Chapter 159 - 58.2

It was hidden from prying eyes, easily defended against outside assaults, and quite cosy and warm, the ideal place for a group of spiders to set up their nest.

But that the cleft could be easily defended also meant that it could easily be turned into a death-trap, and now that the assailants had taken every entrance, there was no hope of escape for the poor Spider-Apostles.

A few brave ones tried to stand up to the attackers, to make a stand and defend their queen and clan, but after having just lost their old leader and being in the middle of a transfer of power, they stood no chance, not against the king's butchers.

Before long, the new Spider Queen was the only one who remained. Everyone else had been slaughtered, leaving the area, previously so full of undead life, nearly vacant.

Dead Apostles could not cry, but she came close, staring ahead blankly in silent horror as every connection with her kin, the pleasant cacophony of kindred spirits who pleasantly chatted with each other at every moment of the day, was cut off and silenced forever.

The Spider-Clan had gathered its every member for the coronation, and as a result, it had been wiped out completely by the cunning ambush. Within but an hour, the largest conclave of Dead Apostles was no more.

Only then did the culprits reveal themselves, now that all the fighting was done.

Two figures appeared at the entrance of the headquarters, walking into the cleft together with a gait and demeanour that suggested they were merely on a stroll, rather than having just finished a massacre.

The Spider Queen already had a very good idea of who they were, as the beasts they'd sent to do their dirty work were nothing if not recognisable, and now that they had revealed themselves, she saw that she was right. She immediately recognised both of them, having met them several times while accompanying her former mistress on diplomatic missions.

The first of them was no one else than Nrvnqsr Chaos, the Tenth Dead Apostle Ancestor. Tall, muscled, and clad in naught but a black trench coat and heavy boots, he cut an impressive figure, more than worthy of being called Ortenrosse's Executioner.

As the master of a legion of Demonic Beasts, he specialised in butchering armies, mainly armies of Enforcers and Executors, but he was also tasked with eradicating unruly Dead Apostles and bringing difficult Ancestors to heel. As a result, he was hated and reviled by all in the Moonlit World, both humans and his own kind, a fact that he either did not care about or revelled in, depending on his mood.

On Nrvnqsr's back, being given a piggyback ride, was Merem Solomon, the Twentieth Dead Apostle Ancestor, also known as 'Crown', who at the moment seemed to be missing both his arms and his right leg, which was probably why he'd convinced Nrvnqsr to carry him into the cleft.

Nrvnqsr's presence was no surprise, as massacres like this were his bread and butter, but by all accounts, Merem Solomon really shouldn't be here. Unlike the Executioner, he was known for his calm and affable nature, his distaste for gore and death. He preached cooperation and coexistence to anyone who would listen and many who did not. For him to be present at a massacre, to participate in it even, greatly confused the Spider-Queen. Everyone knew the Twentieth hated being on the frontline.

Yes, he would do it if Ortenrosse commanded him to, but the king had no shortage of butchers and killers who would be far more eager and far better choices all around for such tasks. In fact, Chaos himself could have finished the Spider-Clan on his own without the need for Solomon to get involved at all.

It truly made no sense, but here he was anyway, in the flesh, having just helped wipe out the Spider Clan. For a few moments, the queen wondered if this was perhaps an imposter, but the presence of the whale-dog, the huge killer-robot, and the elderly priest disproved that theory completely. They were his famous servants, every bit as distinctive as his boyish face, and they could not be faked in any way.

From Chaos' back, Solomon looked around at the cavern, now covered in blood and gore, and he pursed his lips, going as far as to tut in disapproval.

As if his own beasts hadn't caused most of it.

As if the corpses and body-parts were conscious design choices on the Spider-Queen's part, that spoke of her bad taste, rather than the remnants of his unprovoked attack.

It was infuriating. She had always liked his brazen attitude and his daring sense of humour, especially when he aimed it at Altrouge Brunestud, but it appeared being on the receiving end wasn't anywhere near as pleasant.

"Hello there!" He called out to her, his youthful, prim voice entirely out of place amidst the horrid scenery he had just created. "You are the new Twenty-Sixth Ancestor, right? It's nice to meet you."

"?!"

"I have to say that you look a lot better than your predecessor." Solomon noted, looking her over with a discerning gaze. "I mean, I get that you and your people are going for the spider-motif, but she went way too far with it, like, to the point it just became unsightly, you know? You on the other hand have a much more tasteful appearance. Less an abomination and more a true hybrid of woman and spider. I like it."

"W-What?!"

The Spider Queen couldn't believe her ears.

How could he be so casual after what he had done?! He spoke to her as if they had met by chance on the street, as if they were friendly acquaintances looking to improve their relationship.

He was mocking her. He was definitely mocking her! How else could she explain the kindness and curiosity in his voice after he'd destroyed her entire power base mere moments ago?!

It… It was as if the massacre of her people meant absolutely nothing to him!

White-hot rage coursed through her veins, and she bared her teeth at him in a warning not to make light of the suffering of her people, before she clenched her jaws so hard she nearly broke them when he had the audacity to smile back at her.

Never had she expected to hate Merem Solomon more than Nrvnqsr Chaos, but now she did. At least the latter had the decency to glare at her, showing that he considered her an enemy and took her at least marginally seriously, rather than Solomon's thrice-accursed smile that made her wish she could rip out his throat and make him choke on his own blood.

"It's like I told Nero here." Solomon definitely noticed her rage, he had to, but he ignored it completely in favour of prattling on, gesturing with his head at Nrvnqsr Chaos. "I always like a good animal motif, like that cat-obsessed fellow in our ranks a few centuries ago, or the goat-lover recently, but it's not good to exaggerate. That just makes it ugly. Back me up, Nero."

"He did say that." Chaos confirmed in a flat voice, watching the Spider Queen intently for any sign of physical resistance.

"No, I mean, I want you to say that you agree."

"I agree."

"Thanks!" The ancient boy nodded appreciatively, before he yet again smiled at the Spider Queen. "I do believe that-"

"Don't you dare mock me!"

It was just too much! His contempt and disdain were too much to bear!

With a snarl, the Spider Queen threw herself at the boyish monster, the Elder Ancestor who had dared to mock her so, who casually spat upon the suffering of her people.

She didn't know what she wanted to achieve, how she thought that a fresh-faced Upstart like herself could possibly overcome an Elder, much less two, but that did not matter. She just wanted to hurt him in any way she could. Hurt him like he'd hurt her.

She hadn't even gotten to her feet however before Chaos' heavy boot slammed into her face, sending her sprawling onto the ground again, her skull caved in from the sheer force of the kick.

It should have been nothing. A broken skull had not slowed her down even before she became an Ancestor. It should have been a trifle to heal it, not even a matter of seconds.

With the damned chains inhibiting her use of Magical Energy however, she healed very slowly, feeling how the fragments of bone slid back into place at an excruciatingly slow pace, forcing her to experience the sort of agony that should have been beholden only to humans.

She did not cry out though. She didn't even groan or flinch. She completely ignored the pain in favour of glaring at Solomon, expressing all her hurt through her eyes now that her jaw was smashed to bits.

This time, it seemed to get through to him.

"I was merely trying to keep things civil." He defended himself, looking a bit cross that she was so mad at him, which only made her even more angry. "I was always taught that you shouldn't gloat after a victory. So I'm not gloating."

"You are gloating though." Chaos countered, his voice still entirely toneless and disaffected. "Your indifference to her suffering belies your lack of regard for her feelings. You have insulted her more than if you'd laughed at her."

"R-Really?" Solomon appeared thrown by what he'd just learned, blinking several times as the truth of the matter sunk in, before he huffed in annoyance. "W-Well, I didn't know that. I'm not a meathead brawler like you or Gransurg. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because it is irrelevant. You are the victor, and to the victor go the spoils. The losers have no right to complain."

"…Harsh." Solomon didn't really seem to know what to make of his ally's words, so he dismissed them, turning back to the Spider Queen and putting an end to the ridiculous farce. "Very well, allow me to dispense with the pleasantries and get to business then. Ortenrosse has ordered that you and your followers are to be put down, and we are here to make that happen. I don't know if you have a god that you pay tribute to, but try to make peace with them now."

"But… Why?"

That was the question that haunted the Spider Queen still. Why would the king have decided that the Spider Clan was to be destroyed? They hadn't harmed him or his interests. They might not have been the most useful or the most eager to serve, but the same went for many other Apostles and even Ancestors, up to and including many Elders.

"Why?" But Solomon seemed to find the question inane, for he gave her an incredulous glare. "You really need to ask 'why'?!"

She had no reply for him, quailing under that glare as she desperately tried to think of a reason why her clan might have been targeted for destruction.

"By the Red Moon, you really don't know." Solomon must have seen her confusion, for he deflated, his glare letting up as he realised she was entirely ignorant.

"We know of your experiments." Chaos decided to explain, though it didn't actually explain all that much.

"E-Experiments?" For the first few seconds, the Spider Queen honestly had no idea what they were talking about, her confusion and shock robbing her of her mental faculties, before she remembered that her predecessor had indeed been fond of research, as befitted one who held the Domain of Alchemy.

