Chapter 123 - 41.2

"Yes, farewell-gifts. I don't mean I'll give one to everyone I've met, but at the very least, I should give a present to Lord El-Melloi, for standing by me the entire time." Shirou wasn't going to pretend he had been an easy apprentice. He'd picked fights with prominent heirs, had drawn the eye of the Queen of the Clocktower, he had gotten Lord El-Melloi involved in all manners of problems that were none of his business, and he had completely upended the status-quo in the Clocktower, resulting in Lord El-Melloi being given a ridiculous number of responsibilities on top of those he'd already possessed. It was honestly a miracle Lord El-Melloi hadn't thrown him out after that first matter, let alone after all the others.

"What present would you give to him though?" Illya asked curiously, before spreading her arms wide to point at all the piles of treasure lying around. "You have enough choice. I imagine even a lord of the Clocktower would be impressed by some of the things lying around here."

"I don't think he would be very happy with a random trinket." Shirou said, and honestly, it would feel cheap if he just grabbed something off the floor here to give to the lord. "No, if I want to do something nice for him, it needs to be something he would really appreciate, like… like paying off his debts!"

"Oh?" Illya cocked her head to the side in curiosity. "Does he have a lot of debt?"

"From what I've heard, 'a lot' is an understatement. When I talked with Reines about that debt, she compared it to the budget of a Hollywood blockbuster film."

"And how much is that?" Illya asked, having never heard of 'Hollywood blockbusters' before.

"It varies. Anywhere between one-hundred-million and four-hundred-million American dollars, according to my searches."

"That is a lot." Illya let out a low whistle at the amount, which was indeed utterly ludicrous. "How did he manage to rack it all up?"

"Well, honestly, it's kind of dad's fault."

"Huh?" Illya blinked in confusion.

"To make a long story short, dad killed the previous Lord El-Melloi, whose family then fell into ruin. To escape that ruin, they forced the current Lord El-Melloi, my sponsor, to take on their debt and lead them until they'd regained their former status." Shirou gave a very short summary of the events that had led to Lord El-Melloi being hundreds of millions of pounds in debt. "So it all began with dad really."

"Is this Lord El-Melloi a nice man?" Illya asked suspiciously.

"He is." Shirou nodded confidently.

"Then I feel terrible for him!" Illya cried, pouting intensely. "You should absolutely pay off his debts!"

"Gladly! Although, to do that, I will need to find a lot of money somewhere. Dad was rich, but he wasn't that rich." Shirou mused. Kiritsugu had left him a large inheritance, totalling well above fifty million pounds in total, hidden in numerous bank accounts, vaults, trusts, and other places around the world, but Lord El-Melloi's debts were easily five or even ten times that.

"Then perhaps you should sell some stuff." Illya suggested, and as one, their gazes were drawn towards Illya's collection on the table. "If you sell my collection, it will be easy to get enough money together."

"Are you okay with that though?" Shirou asked, crossing his arms. "I thought you were going to display it."

"I'll find other things to display." She shrugged in a gesture of magnanimity, which seemed entirely genuine and also made Shirou very happy to see. Nevertheless, he couldn't just accept it.

"I could find other things to sell as well." He smiled, looking around his Vault, which held plenty of treasures that Illya hadn't considered worthy of her collection.

"Whatever you want." Illya's magnanimous streak continued as she smiled indulgently.

"Lord Emiya, may I please raise a concern?" Sella suddenly requested, bowing deeply.

"Please do."

"Your intentions of releasing this Lord El-Melloi from his debts are most noble, but I fear it might not be as easy as you believe." She warned him, giving him a very serious look. "I do not doubt you can obtain the money at any time you wish, but I fear your sponsor will not accept it so easily. Lords can be hesitant about accepting charity."

"You're right." Shirou pressed his hand to his forehead as he realised Lord El-Melloi might indeed be too proud to accept the money from him. He might accept a sum of up to one million, if Shirou phrased it as payment for his services, but even that was far from certain. There was no way he'd ever accept hundreds of millions.

"The solution is obvious." Illya scoffed suddenly with the arrogance that was inherent to every little sister. "Just tell him you have some stuff you want to sell, ask him for help in finding buyers, and split the profit fifty-fifty."

"…That's brilliant, Illya." Shirou grinned widely, genuinely impressed she'd found a solution so quickly.

"It's common sense. Stupid brother." She mumbled, but there was no hiding her pleased blush.

"I'll have to make sure not to sell anything dangerous, but harmless Mystic Codes, Magical Objects, and some gems shouldn't be a problem." Shirou rapidly assembled a list of things to sell, though he didn't add anything from Illya's collection –that was now hers– nor did he include the best gems, which would go to Rin.

Anything that Sakura and Ayako might appreciate wasn't up for sale either of course. That went without saying.

"But enough about business." Illya interrupted his list-making, grabbing his hand again. "I want to hear everything about the purge. Who did you attack? Did they scream? I hope they screamed."

Her vitriol and spite towards Magi in general were on full display as she giggled maliciously at the thought of him beating them up, but Shirou didn't reprimand her. After what she'd gone through, she was allowed to hold a grudge.

Also, he too didn't like Magi very much, so he had no right to judge.

So he readily told her about the purge.

"Yes, a lot of them screamed, quite loudly in fact…"

Elsewhere, on the normal plane of reality, the participants of the purge were being paid their reward for their hard work. The Enforcers and mercenaries were directly handed the sum they were owed, while the Policy-personnel would see their monthly salary increase drastically for the rest of the year.

The payments themselves were extremely generous. Policies had money to spare after all, and there was nothing wrong with being generous after a massive victory. The department might work mainly by wielding big sticks, but sometimes, a carrot could do wonders as well.

Among the Enforcers collecting their reward was Gideon, and Gideon was a bit concerned. He had signed up for the purge along with his team, believing that it would take a month at least, but now that it had ended in a day, he feared that massive decrease in time might negatively affect his pay check.

He needn't have worried though. The rewards weren't any less. Everything that was supposed to have been paid over the course of the month had been compressed into one huge payment. A payment that was frankly ludicrous, even by Enforcer-standards.

And Enforcers-standards were not low. Enforcer-work was dangerous, very dangerous, and the risk of death was high. There were rogue Magi with unknown Magecraft, Dead Apostles with their inhuman abilities, mercenaries seeking to get rid of you, the ever-continuing power plays between lords, and much more. It wasn't unusual to die before you reached forty years of age, and anyone above fifty was the exception.

However, if you survived, the rewards were huge, more than enough to buy anything a normal person could want and then some. It was a high-risk high-reward occupation, and Gideon, who had been an Enforcer for close to a decade, had become a wealthy man over the years, solely through the rewards he had received for his work.

The payment he had received for participating in the purge blew every sum he'd even been paid before out of the water though. Never before had he earned so much money with one job, a job that had frankly been one of the easiest of his career so far.

It was, as said before, ludicrous.

"Hoooooly cow! That's a lot of zeros for a day's work." Angy spluttered once he showed them the contract on which their salary had been written. "All that money is in our shared bank account now?"

"Indeed it is." Gideon nodded, wanting to laugh at Angy's astonished expression but finding himself unable to, as he was just as astonished as she was. "I'll split it up evenly and deposit it into everyone's private accounts as soon as I can."

"Imagine what we can do with it." Rit squealed, her blonde hair bouncing up and down as she ran at Gideon to jump into his arms. "I know what I am going to do with it! I'll take you out for dinner, Gideon. My treat!"

"Shouldn't that be the other way around?" Suladan asked, the stoic man allowing himself a small smile as he too was overwhelmed, positively, by their sudden wealth. "As the man, Gideon should treat you."

"Nonsense!" Rit immediately rejected the Egyptian's words. "I invited Gideon, so I pay. Simple as that."

"If you say so." Suladan had no comeback to that, and he backed down graciously.

"Hey, Khamul, fancy a trip to the market with me?" Angy asked the hooded man standing next to her, grinning widely at his hidden face. "I need some ingredients for my concoctions, and now that I have a lot of money, I can get the best ones."

"I too am in need of materials." Khamul replied, the hood moving up and down slowly. "I would gladly accompany you. You are very good at bartering."

"Even better when I have you standing behind me though, glaring intimidatingly at the shopkeepers." Angy winked slyly, and a soft, scratchy laugh emerged from the shadow under the hood.

Gideon gave Angy and Khamul a pitying look. They were the potion-expert and the Bounded Field-expert respectively of their team, and that meant they needed ridiculously expensive ingredients and materials to perform their craft. It wasn't unusual for them to spend all their earnings on preparing for their next job, meaning they had very little, if any, savings.

