Chapter 3
Part 5
"I would also like to ask you, Lord Valueleta," my master whispered. "Regardless of the plastic surgery, you should have known something was up with the Iselma family. At the very least, you knew that the Princess of Gold shown at the party was a fake, no?"
"...did I now?" she answered with a small shrug. Looking around the room, as if deciding she couldn't quite deceive everyone, she let out a small sigh. "Well, I had my suspicions. The Iselma family was doing quite well, but they shouldn't have produced any results for another few generations. Then rumors started sprouting up about how they had skipped right to the end, to the point even my idiot student started poking her face into things."
"And so you let Atram Galiasta go wild in an attempt to flush that out."
"Something like that," as if she had given up, the old woman confessed.
From her perspective, the sudden contact from Atram must have been a surprise blessing. Perhaps it was the presentation of the Princess at the Social Assembly, or maybe Iselma's participation in that black market auction. Maybe even earlier than that, but regardless, something happened that necessitated a deeper look into Iselma's work. Her taking on Mick Grajilie must have been for that reason as well.
"-and from me, one more thing," Touko Aozaki said, turning to Inorai. "I've always wanted to ask, but how did you react to the news of my Sealing Designation?"
"I thought it was a good idea. You are one of the best possible choices to be selected for a Sealing Designation in this era. When asking others around me, they all supported it too. That Touko Aozaki and her Magic Circuits should be preserved for eternity in the depths of the Secret Judgment Division."
Inorai replied without a hint of hesitation.
As if to say, it's your own fault if you asked the question without thinking it through.
That was Lord Valueleta.
The very human, large-hearted smile that she showed at the Social Assembly was definitely not a lie. But at her core, she was the ideal magus. If she believed it would lead to the development of magecraft, she would sell out one of her students to a Sealing Designation without the least bit of hesitation. The ideal Lord.
That was no doubt the ideal way of being for a Lord of the Clock Tower.
"I figured as much," Touko replied gently.
-in the next moment, Touko looked down at her chest.
Sprouting there was now a green blade. Looking at it as if confused, Touko tilted her head to the side.
From inside Touko's body, the root of some strange plant was now protruding.
"-I-I-I, I d-did it!" A voice stammered out from its place on the floor.
As if he had suddenly grown old, over the past few minutes Maio had grown to look extremely exhausted. Now, he held a bottle of medicine in his fingers.
"...ah, the drug, is it?" As if it was no more than a nuisance, Touko muttered.
Did the memory blocking drug Touko was forced to take have something else mixed in? Most likely, some sort of plant that responded to some chemical in the air with sudden, explosive growth.
"Hahahahahaha!" The pharmacist laughed. "W-what good is a Grand? That title is meaningless! She's the only one that has meaning! The end of Iselma's...the end of my dream! Isn't that right, Lord Byron?!"
"M-Maio..." Lord Byron said, still having difficulty keeping up with the current situation. The despairing, grief-stricken gentleman could only shake his head from side to side dumbly, as the bone-thin face of the pharmacist roared with laughter.
"O-one more time! You just n-need to create it, one more time!" As he screamed, he turned to face his two childhood friends. "P-please, for my sake! O-one more time, do the plastic surgery on her! O-on the Princess of Silver, or Rejina! Whichever you like, j-just cut them up!"
It was like he had gone mad.
In contrast, Touko was deathly calm.
"Or else, you'll kill me here?"
"Yes! T-that root is wrapped around your h-heart! Around all your internal, organs! I-if you try to break that spell, it'll t-take all your insides with it! N-no matter what kind of amazing, Magic Crest, you have, you'll just die..."
"Well that doesn't mean much. I don't have a Magic Crest in the first place, so I guess that's that." Touko drew some sort of symbol on the root protruding from her chest. In the next moment, it withered and crumbled away.
However, she did nothing to close the hole it left. With a hole now in her chest the size of a fist, she spoke lazily.
"I see I see. It was sloppy of me to let my memories get erased like that, but since it would let me start fresh all over again, I figured it would let me enjoy it even more. Man, I have a terrible personality. Thanks to that, the ending is going to turn out a little disappointing. I have nothing against you, Maio, but at this point there's nothing I can do to stop it." Touko looked up at thte ceiling. "Recently, I've been dividing things up. Though there recently haven't been so many attempts on my life around the Clock Tower...I see, I didn't tell you, did I?"
A strange cracking sound filled the air.
Not like one that sends waves through the air, perceived by the ear.
Something more fundamental - a kind of friction that didn't belong in this dimension.
A sharp, scraping sound, that felt like it was being perceived directly by the soul.
"Sorry, but I'll have to ask you to hold this for me for a bit," Touko said, throwing a small paper box to my master.
A box of cigarettes.
Inorai's expression shifted. "Touko, you-"
"Haha, of course you figured it out," Touko said with a smile, the bizarre otherworldly sound increasing in volume as she did so.
