The Dangerous Field Trip
Not long after 'that cat incident' in first week of October, everyone settled down quick enough.
The term started off easy enough...for her that is.
For a normal person, it's tough since day one alone, even if his lectures are very easy to understand to the point that even a CHILD will graduate high in his class. But his homeworks and every-two-month projects that have a deadline to submit...or lose a large chunk of grades and kiss being a Pride goodbye, nevermind being a Brand!
Originally, many young magi thought that Modern Magecraft is an easy way to get Brand and Pride in their record, but little did naive fools know that he was a hardball teacher in projects and homework.
Many people severely underestimate him. Morons.
But whatever, not her problem.
All she should be concerned about is her life today. And keep on amassing money as being a mage is expensive.
Fundamentals aside, she also takes multi-courses.
Because one Fundamentals her parents can't teach her, was Healing Magecraft.
Sure she studied medical books, but her parents cannot afford medical magic books. Because they always blow all their money away as soon as they get it after allocating money for this and that.
So Modern Magecraft aside, she took Medical Studies which is a branch of the Fundamentals. She also took a course in Botany's Branch Pharmaceutical Branch.
If mages do 'all means' to pursue a single truth called Akasha, she would rather achieve what's within her means and excel to get a happier, productive life.
To quote Velvet-sensei once:
'There is many realities in which we can perceive. There is no single truth. If you forget that, if you recklessly wish for a single truth, that is the worst mistake you can do.' he told the class once, before Gray arrived. He encourages them to always look at multiple angles for more possibilities they can make use of to better themselves. If they settle for just one answer, they can kiss being a Brand or Pride goodbye!
During her free months when Velvet-sensei began coaching her on her abilities, he was horrified. 'How on earth can someone like you exist? You're like a cheat character in a game!'
Her Magical Attributes alone and being a master at the Breathing and Walking technique would make her a Fes at her current stage almost immediately. But should she master all her abilities, she would be among the rare Brand in her future, and she must work hard for it.
Upon coaching her for her 'perfect form', she must pursue and master all she can do, to reach her future identity as a perfected magus.
Her cheap bloodline will hold her back according to the petty higher-ups as Velvet-sensei would warn her, thus she must pull all stops to get what's her due. But take great care lest she earn a Sealing Designate instead of the rewards she hopes for, so she must be very careful. She can sense which lines NOT to cross, thanks to her attributes.
For now, while it's still her first year, she will develop her body first to peak physical fitness. Her family craft is clearly combat oriented...and she got inspired by the manga Black Cat. She found a character there in a way, similar to her.
If Eve can transform nanomachines into anything, Misora can transform any matter she touches with her bare skin or summons at will and alter them to suit her needs. In Elementary as a Kurobe and Junior High, she dedicated her all to Gymnastics because any monkey can punch and kick.
And around October 3...
'Ohhh! You're gonna take me with you to a private field trip?! How niiiice!' Misora lit up in giddy excitement.
'Pack all medicine you have for injuries, minor illness, antibiotics, poisoning and counterdrugs against malicious mischief.' Lord El-Melloi instructed. 'And one week's worth of clothes good for mobility, enough money to spend on a long trip for food and lodging, and necessities. And NOT a word to Svin and Flat.' he added quickly. 'I can only take two at most and you two are the most responsible and sanest ones I've got in my class.'
'Er sensei, all magi have their sanity chucked out the window for something way beyond them.' said Misora blandly. 'Aiming for the Root wherein knowledge from Age of the Gods to today is insanity as let's face it, suppose someone DOES reach it, what do they do with it? Can they use that massive supernatural library within their lifetime as there's only so far life-prolonging magic can take you?'
Her words made sense, they thought.
Massive supernatural library is an understatement.
Heck, even with life-prolonging magic, they can't enjoy even a mere drop of it within their life!
Pursuing it is foolish.
It was why Velvet-sensei handles his class differently.
'I see your logic, but do not speak of that within Clock Tower.' Velvet-sensei chided. 'Or you'll be in trouble.'
'By offending their delicate sensibilities against their insanity and delusion you mean.' Misora scoffed with an armfold. 'I'll settle for what's within my reach and enjoy my life.' she said snarkily. 'So what's this trip about?'
'Well, the Master of Adra Castle sent the El-Melloi Clan a written invitation.' said Velvet-sensei. 'I believe it's regarding the inheritance or the will.'