Since their crafts were vital for the overall performance of the team, Gideon had offered multiple times that they could take the money they needed from the shared account, but Angy and Khamul always refused, citing that having a clear limit of how much money they could spend was a good thing for them.

That didn't stop Gideon from buying them all their groceries though, as well as paying for all their other expenses.

"Can I tag along with you to the market?" Kyra raised her hand as if she was in class, stepping forward calmly, her signature lazy smile on her face. "I too am in need of several ingredients and materials, and it is so much easier to shop when I have companions than when I am alone. At least when I have Khamul with me, I am not bothered so much by strange men."

"The troubles of being a beautiful woman." Ruti giggled, before immediately assuming a neutral face again when Kyra glanced at her. "Eh, I mean, those stupid men! How dare they?!"

"What about you, Sisigou?" Theodora asked, and the entire team turned to look at their temporary ally, Kairi Sisigou, the large, scarred mercenary who had declared multiple times to have joined the purge for the reward only.

"Me? I'm heading off to my next job." Sisigou grinned roguishly, his sunglasses doing an effective job at hiding his eyes, making it difficult to see whether he was really happy or just faking it. "I got an invitation to come to Romania, to talk with a dude named Darnic Prestone. The guy sent me a letter the other day, telling me he had an assignment lined up if I was interested. It'll be a long job too, he said, with constant pay."

"Prestone?" Suladan's eyes narrowed at the name, his hand automatically moving towards the sword hanging on his hip. "Be careful, mercenary. Darnic Prestone is unreliable to the core."

"You got experience with him?" Sisigou asked curiously, turning towards Suladan to show his genuine interest. "I didn't find much on him myself."

"I met him several times, to negotiate a business deal, a long time ago." Suladan replied, his grip on his sword not loosening in the slightest. "His tongue is as black as his heart. He is evil in its purest form. He is fouler than you can imagine, and has been for all of his miserable life."

"Weren't there rumours that he is pretty old?" Ruti asked, scratching her head. "I mean, seriously old. As in, well over retirement age?"

"He should be well over ninety years old by now." Suladan sneered, his hatred for Prestone showing in every aspect of his body-language. "Though I can assure you he won't look a day over thirty should you accept his invitation and meet him, mercenary."

"De-aging Magecraft?" Sisigou asked in a casual tone, though from the tense lines around his mouth, Gideon concluded that he was listening very well to what Suladan had to say, and was believing it too.

"That seems the most likely explanation." The grim Egyptian nodded. "I would not surprise me in the slightest if it involved foul acts, which I shall not name here."

A number of possibilities flashed through Gideon's head, including body-stealing, draining vitality from young children, or using extremely dark Mystic Codes, but Suladan indeed did not explain further, nor did Gideon ask.

"Damn." Sisigou let out a low whistle, not a trace left of the roguish demeanour he'd displayed earlier. "Then perhaps I should think some more about accepting that invitation."

"You believe what I say?" Suladan appeared surprised that Sisigou was taking his words into consideration.

"It's clear your anger is genuine, and you have no reason to lie to me."

"Then, if you are receptive to my words, heed my warning and stay away from that creature. He is wretched, evil, and miserable, and he will inflict nothing but pain on you, as he does on everyone he interacts with."

"Including you?" Sisigou asked piercingly.

"Including me." Suladan confirmed.

"Noted."

It seemed Sisigou had been convinced to give Prestone's offer a miss, and with that matter settled, Suladan let go of his sword again, and the tension surrounding the group disappeared quickly.

"Ahem, anyway." Theodora attempting to get a conversation going again. "Does anyone know what is going to happen to all the people we took captive?"

"Nothing good." Angy replied immediately, cutting the taller girl off. "And nothing I want to talk about right now. This is supposed to be a happy occasion. I don't want to sully the air by theorising about the torture that's going to be inflicted on those criminals."

"I understand! My deepest apologies for bringing it up." Theodora lowered her head in apology, and Angy's expression quickly mellowed.

"No, I am sorry for reacting so strongly." The pink-haired woman replied, reaching up to pat her black-haired team member on the head. "I merely have no appetite to discuss punishments and interrogations right now."

"I just hope that whatever they get, it is what they deserve." Sisigou said, in an almost philosophical tone. "Though I should watch my tongue. I too have committed my share of atrocities, and when it's time to pay the piper, I won't be laughing, let me tell you that."

"I suppose that goes for us all." Khamul remarked, and the entire group fell silent, thinking back on the questionable and sometimes outright evil acts that all of them had committed in the line of duty.

Enforcers often had to do work they weren't proud of, and all of them, Gideon included, had a lot of blood on their hands, some of it from innocent bystanders whose only crime had been to see more than they should have.

The afterlife wouldn't be gentle on any of them.

Though that was all the more reason to enjoy life.

"Let's go out for dinner right away." He smiled at Rit, and she smiled back, her beaming expression soothing his heart like nothing else could.

In Italy, the Vatican to be more precise, in a small, personal shrine belonging to a widely respected bishop, a heated discussion was taking place.

Though perhaps 'heated' was the wrong term to use. Everyone present was a devout Catholic after all, and all of them took that very seriously. There was no yelling between them while they were inside a house of God.

Nevertheless, it wasn't exactly a friendly discussion either.

"You wish to enter the Clocktower under false identities and false pretences to… do what now?" Bishop Dilo asked in a tone that was a mixture of amused, disbelieving, and tired.

"To find the Magi who are in league with the Dead Apostle Ancestors." Kayla replied, her enthusiasm with the idea, already small, waning even more at her superior's reaction to it. "We heavily suspect that there are many within the Magus Association who serve the Vampire Lords, and we wish to track them down by infiltrating their ranks."

'We' being Kayla herself, her best friend Lily, her other friends Mira and Jonah, and her much older, much respected colleague Sidonus. It was with these people, as well as a few others who weren't present right now, that Kayla had been tracking down and destroying hidden bases of the Meluastea-family.

The Church was seldom so proactive in fighting against Magi, but this had been one of the rare exceptions. The Meluastea had committed crimes in Church-territory, so according to the old agreements and treaties, that meant the Burial Agency was free to destroy their outposts and kill their servants and flunkies without having to anticipate retribution from the Clocktower.

At least, that was the theory. Naturally, killing Magi belonging to powerful families always caused trouble, but the Church could handle that, if the cause was right.

During this process of destroying the Meluastea's bases however, the team had found several clues that hinted at the fact that the Dead Apostle Ancestors were responsible for the Meluastea suddenly committing so many heinous crimes. Naturally, with them being loyal members of the Burial Agency, they weren't able to look the other way, and they had decided together to request bishop Dilo for permission to infiltrate the Clocktower to further investigate the Ancestors' influence inside the Magus Association.

All members of the team were capable of at least some acts of Magecraft, enough to pretend to be low-level Magi, so it shouldn't be too difficult to make the infiltration work.

Kayla had been against it at first, but the others had persuaded her to think about it, and when she'd done so, she had to admit the infiltration actually had a fair chance of succeeding.

Bishop Dilo clearly didn't agree however.

"Absolutely not." He said, in a tone that made it clear he would accept no protest.

"But bishop Dilo!" Jonah clearly didn't get the message however, and protested anyway. "We just told you that the Ancestors have infiltrated the Witches' headquarters, and-"

"I already know that the Ancestors have many agents within the Clocktower." Bishop Dilo cut him off, before sighing when Kayla and her team gave him disbelieving stares. "It is only logical. Magi are by nature very corruptible. If an Ancestor offers them resources or ancient knowledge in exchange for information or services, they will easily and happily accept. That is unavoidable."

"And we're fine with that?!" Jonah demanded, ignoring Mira's attempt to shush him. "We're just gonna accept that there are Witches who cooperate with those monsters?"

"Jonah, calm down." Lily said sternly, glaring at the man with reprimanding eyes. "I'm certain that is not what bishop Dilo was saying."

"No, it is." Bishop Dilo corrected Lily, sounding far too light-hearted for the subject, and everyone present could almost hear how Lily's neck cracked when she jerked her head back to the bishop to give him a disbelieving stare. "We are indeed 'just gonna accept' that the Ancestors have a firm grip on the Magus Association. There is after all not much we can do about it without risking a war, which is exactly what the Ancestors are hoping for."

"T-Then, our plan?" Lily brought out, looking at the bishop with large, betrayed eyes after he corrected her assumption. "If we can infiltrate the Clocktower and bring these Magi to justice without risking a war…"

"It is a plan that has a very low chance of success." Bishop Dilo replied, sounding profoundly unenthusiastic. "Yes, in the event that you manage to pull it off without a hitch and remove the corrupt Magi, it would be a great victory for the Church, but the chances of that are very, very small indeed. Too small to risk a great team like yourselves for."

