Chapter 33: Ascension (Part 11)
Cafe Bistro was a modestly sized establishment located not far from the London Clock Tower, serving a variety of lunches, dinners and various brews that ensured it had a steady stream of clientele at most hours of the day, making it the perfect place for a clandestine meeting to take place since it was the perfect level of unobtrusiveness without being obnoxious.
Any covert or undercover operative could personally attest to the fact that while sharing sensitive information in a cramped and overly loud nightclub might sound like a good idea the ensuing shouting match inevitably ended up being fifty times more suspicious and stressful than any other locale.
Something Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg had learned through second-hand accounts and was in no rush to test for himself, happy to hold the impromptu gathering between himself and his fast-approaching acquaintance in the comfort of an air-conditioned pub with tasty food, a nice break in tradition from the usual stereotype that British food had little flavor.
The pleasant buzz of background conversation was just icing on the proverbial cake, a soothing cadence that he could enjoy in any universe, rubber chicken tucked mostly away in his overcoat's pocket.
"Is the disguise as an old-fashioned banker really necessary?"
Playfully tapping the perfectly functional monocle and three-piece suit adorning his body the Apostle responded, "Is there any reason it isn't necessary? And playing the stock market is always a fun diversion if one needs to pass a couple of hours. Especially when you have money like mine. Diversify diversify diversify, as the saying goes. Although having a bit of cash to gamble on the highest earning entrepreneurs is always fun. I have to make sure I don't cheat by peering into alternate futures, though. Removes the novelty and joy of the game."
Aoko Aozaki sighed in resignation as she took a spot opposite the Wizard Marshall, peering at the menu as she tossed her crimson hair over one shoulder, shucking her traveling coat and drawing more than a few dumbstruck stares in the process.
"A pity I'm not as beautiful as I once was. Ah well, the distinguished gentlemen look has its benefits."
"So what brought about the sudden call to meet with you out of nowhere? Nothing apocalyptic, I hope."
Meeting the woman's bright blue gaze Zelretch tilted his hand back-and-forth a little, replying, "Maybe, maybe not. I'm paying for lunch, by the way. My Ebay investments have been paying big dividends."
Aoko sighed, wryly stating, "It's about the newly ascended Magician, isn't it?"
Zelretch pouted, regal features bending themselves into a childish expression of denial as he complained, "Really, young lady? No small talk, no catching up on what's been happening to both of us over the past year? No inquiries into why a Magus is investing into online purchasing websites?"
"You're about as much of a contemporary magus as Barthomeloi is an unconventional one. And what's there to talk about? You're off doing what you always do. Foiling plots and machinations of dangerous men and monsters all across the world and multiverse while making time to slip a gravy-filled whoopie cushion under the Lord's chairs."
"The juxtaposition between my professions is rather delightful, if I do say so myself."
Aoko didn't rise to the bait, the Second Magician relenting a moment later as he tucked away the rubber chicken he'd pointedly left poking slightly out of his coat in the hopes she would bite the bullet and ask about it.
He'd put quite a bit of time and effort into creating a less powerful but perfectly workable Jeweled Sword in the shape of aforementioned chicken and was eagerly awaiting the day he found someone or something of sufficient strength that warranted him using it. It was the perfect combination of irreverent dismissal and brilliant surprise factor, after all. Nothing ruined a megalomaniac's day more than being disrespected.
"So what's your take on the matter, then? Of there being another addition to the fold?"
Zelretch shrugged, taking a lazy sip of his beer.
"What's there to take? All we truly know is that it's either the First, Third or Fourth that's joined our little club and that they aren't sponsored by any of the usual Magus families. They would have been shouting to the valleys low and mountains high if they had sired or sponsored a Magician."
"Which leaves us a rather wide selection of possible candidates, don't you think? Chicken sandwich and fries, please."
"Steak salad, my dear. Rare."
The waitress blinked as she received the order before she'd even had a chance to ask, quickly shrugging and departing with a professional nod.
"Well we can do a basic bit of logical deduction and problem solving to get started, at least."
"Never thought the day would come when True Magic was pushed into the same sentence as 'logical deduction'. That's a new one."
Ignoring the Fifth Magician's mutter Zelretch continued with, "The Third is most likely, what with the perpetuation of the Heaven's Feel ritual for so long. People have had time to examine and observe it and even have a mostly functioning example to base any experiments off of. It's not unlikely that some clever individual cracked the case."
