「 Alistair's Pov. 」
Yawning slightly, I pushed myself up from the chair and gave my body a good stretch. The last nine hours had been spent on reading my new accounts, signing transfer documents, reviewing existing agreements while writing up and adjusting the ones that needed adjusting.
It had been exhausting, and far too time consuming, which was likely due to the fact that Amelia wasn't here to help, since she had left for bed once our talk ended.
I had to thank Morgan for not waking me up during the flight back, as without the 14 hour 'nap', I would have been unable to get so much of my work done.
Walking towards the room's exit, I opened the door, only to be met with a pair of red eyes.
Smiling tiredly, I gave her a small nod. "Good morning, Altrouge," I said patiently, only for the vampire to give me a blank look in return. "A fine morning to you as well, Mr. Le Fey," she said pointedly.
I felt my smile cramp slightly at the term of addressal.
Of course Morgan had mentioned it.
I mean, I knew that the two would likely continue to hurl shit at one another when I left them, and hopefully fight, even after giving my 'ultimatum'.
I mean, it was somewhat obvious that the two would fight, given the fact that the two got along as well as oil and water. So I am hoping for some damage, meaning that I can use my 'ultimatum' as an excuse for meeting with Zelretch.
Not that I wanted to apprentice under him. God no, I was not that suicidal yet, though what I am aiming for would likely not be seen as too dissimilar to apprenticing under him…
But I had of course hoped that I'd have a little more time to smooth things over before Altrouge learnt of my 'marriage'.
"How about you accompany me to the gameroom? I still need to do that inspection," I replied calmly.
I felt some measure of reassurance as Altrouge's posture became slightly more stiff, meaning that the odds of there being some traces of damage was high.
"Sure," she said with a hint of cheeriness, something which was completely different to the tone she had used not three seconds ago, before moving up next to me and looping an arm around my own.
Before I could even take a single step towards the gameroom, she tightened her grip on my arm. "How about we have breakfast first? It wouldn't do you any good to skip on the most important meal of the day," She asked persuasively.
I was indeed hungry, as I had only had a single portion of food while I was working, but I was not going to be that easy to dissuade.
Patting her hand, which she had looped around my arm, I gave her a smile. "Don't worry, this will only take a minute," I said, before I started moving towards the gameroom.
I could practically feel Altrouge's unease grow the closer we got to the room. It all came to a breaking point as we reached the front of the room's door.
Her grip on my arm had become a whole lot stronger, her face looked cramped, and her eyes darted from side to side like a convicted criminal.
With some anticipation, I opened the door, only to reveal… a room that looked completely untouched and unaltered from the time I had left it yesterday.
Blinking slowly, I turned down to look at Altrouge, only for the little gremlin to return me a look of supreme superiority, showing none of the nervousness she had apparently been faking from earlier.
"You almost look disappointed," she stated smugly.
Tearing my gaze from the smug little shit, I gave the room a cursory one over. "The word you were meant to use was 'surprised' not 'disappointed'," I 'corrected' while looking for any traces of conflict.
"Mhm, sure," she said with amusement, before unlatching our arms and walking in front of me while placing her hands on her hips. "You won't find a thing," she stated confidently, raising her head up in a 'I'm so superior' look. "For I held back, and I found it in my heart to tolerate her existence," she said haughtily.
Giving her a slow blink, I gave the most 'I don't believe your bullshit' look I could give her, before flooding Od into my eyes. I could feel the customary headache, and eye strain start to form from the use of my Pure Eyes, but I ignored it for the 'greater good'.
Like clockwork, Altrouge's expression stiffened upon the activation of my eyes, which were telling me a whole different story to Altrouges.
Everything was either laced with Mana residue, or showed traces of coming into contact with something cursed. Oh, and the floor… The floor had clearly been repaired through Magecraft, and the spots that were repaired showed heavy signs of being clawed through, and were rife with caress.
I must have been staring too much at the spot, as Altrouge slowly inched in front of the spot, as if to hide it. Having seen what I needed to see, I stopped feeding my eyes Od, allowing me to feel some relief from the pain its use gave me.
Crossing my arms, I gave Atrouge a look of amusement. "Well, that's a whole lot of damage for someone who held back, and a great show of tolerance," I said with humor lacing my tone.
