She was an exceptionally talented Magus when it came to using the family spells and Crafts that someone had already developed, but she was rather lousy at creating new things herself.

For the heir and de-facto head of the Archibald-family, being bad at developing new things was not a good trait. Doing research and discovering new facets of Magecraft was the whole purpose of a Magus, and every head of a family of renown should at least have one discovery to their name.

Before the Archibald had lost their Crest, Reines being unable to do so would have been cause for malicious whispers in the shadows, perhaps even an immediate disinheritance. Now that they had lost almost everything, people would be a lot more open about their laughter.

…That explained why she'd asked how he dealt with being a laughingstock.

Waver sighed deeply in consternation again. Reines was an extremely annoying girl. She had forced him into the role of Lord El-Melloi, she had threatened to kill him merely because he'd had the guts to fight against Kayneth in a war, she took perverse delight in tormenting him, and much more.

By all accounts, he should refuse and throw her out, as the other elders of the Archibald probably had done when she came to them for help.

He would have done so too, if it wasn't for those annoying morals and the rigid sense of duty that his king had installed in him. He was the head of the family, and that meant he had responsibilities. He had to help Reines.

It was too bad though that he had no talent at all for any sort of Magecraft, and though he could teach the theoretical aspects of Modern Magecraft Theory perfectly well, what Reines needed here was practical help.

He couldn't be of assistance in that, but as luck would have it, he might have someone on hand who could.

Waver never had the chance to give the despondent-looking Reines the piece of good news however.

Before he could even open his mouth, the door to his office was thrown open and Fujimaru walked through, carrying two bodies on his shoulders. Following after him were a concerned looking Grey and a thoroughly amused looking Melvin.

"Lord El-Melloi, my lady." Fujimaru addressed both present, before throwing the men on the ground. "These two ambushed miss Grey and me in our room. They said they had been sent by lady Reines."

"…"

Waver sighed deeply yet again, before glaring at Reines, who went from staring at the men with wide eyes to looking at him with a guilty expression.

"…I can explain." She tried lamely.

---

"I really can't say I'm surprised." Sir sighed, shaking his head in resignation. "No, rather, I should have expected this. Why did I even think it wouldn't go like this?"

"Ehm, big bro? W-Waver? I really didn't mean anything with it."

"I should have anticipated that you would send your goons to harass my new student the moment you heard of his existence. That I didn't anticipate this is on me alone."

"H-Hey now! I-I wasn't going to hurt mister…?"

"Fujimaru."

"Fujimaru here. All my men were supposed to do was escort him to me for a chat. I wasn't going to harm him in any way, I swear."

As Grey beheld the spectacle that was unfolding in front of her, she really didn't know what to feel.

While it was cathartic to finally see Sir lose his patience with lady Reines, which incidentally also proved Melvin's words right when he claimed Reines didn't want to push Sir too far, as the lady kept apologising over and over, it was also making Grey distinctly uncomfortable, as if she was looking at a family-spat that she didn't have a part in and shouldn't be present for.

Next to her, Melvin looked as if he was having a great time –he probably really was having a great time– while mister Fujimaru looked as uncomfortable as she felt.

At least she wasn't alone in that, though it was a pity that the only one sympathising with her was also the one who had caused the current mess.

When Sir had received the letter from mister Fujimaru, he had already warned her that the redhead would probably be trouble. That was why he had requested her to keep an eye on him.

Grey hadn't expected however, and she was sure Sir hadn't either, that Fujimaru would already be caused problems within his first hour at the Clocktower.

Really, what had he been thinking when he attacked lady Reines' men? Was he purposefully trying to be a bother to Sir?

If so, then Grey would never forgive him for that. She owed Sir everything, and she wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him if there was anything she could do about it.

On the other hand, she could understand why Fujimaru hadn't reacted well to two strange, abrasive men telling him to come along to meet their mistress without giving him any choice or warning beforehand.

Lady Reines had never done something like that with her, but if she had, Grey might have reacted violently too, or at least ran away as fast as she could.

