Tensions
With the Trial moving into its third week of deliberation, Barthomeloi Lorelei could no longer continue to press the matter as, compared to the first two weeks of proceedings, the chamber was decidedly empty. Within the stands, only seven people were present, five consisting of old men with sharps gazes while the other two were beautiful females that wouldn't lose out to them in aura and presence. Even Bathomeloi Lorelei herself was feeling a bit pressured, though she never doubted for a single moment she would be more than a match for any one of the audience members. This wasn't a sentiment shared by normal Magi within the Clock Tower, however, so, once the most elderly man present, named Eischen Musik, the former head of the Policies Department of the Clock Tower. At one point, he had even been Bathomeloi Lorelei's Senior before he had stepped down from the position when she rose to power...
Loathe as she was to admit it, Bathomeloi Lorelei knew things had already gone on far longer than they should have, to the point it had started to interfere with her own duties as Wizard Marshal. The only thing that had kept her going this long was the presence of the 'lesser' Magi who had been present as she simply couldn't allow herself to lose face in front of a crowd. Though it wasn't much better to take a step back in front of people deserving of her respect, their presence alone gave her a bit of leeway to skew the final ruling a bit. This could cause some tensions within the current power structure of the Clock Tower but, as she was already at the apex, Bathomeloi Lorelei was confident she could manage any dissidence by making a few deals and promises outside of public scrutiny.
Though it was undoubtedly her petty nature that had drawn out things this long, Bathomeloi Lorelei glared down at Lord El-Melloi II with a vicious gaze as she venomously stated, "Your stubbornness has wasted the time of everyone present, each a Magus with greater responsibility and status than you can even hope to aspire towards. As a commoner who has been allowed the privilege of holding the title of 'Lord', you, of all people, should have known better than to draw things out like this. Your unwillingness to accept responsibility, even as a courtesy, shows that you are not worthy of the title you borrow. Were it up to me, you should have long been stripped from title and class as the Clock Tower does not need fools who overreach without paying attention to the natural order of things..."
Understanding what Barthomeloi Lorelei was trying to do, Marisbury Animusphere's brows furrowed ever so slightly as he made a polite motion to speak. This, however, was immediately shot down by Barthomeloi Lorelei as she looked towards him with a gaze that could turn a person to stone as she said, "Your attempts at covering for the defendant throughout the duration of these proceedings is proof enough that you should have recused yourself from the responsibility of Judge from the start. One would think the Head of the Animusphere family had even the most basic sense of propriety when it came to matters such as this. Even if your family is on the decline, you should hold up your head with dignity until the end, lowering it only to your betters when asking for help. When your obstinance destroys your family, do not blame the history books for painting you as a the fool you have made yourself into..."
After berating Lord Animusphere, mixing in a threat for good measure, Barthomeloi Lorelei looked down at Lord El-Melloi II once again. She knew there was a limit to the punishment she could assign him without causing too much fallout so, while she earnestly desired to see him become nothing more than a tool used for experimentation, she reluctantly decreed, "The budget for the Faculty of Modern Magecraft Theory will be suspended for the period of three years. However, as I'm certain your 'intimate' relationship with the Edelfelt family will make them more than willing to support your burdens, I will pass down a personal punishment to you directly, Lord El-Melloi II. To ascertain if there is even the smallest amount of significance that can be assigned to your blood, you will be required to pay a portion of the fees by 'donating' your blood to the Mage's Association."
Though Barthomeloi Lorelei's decision was incredibly petty, Lord El-Melloi II was not unaccustomed to things like pain. Before she could inflate matters even further, he lowered his head while she was mulling over her own thoughts, answering, "I understand. The wisdom of the Barthomeloi family has always been without equal. I will accept this punishment and do my best to make up for my mistake in Fuyuki City. Thank you for your lenience..." These words caused Bathomeloi Lorelei to frown but, not missing the opportunity, Lord Animusphere and Rocco Belfeban both added, "I believe this has concluded the matter of this Trial then?" and "Indeed. I cannot imagine anyone wanting to continue this farce for even a moment longer." This was their way of saying they would not tolerate any more of Bathomeloi Lorelei's selfishness while, in the viewing stands, some of the attendants had already started to take their leave.
As much as she wanted to hand out punishments to the members of Lord El-Melloi II's entourage, Bathomeloi Lorelei had more pressing matters to attend that had been put off for far too long. If she tried to take further action, things would only be drawn out even longer, potentially to the point that she would need to do 'damage control' if things got out of hand. Thus, while affirming her intention to destabilize the foundation of the Animusphere family in the future, Bathomeloi Lorelei used her own gavel to smack the sound block atop the tribunal's podium. This didn't prevent her from leaving a few parting words, however, as she added, "I would advise you and your companions to properly consider your future course. Now that this matter has been concluded, I will leave the matter laying. Know that, as the Head of the Barthomeloi family, I find your behavior over the course of this trial to be disreputable. If you do not correct your course and show a sense of propriety in the future, do not believe for a moment that the Edelfelt family will be able to shield you..."