Altrouge's cramped smile twitched at my words, before glancing away in apparent bashfulness. "The witch got under my skin when she mentioned your marriage," she muttered, causing me to internally thank Morgan and pardon her for mentioning it, as without her goading I wouldn't be able to do this…
Slowly, I pulled out a piece of paper, causing Altrouge to turn her focus back onto me due to the noise the paper made. Without another thought, I plucked out a pen from my breast pocket, and signed my name at the bottom of the page.
The instant I did that, I felt a heaviness press itself over my Core, and I couldn't help but let out a wince at the uncomfortable feeling it gave.
Before I could blink, the contract was out of my hands, and Altrouge was pouring over the constance with a frantic look. "No…" she said almost fearfully, before lowering the page, looking at me with wide eyes. "You… you didn't…"
Her eyes started to glow, before dimming almost as quickly. "Fuck!" She screeched, throwing away the contract almost frantically, before clutching at her head.
I gave her a moment to freak out before shrugging. "I promised," I said impassively, causing her eyes to lock onto me, before she started pointing frantically at me. "You idiot! You weren't meant to actually pull through on your threat!" She spat, causing me to shrug once more.
My reaction only seemed to make her even more upset, suddenly using both of her hands to tug at her own hair. "And you actually had the balls to use your Magic Core as the collateral?!" She screeched, causing me to clutch my ears in protest.
Seeing her near hysteric state, I gave her an unimpressed look. "Calm down, I gave myself an out," I clarified, causing her to stop her bitching, instead boring her eyes into my own, all but screeching 'tell me now'.
Picking up the Geass Scroll, I turned it to face her, and tapped at one of the lines. "It only says that I'll need to visit him within two months," I explained, and I could see some of the tension seep out of Altrouge.
She would have usually picked up on that far faster, and by herself, but I suppose she got a bit spooked at the fact that I was willingly choosing to meet with Zelretch.
Snatching back the contract, Altrouge gave it another look. "Good, then just meet him to 'get acquainted', or some other bullshit reason, and we can sweep this under the rug," she suggested, before rolling up the scroll, while giving me a blinding smile.
"Nope," I refuted, causing that smile to cramp up instantly. "No?" She asked with clear irritation.
Nodding, I pointed at her. "I meant what I said yesterday," I explained, causing her brow to twitch. "Both of you need to get over yourselves, or I'll actually consider learning under Zelretch," I stated.
Frowning, Altrouge started to move closer while shaking her head in disapproval. "Now listen here…" her words trailed off before any heat could enter them, and her entire body went rigid.
I myself was not doing too much better, as in front of me a small cut in space appeared… one which glowed with all the colors of the rainbow… some might even call the sight… kaleidoscopic. Slowly, a lone piece of folded parchment fell out of the severed space, before hovering in front of me.
Neither Altrouge or me spoke, as this was really fucking nerve wracking, but hesitatingly I plucked the floating piece of parchment. Folding it open, I was greeted with a small note written in neat handwriting.
'Did I hear someone wish to learn under me?'
Those nine words caused shiveres to run down my spine, and I felt some degree of nervousness start to grow within me.
The fuck is this? The one time I say his name aloud, and the bastard contacts me? The hell is this Voldemort shit? Is his name under a taboo, or whatever it was called in Harry Potter? Fuck, how do I respond?
Hesitating slightly, I pulled out my pen, and wrote on the parchment.
'Not necessarily. I was planning on meeting you first before deciding on anything.' I responded, hoping to God that the Vampire would not take my subtle refusal as an insult.
True Magic was bullshit, and I was not willing to learn firsthand how bullshit it truly was.
In a second, the words on the piece of parchment vanished, before quickly generating new words on it.
'A shame, but I suppose I am not opposed to meeting you. How about we meet in five days at around 4:30 PM?'
That was… too soon, and I wouldn't be able to enact my plan if I went then— "Hey!" I snapped, as I felt Altoruge snatch the note out of my hand.
The little gremlin's eyes comically widened as she read the note, before ripping the paper to sheards in her hands. "Nope, fuck that," she said before dusing the rements off her hands. "It's safer to just pretend that nothing just happened."
Before I could reprimand her, another tear in space appeared in front of me, before depositing another slip of paper that floated in front of me, allowing me to grab it.
'How rude, and she wonders why people like my charming granddaughter over her.
Regardless, does 4:30 PM on Saturday work for you?'
Before Altrouge could do something stupid, I scribbled a reply on the parchment.