Ultimately, she didn't quite know what to think of mister Fujimaru. She'd have to get to know him better before making any judgement.

But that was something for later. It seemed that the discussion between Sir and lady Reines had come to an end at last. Sir had begrudgingly accepted his little sister's apology and they now turned towards Fujimaru.

"Well then, since your curiosity about my student was the root cause of this whole incident, allow me to introduce you." Sir said, looking at lady Reines with disapproval. "Reines, this is Shirou Fujimaru, my new student from Japan. Fujimaru, this is Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, my honorary little sister and the de-facto head of the Archibald. I might be the official head, but in the family, she largely calls the shots."

"A pleasure to meet you, mister Fujimaru." Reines gave a perfect-heiress smile.

"The pleasure is all mine, lady Reines." Fujimaru answered politely, bowing deeply. "I am most grateful to Lord El-Melloi for accepting me as his student. It was very generous of him."

"Yes, he is quite generous, isn't he?" Reines agreed, her smile immaculate. "I must ask you something though. Why did you decide to accept his deal?"

"I do not understand your question, lady Reines." Fujimaru appeared confused, and Grey closed her eyes in resignation, suspecting Sir was about to be degraded again. "Why would I not accept it?"

"I looked up the names of the Sealing Designees you captured and traded with Waver for his sponsorship." Reines elaborated, cocking her head to the side. "Richard Burgon and Oliver Waudenstad aren't exactly small names, and Vincent Balefor could have gotten you the favour of the Queen of the Clocktower herself. Why then did you agree to give them away in exchange for a sponsorship from a talentless Lord from a fallen family?"

Grey opened her eyes again with some surprise. Rather than just degrading Sir, lady Reines had actually asked a valid question she'd been asking herself as well.

"I didn't choose the Archibald-family for any specific reason, if that's what you're wondering." Fujimaru replied with a slight shrug. "Lord El-Melloi was just the first to offer me a deal, and he seemed trustworthy enough, so I accepted."

"Suggesting you have a purpose here that is unconnected to the person or family you are sponsored by." Reines hummed, placing a finger on her lip. "Now what could that purpose be?"

"Yes, I wonder." Fujimaru smiled innocently.

"Perhaps your own family is so destitute that you are happy with any sponsorship you are offered." Lady Reines speculated idly, before she shook her head. "No no, we already established the Sealing Designees could have gotten you very far on their own. The status of your own family is inconsequential in that. Perhaps then you simply don't wish to attract too much attention?"

"Why would mister Fujimaru want to avoid attention?" Grey found herself asking.

"There are many possible reasons." Lady Reines answered, giving Grey a fond look, though her eyes held a glint that unnerved the white-haired girl for some reason. "He might not want anyone to look into his family, to protect them perhaps, or to hide that they got up to unscrupulous business in the past. Perhaps he has an incredible talent that he fears will get him Sealed himself. Perhaps he is just up to no good."

"Perhaps." Fujimaru commented, his innocent smile not wavering for a second.

"On the matter of your family, I have never heard of the Fujimaru before." Surprisingly, it wasn't lady Reines who spoke up next, but Melvin. "I assume they have never had contact with the Clocktower before?"

"You assume correctly." Fujimaru nodded, his innocent smile falling away to make place for a more neutral expression. "My family never had any reason to reach out to the Clocktower."

"Until now apparently." Sir contributed, completing the change from a dialogue between lady Reines and Fujimaru to a group-discussion. "We won't ask why that has changed."

"Much appreciated, but I wouldn't have answered even if you did."

"Will you then at least tell us how large your Crest is?" Lady Reines asked, making a show of looking all over his body.

"I don't have a Crest."

"Your family hasn't given it to you yet?"

"My family doesn't have a Crest at all."

That came as a shock to the room at large. A Magus-family without a Crest was extraordinarily rare. Even the Velvet-family had a Crest. Only a square construct without any Circuits or any history behind it, but a Crest still.