"I'm sure the founding families would be ecstatic to hear that."
"About as ecstatic as a Vampire locked in an exsanguination parlor. The First is highly unlikely as the Barthomeloi clan would have been keeping an even closer eye on the matter than we are, considering their practically symbiotic relationship with the First. The Fourth? Well, that's a bit trickier to say. There's never been any hard recordings or evidence of them before so we would be starting quite literally from scratch."
Aoko frowned, asking, "And what are we to do if this new Magician is hostile or reckless with their powers? The Akashic Guardian isn't the most consistent in its examination and vetting of prospective candidates. We're living proof of that."
Zelretch shrugged, offhandedly stating, "Then we remove them. But innocent until proven guilty, young lady. All things carry the capacity for both good and evil and I'd rather not bring an abrupt end to one with the capacity and desire for the former."
The redhead slowly nodded her assent, replying, "Then I'll focus on finding any possible rumors or sightings of the Fourth during my travels. You're closer to home where the First and Third might have originated, that an acceptable division of labor?"
"Oh joy, schmoozing it up with stuffy suits. I can't wait."
Aoko smirked, more seriously asking, "You haven't seen or detected anything about them through the Kaleidoscope?"
"Nothing. Even across the vast multiverses I've viewed I never crossed paths with a Fourth Magician...this is uncharted territory for all of us."
The Apostle Ancestor smirked.
"Isn't that fun?"
For what felt like the umpteenth time in as many umpteenth moments Manaka smoothed out the front of her dress, smiling as little jolts of emotion and nervousness coursed through her nerves in novel bursts of sensation.
Or was it excitement that had her so giddy? Perhaps anticipation, perhaps anxiety? She was slowly starting to understand and identify the various emotions she now felt on a continuous basis but having lived a life of dull sludge for so long it was definitely a learning process, one that proved far more difficult to comprehend than mere magecraft of all different stripes and disciplines.
"Be at ease, Manaka. Meeting with a collection of Lords when you are so visibly emotional and wound up will not endear you to them, even if your old man feels the opposite."
Her papa's warm hand set itself on her shoulder, squeezing with parental affection as the magus sighed in bliss, Haruki continuing with, "Feel free to leap in joy or shiver in fear afterwards."
But as endearing and happy her papa's concern made her she was still a grown girl, lips curling in a childish pout - no, that was not a contradiction - as Manaka replied, "You needn't worry about me, papa. I am a genius, after all."
"That you are, daughter of mine."
He affectionately poked her cheek.
"My still learning genius daughter."
The blonde unleashed a pouty 'hmph' of dismissal, even as her body warmed with delight at the new and unexpected paradigm that she shared with her father, a connection that had never really existed before...a connection that caused a small bit of disquiet to settle within her.
Had such happiness and closeness always existed for her, had she only moved past her own skewed view of what reality could be? What would she have been like, had she never met Nanashi? No doubt the monster that consumed her mother in truth, an unfeeling little witch wallowing and drowning in boredom with nothing to look forward to save a gray, dull end.
She quickly shook off the sensation, ignoring the very real shiver that wracked her form. Ruminating on such possibilities when she was to carve out a future for herself and others she cared for was the height of silliness. And being silly was Nanashi and Abigail's job. Sometimes her adorable little sister joined in on the fun but that was rare.
The young lady's thoughts were brought to a halt as an apprentice opened the door to the waiting room they had occupied, placid expression not revealing a thing as he announced, "They're ready for you."
"Understood."
Haruki rose to his feet, guiding a gleeful and excited Manaka to their meeting location where the four Lords that would be vetting her proposal waited, the apprentice leading them through the twisting and ornately carved hallway.
Their journey came to an end as they entered a wide and imposing room that held only a single, raised desk with four high-backed chairs occupied by austere individuals, wooden pillars supporting the domed ceiling as Manaka let her eyes lazily drift over the quartet that she would be presenting her project to.
Waver El-Melloi II, Ventus Jigmarie, Norden Gaiuslink and Varney Brishisan. All Lords of the Clocktower and holding sway over some manner of study that dominated the various thaumaturgical fields of the Magus Association.
"Papa must have assembled and made use of almost every conceivable favor and scrap of influence he could manage to find in order to assemble such a collection of individuals."