"There can be no success without risk." Kayla tried to counter his points, not entirely sure why but going ahead with it anyway. "And wars are not won by the cautious."

"War is exactly what we do not want, Kayla."

"We are already at war, with the Ancestors." Kayla dared to argue.

"And that is why we cannot lightly challenge or provoke the Clocktower." Bishop Dilo's tone now became stern. "You are all well aware that the relationship between us and them is already as thin as a thread. We cannot afford to make the situation even worse than it already is, especially not for a brazen scheme like this."

"Come now, Gustavus, those are the words of a coward." Sidonus spoke up in his gravelly voice, taking a step forward. The old man had indicated before they entered the shrine that he would rather not speak, but it seemed he saw no other option now. "There was a time when a plan like this would have had your full approval. In fact, you would have eagerly joined in yourself for a chance at taking on an Ancestor. Please, try to summon that enthusiasm again."

"That 'enthusiasm' was fine when I was an Exorcist and you an Executor, Sidonus, but I am now too high-placed and too stuffy to act irresponsibly like that anymore." Bishop Dilo answered, giving his old friend a wry smile. "Besides, as I told you before, we cannot afford to lose a team like you, even temporarily. The Burial Agency is stretched thin as it is. We already had a beast of a time trying to suppress the mundane Apostles and their creators, never mind if we wish to strike at the heart of the matter by taking on the Ancestors themselves."

"I can't believe you refer to this as striking at the heart of the matter, yet you still don't want to do it." Sidonus grumbled. "There was a time when striking at the heart was your specialty."

"And now it is not." Bishop Dilo brushed his fellow elder's words aside with a casual ease that implied he was very used to doing so. "Especially not when we risk a major diplomatic incident if even the slightest thing goes wrong. Actions have consequences, Sidonus, always."

"I know that better than most." Sidonus narrowed his eyes as Dilo's words apparently hit close to home. "But I also know that inaction has consequences as well. I completely understand and appreciate your caution, my friend. I too do not want a war between us and the Clocktower, least of all because it would greatly benefit our mutual enemies, but letting the Ancestors get away with their blatant manipulation will only bring down more trouble upon us later down the line."

"The Cardinals are working on a solution." Bishop Dilo tried to argue, but he shook his head before any of them could react. "No, that is a weak argument. Listen, I am not necessarily against the concept of your plan, I can merely not approve of it in my function as a bishop. I have to think about the bigger picture."

"But what if we can assure you that we will be successful?" Lily asked quickly.

"You can't." Bishop Dilo lifted an eyebrow, giving the young woman a penetrating stare. "Infiltrating the Clocktower will be far harder than you think. You will either need accomplishments in Magecraft, which you do not have, or good contacts, which you do not have either, or a Lord who will help you gain entrance, which will also call much scrutiny upon you. From what I hear, you don't even know how to clear that first hurdle."

"We still want to try." Jonah insisted stubbornly, but it seemed bishop Dilo was growing tired of the conversation.

"But you will not." He told them, his voice indicating that it was the last he had to say about the matter. "I forbid you from throwing your lives away."

"Shouldn't it be our decision whether we throw our lives away or not?" Lily protested.

"No." The answer was firm and unhesitant. "When you joined the Burial Agency, you placed your lives into the hands of God and the Pope. It is their prerogative, and theirs only, to spend your lives on their designs. Do not forget, you are warriors of the Church, and you must follow orders."

"And your orders are that we cannot infiltrate the Clocktower?" Kayla asked for a last time, feeling a mixture of relief and annoyance at the refusal. Relief because she too had considered it a bad plan, and annoyance because she did in fact want to take action to counter the rising influence of the Ancestors.

"My orders are that you cannot carry out that plan that you presented to me." Bishop Dilo huffed, and everyone present perked up at his choice of words. "It has no chance of succeeding."

"But if we had a better plan-" Jonah began.

"Even if you presented a better plan to me, I would have to forbid you from carrying out that plan as well." Bishop Dilo interrupted him sternly. "The Church has a strong policy of non-interference when it comes to the Clocktower, and I am obliged to put an end to any attempts that I notice on our side to violate that policy."

"That you notice, huh?" Kayla asked, easily seeing what the bishop was hinting at.

Basically, he had forbidden them from carrying out the plan they had presented to him, because he was required to do so by the Pope. However, he hadn't forbidden them outright to go to the Clocktower, so if they made a different, better plan and didn't tell him about it, they would be able to carry it out and later hide behind plausible ignorance.

"We understand, bishop." She thus said, bowing her head in acceptance. "We will forget about the plan we presented to you, and we will not bother you with any other plans of its kind again."

"Very good." Bishop Dilo nodded. "Now, this would normally be the point where I dismiss you, as I am very busy indeed, but some information has reached my ears which I believe you should hear as well."

"Well? Out with it then, Gustavus, don't waste our time." Sidonus barked after a moment of silence, and the bishop slumped in disappointment.

"You really don't have any flair for the dramatic." Bishop Dilo sighed in part consternation and part resignation, before he lifted his head again and straightened his back. "Before I tell you the news, let me verify something. The report you filed with the administrators states that the Meluastea-family is responsible for the emergence of the mundane Dead Apostles and for the creation of the bases you have been taking down over the past weeks, correct?"

"Correct." Kayla confirmed, slipping back into her soldier mindset now that the situation had turned into something resembling a debriefing. "While there are many other Magi involved, we can tentatively assume that the Meluastea are the masterminds behind the recent events."

"They are one of the ruling families of the Clocktower, and one of the most powerful at that." Bishop Dilo grumbled, scratching at his neck, something he only did when he was irritated. "Powerful enough that both the Church and the Clocktower couldn't lightly interfere with their business. They used to be untouchable."

"Used to be?" Sidonus raised an eyebrow.

"That's the new information I wanted you to have. The Meluastea have been purged by the Magus Association itself. It appears they went too far and are now paying the price. They have been declared outlaws, and a message has been sent to the Church today telling us that we are free to kill any members of that family we can find."

"Oh, that is excellent news-"

"What?!" Jonah cried in horror, taking a step forward, interrupting Kayla. "The masterminds behind this mess are being taken out and we cannot participate?!"

"That's what you're concerned about?! Be glad everything sorted itself out, idiot!" Mira snarled, looking seconds away from throttling her partner, both for his absolutely inaptitude at keeping his priorities straight and for yelling in a shrine. "And don't talk so loudly in a shrine!"

"I wanted to participate in that purge! Bishop Dilo, you should have told us about this sooner!" Jonah continued whining, not lowering his volume in the slightest, and this time, Mira really did throttle him.

Or at least, she tried to, but Sidonus grabbed her by the scruff of her neck before she could reach him, easily holding her back.

"Easy there, young one." The scarred man laughed, amusement twinkling in his one good eye. "Yelling in a shrine is wrong, but fighting even more so, to say nothing about murdering your boy-toy."

"Bwahahaha! Oh, to be young." Bishop Dilo laughed at the scene, while Kayla wished she could sink into the ground in embarrassment over how her fellows were acting. "Worry not, Sidonus, I am sure God will easily forgive a small love-spat inside one of his houses."

"You would know more about that than I." Sidonus shrugged, before aiming a light glare at bishop Dilo. "And don't think I am not displeased we were not informed of the purge in advance. I too wished to participate."

"I am sorry, Sidonus, Jonah, but you couldn't have participated in the purge even if I had told you in time." Bishop Dilo apologised sincerely. "This was an internal affair of the Magus Association. Anyone affiliated with the Church won't get in without a lot of paperwork and explicit permission from the Vice-Director and her Second in Command."

"Oof." Jonah pouted at the missed opportunity. "I really wanted to slay some Witches."

"Look at it from the bright side. At least the Ancestors lost a lot of puppets today." Lily tried to cheer him up, with some success, as her words did manage to make Jonah's lips twist into a small smile. "And stop whining before Mira will never forgive you."

"It'll be fine, she loves me." Jonah's small smile became a full-blown grin, and Mira, who was still being held like a kitten by Sidonus, hissed in rage again.

"This will indeed have set the Apostle Ancestors back quite a bit." Bishop Dilo agreed with Lily. "I do not doubt they still have many agents and moles within the Magus Association, but I dare say more than half have been lost today."

"This might stir them up into a frenzy." Sidonus warned. "Creatures like that don't appreciate it, at all, when their plans go awry."

"The Cardinals are already preparing for any retaliatory strikes." Bishop Dilo nodded, before his mouth twisted as if he'd tasted something unpleasant. "Recent reports on the behaviour of some of the Ancestors have been… concerning."