'Er sensei? You already paid off all your debts.' Misora pointed out. 'And you got your crest back.' Velvet-sensei pursed his lips.
Indeed, he accomplished with help some of Reines' demands.
The debt.
Being her tutor.
Being her regent.
Fix the family crest.
However despite all that, for knowing all El-Melloi Clan Secrets through 'fixing' Kayneth's research, he was chained to them for life anyways.
'Well, Reines cannot go with good reason.' said Velvet-sensei.
'How come, sir?' Gray piped up.
Velvet-sensei took a deep breath.
Reines was born in the Archisorte family, a branch family of the Archibald family under the El-Melloi banner, hence she too has it for a middle-name. She is the adopted sister of the previous Lord El-Melloi, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald. To be accurate, if going by blood relations, she is Kayneth's niece. Her mother, being particularly average in her talent as a magus, married into the Archisorte branch family instead of taking her own family's name, where she had a number of children.
Reines became the successor after it was determined she happened to have the best affinity for the Source Crest. At that time, in order to put a rest to the strife between the Archisorte and Archibald families and demonstrate her right to succession, she accepted adoption into Kayneth's family. Though, as a continued act of defiance, she still operates under the name Archisorte. She was the inheritor because Kayneth and Sola-Ui has YET to have children from their marriage. Had they lived, their eldest would be Reines' successor.
But things don't always go as planned.
With the death of Kayneth in the Fourth Holy Grail War, there was a conflict on the succession of the El-Melloi faction as it fell into a state of great internal discord. Thus assets such as talents, lands, and Mystic Codes, that were all amassed under the name of El-Melloi and had been passed down since antiquity, were all stolen away by rivals and branch families of the Archibald lineage. As a result, the only things left over for the main family were the title of El-Melloi, and a debt of astronomical proportions.
As a result, Reines, upon hearing how her tutor paid everything back quickly, gave orders that he gets Misora's help to restore their money until she graduates, while Reines deals with politics to take back what was stolen from her by her relatives and 'outside forces' and being an heir, is not an easy life.
'O-oh...so that's how it is...' Gray gasped out, shaken by that little...history lesson.
'Yes I paid all my debts, but one of the conditions was fixing the Source Crest of the Archibalds.' said Waver as Misora touched the floor of the hallways.
'Be enlightened.' she uttered as her eyes glowed bluish-white as under her palms, was a swirl of flame-shaped mana spinning like a pinwheel.
Gray watched with fascination.
She was taught about chants and incantations.
Spells have predetermined capabilities; so the powers of a particular spell will always remain the same, no matter which magus uses it.
The incantations, however, may differ. Regular incantations are something chanted not towards the outer world, but to one's inner world; they are actions that activate the thaumaturgical process inside one's body and reflect one's nature. As long as the incantation of a spell possesses a specific meaning or a set of keywords are included in it, the particulars of said incantation are left to the caster's personal tastes. Therefore, it is only natural that they differ from magus to magus.
The greater the meaning behind the contents of an incantation to the caster, the better the final result will be. The stronger the self-hypnosis, the more the magus can optimize the use of his Circuits. Changing the words of an incantation does not mean much; what matters is the meaning behind them.
That, is the mechanic behind spellcasting or incantations, if one is doing a big ritual.
Misora can exploit her attributes passively and actively as a spell unique only to her. By saying her spell, she can gain information anytime she wants ANYWHERE.
Velvet-sensei called her a Cheat as in a way, she has access to Akasha if she went all-out, but one time she tried as an experiment, she saw a red 'shadow' and all instinct told her to run and don't look back, and coming out of it terrified. End result, her magic circuits got empowered, though she didn't gain knowledge or any of the Five Great Magics. The quality of her circuits went off-scale that she became very powerful. But that is a secret she must keep.
'...sensei, you're in for a fight for your life, if not for us ladies.' Misora tut-tutted. 'This offer is a scam.'
'A scam?!' Velvet-sensei squawked out.
'There's nothing in Adra Castle in reality.' Misora told him grimly. 'Its in fact, an assassination attempt to get to a particular person as arranged by Geryon Ashbourne with Policies in exchange for benefits from a dying man. So Policies Department decided, why not use this to get rid of other troublesome people?'
'Troublesome?!' Gray squawked out, wide-eyed.
