The First Day of Class
"I hope the meal is still to your liking, Fujimura-Sensei, even if Senpai isn't here to help prepare it." Sakura said softly, watching intently as the English teacher ate the food she'd just prepared.
"Nonsense, Sakura. The food is delicious." The brown-haired woman made sure to swallow her mouthful of food before replying, having been scolded plenty of times by the purple-haired girl for her regular failures to observe proper manners, but started shovelling her lunch into her mouth again almost immediately after.
"I agree completely." Ayako added her own two cents, having finished her own portion some time ago. Her smile was full of fondness, but also contained a hint of exasperation. "And I believe we have told you so a thousand times before already. Are you just fishing for compliments or something? Because if you are, you can just say so."
"O-Oh, well…" Sakura blushed slightly at being called out like that. "I-I d-do like your kind words."
"You're the best." Ayako stated right away, placing her hand on her heart to show her sincerity. "You are kind, sweet, gentle, intelligent, beautiful, sexy, wonderful, and the way you blush when you are being complimented is just the cutest, yes, just like you are doing now, I really like that. Am I missing anything, Rin?"
"Please don't call my little sister 'sexy' in front of me." The addressed girl grumbled, her eyes half-closed and her hair in disarray, still not fully awake after being roused from her futon by the smell of lunch only thirty minutes prior. "And don't look at her with your leering eyes either. I am still not happy about this, you know."
'This' being their relationship, with each other and with Shirou. After Shirou had blown their cover upon leaving for London, Ayako and Sakura had had to confess everything under the heavy questioning of Rin and the exuberant need for gossip from Fujimura-Sensei.
Safe to say that Rin hadn't been impressed, but mercifully, she had agreed to stay silent about it, at least until Shirou was back. Neither Sakura nor Ayako had any doubts about what would happen then though.
Rin would probably give them an epic lecture.
"Oof." Ayako pouted, looking away from Sakura. "Fine, I'll wait until you have left, then I'll go down on Sakura twice as hard."
"Fujimura-Sensei! Ayako is saying outrageous things again." Rin didn't even bother replying to the brunette, appealing directly to the highest authority present instead. Unfortunately for her however, the teacher wasn't nearly as proper and disciplined as she had hoped.
"I'm sorry, Tohsaka-chan, but I have waited too long for them to get together to get between them now." Fujimura-Sensei shrugged, having just finished her meal and wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Besides, there's no need to worry. It's not like they can get pregnant together or anyth-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" It was now Rin's turn to go bright red, shooting to her feet as she slammed her hands down on the table. "What are you even talking about?! Aren't you a teacher?!"
"That goes a little far even for me." Ayako admitted with an impressed look, while Sakura was hiding her burning face with her apron.
"Why are you reacting so calmly, Mitsuzuri?!" At least Rin was wide awake now, her earlier sleepy mood having shifted to stupefied indignation very quickly. "S-Sakura, you say something about this!"
"…I don't mind it if Ayako calls me sexy." It was not what Rin was hoping for, Sakura knew that, but it was all she could offer at the moment. "It's a bit early for s-s-sex though. Maybe later."
"…Where is Emiya-kun when I need him?"
'RING-RING'
The sound of the house's phone going over broke off the increasingly silly discussion, as all the inhabitants and guests of the Emiya-estate turned towards the device at once.
"…Do you think that's Senpai?"
"Maybe."
"Emiya-kun did promise he'd call once he'd settled into the Clocktower. Could he have arrived already?"
"What time is it in London right now?"
"You're the English-teacher, you should know those kinds of details."
"Alright, fine. They are eight hours behind us, so since it's midday here, it should be around four in the morning there."
"You actually know?! I was just being sarcastic."
"Can somebody please just pick up the phone!?"
"Senpai usually does that. Ehm, but I suppose, in his absence, I can take over his duty."
"Yes! Wife Sakura taking charge of the house! I am in favour."
"I agree!"
"Sensei! Ayako! Don't say weird things." Sakura scolded them, before she picked up the phone and held it to her ear. "Good afternoon, this is the Emiya-residence, you are speaking with Sakura."
"Good afternoon, Sakura. It's Shirou." Came the familiar, if slightly distorted voice from the other side. "How are you? How is Ayako?"
"Senpai." Sakura smiled happily, nodding at the others. "I'm so glad to hear from you. I am well, and Ayako is too. We were just having lunch in fact. Fujimura-Sensei and Nee-san are here as well."
"Rin is there? That is good to hear. Please give her my regards."
"Senpai sends his regards." Sakura obediently told her big sister, who smiled in response, her bad mood and indignation forgotten for the moment.
"What about me?" Ayako asked immediately, pointing at herself, her eyes wide in confusion.
"Haha, please tell Ayako I love her." Shirou continued over the phone, clearly having heard the brunette ask her aggrieved question. Sakura of course promptly did so, eliciting a loving smile from their girlfriend. "Actually, could you put me on speaker?"
"How do I do that?" Sakura asked, only having a vague idea of what a speaker was. "And what does it do?"
"Just press the button with the microphone icon. It will amplify my voice so you can all hear me, and it will make the phone pick up everything in hearing range."
"How convenient." Sakura mumbled, quickly looking the phone over, before finding and pressing the right button. "Like this?"
"Can you all hear me?" Shirou asked, his voice now loud enough for the whole room to hear.
"We certainly can!" Fujimura-Sensei exclaimed, pumping her fist. "Hey there, Shirou. I am so glad to hear from you again. It's been so long!"
"It's barely been a day since we last spoke, Fuji-nee."
"But this is the first time you have gone on such a trip, so far away from home." The English teacher complained, her eyes wide and dewy. "I was worried about you."
"Aww." Ayako cooed softly.
"I am fine, Fuji-nee. I arrived at Heathrow safely, and I am now in my room at the Clocktower. I am not injured, nothing has been stolen or has gone missing, and I haven't made any enemies so far."
"What's the Clocktower like?" Rin threw herself into the conversation once it turned towards something Magecraft-related, but immediately realised she was being impolite, taking a step back and clearing her throat. "I-I mean, ahem, I am glad to hear you are doing well, Emiya-kun. No doubt you'll be pleased to hear I am doing well too."
"Very pleased." Shirou's fond smile was audible to everyone present. "And the Clocktower is… Well, it's different from what I expected."
"How so?"
Sakura had to admit she wasn't the most interested in the Clocktower or anything related to it, but since her Nee-san was in fact interested and she herself was of course interested in what her Senpai had experienced while he was away, she listened politely as he recounted the day's happenings.
The arrival at the airport and the rendezvous with Lord El-Melloi. Meeting a delegation of the Edelfelt and wrecking their car –Nee-san laughed really hard when Senpai told them about that— meeting Grey, Melvin, and lady Reines, who had sent her thugs after him for some reason, experiencing their wackiness and randomness, and eventually getting a tour of the facilities.
His day had been a lot more interesting than theirs, that was certain.
"My first class is in a few hours. I'm honestly kind of looking forward to it. I wonder what my classmates will be like."
"If they're monsters, please don't bother associating with them." Fujimura-Sensei advised in a grave voice. "Gramps and I could tell you many stories about how that never gets you anywhere."
"Don't kill any of them, or if you do, don't leave any evidence behind." Rin added, talking in a loud voice, as if worrying he wouldn't be able to hear her if she didn't. "You can't arrange a sponsorship for me if you're declared a criminal."
That made Senpai laugh, and Sakura giggled along with him.
"I won't kill anyone. Lord El-Melloi has been decent so far, so I cannot imagine he has bloodthirsty maniacs in his class who'll require immediate killing."
"Or they could just be very good at hiding it." Nee-san pointed out, sounding dubious that absolutely no one in a class at the Clocktower would be a dangerous, unstable person who might provoke Senpai to a fight.
"All the same. I likely won't have to fight them on the very first day. Maybe later, but surely not during at least the first week or so."
"Well, Shirou, you jinxed yourself, so now you are going to fight someone before the end of the week." Ayako sighed deeply, shaking her head. "Really, for all that you preach about peace, you really are a violent person. I mean, you're really kind and my boyfriend and I love you, but you seem to like fighting a little too much."
"Hey now." Senpai sounded quite put out at her comment. "I never start anything, and I do not enjoy fighting at all. I would be perfectly happy if I never had to fight anyone ever again."