Having already expected such words, as Barthomeloi Lorelei was considered to be 'petty without equal', Lord El-Melloi II just gave a polite bow in response to her threat. This caused her to snort through her nose before leaving through the door at the back of the podium. In her wake, Lord Animusphere gave an apologetic smile to everyone gathered below while Rocco Belfeban just shook his head with a tired expression on his face. If not for the fact that the fragments of the Greater Grail were the greatest contributions to the Department of Spirit Evocation in the last five-hundred years, he would have never even considered butting heads with such a stubborn woman. The thoughts of Lord Animusphere seemed a bit different, however, as he had willingly put himself in the line of fire, something that had baffled most of the members of the Magus Community, including the members of his own family...
---
With the Trial officially concluded, everyone that had been part of the defense seemed extremely tired as they walked down the stone steps of the Clock Tower's front entrance. Now that it was over, Lord El-Melloi II looked between Rin and Gray, asking, "What will the two of you do from now on?" As Gray had already explained the situation to him in the past, Lord El-Melloi II had already accepted the fact he had lost his protege and personal attendant. This was, however, for the best as, ever since the 'incident' in the past, Reines had never been fond of her presence. If not for the fact that Gray was far stronger than him, essentially delegating her to the role of his bodyguard, it was likely his Wife never would have tolerated her presence.
In response to Lord El-Melloi II's question, Rin released a frustrated sigh as she answered, "I still have a lot of things to take care of but I will be taking a long vacation to focus on my own research after all of this blows over. I've already made some arrangements with Luvia so I may drop off the radar for a bit in order to prepare for any other issues that might appear in the future." Since they were likely under surveillance right now, Rin knew better than to say anything concrete about her future plans. If the Mage's Association knew she and Gray were going to meet with Vahn, who had become increasingly sought after by some of the higher-ups, the chances of them causing problems for her and Sakura would increase exponentially. As for Gray, she gave a polite bow before saying, "I will continue to provide my services to the Tohsaka family. Thank you for taking care of me until now, Master..."
Hearing Gray's words, Lord El-Melloi II couldn't restrain his sigh as, before this incident occurred, he had actually stopped thinking about the possibility of her leaving his side, at least in the near future. Now that he was losing her, his own actions would need to be more measured in the future or there was a very real chance he could lose his life. Throughout the years, Gray had saved him well over a hundred times and, though it might have been unfair to her, Lord El-Melloi II had gotten in the habit of treating her power as his own. At least now he would have the opportunity to 'prove' to the other Lords that he was capable of standing on his own, albeit with the support of three different Magus families...
As Flat hadn't been kept in the loop, he was a little surprised by the fact that Gray seemed to have changed allegiances. His impression of her was that of a 'support character' that would always follow around Lord El-Melloi II like a loyal puppy. Since he was the first to show any amount of kindness to her, it was somewhat unexpected to hear her state she would essentially be abandoning the Master she had cherished for nearly twenty years. Though he knew this was probably for the best, especially with how Svin had been acting lately, Flat was still a little saddened to know he likely wouldn't be working alongside Gray in the future. It felt like he was losing one of the carries in his party, one of the primary sources of DPS against their more troublesome foes...
Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Flat managed a genuine smile as he looked into Gray's stark blue eyes and stated, "I wish you the best, Gray. If this is what you have decided for yourself, I have no right to interfere...also, until you and Rin leave London, please stay on your guard. Recently, there have been reports of wild dogs roaming throughout the City...stay safe..." Though he knew his words would be construed as him 'betraying' Svin, Flat felt the need to warn Gray since it was 'very' unlikely the emergent Brand would be enthused to learn the object of his obsession was moving outside of his sphere of influence. A Brand had a lot of sway within the Association, as the number of people capable of reaching that point accounted for less than .001% of all Mages. Svin had already 'decided' that Gray would be the one to bear his heir as, with the progression of his power and the elevation of his status, he now held the belief that only someone with the 'bloodline of kings' was worthy of his affection...
Hearing Flat's words, Gray's face became slightly pale as the sound of metal-against-metal echoed from her sleeve. She had instinctually grabbed Add as just the thought of meeting Svin again made her feel on edge. There was such a stark contrast between him and Vahn that Gray now believed her past self had been a fool to ever give the obsessive man a chance to win her heart. What he had to give certainly wasn't 'love' as, compared to the tender care and affection that Vahn had shown her, Svin's behavior could only be considered extremely toxic and unhealthy. Unless she was essentially willing to become his 'pet', locked away from the rest of the world due to his jealous nature, there was no way they could ever have a lasting relationship. As the thought of being imprisoned for the rest of her life wasn't all that pleasant, Gray resolved herself to fight against Svin directly if he tried to pressure her. Even if he had already reached the level of a Brand, that didn't mean he was her equal if she went all out from the start. If it came down to it, she would rather kill her former friend than ever go back to her life in that muggy and dark room...