Internally promising not to waste the chance her sire had bought Manaka squared her back, eyes narrowing in bold confidence as she let her perception roll over the quartet, connection to the Root dutifully providing information and possibilities about each of them that would ideally inform her about what they could potentially desire or wish to hear...she managed to hide a smile as she discovered precisely what she was dealing with.
El-Melloi was the outlier, one who had made a reputation for taking 'problem students' and turning them into successes and was no doubt intended to do the heavy lifting of the interview. The other three were traditional in their mindsets and practices, no doubt more interested in belittling and seeing her fail than they were in any genuine accomplishment or success she could possibly deliver. After all, she was just some girl from a place they typically considered third-rate.
"Silly old men and their silly expectations. Oh watching them squirm and gnash their teeth when Nanashi and I prove them wrong shall be such fun~!"
Yet again keeping those thoughts to herself Manaka instead came to a stop beside her father, curtsying as she neutrally announced, "I, Manaka Sajyou, thank the esteemed Lords of the Clocktower for taking time out of their doubtlessly busy schedules to attend and listen to this project and proposal of mine. No doubt you consider it a fantastical and ludicrous claim but I believe I shall pleasantly surprise you with what I have accomplished."
There was a metallic click as El-Melloi lit up a cigarette, bluntly replying, "As much as I'm sure we all enjoy propriety and our intricate little social dances the reality is that time is short, our schedules are busy and this little gathering was brought together on the slimmest of margins. The purpose of this meeting is to discern the validity and possibility that your private project of crafting together multiple Phantasmal materials - most of which aren't even accessible in this reality - is legitimate in both practice and end result. It's secondary - and arguably just as important - objective is to decide whether these methods are of suitable importance, respectability and renewability as to avoid a Sealing Designation and instead be granted the title of a Lord of the Clocktower."
The last bit was said with understandable skepticism, the rest of the dottery old relics gazing upon her with clear disinterest and arrogance, no doubt expecting her to fail in the most pathetic of manners, a sheltered and cocksure little girl from a land far away from their own who didn't know her place.
She was going to enjoy showing them just how wrong they were~!
El-Melloi puffed out a wave of smoke, turning to the rest of the assembled Lords before lazily stating, "Unless any of my colleagues wish to add additional commentary or observations?"
While some of them seemed fairly annoyed at the man's irreverent and mildly disrespectful tone they nonetheless rallied, Brishisan grumbling out, "Lord El-Melloi's words encompass all we wish to say. This session was convened less out of any tangible expectations and hopes for the validity of your claims and more out of respect for the resources doubtlessly expended to have it occur in the first place."
Resisting the temptation to roll her eyes and reply with some bit of uncultured snark that Nanashi would have used the magus instead bower her head, simply retorting, "I shall strive to upturn your expectations, then."
Without further ado her papa stepped backwards, letting her take the proverbial stage as Manaka began with, "As of seven months ago-"
She almost faltered right off the bat, scarcely able to believe it had been that long since she met Nanashi and began their little quest to build him a suitable form.
Or had it been an exceedingly long amount of time instead?
"-I embarked on a project that was intended to start a wave of revolution and innovation among the various magus communities, a new practice that would hold very promising benefits for our future generations."
All complete tripe - she had done it for a scraggly and weak little boy that had made her feel alive for the first time in more than a decade - but it was a nice bit of theatrics, overly flowery language that was practically expected of her by these fossils.
"The premise is thus. By reaching into the Reverse Side of the World and safely traveling its landscapes, phantasmal and mystical gifts or resources may be brought into our own, subsequently guided by my hand into a synergistic form that could be controlled and directed by a carefully crafted intelligence of my own making. A homunculus chimera that contains in its very genetic code mystic processes not seen in more than a millennia."
The Lords didn't even bother trying to hide their disbelief, glancing at each other with noticeable frowns as Manaka seized on their uncertainty like a shark smelling blood.
"You clearly maintain doubts about the veracity and likelihood of such a claim. Would you prefer a quick demonstration of the basics to ease your uncertainty?"