"If you say so, dear." The brunette drawled in a voice that conveyed she didn't believe a word of what he said.
Ayako was obviously just teasing, but Sakura wondered if there wasn't a core of truth in her words too.
But that wasn't important right now.
"I'm glad you have safely arrived, Senpai, and that you had a good day." She smiled tenderly, knowing that while he wouldn't be able to see her smile, he would hear it in her voice. "It's been pretty boring here honestly, though I suppose that just means everything went well. Fujimura-Sensei and Nee-san are here to eat lunch, and they even stayed the night."
"They did?" Senpai sounded surprised, which was logical, since neither of them tended to do that. "Why?"
"They insisted on having a conversation with us yesterday, one that lasted quite long." Ayako explained slowly, her smile slipping off her face. "After that stunt you pulled, they wanted an explanation from us. Thanks for that by the way."
"No problem." Shirou replied cheekily. "I hope it all went well?"
"I was going to say it was about time you took your shot, Shirou, but then I heard it was the girls who took the initiative." Fujimura-Sensei huffed, looking proud yet disgruntled. "Looking back though, I don't know why I was even surprised, you wimp."
"Ouch."
"Just treat them right, Shirou. I didn't raise you to treat your girls badly."
"I will treasure them for as long as they will have me." Shirou's voice was full of conviction, and caused Sakura and Ayako to blush brightly.
Not everyone was so happy though.
"Well, I don't like this at all!" Rin made her opinion known, bravely ignoring the cross looks of the other girls in favour of glaring at the phone. "It wasn't enough to seduce my sister, but you had to take her best friend in the deal as well. Do you really think that is acceptable, Emiya-kun?"
"If we are all fine with it, I don't see why it wouldn't be." Shirou's voice remained entirely calm and pleasant, which was more than Sakura could have managed in the situation.
"But it just isn't done!" Rin protested, gritting her teeth. "It goes against every social convention and it… it's just not elegant."
"Magi shouldn't be talking about social convention to begin with, Tohsaka-san." Shirou pointed out gently. "And yes, some people will not like it, but the three of us have already decided we will accept and ignore their scorn. As for elegance, well, I don't know anything about that and I don't believe I care much for it either."
"I… You- You can't just take my baby-sister in your… your… your harem!" Rin protested again, her increasingly shrill tone conveying how seriously she was taking the matter.
"That is such an unfortunate word." Shirou's grimace was clearly audible. "I am not dominant, Tohsaka-san. This is a relationship we all entered willingly and may leave whenever we want. This was a choice we made together, and I ask that you respect that."
"But that's-"
"Tohsaka-san." Fujimura-Sensei's voice was calm but firm, and enough to break off Rin's budding rant. "May I suggest you continue this discussion on a later date, when you have cooled off and Shirou is back, so you don't have to shout over the phone."
For a moment, it seemed like Rin wanted to protest, but after a second, and with a glance at Sakura, she wilted, sitting back down at the table, and nodding slowly in agreement.
It seemed she had remembered that she was still on thin ice when it came to her relationship with Sakura, and backed down.
"Fine." She mumbled.
"We will talk about this when I get back." Shirou confirmed kindly. "Until then, please bear with it, Rin."
"Yeah, yeah, I will. Sorry for overreacting, Emiya-kun." She apologised, still sounding moody, but at least not angry anymore. "Now tell me more about the Clocktower."
Sakura let out a breath of relief when the subject changed again, resolving to make something delicious for her sister in thanks for dropping the matter.
She always talked a lot about tofu. Sakura knew several good tofu-recipes. It shouldn't be too difficult to prepare some.
They talked for a while longer about all kinds of things, the Clocktower at the forefront, though they also spoke of Lord El-Melloi, the man's other apprentice, Grey, the different departments and their enmity, and the varying factions around the institute, before the time came to hang up again.
"I'll call again tomorrow, at the end of the day." Shirou promised. "I'm sure I will have a lot to tell you after my first class is over."
"Tell us whether you got in a fight." Ayako jeered playfully from the background. "And whether you won."
"I won't get into a fight, Ayako." Shirou protested indignantly.
"Oh? Wanna make that into a bet?" Ayako challenged him with a grin. "I say you will get into a fight before the week ends. You say you won't. The winner gets a lap pillow from Sakura. No cheating."
"I accept this bet. Just don't get jealous when you see me laying my head on Sakura's lap while you have to sit on the floor."
"Right back at you!" Ayako laughed confidently.
"Oh my, how exciting." Sakura still held the phone with one hand, but she clasped the other to her breast in exhilaration.
"You don't even care they decided this without your input, do you?" Rin asked dryly, unable to gather the energy to get worked up again.
"I'm always happy to give out lap pillows to brave victors, Nee-san."
"Ugh."
"Haha, thank you, Sakura." Shirou laughed. "Well, I better get ready for class. I'll call again tomorrow."
"Bye, Senpai."
"Good luck in class, Shirou."
"Please be careful."
And with those last pleasantries exchanged, Shirou hung up again.
"Uwah, he's fine!" Fujimura-Sensei was the first to speak up after the call, pumping her fist with her usual exuberance. "I have to admit I've never been outside of Japan, so I was kind of worried about him, but he's fine!"
"You've never been outside of Japan?" Ayako asked in surprise.
"I haven't even been outside of Fuyuki-City in my life, except that time when we went to Hikone." Sakura confessed, rubbing the back of her head as Ayako turned to her, the brunette's mouth falling open. "I do still want to travel though, when I can."
"…When Shirou gets back, the first thing we are going to do is take a trip through Japan." Ayako proclaimed after a moment of gawking, being the only one of them who had travelled with some frequency in her life. "You can come too, Rin, since I doubt you have ever gone anywhere either."
"…" Rin had nothing to say in response, as Ayako's comment was entirely true.
"What about school though?" Sakura wondered.
"Fuck school!"
"No fuck school." Fujimura-Sensei's voice was unbending and stern, the teacher in her finally coming to the forefront.
"Damn."
"Language!"
"Sorry."
Ultimately, they agreed to take a trip with the four of them, Shirou, Ayako, Sakura, and Rin, perhaps Taiga too, as soon as their schedules allowed for it. Nothing too excessive, but to another province at least.
After that had been agreed upon, it was time for Rin to leave again. Before she did though, she took Ayako aside for a moment.
"Mitsuzuri-san." She began once she had made sure Sakura was out of hearing range. "I think you can guess why I want to talk to you."
"You want to confess your undying love to Shirou, Sakura, and me?"
"NO! No, that is not it. I just want to talk about your relationship with Sakura."
"I see." Ayako's teasing grin fell away. "I am not breaking up with her, Rin, no matter what you say."
"And I won't ask you to." Rin bit her lip, searching for words. "I… I am sorry for what I said before, it wasn't personal at all. When I protest against your… unusual relationship, I don't do so because I think you are unworthy of her. I don't think that, and I don't think Emiya-kun is either. It's just…"
"Odd?" Ayako supplied, before shaking her head. "I didn't think you were saying anything of the sort, Rin. I completely understand why you think it is strange. It took several months of stressing over it before I got accustomed enough to the idea to agree to it, so I don't blame you for not having accepted it after a single night. Take your time to think things over, have that talk with Shirou when he gets back, and try to decide what you want to do. Just don't try to get in between us."
"I won't." The black-haired girl sighed. "I'll do my best to ignore it, until Emiya-kun is back." She then managed a weak smile. "Who knows, I might be used to it by then."
"Perhaps you'll join us?"
"Don't push it."
"Aww."
That concluded their business, and Ayako took a moment to watch Rin walk away.
That skirt Rin wore really complimented her curves very well.
The old saying 'I hate to see you go but love to watch you walk away' held far more truth to it than Ayako could have ever expected.
Shirou put down the phone with a smile, feeling significantly happier than before.
No matter the situation, talking with his girls always improved his mood.
When he heard their voices, it was as if all his stress just fell away. By the end of the call, he felt strengthened and invigorated like never before, ready to take on the day and everything it might throw at him.
He wondered if this was what knights felt when a lady gave them her favour.
Still, despite his newfound vigour, it was only around seven in the morning. Since he had to be in class at nine and it was only a five-minute walk to the lecture hall, he would have to find something else to do for the next two hours or so.