It wasn't just Gray who had a bad reaction to Flat's words as Rin and Lord El-Melloi II both adopted troubled expressions, the latter saying, "I want you to explain to me what has been going on. Rin, please take Gray with you back to the Edelfelt estate and explain the situation to Luvia. If possible, she should increase the amount of security around you and the young miss without leaving the matter to Gray alone...the last thing we need is a wild dog injuring one of our companions." Since he had more or less cut ties with Svin after intervening in the relationship between him and Gray, Lord El-Melloi II didn't have a clear idea of what his former student had been up to. Though he had heard the rumor of Svin being nominated for the position of Brand, that matter had been shelved due to the ongoing Trial...
As she had met Svin in the past a few times, Rin knew the man was a ticking time bomb so, though she was no longer under the authority of Lord El-Melloi II, she still nodded her head and said, "Leave it to me. If necessary, I'll start carrying around a hard cane and deal with the matter myself..." Though it would cause a major stir if it was revealed that she had two Goddesses within her body, Rin would never stand idle if one of her friends was in danger. No matter how prodigious Svin had become, he would be hard-pressed last even a few minutes against someone like Ereshkigal while Ishtar was simply beyond his means to even reach. Since she could freely fly through the sky without restraint, there was little someone earth-bound could do against her...
With Rin's words, Lord El-Melloi II felt as if a weight had been removed from his heart as, while he may have been kept in the dark on many things, the existence of Ereshkigal and Ishtar was known to him. He had a lot of questions about how Rin was able to keep them manifested without the Greater Grail's support but, considering the many enigma's surrounding Vahn, he correctly assumed that the otherworldly Emperor had something to do with it. Regardless, it was a great relief to know that Rin would be willing to reveal her hand if it came down to protecting Gray. Though Svin shouldn't have any leeway to take action against a family like the Edelfelt's, it was better to be safe than sorry.
With that in mind, though it was largely unnecessary, Lord El-Melloi II and Flat accompanied both of the girls to the Edelfelt Mansion before alighting to discuss the matter at a nearby restaurant. This left Rin to explain the situation to Luvia while Gray went to spend time with Vahn in the comfort of the Space-Time Orb. Now, more than ever before, she just wanted to be in the company of someone who seemed to care about her deeply, not someone who saw her as a trophy or possession. Vahn's memory fragment didn't even need to ask if there was anything wrong as he gave her an empathetic look before gently wrapping her in his embrace. Like this, they spent several hours together just sharing each other's warmth, something she couldn't even imagine with a 'wild animal' like Svin...
---
While Lord El-Melloi II, Flat, and Rin were moving to try and control the situation, the man they were troubled by just so happened to be kneeling before a woman with neat brown hair and cold brown eyes. There was a deeply set and hate-filled frown on her face as she stated, "I will not ask that you assassinate a Lord. My only expectation is that your rising family will continue to stand with my own in the coming conflicts. To that end, you can prove your loyalty by causing as much trouble for the Archisorte and Animusphere families. Do this for me and I can guarantee that Lord El-Melloi II's little pet is given a proper Sealing Designation. If she is who you claim her to be, even those idiots in the Kalion Observatory will not deliberate too long before coming to a decision. When that time comes, I will use my authority to guarantee that you are the one assigned to her care. I doubt there would be any resistance to the idea of a Brand being selected a Sealing Designation's partner. To avoid having to share her with others, however, you will need to continue making an earnest effort, Lord Glascheit..."
Though he was not yet a Lord, a shiver ran along Svin's spine when he heard Barthomeloi Lorelei address him as such. His own family could barely be considered a true member of the aristocracy so it was a significant boost in status if he was able to secure the title of Lord. He currently carried the burden of his entire family's rise and, even if he had to lower his head to the Barthomeloi's, they were indisputably the most powerful Magus family within the Association. Not only was their current Head one of only three Wizard Marshal's in the entire world, but her Ancestor, the Barthomeloi Lord, was considered to be a Magus so powerful that only the practitioner of the First Magic could hope to rival them. It was for this reason that, even though Barthomeloi Lorelei often acted with a 'holier-than-though' attitude, few dared to directly antagonize her. After all, while the Barthomeloi family could pester anyone they wanted, there were none who could pester and attack the Bathomeloi's without potentially inviting extinction upon themselves...
With the promise of his desired future being dangled right in front of his nose, Svin, like an obedient dog, returned an excited smile as he exclaimed, "I will not fail...!"
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Petty Without Equal','Feral dogs needs to be put down','The only thing this scene needed was Lorelei making Svin lick her feet...')
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