Carla wanted him to come along with her, not for his sake, to die gloriously and free, but because she was afraid. For all her talk about accepting the consequences of her actions, she was afraid to leave the Hall of the Copernicus on her own, and thus she wanted him to accompany her on her foolish errand.
It was nothing more than a sister wanting her brother to protect her. That, or she wanted someone with her when she died during her ridiculous outing.
It was, of course, entirely preposterous, for many different reasons. For one, she was at least ten times stronger than he was. For two, Rudolph didn't do protecting. In fact, it was ridiculous that she'd even think of asking Rudolph for something like this.
Rudolph, as had been stated many times before, was a swine. He was lazy, entitled, useless, and overly proud. He was a useless waste of space and a greedy slob who enjoyed eating and drinking too much. He was the worst kind of man, and most of the time, he wasn't even aware of it, stubbornly thinking of himself as God's gift to Mankind.
Had it been literally anyone else asking this of him, he would have treated the request with the scorn it rightfully deserved.
But Carla wasn't just anyone, she was family, and family changed things.
Yes, his family was far from perfect. In fact, Rudolph wouldn't even consider most of them to actually be his family at all. Whether it was his father who had already proven not to care in the slightest about him, his great-uncle who cared about nobody, his grandfather who acted the reasonable man but was actually the most poisonous of them all, Rudolph generally didn't consider them family.
They were related, but it ended with that.
But Carla was different. Carla was actually family, just like Abigail and Thalia, and family was special, even to someone like Rudolph.
It wasn't exactly Magus-like of him, but then again, he wasn't really a Magus to begin with. He'd have to be far more interested in Magecraft to be considered such.
So in the end, he was incapable of rejecting Carla's request.
Rudolph hadn't suddenly become a good man. He hadn't seen the error of his ways and pledged to better himself. He wasn't going to cry and shout his regrets to the sky as if he'd been redeemed.
He was still a swine, but he was a swine who loved his big sister, no matter what he might say to the contrary when he was in a bad mood.
"Fine." He thus said, resigning himself to having to join the most difficult mission of his life. "I must be going crazy, but fine. I'll come with you. We'll get those team-mates of yours and run back to the Hall of the Copernicus before the lackeys of Policies can breach the gates. Those gates are strong, so it should take them at least a couple of hours."
"Thank you!" Carla cried in delight, and then Rudolph had to fend her off as she tried to hug him to death in gratitude.
Family had prevailed once more.
Alas, things didn't go as the siblings had hoped however.
By the time they arrived at the entrance of the Hall of the Copernicus, they got the news that the Hall of the Hydra, where Carla's teammates lived, had already fallen, and that no one in that hall had escaped from Barthomeloi's army.
Carla's team was long gone.
Really, this was the worst fucking day ever.
When Shirou and Lady Barthomeloi presented their plan of sneaking into the last hall of the Department of Archaeology to the others, the reactions were mixed, as the redhead had honestly expected already.
Most of them reacted in ways that were perfectly in character. Lady Montmorency just accepted it as something her boss had decided to do. Both Sisigou and Bazett nodded with stoic expressions, knowing that it was not their place to argue with the Vice-Director. Adashino the snake-lady and Reines had not reacted at all, too nervous to draw attention to themselves like that. Lord El-Melloi had looked pensive for a moment but had then accepted the plan as well, probably figuring that it was impossible to convince them otherwise.
Grey on the other hand looked shocked that they were going to try something so dangerous. Svin had taken one look at Grey and had then adopted the same expression, while Flat seemed delighted that they were going to do something so cool. Yvette L. Lehrman didn't seem to care much though, as it wasn't about Lord El-Melloi.
It was miss Ortensia however who reacted in a way Shirou hadn't expected. Instead of smiling mysteriously, or making a teasing joke, she looked… almost concerned for him.
It was only for a split second though, after which she had returned to her normal smile. It was but an instant, so short Shirou almost thought he'd imagined it, but no, it had definitely been there.
He didn't have time to consider the ramifications of it however, as Lady Barthomeloi spoke up again.
"Mister Fujimaru and I will enter the Eastern Hall unseen." She summarised her earlier explanation. "There, we shall apprehend the Meluastea and secure the prisoners. This will enable the rest of our forces to attack quickly and decisively without having to fear any unexpected last movements of our foes. Naturally, Fujimaru will disable all Bounded Fields once our objectives have been completed, enabling you to enter the hall without delay."
"How will we know that you are done?" Flat, who had conquered his fear of the Vice-Director at some point, asked. "I mean, I suppose you don't want us to attack before you've completed your goals, as that would sort of ruin the whole stealth-thing, so what's the signal?"
"The Bounded Fields being disabled." Lady Barthomeloi repeated, looking at Flat as if he were a particularly dim-witted rock.
"…Right." Flat placed a palm against his face in self-recrimination. "Should have guessed that myself."
"Indeed."
"May I ask how you plan on transporting the prisoners and the Meluastea out of the Eastern hall?" Lady Montmorency piped up. "There will be dozens of captives at least, and the Meluastea have bred like rabbits these past few decades."
"Transporting people is a simple matter." Lady Barthomeloi blithely dismissed the question, and Shirou found himself wishing he had her confidence. "I have no doubt Levitation will prove very effective."
"I do not think Levitation would be a good idea." Lord El-Melloi disagreed. "Levitating so many bodies would attract too much attention, and place both you and your prisoners at risk, Lady Barthomeloi."
"I am more than capable of defending myself and others, Lord El-Melloi." She swiftly replied in a voice that was definitely icier than before. "Even inside enemy territory."
"I do not question that for a moment." Lord El-Melloi, perhaps realising he was treading on thin ice, immediately tried to sooth the situation. "I am merely trying to say there might be a better alternative."
"Which is?"
"You do not leave the Eastern hall at all. After you have infiltrated, you choose a secure location within the hall. Then, you capture the Meluastea and free the prisoners, before gathering them together in that location, which you and mister Fujimaru will defend. Would you be able to break the Bounded Fields from inside, Fujimaru?"
"Yes." Shirou nodded. "That should be easy enough."
"Then do that once you have secured everything you are after, and wait for the reinforcements to secure a path from your location to this hall, before bringing the captives and the Meluastea out."
That… was actually a pretty good idea, way better than hauling bodies around while trying to be clandestine, and Shirou wondered why he and Lady Barthomeloi hadn't thought of that.
"That is an alternative we did consider." Lady Barthomeloi said coolly, and Shirou only just stopped himself from reacting in surprise at her blatant lie. "We were unsure however whether our absence from the frontlines is something that we can afford once the attack commences. According to mister Fujimaru, the Eastern hall is the most well-defended of them all and might be beyond the capabilities of our strike force if he and I are not present."
"Do give us some credit." Sisigou muttered, before freezing up when he realised everyone had heard him.
"I agree with the mercenary." Lady Montmorency nodded, and Sisigou breathed an almost inaudible sigh of relief. "If the Bounded Fields have been disabled, we will be more than capable of clearing and occupying the Eastern hall, even without you."
"Very well." Lady Barthomeloi nodded, giving in a lot easier than she normally might have, probably because she too was anxious to leave the subject behind before something might give away she hadn't thought of Lord El-Melloi's suggestion at all. "Then our course of action will be thus."
Without giving anyone the time to react, she turned around on her heels and marched away to the entrance of the Eastern hall, and Shirou made to follow her, before stopping and turning to Lady Montmorency instead.
"Is everything alright with the prisoners we have rescued so far?" He asked. "Do you need any help?"
"Not for the moment." Lady Montmorency shook her head calmly. "We have managed to stabilise everyone without any fatalities, both the people we rescued and those of our forces who were injured in battle. I won't lie by telling you that it is all going smoothly, but we are managing. It would be appreciated however if you could visit the patients yourself at some point. I understand you have remarkable healing powers."
"Yes." Shirou nodded, not wasting energy on wondering how she knew that. "I will. Thank you for working so hard to help them."