"Blackmore." Sidonus growled, and a shiver went down Kayla's spine at the name of the Black Wing Lord.

"Yes. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you have already heard about his actions in Spain."

"Halt is an old friend."

"And far too loose-lipped, clearly."

"He also told me-"

"Bishop Dilo, is there anything you would like us to do?" Kayla interrupted them before they could go off on a tangent about things the rest of them had no clue about, like old men were wont to do.

"To do?"

"About the Ancestors." She clarified, hoping the answer would be positive, partially because she really was worried about the Bloodsucker Lords, and partially because she wanted to make a good impression on her favourite superior again after Jonah and Mira had undoubtedly made his opinion of her drop with their antics.

"No, you have been working hard enough over the past weeks." Bishop Dilo shook his head, before he gave them a pleasant smile. "You should take a holiday. I think a few weeks off is exactly what you need."

That was exactly not what Kayla wanted to hear, and she made to protest, to stress that they didn't need time off and were more than capable of being useful, but before she could get a word out, Sidonus talked over her.

"You know what, Gustavus, I think I agree." The scarred veteran grinned, before he turned towards Kayla and winked conspiratorially. "I hear England is nice this time of year, not too cold, not too hot, and there are a few things there I have always wanted to see. London in particular has been at the top of my list for quite some time now."

"A marvellous idea." Bishop Dilo's smile widened, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "A holiday to London is exactly what you young fellows need."

"I take it we'll be unaffiliated with the Church during said holiday?" Sidonus asked.

"Indeed. Should anything happen, the Church will not provide any aid whatsoever." Bishop Dilo's voice was full of warning, before it turned kind again. "But don't worry too much about that. You should just enjoy your holiday. Oh, and if you would be willing to say hi to Waver from me, I would really appreciate that. He is such a supportive young man, always willing to lend a helping hand, even to people of the Church."

"He sounds like a fine young man indeed." Sidonus laughed back. "But we have kept you for long enough, Gustavus. It's time we went on our holiday."

"A splendid idea. Have fun, you all, and be careful. Kayla, you are still in command. Make sure you all come back safely, okay?"

"Yes, bishop Dilo." Kayla nodded, feeling rather overwhelmed at the moment.

Somehow, they had received permission from the bishop to infiltrate the Clocktower, while at the same time they hadn't received permission at all. The bishop and Sidonus had been talking like it was all nothing but a theory, nothing but holiday plans that happened to be close to the Clocktower, but anyone with two braincells could figure out what they were really talking about.

Was this a taste of what things were like at the top? Saying one thing but meaning another, while speaking only in theories and hypotheticals?

If so, then Kayla never wanted to be a part of it. She wouldn't have the patience to twist and spin around like that. She'd punch someone through a wall during her first conversation, out of pure frustration if nothing else.

…Which was probably why bishop Dilo had always refused to take her to official events, even when she begged him to.

"Kayla!" Lily suddenly whispered harshly, taking the redheaded woman's shoulder in a vice-grip. "Come on! We're leaving. The bishop has dismissed us."

"Huh?" Kayla started at her friend's words, before she looked around and noticed that everyone else indeed seemed to be preparing to depart again. Hastily, she joined them, desperately wanting to avoid being embarrassed in front of her superior again.

She had been embarrassed enough for the day, the year even.

"Off to London then, I guess." Jonah huffed, looking peacefully resigned, as if he'd given up on struggling and was fully prepared to let himself be swept away by the current. "For a holiday of all things…"

"I really hope we'll be coming back though." Mira nervously scratched her temple, showing that she too was well aware of what Sidonus and bishop Dilo had actually been discussing. "God help us."

"If you go in without a reasonable plan, relying merely on luck, God will only very rarely reach down to aid you." Bishop Dilo suddenly said, adopting a lecturing tone. "But if you prepare in advance, make a good plan, and most importantly, make an honest effort, He might just be willing to give the Scales of Faith that little tap that is needed to tilt them into your direction. God helps those who help themselves."

""Yes, bishop Dilo.""

Battle involved paperwork.

It was a rule of thumb that was as old as the concept of battle itself, and while it may not always hold true, it could generally be assumed to describe reality perfectly well.

Advanced societies in particular always saw their battles accompanied by administration and logistics, both before and after the fighting. They needed supplies and manpower, they needed well-defined locations and maps, they needed to process prisoners and loot. There was no escaping the paperwork, not if you wanted your battles and their aftermath to go well.

That was why competent rulers always made sure to have qualified people in place who could deal with all those matters. People who worked around the clock to ensure everything was in place and accounted for.

Logistics was the lifeblood of battles, and administration the very basis of everything that happened in war, that was an undeniable fact. Woe the ruler who forgot such a thing, for nothing but doom would await them.

That was why it was a good thing that Lorelei Barthomeloi, who was objectively terrible at paperwork and tended to dodge such responsibilities whenever she could, had a capable person like Mirei Montmorency on her side to take care of such matters for her.

Mirei was an old hand at arranging logistics for war, having been through several purges already –though she admitted this one was by far the largest she'd ever experienced– and as such, she knew what to do before the purge started, while it was on-going, and after it had ended.

Even now that Fujimaru had completely upended her schedule by being capable of destroying Bounded Fields with a metaphorical snap of his fingers, she still had matters under control. She had been working almost twenty-four hours per day ever since the purge had concluded, now five days ago, but she was managing, somehow.

It would likely take at least another month before things would calm down again, a month of working around the clock, but that was what her personal healers were for.

Sure, they might protest that their medicines and concoctions weren't meant as substitutes for a good night's sleep, but Mirei was too old to care about such trivial details anymore. She didn't need as much sleep as youngsters did, and with her supporting potions on hand, she could reduce that need even further.

Nevertheless, Fujimaru's Healing Power, which could apparently even fix a lack of sleep, was still a balm to her weathered body.

"Thank you, boy. I feel better already." She sighed in content when the golden glow died down and the redhead lowered his arm again. "Out of all your abilities, I must say this one is the most useful in general."

"It is pretty amazing." Fujimaru smiled, his happiness over being able to heal others completely genuine as far as Mirei could tell.

"Indeed, but I didn't call you to my office just to get myself a dose of golden rays. Please, take a seat." She motioned towards one of the chairs standing in the room. "There's actually quite a lot we must discuss."

"I am all ears." Fujimaru said after he sat down. "Although to be honest, I don't know what we need to talk about. My part in the purge is done, is it not?"

"Technically speaking, yes." Mirei nodded, stapling her fingers together. "Our deal was that you would help in tracking down the illegal matters in Archaeology and the other departments, and you more than kept your end of that deal. All that is left is for you to receive your rewards, and then you can leave my office and never return. At least, that would have been the case had this been an ordinary matter and you nothing but a common soldier for hire."

"I sense a 'but' coming."

"But this matter ceased being ordinary the moment you destroyed the Bounded Fields on the Gate of Archaeology, thereby showing yourself to be a force to be reckoned with." Mirei continued, ignoring the boy's remark. "And you made it worse by acting so familiar with little Lorelei, and by performing several 'impossible' acts in her presence. You placed yourself in the spotlight, boy, and that means I cannot just let you go."

"Ugh." That was clearly not welcome news to Fujimaru, though it was probably not entirely unexpected. "So what happens next? Are you going to Seal me?"

"Nothing so drastic." Mirei immediately shook her head, giving him a reassuring smile. "All I want to do is make sure you understand your current situation and equip you do deal with it, so you won't be overwhelmed by your newfound importance."

"Really?" Fujimaru seemed surprised, and more than a little sceptical. "That's awfully kind of you."

"Naturally, I won't do it for free." Mirei admitted frankly, knowing he'd see right through any lie. "But I assure you the cost will be low, nothing you cannot easily afford."

"…I see. In that case, thank you." Fujimaru said, accepting her words as the truth, which they indeed were. "To be honest though, I was thinking of leaving the Clocktower soon."

"That is probably for the best." Mirei nodded gravely, taking him aback a bit. "If you stay, everyone will worry non-stop about your next course of action, and things would never settle down. By disappearing, you would remove most of this tension, and I can work on hammering out a new ceasefire between factions."

"So you're telling me to leave as soon as I can?" Fujimaru asked with a wry smile.

"No. There are matters you must take care of before you can go. Matters that cannot wait." Mirei was aware she was contradicting herself, but she was a Magus. Self-contradiction was in her blood. "I must request you stay for at least another two weeks."

"Fine by me." Fujimaru shrugged, apparently having anticipated something like that. "I already expected it would take about that long. Can I ask though what is required of me? I take it you don't want me to just sit in my room for two weeks?"