The first half-an-hour was spent reinforcing and improving the defences on and around his room. He'd already created Bounded Fields and Wards that were meant to protect him and his room from intruders and eavesdroppers, but now he added Fields that would prevent people from using magic within their boundaries, that would block any magic cast from outside, that could physically throw someone or something out of the room when he desired so, that would prevent creatures such as Dead Apostles from even getting near, and several more.
Shirou didn't realise it, but after these thirty minutes had passed, his room had become one of the most heavily protected and secure areas of the entire Clocktower. Defences and protections that would have taken most other Magi months, perhaps even years to erect were created and applied in minutes at most.
If any Magus would have been present for it, they would have reacted with awe, with exasperation –though that was reserved pretty much for Tohsaka Rin only– or with frothing jealousy. In short, it would have caused a lot of trouble, which was why it was good no one was in fact present.
Once he deemed his room adequately protected, Shirou turned towards his new books.
When Grey had shown him the places where he could pick up his supplies, she had insisted he immediately took the things he would need for his first lesson.
He had several books on the beginnings of Modern Magecraft Theory, a few notebooks and pens, several small booklets on some more niche subjects of Magecraft, and a backpack.
The backpack had already been packed, so Shirou filled the remaining hour with reading one of the books.
It was actually pretty interesting and enlightening. The author had put in a lot of effort to start from the very beginning, down to explaining what Magecraft was and how it differed from Magic. He spoke of Magic Circuits and their importance, as well as other ways of channelling Magical Energy, such as Magic Cores and Mystic Eyes, and even makeshift Circuits that could be made from nerves.
Shirou felt like punching himself in embarrassment though when the author arrived at that last subject and remarked that he was only sharing it out of academic motivations, since creating nerve Circuits was so painful, dangerous, and likely to fail that no one should ever try it, with themselves or others.
'You'd have to be an utter monster with no sense of proportion and proper research to try it on others, and you'd have to be utterly mad to actually try it on yourself,' was the general gist of it.
Shirou honestly hadn't expected to be attacked like that when reading the first book on his first day in the Clocktower, but here he was, feeling like he had been addressed directly through a page by a Magus who didn't even know him.
He quickly skimmed over the part detailing Nerve Circuits, before moving on to the next chapters, continuing his reading until it was half-past-eight.
He then made his way to the classroom, managing to fully recall the route –his Reinforced brain proved its worth yet again– and make it to his destination in one go.
The halls were not as empty as they'd been the night before, but they weren't busy either. There were some frazzled looking people walking around here and there, and several slick-looking people standing around in groups, discussing matters Shirou had little interest in, but it was absolutely nothing compared to the hecticness of his former middle-school.
Was he still too early perhaps? Had he not read the time correctly?
Now unsure about his punctuality, Shirou tried opening the door to Lord El-Melloi's classroom, and found it unlocked. After hesitating for a moment, he entered.
"There are still thirty minutes until class begins." An irate voice snapped when he stepped inside. "I believe I have told you all often enough that I need time to prepa- Fujimaru?"
The voice interrupted itself once the owner's eyes fell on Shirou, and the redhead saw that the voice belonged to Lord El-Melloi himself. The man had been writing on the massive chalkboard that had been attached to the front wall of the room but had turned around to speak some irate words.
It seemed Shirou was indeed too early.
"Lord El-Melloi." Shirou greeted the man back, bowing to an appropriate depth for greeting a senior teacher. "My apologies. I had not yet heard that entrance wasn't allowed until the start of class."
"Yes, of course." The man nodded stiffly, before waving towards the benches on the other side of the lecture hall. "Just sit down somewhere for now and keep quiet while I prepare the lesson. Please remember for next time that I do not want anyone in my classroom until ten minutes before class commences. Grey is the only exception to this, and I will not have any arguments about it."
Shirou could respect that and nodded his acquiescence, before he turned towards the benches. There, he noticed the small, hooded form of his impromptu tour guide sitting at the front row, right next to the wall, looking like she was attempting to merge with her seat.
Lord El-Melloi was no longer paying attention to him, having resumed writing something on the board, so Shirou went over to Grey instead.
"Good morning, miss Grey." He greeted the girl with a smile, bowing again, this time to the depth fit for a fellow student. "I hope you are well."
"Yes, good morning to you too." Grey softly greeted him back, the face shifting upwards for a moment, allowing him to see the bags under her eyes that showed she clearly hadn't slept enough. "You look well-rested, mister Fujimaru. Did you go to bed early?"
"No, but I do not need much sleep." Shirou explained, once more thanking Mjolnir with all of his heart for that. If he had needed a full night's sleep next to installing defences on his room and preparing for his first class, he would have looked the same as the poor girl now. "Might I suggest an early night for you today?"
"Can't." Grey resolutely shook her head. "I have too much work to do. I must help Sir with his duties, or he won't have time to sleep at all."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"
"No. I don't think there is."
It was a blunt refusal of his offer to help, but Shirou couldn't say he was surprised. Neither Lord El-Melloi nor Grey knew him at all and had little reason to trust him with something important.
And whatever they had worked on tonight, it had to be important if they were willing to miss so much sleep for it.
So Shirou accepted Grey's answer with a nod, before sitting down next to her, keeping a respectable distance that was nevertheless still in hearing range.
Grey was clearly not in the mood to talk however, so Shirou didn't talk either, letting the girl doze off for a bit while Lord El-Melloi continued writing on the chalkboard.
Shirou eyed the equations and sentences that the lord was writing down, not really able to make much of it. It looked fairly interesting though, and Shirou found himself curious in spite of his disinterest in learning about Magecraft.
'Modern Magecraft Theory.'
What did that even mean?
It probably wasn't anything related to modern technology –there weren't any electrical applications present in the hall, and he would have noticed if Lord El-Melloi had been writing anything about electrics– but then what part of this lecture would be 'modern'?
Was it perhaps a class that focused on addressing the weakening of Magecraft? How to cope with the fact that every generation became weaker than the last, until Magecraft might disappear entirely?
Or was the simplest explanation true and was it simply a class that focused on recent findings in the Moonlit World? The newest spells, latest breakthroughs in Runes, stuff like that?
There were so many possibilities, yet none of them seemed right.
Fifteen minutes went by without anything of note happening, but then, when the clock struck ten to nine, the door of the classroom opened again, and Shirou turned to look at the newcomers.
The first people to enter the hall were two boys who seemed to be around Shirou's age, though probably a bit older.
The boy walking in front was tall and lean. He wore expensive-looking clothing, fancy shoes, and a wristwatch that seemed made of gold. His tread was confident, his eyes glimmered with intelligence, and there was an air of competence about him.
His most striking feature however was his utter handsomeness.
The boy's face was akin to an artist's masterpiece, with graceful, yet sharp features that were perfectly symmetrical and proportional. His hair was curly and blonde, meticulously combed and cut to compliment his features. His body was lean and slightly muscled.
In short, he looked like one of those ideal princes from the storybooks. A perfect example of youthful good looks that could capture the heart of any maiden.
The handsomeness was offset however by the utterly apathetic expression on the boy's face, that held none of the warmth that ideal prices were known for. His face, for all its perfection, could have been carved out of stone.
The other boy was almost the complete opposite. He was a lot shorter and looked much frailer than his companion, with gaunt features, very pale skin, white hair, and eyes that had bags under them that were at least twice the size of Grey's, but despite that, the boy was smiling widely, as if greatly enjoying the very fact that he was still alive.
They were followed closely by a cute girl with pink hair with purple tips, wearing a well-fitting outfit that could only be described as 'gothic Lolita'. She was staring at Lord El-Melloi with a predatory expression, though she stared with her left eye only, as the other was covered with a star-shaped eye-patch that hid…
…A modular Mystic Eye?
Shirou blinked once as his own eyes revealed that, yes, this girl actually had an artificial Mystic Eye in her right eye-socket that could be swapped for another if she so desired. From what Shirou could see, the Mystic Eye she had in now had something to do with fire, and wasn't very powerful, but the mere possibility of swapping Mystic Eyes was enough to make him wary of the girl all the same.
That, coupled with the dog-like smell from the handsome boy and the almost repulsive smell from the frail boy, suggested these were not people to take lightly.
All three newcomers had been looking at Lord El-Melloi when they came in, but the handsome boy's gaze quickly shifted towards Grey, and then to Shirou sitting next to her. For a moment, the clear blue eyes widened in shock, before the apathetic expression crumbled to make place for pure fury and unadulterated rage.
