Still, Lorelei didn't want to slack in her responsibilities as a teacher. Even if Rin was an excellent student, that was no reason not to push her to be even better. Learning Magecraft was all about breaking one's limits, so on the second day of training, she took the young woman to a private training facility and had her cast spells until she dropped.
Not literally, as overheating one's Magic Circuits was too dangerous, but they went far indeed, establishing a baseline for Rin's current abilities.
For now, they didn't care about finesse or technique. Lorelei just ran Rin ragged, giving her no respite as she ordered her to cast spell after spell, carefully observing both the results and Rin's physical condition.
She had her blow up training dolls, tear gouges in the stone-covered floor, cut reams of paper into neat little fragments with air-based spells, melt iron with fire-based Magecraft, and demonstrate her greatest feats in Gemcraft. Then, when the black-haired girl was done with all that, she had her do it again, but faster and with more targets.
Though First-Rate Magi like Rin and Lorelei were powerful indeed, their stamina when continuously casting their most potent spells was actually quite low. Magical Energy was a precious commodity for a reason, being slow to form and quick to be used, and even possessing hundreds of Magic Circuits couldn't offset that forever.
Most Magi made sure to compensate for that, for instance by taking Mystic Codes or gems with them, or by regularly switching between Magecraft and physical combat, but since that would defeat the purpose of the exercise, Lorelei didn't allow for such compensation this time. Rin had to get by on her own reserves alone.
That she lasted upwards of twenty minutes anyway was quite impressive in light of that. The black-haired girl might even have tried to continue past that point, but Lorelei put a stop to it. Thoughtlessly pushing past one's limits with Magecraft was extremely dangerous, and not something to be done lightly.
"That's enough for now, miss Tohsaka."
Rin let out a massive sigh of relief in response to the order, sagging in exhaustion as she halted the outward flow of Magical Energy, which caused the three dozen gems that had been floating around her to fall to the ground.
Frankly, it was all she could do not to fall to the ground as well.
Her Magic Circuits, both the ones in her body and the ones in her Crest, were painfully empty, and this was reflected in her body, which now felt three times as heavy as before, to the point where she struggled to keep her eyes open. Her vision was spinning, her head felt remarkably light, and there was a strange sensation in her stomach that resembled nausea but was subtly different in a way she didn't know how to explain.
Safe to say, Rin had reached her absolute limit. Never before had she been pushed to the brink like this, to the point where she'd truly given her all and more. She'd done all she could, and now, all that remained was waiting anxiously for Lorelei's assessment.
Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long.
"Your reserves are… adequate." The Vice Director spoke slowly and meticulously, not wanting there to be any misunderstandings at this point. "The quality of your Magus Circuits is well above average, as is their quantity. Your Crest is quite decent as well, especially for its modest age, and you have incorporated it excellently into your body. Furthermore, you use the Magical Energy available to you with great efficiency, allowing you to continue longer than many Magi with greater lineage and reserves than you. Nevertheless, there is still much room for improvement."
"Of course, my lady." Rin would never be so arrogant as to assume that she had perfected her techniques, so the conclusion did not come as a surprise.
"Your talent for handling gems is quite impressive, as is your talent for wanton destruction." Lorelei eyed the destroyed training dolls in the corner, vanquished earlier by Rin's most powerful offensive spells, with a glimmer of approval in her eyes, before she bent over and picked up one of the gems for a proper look, tossing it back at Rin when she was done. "But by the standards of my family, your skill is still hopelessly inadequate in nearly every conceivable way."
The remark stung, but it was nothing that Shirou couldn't kiss better that evening.
"Your Magic Circuits have been strained enough, so I will not ask that you practise your technique any further today, but over the coming hours, we shall discuss at length the theory behind your spells and the ways by which you can improve." The Vice Director continued, appearing rather pleased that Rin didn't show any petulant anger or disappointment in response to the harsh but fair assessment. "After that, I will assign to you some… 'homework', as I believe it is called."
"Homework, my lady?" It wasn't a word that Rin had expected to hear at the Clocktower, but it seemed reasonable enough. Probably.