"Certainly not, boy." If he was going to stay in his room all the time, he might as well leave right away. "There are multiple reasons we need you to remain here. The most important of them is that we must present a united front to the rest of the Clocktower."

"A united front?"

"Allow me to explain. It is safe to say that your presence drastically simplified the purge. You reduced its length from more than a month to less than a day, we have suffered no casualties because of your talents, and none of our enemies managed to escape. People know this, and they know Lorelei holds you in high regard." Mirei summed up, looking the redhead straight into the eyes to make sure he knew how important this was. "Essentially, you are a part of the very face of the purge. If future-historians ever describe this period in their books or lectures, they will name you in one breath alongside Lorelei and me. You have contributed to the downfall of three departments and the gutting of the Neutral Faction, who were headed by the Meluastea."

"Alright, so I was important." Fujimaru rubbed the back of his head in almost aggressive motions, looking very grumpy for some reason. "But why is that relevant?"

"Because the purge doesn't exist in a vacuum, boy." Mirei immediately replied. "The purge will influence every aspect of the Magus Association and its workings, and it will determine the future power-structures for years to come. Your actions in simplifying it have given the Aristocratic Faction an incredibly strong hand to play in the coming negotiations and power struggles."

"Okay… So?"

"So we, the Aristocratic Faction and especially Policies, need you to stay on our side." Mirei leaned forward in her chair. "Tell me, boy, what do you think will happen if you break with us now? Or even if you just distance yourself from us?"

"…Your standing will go down?" Fujimaru guessed. "Your 'hand' will weaken?"

"Indeed! A lot of our current influence and power will be lost if you leave. The Democratic Faction and the Neutral Faction would surely see it as a sign that the Aristocratic Faction is weakening, that there is blood in the water, and then there will be war."

"You exaggerate! I cannot be that important-!"

"You are." Mirei interrupted him, speaking strongly as she slammed her cane down on the ground. "You really are."

"…" Fujimaru was rendered speechless, his mouth opening and closing periodically, until he found enough of his voice to ask a question. "Why?"

"Why? Are you seriously asking me that?" Mirei scoffed, before holding up her finger. "Listen, Fujimaru, there is something you really need to understand here. Of all the people who participated in the purge, the only one who really mattered was you."

"But the Enforcers and mercenaries…? And Lady Barthomeloi?"

"Were all replaceable. All of them, Gideon, Sisigou, McRemitz, and yes, even Lorelei, could have stayed away and been replaced with almost any other Enforcer or mercenary and nothing would have changed. Without you though, we would still be fighting, with absolutely no guarantee of a decisive victory. We owe a hell of a lot to you, boy."

"I-Is that so?" Fujimaru turned away from her, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.

"That is why I am having this conversation with you, and not with any of the others." Mirei explained further. "Your actions from here on have the potential to heavily influence the new status-quo and Policies' standing in it. The actions of everyone else, not so much. Even if Adashino, Rit, or Lehrman suddenly decide to rebel, not much will change. If you take even one step out of line however…"

"Yes, I got it." Fujimaru didn't look at all happy about it though. "I will make sure to present a united front with Policies."

"Is that really so disagreeable?" Mirei asked, before motioning at his face when he blinked in confusion. "You look extremely displeased."

"Oh, that. No, that's not about having to present a united front or anything like that. I'm not happy because…"

"Because?"

"…Because I got wrapped up in Clocktower-politics after all." Fujimaru bemoaned, burying his face in his hands. "If dad were still alive, he'd be furious. Or he'd laugh really hard, that is also possible."

"Would he now?" Mirei smiled, feeling rather amused at the boy's despair, which was obviously fake for the most part. It was clear he'd had a good relationship with his father, and still thought highly of the man. "He sounds like a good father."

"He was." Fujimaru mumbled with a muffled voice.

"Nevertheless, you cannot fulfil his wish. You will have to participate in politics now, or all the hard work I have put into stabilising the political landscape again will go to waste. Lorelei would certainly be very inconvenienced as well."

"…"

"I know that you would rather not have become involved in Clocktower-politics." Mirei sighed, feeling genuinely sorry for the boy, though she knew there wasn't anything that could be done. "But you are too powerful and too influential to ignore. If you really wanted to stay out of everything, you should have remained on the sidelines and never gotten involved with the Magus Association at all."

"I know." Fujimaru lifted his head from his hands again and smiled weakly. "I have no one to blame for this but myself. I have no regrets though, about the path I have chosen, but that doesn't mean I cannot complain about it sometimes."

"Ha! No, certainly not." Mirei agreed wholeheartedly. "Complain away, boy, as much as you want, as long as you don't let it interfere with your duties."

"Hm, well, as I said, I will help you as much as I can." Fujimaru visibly gathered his courage, and when their gazes met, his eyes were devoid of any hesitation or doubt. "What do you want me to do?"

"I like your enthusiasm, boy." Mirei grinned, wishing more Magi had a helpful mindset like his. It would certainly make her job a lot easier. "Essentially, I want you to present a united front with us, as I already explained."

"How do I do that?"

"It's relatively simple actually. Aside from not rebelling and not leaving, you need to make sure everything you say is in line with Policies' released statements."

"And what does that mean?"

"If people ask you about anything related to the purge, you need to give the same reply that Lorelei or I would give. In light of that, I will now give you all information you need to give such answers."

"Is that wise?" Fujimaru asked cautiously. "I mean, I don't know much about operational security. Would it not be better to keep me as uninformed as possible?"

"Oh, I am not going to tell you anything classified or secret, boy." Mirei laughed, as that would indeed be preposterous, considering how little he knew about politicking. "All you'll get from me is information that will be made public soon anyway. This is necessary, because people will ask you about the purge, and if you cannot answer their questions or your answer differs from Lorelei's, it would put us all in a difficult spot."

"Because it would suggest we have no unity?" Shirou guessed.

"Indeed, boy, indeed." Mirei nodded, happy he was so quick to understand. "We must present a united front, and that means our answers must align perfectly."

"I understand."

"Do you? Good." Mirei smiled, amused by how he sat up in his chair like a proper student. "I'll give you a quick rundown of the most relevant facts now, and at the end of the meeting, I'll give you the relevant reports to read for yourself."

Fujimaru didn't react verbally, merely nodding his head once.

"What most people will be interested in is of course the new status-quo. After the fall of three departments and the gutting of the Neutral Faction, many of the old guard will be desperate for correct information, and the most important information will be the identities of the new rulers of Archaeology, Mineralogy, and Botany." Mirei began with the most crucial subject, the one Fujimaru would undoubtedly be asked about numerous times. "One-fourth of the Clocktower will be put under new leadership. That is a tremendous change that has never happened before in all of the Magus Association's existence."

"So people will ask me who will rule those departments from now on?" Fujimaru summarised her explanation, to which she nodded once. "Have you already decided on that?"

"Partially. When you are asked about the new rulers, please tell your interlocutors that the Archibald will rule Mineralogy, that the Archelot will still hold on to Botany provided that the head of their family marries someone of Lorelei's choice, and that no decision has been made yet concerning Archaeology, as there is too much that still needs to be done before we can even think about rebuilding that department."

"Very well." Fujimaru nodded, listening attentively.

"Furthermore, if people ask, you can tell them that the Meluastea have been arrested, all of them, save for the few who killed themselves before we could capture them." Mirei went on. "They will all be put on public trial, and they will receive punishment for their treachery. Similarly, all other criminals that we captured, like the Colby-family, the Saward-family, the De Vries-family, and numerous others, will also be judged. The trials are due to begin tomorrow, and will likely take several days. Lorelei and I want you to be present at those trials."

"Because we have to present a picture of unity?" Fujimaru ventured with a lopsided smile.

"Exactly!" Truly, it was so easy to explain things like this if the person she was speaking to had some common sense. "Most likely, the two of us will sit on either side of Lorelei, but that's not a certainty."

"…I'll prepare myself then." Fujimaru mumbled, the news that he was going to be close to the Vice-Director again obviously putting him off balance.

"You still don't know what to do with her, do you?" Mirei asked, not able to hide her amusement. "Even though you are handling her better than anyone else I've ever met, including myself."

"Well, she is pretty easy to get along with, as long as nothing goes wrong, but she's just…" Fujimaru trailed off, falling silent as he searched for the correct word to describe the brunette.

"Another thing that is important is that you do not give out the identities of anyone who participated in the purge, no matter how much you are asked about it." Mirei decided to throw him a bone by moving the subject along again. She'd find out his true opinion about Lorelei later. "Even if you think it is common knowledge that any particular person took part, ignore any questions that inquire about their identities. I don't care if they ask if Lorelei herself participated, you either don't say anything or you deny all knowledge."