It seemed the handsome teen was going to be trouble, and judging from the frail boy's elated grin at his friend's anger, he was just as bad.
The dog smell intensified, an ashen scent mixing in with it, and the handsome boy rushed at Shirou with a speed that would have been overwhelming to any normal man or Magus without significant physical enhancements.
To the redhead though, the handsome boy might as well have been walking through concrete.
To the handsome boy's credit, he did not attack, or indeed show any sign of overt aggression at all. He stopped well out of Shirou's reach, and kept his hands balled at his sides as he glared at the golden-eyed teen.
"What do you think you are doing harassing miss Grey, you cretin?!" The boy barked, the girl in question being rudely awakened by the sudden noise. "She doesn't want anyone sitting next to her, so why don't you account for her wishes?! Were you trying to sneak up on her while she slept?!"
"Nothing of the sort." Shirou assured him immediately, unable to feel angry in the face of the boy's obvious concern for Grey. "I am new here, and miss Grey showed me around yesterday. I just wanted to ask her a few more questions when I saw her sitting here, but it seemed she was a bit too tired to answer."
The handsome boy blinked, before looking at the white-haired girl in askance. He choked slightly when she nodded, the anger in his expression being replaced right away with embarrassment.
"My apologies!" The boy slammed his hands together and bowed deeply. "I assumed the worst of you without proper cause. I should have refrained from making a hasty judgement!"
It was a very quick change of heart, far faster than would be normal. The apology was much more sincere too than Shirou would have expected from a Magus.
It was almost suspicious, if it hadn't been for the fact that Shirou got the feeling the boy was apologising more to Grey than to him.
First the boy immediately jumped to her defence with a single-minded focus, then he apologised right away when she indicated he had made a mistake.
Was he perhaps looking at…?
"No harm was done." Shirou waved the issue away. "Fujimaru Shirou, or Shirou Fujimaru here in England, I suppose."
"Svin Glascheit." The handsome boy, Glascheit, introduced himself, looking relieved that Shirou was willing to let the matter go so easily. "Nice to meet you, mister Fujimaru."
"The pleasure is all mine, mister Glascheit." Shirou responded politely, happy that things had settled down again, even if it was only because of Grey's presence.
The frail boy was decidedly less happy about that however, if the disappointed frown was anything to go by, but he quickly gathered his bearings again and stepped forward.
"Flat Escardos." The smile he gave was positively devious. "I hope you'll find your time here very interesting."
"I have no doubt I will, mister Escardos." Shirou replied, resolving to stay cautious of that one. Escardos was far too similar to Melvin in both physical appearance and apparent character for his liking.
"Yvette L. Lehrman." The gothic Lolita with the modular Mystic eye went last. Unlike the boys, she stayed at a polite distance, refusing to come closer, though she had a blinding smile on her face nonetheless and her voice was peppy. "The most important thing you need to know about me is that I am Lord El-Melloi's concubine. Other than that, my business is none of your business."
"Miss Lehrman!" Lord El-Melloi's irate voice cut in. "Do not tell such blatant untruths in the classroom!"
"Right, right! I'm sorry, darling. I meant I am Lord El-Melloi's future concubine." Lehrman quickly amended, purposefully misunderstanding what the man said.
"A pleasure to meet you, miss Lehrman." Shirou smiled, no longer surprised by weird personalities after meeting lady Reines, Melvin, and now Flat Escardos.
"Say," Escardos suddenly stepped up again, leaning in uncomfortably close as he studied Shirou like he might study a peculiar insect. "I heard you got the prof's sponsorship because you helped him catch some bad guys. Is that true?"
"Yes." Shirou nodded.
"Cool." Escardos smiled widely, and Shirou got the impression the boy was furiously hoping for a repeat performance sometime soon.
Another psychopathic amusement-seeker. It seemed that Shirou had been spot on when he had compared Escardos to Melvin earlier.
The redhead pursed his lips at the confirmation. For an institute that was known for its stone cold, merciless, and humourless members, the Clocktower had an uncanny number of oddballs among its ranks.
And Lord El-Melloi had at least three of them surrounding him at all times. The man seemed to attract them like a flower attracts bees, and that wasn't good news for Shirou.
Those were the kind of people that would sabotage Shirou's efforts not because they had a stake in things or would be disadvantaged if he succeeded, like the Einzbern, but because they would find it amusing.
That made them very dangerous.
"Alright, that's enough." Lord El-Melloi's voice again cut through their conversation, sounding more and more harried every time he spoke up. "Get to your seats. Fujimaru, listen to Svin and sit somewhere else, Grey doesn't like it when people sit next to her. Flat, no troublemaking in my lessons. Lehrman, behave yourself and don't tell lies to newcomers again."
"Why do you call them Svin and Grey and Flat, and me 'Lehrman'?" The aggrieved question, that had no doubt been asked many times already, was summarily ignored by all present, as they all went to their seats, Shirou quickly being pulled into a seat next to Escardos.
"So, I heard you captured five Sealing Designees?" The troublemaker continued his previous line of questioning, keeping his voice down to not disturb Lord El-Melloi again.
"I did." Shirou confirmed, resigning himself to having to entertain the frail boy for a while.
"Awesome." The grin on Escardos' face could have split his head in two if it got any wider. "Man, I wish I had stories like that. I've lived inside the Clocktower all my life, and nothing cool ever happens here. It's only the political stuff, which makes my head hurt, and if there are fights, they are always somewhere where I can't see them."
"How unfortunate." Shirou commented in a neutral voice.
"It is! The only fights I ever see take place in the Arena. Don't get me wrong, those fights are awesome, especially if the vice-director is participating, but it's just not as satisfying when the fight is regulated, you understand?"
"Perhaps I do." Shirou could indeed imagine a troublemaker would prefer it if fights happened spontaneously and without rules.
"So that is why I have to live through the tales of others." Escardos grinned widely, before leaning in even closer. "Now spill!"
The frail boy proceeded to grill Shirou about his fight with the Sealing Designees, demanding to hear every salacious detail about the fighting, the bloodier, the better. The redhead answered every question as politely as he could, and Escardos at least had the grace not to ask anything too invasive.
As Shirou was talking, the rest of the students began trickling in, increasing in number as the hour neared nine.
Most of them looked perfectly ordinary, if a bit overdressed in Shirou's opinion. They did not carry Mystic Codes, they had no odd tattoos or other markings on their skin, they had the appropriate number of limbs, and there were no signs of obvious hostility between students. Nothing like he would have expected from a classroom full of Magi.
The only thing that could be considered odd at first sight was the sheer variety of age-groups.
There were teens that looked to be Shirou's age or slightly older, but there were also pre-teens, people well in their twenties or thirties, and several people who had their first grey hairs.
Shirou even saw two or three seniors who looked well over retirement age, just mingling with the rest of the group, talking with the teens as if the age-gap wasn't even there.
Apparently, for all of its racism and discrimination, the Clocktower was blind when it came to people's age.
There was also a very clear hierarchy in the group. Some of the students were obviously higher in ranking than the others, as they had a crowd of followers around them and got a wide berth everywhere they went. Other students appeared to be at the bottom, as they either gravitated on the outer edges of a crowd surrounding the popular students, or stood mostly alone at some distance from the rest.
Strangely enough though, there seemed to be no resentment between them. The ones who were higher in ranking didn't sneer at the ones below them, and the lowest-ranking students were still treated with a measure of respect.
The only one in the classroom who did have sneers directed at him from many of the students and about whom Shirou had already overheard several mocking whispers was none other than Lord El-Melloi himself.
Shirou was really starting to wonder just what Lord El-Melloi had done to warrant such loathing from the rest of the Clocktower. Certainly, just being in a lot of debt and having no talent wasn't reason enough for such utter hatred?
Grey had said that it was because Lord El-Melloi had the nerve to push back against the system and achieve things despite his lack of talent and power, but was that enough to have the Magi of the Clocktower, who prided themselves on their rationality, spit fire in his general direction like this?
...Now that Shirou thought about it, it probably was exactly that.
Lord El-Melloi refused to be kicked down easily, so the system kicked harder, and harder still when the man still didn't want to give up.
It was obvious that the man had noticed the sneers, and that he could hear most of what they said about him, but he didn't react, remaining cool and calm despite the contempt aimed at him from his own students.