"They haven't?" Lady Reines cocked her head to the side. "How odd."

"We just don't have one." Fujimaru repeated, before he held up a hand when more questions seemed forthcoming. "Look, with all due respect, it is getting late, and I still need to get a tour of the facilities from Grey. Can we save the rest of the interrogation for later?"

"Ah, of course." Sir nodded. "My apologies. It slipped my mind entirely."

"Before you go though, there is something you need to take responsibility for, mister Fujimaru." Lady Reines pointed down at her men, who were still unconscious. "I am aware they were the aggressors, but I would appreciate it if you could get them to the Healing Wing at least."

Fujimaru was silent for a few seconds, before he made eye-contact with Sir, who shrugged for some reason. Then, the redhead turned back to the unconscious men.

"There's no need to take them to the Healing Wing." He stated, before kneeling down beside them and placing his hands on their foreheads.

Lady Reines stumbled backwards and Grey took half a step forward when golden light suddenly emerged from his hands, but before either could do anything else, Fujimaru was already standing again.

"That should do it." He nodded, and then Grey saw the two men getting up as well.

He must have cast a healing spell, though he must have whispered the Aria very quietly, because Grey could have sworn she hadn't heard anything from him.

"You are skilled in the healing arts?" Melvin asked with clear surprise. "Goodness gracious, you've found yourself a fine one, Waver."

"Interesting, but as you said, that's something for another time." Lady Reines dismissed Fujimaru with a wave of her hand, before turning to Sir again. "Waver, to return to our previous subject-"

"I cannot help you myself." Sir answered, and though Grey didn't know what he referred to, it was clearly important to lady Reines, if her despondent expression was anything to go by. "Fujimaru."

"Sir?" Fujimaru seemed surprised to suddenly be addressed.

"Demonstrate a lightning spell, if you would."

Fujimaru didn't seem to understand the purpose of the question, not that Grey understood any better, but he did as he was asked. He raised a hand and ignited a storm of sparks on his palm.

"Urk!" Lady Reines stumbled back again.

"Oh my." Melvin's smile became twice as wide.

"Eh?" Even lady Reines' thugs blinked in surprise.

The reactions weren't unwarranted. Not because of the power of the spell, though it was powerful indeed –Grey almost felt her hair rising just from being in the proximity of the electrical power– but because Fujimaru had completed the spell without an Aria and without any catalysts or circles.

It wasn't unprecedented to be able to cast a spell without any of those, but it nevertheless indicated an immense amount of control and power that most Magi couldn't hope to reach in their lifetimes.

For Fujimaru to already possess such control and power before even coming to the Clocktower…

"I see." Having recovered from the surprise, lady Reines narrowed her eyes. "You want him to assist me."

"Assist you in what, lady Reines?" Fujimaru asked as he closed his fist and extinguished the lightning.

"Completing my newly-developed lightning spell of course." Lady Reines nodded as if a decision had already been made. "Very well, I'll take you on as my tutor. I don't have any time this week, but I'll let you know when I expect you in my office. Have a pleasant day."

And before Fujimaru could offer any protest, she was out of the door, hastily followed by her thugs.

"I better leave too." Melvin grinned, before he ran out of the door as well.

"Why the sudden hurry?" Fujimaru huffed, though he clearly didn't expect an answer.

"Because they are going to inform the Archibald-family and lady Lillian Weins respectively about your talents." Sir provided the answer anyway. "I'm sorry for making you show them what you are capable of, mister Fujimaru, but I assumed it would get out quickly anyway."

"You assume correctly. I never intended to keep it quiet to begin with."

And with that final exchange, Lord El-Melloi handed Shirou the key to the room he would be staying in during his apprenticeship, and then dismissed both him and Grey from his office.

---

"So… Now that we have all that out of the way and lady Archibald and Melvin have left," Shirou politely ignored Grey's pained grimace at the mention of the two troublemakers. "How about we go back to talking about what is expected of me?"