"'Thank you'? It is not for you that we do this." Lady Montmorency lifted an eyebrow at his words.
"Nevertheless, you do deserve some gratitude for taking care of them." Shirou smiled slightly. "So thank you, truly."
"Hm, very well, boy, if you insist." Lady Montmorency did not seem particularly impressed by his words, but she did nod in acceptance. "Though you should be careful about wearing your heart on your sleeve like that. It might get stabbed."
"I'll take my chances." Shirou responded. He knew that being so open with his emotions was unwise in the Moonlit World, but he had long since decided not to care about that too much.
Lady Montmorency looked at him for a few seconds more, and then she sighed, a sound that carried exasperation, but also amusement.
"With every action you take and every word that comes out of your mouth, you become a better candidate. You are already the best choice, boy, no need to try so hard."
"The best choice?" Shirou blinked once in confusion, not understanding what the lady was talking about. "For what exactly?"
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with for now."
"Your words do not set me at ease."
"Enough of this, boy. Lady Barthomeloi is waiting for you."
"Yes, well, I guess I'm off then." Shirou said, recognising he wasn't going to get anything more out of her, and with a last goodbye to Lord El-Melloi and Grey, he rushed after the Vice-Director, who was impatiently tapping her foot near the entrance of the Eastern hall.
"Here I am." He said as he went to stand next to her and joined her in watching the entrance of the Eastern hall. "Ready when you are."
"…I am ready, yes." She nodded after a moment, giving him a puzzled look, clearly not familiar with the phrase. "You may go ahead and start your diversion."
Shirou nodded back, and lifted a hand, calling upon Mjolnir to help him, even if he didn't fully materialise the hammer.
The hallway leading into the Eastern hall seemed at first sight to be abandoned, but appearances were deceiving, for that hallway was anything but empty.
Shirou could spot numerous Bounded Fields of course, but there were also various other Magical traps of many different kinds. There were parts of the floor that would disappear when you stepped on it, spikes that would come out of the ground, acids-traps, falling boulders, fire-spells, constructs that functioned much like landmines, walls that would suddenly appear and trap attackers in brutal kill-zones, and much more.
It wasn't for nothing that Shirou had warned Lady Barthomeloi that this part would be the hardest yet. If the Enforcers and mercenaries stormed in without due consideration, it could very easily turn into a bloodbath.
Lady Barthomeloi and he would avoid the traps by flying over them, but he was still going to destroy most of them now. Partially to clear the way for the strike force that would attack later, and partially to contribute to the ruckus.
"Let's begin with a little fire." He said, and in one smooth movement, he drew Sowilo, the Rune of Fire, aiming straight at the hallway before him.
The next moment, a miniature star came into existence.
Rodger Feldmann really, really, really regretted every choice he'd made in his life up until this point.
He was in a mess. He was in a total mess, and he didn't have anyone to blame except himself.
The Department of Policies was after him, after everyone who followed the Meluastea. There was every chance he was measuring his remaining life in minutes now, and the knowledge that he was going to die without having achieved anything of note filled him with a dread so deep his stomach hurt from it.
Standing at the entrance of the hallway that led from the Southern hall to the Hall of the Copernicus –at the side of the Hall of the Copernicus of course, since the Southern hall had long been taken– armed with nothing but his own rather lacking Spell-repertoire, a cheap spear, and the Meluastea's orders to let no one get past him, Rodger was utterly unprepared for any kind of serious assault.
Rodger was furiously going over his options in his mind, trying to piece together a plan that would allow him to escape from the Department of Archaeology altogether, but nothing presented itself. The department was almost certainly surrounded, and it wasn't exactly a secret either that he worked for the Meluastea, so even if he ran, they would quickly track him down again.
The simple truth of the matter was that Rodger was doomed. He was doomed, and there was nothing he could do about it anymore. If he'd wanted to avoid an end like this, he should have made different choices before this point.
He could for instance have listened to his grandmother when she told him to find himself a good, stable, and safe job at the Department of Policies or the Department of Modern Magical Theories. Alternatively, he could have listened to his aunt and joined the Enforcers, which wasn't exactly safe but at least not illegal either.
He could have become a researcher, an administrator, a teacher, or almost anything else, and he wouldn't be in the mess he was currently in.
Heavens, the job itself didn't even matter. He should just have stayed far away from the Meluastea. Those kinds of people were nothing but trouble.
Yes, they had been very powerful when Rodger had joined them, very powerful and very rich. It had seemed as if nothing and no one would ever be able to defeat them. Throwing his lot in with them had appeared to be the best choice for him.
Now he knew though that it was the worst choice he could have possibly made.
His grandmother had warned him. She'd told him that criminals didn't last. No matter how powerful they might seem at the height of their power, they would fall sooner or later, and they would drag everyone who followed them down along with them.
He hadn't listened though, and that was why his family had cut ties with him. His grandmother, his aunt, his mother, and his sister had all disowned him when he told them that he'd joined the Meluastea, and they hadn't spoken a single word to him since.
At the time, he'd assumed it would be temporary. That they would come back soon enough when they saw how rich and powerful he was becoming under the graceful guidance of his new employers.
Perhaps not his grandmother, she was old and set in her ways, but surely his sister would see the light at some point? That their grandmother was not someone whose plans they wanted to follow?
If it was up to the old bat, Rodger would have kept himself to the laws of the Clocktower for all of his life. He would have broken no laws, he wouldn't have meddled in the business of lords and ladies, he wouldn't have overreached, he wouldn't have insulted anyone. He would just have slowly expanded the family's power and influence through hard work and dedication until he could have entrusted that task to his children, which he would have sired together with his equally inoffensive wife.
For someone like Rodger, that prospect had been hell itself.
Now though he was wondering if following that path might not have been the better option. It would have been excruciatingly boring, but the chance of dying would have been minimal, and right now, that appealed to him very much indeed.
It wasn't so however. He hadn't listened to his grandmother, but he'd chosen the fast, exciting, and dangerous life, and there was no escaping the situation now that it was time to pay the piper.
Not that that stopped him from trying to think of something anyway.
"Feldmann!"
His panicked attempts at formulating a plan were interrupted however when Timo de Vries, a fellow guard, rapidly walked up to him.
"De Vries." Rodger greeted the other man in a frosty tone. "What do you want?"
"A report of the situation." The other man replied, not reacting to the animosity in Rodger's tone. "Has there been any movement on this end?"
"None." Rodger answered shortly, hoping De Vries would fuck off soon so he could go back to thinking up an escape plan. "The Bounded Fields are in top-condition, and none of the traps have been triggered."
"I see." Rather than leaving, De Vries stood still, slowly bringing a hand to his chin in contemplation. "Odd. There isn't any movement at the other entrances either. With how fast the army took the other halls, I would have thought…"
"This one is the best defended." Rodger reminded him, sneakily making a rude hand gesture. "Attacking without a plan will only get them killed."
De Vries didn't seem so sure about that, but he didn't reply to Rodger's words, instead switching the subject to something else, to Rodger's irritation.
"Sure seems like we pissed off a lot of people, huh?" He asked rhetorically, before laughing without humour. "Might be exactly what we deserve though."
"What do you mean?!" Rodger snapped, turning to face the other man. He'd planned on ignoring him, but there was no way he could have let a statement like that pass unchallenged. "We have done nothing to deserve this. This is just Policies' aggression at work!"
"Uh…?" De Vries blinked in confusion, and Rodger couldn't help but note the stupid look was very fitting for him. "We tortured people. Blackmailed people. Abducted people. That's not what the average man would describe as morally good, Feldmann."
"We are not average people." Rodger sniffed at the blatant stupidity, incredulous that such a lout was allowed to live at the Clocktower. "We are Magi."
"Well, perhaps, but now that we are almost certainly going to die, do you not feel at least a bit of regret about what we've done to all those poor people in the dungeons and Workshops?"
