A street corner in London, England, on an otherwise ordinary day.
Yet, a peculiar sight drew the attention of passersby.
Seated on a roadside bench were a young man and a few children who had just stopped by, sitting side by side by chance. The group, strangers to one another, held ice cream cones purchased from a vendor across the street, licking them in silence. No words were exchanged, not even a glance, creating an oddly striking scene that felt strangely out of place.
What caught people's eyes wasn't just their unconventional behavior. The young man, strikingly handsome, stood out in a society that valued appearance. His presence, accentuated by the unassuming children beside him, made him seem almost larger than life on this London street.
It was an odd sensation, as if he didn't belong here at all.
But…
"Sorry for showing up here, I guess…"
Roy continued licking his ice cream with a blank expression, his eyes betraying a hint of exasperation as he endured the whispers and pointing from passersby. Some women, perhaps influenced by too many romantic novels, approached him, mistaking him for a lost noble. While he was indeed part of a magical aristocracy, their assumptions left him inwardly cringing.
Truth be told, if Kayneth hadn't insisted he wait here, Roy would have flashed a devilish grin, taken a dramatic lick of his ice cream, and walked off. That would've been a showstopper, but alas, it wasn't to be.
Roy swore that if he could do it over, he'd never have called Kayneth to check in. He'd have gone straight home, sent a familiar with a letter, and avoided sitting on a London street with a bunch of random kids, eating ice cream in awkward silence.
After finishing their ice cream, the children waved goodbye to Roy, the stranger who'd treated them, and left without a second thought.
"…"
Roy continued eating his ice cream expressionlessly, enduring the stares of onlookers. Finally…
After waiting three long hours, his patience nearly exhausted, Kayneth's promised contact arrived.
Vroom!!
A prolonged car horn sounded from nearby. A sleek, black stretch limousine, emblazoned with the El-Melloi crest, pulled up beside him. Under Roy's relieved yet complicated gaze, the driver courteously opened the rear door, and a petite, golden-haired girl—perhaps better described as a loli—stepped out, tiptoeing delicately.
Though her movements were graceful and practiced, clearly trained in noble etiquette, Roy could sense a hint of awkwardness. The scene felt bizarre. Noble etiquette was typically reserved for formal occasions like Clock Tower galas, not for a casual pickup on a public street. Who was this performance for? The ordinary passersby who couldn't appreciate its nuance?
"That's her, then."
Spotting the girl, Roy was almost certain she was Kayneth's designated contact. His gaze unabashedly assessed her, tinged with scrutiny, as he felt a nagging sense of familiarity.
Around ten years old? Golden hair falling to her shoulders, her demeanor exuded an elegance and mystique distinct from ordinary people. She wore a dark, formal dress with black knee-high stockings. Her emerald-green eyes paired with her short golden hair gave her the air of a cunning sprite. Though barely over four feet tall, her every gesture carried the arrogance of nobility.
Yes, those eyes confirmed it—she was definitely from Kayneth's family.
After a quick scan, Roy's eyelids twitched, and he raised a hand to his forehead, his expression complex. This golden-haired loli wasn't a stranger; he knew her, or rather, was quite familiar with her.
The reason he hadn't recognized her immediately was her age—she was much younger than in his memories. But a closer look confirmed it.
That sly fox! No—Reines.
Her full name: Reines El-Melloi Archisorte. A significant female character in the Nasuverse, first appearing in The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II, with Waver as the protagonist. In the original timeline, after Kayneth's death and the destruction of the El-Melloi magical crest, the El-Melloi faction faced internal and external turmoil. Reines was chosen from a branch family as the new heir, becoming Waver's adoptive sister of sorts.
Of course, that was the original world's trajectory. Now, with Kayneth alive, her relationship with Waver couldn't be the same. She likely remained Kayneth's adoptive sister and niece, a peculiar dynamic.
As for further details, Roy wasn't entirely sure. He often holed up at home, frequently skipping Clock Tower classes—including Kayneth's—and relied on Waver to do his assignments. His credits were propped up by Kayneth and Lord Eulyphis of the Department of Spiritual Evocation. If not for consistently impressing them in tests, he'd have been disciplined long ago. As for the El-Melloi family, he only visited Kayneth's estate when low on materials, treating it like a mystical resource farm. Naturally, he wasn't familiar with Reines, who had been elevated from a branch family at some point.
Still…
'This doesn't feel quite right.'