They had returned to the remote room down the hall, leaving Lord El-Melloi to nurse his headache –the poor man clearly had it rough– and tried to pick up where they had left off before Melvin had barged in.

"Please…" Grey started with a sigh and a pleading expression. "Please pretend all of that never happened. Things aren't usually like this around here, it's much more serious normally. Most Magi aren't like Melvin or lady Reines."

Shirou would hope so. His father and more recently Rin had told him many stories about the shark pool that was the Clocktower, about the cut-throat atmosphere, the regular back-stabbing, the unending power games, and the absolute cruelty and unethicalness of the Magi attending it, and though he wouldn't necessarily be disappointed to learn it was more of a circus filled with clowns of all kinds rather than the foul place it had been described as well, it would be sort of a let-down.

In a very abstract kind of way.

"I'm sure they aren't." He said diplomatically after a few seconds of silence.

"They really aren't." Grey stressed, her voice raised to slightly above normal conversation level, which for the normally soft-spoken girl could almost be considered yelling.

"I understand." Shirou repeated, more emphatically this time. "I have heard of the horrible things that tend to happen here, from many different people, and I don't believe those kinds of stories could be so wide-spread if they didn't have some basis in the truth."

"They do." Grey's voice had softened again, but it was no less serious than before. "Mister Melvin and lady Archibald are outliers, and you caught them in a very good mood in an unofficial situation. Other people in the Clocktower won't be so… so…"

"Frivolous?" Shirou offered.

"…Yes." It was clearly not the word Grey had been looking for, but she accepted it and moved on from the subject. "If you plan on staying at the Clocktower, you must make sure never to offend anyone. Sir told me that it is best if you never talk to anyone you don't absolutely need to talk to, and that you only stay in your own rooms and department."

"I suppose Magi do like their privacy." Shirou nodded, well aware how viciously they protected their Workshops.

"They do, and here at the Clocktower, they have full permission to do anything they like to people violating their borders. If you go somewhere you don't belong, they can kill you, experiment on you, enslave you, or at best, have you thrown out of the Magus Association on a whim." The white-haired girl seemed intent on making the dangers clear to him, her hands balled into fists, before she shot a quick look in the direction of Lord El-Melloi's room. "You have some protection from being Sir's apprentice, though you have to be very careful until sir can spread the word that you are, but even when everyone knows, you mustn't talk to anyone."

"Because he has many enemies?" Shirou guessed.

"Yes, but also because your actions will carry weight. As Sir's apprentice, you speak for him to a certain extent. Even just eating a meal or drinking coffee in the cantina with the wrong person can cause problems, as you are signalling a possible alliance between you and whoever you interacted with."

"I suppose that is the political aspect of this place." Shirou had heard many things about the relentless games and plots that were hatched every minute at the centre of the Magus Association, and none of it was good. "So basically, I cannot talk to anyone?"

"You can talk to Sir and everyone allied with him, I'm sure he will give you a list later. You can't talk to anyone else."

"And if people not on that list want to talk to me and take the initiative themselves?"

"Stay polite but direct. Ask what they want immediately. Do not sit down with them or accept any sort of gifts, even food or drink. Refuse any favours and never make any promises. If they truly have a problem that you can and wish to help with, bring the matter to Sir and see if you can arrange something in an official manner." Grey recited from memory, a lecturing finger raised into the air. "Also be wary of violence at all times, especially if you are somewhere with no other witnesses. People can easily ambush you if you aren't careful."

Shirou took her words to heart. Though his sensing abilities were very strong and he was confident he could defeat most Magi in the Clocktower in battle, overconfidence had been the downfall of many great warriors.

"I understand." He nodded to Grey. "I will make sure to stay out of anyone's path."

His only target was the Einzbern-family after all. He wasn't here to pick fights with anyone else.

Shirou wasn't naïve enough to believe he would make it through his two months here without fighting anyone –he knew himself too well for that– but he could at least try, for Grey and Lord El-Melloi's sake if nothing else.