Reprisals were still a very real possibility after all. The Meluastea had carried great influence, and many of its members had not been without charisma. It was not unthinkable that people were out for revenge at this very moment.

"Furthermore, when people ask about your competition with Lorelei, you will be very clear that Lorelei won it, and you will not say how close it actually was. Allow them to believe she beat you easily."

That was normally not an easy directive for young men to follow, pretending that they lost badly, but Fujimaru didn't even blink while he nodded. Apparently, he didn't suffer much from excess pride.

"If anyone asks about the purge in general, make sure to always mention how hard a battle it was, and how much effort we had to put in to bring it to such a swift end. I realise that it is impossible to hide the fact that unnatural things happened there, considering we finished the entire thing in under a day, but please don't fan the flames any more than you have to."

After such an upheaval, they needed stability, and Fujimaru going around telling everyone about his impossible exploits would not improve stability at all.

"That was just about everything I wanted to say. Just try not to give out too many details, give liberal praise to Lorelei, the Enforcers, and the mercenaries, and avoid bragging as much as you can."

"That shouldn't be too difficult." Fujimaru smiled, looking relieved that her directives were so simple. "I will do as you say."

"Then allow me to ask one more thing of you." Mirei said, and Fujimaru gave her a curious look. "I want you to look like you know what you are doing."

"Pardon me?" Fujimaru blinked in confusion upon hearing his second task.

"Once more, it is a matter of image and reputation. You are now known as a terribly powerful Magus who effortlessly dominates his surroundings. For the sake of Policies' standing, you must keep that image intact. As such, you have to act the part of the powerful, knowledgeable Magus who knows his way around politics and powerplays."

"…Right."

"Now, pretending to be more capable than you really are may sound simple in theory, but I know from experience it is more difficult in practice. As such, I will be giving you instructions now. I would greatly appreciate it if you followed them."

"…Please tell me the instructions first, or I can't promise that I will follow them."

"Good answer, boy, and one that ties in nicely with the first of the instructions." Mirei slammed her fist down on her desk with a laugh. "The most important thing to preserve your reputation and image of power, and really, boy, this is vital, is to never make any sort of promise to anyone. I mean it, do not do that. It doesn't matter how small the favour they ask might be, you don't promise them anything. Tell them that you'll see what you can do, or that it's 'certainly interesting', but never give them a concrete promise or a guarantee. Never bind yourself like that. People will try to trap you by extracting promises you cannot keep. Do not let them, or they'll weaken your standing and make a fool of you."

"Noted." Fujimaru nodded, but the frown on his face showed that he had an issue with her words. "But to not make any promises at all… Does that mean I cannot help anyone?"

"It doesn't mean that at all." Mirei waved the question away. "You can help as many people as you want. I am only saying you should be careful in what you say. If someone comes to you with a problem, tell them that you will try to help, but give no guarantees you will succeed. That way, they cannot trap you in a promise you won't be able to keep, and they cannot use that unkept promise to embarrass or otherwise harass you."

"I understand." Fujimaru's nod was more confident this time.

"Good. For the second tip, don't be afraid to walk away from conversations. Remember that you are not required to keep talking to anyone who gives you a bad feeling or is trying to make use of you. You can just end the conversation at any point and walk away, and there will be no consequences."

"I'll remember that."

"Third, be wary of any stranger who approaches you from now on, especially if they are trying to be friendly for no discernible reason. I imagine you already know this, as you are not a fool, but Magi aren't nice to others out of the kindness of their hearts."

"I don't think there's anyone alive who doesn't know that." Fujimaru smiled wryly.

"You'd be surprised by how many people still let themselves be taken advantage of just because someone was kind to them." Mirei sighed deeply as she thought back on all the times she had seen good people fall because they had been taken in by a kind word and a nice gesture. "There are good liars out there, boy, and though you are better equipped against them than most, you should still take care. Only trust those you were already friendly with before this mess happened, and even then, keep an eye on them."

"Very well." Fujimaru nodded obediently, clearly having no issue with this piece of advice. It was after all common knowledge, as he had said himself, that Magi were not a trustworthy lot.

"My next piece of advice is to try to never be alone anywhere except in your own chambers, which you have undoubtedly fortified." Mirei continued. "Even if you can beat anyone who tries to ambush you, such events can still be used to discredit you."

"Of course."

"Other than that, I would like you to continue carrying on as you have done before." Mirei smiled. "Aside from my instructions, you already behave like a powerful, knowledgeable Magus."

"I do?" Fujimaru's confusion was clearly visible on his face.

"Yes. Blatantly disregarding rules and authority when it is convenient, brazenly defying your supposed superiors, carelessly starting fights in hallways, and ignoring the generally accepted pecking order are all traits that very powerful Magi possess. It shows that you aren't afraid of repercussions and don't fear anything. That's exactly the image I want you to show to the rest of the Magus Association."

"…Have I done something to make you angry, Lady Montmorency?" Fujimaru asked after a moment, his expression having become tormented.

"I think we're almost done here." Mirei said, ignoring his question. She wasn't mad at him or anything like that, she just enjoyed making youngsters sweat sometimes. "We just need to plan our next meeting."

"Next meeting?"

"Of course. The trials start tomorrow morning, at nine, and I want you, Lorelei, and me to have a short meeting beforehand to get our stories straight. As such, I want you in my office again tomorrow at eight in the morning."

"But what if I am indisposed?" Fujimaru protested. "I could be having an appointment with someone else."

"Tell them Lorelei herself demanded to speak with you, or do whatever else it takes to get out of it. Feel free to place all blame on her shoulders and stress what an annoying, overbearing woman she is, but make sure you come to our meeting."

"…You are rather harsh on Lady Barthomeloi."

"She's a big girl, she can handle herself." Mirei dismissed his words, though she smiled inwardly at the concern he showed for the Vice-Director. "Also, I am giving you some homework."

"Homework?" Fujimaru deadpanned at her, and Mirei now laughed openly at his expression.

"Yes, boy, homework. I want you to prepare yourself for the trials, so I want you to read this before the meeting tomorrow morning for a full picture of the entire purge."

'This' being a pack of documents as thick as her arm, holding copies of all the relevant reports on the proceedings of the purge, from the moment Fujimaru broke the first Bounded Field of the day up to the point where Lord El-Melloi 'captured' Marianne Archelot. It was an awful lot of information, and Mirei fully expected the redhead to balk at her order to read it all in one night.

He didn't balk though, or react much in any other way, really.

"Very well." He nodded without blinking an eye, accepting the mass of papers from her. "I am very good at memorising thing, and I can read very fast. I will have gone through all this by next morning, and I will make sure to remember it all."

"Hold on, boy! I appreciate your dedication, but hold on!" Mirei raised her hands to stop him, standing up from her chair in her haste, before revealing the much smaller pile of summaries she had kept hidden under several empty sheets. "You don't have to plow through all that nonsense! Just reading these summaries will be enough!"

"I know." Fujimaru exchanged the complete reports for the summaries without pausing for a moment, giving her a slight smirk. "I saw them when I came in."

…He'd seen through her from the start?

"Darn." She grumbled, sitting down again. "Can you not at least pretend to fall for an old woman's jokes? You are a cruel boy, Fujimaru."

"You started it though?!"

"Just read the summaries."

"Fine." Fujimaru grumbled, looking at the much smaller pack of paper in his hand. "I will."

"Thank you." Mirei smiled, before deciding it would be a good idea to spell out their deal once more. "Remember, Fujimaru, if you play ball and stick with Policies throughout this conflict, I will make sure you will never receive a Sealing Designation for any of your 'unusual' talents. Just swallow your dislike for politicking for now, and in two weeks, you can go back home, I guarantee it."

"I will do as you ask." Fujimaru nodded, his expression straightening out again. "Regardless of how much I dislike politics."

"Then I have just one more question for you, if I may be so bold."

"What is it?"

"Why did you get involved in the matter of the Meluastea? If you are as averse to politics and fame as you claim, then certainly you should have stayed far away from it? I know you did not do it for the rewards, as Lorelei told me you have little appreciation for money or resources, and you clearly do not want a higher position, so what is your motivation?"

Mirei knew Fujimaru was a kind man, who thought it was only natural to help people if you were capable of doing so, but even altruism only went so far in explaining his actions.

"I want to become a Hero of Justice."

Or perhaps altruism was the whole reason after all.

"See you tomorrow, Lady Montmorency."

"Until tomorrow, Shirou." Mirei nodded, before putting her head in her hands once he'd left her office.

It seemed she had a lot to think about.