'That is unfortunately too soon for me, as I have a lot to go over with my new position.
Would it be possible to schedule a meeting a few days after the gathering of the Clock Tower Lords?' I replied quickly, and almost instantly, my words vanished, replacing itself with Zelretch's handwriting.
'Perfect, then I shall meet you at the funeral, and we'll hammer out the time and date.
For now, you'll have my condolences, and congratulations for ascending to the position of Lord and Head of your family.
With the highest of regards, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg'
The second I got done reading, the note blew up into a puff of confetti, which vanished before it could reach the floor.
Looking at Altrouge, I could see the sour look on her face and closed body language, courtesy of the second note Zelretch had sent me.
Smiling, I gave her a nod. "Well, it would seem I'll be meeting with him soon," I said, causing her brow to twitch.
"You wouldn't dare learn under him," she stated firmly, though she seemed a whole lot less confident thanks to the Geass I had signed.
Looking her dead in the eyes, I responded. "I would."
I had not prepared adequately for the Grail War, and in the end had to be bailed out by my Mother due to my shortsightedness. So to not repeat that mistake, I need to do anything I can to proquire enough power to survive the next one, no matter the cost.
So while I'd rather not mentor under Zelretch, as only one of the hundreds of students he's ever had came out sane on the other side after learning under him, it is still on the table as a backup option if he is unwilling to get me in contact with my potential teacher.
The firmness in my tone must have clued the little miscreant in, and she quickly uncrossed her arms, gaining a slightly pleading look. "What," she ground out. "Do I need to do, to stop you from mentoring under the annoying Magician?"
Ah, finally, the words I was looking for.
Smiling coyly, I gave her an amused look. "Get along with Morgan, and vice versa," I stated confidently, and I could see the frown on her face become ten times more prominent. "If you two can't even do that, then I'll have to content myself with losing my mind trying to grasp the Second Magic, leaving me as a husk of my former self," I said wistfully.
Altrouge didn't reply, only staring daggers at me.
Raising a brow, I gave her a small smile. "I'll let you inform Morgan of my proposition, so that the two of you can have some 'girl talk', or whatever it's called," I said with an air of smugness.
The whole point of bringing up Zelretch, and threatening to study under him, was all to force the two to get over one another, and to hopefully find common ground while burying the hatchet. As the two would be united in the goal of having me not go insane, it would hopefully allow them to work through a few things.
Walking to the door, I opened it up. "I'll be in the office, as I need to inform the Vice-Director about the Grail War, so I'll likely be in the office until noon."
Turning around, I shot the very unamused vampire a smile. "Toodles!~"
~~Fate/False Order~~
「 Trisha Fellows Pov. 」
Stepping out of the car, I waved away the driver before closing the door behind me, causing my chauffeur to drive away with gusto.
Walking up to the manor's doors, I infused the locking mechanism with Od from a fragment of the Animusphere crest I had been bestowed, as the family's temporary Lord and family head.
With a click, the door swung open, allowing me to enter the house. I dusted off some residue snow that had fallen on my shoulder from my brief walk from the car to here, before handing my coat to a maid.
"Milly, how is the young miss?" I asked while handing the coat, causing her to give a slight bow before receiving it.
"She's doing fine," she affirmed with a small smile. "Though she threw a small tantrum when you left," she replied with some fondness.
Using my hand to iron out the creases on my outfit, I gave her a tired smile. "I see, but unfortunately I'll need to burden you with taking care of her for a little longer."
Noticing the tiredness in my tone, the maid gave me an appraising look. "Problems at the Tower?" She questioned, earning a brief nod from me. "Yes," I affirmed listlessly.
"Apparently, the new Pendragon Lord gave the Vice-Director a report of the bloodbath that was this year's Grail War, with a Geass guaranteeing its authenticity," I explained with a huff, before slouching slightly. "He has yet to give out the entire report, but what has been disclosed to the Aristocratic Faction has not been good."
The woman gained a worried look, causing me to wave a hand to dismiss any further inquisition. "You'll likely learn more about it in the coming days, but for now that is the most I can tell an outsider," I explained, causing her to nod.
Bowing once more, she stepped back. "At your leave," she said with deference, causing me to wave her away. "You may go, tend to Olga," I said before walking out of the reception area.
Slowly, I moved to the Lord's office, before entering it.