Watching the golden-haired loli step out of the luxurious car, dressed in an elaborate gown and clearly made up for the occasion, Roy grew pensive.
He'd assumed the contact would be Waver or a servant. Why send Reines? And her overly formal demeanor—did she think this was a matchmaking session or a gala? A ten-year-old on a date was absurd, so perhaps Kayneth's "surprise" was an invitation to some high-society event?
Roy felt exasperated.
Three hours wasted for a gala? He was a busy man! His long-term collaborator was waiting to check on him, and the magical arrays he'd set up before leaving needed inspection. Being delayed by such trivialities was infuriating!
As he mulled this over, the golden-haired loli approached with elegant steps, politely inquiring, "Excuse me, are you Roy Crowley, my uncle Kayneth's disciple, who just called me?"
Her smile was warm as she walked toward him. Roy stood from the bench, his excitement at finally seeing someone overriding decorum. He casually tossed the remains of his ice cream toward a nearby bin, eliciting a yelp from someone behind—likely an unlucky passerby hit by the projectile.
"…"
"…"
In the wake of the man's wail, the two locked eyes, the atmosphere turning awkward.
'This guy doesn't match Uncle's description at all. He seems… unreliable? No, carefree, maybe? But where's the noble etiquette? Did I get the wrong person?'
Roy's antics plunged Reines into self-doubt.
"Hold on."
Breaking the awkward stare, Roy stood, tossed a few pounds to the unfortunate man behind the bin, and resolved the issue. Sighing and rubbing his forehead, he replied, "That's right. I'm Roy Crowley, student of the El-Melloi faction, Lord Kayneth's direct disciple, and head of the Crowley family. Are you the one Kayneth sent to pick me up?"
"Yes, I'm here to escort you."
Confirming his identity, Reines nodded, suppressing her earlier embarrassment. With impeccable courtesy, she introduced herself: "A pleasure to meet you. My name is Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, niece and adoptive sister of Lord Kayneth of the Department of Mineralogy, your professor. You may call me Reines."
"Alright, Reines. Nice to meet you. Since you're Kayneth's family, feel free to call me Roy."
Roy nodded lightly at her response.
By etiquette, he should address her as "Miss" or "Lady," given her status as Kayneth's adoptive sister. But calling someone over a decade younger than him that felt absurd.
As for hierarchy?
That hardly mattered.
He was only a few years younger than Kayneth, yet the man was his professor—and treated him like a son.
"Very well, Mr. Roy. A pleasure to meet you."
Reines, unfazed by hierarchy, promptly adopted the "Mr. Roy" address.
"Please, step into the car. I'll take you to the El-Melloi estate to meet Uncle."
She gestured to the black stretch limousine, performing a courteous invitation.
"Thank you."
Under the shocked gazes of onlookers, who had pegged Roy as a lost noble, he and Reines boarded the car. The women who'd missed their "romantic" chance sighed in regret.
The limousine glided toward Kayneth's estate. As Kayneth's personal vehicle, it was spacious and luxuriously appointed, a first for Roy.
How did he know it was Kayneth's? The photo of Kayneth and his fiancée, Sola, hanging above the driver's seat was a dead giveaway.
On the ride, mindful of Kayneth's instructions, Reines was talkative. She handed Roy a cup of pre-prepared tea and, sipping her own with poise, smiled and asked, "Mr. Roy, since Uncle chose you as his direct disciple at such a young age, you must possess extraordinary talent, right?"
Her question was laced with flattery and a hint of probing. She was curious about this young man who differed so starkly from her expectations and was astonished that Kayneth, a stickler for tradition, had chosen an outsider as his direct disciple.
In the world of magi, lineage was paramount. Students attended Kayneth's lectures, disciples received specialized training, but a direct disciple was a rare designation. A magus typically named only one in their lifetime, as they were an extension of the magus's magical legacy, inheriting their entire magical heritage and crest to pursue the path to the Root. Roy, barring any mishaps, was destined to succeed Kayneth as the El-Melloi faction's leader.
This puzzled Reines. If Roy were merely a favored disciple, she could attribute it to exceptional talent. But a direct disciple? That was excessive.
Kayneth, not yet thirty, had no heirs. With his talent and lineage, combined with the daughter of Lord Eulyphis of Spiritual Evocation, any child would be a prodigy. Magical prowess depended on bloodline and heritage, and a child of two such prestigious lineages would likely surpass even Kayneth.