"No, why would I?" All Rodger regretted was that he hadn't run away from this place sooner, before it was attacked. He couldn't care less about those mundane mongrels who had been granted the honour of contributing to Magecraft's progress.
"Well, they're people too-"
"Shut up!" Rodger snapped, getting more and more annoyed by this lout's newfound morality. "They are below us! They are little more than vermin. What does it matter that we killed a few? There are billions of them out there."
"But try to imagine yourself in their position." De Vries argued weakly. "Certainly, you wouldn't like to be dissected? Or experimented upon?"
"I will never be in their position! I am a Magus!"
"You might be soon in their position, if the Department of Policies captures you alive. Something tells me they won't be in the mood to be merciful, and I don't think they'll be impressed much by us being Magi either."
"It won't come to that." Rodger snapped, hiding his fear and dread beneath a mountain of arrogance and confidence. "The Hall of the Copernicus is the most well defended out of all halls. The corridor here before us is filled with more traps than I can count, Bounded Fields of all kinds are everywhere, and there are numerous guards standing ready to capitalise on the enemy's weakness once they've managed to crawl through the defences in their way."
"…" De Vries didn't reply, but the look in his eyes was sceptical, which pissed Rodger off even more.
"How could they ever manage to break into this hall?!" He demanded loudly, feeling sorely tempted to point his spear at De Vries' throat. "No, more importantly, what are you even doing here?! Your post is somewhere else! Did you just come to talk about morality?! Are you suddenly feeling guilty now that you encounter some trouble on the way?! Grow up!"
De Vries made to answer, a heavy frown on his face, and Rodger eagerly anticipated the distraction an argument would provide…
Before a mighty, thunderous roar erupted from the other side of the hallway, and both Rodger and De Vries turned to look.
They were just in time to witness an ocean of white-hot fire coming around the corner, burning its way through traps and Bounded Fields alike.
Within two seconds, the flames had reached the two men.
One second after that, both Rodger Feldmann and Timo de Vries were dead.
It seemed Shirou had to add two more people to his body count.
The redhead watched impassively as the two guards were consumed by his flames, having a perfect view of the entire process as he flew through the corridor leading to the Eastern hall, staying as close to the ceiling as possible, hiding himself and Lady Barthomeloi in the smoke that his fire had produced.
He should perhaps have been more emotional about the fact he'd claimed two lives, that he had killed people, especially since it had been almost accidental, but he wasn't.
He almost surprised himself by how coldblooded he was being, especially considering he'd just burned two people to death, but it had clearly been over in the blink of an eye, and… well, it had been necessary.
He greatly regretted that it was necessary of course. He'd rather have that those two guards would still be alive, living good lives, but reality was rarely that kind. They had been in the way, and Shirou couldn't afford to spare their lives, not when stealth was of the essence and he had such a tight schedule.
It also helped that it was almost completely certain that those two men would have died anyway, even if he'd captured them alive. The Clocktower was a brutal place, and execution was the standard punishment for treason.
So Shirou turned his eyes away from where the guards had been standing –it was now an inferno, so there wasn't anything to see anyway– and focused again on successfully sneaking inside.
It wasn't hard. There were no defences in the way anymore, and everyone nearby was now running towards the burning hallway, gaping in shock and absolutely not looking up at all.
With the situation being what it was, Shirou and Lady Barthomeloi were able to find a secluded spot easily enough.
"That was a most impressive spell." Lady Barthomeloi whispered once they'd landed and taken refuge in an abandoned lecture hall, and Shirou really didn't know what to think about the look of admiration and respect she gave him while saying that. "It appears you have many surprises left for me even after a full day of battle."
"I do not doubt you have many surprises and secrets as well." Shirou countered swiftly.
"That is true." She acknowledged, before her demeanour turned entirely serious again. "Where are the Meluastea?"
"In that direction." Shirou pointed upwards and to the North-East. "You can get there by… let me see, by following the hallway outside this room until the first corridor to the left, which you must enter, then you continue until you arrive at a stairway, which you must climb up to the highest floor possible, after which you continue straight ahead. There you will find the largest concentration of Meluastea."
"But not all of them?"
"No. There are several stragglers who are spread out throughout the Department."
"I will deal with the stragglers first." Lady Barthomeloi decided after a moment of thought. "Where are they?"
"Most of them are stationary, but there are two who are moving around, though they have stuck together so far."
"Give me a course to intercept them."
Shirou promptly did so.
"Do you also want to know where the other stragglers are?" He then asked.
"No." Lady Barthomeloi was prompt to refuse however. "It is better that I direct my entire focus on two targets than try to divide it over many. I will make one of the Meluastea tell me where their relatives are hiding instead."
"Ah, good luck with that."
"Much fortune to you as well." She replied. "I shall bring my prisoners to this lecture hall, if everything happens according to plan."
"I will do the same for the captives." Shirou nodded. "And after that, I shall bring down the Bounded Fields."
"Which will alert our forces that it is their turn to attack." She nodded back, and Shirou couldn't help but note that 'ourforces' sounded suspiciously like she was talking about him and her.
But surely that wasn't what she meant.
Right…?
"Do keep our competition in mind." Lady Barthomeloi reminded him, before she turned around and began following the corridor. She did turn around one more time before disappearing out of sight however, and gave him a small, soft smile. "It can still go either way."
Then she was gone, leaving Shirou once more baffled at how out-of-character she was acting all of a sudden.
His bafflement didn't last long though, and after a few seconds, Shirou focused on his own objective again.
Saving as many people as he could.
Elsewhere in the Hall of the Copernicus, Carla and Rudolph were speed-walking through the halls, advancing with such force that everyone in their path could only jump to the side to avoid getting crushed underfoot.
In some way, it was quite an impressive showing. Two members of the Meluastea-family marching through the corridors of their department, looking for all the world like they had a solid plan and were on their way to execute it. That one of the two was Carla Meluastea herself only reinforced that image, and more than a few people gained hope from the mere sight of them, where before they had none.
They would all be disappointed to learn however that the duo had no plan, no great scheme to save the department, not even a particular destination in mind. They were just both so nervous they couldn't possibly stand still and were thus marching through the department in random directions while discussing matters between them.
One could hardly expect two people without any form of serious combat experience to stay calm while their home was being besieged after all. Especially since every plan of theirs to even somewhat mitigate the damage failed before they could as much as try to implement it.
They had been at it all morning and afternoon, since the attack had started, desperately trying to think of a way to get out of the Hall of the Copernicus and towards the Southern hall, where the captives of Policies had been imprisoned, so they could save Carla's team, but without any success so far.
Yes, saving Carla's team was still their main objective. Saving the department, the family, or even themselves were a distant second in comparison.
It might have seemed remarkably un-Magus-like, and it was, without a doubt, but Carla couldn't care less about that at the moment, as she was determined to the point of obsession to save her underlings.
Rudolph on the other hand had no great motivations like that. He was just going along with his big sister, figuring things could hardly get worse than they already were, no matter what he did. He had no use anywhere else anyway, he was self-aware enough to know that, so he might as well do the one thing he could in this situation, which was to provide some emotional support to his favourite relative.
In films and books, this would have been the point where a miracle would occur. A miracle that would let this plucky duo find a way to succeed somehow, to make it through against all odds, saving Carla's team and escaping safely, while the Meluastea imploded behind them and Policies suffered sudden amnesia, forgetting that Rudolph and Carla had ever existed.
Unfortunately for them though, they didn't live in a book, and even if they did, they certainly weren't the main characters, or even important side-characters.
As such, no miracle was provided to them.
"All escape tunnels are blocked, there is no one among Policies or their dogs who we can bribe, and great-uncle is still his pig-headed self." Carla bristled, endlessly wringing her hands as her calm began leaving her completely. "What do we do now?"
"Well Heavens above, Carla, I don't know!" Rudolph snapped in return, before immediately taking a deep breath to calm himself down.