"Good." Grey nodded sharply, before standing up. "Please follow me. I will show you around Sir's department, which is called the Department of Modern Magecraft Theory. It is quite big and connects to many other departments, so please make sure you learn the lay-out quickly. I will help you as much as I can, so if you want me to show you around again later, please feel free to ask."

"Thank you very much." Shirou smiled gratefully as he rose too. "I am in your debt."

"Not at all. Sir accepted you as his apprentice because he was in your debt, and this information and the tours are included in that." Grey shook her head, before giving him a sharp look. "Also, please be careful with such statements. Stating you are in someone's debt is a dangerous thing to do. It creates all kinds of unwanted responsibilities."

"Ah, of course. I won't mention debt anymore." Shirou promised, making a mental note to avoid such statements in the future. "But I would like to say that I really appreciate your help and your teachings nonetheless."

"…You're welcome." Grey pulled her hood over her eyes a bit more, shyly averting her gaze. It made her look oddly cute. Had Ayako or Rin been present, they probably would have started teasing her to elicit more of those reactions.

Never let it be said though that Emiya Shirou enjoyed messing with people, particularly people who had been so helpful to him. So rather than ribbing her any further, he placed an amicable smile on his face and continued following her in silence.

Grey led him through Lord El-Melloi's department and made sure to point out all signs that indicated they were about to enter another department. If he encountered such a sign, he was to turn around immediately. She also showed him all places that would be important to him, such as where to get his supplies for his classes, the classroom itself, the workspaces where he could do independent research and studying if he'd be so inclined, the Workshops of the Magi working at Lord El-Melloi's department –which he should avoid at all costs– and his own room, located in the student dormitory.

As it was already quite late, the halls of the dormitory were empty and silent. Grey told him it was likely several students were still awake, but as they would likely be busy with research, they wouldn't leave their rooms.

"Where do you sleep, miss Grey? If I may ask, of course." Shirou asked as he opened the door to his room with the key he'd gotten from Lord El-Melloi.

Grey stood still for several seconds, clearly contemplating whether she would tell him anything or not, before she motioned slightly towards Lord El-Melloi's office.

"I sleep in the room next to Sir's." She explained, before falling silent again.

Shirou decided not to push the topic. It was clear this was not a subject Grey wanted to talk about, and it wasn't any of his business anyway.

"Thank you for showing me around, miss Grey." He nodded slightly at the girl as she started walking away. "I don't want to think about what would have happened if I'd had to discover all of this on my own."

"I am just doing what Sir told me to do." Her reply was entirely neutral. "Good night, mister Fujimaru. Classes start at nine tomorrow. Please don't be late."

"I won't be. Good night to you as well."

With that last greeting, Grey disappeared from his immediate sight, and Shirou entered his room.

The first thing he noticed was that his luggage had already been delivered, and a quick check proved none of his possessions were unaccounted for.

Not that there was anything valuable in his luggage –all the important stuff was in the Vault– but it was a good indication of the trustworthiness of the staff.

Shirou then promptly placed several Wards and Bounded Fields on his door, and a few more on the rest of the room. He wasn't about to go to sleep unprotected in a place that had been described most frequently as a snake-pit.

He had promised Ayako and Sakura he'd be careful after all, and he wasn't about to break that promise.

Approaching and touching his door was still allowed, though he would be notified of any such event, but any attempt to force one's way in would be answered with instant-paralysis spells, blunt force curses, and several other nasty surprises that would make an average intruder's day very unpleasant.

Should the opponent make their way past all that anyway, then he would at least be awake to deal with them himself.

Only when he was finished with that did he turn around to take in the rest of the room.

His first impression was that it was way too much.

If the massive, incredibly soft-looking bed with its satin coverings and pillows wasn't enough to make him feel like a peasant, then the silken curtains on the windows, the room's immense size, and the mahogany furniture would certainly do the trick.

A quick check of the bathroom proved that, yes, the taps were indeed gilded, the bath was enormous, and there were so many kinds of soap and shampoo Shirou could have started his own shop with them.