But that still didn't explain why the Spider Clan had been targeted for destruction. She couldn't imagine Ortenrosse being wroth because of the former Spider Queen's attempts to make artificial web shooters, or the efforts to create cyborg spiders, or even the plan to genetically alter every spider in the world to give them stronger venom than snakes.

…Looking back, an awful lot of those experiments seemed painfully redundant and rather like vanity projects, but that was even more reason why no one should have taken them seriously, least of all other Dead Apostle Ancestors.

…Unless the former Spider Queen had engaged in other forms of research without informing her underlings first.

The very idea boggled belief, that their ruler would consciously withhold information from her own family, but since Chaos and Solomon kept glaring at her with barely hidden hostility, the new Spider Queen found herself entertaining the notion anyway.

"W-What did she do?"

"She created false Idea Blood, copies of the Crowns worn by other Ancestors." Solomon revealed, and her blood turned to ice in her veins. "With it, she could create Dead Apostles that seemingly came from the bloodlines of others. Once completed, she would have wielded the Authorities of every Ancestor in existence. Diminished Authorities, but our Authorities all the same."

"Which is wholly unacceptable." Chaos added, a twisted smile forming on his face.

As a former Magus, Chaos knew the differences and similarities between Magi and Dead Apostles like no other, and if there was one thing they had in common, it was their hatred for those who intruded upon their Domains and crafts.

The Spider Queen was a thief, plain and simple, and once Ortenrosse's spies within the Burial Agency informed him of the atrocity she'd tried to commit, he had immediately dispatched his killers to vanquish any trace of her.

A technique to copy Idea Blood could not be allowed to exist. Fakers needed to die.

That was the reason why Chaos was there, in the cleft at the border between Spain and France. He was to crush the Spider Clan and burn all their remains, including whatever concoctions they had brewed or structures they might have built.

Not being a fool, he had realised by now that the other Spider-Apostles, including their new ruler, were ignorant of their Queen's crimes, but that changed nothing. Ignorance was not the same as innocence. It should be, by all accounts, but that was not how the world worked.

Besides, there were more reasons for the Spider-Clan's eradication, among them the two very reasons that had prompted Merem Solomon to participate even though he normally tried to keep himself far from massacres.

The first of those reasons was once more related to the former Spider Queen.

"That is not all though. We also heard about the plot to spike medicines and cigarettes with Apostle Blood." Solomon's lips tightened in an expression of clear distaste. "You were planning to create thousands of new thralls, weren't you?"

"Yes." The new Spider Queen freely admitted, not seeing any harm in sharing their scheme and not seeing how the other Ancestors could possibly take a dim view of their masterplan. "Perhaps even millions. We could have taken over the world if the plan had succeeded."

Solomon nodded slowly in understanding, mulling her words over in his mind.

Then he exploded.

"YOU ABSOLUTE FOOL!" He thundered, so loudly that he made the walls of the cavern shake from the noise. "You must have taken complete leave of your senses!"

"W-What?"

"To unleash a tidal wave of Dead Apostles upon the world, to gobble up humanity with your spider-jaws, I can think of no g rea ter here sy!" For a split second, Merem Solomon lost his thin veneer of politeness and affability, revealing the true, inhuman monster underneath, before he hastily composed himself again, coughing gently into his hand. "Ahem, what I mean to say is, had you succeeded in your scheme, humanity would have been wiped out, and that would mean that our lord, the Crimson Moon, has no reason ever to grace us with his presence again. I hope you understand that I will never allow that."

Merem Solomon was many things, from Dead Apostle Ancestor and friend of Gransurg Blackmore to aspiring playwright and tabletop game fanatic, but above all else, he was the loyal servant of the Crimson Moon.

He loved Brunestud like he loved nothing and no one else. Everything he did, everything he was, stood in light of his worship of Type Moon. Hence, he despised schemes like the one from the Spider Clan, to wipe out humanity and make the Crimson Moon redundant. It would eliminate any chance he had of ever meeting his master again.

That was why he was here, in the cleft, wiping out the Spider-Clan. They were a threat to his interests, so he had to deal with them.

"B-But if the goal of our Lord is to destroy humanity, h-he would be satisfied with our efforts!" Realising she'd made a massive mistake by admitting to the scheme, the new Spider Queen desperately tried to argue the point, to convince the Ancestors standing before her that saving Brunestud the effort of having to wipe out humanity himself was a good thing.

Had she been speaking to Gransurg Blackmore or Van-Fem, she might have succeeded, but she wasn't. She was speaking to Merem Solomon, who wanted nothing more than to have the Crimson Moon return to Earth, and to Nrvnqsr Chaos, who didn't care about plots or motives and merely aimed to follow his king's commands.

Ortenrosse had chosen his killers well.

"You become so unreasonable when it concerns your sire, my master." The elderly priest, who was still standing next to the new Spider Queen, sighed deeply, before he moved aside to make room for the massive mechanical doll, who moved in response to her master's anger to obliterate the youngest Ancestor. "Try not to make a mess, Left Arm."

"Be. Quiet. Right. Arm." She replied haltingly, sounding as robotic as robotic could be, aiming her cruel cannons at the quivering form. "I. Shall. Obliterate!"

"No! You will do no such thing, Left Arm." Solomon frowned at the doll's eagerness, before he held out his left stump. "Return. Right Arm is right, you make too much of a mess for delicate procedures such as this."

"Kch." The Deamon made a displeased noise, but she didn't resist as she suddenly started folding on herself, before she fell apart into motes of shining dust that rushed at Solomon's stump and there reformed into a perfectly serviceable arm.

Now Solomon had two limbs instead of one.

The gigantic Whale Dog, which had stayed at a distance for now, made a low, reverberating noise at the sight, and Solomon turned his head towards it, before he nodded.

It too fell apart into dust, which then became the boyish Ancestor's right leg.

With two legs and one arm at his disposal, Solomon no longer needed to be carried by Chaos, and he jumped down, before he approached the new Spider Queen.

"For your crimes of replicating the Idea Blood of your fellow Ancestors and your attempts to wipe out humanity prematurely, you shall be executed." He informed her, giving her a cold look, before he cocked his head to the side. "Though, being honest, you would have been killed even if you hadn't committed any crimes."

"W-What?"

"The king wants your Idea Blood." Solomon explained, shrugging as if it didn't matter.

"Crown!" Chaos let out a warning snarl, narrowing his eyes as his Demonic Beasts shot into action, rapidly patrolling the perimeter in case anyone was near enough to have heard them. "That was a secret!"

It was his most passionate response yet, the most emotion he'd shown since the conversation had begun, but that was only to be expected, now that his compatriot had casually confessed to committing a major taboo.

"T-Taking the Idea Blood of other Ancestors is forbidden!" The Spider Queen protested, scarcely able to believe her ears. "E-Even Ortenrosse can't do such a thing!"

She was right. Touching another Vampire Lord's Crown was absolutely forbidden. It was one of the few iron-clad rules that the Twenty-Seven had made and all tried to abide by, a law that had been made for the purpose of self-protection and to ensure that they would waste as little time as possible on infighting. Some even said that the Crimson Moon himself had put the rule into place to make sure his underlings wouldn't completely self-destruct if he turned his eyes away for a moment.

Even Nrvnqsr Chaos wasn't willing to ignore it, and he was more beast than man at this point. It went without saying that Merem Solomon, the most reasonable, rational, and prudent Ancestor of them all, had always taken that rule very seriously indeed.

Until now apparently.

"Such rules are all well and good while we're just trying to survive without too many squabbles, but these are unusual times." Solomon didn't bat an eye as he came closer, putting on a white glove that had been inscribed with countless symbols and markings, using his teeth to pull it tight, as he still only had the one arm. "The return of our true king is close at hand, and we do not need Ancestors who refuse to pull their weight and only hide in their little holes, like you and your predecessor. Ortenrosse has a replacement in mind for you, someone much better suited for the Domain of Alchemy and much more willing to aid our cause."

He was serious. He was completely, fully serious!

"W-Wait, I can be capable!" While she disliked the idea of begging for her life, preferring to die with some honour at least, the notion of having her Idea Blood ripped from her body and Soul filled the Spider Queen with a terror she'd never felt before, a terror sufficient to make her forget all about her useless pride. "Please! I can do it! I can help you bring back our true king! I can be useful, I swear!"

"There is no need to worry." Solomon ignored her pleas yet again, completely unmoved by them as he approached until within arm's reach. "I am a true professional. You won't even notice anything amiss until it is all over."

"No! Please, I can-!"

"And be honoured, spider. Even in this minor way, you can still contribute to the return of the Crimson Moon. Rejoice!"

Suddenly, Solomon's cold exterior broke ever so slightly, allowing a tiny sliver of his true emotions to shine through, making her freeze in place at what she saw.

Madness.

Complete and pure madness.

Utter fanaticism and insanity. That was everything the Spider Queen could see in those terrible eyes. An insanity that was wholly out of place in an Ancestor many believed to be the most reasonable of his kind.

For several long seconds, the Spider Queen didn't know what she was looking at, her brain refusing to compute that Solomon could ever look like that, but then, with death only seconds away and her vision clearer than ever before, she understood.

She understood the true nature of Merem Solomon.