"You will study that gem I handed to you and assess by yourself the inadequacies you see in your own work. At our next session, you will present to me at least three strategies in which you plan to better your Enchantment techniques, based on the theory I am about to impart onto you. Should your work be satisfactory, I will aid you in the process of implementing those strategies. Understood?"
"Understood, ma'am." Rin nearly saluted, but managed to change it into a grateful bow at the last moment. "I will make sure to live up to your expectations."
"Excellent." Lorelei graced her with a small nod in acknowledgement of her promise, before she held out a hand and cast a wordless spell to lift the remaining thirty-five gems off the floor. "To give you some perspective before we begin the lesson, I shall demonstrate a technique I developed myself. Observe."
With but a gesture of her hand and a muttered, three-word incantation, Lorelei instantly filled all the gems to the brim with Magical Energy, simultaneously attuning each one to a different element or domain and radically changing their shapes to the point that no two figures looked alike. There was a Ouroboros, several different flowers, a star, multiple animals and fictional beings, a number of Runes, and something that looked suspiciously like Shirou's face.
It was absolutely incredible, and it showed a control over her own Magical Energy that bordered on terrifying.
One of Rin's most vivid youth-memories was her father demonstrating one of his spells to her, a spell that Enchanted one of his gems and changed its shape into that of a Pegasus, a flying horse. Back then, it had seemed like a miracle, and even now that she'd matched and exceeded that level of skill, that memory was still tinted with admiration.
But now Lorelei did the same with less than one-tenth the effort, with thirty-five gems at once, all while not breaking eye-contact with Rin herself for a moment, making her father's achievement feel utterly inadequate and meaningless. It was a show of skill so overwhelming it almost felt like a display of dominance.
It wasn't though. This was no more than a demonstration meant to give Rin an idea of how to go about improving her own techniques. A sign of kindness more than anything, from a teacher who was doing her best to live up to expectations.
Which frankly made it even more overwhelming.
Had she been Shirou, she would have let her jaw drop, perhaps stuttered out a few words of heartfelt praise, but she wasn't that lovable oaf. She was a Tohsaka, whose elegance was her defining feature.
"A most impressive display." She smiled cautiously at her teacher, gaining heart when no disapproval appeared on the lady's beautiful features. "I shall not rest until I can match your prowess."
A very diplomatic answer, which was good enough for Lorelei, who nodded in response.
Unbeknownst to Rin however, the brunette would have appreciated Shirou's hypothetical response much more. She herself possessed a very minor form of Clairvoyance, in the form of unique Mystic Eyes, and as a result, praise given from the heart made much more of an impression on her than praise given diplomatically. She could literally feel the sincerity after all, or the lack of it.
In any case, that concluded the practical part of the training session, and the two ladies moved on to the more theoretical part, relocating to Lorelei's office again, where they could talk to their heart's content in peace and privacy. Lorelei had a great deal of knowledge she wanted to impart, and Rin was ready to absorb it all.
Naturally, their main point of discussion was Gemcraft.
Gemcraft was an interesting branch of Thaumaturgy, that found its origin in the ancient world, potentially being used far before humanity had even come into proper existence, though the veracity of that claim was impossible to prove. It had a rich and storied history, having been developed at all corners of the world pretty much independently, and because of that, it actually consisted of a great number of different yet similar fields all grouped together under one name.
It might seem straightforward at first glance, but any who approached it lightly, lured by the fact that the beginner-spells were relatively easy yet effective, would soon realise that its surprising complexity made the field impossible to master for all but a select few.
True Gemcraft required a mixture of calculation, natural-born talent, and unwavering dedication that bordered on zeal, the latter two of which made it impossible to wield for people such as Emiya Shirou, who did not care for the field nearly enough to properly pursue it.
Rin did possess the necessary calculating nature, talent and zeal however, as did Lorelei, naturally. For them, using Gemcraft was no different from holding up a football using only their knees. A bit difficult, but ultimately nothing complicated, as long as they practised enough.