If this kind of spending was normal, it was no wonder the Archibald-family –the ones who owned the department and thus this room– had been in so much debt. It was entirely, plainly ridiculous.

It was probably also entirely necessary.

The scions of most Magus-families grew up in absolute wealth after all, and if there was one thing the Clocktower and its ruling families could absolutely not afford under any circumstances, it was to seem weaker, poorer, or less opulent than other families.

The rooms were so gaudy to make it clear to the students that the Clocktower was richer, better connected, and more resourceful than they were. When maintaining one's reputation, it really were those kinds of things that counted.

It honestly just made Shirou feel uncomfortable though, especially since he knew Lord El-Melloi had gone into massive debt to make building and furnishing this room possible.

Well, indirectly, at least. The room was probably older than the Lord, but the money for it was most likely on his extensive debt-list now.

Looking at the time, Shirou deduced he had around seven hours remaining until his first lecture at the Clocktower would begin. Since Grey had insisted that he should arrive early, he'd make that six hours at most.

Three hours of sleep was plenty for him, four if he wanted to spoil himself, so that left enough time to unpack.

Naturally, he had taken a suitcase that had been magically enlarged on the inside.

He hung his clothes in the beautiful, wonderfully carved wardrobes on ivory hangers, put his toiletry in the bathroom, placed his research material on the therefore-intended tables, and left the rest of what he'd packed inside the suitcase.

Then, he pondered about his next course of action, and considered whether he should call his girlfriends.

The time difference between Japan and England was eight hours. Since it was now one in the morning in London, it was nine o'clock in the morning in Fuyuki-City.

In other words, Sakura and Ayako could be up by now, but if they wanted to sleep in, they wouldn't be.

It would be better if he waited for a few hours more. He'd call them when he woke up again.

By then, they should be lunching, and Fuji-nee would also be present at his house.

Then he could hit three birds with one stone.

---

"Then we can now move on to the last point in our meeting." The ancient, cracking voice spoke slowly, gnarled fingers turning the page of the report lying on the table. "Young Waver's new apprentice; A boy named 'Shirou Fujimaru'."

Of the seven people present at the table, all of them elders of the Archibald-family, four visibly grimaced at the Asian-sounding name. The only ones who didn't were Reines, the ancient chairman of the meeting, and a middle-aged man with long, black hair and a distinctively handsome face.

"What need is there to discuss that boy?" One of the women present, well over forty but still beautiful and proud, asked with a derisive sneer. "That fool Velvet accepted him as his apprentice, yes, but merely for two months. I do not understand why he should be a point on our agenda when he shall vacate the Clocktower again soon enough."

"Because, Frederique, him being Waver's student does have an influence on the Archibald-family as a whole." A young man with a protruding belly and a double chin proclaimed. "If you remember, Waver is the Lord of the family, and his apprentices will be considered to speak for him to some degree. We cannot afford to ignore that."

"Ah, Dominic. Cautious as ever." A young, blonde girl smiled affectionately. She could have been Reines' twin, if it hadn't been for the different eye-colour and the much tanner skin. "Will you volunteer then for the duty of chaperoning Fujimaru?"

"Huh, ehm, uh." The bloated face turned red in agitation. "I very well cannot, Gladys, my projects do demand all of my attention currently."

"Is such not the case for us all?" Gladys asked whimsically, before smiling at Reines. "Even Reines is working so hard on that new spell she promised us. I cannot imagine she has the time for anything else, especially something like babysitting."

Reines herself didn't bat an eye at the remarks made around the table, staring ahead with a detached gaze. This uncharacteristic behaviour did not go unnoticed by the ancient chairman, who looked at her with a hint of concern.

"R-Rampusa, what is your opinion?" Dominic spluttered, addressing the handsome man who hadn't spoken so far. "S-Surely, we cannot afford to do nothing about Fujimaru?"