Shirou had to respect that grit. The Lord certainly had come a long way from the boy his father had described as 'whiny and insecure'.
"I'm sure it is all very interesting what you are discussing," Lord El-Melloi's dry voice then cut through the discussions and arguments in the lecture hall, before he continued. "But as you might observe for yourself, the clock has struck nine. Please move to your seats and pay attention to the lesson."
It appeared that students at the Clocktower were far more disciplined than normal students, or at least more disciplined than the students at Shirou's school, as everyone still standing seemed to teleport into their seats the moment Lord El-Melloi demanded it, and not a sound was made afterwards.
Even the students who had sneered at the man behind his back apparently weren't willing to directly challenge a teacher in his own classroom.
"Thank you." Lord El-Melloi nodded, his expression carved from stone, though not unkind. "As some of you might recall, we left off last week at the lecture 'New Influences on the Moonlit World', in which I explained that newfound knowledge, often from the mundane world, can interfere strongly with age-old Magecraft, almost always in a negative way. In order to limit or possibly even negate that interference, a significant overhaul of the old ways is required. Failure to do so may result in the weakening or perhaps even the complete loss of the affected Mysteries and Magecraft."
Shirou raised an eyebrow in surprise at the topic, and he was far from the only one. Many of the students looked flabbergasted, and several narrowed their eyes in irritation, most likely insulted by the notion the mundane world had any kind of influence on them at all.
"Take Astromancy for example, the study of the heavens, the universe, and Fate." Lord El-Melloi continued, ignoring the cross looks sent his way. "Now that the mundane craft of Astronomy had made incredible progress over the last decades, deciphering comet-paths, calculating orbits and distances of stars, even finding planets that might be similar to Earth, long-standing Evocations and assumptions made by Astromancers both ancient and recent have been proven completely untrue. This has had a severe impact on the potency and power of their Mysteries. As such, it is necessary to review their old Arias and knowledge to keep those Mysteries and Magecraft working properly."
Progress in the mundane world could actually interfere with fields of Magecraft? Shirou was fascinated by the idea, and not at all surprised that the narrowed eyes he had noticed before became open looks of hostility now. It started with two or three students, but as their teacher kept talking on about the amazing progress of the mundane world and how it impacted the Moonlit World, more and more students became visibly upset.
It looked like Shirou had found another reason why so many people at the Clocktower were so hostile to Lord El-Melloi if these lectures were the norm. They were excellent and thought-provoking, or at least this one was, but 'thought-provoking' was probably a very unwanted adjective in an environment as traditional and oppressive as the Clocktower.
"You might be able to get away with using the old systems for small Mysteries and Enchantments," Lord El-Melloi's voice became even graver than before, and he looked pointedly at a brunette on the second row. "But use any form of greater Magecraft with only outdated knowledge, and you might give yourself a fate worse than death. Any questions?"
Several hands immediately shot upwards, and the boy who was selected first made no effort to hide his animosity.
"How can you say that the mundane world has any influence on us?" The boy burst out, his face red in agitation. "Those savages have been non-factors for centuries, no, millennia, but suddenly they are important now? How can you even begin to explain such a claim?"
"Mister Crowlam, I believe your family is a leading one in the department of Zoology, is it not?" Lord El-Melloi inquired, before continuing when the boy nodded. "Then you should know that the mundane world has discovered more about animals, species, origins, and evolution over the past two-hundred years than your family has over its entire existence of, I believe, around a thousand-and-a-half years. I suggest you first find out about DNA and its uses, and then you may come back to me to rant about 'savages'. You might find an entire world will open before you."
"But how does that work?" A red-haired girl inquired, looking intrigued rather than hostile. "I mean, it's good for the mundanes that they obtained so much knowledge, but that shouldn't actually change anything, should it? I mean, the world itself did not change in response to them gaining the knowledge, did it? The paths of the comets in Astromancy haven't become any different now that the mundanes have deciphered them, so why does it matter to our Magecraft?"
"An excellent question." Lord El-Melloi nodded, his expression softening a bit. "It is true that it should not matter whether people know the truth or not, as the world does not change in either case, but just like a Mystery being known to too many people makes it weak and useless, so too does knowledge being wide-spread have its influence on the World, on Gaia."
"So it matters more how many people know it, rather than what they know exactly?" The redheaded girl continued her questioning.
"In a way." Lord El-Melloi nodded. "The correctness of the knowledge matters of course, nonsense cannot become fact no matter how many people believe it, but what you say is also true. Where in the past only a select few experts and doctors knew how a human or animal body functions, now every man, woman, and child in the Western World is aware of basic biology. That means the Inner World will inevitably shift drastically in response. The people of the Zoology-department would do well to realise this and account for it."
The way the Crowlam-boy scoffed and turned away upon hearing the Lord's words indicated quite clearly that he was not planning on doing anything of the sort.
Well, that was his loss. Shirou wasn't going to bother with someone too arrogant to recognise good advice that was freely given. Rather, he was listening carefully, taking notes of everything Lord El-Melloi said. He would review it himself later, and he would give them to Rin as well. No doubt she'd appreciate them even more than he.
He had heard Lord El-Melloi was considered one of the best teachers of the Magus Association, and the man was certainly living up to his name. He spoke slowly and clearly, passing over the easy parts of his lecture quickly and slowing down whenever there was something difficult, always making sure everyone could follow him.
He certainly was better than any teacher Shirou had had before. Not that those teachers had placed the bar very high or anything, but it was impressive nevertheless.
It was also clear now why the department was called 'Modern Magecraft Theory', as everything seemed to be focused on the modern world and how Magecraft interacted with these modern times.
Shirou did wonder how Lord El-Melloi dealt with the fallout of his lessons. The lecture had been going on for an hour now, and at least half of the class was showing signs of outrage and anger.
Some were more discreet about it than others, and some had nigh-perfect poker faces, but to Shirou, whose sensory-abilities had increased so much he could read people almost flawlessly, it was clear as day.
No one seemed to be at a level of anger that would have them act in reprisal towards Lord El-Melloi –Shirou would have had to intervene if that happened– but if this was the standard for the man's lessons, he couldn't see how no one had tried to put a stop to them yet.
Something to ask the man, or Grey, about later, he supposed.
"And that concludes the matter of the interference electronic devices can have on electro pulse-based sensory Magecraft." Lord El-Melloi finished his lecture after another hour. "That wraps up today's lesson. We will continue discussing the subject during the next lecture."
With those words, the man turned away from the students and began packing his things.
Now dismissed, most students left the hall immediately, a fair number of them muttering angrily about 'presumptuous new blood', 'mundane-lovers', 'new families', and 'falling standards.' In short, everything you'd expect from insulted Magi.
A second group of students stuck around to ask the Lord questions about his lecture. Contrary to what his rather abrupt dismissal earlier might have suggested, he answered them patiently and kindly.
The last group of students, consisting of Grey, Glascheit, Escardos, and Lehrman, hung around at a distance, staying out of earshot but still within the classroom.
It was this group Shirou went to stand with.
"Hey, Shirou." Flat Escardos greeted him enthusiastically, slapping him hard on the shoulder, before immediately retracting his arm and nursing his hand. "Ouch, eh, I mean, how was the first lecture? Fascinating, right? Isn't Waver the best teacher around?"
"It was very interesting indeed." Shirou answered truthfully, smiling apologetically as Escardos cradled his wounded hand. Slapping him anywhere usually resulted in pain for the slapper. "And Lord El-Melloi teaches very well."
"He does, doesn't he?" Escardos grinned, looking proud as if he'd just given the lecture himself. "When he speaks, everyone just has to pay attention to him, he's that good."
"Like how you spent the lesson doodling in your notebook, folding paper planes, and annoying me?" Glascheit asked in irritation, glaring at Escardos, who didn't seem repentant at all. "Why couldn't you at least have bothered someone else?"
"Haha, I'm sort of an exception." The frail-looking boy explained quickly to Shirou, before turning back to the other boy. "Terribly sorry, le chien, I considered leaving you alone and annoying someone else, but the people around us were looking so delightfully angry and offended I just couldn't disturb them. It was fantastic."
"Yes, about that." Shirou turned towards Grey and Lehrman, ignoring the boys, who had begun squabbling. "Is it normal Lord El-Melloi makes so many people in his class angry?"