Though Lorelei had not spent as much time on developing her aptitude for Gemcraft as Rin, because there were many other fields that also demanded her attention, her high-grade tutors, extensive collection of reading materials, demanding family, and once-in-a-millennium Sorcery Trait nevertheless gave her a far greater mastery over the field, so there was much she could impart onto her eager apprentice.
Too much, some might say.
By the time that lady Montmorency arrived, about an hour later, to remind her boss of her tightly-packed schedule, Lorelei was barely halfway through the planned lecture, and it was with regret that the brunette had to conclude the lesson prematurely.
"There was much I still wanted to teach you." She said, her elegant eyebrows scrunched up in a frown. "It will have to wait. I apologise."
"Oh no, please don't! I was reaching my limits anyway." Rin had done her utmost best to keep up with the Vice Director's explanations, but after an hour of intense listening, her attention-span was rapidly approaching its end. "If we had continued much longer, I would have lost focus."
"Noted." Lorelei committed that fact to memory, that Rin's ability to absorb new knowledge lessened greatly after an hour, and resolved to adjust her lessons accordingly. "Give Shirou my regards."
"Your warmest regards?" Rin couldn't resist the temptation to tease her a little, but was taken aback when the teasing went right over Lorelei's head.
"Yes. My warmest regards."
It was coupled with a smile wider and warmer than any the Vice Director had given Rin, or indeed anyone who wasn't Shirou. If there had been any doubt that the bond between those two ran deeper than just friendship, that doubt had just been obliterated.
And as she was ushered out of the office by lady Montmorency, Rin was left bewildered, though not, as one might expect, by the fact that the Greatest Magus of the Modern Age was interested in her boyfriend. She'd known that already.
No, she was bewildered by that warm and wide smile.
How on Earth could a mighty and revered woman like that possibly be so cute?!
"He truly is back then?"
"He is. I just confirmed it myself."
"I see. That is… concerning, especially considering his actions so far."
"Heh, I'll say! He gave you lot a right beating, so much so that they're even calling it the Night of the Broken Moon now!"
Two figures were sitting on a park bench at the very edge of London, in the middle of the night, having claimed it for themselves to have a private conversation.
Several intricate Bounded Fields had been erected around them, making sure any eavesdroppers heard nothing of value, but frankly, they were hardly needed. London was an immense city, filled with countless weirdos and vagrants, so two more oddballs hardly attracted any attention, from anyone.
But both men were paranoid bastards, so the Bounded Fields had been put into place anyway. Just in case someone of importance happened to stumble upon them by sheer happenstance.
It wasn't as unlikely as one might think.
"We lost Gladstone." The first figure, a tall fellow with red hair and wide ears, sighed despondently. "A shame. I rather liked him."
"He was amusing, in his own way." The other man, though he could barely be called such, agreed. "But there are many others like him. Don't waste your time on mourning. Rather, make sure to cut your losses. Gladstone Phamrsolone won't endure torture on your behalf."
"Oh yes, I imagine that dear Gladstone is squealing for his life right now, giving Policies the identities of everyone who has ever associated with us. Don't worry though, I cut my losses ages ago. The Enforcers won't be able to track me down any time soon."
"Are you certain of that?"
"I… Well, less certain than I want to be, honestly. Policies has never been my biggest fan, even before all this, but I was able to stay ahead of them because they didn't care all that much about me. If Gladstone revealed everything though, I might become an actual priority now. To be safe, I'll have to skip London for a bit, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind. I won't claim that you don't matter in the grand scheme of things, because you do, but I have several agents ready to take your place during your temporaryabsence. It is far from ideal, but it'll have to do, for now."
"Aw, I knew you loved me."
"If that is what you want to believe, go right ahead."
"Hehe." Though the red-haired figure was certainly guarded around his companion, he did let out a small chuckle of amusement. "What about Haruri though? I don't think Gladstone was kind enough not to grass on her when he turned his cloak again."
"…Do you have any way of extracting her from the Clocktower on such short notice?"
"I might. I'll need a few things though, things that only you can provide."
"…Name them."