No, I was the only one who understood.
(...when we were fighting, in that forest...)
At that time, I felt a bizarre presence from the too-large bag Touko carried with her.
An extreme, despair inducing magical energy that made me wonder if it could even stand up to Rhongomyniad.
Now, that same feeling was leaking out of Touko's own body.
This was the true form of the contents of that bag.
"Long ago, I got done in by surprise, so I've learned to take some countermeasures. Now, it's in here - oh, and don't worry. It is restricted to acting as a Counter. As long as you don't get in its way, it won't hurt anyone but the person who attacked me. Lord El-Melloi II, I'll be dropping by later to pick up those cigarettes."
With another crack, Touko's stomach broke open. Clothes, bone, and flesh alike split apart as if she was no more than a statue - and inside the open wound, a kind of 'door' awaited.
An oppressive darkness.
Not endless, but without dimensions altogether - an eternal, infinite hell.
I learned later from my master that that monster had no name. Since its existence was only known through Touko's magecraft, no one had managed to discern the nature of the Mystery that lay behind it. There was the possibility that even Touko was unaware of the truth behind that beast.
It was like a horror movie.
Unspeakably silent.
Understood by no one.
And more than anything...immortal.
Within the depths of that ceaseless darkness, where no magecraft could ever hope to reach it, two lights shined.
-the two eyes I saw at that time!
To the sound of Lord Byron's strangled scream, Touko's body completely broke apart, the shadow within her bursting forth.
Like a thorned plant, a clawed tentacle shot forward, taking hold of the pharmacist that had hurt its master.
"Maio!"
In response to Rejina's scream, Maio could only give a muffled grunt.
It appeared like he had already given up.
In less than a moment, he would be dragged into the 'door' that was Touko Aozaki, where he would be devoured by thousands of sets of jaws.
Ah, that's right. There's no way to respond to that.
In a way, it was on the same level as that temporary Princess of Gold. Though thoroughly its opposite, that monster's existence was enough to completely crush the soul of a human being. Even had it only been big enough to devour you one fingertip at a time, terror would overwhelm all other sensations.
The end. The end.
The incident, everything, everything was over.
Like some sort of Deus Ex Machina, everything would be concluded here, bite by bite.
(...is that okay?)
Someone asked.
A question posed to me, from myself.
I was afraid of that hero of the past that tried to overtake me.
This person had just been overwhelmed by that absolute _____.
Really, the difference between us was small. The difference between offering up oneself, or another. Whether we had a chance afterwards or not.
Thanks to that small difference alone, I was going to stay here, and Maio was being taken away.
"Hey, Gray!"
A voice called from my right hand.
Before, when that voice called out to me, and I was snapped out of it by my master's bold proclamation.
But this time? Was this just a trick of the imagination? Was this just a selfish illusion, forcing myself on someone whose circumstances were similar to mine?
"..........I....."
My voice spilled out.
At that moment, while still broken completely apart, Touko's eyes turned to me.
It seemed to me like she was smiling.
Like she was telling me to do as I liked. To live as I wanted to.
Up until this point, she must have been the freest person I had ever seen. And that was her assurance.
"---aaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAH!"
My body moved.
In one leap, I crossed the five meters between us. Before anyone could move to stop me, Add had deployed, and the latent magical energy in the air had already been absorbed. With one powerful stroke, the thorned tentacle was severed.
Though Maio had already lost part of his legs to the beast, he was still alive.
"Maio!"
Rejina and the Princess of Silver ran up to him.
Even after hearing him attempt to offer their lives up for the sake of magecraft, their feelings for him had not disappeared. No doubt, their relationship was unbreakable. Though it had little to do with me, the thought that such a bond existed somewhere in the world was not unpleasant in the least.
"Gray!"
"...sorry."
With one more slash at the tentacled creature, I apologized.
I could feel the movement of magical energy. Touko's - no, the beast within the box that had once been Touko had turned to view us as enemies, and seemed to be changing its approach for that fight.
"He is the same as me. Just me, but a little bit braver."
If I had completely given up, then I would have been entirely overtaken by that past hero.
Even if I could use Add, I would become someone more worthy.
The people of my home would no doubt rejoice. After all, the clumsy person I was now would have ceased to exist.
But how was one to express that feeling?
Despite my obviously insufficient explanation,
"...good grief." My master nodded. He turned to look at that darkness, that box where a shapeless blackness was all that could be seen. "Seems like there's nothing I can do. But, the time and space within which it can act here should both be limited. I see, the perfect disposition for a horror movie. Vampires are loved because they are only unstoppable at night, zombies are feared because they can't speak at all. What a fitting creature for her to have made."
Muttering in admiration, he turned to the curly-haired youth beside him. "Svin, how much do you think you can handle?"
"I should be able to do seventy percent."
