The Magecraft of Love

Chapter 1: Lord El Melloi II Classroom's Lecture

There are many forms of love.

Eros. Philia. Ludus. Agape. Pragma. Philautia.

"According to the ancient Greeks, there are six types of love. Eros, named after a Greek god of fertility, is a form of sexual passion and carnal love. Philia is a form of friendship love, in which bonds are formed between comrades, especially during a battlefield. There is also another similar form of Philia, called storge, that has to do with parental love."

Waver quickly wrote down the terms of love towards his class. There were also many symbols of Gods and Goddesses related to love on the chalkboard. Everyone was writing down notes and studying in the Class of Modern Magecraft Theory.

Waver Velvet, also known as Lord El Melloi II, was the Lord for that department in the Clock Tower.

"Ludus, is a form of playful love. It tends to be more casual and can be between children and casual lovers. It gives us the feeling of liveliness to the relationship. On other hand, Agape is a love for everyone. It extends to charity, which can mean towards strangers. It can also be referred to as a gift. Empathy is related with agape."

He wrote the terms down before moving on towards the last two definitions.

"Pragma is a form of longstanding love. The ability to withstand hardships and compromising for love in a relationship. It can be brutal but can come on out on up for the persistent. And lastly, Philautia. There are two types of this, which can go wrong. You can develop an obsession with yourself for fame and fortune. But the other form is of sincerity. Being able to love yourself in a way so that you love others."

He then turned towards the class.

"This is only one type of Origin, however. But with these various forms of love, it can be used for all kinds of relationships with Magecraft. Although everyone is more familiar with Eros, the romantic and carnal kind, the definition is broad and can mean many things."

One of the students raised their hand.

"Professor, if this is only one type of Origin, are there other types that use 'love' as a basis?"

"Good question."

He quickly pointed his hands towards the mystical and ancient Gods and Goddesses of love. Some of them were known to have more than one trait apart from love. These included war, fertility, marriage, and childbirth.

"Since the meaning eros was also based off a Greek god himself, other representations include Artemis, Cupid, and Venus. Based on this, it shows that 'love' is ancient and has a long origin in its history. That's what makes it powerful."

Waver continued lecturing, and in no time, class ended.

"Don't forget to do your homework and study on this concept. Class is over."

After everyone left the lecture room, Gray helped him carry his belongings and bags back to his office. He quickly sat down on a couch and lit a lighter to smoke inside the room.

"Are you okay, Sir? Did everything go well?"

Waver sighed. He took a puff out of his cigar.

"Everything went fine. Let's hope I don't have to go to a meeting again. There's always something going on in the Clock Tower."

Gray hummed for a bit as she thought about the lecture. She had always thought of love as one of sexual desire, or passion. It was typically the one everyone thinks of whenever they hear that word. Waver's lecture had given them a new perspective on how such a simple concept can be used for Magecraft.

"Sir, why is love so complicated? Have you ever felt love before?"

What kind of question is that?!

Waver quickly turned red to hide his face from her. Trying to act serious, he cleared his throat to answer her question.

"Well, it's a long story. Let's just say that I did feel love. Everyone has felt it at some point."

Gray's coat suddenly started shaking, and Add's voice came out. She took him out as he spoke inside the cage.

"LOVE? What are you, a romantic?"

"Stop it, Add."

"Why bother with love if you could make someone love you with Magecraft anyway? Do we really need to be sentimental here?"

"Add!"

Waver glared at Add before saying anything.

"It's possible. Love potions exist for that kind of purpose, but those are very rare."

A few minutes later, his cellphone rang from his pants. It was Reines, calling for her elder brother for an issue again. Her shrill voice echoed through his office.

"My dearest elder brother, I need your help! Hurry up and go to the Lords' meeting already! They're waiting for you on the 12th floor of the Clock Tower!"

Waver shook his head at her voice before responding to her.

"Fine. I'm coming. Don't come into my office without knocking, please."

"Why shouldn't I? I want to check up to make sure you're still alive. Now get moving!"

He closed the phone and turned towards Gray. She was nervous, looking right and left.

"You're fine, Gray? Do you want me to get Reines for you?"

"I'm fine. There's just some errands I need to do, Sir."

"Good. I'll be off then."

Then he went towards the Lords' meeting room, hoping there was nothing troublesome going on. Meanwhile, Gray went in the opposite direction.

The Lords' meeting room had a long table where many high end chairs stood side by side. The colors of the nobility and the aristocracy decorated the room, showing the Lords' power throughout the Clock Tower. Waver hastily sat on one of the chairs, waiting for the Lords to begin their meeting.

"Lord El Melloi II, we have been waiting for you."

It was a Lord from the Curses Department, offering him a handshake. Waver shook it before the other Lords began their discussion for the day. Everyone seemed to look tense and were glaring at each other, as if something had happened in Clock Tower.

Usually, he would assume it was the Clock Tower politics with each side trying to one up each other, but this time felt different.