It was obvious that the not-man didn't actually care at all about Haruri, but when he received the list of necessities and established that procuring them would be a small matter, he saw no reason to refuse. He gave his redhaired accomplice a small nod, prompting a grin from him in return.
"As soon as you deliver the goods, I'll put something together to get Haruri out and arrange shelter for her."
"You think she hasn't been arrested yet? That is a surprising amount of confidence in Gladstone's resilience."
"With some luck, her position will have kept her safe so far even if Gladstone didn't."
"If you say so. But if you don't mind me asking, why are you going to such lengths for someone you barely know?"
"Why would I not? We're compatriots, who risked their lives together for a common cause. It would be quite awful if I just abandoned her after all that. Besides, she's a bright girl, she might be able to help me with a few projects that I have going on."
"As a fellow researcher or a test-subject?"
"Excuse me?! What exactly do you think I am?! I'd never use a friend as a test-subject!"
The not-man turned towards the redhead with an inquisitive gaze, peering at his face and expression to gauge his honesty, before letting out a soft sigh when he saw the sincerity in his eyes.
"I do not understand you Magi at all, even after so many years."
"Aw, shucks, that's nice of you to say."
"It was not intended as a compliment."
"Perhaps it wasn't intended, but it certainly was a compliment. If you still don't understand us, we remain something of interest to you, and if we remain something of interest, it means we haven't become boring yet. From one of your kind, not being boring is the greatest praise one can receive."
The redhead spoke candidly, and the not-man nodded thoughtfully, unable to argue with that logic.
"What will you do once you depart London?" The not-man eventually continued, changing the subject. "You mentioned a few projects?"
"Yes, I have some stuff going on with Mystic Eyes, and I'm just dying to know why Mystery is suddenly increasing in the world, but first, I think I'll Summon a Servant."
"A Servant? How will you do so without an active Holy Grail?"
The cost in Magical Energy of Summoning and especially Upkeeping a Servant was immense. In Grail Wars, most of that cost was shouldered by the Grail, which made it possible for all Magi involved to Summon a Servant of their own, but without such aid, the average Magus would be drained in minutes, while prodigies would survive, but with so little Magical Energy left that their own use of Magecraft would be severely limited.
Neither of those were desirable outcomes.
"I can handle it." The redhead was a prodigy among prodigies however, completely confident in his own ability, and the not-man decided it wasn't worth trying to convince him otherwise. "I just need a catalyst to summon the Servant I want. I hoped that I could steal the piece of Iskandar's cloak that Waver still keeps with him, but he moved it somewhere else, and I don't know where. I'll need something else that belonged to the King of Conquerors."
The small rant was concluded with a hopeful gaze, and the not-man sighed again.
"I'll see what I can do."
"You're the best, Stanrobe!"
The mention of a name was of course against all safety protocols, but since they were completely alone, in the middle of the night, hiding behind several Bounded Fields, Stanrobe Calhin let it pass.
When dealing with types like the red-headed fellow, it was important to be flexible and forgiving. That would yield the best results in the least amount of time. They usually closed up under pressure, but if you let them speak, they'd spill everything they knew in short order.
Most humans would not be able to stand the redhead's presence for long. He could be rather defiant, sometimes intentionally so and sometimes unintentionally. He always had a smart remark ready for when he was criticised or otherwise scolded, and he seemed incapable of taking anything seriously, cracking jokes at the most inopportune of times.
Stanrobe hardly cared though. He was too old to be bothered by a youngster's words, and besides, being a spymaster meant that you had to have a thick skin, especially when dealing with Magi and mavericks.
Did Stanrobe sometimes want to rip the redhead's head from his shoulders? Of course, but then, he wanted to do that to every human he came across. There was nothing particularly vexing about keeping his cool in this particular instance, especially since being patient yielded such good results.
Gladstone Phamrsolone on the other hand had been the kind of person who needed a bit of pressure to spill what he knew. When dealing with him, Stanrobe always put on his meanest look, to thoroughly intimidate that pathetic wastrel of a man.
It had actually been quite fun, and if there was anything Stanrobe would miss about that fellow, it would be to see him squirm in discomfort and fear, to see him doubt his every choice that had led him into Stanrobe's claws, but then give in to his greed anyway.