He was not the mischievous boy he portrayed himself as, nor the voice of reason that he often pretended to be in the heated discussions between Ancestors. He had not retained traces of his humanity, like many thought he had, nor had he any sympathy for humans, animals or even other Dead Apostles.

He was no humour-loving seeker of peace, no uppity advocate for coexistence. Instead, he was a zealot. The worst kind of fanatic imaginable. He was a monster, every bit as horrible as Nrvnqsr Chaos. No, he was even worse, because unlike the Beastmaster, he genuinely thought he was doing the right thing.

He actually thought of himself as reasonable, affable, and pleasant. He truly believed he was completely in the right, even whilst breaking ancient laws. In his view, nothing mattered more than to bring about the return of the Crimson Moon. Everything and everyone else was inconsequential. Whether atrocities he committed, against humanity or even his own kind, they were glorious and heroic deeds in his mind, necessary acts for a greater purpose. To achieve his goals, he'd happily damn them all, humans and Dead Apostles alike, without a shred of guilt.

Looking at him now, with his mask slipping, the Spider Queen couldn't believe she'd ever been fooled by his disguise, that she had ever liked and perhaps even slightly admired him.

He was a true monster, and it filled her with dread, not for herself, but for every other creature in existence.

She opened her mouth again, not to plead for mercy this time, but to warn Nrvnqsr Chaos of the Devil he was associating with, but she couldn't produce a single sound before Solomon brutely rammed his hand into her mouth, before reaching down her throat and into her chest, nearly inserting his whole arm.

"My lord." The elderly priest sighed again, shaking his head at the unnecessary violation of a lady's body. "There is no need for this. There are other options-"

"This is the simplest way, Right Arm." Solomon interrupted him, smiling pleasantly at his most trusted servant, even as his fingers tore themselves a way through soft tissue and bone. "The path of the least resistance. Had I plunged my hand into her chest from the front or back, her ribs would have been in the way, not to mention she might have died before I could complete the procedure."

He wasn't even blinking as he violated her body. He didn't even look at her. Now that he had judged her unnecessary for his great purpose, of no help to bring back his master, her life meant nothing to him whatsoever, nor did her suffering.

Even as the Spider Queen choked and gagged, drool pouring down her chin and onto the ground, and even as the elderly priest looked on in disapproval, Solomon's smile never faltered. He just continued humiliating and torturing her.

The pain was immense, her oesophagus tearing from the force while Solomon ripped through her lungs and her diaphragm, before it became absolutely unbearable when he latched onto something that was almost intangible, a certain organ that was more conceptual than it was physical, surrounding her heart.

Was that her Idea Blood?

For the merest of moments, the Spider Queen forgot about the pain, completely absorbed by the fact she could actually feel her Idea Blood inside of her, before it returned with a vengeance when Solomon wrenched it loose somehow, leaving nothing but utter emptiness.

Immediately, every bit of power she'd gained upon reaching the rank of Ancestor left her. Her Authority, her might, her strength, all of it was sapped away as she was forcefully demoted in rank again.

Solomon retraced his arm at last, taking the Idea Blood with him and leaving her ravaged body in his wake, his eyes shining in admiration as he looked at the Crown, which had taken the form of a red orb, ignoring how the Spider Queen collapsed in a heap in front of him, weakly coughing up blood and slime.

The elderly priest didn't ignore her however, stepping forward and using a healing spell on her, looking with clear disapproval at the results of his master's horrible deeds.

"I believe that concludes our business here." The zealous light left Solomon's eyes, being replaced with his usual calm and reason as he put on his mask back on, before he sealed the Idea Blood into a box, which he then handed over to Chaos. "Right Arm, return."

The elderly priest was forced to cease his efforts to aid the Spider Queen, as he first changed into a large rat, about the size of a German Shepard, before he fell apart into dust and became his master's right arm once more.

Then Chaos stepped forward, still looking as disaffected as ever.

"I'll kill you quickly and leave your remains in the sun." He informed her, clinical as a doctor bringing bad news. "No idea if it will hurt or not. Never happened to me."

"Damn you…" Because of the priest's effort, the Spider Queen had healed enough to be able to speak at least a little. By now, she was far beyond pleading or begging, and she used every last vestige of power she had left to curse the horrid monsters that stood before her, those looking down on her broken form with all the emotion one might show a crushed bug. "Damn you all to hell!"

Then Chaos' boot came down on her head, and everything went black.

The last thing she wished for, with her dying breath, was for Lorelei Barthomeloi to wipe them all out.

"Chii!"

"Bless you." Mirei smiled when her boss suddenly sneezed cutely.

"Thank you." Lorelei nodded minutely, before returning her attention to the reports she'd just been presented with, her brow furrowing ever so slightly once more in a mixture of frustration and impatience.

Administrative work was never something she enjoyed, as it was far too tedious a task for her tastes, but right now, she liked it even less than she normally did, as she very much wanted to be somewhere else.

To be fair, she always wanted to be somewhere else when the paperwork was coming in, but this time, that desire did not just come from her dislike of sitting still all day, but also from the very real need of managing a shocking and volatile situation that had taken everyone by surprise and required immediate handling.

It had all started that very same day, only minutes after sunrise, when rumours had started trickling into the Clocktower, rumours speaking of something called 'the Night of the Broken Moon', an event that could allegedly impact the Moonlit World nearly as much as the Great Purge and the emergence of a new Sorcerer.

For a while, it wasn't entirely clear what exactly had happened, as the stories ranged from the destruction of ORT to the rediscovery of the Primordial Runes, but within the hour, a consensus had been reached.

Three Dead Apostle Ancestors had been slain in one night.

The seeming impossibility of it had sparked a fierce discussion about the validity of those rumours, but Lorelei did not participate in said discussion. She knew the story was true, for she possessed many tools that served to inform her of the state of the Twenty-Seven.

Tools that were not too dissimilar to the infernal devices used by the Burial Agency.

Those tools did not tell her much else however, so it was only after a few hours, and with considerable assistance from Mirei, that Lorelei discovered that the Ancestors had all been slain in Misaki Town, in Japan. A few hours after that, they learned that Shirou Fujimaru had been closely involved with the event, possibly even having slain one or more Ancestors himself.

In other words, he'd taken Lorelei's most famous feat of arms, defeating three Dead Apostle Ancestors on three separate occasions, and topped it in a most spectacular fashion, leaving her far behind.

His sudden prowess had lit a fire in Lorelei's heart, and she was raring to go out and discover, in person, what exactly had taken place in Misaki Town.

That she was fully intent on dragging Shirou along on another hunt for more Ancestors to slay was not said, but it was certainly implied. Another competition between the two was close at hand, and it was one that the brunette looked forward to more than she'd ever looked forward to anything else in her life.

But it was not to be. Her responsibilities kept her tied up in London, much to her chagrin. Mirei had insisted upon it, giving the girl piles upon piles of work to pin her down, and she'd made it clear that she would not accept any attempt on Lorelei's part to leave anyway.

With the last consequences of the Purge and the Return of Mystery to deal with, the last thing they needed was to have the Vice Director storm off to Japan. The brunette was the lynchpin of their efforts to return stability and fend off the coming storm, so she was needed in London, at the Clocktower, at the centre of it all.

If she wanted to speak with Shirou, she would have to wait until he returned at the start of winter.

Fortunately, Lorelei understood that much. She might be a wild sort, by Barthomeloi-standards at least, but she was dutiful too, and her sense of responsibility did not allow her to abandon her tasks when abandonment might lead to more war and more death.

Besides, it wasn't as if she was actually needed in Japan anyway. The Aristocratic Faction, the Barthomeloi-family, and Mirei herself already had their agents and informants in place to collect information, so there was no need for the brunette to involve herself personally. In fact, it could be said that Lorelei getting involved would be actively detrimental to the operation as a whole. There was no such thing as subtle where she was concerned, something Lorelei herself also acknowledged, which was a large part of the reason why she'd agreed to leave the matter in the hands of the professionals.

Fortunately, those professionals didn't disappoint. They managed to uncover the truth about what happened during the Night of the Broken Moon in less than a day, which was fast even for them.

Partially because they were of course highly competent at what they did, but at the same time, also partially because the information they were after had been a matter of public record, at least as far as the local Second Owner, Tohno Akiha, was concerned.

It had only taken a tiny bit of bribing and negotiating for the girl to spill everything she knew, and with the local agents of the Burial Agency being surprisingly forthcoming as well, probably because the major victory had softened their hearts, Mirei's informants had quickly assembled a very decent report of the situation, a report that Mirei currently held in her hands and that was to be presented when, and only when, Lorelei finished her other work.

A useful carrot, so to speak.

The Vice Director might not care much for administration, but that didn't mean she was bad at it, and with such proper motivation, it didn't take her long to complete the last of the reports.

"Done." She announced, placing the pile of paper to the side, before she gave Mirei a hard stare. "Now tell me what you have discovered. Which Ancestors were slain, who was involved, and what influence did Fujimaru have on the proceedings?"

She asked about Shirou last, and used only his last name to boot, implying she was only asking because he happened to be present. Anyone else listening would notice nothing off about it, no relationship between the two aside from the obvious.