"Please."
In response to my master's quick request, Flat jumped in.
"W-wait, Professor! Aren't you going to ask me?!"
"Quiet. All you're going to do is get hit in the head and pass out again, right?"
"Well, yes, but! But hey, looking lightly on concussions is a big mistake! I might end up developing a snore or something terrible like that! Actually, I heard near-death experiences can bring up flashes from your previous lives. What do you think, Professor?"
"Svin, help Gray fight off that tentacle thing."
"Yes sir!"
Plainly ignoring Flat, he gave Svin instructions before turning to the other boy.
"Flat, see if you can interfere with the spell realizing that space."
"On it, Professor!"
With a carefree nod towards me, Flat drew some sort of magical sign with his fingers before touching the ground.
Beside him, Svin had wrapped himself in the form of the Phantasmal Wolf.
"Reines, support please."
"Yes yes, I figured you'd say something like that." As if satisfied by something, Reines dropped the hand that was coverig her right eye. Reclaiming the part of her that had turned into the star map, the mercury maid moved into a battle ready formation.
Then, my master called out from behind us.
"Lord Valueleta, Mick Grajilie. We will deal with that. Could we ask you to take care of Lord Byron and the Princess of Silver?"
"Well, I guess they are supposed to be my allies," Inorai accepted.
Lord Byron was still stuck in a daze.
No doubt, it was because he had looked directly into those eyes. Even to a magus who was well accustomed to the supernatural, after his life had been taken apart right in front of him, it was more than enough to drive him into abject despair. Even in this situation where he might die at any moment, he seemed completely unaware.
"If the boss says so, not much I can do," Mick said with a shrug.
At any rate, coloured sand had already spread to make a sort of Boundary field, showing the two of them were more than ready to do what was needed the moment that monster had appeared.
Finally, my master turned to the last person.
"I thought you would have run by now."
"Of course, that is my intention. However, since the chance is here, I figured I'd take the opportunity to measure your abilities." Atram replied, in a surprisingly good mood. Whatever had caught his interest, his eyes shone like they were watching over the work of a good friend.
"Spectating isn't free of charge, you know."
"Naturally," Atram replied with an exaggerated bow.
Apparently, that was sufficient for my master, as he then turned to me once more.
"Gray."
"...yes?"
"Well done."
Surprised, I lifted my face.
"This is an incident I said I would take responsibility for. Leaving the culprit to that monster would be a mark against the El-Melloi family's honour. Let's end things, by ourselves."
There was no way that was true. All he was doing was trying to make a lame excuse to make up for my selfishness.
How ridiculous. It was a gesture sweet enough to make my heart hurt.
"Here it comes."
Suddenly, the monster seemed to have made its choice.
From within that dark 'box,' the thorned tentacles were released all at once.
But by that point, the impulse driving me had already found its course, too.
"-here I go."
With an explosive speed, I leapt straight towards it. Making use of the magical energy spilling from it, I Strengthened myself. Then, relying on my sharpened senses and reflexes, I slipped through the gaps between the thorns, modifying the form of my scythe slightly to deliver a powerful strike.
Altogether, seven tentacles were cut apart.
Spinning again, I brought the scythe down once more.
The magical energy pouring out of that creature was so vast I almost hesitated to take it in. But even as I felt my Magic Circuits and nerves begin to corrode at the contact, I didn't. There was no reason to hesitate. This was as a desperate last stand - I couldn't afford to leave room for regrets.
Svin also grabbed a nearby tentacle, using his strength of his phantom body to tear it apart.
"Don't think you can just finish it," my master called out from behind. "If you try to wield too much magical energy at once, you'll just stimulate the main body to further action. Wait for Flat's analysis."
In short, Rhongomyniad was off limits. Even if that weren't the case, there was no way I could show that spear in front of a Lord who was, at least in name, an enemy.
As if in response to our attack, the thorns multiplied.
Would Svin and I alone be able to hold them back? Overcome by a sudden nervousness, I swallowed.
When suddenly, my body was wrapped in silver.
"-huh?"
"I really didn't want to have to debut it in a place like this," her voice was legitimately upset.
My arms and legs glowed with silver. Wrapping about my entire body - Volumen Hydrargyrum had transformed itself into a beautiful suit of armor.
"Allow me to lend you my dress. Steel yourself," Reines said with a smile.
**********
Enduring the pain in her eyes, Reines focused on operating Volumen Hydrargyrum.
It took careful effort to align the Mystic Code's movement with Gray's, in a way that would disrupt neither her movements nor the Mystic Code itself.
From the beginning, Reines' magical energy was far and away inferior to her predecessor's - the previous Lord El-Melloi, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald. She just didn't have the reserves to throw Volumen Hydrargyrum around on a whim like he could.
However, Lord El-Melloi II had discerned a different talent in her.
Precision control.