'Sensei is an eyesore to the Lords and First-Rate Lecturers who are annoyed with him as an example.' Velvet-sensei twitched. He was an 'annoyance' out of jealousy from others.
From Lecturers, he could spam Brands and Prides while he himself remains worse-than-mediocre, an injury to their pride as lecturers when they can't even have students graduate beyond Frame!
From the Lords, he's an eyesore because he has not chosen a side. Aristocrat? Democratic? Neutral? Wild Cards not allowed!
Velvet-sensei nursed an imaginary headache.
'So I'm obliged to survive their nonsense through this farce.' he swore. 'And I'm feeling petty myself.' he said. 'I'll ensure that a lot of us will survive this one.'
'Naturally you can't say what you know aloud.' said Misora wryly. 'Or I'll get in trouble.'
'That goes without saying!'
xxx
The day after...
They headed for Borough Station for a ride. It had taken 14 hours by train, including countless transfers, to get into the general area. Then, after staying the night at a local inn, the journey continued with 3 hours on a bus, and another 5 hours of walking. In short, they were now in the middle of nowhere.
The scent of wet earth, churned thoroughly by each step taken. The gentle scent of herbs, most likely wild heather. The mouldy smell of thick sap, the hesitantly gathering insects, the rotting of trees and the droppings of small animals. There was so much life, it couldn't be thought of as dirty. Similarly in this case, there was so much death, it couldn't be thought of as beautiful. These two ideas always seemed to come as a set.
For a city girl like Misora, it felt like stepping out of smog into clean, fresh air it powered up her Breathing and Walking skill. She used spells to clean up her lungs and theirs and for black...gunk to come out of their nostrils. It was a weird sensation that can be compared to when people accidentally snort in water during swimming.
The one with the most gunk was Velvet-sensei because he smokes.
'That felt a little weird...' Gray wheezed out, rubbing her irritated nose. Waver's nose was redder.
'But you guys feel better right? We can breathe this clean air better.' said Misora. 'And so our frail teacher can walk a bit longer without wheezing every few minutes.'
'Screw you, brat!' Velvet-sensei sputtered out in annoyance.
'...w, wait...!'
'-!'
The hand that landed on Gray's shoulder, shaking just like a zombie, made Misora sweatdrop.
'S-sir...!'
Of course, the outstretched hand belonged to the deeply distressed, sweat-drenched form of their teacher.
'M-my lady, could we please slow down a little bit?' he wheezed.
Luckily or not, it seemed he didn't notice Gray's reaction. After all, if he had had the composure to do so, he most definitely would not have let it slide.
'But sir, at this rate, we will be late to the invitation's designated meeting time.'
'...okay, then at least give me 10 minutes. No, 5 minutes. Just please let me sit down.'
Breathing heavily, he he raised five fingers.
'...you have three minutes.' Misora sighed. 'Really sensei, after office hours, invest in a Gym Membership! Or buy a Treadmill to use at home! Remember, you got a target on your back!' she chided.
After that, following countless complaints and requests for breaks from my master, we came to a place where the forest opened up into a clearing.
'Hey hey, what's that?' Gray's Mystic Code Add asked and 'the thing' gave an amazed moan. It was a rock.
A rock so big that if three adult men were to work together, they might be able to lift it. On that rock was the figure of a person lying down. On top of the rock, with a surface reminiscent of a tortoise's shell, he skillfully rolled around as if half asleep, while still keeping his balance.
Even as it looked like he was about to fall, he never did. On the green surface of the rock, his burly figure continued to sway back and forth, and just when it seemed like the slightest of pushes would send him crashing to the ground - his eyes snapped open, and he looked directly at us.
'Ah, you're finally here!'
Calmly spinning himself into a cross-legged posture, he sat up and waved.
His filthy hands were thick and muscled. His face seemed as if it hadn't been shaved, or taken care of in any way, in months. Dust and dirt caked his skin to the point his natural skin tone was unreadable.
His clothes gave the feeling of something like a nomad, but even they couldn't hide his muscularity. His arms, legs, and even his neck were startlingly thick, the hard work gone into forging them evident. He may have been only slightly taller than Velvet-sensei, but they wouldn't be surprised if his weight was close to double or triple as muscles add extra weight.
'Well, you two look like an odd group. Well, you look odd enough on your own, but two little ladies out here out on a jaunt?'