Mirei had spent many a year working together with the brunette though, and had seen the way she normally spoke about the boy, so she was able to discern that Lorelei accentuated the last of the three questions ever so slightly. She probably didn't even realise she was doing it, but it was very telling indeed.

It was probably best to open with him.

"Fujimaru was involved in the killing of all three Ancestors, but he only delivered the final blow to one of them."

"Only one? I see." That meant he hadn't yet exceeded her score, which simultaneously disappointed and gladdened Lorelei. "Who slew the other two?"

"The Moon Princess."

"Ah, Arcueid Brunestud." Lorelei's expression tightened a tiny bit at the mention of her old rival, before it quickly straightened out again. "I will… congratulate her, should I ever see her again."

Her tone was perfectly neutral, giving nothing away, as if she didn't care in the slightest about Arcueid Brunestud. It was an impressive performance, and it would have fooled anyone unaware about the dynamic between the Moon Princess and her.

Which was exactly no one.

Any inhabitant of the Moonlit World who hadn't lived under a rock for the past six years knew that Lorelei hated inhuman creatures with a passion that was unusual even in the Barthomeloi-family. Furthermore, everyone knew too that the White Princess was as inhuman as they came. She was an ancient Nature Spirit, a True Ancestor of immense power, sharing some similarities with the gods of old even, and more than that, she was the granddaughter of the Crimson Moon, the progenitor of the Dead Apostles and the greatest enemy that humanity had ever faced.

With all that in mind, it was only natural for them to be archenemies. As far as most people in the Moonlit World knew, Lorelei hated Arcueid with a fiery passion, similar to the loathing she felt for the Dead Apostle Ancestors. If one were to ask the common Magus, the only reason the brunette hadn't yet hunted her down was because the White Princess was a step too high even for the Greatest Magus of the Modern Age.

Surprisingly though, they were wrong.

Not about Arcueid being stronger than Lorelei, that was so obvious that even the brunette herself would doubt the sanity of anyone claiming otherwise.

But they didn't hate each other.

Arcueid wasn't a hateful person to begin with, barring some very specific and rare exceptions, while Lorelei's feelings for the Moon Princess were far more complex than simple hate.

The White Princess never harmed innocent people after all, nor did she ever involve herself needlessly in the affairs of mankind, which were the two biggest reasons for Lorelei's hatred for the inhuman.

Furthermore, the blonde princess often hunted down dangerous inhuman creatures with as much fervour as Lorelei, and in doing so, was actively contributing to the downfall of the Dead Apostle Ancestors. So far, she'd proven to be humanity's faithful ally, and she had never been anything but unfalteringly pleasant towards the brunette on the few occasions that they'd met.

Even their personalities aligned fairly well. There were both women of action, who didn't waste time talking about a problem when they could be solving it as well. They knew what they wanted out of life and weren't afraid to fight to get it, all while not suffering any fools who tried to get in their way.

If it hadn't been for the whole inhuman thing, the White Princess would have been a woman after Lorelei's heart.

It was confusing, and went against everything she knew about inhuman creatures, especially Nature Spirits, who were supposed to be cold, arrogant, and plain uncaring about any life they saw as lesser than their own, but the brunette was not someone who would deny the obvious truth.

Arcueid was too powerful to beat, a useful and deeply appreciated ally of humanity, and just a pleasant person in general. There was no reason whatsoever to fight her, much less kill her. Certainly not until after the Twenty-Seven had been wiped out forever.

As a result, Lorelei had no idea how to handle her supposed archenemy, and had ended up avoiding her altogether, to the point where she even avoided thinking about her.

Like all Magi, the brunette excelled at self-deception, and was generally extremely successful at banning the White Princess from her thoughts, as long as she wasn't brought up in her presence.

Needless to say, the vast majority of Magi had quickly caught on to that, perceptive as they were, and now avoided even just mentioning the Moon Princess when inside or anywhere near the Department of Policies.

Even Mirei decided to quickly bring the subject back to more pleasant matters. Matters that were less likely to put her boss in a foul mood.

"Ahem, Fujimaru killed the Spider Queen, in case you were wondering." She supplied, and her gambit paid off when Lorelei instantly focused again. "And the other Ancestors were Vlov Arkhangel and the Serpent of Akasha, Roa."

"The Nineteenth, the Twenty-Sixth and the false Twenty-Eighth." The brunette recited from memory, having long since learned the whole list by heart. "All of them Upstarts rather than Elders. The latter two were stronger than most of their kind, but they all remain Upstarts all the same."

"Indeed, but you don't have to sound so happy about that." Mirei huffed, hearing perfectly well how pleased Lorelei sounded. "Most people are disappointed that no Elders were slain, you know. Can't you at least pretend to be one of them?"

Upstarts, for those who did not know, were Dead Apostle Ancestors that had come into being in the A.D-era, the modern ones, so to speak, while Elders were the Ancestors who hailed from the B.C-era, with some of them having been turned by the Crimson Moon himself.

Elders were far, far stronger than Upstarts, so it should go without saying that the death of an Elder was a far more momentous occasion than the death of an Upstart, though the latter was still momentous aplenty of course. That the Night of the Broken Moon had seen not a single Elder slain was actually something of a letdown for most Magi and operatives of the Burial Agency.

But not Lorelei. Lorelei seemed perfectly satisfied with those results.

"I do not see the need for pretending. It is well-known that I wish to hunt down the Elders myself." She stated, her tone surprisingly light. "I sincerely doubt anyone would believe any expression of discontent from me."

"Well, I suppose that is true enough." Mirei sighed, before holding up a single finger in warning. "Though mind you, it is not certain that the Elders were not involved with this incident at all. There are rumours, credulous rumours, that Vlov Arkhangel was sent to Misaki Town by Ortenrosse, in order to hunt down the Moon Princess."

Lorelei raised a single incredulous eyebrow in response, and Mirei nodded in agreement. The notion that a single Upstart could defeat Arcueid Brunestud was laughable. More than that, it was unthinkable. Unless she had been severely weakened beforehand somehow, she was stronger than any Dead Apostle, Ancestor or not.

"Vlov Arkhangel…" The young Vice Director thought for a moment, her gaze straying away from Mirei and towards her Mystic Codes, before she focused again. "From what I heard, he appeared to be quite capable and loyal, especially for someone so relatively young. Why would the Elders, or perhaps Ortenrosse alone, send him to his death like this?"

"A very good question, and one that I don't have an answer to." It did really seem like Arkhangel had been sent to Misaki Town to die, and Mirei did not know why. "Of course, it could be that the rumours are mistaken. Perhaps he went there for another reason entirely, separate from Arcueid Brunestud."

"If we cannot be sure one way or the other, there is no more use for speculation." The brunette dismissed the subject. "He is dead, and that concludes the matter. We shall dwell on it no more."

"Speaking of not dwelling, I must ask you why you are taking this so well."

"What do you speak of?"

"The deaths of three Ancestors of course!"

It had already been established that Lorelei saw the Elders as her prey, but as a matter of fact, the Upstarts were her prey too. She'd claimed all the Dead Apostle Ancestors for herself years ago.

When the legendary Executor Ciel had killed an Ancestor a few years before, a mere Upstart, Lorelei had been quite wroth with 'the little thief' who had stolen her prey. That she was so calm this time, when three Upstarts had been killed, did not make much sense in light of that.

Of course, that the Moon Princess got a pass was to be expected, considering Lorelei's… difficult relationship with her, but that the brunette showed not even a hint of rancour towards Shirou either was more surprising.

Mirei had tried to suppress her curiosity, to not pry into private matters, but the situation was too unusual, and the temptation was too strong.

She was a nosy old woman after all

"I had expected you to be far more wroth about others defeating Ancestors without you."

"…" For a moment, it seemed as if she had gone too far with her questioning, as Lorelei levelled a very unimpressed stare at her, one that suggested she was about to be thrown out by her ear, before the brunette chose to reply after all. "There is no use being angry with the Moon Princess. She merely does what she was made to do. One does not get angry at the sun for casting down its rays."

"Aha, and what about Fujimaru?" Mirei dared to press a bit further, and she was rewarded when Lorelei looked away for a split second, a sure sign that something was off.

"…It is only proper that he practises diligently before he partakes in a hunt with me." She ended up saying, her expression completely straight. "Killing an Upstart is a proper exercise."

"And you are completely fine with that?" Mirei asked again, narrowing her eyes at her boss. "Are you truly certain?"

The Vice Director's expression was so perfectly still that the old woman couldn't possibly get a read on her, but that was suspicious all on its own. Lorelei had never hesitated before to make her opinion about Dead Apostle-hunting or about Shirou clear, so it was weird she chose not to this time.

"I…" The brunette began, before hesitating once more, and Mirei knew that if she'd been anyone else, anyone other than the trusted right-hand woman, she would have been killed on the spot for seeing the Vice Director in such a state.

But then Lorelei did something even more outrageous, something that almost knocked Mirei flat on her back.

She pouted.

She actually, well-and-truly pouted.

"Shirou killed a Dead Apostle Ancestor." She said, her voice containing hints of disappointment and hurt as she glanced down at her desk. "He hunted them… without me."

"…Eh?"