"I agree, Dominic." Rampusa nodded, turning to give the portly man a kind smile. "I endeavoured to construct a schedule in my mind in which we take turns 'chaperoning' this new apprentice, but I regrettably must admit I failed. We are all so frightfully busy."

"Yes, yes, quite." Dominic nodded, happy to have found a clear supporter in the other man. "Perhaps we could hire someone."

"The chance that such an individual will not immediately inform our rivals about our inability to control our own apprentices is infinitesimal." Frederique snarled acrimoniously, the hideous sneer making her features seem almost inhuman. "Or, pray tell, do you have hidden somewhere such a discreet mercenary who is still within our budget to hire?"

"Now, Frederique, no need to be indelicate to poor Dominic." Rampusa chided her, while the portly man looked as if he wanted to hide behind the other man. "He merely attempted to procure another option, though perhaps, if you so readily dismiss him, you may have the perfect solution in mind?"

"No need for lurid nonsense. We can simply have Velvet control him." Frederique scoffed. "Tell him to keep his apprentice in line."

"Can we trust Waver to follow our instructions though?" Gladys wondered, glancing at Reines, who still didn't respond.

"We have trusted young Waver with many important matters so far." The ancient chairman wheezed. "He has not failed us yet."

"If you say so, chairman."

"I for one would appreciate a safety net though." A soft, demure voice interrupted from somewhere in a corner of the room. "Otherwise, Velvet might be tempted to… slack off a little, or even purposely obfuscate the situation. He has no reason to like us after all."

"He's been nothing but diligent so far." Frederique protested, glaring at the white-haired woman in the corner. "Are you sure you are not merely being obtuse out of ennui, Millicent?"

The woman named Millicent smiled lazily, slowly sitting up straight on her chair. Her white hair fell down to her lower back, her red eyes held nothing but mirth, and her skin was so pale it seemed to reflect light.

And seeing that she only wore black lingerie, there was a lot of skin visible indeed.

"Are you sure that you aren't just putting your trust in Waver because you don't want to deal with Fujimaru yourself?" Millicent lifted a finger to point at Frederique. "Normally, you're so quick to tell us that Waver is not worthy of our trust, yet when it is convenient to you, he suddenly is? I don't believe a word of it, dear."

Frederique's nostrils flared at being called out, but she didn't reply.

"Even if that is so, the problem remains." Gladys spoke up instead. "Which one of us will accept the duty of chaperoning Fujimaru?"

Millicent's smile got wider, and she opened her mouth to respond, when…

"I'll do it."

All eyes turned towards the heiress of the Archibald-family, arguably the most powerful person at the table, as well as the leader.

Reines El-Melloi Archisorte. Having finally broken her apathetic behaviour, she now looked straight at Millicent.

"I'll do it." She repeated offhandedly, as if it were a chore that she would do if no one else would. "I'll keep an eye on Fujimaru."

That concluded the matter. The other attendees were far too happy not to be saddled with the job to protest, and they quickly left once the chairman declared the meeting to be over.

Only Millicent gave Reines a narrow-eyed glare, before she left as well, leaving Reines and the chairman the only ones in the room.

The chairman took that opportunity to have a private word with the de-facto head of the family.

"What bothers you, child?"

"Hm?" Reines frowned in confusion for a moment, before she realised what he meant. "Oh, nothing. I just didn't feel like responding to petty digs and whiny arguments today."

"He." The chairman let out a sound that sounded like a mix of a cough and a short burst of laughter. "It seems all we do these days is make digs and whine. So sad we have been reduced to this. I remember when we were still fierce and proud."

"When we still had Kayneth, our Crest, and the respect of the Clocktower, you mean?" Reines replied acerbly. "Ever since losing the three, we have been nothing."

"Yes." There was no denying that. Still, the chairman couldn't suppress a smile at the girl's fierce words. "You speak so ferociously now, child. I had thought that your… difficulties at your project had stolen your courage and spirit. I am happy to see they did not."

"I may have found someone to help me with that." Reines said dismissively. "I'll let you know whether it has amounted to anything."

"Who did you manage to convince to aid you?"