Simple nods were her only response, the doll-like girl smirking as she raised a hand-
-and with a sharp cutting motion tore open a hole in reality, a rift with shimmering and wavering edges leading to some exceedingly grassy and verdant plane as an utter torrent of raw mana poured through the portal. Ordinarily she would have crafted a means of ensuring such power didn't also make the journey and cause discomfort to those on the other side but she was in an excellent mood and wanted to see the Lords squirm a bit, their circuits warming and reacting to the primal surge of mana that laced the Reverse much like a flower would tickling flames. Slowly but surely shriveling up in the face of a greater phenomenon.
"Enough, foolish girl!"
Jigmarie shouted out in an admonishing tone that failed to hide his discomfort, Manaka snapping her fingers and instantly sealing the rift shut, the air of the room still seeming charged and staticy with residual mana.
"Does that prove that I am more than capable of doing what I proclaimed within my power?"
"While the visual aids weren't necessary in the slightest...yes, you did indeed prove that."
El-Melloi's words were disgruntled and cranky, Manaka politely smiling on the outside while cackling on the inside, knowing full well what she had done made the Lords highly uncomfortable. On its own opening a gateway to the Reverse Side of the World wasn't that difficult a process, yet it was the way she had done it which was impressive.
Such pathways required time and preparation to manifest, never mind the resulting mana surge - if no precautions were taken - could overwhelm the magus on the other side or simply collapse the portal due to conflicting and rampaging energies. She had done seemingly none of those things, lazily popping one into existence with a motion of her hand and withstood the hurricane of primal energy as if it was no more irritating than a bit of sunlight.
They may still consider her a foolish little girl - stubborn fossils set in their ways were oh so hard to convince - but at least they now knew she was a foolish little girl with power. Power that wasn't so easily ignored.
"I am additionally able to ignore the debilitating effects of the Reverse by performing a variation of reinforcement, gathering my mana and circulating it through my magic circuits in a way that is sufficient to deflect the otherwise dangerous excess. Think of it as a rapier deflecting the descending battleaxe through just the right amount of force applied to divert its course, rather than meet the blow head on."
Riding high on the silence of the Lords Manaka began to pace back-and-forth, cheerfully explaining, "During my time in the Reverse I came across a great many phantasmal species, a surprising amount of them eager to see a human the same way your or I would be ecstatic to see a Unicorn walk through this realm once more. And during many such dealings I gained the materials necessary for my project, with negotiations open for further trade at a suitable time."
She allowed a smug look to grace her flawless features.
"In fact, my passion project is very much aware and very much loyal to me."
"So loyal, in fact, that he refused to hurt me during our night spent together unless I specifically ordered him to."
Almost losing her composure and breaking down into a giggling, blushing mess at the memory of Nanashi ravaging her after she'd coerced him into being suitably rough the magus instead met the Lord's various gazes, now eyeing her like she was a prize animal or rabid dog...sometimes both.
"We shall be shown this homunculus of yours, then. It will be the final deciding factor of whether you have been truthful or merely embellishing the situation."
"But of course, my lords. No doubt you will need to create a future meeting time as I do not have him with me. After all, you did state that you are very busy and I would not like to take up more of your time than strictly necessary."
It was schoolyard politics at its finest, Manaka bullying them for earlier words spoken without pity. And it helped that she had something they wanted very badly to see. They could pretend aloofness and disinterest all they wanted, anyone with a working brain could tell that was the one extorting them for future attention.
Like a good little girl~!
A quick conversation between the three before El-Melloi once more turned her direction, stating, "Three days time at the same hour will suffice. Be sure to have all relevant materials and examples, there will be no future presentations afterwards."
She once again curtsied, simpering, "Oh I offer my most gracious and enthusiastic of thanks~! I promise the exhibition will be most impressive!"
This time the lords seemed to catch onto her slight mocking of them, expressions turning stony before they marched off, the youngest among them taking a long drag of his smoke before grumbling something that sounded like, 'why do I always get the weird ones' before strolling after his fellows.
Manaka turned on her heel, Haruki flanking his daughter as they both marched in silence for a time, broken only once they were in relatively private conditions.
"That, my dear, was perhaps one of the most interesting presentations I've seen in my many years. Gathering their interest while also ever so slightly annoying them?"
His hand gently stroked her hair, Manaka preening like a cat at the motion.
"Well I did learn how to be annoying from Nanashi, papa. He was quite the good subject to draw inspiration from."
Haruki chuckled, the blonde further stating, "And I think those silly old men are going to be quite annoyed with what Nanashi can do indeed!"