"I could have helped him..." Lorelei idly scraped a single nail over the surface of her desk, carving a deep groove in the wood. "Do you think… he doesn't trust me?"

The question was asked in a soft, uncertain voice, and she was still pouting over the fact she hadn't been invited by the man she might fancy to join the greatest Apostle-hunt in recent memory, thereby being excluded from the most magnificent victory over the vampires yet.

Lorelei had always been emotionless and icy, as was appropriate for a Barthomeloi, but the moment her man came into play, all that went out of the window apparently.

What a cliché!

"I-I… I… uh." Mirei was at a loss for words, utterly befuddled by the lack of the expected anger and completely thrown by the hurt that appeared instead. Anger she could handle, anger she was used to, but she had no clue how to deal with a disappointed Lorelei. "I… I imagine that is something you'll have to discuss with him when he returns, not me."

Having no idea what to do, she shamelessly passed the buck on to someone else, not giving a real reply. It might seem cowardly, but she firmly believed that giving bad advice was worse than giving no advice at all. At times when you didn't know what to say, it was better to stay quiet.

This was definitely one of those times. There was nothing Mirei could say to make this better. She could not speak, much less apologise, on Shirou's behalf. In fact, such a thing would be most unwise, as neither Shirou nor Lorelei would stand for it.

In the end, it was Shirou who had caused this, so he'd have to solve it too.

"…Maybe you are right. I should discuss this with Shirou in person." Lorelei nodded slowly in agreement, composing herself again and repairing her mangled desk with a wave of her hand. "Perhaps he has a good reason for his behaviour, irritating as I find it to be."

"He probably does. He's no fool after all." Mirei spoke with a confidence she didn't really feel, and she hoped Shirou would indeed have a good excuse ready for not inviting Lorelei on his Apostle-hunt. He generally had his ducks in a row, but he also seemed like the sort of man who underestimated what effect he could have on women. "The two of you should have a heart-to-heart soon. It might allow you to discuss that other matter as well."

The other matter being Lorelei's search for a half-decent husband and the fact that Shirou had been chosen as her main candidate.

Lorelei's reply was a stiff nod, the reminder of her husband-hunt being rather unwelcome under the circumstances. Still, at least her pout was gone now. That was a considerable relief to poor Mirei.

"Ahem, yes, anyway, let's get back to business. We can wrap up our discussion about the Night of the Broken Moon for now. There's a lot more information in the report I haven't told you about yet, but it would take too long to cover it all. I request that you read it for yourself."

"Of course." Lorelei was nothing if not efficient, and she needed little prompting to move from one topic to the next. "Is there anything else of note that you wish to discuss?"

"Yes, one moment." Mirei glanced subtly at her list of things she had to discuss this meeting, before groaning internally when she saw the next topic, remembering immediately that it was even more of a headache than the Night of the Broken Moon. "It's also about Fujimaru."

"What about him?"

"There are rumours that he has displayed the ability to teleport using rainbow-coloured light."

She said no more after that, both because she had a distaste of unproven rumours that could not be substantiated in any way, and because she didn't need to. Teleportation using rainbow-coloured light was something that every Magus in existence would instantly be able to link with a certain individual, a certain craft.

A certain True Magic.

It was something that had made her look thrice, that had made her first doubt the reliability of the report she'd received and then her own ability to read, before in the end, she had to acknowledge that it really said what it said.

And hadn't that been a massive surprise?

No, more than that, it was a bomb. There was no other way to describe it. A volatile explosive device that needed very careful handling by seasoned experts, lest it blew apart the fragile peace that had been created after the Purge.

"Shirou wielded the Kaleidoscope?" Lorelei's eyes widened ever so slightly, though she wasn't nearly as surprised as Mirei had expected. "Wondrous, if true. And also quite troublesome. The balance of power will shift towards his allies, towards us. The Democratic and Neutral Factions will not stand for it."

"Fujimaru allegedly used the Kaleidoscope." Mirei stressed the uncertain and unreliable nature of the rumours, not about to make plans based on nothing but hear-say. "It is merely a whisper on the wind so far, the first impression of the few people present on the scene, none of whom are my agents and whose reliability cannot be wholly trusted. Still, since the rumours are coming from many different sides and factions, none of whom have any reason to conspire together in order to pull off some kind of trick, I reckon it still deserves some kind of consideration."

They shouldn't take rumours too seriously, but they shouldn't ignore them either. A balanced approach was needed here.

Operatives of the Church weren't easily fooled or hoodwinked, nor were Magi. If they all, independently from one another, declared they saw Fujimaru teleporting using rainbow-coloured light, she would tentatively believe that something akin to that had happened, for now.

Though it seemed the Vice Director did not agree.

"There is no need for you to be concerned. These rumours are false. What they claim is impossible."

"Yes, it's hard to believe, isn't it? I've never heard before of a single person being capable of wielding two True Magics at once."

"Indeed you haven't, because it is impossible." Lorelei repeated, apparently being completely serious in her denial. "That Fujimaru wields both the Heaven's Feel and the Kaleidoscope is utterly unfeasible. Anyone who claims otherwise is simply wrong."

Her voice contained nothing but utter certainty, which normally would have been enough to shut down any debate, but Mirei wasn't so easily cowed, not when it concerned something so important.

"I hear what you say, but with so many rumours abound, it would be irresponsible to dismiss them out of hand." Mirei wanted nothing more than to deem the idea of Shirou wielding two Sorceries at once to be impossible and move on, but she didn't feel she could. Not without the necessary prudence. "Surely, we should collect proof first?"

"I understand your position. If you say that multiple sources all confirmed that Shirou teleported using rainbow-coloured light, I will believe you. Nevertheless, I am completely certain I saw Shirou utilising the Heaven's Feel, right before my very eyes, which means his manner of teleportation could not have been the Kaleidoscope. Wielding two Sorceries is an impossibility for any human in the Modern Age. This has been proven beyond doubt by my family, the Barthomeloi."

"…I see." For Lorelei to invoke her family's name was a very rare occurrence, and one that carried considerable weight. It wasn't something she did lightly, and if she was willing to go that far, Mirei wouldn't contradict her anymore, not without far more evidence. "If that is the position of the Barthomeloi, I shall accept it. Do you know of any Magecraft that would allow someone to teleport? Using rainbow-coloured light no less?"

If Shirou hadn't used the Kaleidoscope, he had to have used something else, but Mirei couldn't for the life of her figure out what that could be. Thaumaturgy didn't allow for outright teleportation after all.

Fortunately, she had a very clever boss, whose Sorcery Trait of the Almighty made her a veritable expert on pretty much every form of Magecraft in existence. A boss who looked very interested already, as befitted a first-rate Magus who'd just discovered a new avenue of research.

That the subject of her research was Shirou Fujimaru probably contributed as well. He had a way of motivating her, even when not actually present.

"I know of no Magecraft that allows for direct teleportation, but there is no guarantee that he did indeed teleport. For all that we are aware, he could have used an illusion, or he used a form of non-logical travel. Perhaps he even managed to travel through Zero Space."

Her last suggestion was made with a twitch of her lips, showing that it was probably a joke rather than a real option.

"Your point about illusions is well-made." Mirei admitted, feeling a bit stupid for not thinking about that sooner. "But you do realise that if what you think is true and he mimicked the Second True Magic with Magecraft, there is every chance he mimicked the effects of the Third as well?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, even back when he first used the Heaven's Feel in my presence, but I consider it unlikely."

"Because you personally witnessed his use of the Third?"

"That, and because mimicking teleportation is a great deal easier than changing a Dead Apostle back into a human."

"Yes, of course." That was undeniably true. There were a myriad of ways to transport yourself quickly through the use of Thaumaturgy, or to pretend you did so, but undoing the curse of the Crimson Moon was a feat that had only been managed once in recorded history.

By Shirou Fujimaru.

"I dare say this matter deserves my personal attention." Lorelei decided, still looking quite eager to get started with her 'research' on Shirou Fujimaru, though she frowned soon after. "And I expect the first step will be yet another meeting with the Aristocratic Faction, and perhaps the Neutral and Democratic Factions as well."

"That would be for the best. Regardless of whether Fujimaru can actually wield the Kaleidoscope or not, the mere whisper that he can will set the political landscape ablaze once more." It would be one thing if he was just some distant Sorcerer who kept himself far from the Clocktower, then his varied talents would be little more than a curiosity, but since he'd openly allied himself with the Barthomeloi and the Archibald, his movements and talents were a cause for great concern among all the Ruling Families, even the ones he'd allied with. "Especially since lord Zelretch is now taking an interest in him too, as we have heard from lord El-Melloi."

They had all expected it, that the Kaleidoscope would eventually become interested in the newest Sorcerer on the block, but even so, the man had still managed to surprise them all, waiting for several weeks and then appearing right when their guards started dropping slightly.

He'd caught them napping, obtaining all the information he was after before they could mount an effective response, and now they could only wait in fearful anticipation for what he intended for Fujimaru.

The man was a menace, the sort who regularly drove his own students to insanity for seemingly no reason, which made Mirei genuinely worried about what he would teach Shirou.