"Fujimaru, if you must know."

"Then you have met the boy today." The chairman said, more a statement than a question.

"Yes." Reines replied anyway.

"What was he like?"

"Difficult to say. I only spoke with him for a few minutes." Reines furrowed her brow in thought. "He seemed reasonable enough, and he got Grey to somewhat like him in an hour. Melvin seemed to like him too, and Waver trusts him."

"So he is trustworthy." The ancient elder took a shuddering breath. "That is not a good thing to be around here."

"No." Reines agreed. "But it is useful for us."

"The boy is useful then?"

"He captured those Sealing Designees, did he not?"

"Ah yes. It was quite a windfall for the family when young Waver brought those home with him. We received more respect in the following weeks than we had during the seven years beforehand."

"There's more though. He also has both a healing spell and a lightning spell he can use without an Aria or other catalysts."

The chairman actually turned in his seat to look at her.

"Now that is… interesting."

The people who could cast a single spell without Aria or catalyst were few and far in-between. The people who could cast more than one spell in such a way could be counted on the fingers of two hands with fingers to spare.

"Hm, a lightning spell, you say?"

"Which is why I got him to help me with my own project."

"Huh, no wonder then that you volunteered to watch him." The ancient chairman guffawed. "Little Millicent wasn't very happy about it though."

"Millicent should keep her mouth shut, racist twit that she is."

"How unkind."

"I must leave now too." Reines huffed, before getting up from her chair and marching out, not sparing a moment to say her goodbyes.

"Have a nice day, child." The chairman mumbled, before his gnarled hand went up towards his spotty temples. "Be careful though, with Fujimaru. That one…"

The chairman was a man who was nearly two centuries old, and though he wasn't nearly as powerful as one would expect him to be after all that time, his senses and abilities to discern truth were nearly unmatched.

That was how he could make a definite conclusion about the thing that had just entered the Clocktower. The thing that wore a human face and had taken the name of Shirou Fujimaru.

"That one is a monster."

---

That concludes the chapter. Next one, we get Shirou's first day at school. I'm rather looking forward to it, I hope you all are too.

A lot happened in this chapter, and I don't have the energy to go over it all again. I just want to say that blowing up the car and attacking Reines' men were signs of Thor's increasing influence on Shirou.

What I want to say with that is, as Shirou has said before, his powers have increased quite a bit since his fight with Alaya. It was a kind of milestone he reached, that opened up his access to the Odin-force far more than before. With that power however also came a few trace-amounts of Asgardian brashness and temperament.

Shirou will still remain Shirou of course, but don't be surprised when he becomes a bit more… impulsive isn't the right word, as he is already plenty impulsive by himself, but perhaps more… boisterous? Enterprising? Whatever words means that you are quicker to act on what you think is the correct course of action, even if it is not entirely proper.

Also, admit it, blowing up the car was mostly Thor's influence, but attacking Reines' men wasn't really out of character for Shirou at all, was it?

Also important! There were three Edelfelt there, a man and two women. None of them were Luvia! Luvia is not present yet.

Also, for all those who have seen or read 'the Casefiles', I am inventing a lot of characters right now. The elders in the meeting are all OC's, but please bear with it, as they will only have roles during those meetings. As they said themselves, they are far too busy to bother with Shirou.

Also, pay close attention to how I portray everyone. Rampusa might seem reasonable enough during the meeting, but earlier, I had Grey mention that he wants to hunt and kill Emiya Kiritsugu personally, which indicates he is a lot more impulsive than you might think.

Also, Millicent might seem like the typical, lazy mastermind who is cool and rational, but I explicitly said that she is one of the attendees that grimaced when hearing a Japanese name. Racism isn't rational, guys.

See you all later.

Ted hops into the grass field together with his big bro Thumper, eating the flowers but also the leaves, because he remembers his bunny-father telling him those are the healthy parts of the plant.

Also, my thanks to my usual betas, and thanks to my newest betas, Cali and LukeSky.