Amusing indeed.
"When I have a Servant on my side, even the Enforcers will think twice before carelessly chasing me." The redhead was still chattering away, already rubbing his hands in glee as he celebrated his imagined victory. "Servants are far greater than Magi after all. From what I heard, they are equal even to your kind, Stanrobe."
"They might very well be."
Being an ancient Vampire, Stanrobe knew far more about Servants than most, and he had to acknowledge that even he would be hesitant to face one directly. However, his redheaded companion didn't seem to realise that there was a great variety between individual Servants.
While the likes of Heracles, Arjuna, Minamoto-no-Raikou, and Siegfried were indeed more than a match for any Dead Apostle Ancestor, the other side of the coin held Servants like Shakespeare, Mata-Hari, and Simo Häyhä, who were relatively weak.
But then, the redhead seemed to be aiming to Summon Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, who was mighty indeed, so there was little need for concern.
Provided he actually managed to Summon the Servant he was after of course, or indeed any Servant at all.
"I know what you are thinking, Stanrobe, but I assure you that I am more than capable of executing such a quaint little ritual, or my name isn't Doctor Heartless!"
Once more, the name was spoken out loud without compunction, utterly ignoring every safety measure in existence, and although Stanrobe was normally the patient sort, the urge to throttle his companion was great.
Unfortunately though, he was still too useful to be killed like that. Doubly so if he actually managed to procure a half-decent Servant.
Admittedly, keeping him on a leash would be far, far more difficult when he had such a potent weapon at his disposal, but the rewards would be more than worth the extra effort.
"Hey there! Yahoo!"
The shout was easily audible over the clamour of the Clocktower's main hall, but Rin, who was just on her way back to her chambers after finishing the lesson with Lorelei, ignored it. It likely wasn't meant for her.
"Yahoo! Rin!"
Okay, so it was meant for her.
Turning around to seek the person who'd called out to her, Rin quickly scanned the hall, before her eyes fell on a familiar figure in the nearby cafeteria.
Long, blonde hair done up in elaborate coils, a very stylish and expensive outfit, and curves to die for, the figure was instantly recognisable as Luvia, the young woman whom Rin had helped a few days prior.
She looked delighted that Rin had turned around in response to her calls, that she'd managed to make herself heard and understood, and she motioned for the black-haired girl to join her at her table.
Naturally, Rin didn't accept immediately. She usually rather disliked suddenly running into people she knew, mainly because it made her feel vulnerable and caught off-guard, as if they were seeing things they shouldn't. Also, it happened with depressing regularity that supposedly coincidental meetings weren't actually a coincidence at all.
But then, Luvia wasn't one of the people from school, or even from Fuyuki, who needed to be fooled with an idol-mask, and since the Clocktower wasn't that big, it wasn't unthinkable that two acquaintances would run into each other by pure coincidence. What's more, Luvia wasn't a rival or enemy, at least as far as she knew, so she had very little reason to attack or otherwise harm her.
All that was to say that this was unlikely to be some kind of ambush, so after only a cursory check to make sure that there were no suspicious figures loitering around, Rin made her way over to Luvia, figuring she might as well hear her out.
The blonde's bodyguards were still present, both the tall, black guy and the elderly butler, but they were both much more unassuming this time, doing their best not to stand out. Sitting at their lady's table, nursing cups of coffee, they now seemed more like servants than warriors, and even though Rin knew that they remained as dangerous as ever, she felt much less threatened as a result.
Funny how that worked.
"Luvia." She acknowledged the blonde when she arrived at the table. "Why did you call me over?"
"Why? Well, no reason, I suppose." Luvia laughed, motioning for Rin to sit down already. "I just wanted to chat for a bit. Or am I disturbing you?"
"No, not at all. I just finished my… morning routine." So far, they had both been sparse with personal details, recognising that being too open would likely just complicate matters between them, and Rin was pretty sure that being the Vice Director's apprentice was a very personal detail indeed, not to be revealed lightly. "I don't have anything scheduled for the afternoon."