He shouldn't have shouted. It wasn't his sister's fault they were in this mess. Carla had no part in any of today's happenings, so it wasn't right, or at all helpful, to take his frustration out on her.
"Sorry." He apologised when he'd calmed down a bit. "To answer your question, I don't know what we can do. Escaping has always been a very long shot, even if the rest of the Department was still holding out, but now that the Hall of the Copernicus is the only place left that hasn't fallen yet, we might as well forget about getting away alive and free completely."
"That's what we said at the beginning of this ordeal already." Carla laughed shrilly. "But we still went to check on the escape tunnels, didn't we?"
"There was no harm in trying." Rudolph sighed, pushing down another angry retort. "But I guess we're well and truly screwed now. I'm terribly sorry, Carla, but I think you should forget about saving your team. I don't hold out much hope for ourselves either."
Carla's expression became mutinous at his words, but she didn't reply, not even to insult or mock him. She was angry, yes, and stressed, and nervous, but she wasn't dumb. She knew that they had no more options, and she also knew that shouting at Rudolph would do nothing to change that.
Still, the siblings weren't going to give up just like that. If they had run out of good, plausible options, it was time to pull out the ridiculous plans.
"Maybe we could try to surrender and pretend we aren't Meluastea?" Rudolph suggested after a few moments, more to fill the silence than because he considered it a valid option. "I suppose they'll likely still execute us, or imprison us, or some other horrid fate, but it would be better than if we are captured and they do know who we are. A quick death is better than a slow, torturous one."
"If we're looking for a quick way to die, we might as well kill ourselves right away." Carla snipped, and Rudolph winced at her words. He knew she was technically correct, and he had made his peace with dying a long time ago –to be a Magus is to walk with death– but doing himself in was honestly a bridge too far. "And that still won't help my team."
"What about disguising ourselves as Policy-personnel?"
"If it was that easy to get away, numerous people would have done that already."
"Fake our own deaths and hide, so we can sneak away later?"
"They won't fall for that, and even if they do, we have nowhere to go, and again, it does not help my team."
Carla was merciless in critiquing Rudolph's suggestions, but he wasn't discouraged. He was in the process of brainstorming, throwing out random ideas, and having clear feedback was an important part of that process.
So he threw out another suggestion.
"Then how about we go the back-stabbing route and betray the Meluastea in exchange for leniency?"
Carla froze in place, instantly coming to a halt, and Rudolph, upon realising just what had come out of his mouth, froze in place as well.
He had said it.
He had talked about betraying the family.
Out loud.
No one did that! No one betrayed the Meluastea-family. No one even so much as suggested it! In all the past centuries, it had never happened before.
Sure, the members of the family might think about it, at times, when things got rough or they were in a bad mood, but no one ever actually went through with it.
Inter-family betrayals, between siblings, cousins, parents and children, uncles and nephews, aunts and nieces, and whatever other combination were commonplace, but such things were always kept within the family itself.
Working together with outside elements however was absolutely prohibited, on the pains of endless torture and a slow, agonising death.
That Rudolph even suggested such a thing was… it was unprecedented, unreal.
Especially since he and Carla were literally standing in the middle of the family's greatest stronghold, the absolute worst place to be discussing such things.
By all rights, Carla should have punched him in his stupid face for saying something like that, or failing that, at least shushed him and made it clear that he should never talk about such things again.
"Go on."
But desperate times asked for desperate measures, and Carla had stopped caring about the Meluastea and their wiles a long time ago.
"It's pretty simple." Rudolph said slowly, looking all around to make sure no one was listening in, only continuing when he was sure they were completely alone. "We leave the Hall of the Copernicus to go to the Southern hall immediately-"
"Once the hallway between them stops burning you mean?" Carla reminded him wryly.
"…Yes, once the hallway stops burning." Rudolph nodded, having momentarily forgotten about the inferno that had swallowed every defence in that corridor along with its two guards a few minutes before. "Undoubtedly, we'll run into Policy's forces, who are surely waiting now for the flames to go out. We surrender to them right away, and then help them capture our dear family-members. In exchange, we'll ask them to be merciful to your team, and possibly us."
"Policies is not renowned for its mercy." Carla frowned, and she was entirely correct about that. Most Magi around the world were terrified of the Department of Policies, and that wasn't because they were inclined towards mercy and kindness.
"But they do keep to their agreements." Rudolph countered, and he was right about that in turn. Ever since Lorelei Barthomeloi had taken over, Policies' word was as solid as steel, and even deals struck with criminals were fulfilled to the letter. "Come on, it's simple. We trade information for our lives."
"Policies doesn't lightly make deals with criminals." Carla was still hesitating, which was understandable, as it was a huge decision to make all of a sudden.
"That is true, and people like great-uncle Stanley or uncle Roland would never be allowed to strike a deal, but wehaven't committed any crimes ourselves." Rudolph reminded her. "Yes, we supported our family in breaking the laws of the Clocktower, and we did administrative work for them, and we didn't do anything to stop them, but neither of us has ever directly broken a law. That has to count for something."
"…Maybe." Carla admitted after a few moments, the crippling lack of other options forcing her to really contemplate Rudolph's words. Eventually, she folded her hands together, and looked up at her little brother with pleading eyes. "Do you really think it will work?"
"It might." The brunette woman standing next to the siblings said, rubbing her chin in small, elegant motions as she contemplated the matter. "It will depend on the value of your information, and on whether you speak the truth about not having committed any crimes yourselves. Fortunately, Policies recently obtained a very reliable method of discerning truth from lies, so finding out whether you are truthful will be a relatively simple matter."
"Yes." Rudolph agreed, happy that he finally had some support. "And as you know, we have the locations of every Meluastea-family member, as well as many personal details, so we aren't short on things to trade. I do think that…"
The sound of the pennies dropping inside Carla's and Rudolph's heads was almost audible in the otherwise abandoned hall.
Rudolph jerked his head to the side and Carla jumped in fright when they realised they were no longer alone. The brunette woman had appeared out of nowhere, standing right before them, looking for all the world like she'd been there since the conversation had started.
Somehow, she had avoided both his and Carla's notice while standing right before their noses.
And it wasn't even like she was that stealthy looking. She was a beautiful, brown-haired woman, wearing a red shirt, a black skirt, and ankle boots, who was standing out in the open for everyone to see.
Only they hadn't seen her. She had stayed beneath their notice the entire time.
The level of skill that required, the immense control over her own presence, made cold sweat break out on the back of Rudolph's neck, and Carla clearly wasn't faring any better than him.
Nevertheless, his sister did make an effort to address the situation, showing the kind of courage Rudolph would never possess.
"Good afternoon." She said pleasantly, smiling kindly even as sweat dripped down her temples and to the tip of her chin. "My name is Carla Meluastea. May I ask who you are and what you are doing here?"
"I am Lorelei Barthomeloi." The woman replied, her contemplative expression becoming perfectly neutral. "I am here to arrest and detain every member of the Meluastea-family."
"…" Neither Carla nor Rudolph said a word for several seconds, slowly processing the information.
"…" The brunette didn't speak either, seemingly content to wait for them to respond.
She didn't have to wait long.
"Lady Barthomeloi?!" Carla cried, and Rudolph felt like he was going to faint on the spot.
It was her! This was the Vice-Director herself! The Queen of the Clocktower. The Ruler of the Department of Policies. In the flesh!
He hadn't recognised her at all! Even though he'd seen her at least once a month over the past years, he hadn't connected the dots in the slightest. The shirt-and-skirt combo had disguised her as effectively as a cloak and hood.
Rudolph promptly became acutely aware of the number of times he'd wished death upon this woman. Suffice to say, that number could not be counted on the fingers and toes of the entire Meluastea-family.
It was only with titanic effort that Rudolph kept his expression straight, and even then, he wasn't at all sure whether he'd succeeded.
"Yes, I am Lady Barthomeloi." The woman nodded in response to Carla's earlier screech, her expression still perfectly neutral. "And I know of you, Carla Meluastea, but not of your… brother?"