"There seems to be some trouble with the students lately. Everyone is obsessed with each other. There is an unnatural atmosphere in Clock Tower lately. A teacher has mentioned to us about a Seal being broken. What kind of Seal was it?"

Waver didn't respond. So, another Lord offered her suggestion.

"Seals? What kind of an issue would involve Sealing? Did something happen at the Clock Tower?"

A Lord cleared his throat.

"There appears to be an entity spirit that has got into Clock Tower. We don't know where it came from, it has been lurking within the premises lately. Do you know where it could have come from, Lord El Melloi II?"

Waver sighed. He kept his posture as formal as possible, not wanting to give away anything.

"I'm not sure, myself. I'll have to investigate it. Is it anything dangerous?"

The Lords murmured among themselves before answering.

"You always deal with these issues in a timely manner. No need to be afraid. Is there anything wrong with it?"

"No. There is nothing wrong. I'll make sure to clean out whatever is causing trouble inside Clock Tower. This is just the usual business here."

A Lord snickered.

"Then why are you so afraid of the topic, Lord El Melloi II?"

There was a moment of silence, as Waver didn't say anything. He pinched his nose, being annoyed with the Lords due to their tendency to pester him. He shouldn't feel so wary about this. There was always problems inside Clock Tower. He dealt with issues all the time.

He turned to the side and noticed the Lords of the Curse and the Botany departments looking the other way. They were hiding behind the other Lords behind them, trying not to cause a fuss. Waver turned around and faced the Lords in front of him.

"I understand your sentiments, but it is better if I can get more details on the incident first. It's possible that someone had broken the Seal itself, instead of being released on its own. I will also get help from a professional mage that specializes in Sealing that will help counter the spirit. Please do not rush me."

"Very well. Please show us the results in time."

After some time, the meeting ended. Waver immediately went to call Melvin for a private meeting near a pub. He made sure to check if Gray was okay with it first.

"You should go, Sir. Everything is fine here. Reines is asking me to do some errands right now."

"Still busy?"

"Y-Yes."

She nudged him outside of Clock Tower so that he could meet his friend. Waver saw Melvin hanging out near the pub. He was leaning against the wall, waving at him.

"Waver! You really did come! Do you have anything interesting to tell me?"

"Melvin…"

He seemed genuinely well, with a smile on his face. However, Waver didn't want to take any chances for anything to happen around them. Quickly, he grabbed Melvin's arms and took him to a nearby alley so that he could talk to him about the situation at the Clock Tower. He was planning to take him to the pub afterwards.

"Listen, this is terrible. Someone shouldn't have broken the Seal that easily. There's something off about that. Now that the entity is released, it's going to be causing problems at the Clock Tower soon. I need you to help me find a Sealer mage for this. They are known to specialize in dealing with Sealing spirits and troublesome entities. We won't be able to handle it."

Waver puffed up a cloud of smoke as he asked the request.

"Just like what we did in the past."

Melvin looked back at Waver and crossed his arms. He was excited about another possible adventure with him. Shaking his head, he knew what Waver was talking about.

"That time, huh? So, it did come back after all this time. Is that it? What else do you need?"

Waver sighed. He blew another cloud of smoke into the air. It was late evening in London, with the two of them leaning against the alley wall. A few streetlights were turned on and people were seen walking back from work. Waver quickly set up a simple Bounded Field around them so that no one could eavesdrop on their conversation.

"If this situation gets any worse, the Clock Tower will know what we did back then. I don't want to get Gray and Reines involved, so this will be between us for now. This could affect my reputation as a Lord. The entity is dangerous."

"I know. But what about me? Can I get involved?"

Waver choked on his cigar, coughing up smoke.

"Melvin…you were involved in it in the first place. We just need to deal with the spirit, so we won't get into trouble with the Clock Tower if they find out. There isn't any mages that specializes in Sealing around here, so we need to get someone from the Far East. They are far more experienced than how the Church does its exorcisms. That's why I'm asking you to help me find one."

"Sealers, huh? Wasn't there a visiting Sealer at the Clock Tower back then? He helped us Seal the entity long time ago when we were students. Maybe we can try to contact him again."

"Not a bad idea. Any help is appreciated. In the meantime, I'll have to investigate where the Sealing was broken from inside Clock Tower. Hopefully, the entity won't do anything too dangerous around the area."

"So, where do you want to go now, Waver?"

Waver leaned on the alley wall before pointing towards the pub.

"We could enjoy some alcohol together if you want, but I don't want you to scare the patrons with your health problems."

"I'm fine, I have my pills with me! Like—"

"Melvin! Not this again!"

Melvin immediately vomited a small pool of blood on the ground. Waver didn't flinch too much but was still annoyed with the blood splatters on his clothes. He took out some wipes and used Magecraft to quickly clean up the mess.

"You're always prepared, Waver. Thanks for the help."

"No problem. Now let's have some drinks before it gets too late."

And the two of them spend some time at the pub drinking and eating all night, letting out their anguish from work and stress.