"No." Grey immediately and forcefully denied it. "That usually doesn't happen. Days like today are an exception, and it's not Sir's fault at all. It's only because people can't accept that what Sir says is the truth that they become so angry."
"Indeed." Lehrman agreed wholeheartedly, placing a hand on her heart. "Today was certainly an exception. My beloved Waver usually isn't glared at so much. Students in his lectures know what to expect from him."
"Then what's so different today?" Shirou frowned, wary of any changes to the normal routine.
Grey made to answer him, but Lehrman talked over her before she could get the first word out.
"For some reason, my beloved decided that he would open today's lesson to everyone who was interested." She explained, looking puzzled as to the Lord's motives for this action. "It doesn't surprise me at all there were so many people. He has an excellent reputation, you see, because his students tend to make it far in the Clocktower, so everyone jumped on the chance of sitting in at a lecture of his. I think most of them won't be coming back though, making this a rather wasted effort. I just don't understand why my dear Waver even did this."
Behind the Lolita, Grey rolled her eyes ever so slightly, before she discreetly pointed at Shirou with a finger, giving him a piercing look.
The meaning behind it was clear enough. Lord El-Melloi had done this for him. He hoped that, by allowing entrance to many students at once, he could conceal Shirou between them. Hide a tree in the forest basically.
Lehrman continued speculating about Lord El-Melloi's motives and wailing about his lack of trust in her for a few more minutes, before Glascheit and Escardos joined them again, having finished their argument for now.
"Mister Fujimaru, are you perchance free for the lunch break?" Glascheit asked him as he approached. "We always eat together after one of sir's lectures, so we wondered if you might want to accompany us?"
"Certainly." Shirou agreed immediately, not one to pass over a possibility of gaining more information. "What are we waiting for?"
"We're going to ask if Waver wants to join too of course." Escardos replied as if that was self-evident, glancing over at their teacher, who was busy answering the questions of the last few students who had stuck around. "Maybe we can even visit that café he likes."
"You are going to lunch with Lord El-Melloi?" Shirou honestly couldn't imagine it. A teacher agreeing to accompany his students on a break? In Japan, the very thought would have been preposterous.
"Yup." Escardos nodded with that perpetual smile of his. "We usually do after one of his lectures. We are his crew. He's been mentoring us for so long that we are basically friends."
"Sir is very kind to us." Grey nodded when Shirou looked at her for confirmation. "I don't know if we are friends, but we do have lunch together often."
"I'm only coming if my darling Waver comes as well." Lehrman made her intentions clear, placing her hands on her sides in a stern motion, before she smiled brightly. "If he does, lunch will be my treat today."
"Well, how could I refuse such generosity?"
Lehrman eeped in surprise when the subject of their talk suddenly appeared behind her, his dry voice startling the rest of the group as well, except for Shirou and Grey, who had seen the man coming.
"We shall go to my favourite place, which, for the record, is not a mere café, but a proper tearoom." The teacher went on, giving a pointed glare towards Escardos. "Remember that."
"Yessir." Escardos saluted in a way that could be considered mocking, though he sounded uncharacteristically serious, the perpetual smile suddenly not being so perpetual anymore.
"Good. We shall spend the lunch break there, but after that, everyone must return to their duties." Lord El-Melloi's eyes swept across the group, before they focused on every member separately. "Some of us must do research into Mystic Eyes with our families." Lehrman straightened her back. "Some must perform physical tests with their stellar Magecraft." Glascheit nodded sharply. "Some must help their mothers with political tasks." Escardos smiled sheepishly. "And some must come to my office to discuss several matters." Grey lightly nudged Shirou, who nodded in understanding.
"Let us be off then."
"C-Curse you, woman. My progenitor will avenge m-"
"Your progenitor will die the moment he shows himself to me."
The Dead Apostle got no chance to give a response or otherwise react to the coldly delivered statement, as wind blades powerful enough to sever mountain tips shredded him into pieces small enough to be buried with a teaspoon.
After close to a year of rampaging across the globe, spreading death and terror wherever it went, the monster, that had killed half-a-dozen experienced Enforcers in the last month alone, came to its ignoble end on the tops of the Italian Alps, torn apart by the natural disaster in human skin that George Wesley now called his boss.
Lorelei Barthomeloi had pursued the creature with utter relentlessness, and when she'd cornered it, she had not hesitated for even a single second to destroy it. When it threatened retaliation by its creator, most likely an Ancestor, Barthomeloi had not even let it finish its sentence.
She was not a woman who would be intimidated by threats made by a dying creature, and Wesley knew from experience that the prospect of facing a terrifyingly strong opponent only excited her.
That much had become clear after numerous times of working with her.
He, together with three dozen other Enforcers, had been accompanying her for the past couple of weeks now on a trip through all of Northern-Europe, hunting down inhuman creatures wherever they went. They had probably vanquished close to fifty major monsters so far, Dead Apostles, Wraiths, Ghouls, cursed spirits, and more.
This particular bloodsucker, now in pieces on the ground, was just the last in a long line of creatures to try and fight the Queen, only to lose pathetically.
Still, the Dead Apostle had never broken, fled, begged, or cried. It had remained defiant until the very end, even when the Queen had overwhelmed it completely in an utterly one-sided fight that had lasted seconds at most.
In a way, Wesley almost had to admire its stubbornness.
Not that he was going to admit that out loud! The hatred of the Barthomeloi-family towards non-human creatures was well-known, and Lorelei Barthomeloi took that hatred to frightening levels. If you confessed to admiring such creatures in her presence for any reason whatsoever, an immediate dismissal from the job was the best you could hope for as a reaction from the woman.
As such, he decided to do what came naturally to him, and kept his eyes firmly fixed on the most appetising sight of the entire room, one that took away any desire to run his mouth.
The woman's firm, appetising butt.
One of the main reasons he was here, in a small fortress on one of the highest mountains of Europe's most well-known mountain range, accompanying the Queen on her hunt.
The fact that Wesley was here, instead of the Queen's own forces, indicated that this hunt was another attempt of hers to escape her suitors and her nagging family. Her own forces, or rather, the Barthomeloi-family's forces, would pester her about finally picking a husband, and since she didn't want that, she had taken along people like Wesley, who wouldn't dare to raise the subject.
He knew that he was seen by her as nothing but a good, little dog who bit on command and knew not to bark too much, but even if he had been the type to be insulted by that, he needed the work. His lifestyle wasn't exactly cheap, and Lorelei Barthomeloi paid very well.
Aside from the excellent salary though, there were plenty of other benefits as well to signing up for Barthomeloi's outing.
Things like assured treatments by the best healers at the Clocktower in case of an injury for example, or the fact that they would stay at the best hotels in Europe with the expenses all taken care of by the Barthomeloi, or even the fact that her troops usually had to do very little work while she rampaged through enemy territory doing everything by herself.
For Wesley however, the most important benefits were not related to money or the amount of work he had to do, but more to her divine body and whatever glimpse he could get of it.
He would never peek while a woman was changing of course, but if they were all in the bathing area at the same time and Wesley knew there was only a thin wall between him and the Queen in all her naked glory, well, it excited him in all the right ways.
Added to that was the fact that the Queen was not a morning-person, and more than once, Wesley had been able to spot a glimpse of the woman looking half-awake and unkempt, having just rolled out of bed, a sight that did not excite his lower parts, but rather tickled his cuddling-instincts.
And of course, there was the way the Queen fought, with powerful strikes, lightning-fast attacks, and flurries of punches and kicks in-between her immensely powerful spells. Her style of fighting put a severe strain at the chest and hip areas of her clothing, making for very interesting sights indeed.
In short, she was an extremely appetising woman who had to be properly appreciated, and since no one else was going to do it, Wesley would gladly take care of the appreciating himself.
Wesley was more than aware that he was a filthy pervert and that he was perhaps a little too interested in a woman far above his station, but he wasn't harming anyone, so he didn't feel like stopping any time soon.
He wasn't interested in her as a person –she was far too straightlaced, too serious in all things, and too intense in human interactions for him to be interested in her in a romantic way– but that body… Oh man, that body.
It was to die for, and he spent every possible moment admiring it.
Wesley really didn't know how she hadn't caught on to his blatant ogling yet.