His loud laughter revealed surprisingly white teeth. His dark eyes were also quite pretty. But, there was an unmistakable danger within them. They were eyes that held a feeling like a child's innocence mixed with an elder's cunning.
'...u-um...who are you?'
Velvet-sensei spoke. His voice carried a tiredness that said even speaking was a chore.
'Flue,' the man replied. 'That's my name.'
'...that's a pretty cute name, for someone looking like yourself.'
'Well, my whole name is Flueger, but I don't like it that much. If you just stop at Flue, it's a much more pleasant name, like a gentle breeze,' he said with a certain deepness.
Rather than a gentle breeze, he was like the harsh desert sun, or a brilliant spotlight like in a pro wrestling arena was more suitable to him, but he did have a mysteriously refreshing quality about him.
'Hmmm?'
The man - Flue, snapped his gaze over to Gray. His cheerful yet scrutinizing gaze looked her up and down. His impolite, yet not quite vulgar gaze seemed to see right through her. With a bewildered air, he raised one finger.
'Why are you wearing that grey hood? You're an awfully pretty girl, and it doesn't look like your hiding any scars or anything...'
'That's...because...'
'Now now, Gray's just shy Flue-guy.' said Misora cheerfully, running interference. 'She's not used to being called cute.'
'Eh?! Normally most girls your age would call themselves cute even if their face says otherwise!'
'Some are vain and conceited on purpose and some of them is an attempt to raise self-esteem.' Misora tut-tutted. 'Well, at least Gray and I are actually cute...'
Flue laughed at that. Indeed, the asian-looking girl is also very cute, he thought, but with a foreign tinge to her looks. Parents of mixed ethnicity perhaps?
'So you also received the invitation?'
'Our teacher did.'
Flue jumped down from the rock on which he was still sitting. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out an envelope that, in contrast to the rest of his appearance, was in pristine condition. It was made of high grade paper, with a faint watermark. Even without looking, they could tell that the symbol pressed into the sealing wax and the watermark depicted an angel's feather. Naturally, Velvet-sensei carried that exact envelope with him.
'Why exactly were you taking a nap in a place like this?'
'Well, I got a bit lonely walking all by myself,' he said something ridiculous. Waving his envelope in the air, he laughed affably. 'I figured, if I got an invitation like this, then there must be someone else coming too. And look, bingo!'
'Did you ever consider the possibility that you might have been the last one to arrive?'
'I'd deal with it if it happened. I'd be on the verge of tears, but I'm pretty fast you know! I wouldn't be late.'
He flexed his arms in what seemed to be some sort of poorly executed appeal.
In a way, maybe that was his personal virtue.
'...well, would you like to come with us, then?' Gray offered, earning a chastising look from their teacher.
Gray, Misora thought, their teacher has a target on his back! What if he's an assassin and two of them are mere collaterals?! But at least with her ability, Flue was safe.
'Really?!'
With sparkling eyes, the man laughed cheerfully. The smile he gave was as extravagant as a fine alcohol in a bar.
'Alright! You won't have to ask me twice! But really, I'm glad you asked. Travelling alone is so boring.'
"..."
Despite the sour face he was making, he extended a hand to their teacher.
'The name's Flue! Once again, it's a pleasure!'
'...Lord El-Melloi II. This is my apprentice Gray and my classroom student Misora Kurobe.'
Though he didn't accept the handshake, he reluctantly offered at least his name in a way of greeting, prompting an impressed whistle from Flue.
'El-Melloi. I see, I see. You're the one from those rumors at the Clock Tower! Your that Lord that jumped from Mineralogy to Modern Magecraft, huh?'
'Yeah, that's right.' This time, he cleanly cut eye contact after speaking.
'Oh, right. You wouldn't happen to have any alcohol on you, would you? I'm fresh out.'
'I'm not in the habit of carrying alcohol around with me. And you aren't getting any of my cigars, either.'
'Bleh.'
After such a curt refusal, Flue proceeded to click his tongue repeatedly, as if he was close to tears.
'Let's get going, people!'
After kicking some sand and adjusting his coat, my master continued his ascent of the mountain path. Of course, 30 minutes later, the one who was slowest and constantly moaning for respite, was just as everyone predicted, him.
-At long last, the Castle of Separation showed itself.