The room itself was beautiful, stars littered the ceiling, and the room had multiple objects displaying the planets' orbits, the constellations in the sky, with mirrors in every corner of the room displaying live footage of the universe, and various meteorites or other knick-knacks originating from space.
Sighing slightly, I moved to the desk and practically fell into the chair. Leaning backwards, I adjusted the small picture of little Olga on the desk before trying to unwind slightly.
Today had been a terrible day for the Aristocratic faction.
The El-Melloi were rushing around like headless chickens after having their worst fears of Kayneth's death confirmed by the Vice-Director.
This was followed by the news that Lord Eulyphis' daughter died alongside her fiancé, which caused the old man to throw a massive fit at the El-Melloi for dragging his daughter with him to the east.
And since things were already going so terribly for the El-Melloi, another thing was dropped into their laps, as the Vice-Director heavily hinted at the fact that the new Pendragon Lord was none too pleased with them for something Keyneth did.
I swear I even heard them considering putting Keyneth's adoptive little sister as the next Lord, since Rufleus at the very least has a soft spot for kids, so they are hoping to lessen the heat on them by shoving the responsibility onto a five-year-old.
It is incredibly distasteful, but understandable, given their debt and worsening situation.
All this might cause fractures in the Aristocratic faction, which is why the Vice-Director gave us a heads up before releasing the information.
Leaning heavily into the office chair, I felt a small migraine start to form.
There was very little that could make this day worse.
As if to mock me, the very instant I thought of that, the sound of a warning siren echoed through the room.
Snapping to attention, I felt through my connection to the wards that two people had breached the properties of the outer Bounded Field… and somehow, one of them had erected a giant Bounded Field of their own, one that dwarfed the manor's three to one.
With a flex of my will, I channeled the wards to scry for the intruders, and an image of the two figures manifested in front of my desk, revealing two women.
I felt my mind go slightly blank when I instantly recognized one of the figures. Amelia Ashborn had arrived. She was the right-hand woman of the former Pendragon Lord, and there should be no reason for her to be visiting me, and especially in such a hostile manner.
Maybe I had missed something during the meeting earlier today…
Before I could do anything, I noticed that the other woman who accompanied Amelia was looking directly at me through the scrying spell.
She wore a light dress, and a crowned veil covered her face, but it was somehow unmistakable that she was looking at me, which caused me to receive a level of unease I've never felt in my entire life.
With a swipe of my hands, the image vanished, and I allowed myself a shallow exhale of breath.
I had no idea what the hell that thing was, but it certainly wasn't human.
No human would feel that ominous even through a scrying spell.
Focusing slightly, I picked up the landline reviver and furiously started punching in the Vice-Directors number. I—, no, the Animusphere needed help immediately. At the same time, I started furiously activating all of the manors defences, trying to put it into the war-time procedure.
But before I could complete either task, I felt an indescribable pain rack through my body causing me to fall back into the chair, along with my control over all the wards were ripped from my control.
Before I could even scream, I felt the office's capture procedures activate, causing the air around me to grow heavy, and I could feel the strength in my body quickly drain out of it.
Feeling my pulse rise, I started to frantically look around for any means of escape, or reversing the situation, only for my gaze to land upon the mirrors in the corners of the room.
No longer did they display images of the universe, rather than that, all of them were blank other than one, where a woman with long silver hair stood in it, her black dress billowing in the snowy wind and with her inky black crowned veil boring holes into my soul.
I watched on in muted horror as the woman walked out of the mirror frame with ease, as if walking through a door frame, and fully entered the room.
…
What the hell…
WHAT THE HELL DID THE PENDRAGON'S ALIGN THEMSELVES WITH?!?
The woman slowly turned her head to admire the room, absolutely ignoring my existence. "What a quaint room," she said offhandedly, in a voice that could only be described as beautiful.
The woman continued looking around before focusing on me. "Oh, my apologies," she said in an apologetic tone, that came off as far too genuine given the circumstances.
With a snap of her fingers, I felt my draining vitality return, but the overall heaviness that pressed on my body had only slightly been lifted.
Just looking at her made me shiver.
That… thing… had completely hijacked the manors wards from me, forcefully to boot, and even with me holding a part of the family crest, I couldn't even feel a twinge of connection to the wards.
Seeing that I was doing metter, the creature clapped her hands together. "A moment if you will, Amelia has volunteered herself to help me with these procedures," she explained, and in a blink, a somewhat surprised and worried Amelia shimmered into existence next to her.