The redhead was already a considerable menace himself after all. The reveal that he possibly wielded the Second True Magic as well as the Third was only the latest incident on a long, long list of them.

He had a certain talent for causing chaos at the Magus Association even when half a world away, much like Zelretch actually, and Mirei could only pray that Zelretch wouldn't be too bad of an influence on him.

The thought of them teaming up…

"Lord Zelretch has been a troublemaker for as long as anyone can remember, but he is no fool, nor does he desire to bring about war or destruction." Lorelei was fond of the old bastard though, appearing much less concerned about the matter than Mirei. "I am confident he will be a worthy teacher to Shirou."

"I hope you are right, for all our sakes." Mirei wasn't so sure, but since neither of them had anything to offer but speculation at this point, she didn't see the need to argue the point. "I suppose we shall see when he returns to the Clocktower in… oh, only a few weeks at this point. Time sure flies when you're having fun."

'Fun' being extremely relative of course.

"Would it not be a good idea for me to travel to Japan at the earliest convenience and question Shirou about these rumours myself?" Lorelei suggested, and her tone made it clear that it was actually a suggestion and not a hidden order, which was sometimes the case with her. "In order to determine the truth of the matter at once?"

"…" Mirei had to think about that for a moment, as the idea had both upsides and downsides that deserved due consideration, carefully considering the matter from every imaginable angle, before she shook her head in the end. "No. That would have been a good idea if it would have been months or years before he returned, but not with mere weeks. Remember, you agreed to contact him as little as possible while he remains at home, thereby certainly implying that visiting is out of the question entirely, and I strongly advise you to keep that promise."

"Indeed." Lorelei accepted the advice graciously, never one to break a promise to begin with, especially not to those she respected. "I expect I'll have my fair share of work here anyway."

"Oh yes!" Mirei nodded emphatically, as there was indeed a mountain of work waiting in good, old London that needed to be taken care of fast. "And our first priority is making sure the other families won't try anything stupid when the rumours reach them too. I shall schedule a meeting with the Aristocratic Faction at once, to relay the information. Would you like to summon lord El-Melloi beforehand, to discuss the recent events and arrange a proper response?"

Waver Velvet had rapidly worked his way up into Lorelei's confidence, with his control over no fewer than three departments and his determination to do right by both his subordinates and his allies. That he was also friendly with Shirou Fujimaru certainly contributed too, especially now.

"No, there is no time. You said that the rumours of Shirou's ability to wield the Second True Magic are already spreading far and wide. It is imperative that we act quickly to make our position clear. I want that meeting scheduled fast, preferably today."

"Of course."

That worked out well for Mirei. The rumours about Shirou being able to wield the Kaleidoscope were already starting to cause quite a stir in the Magus Association, especially among the Ruling Families. It was imperative that Lorelei set them at ease as fast as she could, to prevent any more trouble.

The last thing they needed now was more trouble, as they were frightfully busy already, between the Return of Mystery, the upcoming attacks of Phantasmal Beasts, the potential counterstrike from the Dead Apostle Ancestors, and of course the investigation into Gladstone Pharmsolone, the current spokesperson for the Neutral Faction and one of the ten biggest fishes in the Clocktower right now.

Speaking of the Neutral Faction…

"Would you like me to schedule a meeting with the Neutral Faction and the Democratic Faction as well? To alleviate their worries about Fujimaru?" The elderly woman asked, reasoning she might as well get all the planning over and done with. "And if so, separately or together?"

"Together." Lorelei's reply was swift and decisive, exactly how Mirei liked it. "It will save time, and it will ensure that I am not left alone with that wretch Pharmsolone for even a moment."

A very wise precaution, considering what crime Phamrsolone was being suspected of. A crime so heinous and severe that a summary execution seemed like a perfectly reasonable response, even in Mirei's eyes.

Gladstone Phamrsolone had colluded with the Dead Apostle Ancestors, giving them information in exchange for resources and riches. It was nothing less than outright treason, against the Magus Association and indeed humanity itself.

Any Magus aware of his atrocious deeds would struggle not to kill him on sight, and that went doubly so for a Barthomeloi. It would require a genuine effort on Lorelei's part to stay her hand when faced with him, and while she'd likely be able to control herself, for now, there was no telling what else she might do that would alert him to the fact they were on to her.

Magi were a paranoid lot at the best of times, especially when they'd climbed as high as Phamrsolone had, and at this point, even a misplaced glare could send him running for the hills, which was the last thing they needed.

However, if McDonell Trambellio Elrod and Inorai Valualeta Atroholm, the leaders of the Democratic Faction and two sly, old foxes if there ever were any, were also present, Lorelei would have no choice but to stay on her toes at all times. Phamrsolone would notice nothing amiss.

"I will schedule a shared meeting between the four of you." Mirei nodded, making a mental note of it. "Haste is of the utmost importance, so I will summon them in the name of the Vice Director and give them an explanation in written form beforehand. Both to let them know they cannot refuse the summons, and to not unduly scare that rotten traitor."

"Very good."

Phamrsolone might get nervous if he were suddenly summoned to the Vice Director's office without any warning beforehand, so they had to take away as much of his worry as they could, make it clear this was a political meeting, not a judiciary one.

Being honest, Mirei wished she could just lock him up now and throw away the key already without any need for these games, but since they didn't have the required evidence yet, she had to play it safe.

It was vexing, allowing that traitor free reign for even a second more, but she consoled herself with the prospect of hauling him away in chains in the very near future, to make him suffer like he'd made so many others suffer with his callous behaviour.

Mirei might not share her boss' immense revulsion for the inhuman and those who consorted with them, but she made a clear and definite exception for the Dead Apostle Ancestors and their cronies. Anyone with half a brain hated them, from the warmongers to the pacifists, as they truly were the most wretched, cruel, and odious beings in existence. Any and every Magus knew to avoid them at all costs.

Except Gladstone Pharmsolone apparently. He did not avoid them. More than that, he actively consorted with them, selling out his own species, his own people, even his own family, to those abhorrent monsters in exchange for nothing more than resources for his useless projects.

Lorelei was fully in the right when she said she didn't want to spend time alone with that pathetic wastrel of a man. Even Mirei, not a violent person by any means, wanted to deck him whenever she laid eyes on him. More than that, she wanted to execute him.

And it was finally starting to seem like she would get her chance soon. The official investigation into his horrid crimes was gaining steam as they spoke, and it looked like he hadn't erased his traces as well as he should have.

With some luck, that traitor would hang before the year was out.

With a lot of luck, he'd be dead before Shirou returned.

It had been two days now since Shirou had returned from Misaki Town. Two days since he'd slain the Spider Queen. Two days since he'd witnessed Michael Roa Valdamjong finding his end at the hands of Tohno Shiki, two days since he'd said his goodbyes to everyone he'd met in Misaki Town and two days since he'd gone straight back home, to his own Fuyuki.

And yes, two days since he'd blatantly revealed to his pursuers and the Moonlit World at large that he could teleport using Rainbow-coloured light. Something which he knew would lead every single Magus straight to the conclusion that he wielded the Second True Magic as well as the Third.

He could try to downplay it, claim that there were many forms of simple Magecraft that involved both teleportation and rainbow-coloured light, but he'd only be deluding himself if he did that. Everyone knew he was, supposedly, a Sorcerer, and that meant no one could possibly mistake what he'd done.

One plus one equalled two, and teleportation plus rainbow-coloured light equalled the Kaleidoscope.

It wasn't true at all of course, it was 'only' the Bifrost, but no one knew that but him and his family. To everyone else, it had to seem like he'd managed to learn two True Magics instead of one now.

He'd well and truly put the cat among the pigeons with that one, perhaps even more than when he'd revealed his supposed ability to wield the Third, and he already dreaded the consequences he'd surely face when he returned to the Clocktower in only a few weeks from now.

Nevertheless, he couldn't really bring himself to regret his actions, not even with the benefit of hindsight. If he got the chance to do it all over again, he'd change nothing.

Two days ago, after he'd finished his discussion with Cardinal Laurentis in Misaki Town, Shirou had noticed quickly that he was being followed on his way home by spies and informants. Needless to say, it had annoyed him, angered him even, so instead of just shaking them off, he'd decided to mess with his stalkers and their masters. To punish them, at least in a small way, for their transgressions of trying to uncover his true identity and his home right after he'd fought multiple Dead Apostle Ancestors in a row.

He didn't mind it if they tried to play their political games with him, as he'd signed up for that when he willingly chose to enter the Clocktower, but home was where his girls were, and that made it completely out of bounds.

So he'd showed them the Bifrost in all its glory, to shake them off and spook them into retreating, knowing full well what the large-scale consequences of his boasting would be.

Needless to say, Rin had not been happy with him.

She'd been gracious enough to let him recover from the journey before she made that known, but the scolding she'd given him afterwards had been epic, the stuff of legends even, though Shirou had honestly felt more impressed and in love with her than he'd felt intimidated. He'd had the good sense not to say that out loud though, and had acted remorseful over his actions, doing his best to look contrite.

Naturally, she hadn't bought it for a second, and it had taken many hours of pampering and apologies for her to look at him with anything but frustration and annoyance again.