"My brother, yes, Rudolph Meluastea." Carla introduced him once it became clear Rudolph wasn't capable of answering himself. "Forgive him, he is under a lot of stress."
"Hm." The sound was perfectly non-committal, but since Rudolph wasn't vapourised on the spot, it could be assumed she indeed forgave him. "Well met. Will you surrender peacefully?"
"Absolutely!" Carla declared without hesitation, and Rudolph found the strength within himself to nod feverishly in agreement. No way he was going to resist arrest.
"And you will assist me in apprehending the remaining members of your family?"
"…" Neither Carla nor Rudolph answered for a few moments, this time not out of shock, but out of hesitation. To not betray the family had been stamped into their brains since they were very young, to the point where even Lorelei Barthomeloi herself wasn't enough to instantly make them switch sides.
In the end though, the scary lady won over the indoctrination, and the siblings nodded, officially capitulating to the Queen of the Clocktower.
"Excellent." To her credit, Lady Barthomeloi did not smirk, cheer, boast, or act smug. Rather, she gave them an approving nod, along with a look that said she was glad they had chosen the wisest option open to them. "You mentioned something about a deal?"
"Yes." Rudolph's mouth shot off before his brain could catch up, and he felt as if his insides turned into ice when the terrifying woman turned her eyes towards him, but he didn't let himself falter, and immediately continued. "We help you find the rest of our family, as well as all their secret stashes and hide-outs, and in exchange, you spare Carla's team."
"I-I have a-a t-team of researchers-" Carla began, before falling silent when Lady Barthomeloi held up a hand.
"I have heard of you before; I know the team you speak of. Very well, I will ensure their punishments are mild." She promised, before frowning. "Will you not include yourselves in the deal though?"
"Well… If we could include ourselves, that would be really great." Rudolph smiled through his terror, before the smile fell again when his interlocutor didn't smile back in the slightest. "We just didn't think you'd accept it, us being Meluastea and all."
"If what you said before about not having committed any crimes yourselves is true, I might be inclined to make your punishment mild as well." Lady Barthomeloi promised, and then her neutral expression broke to make place for a smile. It wasn't a kind smile though, rather it was one that almost made Rudolph faint from terror again. "If I find out you have lied however…"
She didn't finish the threat, and Rudolph's overactive imagination immediately went to work to fill in the blanks.
"We have told you the truth." Carla swore, pressing a hand on her heart to show her sincerity. "And we shall continue doing so. If you lessen our punishments and those of my team, we will help you with your goals."
"Very well." The Queen nodded. "Your terms are acceptable."
"Would you be willing to seal our deal with a Geass?" Carla tried.
"No."
"Understood!"
The rejection was immediate and firm, and Carla didn't even try to argue.
"Now fulfil your end of the deal and take me to where the rest of your family hides."
"WAIT! WAIT! I surrender! I can help you-"
The pathetic pleading was cut off when Shirou threw the offending Magus into a wall of his own Workshop, knocking him out cold, after which he broke all Magecraft restraining the captives, healed them, and put them into his Vault, in stasis.
After that, Shirou burned the Magus' research, not even bothering to look at it. He wasn't interested in whatever that man had been doing, not if it involved abducting and harming innocent people.
Once he was done with that, Shirou snuck out of the Workshop and headed towards the next one.
He was making good headway so far. Everything was going perfectly fine and according to schedule, and Shirou had no reason to assume that would change any time soon.
This hall, the Eastern hall, might be referred to as 'the most well-defended hall', but that apparently only went for the defences meant to keep people out, and didn't mean much when the intruder was already inside.
There were no alarms to speak of, barely any checkpoints, some of the guards were loitering and lazing, while others were so high-strung that they were incapable of effectively carrying out any task, and the Magical defences consisted once again of pretty much only Bounded Fields.
In other words, Shirou breezed past it all, effortlessly entering Workshops, storage rooms, and laboratories to save every person who had been imprisoned there. He removed their bindings, healed their wounds, lifted Curses, jinxes, and Enchantments, and, when necessary, covered them up with Projected clothes.
After that, he moved them into stasis in his Vault. That would keep his hands free, would ensure he could still hide himself without having to hide numerous other people as well, and it would ensure they wouldn't wake up suddenly and make things difficult.
No matter how easy it went though, Shirou couldn't enjoy it. Any good mood he might have had was ruined by what he saw, again and again, every time he broke open a Workshop.
While the cruelty and callousness of the Mag in the Eastern Hall didn't hold a candle against that of the Magi in the underground complex, and especially not against that of the Magi in the base in Germany, they were still by no means mild or good.
Torture was relatively uncommon, but many people had still been stacked in storage spaces like sardines in a can without any regard for their comfort of well-being, other people were strapped to tables, terrified and confused, while again other people were locked in cages like animals.
Many of these people had no clothes, no food, no privacy, nothing. Nothing but humiliation and the knowledge that they were going to die soon, if they were allowed any form of consciousness at all to begin with.
No, Shirou took back what he said earlier, this was definitely torture. Maybe not of the vivisection-kind, but torture nonetheless.
Which was also why he wasn't very merciful towards the Magi he encountered on his way.
"You will never take me alive, Policy-scum!" The owner of the Workshop Shirou broke into next shouted, spittle flying from his mouth. "Meluastea forever!"
Shirou didn't reply –talking in battle was a sin– and instead rushed forward to punch the Magus in the stomach, knocking him unconscious as well.
In this Workshop, there were two captives, both teenage girls, who turned out to be twins. From what Shirou could see, the Magus had been working on research that explored whether twins could somehow be 'linked' together with Magecraft.
The girls were unconscious, and Shirou left them that way, quickly healing them before placing them into his Vault.
Then he burned the Workshop, though he took care not to burn the knocked-out Magus –killing prisoners went a little too far– and continued on his way.
He rapidly cleared Workshop after Workshop that way, and before long, he had over two hundred rescued people in his care, from eighteen different Workshops, three different storage spaces, five laboratories, and even an office.
He had rescued two women from that office, who were being used not for research of any kind, but as sex slaves. The owner, an absolute pig of a woman if Shirou had ever seen one, had had every limb broken before she was knocked out.
Naturally, his actions didn't go unnoticed. Even with the Department under siege, it was almost impossible for the Magi present to miss that so many Workshops and storages had been destroyed, and before long, a manhunt had been organised to find the perpetrator.
As the Department was already in a state of complete chaos however, and most people had more important things to think about than whatever happened to other Magi, the manhunt failed to gain any traction, and avoiding the twenty-or-so people who were clumsily searching for him was child's play for Shirou.
Normally, the Magi would call Enforcers for such duties instead of doing it themselves, and it showed clearly in their incompetence and inability to effectively track an enemy down, even on their own territory.
It was so bad that Shirou just strolled past them and continued saving people.
Don't get him wrong, he was grateful things were going so well, but once more, it painted a bleak picture of the Magus Association if this was the general level of competence one could expect from its members.
Not that mundane people did any better –the criminals Shirou had fought as Rakurai were just as incompetent, treacherous, and unable to work together– but with how much Magi talked about being superior, they should have been able to put up a more impressive showing than this.
But they didn't. They weren't more impressive, in any way. They were just the same old scum, with a few Magical powers.
So much for Magus-superiority.
"Friends! Allies! Honoured members of my Department! Your attention, please!"
The smooth, baritone voice sounded through the central hall of the Department of Botany, effortlessly capturing the attention of all people present, and before long, a sizable crowd had gathered before the stage on which the speaker stood.
"I bring grave news! Our most noble and appreciated comrades, the Meluastea, are currently under attack!"
A shocked muttering erupted from the crowd at that message, and before long, the hall was abuzz with muffled conversations, all expressing surprise at the news. All fell silent again however when the speech continued.
"They have fallen prey to boundless aggression and limitless envy! At this very moment, the Meluastea's warriors struggle to hold back the attacking hordes, who intend to kill and plunder until there is nothing left!"