Yet, despite this, Kayneth chose Roy—an outsider—over a future child, without even considering the possibility. He believed no heir could surpass Roy, reserving only the family headship for his bloodline while entrusting the faction's leadership to Roy. This baffled Reines.
What feats or achievements had this young man accomplished to earn such esteem from her genius uncle, a once-in-a-century talent?
The decision had caused an uproar in the family, with Kayneth facing fierce opposition. Even Lord Eulyphis, his professor and future father-in-law, confronted him. Yet, Eulyphis later acquiesced, endorsing Roy as the heir to what should have been his grandchild's position.
The incident had caused a stir, but with two Lords' backing, it fizzled out. Reines, young at the time, was curious about the truth and sought answers from the man himself.
"It's… a long story."
Roy paused thoughtfully at Reines's question.
To others, it might seem bizarre, but as the person in question, he knew exactly how it happened—the true start of his bond with Kayneth.
It began a year after he arrived in this world. Citing the need to cope with his parents' death, he'd holed up at home, secretly studying magical theory, alchemy, and the mysteries of The Book of the Law.
His absence from classes for over a year prompted Kayneth, a Lord of Mineralogy with close ties to the Crowley family's alchemical pursuits, to visit. Roy's predecessor had been Kayneth's disciple, though not a direct one. Concerned that grief might lead Roy to ruin, Kayneth came to drag him back to class.
At the time, Roy was researching angelic mysticism with a powerful assistant poached from another Clock Tower department, partially decoding the Sanctuary Formula. He couldn't let Kayneth see The Book of the Law or his clandestine work, lest it invite a Sealing Designation.
In a moment of quick thinking, Roy packaged a fragment of the Sanctuary Formula's theoretical framework, derived from Aleister Crowley's concepts, as his own innovation. He presented it to Kayneth, claiming he was too busy with new research to attend classes.
Kayneth initially scoffed, doubting a mere Brand-ranked Roy could produce anything groundbreaking. He urged him to stick to the family's alchemy and the El-Melloi faction's traditions, dismissing independent research as a waste of time.
Then, the Sanctuary Formula—a revolutionary concept from The Book of the Law, unearthed by Roy—delivered a resounding slap to Kayneth's skepticism.
As no ordinary magus, Kayneth recognized its value. The framework was not just ambitious but paradigm-shifting, addressing magi's vulnerability outside prepared territories. By transforming magical arrays into a portable Sanctuary, a magus could, with sufficient materials, deploy them anywhere, achieving sixty percent of a workshop's efficacy in moments.
Stunned, Kayneth abandoned urging Roy back to class. Instead, he stayed at the Crowley estate, collaborating on this revolutionary idea.
Without The Book of the Law, Kayneth struggled to advance the theory. Though the framework existed, it was a generational challenge. When he offered to buy it for the Crowley and El-Melloi factions to study, Roy, eager to get rid of him, extracted more data from the book, supplementing the Sanctuary Formula with spiritual evocation and alchemy. This turned a centuries-long project into one achievable in their lifetime.
Faced with Roy's dense, genius-level data, Kayneth was floored, exclaiming, "Crowley, you're a genius! These solutions, these improvements—why didn't I think of them? I underestimated your talent!"
Roy had hoped to send Kayneth off to study it alone, but Kayneth's enthusiasm was relentless. Recognizing the formula's potential to rival Aozaki Touko's Rune replication and propel one to Grand rank, Kayneth refused to claim it. When Roy offered it outright, Kayneth scolded him: "You fool! Handing over a revolutionary project like this? Do you know what it represents? Think I'd covet it or that I can't reach Grand without it?"
Though tempted, Kayneth didn't take it. Instead, he provided endless resources and made an unprecedented decision: "As my disciple, I won't exploit you. The Sanctuary Formula could birth a Grand achievement. Become my direct disciple. As part of the El-Melloi faction, this project belongs to us. I'll help refine it, but the achievement is yours. You'll have priority patent rights, and the El-Melloi will cover all research costs. Any materials you need, take from my family."
Thus, Roy became Kayneth's direct disciple, gaining the El-Melloi's resources and exemption from classes. His credits were maxed out, and all he had to do was research. Kayneth declared that perfecting the Sanctuary Formula would qualify Roy to succeed him—implying Grand rank.