Not that it had been a chore of course. Spoiling his girlfriends was one of his favourite things in the world, and the smile she had given him at the end had made it all worth it twice over.

Unfortunately, Rin knew that too, she knew it all too well, and to punish him properly, had set him to a much more tedious task instead.

To map out and prepare for every single consequence, big and small, political and societal, that his reckless actions could possibly have on him, and write it all down in a report that he would have to present to her.

In other words, he had to practise politics. One of his least favourite things to do. A true punishment.

She knew him so well!

She truly was an amazing girlfriend.

Ayako and Sakura were fully on Rin's side, and so was Caren, though the nun wasn't actually home at the moment. She had been summoned at the behest of the Burial Agency to an emergency meeting in Tokyo. The reason hadn't been stated in the letter, but Shirou could hazard a good guess that it was about him.

As such, Caren wasn't too pleased with him either right now.

Knowing that he completely deserved the punishment he'd been given, Shirou had gotten to work on the report without complaint, and he steadily trudged on, using his enhanced brain to its utmost capacity to write something Rin would be satisfied with. A report that accounted for everything that might happen now that he had made a big splash in the Moonlit World for the second time in less than a year.

It certainly wasn't easy, but he'd gotten a few decent things on paper nevertheless.

For one, he imagined that Waver and Lorelei would soon be in touch with him, to interrogate him about his newfound abilities. They both had means of contacting him after all, and though they were kind enough to leave him be under normal circumstances, this matter was not something they could ignore. Not when it would surely impact the peace and their own standing in the Magus Association.

So he prepared good, decent, and mostly truthful answers in response, that leaned into the preconception that he could use the Kaleidoscope and left out anything to do with Mjolnir and his nascent godhood, as well as a reassurance of his alliance with them and an explanation as to why he'd kept his supposed ability to wield the Second True Magic a secret from them.

Furthermore, he'd prepared general statements for the rest of the Clocktower and possibly even the Burial Agency as well, in case they were needed, which contained even less information than the one prepared for Waver and Lorelei. He wasn't going to take any risks, not with secrets of this magnitude.

It was also very likely that more Magus-families would try to approach him for an alliance now, or at the very least a non-aggression pact, such as the one he'd made with the Edelfelt. Something he'd have to be very careful about, lest he put Waver and Lorelei in a difficult position after he accidentally made a disadvantageous deal with an enemy of theirs.

In addition, Ayako had also alerted him to the fact that the more enterprising Magi might try to offer their daughters to him as brides, medieval as they could be. Rin had in turn supplemented that with a warning that many of them would probably be completely satisfied with him only impregnating those daughters without necessarily marrying them, as that would give the family in question a very powerful heir and no potentially troublesome husband to go with it.

That was never going to happen though! Even if Shirou hadn't already had his girlfriends, he was not going to sire children he could not raise himself. That was out of the question!

Call him new-fashioned, but a father should always be involved with the upbringing of his own offspring, especially in the Moonlit World, where children were treated badly as a matter of course.

Such problems, and many similar ones, had all been written down in the report, along with the best solutions Shirou could envision. It wasn't a very good report, certainly not up to Rin's standards, let alone Waver's, but as said before, Shirou was terrible at politics. He was too easy-going and too eager to help others out even without a reward.

As such, knowing he couldn't do better, Rin had judged it decent enough, and had let him off the hook, agreeing that he had accounted for just about everything that might realistically happen, even if his proposed solutions weren't always the best.

For now, they felt sufficiently prepared for the consequences of Shirou's reckless actions.

Naturally, they were proven wrong the very next day, when they were suddenly confronted by a surprise they had not seen coming.

A visit from one Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

The Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

In hindsight, they shouldn't have been as surprised as they were. Shirou had been expecting a visit from the Kaleidoscope for months now, ever since he'd claimed to wield the Heaven's Feel. Furthermore, Arcueid had promised to inform her grandfather, that being Zelretch, of his existence and his need for training, and to top it all off, he had, just days ago, pretended to wield the Second True Magic as well.

The very True Magic that Zelretch wielded too, making it a personal matter for the oldest Sorcerer in existence.

Though in his case, he actually wielded it and didn't just fake it with Divine Power.

But even though Shirou had known all that, he was still surprised to hear the doorbell ring, his Bounded Fields alerting him to a presence outside, a presence of someone with Mystical abilities. He was even more surprised to find a dapper, old man standing at the door, an old man who promptly invited himself in, introducing himself as no one else than the Zelretch.

Things only spiralled further out of control from there.

"You have my sincere gratitude for the chair." Zelretch professed, sitting down at the dining table with an appreciative groan. "Sure beats sitting on the floor, no disrespect intended."

"None taken."

Since Zelretch was European and an old man besides, he probably wasn't used to sitting on the floor. Hence, Shirou had taken out the high dining table and several chairs instead. He saw no need whatsoever to stick to Japanese traditions in this instance. Not with someone who was older than those traditions, older than the very nation of Japan even.

Currently, Zelretch had taken one side of the dining table, while Shirou had taken the other, allowing them to face each other directly.

Rin was sitting next to Shirou, at his left, on a chair of her own, staring at Zelretch with something akin to worship, though she hadn't said a word yet. She wanted to say something, obviously, though she probably had no idea what to say to a man who'd taught her distant ancestor and wielded the very Magic her family had been searching for since its nascency.

Illya had taken the chair on Shirou's other side, and she was looking at the Kaleidoscope with narrowed eyes, probably remembering how his help with creating the Holy Grail had been the end of her forebear, who had sacrificed herself for the ritual to succeed.

Admittedly, it had been Justeaze's own choice in the end, but even so, that sacrifice had led directly to the string of events that had resulted in her mother having to sacrifice herself and Illya almost having to follow suit.

Something that Zelretch, to his credit, seemed to be aware of, judging by the apologetic glance he'd shot at Illya and the few instances where he'd almost addressed her directly.

"It is good to meet you at last, Emiya Shirou. I apologise for the sudden intrusion." In the end, the old man chose to focus on the redhead though, meeting his eyes directly, which allowed Shirou to see that his irises were also coloured with all the colours of the rainbow.

It seemed to be a theme with the man.

"The honour is all mine, lord Zelretch." Shirou inclined his head, showing the proper respect to an elder. "And please do not worry about the suddenness of your arrival. I have been expecting you for some time."

"You mean to say that I am late? Then I apologise again. Recent events have taken up much of my attention as of late, so much so that I have lost sight of the big picture. News of your ability to wield one of the True Magics only reached my ears scarcely a week ago, and I did not learn of your identity until I visited the Clocktower."

"There is no need to apologise." Shirou assured the Kaleidoscope, though a frown did form between his eyebrows at something that the man said, something rather alarming. "But if I may ask, how did you manage to learn my identity at the Clocktower? I went to great lengths to hide it there."

The only ones who could have given Zelretch the information he needed to discover Shirou's true identity were Lorelei and Waver, and the redhead liked to think that they wouldn't reveal that information lightly, not even to the Kaleidoscope.

But if it wasn't them, someone else had to have discovered who he truly was, and that was even more concerning.

"There's no need to worry." Zelretch waved away his concern however with a lazy wave of his hand. "I worked it out myself. Once I heard that your name is Shirou and that you want to become a Hero of Justice, I knew everything there was to know without the need for further intelligence. My craft is the Operation of Parallel Worlds after all, and your desire to serve righteousness and virtue is a constant among the many dimensions in which I operate."

"It is?" Shirou blinked in surprise, unsure whether to feel relieved or not.

"Certainly. Your exploits are legendary, well-known to me and all my counterparts. Your exact nature might differ per dimension, ranging from a substandard Magus to a being rather similar to me, but your desire to be a saviour almost never varies, barring several very rare exceptions. You are very… dedicated, one might say, to becoming a Hero of Justice."

"Chichichi." That actually made Illya giggle despite her earlier decision that she disliked the old man, and after glancing at her for a moment, Shirou decided that he should be happy with that information too.

That his counterparts wanted to become heroes as well was good news, something to appreciate, even if it gave Mjolnir various, ill-advised ideas about team-ups and cross-over events.

An army of Shirous sounded nice in theory, but he doubted it would work well in practice.

In any case, it was far better than the worst alternative. The redhead wouldn't have known what to do or say if he'd heard instead that most of the other Shirous had become villains. He would have had to do something about it, though it probably wasn't proper form to go out and defeat your own alternative versions over a mere personal grudge.

Even if Thor had done exactly such a thing on several occasions, according to Mjolnir.

"A question." Rin suddenly raised her hand as if she were in class, another sign of the respect she held for the Kaleidoscope, though her gaze had sharpened considerably since the conversation had begun.

"Ask." Zelretch didn't even hesitate, giving her a broad smile.

"You mentioned that there are Shirous out there who are similar to you. Does that mean this is not the only world in which Shirou possesses a True Magic? Or even the Second True Magic specifically for that matter?"

"Sharp and to the point as always, miss Tohsaka." Zelretch grinned at her, his words containing no small amount of approval. "As expected of the descendant of one of my most foolish apprentices."

"…F-Foolish?" Rin winced at the word, taking it as a rebuke.