He could hazard a guess though. It was probably her upbringing that hadn't allowed for her to learn about what horny men could get up to.
In its own way, that was cute too, and very fortunate for him, because it meant she wouldn't gouge his eyes out if she ever caught him looking.
Yeah, that was another reason he wasn't romantically attracted to her at all. He would constantly have to fear for life and limb with every action he took if he ever got involved with her, and that was not the basis for a healthy relationship.
Not to mention there would be dozens, if not hundreds of rivals vying for his position at every moment. Fighting them off would be far too much of a bother, if he even managed to survive at all of course.
Though marrying her might almost be worth it if it meant he could teach her about sex.
He wondered if she would blush during her first time.
In all seriousness though, Lorelei Barthomeloi should just get married to a cool, handsome fellow who had skin thicker than an elephant's and enough power to not fear her moods or his rivals. That would be the best if you asked him.
But nobody asked him, so he just kept his mouth shut and admired the sight of her ass while he could. He might not be able to anymore if she ever got married.
Wesley was startled out of his… 'contemplations' however when Barthomeloi started moving again. She cautiously moved across the room until she arrived at the gory mess she had left, and, yes! She bent over to inspect the remains of the Apostle she just destroyed!
For a few, precious seconds, George Wesley was the happiest man in the world, and he tried to imprint the image into his memory forever.
Then she straightened up and turned around, and Wesley immediately returned to staring at the wall across from him. He wasn't nearly as interested in her chest as he was in her butt, not to mention that she'd see him stare, and even if she didn't know why, that could result in some very uncomfortable questions.
"Enforcer Wesley. The Apostle is destroyed." The Queen stated, spitting the word 'Apostle' out as if it was a curse. "Gather the rest of the men. Verify nothing abnormal or accursed is left in this hovel."
"As you wish." Wesley didn't bow, she had made clear early on that she didn't like that, but he did straighten his back, before turning around to follow through on her orders.
"Before you leave," Barthomeloi's voice froze him in place, and his heart skipped a beat. She had never stopped him after giving him an order, and for a moment, every action he had taken since the job began flashed before his eyes. "Why did you accompany me again?"
"Ma'am?"
Wesley furrowed his brow in confusion. He had joined the trip primarily because of the money, and she knew that. She couldn't know about his 'other motives' either, because then she'd have killed him already. So what exactly was she asking?
"Whenever I move to deal the finishing blow to whatever accursed creature we are dealing with, you volunteer to accompany me immediately." The look she gave him wasn't suspicious, but it was definitely inquisitive. "You don't stand to gain anything from it, you are not paid extra, so why do you insist on coming along every time?"
Oh.
Oh boy.
What on Earth was he supposed to say now?
The truth? Yeah, no, he'd first be forced to explain why he was even interested in her butt and then she'd kill him.
But what kind of lie would be able to satisfy her?
"…I like to watch."
It was the best he could come up with on such a short notice, as he didn't dare stay silent for too long, lest she became actually suspicious of his motives and maimed him in some way.
He could only pray it was enough.
"To watch?" She pursed her lips ever so slightly in response to his words, before she nodded once. "I suppose watching accursed creatures die is satisfying."
"Yes, certainly, absolutely." Wesley nodded so quickly his neck popped, but he barely noticed it in his relief over being let off the hook so easily. "Very satisfying."
"Indeed."
"I will gather the men now." Wesley stated resolutely, perhaps cutting her off but not caring about that in his hurry to get away. "By your leave."
He sped away, and as he ran, he resolved to never take such chances again just to stare at a woman's butt. Especially such a dangerous woman.
Oh, who was he trying to kid? He knew he was going to continue like before, no matter the risks. His obsession wouldn't be suppressed that easily.
Remaining in the room, looking ever so slightly bemused by the behaviour of her underling, Lorelei Barthomeloi took one last look around, and then slowly placed a hand on her behind, wondering why she felt like someone had been staring at it with a single-minded focus.
Even if there had been another Dead Apostle in the room, certainly it would have looked at her throat, where her blood would be easiest to drain from?
Had there been something in here that craved her flesh? Then how had she missed that? And why was the feeling now gone?
Odd.
Lunch with Lord El-Melloi and his favourite students turned out to be a peaceful affair; or at least, mostly peaceful.
Glascheit constantly scolded Escardos for his improper behaviour, Lehrman was openly flirting with Lord El-Melloi, and Grey seemed at a loss what to do about it all, oscillating between trying to calm Glascheit and Escardos down, scolding Lehrman, and talking with Shirou.
Lord El-Melloi made no such efforts though and spent most of the meal conversing with Shirou alone, discussing the first lecture, Shirou's impression of it, the redhead's impression of his fellow students, and his upcoming schedule.
"Most of my students have many other things to do besides my lectures. They have lectures at other Departments, they do research on their family-Craft, pursue their own projects, and many more things I am not allowed to know." Lord El-Melloi told Shirou over a glass of coffee, purposefully avoiding any mention of Magecraft or the Clocktower, as they were currently sitting in a mundane tearoom that was filled with other customers. "As you are new here, and you have no contacts or family, you have no such responsibilities, yet."
"Yet?" Did that imply he would have such responsibilities in the future?
"You are talented enough to join just about any research-group you want once you establish yourself and do some networking." Lord El-Melloi explained. "You aren't necessarily obligated to do anything, as your family has no contracts or agreements with any other family, but it is strongly advised nevertheless to join a group if you wish to achieve anything of note. That, or gain an apprenticeship under a Lord higher in rank than me. Those are the easiest ways to gain access to resources and recognition, for yourself and for your family."
Well, since he didn't care for research, resources, or recognition, and the Fujimaru-family didn't exist, Shirou didn't think he'd put an awful lot of effort into networking. Nevertheless, he did pay close attention to what the Lord said, as Rin would undoubtedly find it all very useful.
"I can help you make contact with several groups and teachers that you could learn a lot from, and who you would find… perhaps not entirely sympathetic, but at least palatable." The teacher went on, taking another sip of his coffee. "If you are interested of course."
"…I am." It would be useful for Rin if nothing else, and he might find some unexpected benefits in it if he kept an open mind.
"Then I will endeavour to help you as much as I can." The Lord promised, finishing his coffee and reaching into an inner pocket for a cigar. "That is enough out of me though. Is there anything you wish to discuss?"
"Well, now that you mention it…"
"Yes?"
"How should I go about getting someone else an apprenticeship here at the Clocktower?"
Shirou hadn't known how Lord El-Melloi would react to his, rather sudden, question, but the man just nodded as if he'd already expected something of the sort.
"A family member of yours?"
"No, just a friend."
"Must be a good friend." Lord El-Melloi rubbed his chin for a moment, before nodding once. "If this person is skilled enough, I might take them on as an apprentice myself, provided I have the time at the moment they wish to enter. If they want someone else to sponsor them instead of me, you'll have to go and ask other Lords or team-leaders."
"I understand." Shirou nodded. He could do some more scouting for possible sponsors for Rin, but he had Lord El-Melloi as a fall-back option. That was a pretty good outcome. "You agreed to my request pretty easily. I thought it was a lot of work to take on an apprentice?"
"It is, but if it means you will be on your best behaviour to ensure your friend obtains that sponsorship, it will be a small price to pay."
"…I see."
That was rather devious. Lord El-Melloi couldn't afford to have an apprentice run wild, and since he had little to threaten Shirou with, he tried rewarding him for good behaviour instead.
Shirou was completely fine with that. He had no intentions of acting out anyway, and it would make Rin happy to already be guaranteed a sponsorship.
That concluded their business talk. The small group spent a few more minutes at the tearoom, making small-talk and getting to know each other better –or what went for small talk in Magus-circles– before Lord El-Melloi put an end to it.
As she had promised, Lehrman paid the bill, before bidding them all goodbye and rushing back to the Clocktower on her own, shouting back she was already late, ignoring Lord El-Melloi's irate call that she should have said so sooner.
Glascheit and Escardos were still squabbling, but the teacher was finally getting involved in the matter, and unlike Grey, Lord El-Melloi's scolding seemed to make an actual impression on them.
In the meantime, Shirou came to walk next to Grey.
"That was a fun lunch." He smiled at her as they walked over the street, a little bit ahead of the other three. "It was very… enervating."