Once more, the hall was abuzz with shocked whispers, as many people tried and failed to comprehend how a ruling family, the very family that headed the Clocktower's second largest department, could possibly struggle to defeat an attacking force in their own territory.
"The perpetrator of this heinous crime is known to all! It is Policies who launched its attack on the honourable Meluastea, and it is Policies who press the attack even now, intent on finishing off the Department of Archaeology once and for all!"
This time, the conversations among members of the crowd weren't even hushed anymore. People screamed in shock and fear, while others stumbled backwards, gaped in horrified surprise, or immediately started making plans to flee the Clocktower, alone or in groups.
"Policies has shown its true colours today! It has shown that it cares not about ancient laws or traditions, but only about power! As soon as the Meluastea developed the potential to eclipse them in status and authority, Policies started plotting against them! Now, they have decided to cull their rivals out of nothing but spite!"
Fear was now prevalent in the crowd, and that fear quickly turned into the stirrings of anger. Anger that the speaker was only too happy to fan, continuing to spout his fear mongering dribble.
"Many have already been killed, and much has been lost! Research and resources alike have been destroyed by the invading hordes, and though the brave Meluastea have eluded their hunters for now, they are being pushed back more and more!"
It was a very biased speech, clearly favouring one side over the other, and normally, sensible Magi would not have listened to these words. They would have been sceptical of anything that was said without evidence to back it up, and they would have been very recalcitrant to believe the word of a single man with clear conflicts of interest.
Furthermore, most of the people inside the Department of Botany had no links to the Meluastea, and thus cared little about them. They were shocked that Policies would suddenly attack them, yes, but not enough to do something about it.
If the situation had been normal, the crowd would have stopped listening after the speaker had given them the most important information. They certainly would not have listened to the speaker's biased opinions.
However, there was a sizable minority within the crowd who had a vested interest in the speaker being believed. This minority had strong ties with the Meluastea, were completely aware of the constant rule-breaking that that family engaged in, and certainly didn't want Policies to start investigating them next.
That sizable minority eagerly stoked the flames of anger even further, in the hopes of getting the rest of the Department of Botany on their side, and once they had a mob-mentality going, most of the people in the crowd were swept up by it.
"It is even said that Lorelei Barthomeloi herself has joined this cowardly attack! Rather than taking the time to investigate matters properly, she thoughtlessly accepted the rumours that were whispered into her ears! Rumours that the honourable Meluastea are naught but common criminals."
The biased speaker was the leader of this minority, and regrettably also the de-facto leader of the entire Department of Botany. His name was Jack Colby, lord of the Colby-family. He was married to Marianne Archelot, the actual head of the department, but since she was ill, and had been for a long time, it was Colby who actually held the reins.
"This attack was cowardly and unprovoked! It is a travesty! It surely is a sign that Policies and the Barthomeloi no longer respect the other families and departments! Everyone is in danger now!"
Naturally, Colby didn't care about 'everyone'. He only cared about himself. His only concern at the moment was the fact that he stood to lose everything if the Meluastea fell. His position, his wife, the power that being married to said wife granted him, even his life, it was all at risk if nothing was done to stop Policies in its tracks before they would turn their eyes towards him.
Being allied with the Meluastea, and being friends with the heir, Roland, had been very profitable while things had been going well for them, but now, Colby had to cut ties with them as soon as he could and prepare for the storm that was heading his way.
"I say we must strike back! Arm yourselves, people of Botany! Arm yourselves before Policies comes for us! We shall fight, we shall endure, and we shall win!"
Which was why Colby was very pleased to have the people attending his speech cheer loudly when he finished, bloodlust and defiance in their eyes. They would fight if he ordered them to, and right now, that was the largest advantage he had.
Even Lorelei Barthomeloi could not take on an entire Department by herself.
Efficient as they all were, the Magi of Botany wasted not a second after he was done talking, and once he dismissed them, they quickly dispersed to head to their Workshops, to prepare for the coming battle.
Colby then descended from the stage he had been standing on and mingled with the crowd for a bit, talking with people here and there, reassuring them, inspiring them, and convincing them to fight with him. After he had performed that –dreadfully dull– duty, he headed back to his own office, where his closest allies and confidants were waiting for him.
Those allies and confidants had been in a right panic when the news about Archaeology being under attack had reached them, and they had fallen over themselves to seek Colby's counsel, but he had given them the cold shoulder, telling them to wait in his office while he gave a speech for the grunts.
Now that speech was over, Colby could go and speak with his allies.
Oh, and his wife too, of course. He shouldn't forget about her.
On his way towards his office, which was located in the highest part of the entire department, Colby met numerous people, most of whom paid him some form of respect, even while they were busily preparing for an invasion. Several of them however ignored him completely, and others even glared in his direction.
Colby didn't let it bother him. Those people were still angry about him having taken the place of the old bat who had been the previous leader, Raquel Archelot. They were nothing but fossils, unable to accept that new leadership had been exactly what the department needed.
Raquel Archelot had been a capable leader who had kept her fiefdom steady and relatively prosperous, Colby would admit that much, but she had been too old and set in her ways to ever hope to improve and revolutionise the Department of Botany. For those improvements, new blood, unaffiliated with the old guard, was needed, and Colby had very generously offered his help.
Alas, not everyone appreciated his efforts, but Colby had accepted long ago that you couldn't please everyone. In the end, it was better to focus on the things you could do and on the people that you could please.
His detractors were irrelevant. It was his allies who deserved his attention.
"Jack! How did it go?"
"Is Botany prepared to fight?"
"Did anyone challenge you?"
"Have you received further news?"
The moment Colby entered his office, he was assailed by a barrage of questions, but rather than letting it bring him off balance, he laughed confidently, holding up his hands to motion for calm, while looking around the room, taking in his allies' faces one by one.
They all looked scared, and they all looked at him for guidance. Rather than trying to take some initiative, they stood around like fools waiting for him to order them around.
Good, that was exactly how Colby liked it.
At the moment, well over thirty people were present in the room, a feat that was only possible because Colby's office was massive. It was that massive because it also doubled as his living space.
Colby and his wife lived in his office. It hadn't been his choice, but something that had been a tradition for the rulers of Botany for centuries, and Colby had been unwilling to break it. He had enough trouble as it was without also adding traditionalists to the list.
The office itself was essentially a large living room, though with a desk and lots of papers and documents lying around, and there were several doors here and there that led towards other rooms, such as the bathroom and several bedrooms.
Yes, it was a bit annoying sometimes to have to allow people to come so close to his bed and his dining table, but he appreciated the fact that, at the end of the day, his bedroom was only a few paces away from his desk.
Working from home, essentially.
But this was not the time to lose himself in studying his own office. His friends had asked him questions, and it was time he answered them.
"To answer your questions in order, my friends, it went well, Botany is very much prepared to fight, nobody dared to challenge me or even look at me in the wrong way, and no, unfortunately, I have received no further news from Archaeology. The last thing I heard was that Policies had breached the Southern hall, now several hours ago."
"Then that hall must have nearly fallen by now." One of his allies, Joshua Ernest, whispered.
"That is only the Southern hall." Dorothea Meinhart proclaimed, placing a hand on her heart. "Archaeology is much bigger than that."
"I just hope our friends and relatives that are in the Department of Archaeology are well." John Kleine sighed, having his signature stupid look on his face. "I have a brother there."
"Yes, I too have a relative in Archaeology, a cousin named Gaston." Colby agreed with Kleine, figuring that fishing for a little sympathy would go a long way, to show them that he was truly one of them. "I truly hope that he is alright."
In the privacy of his own mind though, Colby was rather sure Gaston was fine. He had the rare, blessed talent of the Colby-family after all, the power of persuasion, even if Gaston's version was effective only on men. No matter what happened, Gaston would always have allies with him, just like Jack Colby himself, and that made all the difference in the world.