"It was a compliment." Zelretch hastened to correct the preconception however, to Rin's visible relief. "When selecting apprentices, I usually have the choice between sociopaths, outright villains, and fools. It is the third group that has my definite preference. A preference which you and I seem to share, miss Tohsaka, considering your choice in companionship."

He shot a meaningful glance at Shirou as he said that, eliciting both a smile and an agreeing nod from Rin, which earned them an annoyed glare from the fool in question.

Needless to say, Illya only giggled harder.

"But to get back to your question, miss Tohsaka, yes, there are worlds in which Emiya Shirou is a Sorcerer." Zelretch brought the discussion back on track, cutting off the giggles and ribbings. "Not many though. Emiya Shirou is an individual that we in the business like to refer to as a wild card."

"Oh?" Shirou didn't consider himself particularly wild, so he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Most people actually remain largely the same across different worlds. Of course, there are worlds in which everyone is different, especially when the very history of said world has diverted from its proper course, but in general, changes in specific individuals are few and far in-between. If I see a particular person in this world, it is very likely that this person will be immensely similar in a randomly chosen other world. Miss Tohsaka for instance will almost always be the daughter of Aoi and Tokiomi, the sister of Sakura, an Average One with considerable talent, and a Tsundere with a particular fondness for redheaded fools."

"O-Oi!" Now it was Rin's turn to be put on the spot, and Shirou's turn to stifle a laugh, though he did follow it up by pressing a loving kiss to her cheek. "E-Eck?! W-What was that for?!"

"I just felt like it. There's something very romantic about hearing that my girlfriend loves me no matter what world we live in, don't you think?"

"…M-Maybe."

"Heh, very smooth." Zelretch grinned in approval, before he turned serious again. "This consistency among worlds is not so for wild cards. Wild cards can differ immensely between every single dimension there is. You, Emiya Shirou, are such a wild card. There are worlds in which you are but an amateur Mage, but also worlds where you are a videogame character, a demon, a Dead Apostle, an heir to a legendary swordsmith, a more talented Mage, literally Satan, or indeed a Sorcerer."

"But there aren't many dimensions in which I am a Sorcerer?" Shirou asked, just to clarify, carefully ignoring the fact that he was apparently the Devil in one or more worlds.

"I can think of only three from the top of my head." Zelretch replied after a moment of thought.

"Including or excluding this dimension?"

"Excluding of course. You are not actually a Sorcerer, are you?"

The Kaleidoscope casually dropped a bomb on the conversation, but it was only a small one, as Shirou had already expected him to know about his deception. Hence, he didn't even flinch, nor did Illya and Rin.

"No." He admitted bluntly, revealing more than he'd ever revealed to anyone aside from his lovers and direct family. "No, I am not. I'm just faking it."

"With Divine Power, if I'm not mistaken." Zelretch deduced. "I sense it everywhere throughout this house."

"You don't seem very bothered by that fact." Rin observed clinically, looking rather displeased by the old man's utter and complete lack of shock, undoubtedly remembering the fact that she had fainted multiple times when she'd learned of the truth of Shirou's abilities.

"I have met several gods in my time, back when I was still a humble apprentice." Zelretch provided by ways of explanation, his eyes becoming cloudy for a moment as he took a small stroll down memory lane, and the confirmation of the fact that he hailed from the tail end of the Age of the Gods, over three thousand years ago, made all three of his interlocutors go wide-eyed. A rumour was one thing, but to have it confirmed was quite another. "And besides, this is hardly the only world in which you underwent apotheosis. It is however the only one in which you do so in your own Modern Age."

"I became a god in other dimensions as well?" It almost sounded too ridiculous for words, but considering his own situation, Shirou had no choice but to believe the claim. "But not in the Modern Age? How is that possible?"

"Time travel." Zelretch replied bluntly. "Or you were placed into a world where the Age of the Gods never ended, or into a world where the Age of the Gods and the Modern Age aren't separate to begin with."

"There are such worlds?" Illya asked, frowning in clear scepticism that places like that could possibly exist.

"Certainly. In such worlds, becoming a god is… well, I won't say 'easy', but at least it is easier. Hence, this world is unique, in that you, Shirou, are becoming a god whilst still remaining in your own Fuyuki, long after the end of the Age of the Gods. It is absolutely fascinating in a thousand different ways, though I'm not really sure what to think about the Return of Mystery that you have caused as a result."

"It does seem to have its downsides, doesn't it?" Shirou huffed with a wry smile, referring, among other things, to the Phantasmal Creatures he'd encountered so far.

"Many downsides indeed. If it comes out that this is your fault, I imagine it will make a lot of people very angry. I can see why you want to keep it a secret."

"Will you keep it a secret?" It was a very important question, so Shirou asked it without compunction or beating around the bush. The Kaleidoscope wasn't known for being loose-lipped, but at the same time, his reputation for reliability wasn't stellar either.

"That goes without saying. I am on your side here." Zelretch defied his expectations though, in a good way, but Shirou wasn't wholly convinced yet.

"Provided I help you in return?" He guessed, rather familiar with how Magi operated. Even the good ones.

"Certainly not." But Zelretch defied his expectations again, in true Sorcerer fashion. "It is true that I'm hoping for your aid with several matters, but even if you refuse all my requests, I will not breathe a word of your true nature to anyone. It is not my place to reveal the secrets of others, especially secrets of such magnitude."

The Kaleidoscope's words were filled with conviction and sincerity, and although the old man had proven himself strangely resistant to Shirou's ability to tell truth from lies, perhaps because of his inhuman nature, it was evident this time that he was telling the truth and nothing but the truth. He really wouldn't tell anyone.

And that was a massive relief.

"Thank you very much, lord Zelretch."

"Don't mention it." The old man didn't seem to consider it a big deal, though he did lean in a bit after, as if confiding something to Shirou. "But I must urge you to please consider being more open about your secrets yourself, perhaps telling a few people here and there other than your inner circle."

"What? Why?!" The suggestion came completely out of the left field, and it left Shirou baffled. The truth of his existence, of his apotheosis, was a matter that would truly make the world shake on its foundations, making it something that should absolutely not be shared lightly with anyone.

Surely the Kaleidoscope, who undoubtedly held many such secrets himself and had even agreed to keep Shirou's secrets without asking anything in return, would see that too?

"I understand your reluctance." Zelretch assured him, but there was steel in his voice, indicating he wasn't going to back down. "But this issue does not just concern you. Bringing back Mystery to the world is no small matter, my boy, it will have massive consequences, and I dare say that there are individuals out there who deserve to know what is happening, and why."

"…"

Whether knowingly or unknowingly, Zelretch directly struck a nerve just now, bringing up something that had long been a point of worry to Shirou, and the redhead had to fight to keep his expression composed.

He'd never really discussed it with anyone else, but the truth was that he had been agonising for a while now about the consequences of his existence, of his rise to Divinity, and about the impact that it would have on the world and everyone in it.

So far, those consequences hadn't been too dire, as every returning Phantasmal Being had been either killed or captured and the slight increase in Magical Energy in the air did nothing but make a lot of Magi very happy, but things wouldn't stay that way forever. Not at the rate they were progressing.

If more Phantasmal Beings were to appear, or if the amount of Magical Energy in the air became toxic to mundane people, it was only a matter of time before the casualties started stacking up, and there was no way Emiya Shirou could possibly accept that.

Killing himself had been very seriously considered as a preventive measure, or at the very least, locking himself away in his Vault until he'd discovered a solution, but Mjolnir had managed to dissuade him of that notion before he'd even shared it with the girls.

Which was most fortunate for him, because they wouldn't have been nearly as compassionate as Mjolnir in discouraging him from doing anything so drastic. Their reaction would have made writing that stupid report look like a walk in the park.

His next best option had been to tell more people about the situation and prepare a good line of defence against both the Phantasmal Species and the toxic amounts of Magical Energy in the air, but that left him with another conundrum.

Quite frankly, the redhead had no idea whom he could trust with the information. Really trust. Aside from his family of course, but that went without saying. Oh, and Issei, but telling him would not help the situation much.

He now had confirmation from Zelretch that telling more people about the situation and then working together with them was his best option, and Shirou would love to defer to the man's millennia of experience, but that didn't solve the problem of who to confide in.

"Yes, it can be hard to decide whom you can trust with your secrets, especially after you've kept them for so long." Zelretch accurately deduced the root of Shirou's problems, seeing right through him despite the redhead's attempts to stay composed. "I was much the same in my younger years, if you can believe it. Wary, distrustful, overly cautious, some might even say paranoid. I discovered though that people can actually be surprisingly reliable if you allow them to be. If you put your trust in others, most will try not to betray that trust."

"I find that hard to believe." Rin was the first to reply, and apparently, she considered the old man's words to be so ridiculous that her voice nearly dripped with scorn and doubt.

Unsurprising. They were after all anathema to everything she knew about the Moonlit World, where trust was something to be broken.

"I don't mean you should tell your secrets to just anyone of course." Zelretch defended himself, though paradoxically, he seemed happy that Rin was pushing back against him. "But if you already have an established relationship with someone, showing them more trust can lead to receiving more trust in turn."

"I suppose I can see that happen." Shirou allowed, though he was still on the fence for now. "But that remains an awful risk. Who would I even tell?"