Waver was just enjoying a nice cup of tea, sitting in his office in blissful silence, hanging back in his favourite sofa, clad in nothing but pyjama pants and an undershirt, when he was rudely disturbed by his own personal hellion.

In other words, his little sister, Reines.

"Waver!" She cried as she stormed inside, followed closely behind by Grey, who at least looked suitably apologetic for disturbing him during his personal time, unlike Reines

Waver had been working his butt off over the past week, endlessly labouring to make sure the Archibald could successfully claim Mineralogy without issues while also holding on to Modern Magecraft Theories, and he had decided he had earned himself a break today.

It wouldn't be a long break, just three hours of total peace and quiet, during which he could fully recharge himself to tackle his next assignments.

So with that in mind, he had sent away Grey, told Reines and his other students to keep out of his office, and barred entry to absolutely everyone, to get himself that peace and quiet he so desperately needed.

But now, barely one hour into said break, Reines had thrown his orders to the wind and had stormed into his sanctuary, the expression on her face one of genuine anger.

That genuineness more than anything stopped Waver from immediately throwing her out by her ear. That, and the fact that Grey actually looked annoyed as well, which was unusual to say the least.

"What is it, ladies?" So when he asked that question, it was in a calm tone instead of the enraged one he'd originally planned on using.

"Waver, my beloved big brother." Reines began, a very brittle smile forming on her face that did nothing to hide her anger. "You have been working hard these past days, very hard indeed, and I am most grateful for that. Your reclamation of Mineralogy has been the best thing to happen to the Archibald this decade, and I am certainly not averse to praising and rewarding you for it."

"Thank you." Waver only just suppressed the urge to grin, basking in Reines' lauding of him, for he knew it would be short-lived.

"So when you asked for a short break, during which you'd be left completely alone so you could rest properly, I was more than happy to agree." Reines continued with that same brittle smile. "But, Waver, if you were so intent on peace and quiet, enough to even send Grey away…"

Her smile broke, and she angrily pointed to a corner of his office, her face contorting in indignation.

"Then why is that woman here?!"

"Ah." Now Waver understood what had pissed her off so much.

'That woman' was Marianne Archelot, the ruler of Botany and former wife of the known criminal and Meluastea-toady Jack Colby. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and an absolutely stunning beauty that had left both Reines and Grey breathless the first time they'd seen her, after Waver had taken her from her bedroom to the main hall of her Department.

Waver completely understood that reaction. He too was struck silent by her beauty every time he looked at her, as were most other people.

It had been quite the struggle to get Svin and Flat to stop gawking whenever they caught sight of her and even Fujimaru and Lady Barthomeloi had told him that they considered Marianne to be one of the most beautiful women they had ever seen.

Marianne was currently in Waver's care. After the events of the purge, in which Marianne had killed Colby before surrendering without a fight to Waver, she had been put under a kind of house-arrest, but instead of staying at her own 'house', she had been told to stay at Waver's.

Waver himself couldn't fathom why Lady Montmorency had considered that her best option, but since he and Marianne already knew each other from several years ago, when they'd frequently interacted in one of the Clocktower's cantinas, he didn't mind it very much, nor did Marianne.

Reines and Grey hadn't minded it either at first, with the former only being glad to have the ruler of one of the other departments be in her debt while the latter just wanted to help. As the days passed however, they'd had a considerable shift in opinion.

Since he had been made responsible for her, Waver kept Marianne with him all day, even during his breaks and at night, though they slept on opposite sides of the room of course. It was something he'd rather not do, forcing a lady to stay in his presence, but he took his duties seriously, and Marianne didn't appear to mind it.

Reines and Grey on the other hand did mind it. In fact, they outright disliked it, if their words and behaviour were anything to go by. Even Waver, who wasn't the most well-versed in the language of women, could easily see that.

However, he couldn't see why they disliked Marianne's presence so much. She wasn't spying on them, she wasn't rude –to the contrary, she had been nothing but pleasant to everyone the entire time– and she was hardly dangerous either.

In fact, out of all the women in his life, she and Grey were definitely in a shared first place on the list of women who he most liked to have around him, slightly ahead of Bazett.

In his ignorance, Waver didn't realise at all that that was exactly the problem.

"I am sorry, lady Reines." Marianne apologised in her soft, melodious voice. She was sitting in a chair in a corner of the room, covered by a blanket, with a book in her hands that she'd been reading up until the two girls had barged into the office. "But it were Lady Montmorency's orders that we were not to be separated."

"Ugh." Reines had no rebuttal to that, so instead, she just glared at Marianne, who wasn't fazed in the slightest by it.

The blonde-haired woman was doing much better now than when Waver found her. She had been drowsy, confused, and lethargic, looking around with terrified eyes while shying away from everything that moved, but now, almost five days later, after plenty of food, water, exercise and, most importantly, a healthy dose of Fujimaru's Healing Power, she had regained most of her strength and vitality, slowly changing back into a proud lady of the Clocktower.

As such, she easily withstood Reines' glare, looking back fearlessly, as if in challenge.

Waver had to wonder whether Marianne knew why Grey and Reines disliked her. She had claimed she didn't, but he'd had his doubts from the start on whether that was true, and with her behaviour now…

"Melvin also wants to speak with you, Sir." Grey then said, pulling his attention away from the glaring ladies and towards the white-haired girl, who fiddled with her gloves a bit, shyly looking at the ground. "Sir, do you like Lady Marianne more than me?"

"Huh?!" The question came out of nowhere, and Waver was caught flatfooted, his mouth falling open in shock.

"It's just… She is always with you, at your side." Grey mumbled, her fiddling increasing as she became more and more agitated. "I-I just thought that… that maybe you like her more? I-It's alright if you do, I just…"

"Grey, no." Waver shook his head firmly, reaching out and placing his hand on his apprentice's head. "She is at my side because she has to be for now. This is by no means a permanent arrangement. Marianne will leave soon, and you will still be here, at my side. I will not abandon you, Grey, that is what I promised, isn't it?"

"I-It is, Sir." Grey nodded, at first weakly, but then the movement became sharper, more confident. "Yes, Sir, I understand. I am sorry for doubting you."

"It is no issue, but don't let it happen again. Sulking is unbecoming of a Magus, and especially of an apprentice of mine." Waver scolded her lightly once he was sure she could handle it. "As I always tell my students, you have to be impeccable. Being pathetic is a terrible crime for Magi, and acting pathetic even more so."

"Yes, sir." Grey agreed with him, and Waver turned his head to the side for a moment, only to find that Reines and Marianne were still glaring at each other, having managed to miss his conversation with Grey entirely.

He really wondered just why they were so hostile to each other.

Then the thing that Grey had said at the very beginning of their conversation finally clicked in his mind, and his head immediately began aching.

"Grey, did you just say that Melvin wants to see me?" He checked, hoping that he'd misheard, before his headache intensified when Grey nodded. "Any idea when?"

"According to what he told me, he should be arriving any minute now."

"Now?" Waver did a double take at the answer, before he looked at Marianne and Grey, who were now both standing and looked ready to start a fight, and then to the pile of papers on his desk, all on the subject of the take-over of Mineralogy, and then at Grey, who had been 'instrumental in the taking of the Graveyard without damage', according to Lady Barthomeloi.

Melvin was going to have a field day with this!

Much like Flat and Svin, Melvin often caused trouble for Waver. Unlike the boys though, Melvin did it completely on purpose, with the explicit goal of making everyone's day more difficult than it had to be.

A sadist through and through, Melvin had selected Waver as his favourite mark, mostly because Waver was the only one who had never chased him out with brute force. Not because Waver liked him or anything, but because he owed Melvin hundreds of millions of pounds.

Waver was not ready to face his 'friend', who would undoubtedly grill him for every interesting moment of the purge, would make fun of him all the way, and would likely try to escalate the brewing catfight in the corner, just because he'd enjoy it.

"I have to hide." Waver decided, entirely serious, and he was just about to grab a shirt and his coat when the door to his office was thrown wide open again, and a white-haired man stepped through, an aura of chaos following soon after.

"Waver!" Melvin Weins, Waver's 'friend' and financer, shouted happily, his eyes shining in delight as he jogged forward, his arms wide open as if to embrace Waver. "My dearest friend!"

"Melvin." Waver acknowledged the other man, resigning himself to his fate as he was hugged tightly, knowing there was no way for him to escape anymore. Instead, his only hope was to take the initiative and bury Melvin under a barrage of questions, preventing him from being able to cause trouble. "Where have you been over the past week?"

"You missed the purge." Grey added, probably thinking along the same lines as Waver did.

"Haha! You'd think that, wouldn't you? But no, I didn't miss it at all." Melvin boasted, placing his hands on his hips and drawing himself up to his full height. "My mother forbade me from going out while the fighting was ongoing, that is true. I spent days being locked up in her office. She was afraid a stray spell might kill me, or that the excitement would."