"…"
"I genuinely had fun." Shirou repeated, unable to suppress a smile as Grey palmed her face, pressing her hands over her eyes. "And it was quite useful too. Lord El-Melloi told me a lot about the Clocktower."
"…Sir deserves better students." Grey grumbled at last. "Your opinion of him must have gone down now that you have met… them."
'Them' referring to Escardos, Glascheit, and Lehrman.
"Not at all." The redhead assured her quickly, holding up his hands in a soothing motion. "I accepted Lord El-Melloi's sponsorship because he seemed kind and trustworthy, and since I arrived here, he has only proven more that he is indeed kind and trustworthy. There is nothing that has happened so far that lowered my opinion of him."
Grey splayed her fingers in response to his statement, peering suspiciously at him. "Really?"
"Yes, really."
That seemed to improve her mood considerably, and she removed her hands from her face to give him a cautious smile.
The rest of the trip back was a lot more peaceful than the lunch itself. With Escardos properly scolded, Glascheit no longer saw the need to keep as close an eye on him as before, and came over to speak with Grey instead.
The white-haired girl didn't quite seem to know how to handle the handsome boy however. His stuttering and strangely intense behaviour around her, something Shirou recognised as an infatuation, seemed to put her ill-at-ease.
"S-So mother and I managed to complete a spell that enhances the hamstrings specifically with our Beast-Craft, which will increase our running speed by at least three percent, t-t-though I a-am s-sure y-you aren't i-interested in that."
"But I am." Grey mumbled, cringing as Glascheit forcefully changed the subject. She seemed to be under the impression Glascheit was talking down at her, and she didn't know what to do in response.
Shirou, who had been silent ever since Glascheit had come over, so as to not to get in the way of any flirting, winced at the mess the handsome boy was making. His flirting was clumsy, and Grey seemed even denser than Shirou, which was nota good combination at all.
Once they returned to the Clocktower, Escardos and Glascheit –who looked like a kicked puppy– left for their own activities, while Shirou and Grey accompanied Lord El-Melloi to his office.
Once there, Grey took place in a corner of the room, while Lord El-Melloi sat down behind his desk and Shirou was directed to a chair directly facing the Lord.
"Well then, mister Fujimaru, there are a few more matters I must discuss with you." Lord El-Melloi began. "First of all, the matter of helping Reines with her project."
"She said she would be busy this week." Shirou recalled from their conversation the previous day.
"Indeed, but she has gone ahead and made a schedule already for when you can tutor her." The Lord huffed, handing him a file that indeed contained an agenda on which exact times and dates had been marked, starting the following week. "Do not worry, she has taken care not to have your appointments with her overlap with my lectures, and she'll send someone before the first appointment to show you the way to her chambers."
"…Very well then." Shirou agreed with a sigh, wondering how he'd been roped so quickly into teaching a Magus-noble about lightning-spells.
Well, he knew how. The noble had decided it and he couldn't refuse without making trouble for his sponsor.
He was doing it for Lord El-Melloi, not for Reines. He just had to keep that in mind.
"And then there is one other matter." Lord El-Melloi continued, sounding grave. In the corner, Grey seemed to shrink in on herself, and Shirou felt an involuntary shiver go down his spine.
"Lorelei Barthomeloi wants to speak with you. She has invited you to a private audience at her earliest convenience."
Shirou, despite his enhanced and Reinforced brain, needed more than half a second to process what the man had just said.
Lorelei Barthomeloi had summoned him.
Lorelei Barthomeloi. That was the Vice-Director of the Clocktower. The woman who was also known as 'the Queen'. The head of the Barthomeloi-family, the uncontested rulers of the Magus Association and the most powerful clan around, period.
The most powerful person of the Clocktower, in political and magical power, wanted to speak with him?
…
That was an unmitigated disaster in any and every way!
Outwardly, Shirou tried to keep his poker face up, but on the inside, he was pulling his hair out and screaming in utter frustration and despair as his every hope of keeping a low profile was flushed down the drain.
One day! He couldn't even last one single day!
Instead, he was invited, or rather ordered, to a private audience with the most important and most observed woman in the entire Clocktower.
He was used to his plans going awry, but this was special, even for him.
"This audience will take place soon." Lord El-Melloi looked vaguely apologetic, but his voice was steady. "She is currently on a trip, but it won't be long before she returns. By then, you must be ready to face her."
"Ready to face her?" That sounded like he was going to fight her, but Shirou would assume for now, for the sake of his mental health, that he wasn't going to do battle with her.
"One does not act as they please in front of the Vice-Director. There are strict rules and customs on how one should behave in her presence. From here on until the audience, I will try to teach you those rules and customs." Lord El-Melloi glanced over at Grey, before turning back to Shirou. "Grey will pretend to be Lady Barthomeloi as we try to enact the audience here in my office."
"Hah?"
"What?!"
Shirou was surprised by the plan, but not half as much as Grey, who had apparently not been informed of her upcoming acting role beforehand. She jerked in shock, her mouth falling open as she stared at Lord El-Melloi.
"It is not ideal, but it's the best I can do for now." Lord El-Melloi had a vaguely apologetic expression on his face, but it was clear he wouldn't budge. "Grey is the only person I can trust with this."
"Eh, okay? But what about Grey herself?" Shirou asked.
"I'm fine with it." The white-haired girl replied, having already recovered from the shock. "It is helps Sir."
"Thank you, Grey." Lord El-Melloi nodded, before he started the impromptu lecture. "During an audience with a higher-ranking individual, it is important that you find a balance between deference and defiance. Too much deference and you lose respect. Too much defiance, and you risk insulting someone."
"How do you find the right balance?"
"Through a mixture of instinct and experience. Normally, Magi are trained in this by their families. They have plenty of time to learn how to balance deference and defiance before they encounter anyone of significant rank. It is almost unprecedented for an inexperienced, new student to immediately be summoned to meet the Vice-Director herself."
"Almost unprecedented?" Shirou was almost afraid to ask.
"A girl was once summoned on her third day at the Clocktower for an audience with the Vice-director, now over a hundred years ago. She had been caught attempting to steal the Crests stored in the General Vault. She was sent to the Dissection Department and vivisected alive over the course of three weeks."
"Great." Shirou deadpanned. "But I didn't steal any Crests, so why does she want to speak with me?"
"I didn't say? Lady Barthomeloi had something of a personal grudge against Vincent Balefor, one of the Sealing Designees you captured. When I brought him to the Clocktower and told her the story, she decided she wanted to talk with you herself."
"Oh." So the meeting wasn't because of something he'd done today or yesterday, or something to do with his identity, but because he'd done her an indirect favour? That was something of a relief. "Is that good or bad?"
"I imagine that depends on you. If you manage to impress her, this might be the best thing that'll ever happen to you. Mess up in any way and you'll lose favour with the Barthomeloi-family."
"That doesn't sound so bad."
"It means a massive majority of Magi here will never even dare to interact with you ever again. You will become an outcast as anyone who might have spoken with you will stay away out of fear of upsetting the Barthomeloi."
"…Right. That does sound bad."
So not only did he have to deal with the Vice-Director herself and the spotlights that would put on him, but he also had to make sure he would conduct himself properly all the while, lest his mission to save Illya and help Rin get her entrance into the Clocktower would become infinitely more complicated, if not impossible.
…Great.
"Now, Shirou, please step outside of the office and come back in two minutes, in the way you would enter Lady Barthomeloi's office. Pretend it's the real thing. Grey, come here and sit in my chair. Pretend you are the Vice-Director of the Clocktower who is about to speak with a Magus who has only recently arrived at the Clocktower, someone far below you in standing. Give it your best shot. Action!"
I will conclude the chapter here. It's a bit shorter than usual, but this was a good place to break off. The chapter is about the first day of class, and this is pretty much it.
The focus of this chapter is of course Shirou meeting the gang. The lesson around it is just extra fluff that doesn't really matter because I'm not going to do anything with it anymore because Nasu (the writer) never provides any information on how his Magic Systems work.
Also, one more scene about Wesley being a pervert towards Barthomeloi. Why was that there? No idea, I just wanted to show what she had been up to and why she isn't present at the Clocktower during this chapter.
The meeting between Lorelei and Shirou is coming too, just hold on to your hats a bit longer.
My thanks to my usual betas and to my newest two beta-readers, LukeSky and Cali.
Ted takes a rocket to space to kick some billionaires in the face. Goodbye.