Lord Eulyphis, upon reviewing the concept, ceased objecting to Kayneth's choice. He envied Kayneth's heir, knowing a completed Sanctuary Formula would elevate the El-Melloi faction above even his own. Bloodline heirs could inherit the family, but a magical successor was paramount.
Under their pressure, Roy had to regularly report progress, diverting energy from restoring angelic formulas with his assistant to studying the Sanctuary Formula via The Book of the Law. This led to him recklessly blending alchemy with untested guardian angel formulas, debuting them in Fuyuki City.
If his assistant learned of this, they'd scream in horror.
"So that's how it is…"
"The Sanctuary Formula, making workshops portable and simplified… Just hearing about it is awe-inspiring. Creating such a grand spell at Brand rank—your talent is staggering, Mr. Roy."
Reines's expression turned pensive as she absorbed Roy's tale.
She now understood Kayneth's decision. Roy wasn't just talented—he was a true genius, on par with Kayneth.
The Sanctuary Formula alone was breathtaking. If she could achieve something similar…
"Are you interested in my spell, Reines?" Roy asked.
"Of course! It's a formula that amazed Uncle. As a magus, I'd love to see it firsthand." Reines nodded, her eyes gleaming with longing for such an extraordinary spell.
"I see…"
Noticing her uncontainable excitement, Roy smiled and leaned in, whispering, "If you're interested, I can teach you. But the Sanctuary Formula isn't easy to master. It'll take effort and some talent."
"What?!"
Reines froze, her composure crumbling at his unexpected offer. Her tea cup trembled, spilling hot tea onto her hand and dress.
"Ah! Sorry, Mr. Roy, I…"
The scalding tea snapped her back to reality. Realizing her lapse, she fumbled with her cup, mortified, fearing she'd made a poor impression.
"It's fine."
Roy smiled, unfazed. He'd noticed her stiffness from the start, attributing it to first-meeting nerves. He gently took her scalded hand and murmured a spell: "Fortunate, healing angel, your spirit is the breeze soaring from the mountains, your golden garb shines like the sun. Banish pain, Raphael."
Despite the enclosed car, a breeze stirred. In a single breath, under Reines's astonished gaze, her scalded hand and leg healed completely, pain-free.
"Mr. Roy…"
Reines stared at Roy, then her hand, incredulous. It felt like a dream, save for the tea stains on her dress. She'd seen healing magecraft before, but nothing like this—restoration with a mere touch.
'Is this… a miracle?'
Though impossible, the thought crossed her mind.
Roy wiped her dress with a tissue, then patted her head, asking gently, "No more pain, right, Reines?"
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Roy!"
Reines nodded, her usual composure returning, her earlier facade blown away by the breeze. Her emerald eyes were now captivated by Roy's deep gaze.
"That was…"
"Just a little trick," Roy said warmly. "Don't overthink it. You don't need to be so formal with me. Act as you would at home. You're a magus, but still a child. Enjoy your life and happiness. Worries can wait for the future."
"And stop with the 'Mr. Roy'—it's awkward. Just call me Roy. I don't care about formalities. When I'm back, visit my family anytime. You can keep Sakura company."
His warm smile and gentle touch eased Reines's tension. "As for the Sanctuary Formula, I'll teach you if you want to learn."
"Really, Roy?"
Reines could hardly believe it. No one had ever spoken to her so kindly, treated her so gently.
Her family saw her as a tool, even Kayneth's kindness tied to her utility. Yet this stranger, meeting her for the first time, showed her pure, selfless goodwill.
She was baffled.
"Of course. We can pinky swear if you don't believe me."
To Roy, kindness needed no reason, like saving someone. Teaching the Sanctuary Formula to an El-Melloi was fine, since he'd sell it to Kayneth anyway.
"Roy…"
Feeling the warmth of his hand, gazing into his sincere eyes, Reines's heart stirred, her eyes misting. She lowered her head.
"Is something wrong? Still hurting?"
Roy checked her again, but—
"Pfft, no!" Reines laughed, her words jumbled. "Your magecraft is amazing. I'm fine. Just… thank you, Roy. I look forward to learning from you."
Her words were genuine, her smile the truest of her life. Her calm shattered, she looked at Roy with warmth and gratitude.
'I'm so glad…'
'To meet you at this moment…'
'I look forward to our future, Roy—no, my husband…'
***
If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to drop 5 stars and your power stone. And if you want to read more than 70 chapters in advance, feel free to visit: pat reon . com / KangTL