Teleportation? In this day and age? And to that scale and level of control… it was impossible…
Before I could mull it over, Amelia walked up to me with a tired smile. "I am sorry for this, but we are here for a… 'request'," she said rather sheepishly, and I could feel that she wasn't completely on board for whatever was happening, but she would still side with the creature she had brought into this house.
"What do you want," I rasped out, which caused the terrifying woman to walk up next to Amelia, and put her full focus on me.
"Amelia, is she worth keeping?" she asked offhandedly, and I could feel the blood in my veins freeze. Amelia, showing a mere fraction of my horror, turned to look at her accomplice. "My lady," she intoned with disapproval. "Trisha is a good woman, and one of the very few I'd say isn't morally built to be a magus," she explained, earning a hum from the creature.
"Still, I could replace her with a homunculus," she explained, causing me to flinch. "I have done so before, and they tend to be easier to control and work with," she added, and I could see the unease in Amelia grow.
"Morgan," she almost hissed, causing the now named creature to turn to face Amelia. "What?" She asked innocently. "You have no need to terrify her to this extent," Amelia explained, and the creature known as Morgan merely tilted her head to the side like a confused puppy.
"I thought we were going for the… what was it called again," she mused, while placing a hand under her veil, likely cupping her chin. "Good cop, and bad cop routine," she explained, causing the secretary to sigh. "I heard it was a modern form of interrogation, or negotiation method," she further explained, which caused me to feel some of my fear seep out of my body.
"That and my husband-to-be has done something rather foolish, so I am rather annoyed," she added with a shrug that conveyed a 'what can you do?' feeling.
"So you won't do any of that?" Amelia questioned in a slightly relieved tone.
Shaking her head, the thing moved her hand away from beneath her veil and gestured at me. "No, it's still on the table, but I'll stay my hand for now."
That alone caused the panic in me to return in full.
Amelia seemed a bit put off, but instead turned to look at me. "I'm sorry about this, but I'll need you to create some identification papers for Morgan here, as a member of one of the branch families, and preferably yours. Before creating a papertrail for her, and adding her to the main branches tree through adoption" she clarified, and before she could continue, I spoke.
"Done!" I yelled, causing a look of mild relief at the ease of the proceedings to make its way onto Amelia's face. "Just leave Olga out of this!" I begged, and the look on Amelia's face softened.
"Do not worry, we won't be interfering with your family," she explained, before pulling out a few pieces of parchment, which I recognized instantly as a small stack of Geass Scrolls. "Though I am sorry to say, you'll need to sign these… for our's and your safety," she said, while subtly gesturing at the monster in human skin.
I could only reluctantly nod, hoping to the Root and back that Amelia's moral fiber was as good as it was reported to be… as I knew damn well that I was in a position where I, and the entire family, would easily end up as a slaves to the monster or the Pendragon's for that matter.
Seeing my acceptance of the situation, the monster clapped her hands together, and gave me an amused nod.
"Good, then I shall be happy to make you an acquaintance, Sister…"
----
A/N
Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and reviews, as it would be much appreciated.
Well, how was that for a showing of Morgan's capabilities? Scary, no?
And a slight FYI, yes she was fucking with Trisha. Not that she wouldn't do any of it, but she understands that true fear would likely ensure that she'd never work against them. Though she is trying to distance herself from her past actions, she'll happily let some of it slip if it serves her, or Alistair's goals.
Regardless, Alistair is getting ready to chat with the worlds No.1 Magical Girl / Boy fan, so that is something to look forward to.
As everyone can see, we have a lot in store, and I am curious if anyone has a guess on who Alistair is planning on apprenticing under? I will neither confirm, nor deny any suggestions, but I am interested if any of you can see where I am going with this.
And on that topic, what do you think of Alistair's plan on getting the two to get along? Using his potential apprentice under Zelretch as a hostage tacktick for the two to work things out, while making the two take him a tad bit more seriously by sticking to his words. He is for once using his brain in this regard, but we'll see where this goes, won't we?
Now, any questions, or any opinions or nice words for me? I'd like to hear them all! Have a nice day, and I'll see you all next week!
Hop onto my Discord Server, I'd love to have a chat: https://discord.gg/HAPhryp5M2
Now, hand over those Power Stones, can't you see they are lonely when not used? Give them to me, and allow them to socialize, it's for their best... I swear...