"Yes, yes, our poor relatives, yadda, yadda, but what are we going to do about Policies? About Barthomeloi?" Dorothea pushed. "Sooner or later, they will come for us too."
"That is simple." Colby laughed confidently, about to present his master plan. "We will-"
"Jack? What's going on?"
A sleepy though melodious voice interrupted him before he got halfway into his sentence, and though he was very annoyed by the disruption, Colby put on his best smile when Marianne, his darling wife, came out of the bedroom that was connected to his office.
It was clear she'd just gotten out of bed, with her unkempt hair, eyes that were half-closed to protect them from the light, and her crumpled nightgown, but even so, she was as beautiful as ever.
With golden-blonde hair that fell down her back in waves like a waterfall, a perfectly symmetrical face with features that were both adorable and astoundingly attractive, sizable breasts that were perfectly shaped and wonderfully perky, a bottom like an apple, strong thighs, and flawless skin, Marianne Archelot truly was the very picture of European beauty. Anyone who looked at her could see immediately why there had been more than a hundred men fighting for her affection once her family made it known they were looking for a husband for her.
Of course, the fights had been more about the fact that she was the heir of the Archelot-family, but that she was an absolute looker definitely also contributed to the size of the group of eligible bachelors pursuing her.
Colby had had to work his behind off to marry her, and though the rewards were absolutely worth it, thinking about that period of time still pissed him. The trouble that he had gone through to get where he was now…
But that wasn't important at the moment. Right now, he needed to get his wife out of the office. Already, she was distracting several of his underlings with her skimpy, see-through nightgown, but even if she hadn't, she was still too dangerous to be allowed to stay.
Jack Colby might be doing most of the ruling in the Department of Botany, making the important decisions and everything, but it was Marianne who still held the authority. He was only borrowing his current power from his wife, and if Marianne chose to counter or contradict him at any point during his speech, she could critically damage his standing with his underlings.
It was not something he could risk.
"Gentlemen and gentleladies, please grant me a moment to speak with my wife." Colby addressed the room, putting on his best smile. He received a round of nods in return, and he took his wife by the arm to gently lead her back into the bedroom.
"Dear, how often do I have to tell you." He sighed once they were in the bedroom, the door had been closed, and he was sure no one could hear or see them anymore. "Don't disturb me when I am in a meeting."
"But everyone was yelling so loudly." Marianne complained weakly, leaning back from him as much as she could. "I thought someone might have gotten hurt."
"Everything's fine." He assured her quickly, not having the patience or indeed the time to set her at ease properly. "Everyone's just a little… spirited about the current situation."
"Could I perhaps join in the discussion?" Marianne asked, a hopeful tone entering her voice, before she slumped when Colby shook his head.
"Not when you're dressed like that." He admonished her, gesturing at the incredibly sheer gown she was wearing, which practically advertised the fact that she was wearing tiny, frilly panties and no bra at all.
"But you bought it for me, and you said I had to wear it." Marianne protested petulantly.
"Forget it. Just go to sleep." Colby said shortly, well aware every moment spent away from the meeting was a moment the public opinion could turn against him. "I'll tell you how things went in the morning."
"I don't want to go back to sleep." Marianne muttered, shaking her head weakly. "I've slept enough."
Colby didn't grace the childish remark with an answer, and instead pushed his wife back onto her bed, before throwing the blanket on top of her.
She didn't seem content to stay put however, and tried to sit back up.
"Please, Jack, let me stay at the meeting, just once." She pleaded with him, but he had no intention of listening to her. She was a danger if left unchecked, and if there was anything Jack Colby hated, it was unchecked dangers.
"You are ill." He told her instead, before reaching into the cupboard next to his bedside and retrieving a box of glass vials, vials that contained a light-red fluid, the sight of which made Marianne visibly nervous. "You must take your medicine and sleep."
"I already took my medicine today." She protested, crawling back on her bed until she hit the wall. "I-I don't-"
"Clearly, it didn't work well enough." Colby cut her off, taking one of the vials, before walking over to her and holding it out. "Drink."
"I-I don't want to."
"Drink it, it's for your own good."
"No! No, please, I don't want to drink it!"
"You must."
"Please-"
'SMACK'
Marianne whimpered in distress and pain as she grabbed at her cheek, and Colby took a deep breath to calm himself down when he realised he'd inadvertently slapped her.
"I'm sorry." He apologized quickly, taking her hand in his and not letting go even when she tried to pull back. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to do that, you just left me no choice. Oh, Marianne, if only you didn't make me do that."
"I-I…"
"Just drink, and we can move on." He told her again.
Marianne didn't protest anymore, but also didn't make any movements to obey his instructions, sitting paralysed on her bed, looking at him with large, fearful eyes.
He didn't have time for this.
With a razor quick movement, Colby pushed her back down on the bed, before he pinned her in place by the throat, paying no mind to her struggles.
"J-Jack!" She wheezed out. "P-Please don't-"
Jack pulled the cork from the vial with his teeth, before forcing it between her lips and almost into her throat, making sure she swallowed every last drop of the red fluid. Only then did he release her again.
She immediately let out several hacking coughs, rubbing her abused throat, but even as she did that, she became visibly drowsy, and it wasn't long before she slumped on the bed, fast asleep again as the drug took hold of her mind.
Seeing this, Colby nodded in satisfaction, before throwing the empty vial into the rubbish bin, where it landed amongst the dozens of other vials that were already in there.
The Samhain Sleeper, as the drug in the vials was referred to, might have cost him a fortune, but it was worth every penny. Not only was it a potent sleeping agent, but it also made its victims perfectly docile and influenceable after they woke up, while also lowering their intelligence and perception.
In short, it was the perfect drug for someone in Colby's situation.
Without further ado, without even making sure that his wife was alright after receiving twice the recommended dose in one day, Colby marched out of the bedroom again, to join his compatriots in discussing the impending crisis.
Behind him, his wife lay still in her bed, uncovered by her blanket, her nightgown in disarray, and her cheeks wet from the tears that she had cried before she had been forced to fall asleep.
It was a miserable sight, yet no one present cared in the slightest.
When Rudolph had woken up that morning, he hadn't had an inkling yet that he would be turning traitor before the day was over.
It went to show how quickly things could change. One moment, he had still been Rudolph Meluastea, the disappointment of the family whose only concern was avoiding as much work as he could while enjoying the rich life to the fullest. The next moment, he was just Rudolph, member, or perhaps former member, of a family about to be exterminated, whose concerns were so much larger than before that it seemed ridiculous to compare them.
He had been presented with a choice, a choice to either die or to betray the rest of his family by assisting Lorelei Barthomeloi in her search for his relatives.
Since he was rather allergic to dying, especially in the face, Rudolph was now stuck helping the person he feared most in the world with her objectives, leading her towards his family-members so she could arrest or execute them, whatever struck her fancy.
Oh, and his sister Carla was with him, in the exact same predicament.
At this point, one could wonder how Rudolph felt about it all, what was going through his mind as he was forced to turn his cloak.
To that, he would have no clear answer yet.
On one hand, he felt all the emotions he should be feeling at a time like this. He was afraid, panicked, and nervous. How could he not, when his whole life was shattered and everything he'd ever known was destroyed before his very eyes?
On the other hand though, he had to admit he derived a certain, dark pleasure from watching the Vice-Director deal with some of his more-disliked relatives.
For example, their uncle Roland.
"Rudolph?! Carla?! What is this?!" Roland barked when they entered his office, his flunkies immediately taking their position at his side, like the proper lackeys they were.
No, wait, there was only one flunky now. Didn't Roland have two companions though? Had he sent one of them away on an errand?
"Well? Answer me!" Roland continued his bristling, acting outraged enough that Rudolph seriously started to suspect he'd been doing something that was against the family's rules before they'd come in, something he was now trying to hide. "What are you doing here?!"
"Terribly sorry, uncle." Rudolph smiled. "Something rather important has come up."