Her Mystic Eyes that reacted to excess magical energy were an expression of that.
As such, the incredibly difficult task of "layering magecraft on top of another's magecraft" was an ability she grasped at the age of eleven. Her ability to add a human personality to Trimmau, or her Projection of the Princess of Gold from a few hours earlier were both applications of that ability. When she first succeeded in that, her brother had made an expression so mixed with joy and misery that she remembered it clearly even now.
(...geez, how sad can you be?)
It was almost like he raised students of his own just to reinforce his own mediocrity.
Watching that man who couldn't stop raising those students, nor could he remove himself from a life entwined with magecraft, was one of Reines' greatest pleasures.
That was something she wanted to enjoy with all her heart.
For that reason,
(...it's all up to you.)
Thinking that, she focused on Gray's back.
***********
Svin Glascheit kept fighting, taking the role of covering Gray's blindspot.
Truth be told, it was a situation that made him overflow with joy.
Having the chance to protect her was enough to make him want to break out in dance. The pleasure ran up his back in a shiver, and his brain was flooded with the sensation of pure delight.
It had been three months since he had fallen for her.
Was that really love? Even Svin hinself didn't know.
The Bestial Magecraft was a school of magecraft that was practiced widely across the world, but as if in inverse proportion to its geographical distribution, the number of actual practitioners was surprisingly small. As a form of magecraft that appropriated the nature of beasts, it inevitably led to the complete loss of humanity in many. For that reason, families that were able to continue a stable bloodline while practicing it were rare.
The Glascheit family was one of those rare exceptions, but that wasn't because they had conquered that weakness.
Within their line, even of the heir were to be lost to madness, the family's Magic Crest was nevertheless pressed upon them.
At times, Svin felt a sense of animosity towards that crystallized Mystery, that forced inheritance. As an example of phenomenal success within their family, he was sent off to the Clock Tower, and since their family had no strong connections to any of the Clock Tower factions, he was taken in by the El-Melloi classroom.
Lord El-Melloi II saw through to his true potential, and through his help Svin was able to reclaim a number of lost arts from his family's history in Bestial Magecraft...but, he was never able to overcome that feeling of alienation.
Not a magus, neither a human, not even a beast.
He felt just like a drain, a gutter that could never be filled.
Until he caught Gray's scent for the first time. For the first time, that feeling was drowned out by something else.
(...probably.)
Probably, it was because like him, she wasn't used to dealing with people.
Uncomfortable among the living, too weak to embrace death, and deathly afraid of ghosts.
Maybe, all he wanted was to be with her, to lick their wounds together.
That's why he thought, maybe that emotion wasn't love at all. A hunch he just couldn't ignore.
(Ahhhh...!)
Embracing that impulse, Svin howled.
As he did, his body split.
The thorned monstrosity shook as if bewildered, causing the sudden group of Svins to smile.
"This is what a Phantasmal Body can do."
In short, he split his magical energy down the middle to make copies of himself.
He hadn't used the technique against Touko because he was sure she could see through to the original, and in short order neutralize the spell. Against this tentacled monster though, there was no fear of that.
All at once, the six Svins charged.
****************
El-Melloi II quietly watched Svin and Gray's actions.
It was an incredible sight to behold.
Despite the avalanche of thorned tentacles contesting them, the two managed to not only repel, but also drive back the monster. Thanks to their efforts, he was been able to find what he was looking for. And while it moved slowly, Flat was also making progress on his analysis of that space.
However, in that gap, a single thorn broke through. Unseen by any of his students, the limb struck straight for the Lord's brow.
At that moment, an Automata shaped like a spider dropped down from the ceiling. Throwing itself in front of the Lord, the tentacle punched through its shell with ease. But as expected of such a machine, it still had no problem twisting and wrenching the tentacle apart.
"One of the Automata my idiot student gave to Lord Byron, huh?" Inorai muttered.
It was the same Automata that had accosted Gray and Reines earlier.
"Thank you," El-Melloi II said, turning to the Princess of Silver.
Once she had decided to cover for Maio, she had probably used it as a method of buying time. It wouldn't be strange, after all, for her to be taught the method of utilizing the Automata from Lord Byron.
"At the end, I was prepared to die along with my father," the Princess muttered.
Rejina was now looking after Maio's injuries silently. The two of them likely felt the same way, though. It was then no wonder they were so calm despite El-Melloi II's indictment of their activities.
"...but, why...why are you...?" Her beautiful voice wavered.
Why did you choose to save him? Her voice shook as if she wanted to ask.
There was no reason at all for you to help us, after all.
"It wasn't me," he answered. Turning his back on the wide-eyed Princess of Silver, he continued. "However, my student decided to put her life on the line. Why would I not help?"
So saying, Lord El-Melloi II began to stroke the thing he had found just earlier.
Originally Posted by TwilightsCall
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