"A not unreasonable fear." Waver said mildly.

"Yeah, I know." Far from being bothered by his own frailty, Melvin just grinned wider. "But mom was totally ahead of us. She bribed a few Enforcers and mercenaries and got them to agree to have a spell put on them that would transmit everything they saw to a screen in the office. It allowed me to have my fun, and mom to gather information."

"Like a camera." Grey said, her mouth forming a small 'o' of realisation. "But with people's eyes as the lenses."

"What's a camera?" Melvin frowned in confusion at the unfamiliar word. "And what does it have to do with mom's Magecraft?"

"That is not relevant right now." Waver dismissed the topic, perfectly aware himself what a camera was, but not about to explain it to someone who would immediately forget again. "Rather tell me what you saw."

"I saw a lot of awesome things." Melvin cheered, his mood the best it had been in years. "Oh man, all that destruction, those Magi pleading for mercy, the chaos, the battles, everything was so cool. Fujimaru was the coolest though, him and Lady Barthomeloi."

"They were rather impressive." Waver agreed, for it was simply true. "But if you only saw what the Enforcers and mercenaries could see, then you must have missed much. Lady Barthomeloi and Fujimaru often ran off on their own, allowing no one to follow them until most of the fighting was already over."

"Yes, I noticed. They seemed really strict on that." Melvin sighed, his wide grin and cheery demeanour disappearing instantly to make place for sadness and gloom, as a trail of blood began leaking from his mouth. "Mom wasn't happy, and I wasn't either. We missed so much of the fun, so much of the juicy intel."

"If it is any consolation, almost no one knows the full extent of what happened during the purge." Waver tried to sooth his friend's mood. "I dare say the only ones with a full picture of the events of that day are Fujimaru, Lady Barthomeloi, and likely Lady Montmorency as well. If you want to know more about what happened, you need to ask them."

"I am on good terms with Shirou." Melvin perked up again, the trail of blood continuing to leak from his mouth, and Grey offered him a tissue, which he accepted gratefully. "I could ask him what happened during the purge."

"That is a good idea." Waver jumped at the opportunity to cut the conversation short. He felt some remorse over throwing the redhead under the Melvin-shaped bus, but not so much that he wouldn't go through with it. He already had a lot of work to do, and very delicate matters to handle, and he could not use Melvin's destructive influence while doing that. "Why don't you try and find him now? He should be in his room, reading reports in preparation for the trials tomorrow."

"An excellent idea." Melvin was enthused again, and he turned towards the door. "Oh, wait!" Then he turned back to Waver. "Before I go, I have to ask; there are a lot of rumours floating around that you are going to become the next lord of Mineralogy and Botany. Is that true?"

"What? No, such rumours are not true." Waver frowned, before waving his hand irritably as he had to correct himself. "They are half-true. I am indeed going to become the next lord of Mineralogy, though I will have Reines and Delilah do most of the work, but Botany will not fall under me. It is still property of the Archelot-family."

"Is it? Even after all the illegal stuff that was done on their watch?" Melvin appeared surprised at first, but he composed himself quickly. "Well, I suppose the Archelot do belong to the Aristocratic Faction, so maybe Lady B was willing to cut them some slack. The Aristocratic Faction's power is immense at the moment, so if they want to protect the Archelot, they can, easily, and no one will be able to do a thing. No one can stand up to them at all anymore."

"Oh?" That was news to Waver. "I know that the Neutral Faction has been rendered powerless, considering they lost their leaders, but surely, the Democratic Faction is still working hard to check the Barthomeloi-family's power?"

"Nope. Right now, the only thing they are working hard on is making sure they have no traitors of their own among their ranks, and keeping their heads down until they are certain Lady B has no avenues to attack them." Melvin leaned in towards Waver, though he didn't lower his voice at all, making the gesture rather futile. "The fact that Policies managed to utterly annihilate three Departments in one day has their knickers in a twist. There is no way the Democrats are going to waste capital and influence on opposing the Aristocrats over some small matter like the fate of the Archelot-family right now. In fact, as long as Lady B keeps Fujimaru on her side, I'm pretty sure she can get away with doing almost anything, at least until the Democrats have regained their bearings."

"…" Waver had no response to that, though he found himself very grateful to be a member of the Aristocratic Faction right now.

"That Fujimaru." Melvin's grin turned razor sharp, and he leaned towards Waver even more, his pale eyes studying every twitch in Waver's face. "He destroyed the status-quo that had been in place for more than a millennium. Everything is shifting, Waver, in the Clocktower, in all of Europe even. The Meluastea have been lords for more than a thousand years, and their absence will have far-reaching consequences. Are you prepared for that, Waver? I certainly hope you don't have second thoughts about having participated in the purge."

"I don't regret my actions, nor do I disagree with Policies' actions so far." Waver said calmly, noting from the corner of his eye how Grey, Reines, and Marianne had stalked closer, all of them frowning at Melvin. "The Meluastea had to be stopped before they caused too much damage. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Oh no no no! Don't misunderstand me!" Melvin took a few steps back, and his razor-sharp grin turned back into a relaxed smile. "The Meluastea certainly went too far, and they had to be culled, I'm not arguing against that. Furthermore, it was to be expected that the Aristocrats would come out of it more powerful than ever. All of that is just a logical chain of events. No, Waver, all I am trying to tell you now is that there will be consequences you might not have expected."

"I am perfectly aware of that."

"Are you? Good. Then please make sure things don't go any further off the deep end. I would hate it if there were to be a war between Factions now. I do like my chaos and mayhem, but I'd rather they did not affect me directly."

"Hm." Waver frowned deeply. "I fear you might be overestimating me. I do not have the required influence or the necessary power to stop a war from happening."

"But you do." Melvin countered with a smile so sure that Waver was momentarily convinced as well. "You certainly do. You just don't know it yet."

"…"

"Alright then, I'm off." Melvin's tone was entirely light-hearted again as he spoke his goodbyes. "I have to question Fujimaru about the purge, and after that, I have the misery of the damned to enjoy. The cellblocks in the Department of Policies are stuffed to the brim, and I can't wait to see how terribly the prisoners are treated. Desperate cries truly are the finest of music to my ears, and none are more desperate than the mighty who have fallen."

"You are a monster." Marianne whispered, looking aghast at Melvin's words.

"I am a wretched beast, my lady." Melvin bowed towards her in greeting, grinning widely at her words. "And this is a terrific time for beasts. I wish you all a pleasant day."

The next moment, that human-shaped plague had left the office again, and the door slammed shut after him.

For several seconds, no one said anything, before Reines spoke up.

"So, Waver. You are technically still on your break. Should we leave you be again or…?"

"My break is over." Waver violently ripped a cigar out of its package and lit it, before drawing on it so hard he burned half of its length in one go. "I'm going back to work, and so will the three of you."

""Yes, sir!""

He'd underestimated the ripples that the purge had caused. So far, he'd treated it as an annoyance, something he had to deal with on top of his other responsibilities, but that wasn't right. The purge was shaping up to be the event of the century, and it was time Waver treated it that way.

No more breaks and no more complaining. He was going to complete the take-over of Mineralogy, he was going to solidify the Archibald's power, and he was going to prepare for the storms that were heading his way.

He had to stay vigilant, or he might very well not make it out alive.

At the same time that Waver was having his epiphany, the Neutral Faction had finally managed to organise a meeting between all of its remaining families. Well, not all of them, as several couldn't make it or were desperately trying to distance themselves from the faction altogether, but most families had sent at least one representative, so they could get started anyway.

Normally, such an event would be opened by the leading family of the bunch. Had this been a meeting of the Aristocratic Faction, it would have been Lorelei Barthomeloi who opened it. For the Democratic Faction, it would have been McDonell Trambellio Elrod. As the leading family of the Neutrals, the Meluastea, were sadly absent however, for obvious reasons, it was the main representative of the Phamrsolone-family who spoke up first.

The Phamrsolone were not the most powerful family of the Neutrals, or the most influential, or the richest, or anything like that, but they were the family that got along with just about every other family in the Faction, having no rivalries or enmity with any of them. As such, no one protested against Gladstone Phamrsolone taking the word first.

"Members of the Neutral Faction." Gladstone Phamrsolone spoke up gravely, not bothering with pleasantries or honoured greetings, as this was definitely not the time. "We are at the edge of an abyss. The Meluastea have fallen, the Aristocratic Faction is breathing down our necks, and bottom feeders are gathering to take a bite out of us. We need to take action immediately, or our Faction will cease to exist in mere months."