"I have no time to deal with your nonsense!" Roland was now outright sweating, further increasing Rudolph's suspicion he too might be about to turn traitor in some way or another. "Leave, at once!"
"Once again, I'm sorry, uncle, but-"
"But nothing!" Roland screamed, aggressively storming forward, though he did not come too close, which really reflected what the man was like. Full of posture, but with little substance to back it up. "You will leave now, or I'll make you regret ever being born!"
"Charming as ever, uncle Roland." Carla smiled as well, the look in her eyes conveying she was enjoying this even more than Rudolph. "But this cannot wait. There is someone who really wants to talk to you, and I don't think we can make her wait."
"I have no time for guests- WAAAH?!"
Carla and Rudolph stepped aside, revealing the person who'd been standing behind them since they'd entered the office, and the scream of terror that was ripped from Roland's throat sounded sweet like the finest of music to Rudolph's ears.
"Roland Meluastea." Lady Barthomeloi smiled thinly, though there was absolutely zero amusement to be found anywhere in her expression or body-language. "We meet again."
At this point, Rudolph expected a number of responses from Roland.
Trying to go down fighting was one of those possible responses, and one that would likely earn Roland some grudging respect from Rudolph, if nothing else.
Trying to talk his way out was another. It was hopeless, considering the situation, but it would still be reasonably honourable and nothing to be ashamed of.
Throwing himself on the ground to beg for mercy was also very possible. It would be humiliating and degrading, but based on Lady Barthomeloi's conduct so far, also the option that was most likely to end in Roland's life being spared, for now.
But Roland was a coward at heart, and he chose the most futile and honourless option; to run away, to throw himself at his office's backdoor in the hope of getting out safely, followed closely behind by his remaining flunky.
It was a chanceless endeavour from the start. Lady Barthomeloi blinked once, merely blinked, and the next moment, Roland was back where he'd started, on his knees and bound by black chains, while the flunky lied in pieces before the backdoor he'd been trying to escape through.
It was a show of total dominance, and all the fight drained out of Roland in that very instant, as he slumped over, and his eyes turned dull in despair and hopelessness. He didn't have to suffer for long though, as Lady Barthomeloi swiftly knocked him unconscious and levitated him with Wind-Magecraft.
"Sorry, uncle." Rudolph apologised again, though he didn't really mean it. "Nothing personal, purely business."
"Speak for yourself." Carla grumbled, before the three of them continued the hunt.
The next person they found was Abigail, their youngest sister, and the scene that followed was a lot more unpleasant than Roland's fall.
"You betrayed us?!" Abigail looked furious when she saw Lady Barthomeloi enter her room, accompanied by Carla and Rudolph. "Carla, Rudolph, you would stab me in the back like this?!"
"We're sorry, Abigail." Carla apologised, this time much more sincerely. "But we had no choice."
"And be honest here, it's not like this family provided much incentive to stay loyal." Rudolph pointed out, though he was aware he was just making excuses.
"I know that." Abigail bristled as she held up her hands, showing she would surrender without a fight. "But you should have involved me! I would have joined you too! Of course I would!"
"…"
"…"
"By the Root." Abigail grumbled when neither Rudolph nor Carla had anything to say in response. "Idiots."
"Cooperate, and I might be willing to lessen your punishment, depending on the severity of your crimes." Lady Barthomeloi made a similar offer as she'd given to Carla and Rudolph, and Abigail quickly accepted the straw she was offered.
"Grover and Stanley are still discussing the situation together in Stanley's office." She revealed, pursing her lips as she tried to think of things she could trade for a milder sentence. "Oh! And there is a small Vault hidden behind the portrait in the left corner of the room. I once saw great-uncle retrieve some kind of paperwork from there."
"Noted." Lady Barthomeloi nodded, before gesturing the girl towards Roland, who was still unconscious and floating behind them. "Follow us, and do not try to escape if you value your life."
"Understood!"
From there on, they made their way over to Stanley's office, taking down every Meluastea-family member they came across on their way. By the time they arrived at their destination, at least two-thirds of the family was already in Lady Barthomeloi's custody.
In all honesty, it was pathetic. Not a single one of them managed to put up any kind of fight, and being caught out in the open by the Strongest Magus of the Generation went only so far in explaining that.
They had really gotten too lax and too careless. Their successes had inflated their egos until they were but fat kings reigning over their department, unable to see that their castle had been built on a pillar of sand. The moment the tide had turned against them, they fell like dry leaves in a thunderstorm.
A pathetic end, but perhaps a poetic one.
"Great-uncle, grandfather!" Rudolph shouted bombastically as he strolled into Stanley's office, throwing his arms wide with a large smile on his face. "I have news!"
"Rudolph, this is not the time." Grover frowned, looking up from where he'd been whispering into his brother's ear.
"Boy, you better have some important news indeed or I'll have you thrown from the Astronomy tower." Stanley wasn't nearly as polite as his younger brother, and immediately opened with a threat, shifting on his massive throne.
"It is indeed very important." Rudolph nodded, looking as serious as he could, wanting to stretch things out a bit. "I'm afraid it is also rather bad news."
"What on Earth could you know?" Stanley barked, spittle flying from his mouth. "You're a disappointment, boy, and I don't believe for a second you have information that Grover and I don't have."
"Rudolph speaks the truth, great-uncle." Carla came to assist him, speaking up without asking for permission, the vicious pleasure even more pronounced on her face than on Rudolph's. "Disaster has come to this hall."
"We heard nothing about the defences of this hall being breached." Grover protested. "There have been some small issues, but nothing that's 'disastrous' or anything like that."
"Shows what you know. The defences have been breached." Rudolph corrected his grandfather. "They have been breached, and the enemy is here."
"I don't believe you." Stanley scoffed, and the cruel look in his eyes indicated quite clearly that he was already thinking of the torture he'd inflict on them for interrupting his talk with Grover. "And even if I did, there's a lot of distance between the hall's entrance and my office."
"You do not understand, great-uncle." Carla now laughed for real, a loud, shrill sound, that conveyed dark amusement and vicious pleasure. "When Rudolph said the enemy is here, he meant here."
"I suppose that is my cue." Lady Barthomeloi said as she suddenly appeared to Rudolph's left, and while Carla and Rudolph were by now used to her tendency to seemingly teleport everywhere, Grover and Stanley almost suffered heart attacks from shock. "Stanley Meluastea. Grover Meluastea. For egregious violations of the Clocktower's laws, for blatant abuse of authority, for treason, and for other crimes too numerous to count, you are under arrest."
Her words were like an executioner's blade, and Grover and Stanley barely had time to look surprised before she shot forwards and slapped them to the ground hard enough that Rudolph momentarily thought she'd killed them.
But no, they were very much still alive, and promptly added to the veritable cloud of prisoners Lady Barthomeloi was gathering behind her.
It was quite the victory, and quite cathartic for the siblings, but there was no time to celebrate.
"We can continue now." Lady Barthomeloi told them in no uncertain terms. "Bring me to your remaining relatives."
And so they did.
Ultimately, the siege of the Department of Archaeology came to a pretty anti-climactic end. Lady Barthomeloi caught all the Meluastea, Shirou freed all the prisoners, they met up together in the abandoned lecture hall, Shirou destroyed the remaining Bounded Fields on the hall, and then they waited until the Enforcers and mercenaries had created a corridor from the entrance to their office.
Then, once the prisoners had been brought to safety and the Meluastea had been properly taken captive, Shirou and Lady Barthomeloi joined the fray, rapidly taking down all remaining resistance.
The Department of Archaeology had fallen, and all resistance had been mopped up. The Meluastea were no more.
With the battle over, Shirou and Lady Barthomeloi could compare their final tally, and the winner of their little competition became known.
In the end, the victor was Lady Barthomeloi.
Shirou had given as good as he got, but in the end, the final score came out as 686 for him, and 701 for Lady Barthomeloi.
Better luck next time.