"That's a relief!" Luvia's smile was a bit too wide to be genuine, but the fact that she tried to set Rin at ease in the first place was a mark in her favour. "Please, sit down. If you want anything to drink or eat, it's my treat today."
"How generous of you." Rin was no longer hurting for money, but she wasn't going to say no to a free lunch. She was still an elegant lady though, so she made sure not to select anything too expensive from the menu. That would be rude.
Luvia quickly flagged down a waiter, also placing her own order and that of her bodyguards, and Rin's opinion of her increased even more when she paid for them all without batting an eye.
She liked generous people after all.
"How have you been, Luvia? Have you settled in yet?" Rin decided to be the first to break the silence after the order had been placed, though more out of politeness than real interest.
"Oh, I've been grea-!" Luvia started out with a beaming smile, giving the expected nonanswer, before she suddenly stopped, and her smile turned into a slight grimace. "No, I shouldn't lie. Things have been going… less than ideal."
"I'm sorry to hear that." It was a platitude, but a sincere one. "Is the situation very bad?"
"Oh, no, I wouldn't call it bad. It's just… not as good as I hoped." The blonde wore a complicated expression, one that normally wouldn't really give anything away, but that Rin could read like an open book. She recognised it after all. She recognised it very well.
She herself had often looked like that, in the privacy of her own home, back before she'd come to know Shirou and Ayako, before she had reconciled with Sakura. It was the look of someone who was completely stuck in a situation that couldn't be called bad, but also certainly not good. Someone who was just ploughing along, hoping against hope that something would change in the near future.
Maybe Rin could have ignored it in the past, reasoning that Luvia had to be able to handle herself, but now that she had practically stumbled her way into happiness and love, having been rescued from that hopeless situation by a wonderful fool, she couldn't stop that glum look from tugging at her heartstrings something fierce.
Damn her conscience for suddenly forcing all those emotions on her.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" The offer passed her lips before her brain could fully catch up, but Rin didn't regret making it. Helping others was generally quite pleasant, and if nothing else, it'd score her some points with her altruistic fiancé.
"Huh?" Aid was not offered lightly in the Moonlit World however, especially not to veritable strangers, so Rin wasn't surprised when Luvia blinked in shock, before giving Rin a very critical look, searching for any signs of deception.
There weren't any though. The offer was made in good faith, with no ulterior motives. No matter how hard Luvia searched, she'd find nothing amiss.
"That's very kind of you." The blonde ended up saying, the scepticism making place for a nonplussed expression. "I don't know what to say."
"Yes or no would be a start." Rin joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"Heh." The chuckle was born more from a place of politeness than anything else, but it was something at least. "What a strange offer. I can tell you're sincere, but surely, you must know that no Magus would ever allow a stranger to interfere in their personal affairs? Even if it is to ostensibly aid them?"
"Of course I know that, but I wasn't offering to meddle in your affairs. I was offering to help." Rin corrected her, pointing out the subtle difference. "Perhaps you want to vent about a smaller, personal problem, or perhaps you want to take your mind off things by playing a game with me. Maybe we could train together if you're the sort of woman who likes physical exercise, and maybe we can even go a few rounds in the sparring ring, if you dare."
Luvia had relaxed when Rin explained that her offer of help was a casual and unintrusive one, smiling at the offer of playing a game together, but when Rin mentioned the sparring ring, she perked right up again, unable to hide the flash of interest in her eyes.
"Sparring, you say?"
"Indeed." Rin grinned at the blonde's unhidden interest, her blood warming up at the thought of matching herself against a fellow Magus, one who wasn't an unbeatable Demigod. "It seems you're rather eager, aren't you? I wonder if you can back that enthusiasm up with any skill."
"How would you like to be crushed?" Luvia wasn't going to take that lying down, rising to the challenge. "Swords? Spears? Spells? Or just hand-to-hand?"
"Hand-to-hand, though we can use Reinforcement-spells as well."
"You're on!"
They shook on it, both girls grinning widely, not a trace left of the earlier morosity that had threatened to swallow the conversation.