[Snippet] Surviving in a World of Magic and Superheroes (Worm/Fate): Chapter 13

“Master.”

“Yes?” I answered Lancer as we walked down the street.

“I am confused.”

“About what?”

“Were you not summoned to speak with the representative of the Church? It is, of course, good manners to reply properly and give the hosts time to prepare. But it has been two days. Do you fear the meeting?” She inquired.

I pursed my lips. “I can’t deny that I was anxious and fearful of certain possibilities. But I’ve calmed down since we’ve gotten the letter.”

“And yet you stall.” She pointed out. It wasn’t in an accusatory way, but more so just stating a fact.

We turned a corner, and I looked around before finding my way away as Lancer followed along. 

I was thankful for the Mystic Code I found when preparing for hunting the Dead Apostle that let me sort of slip out of everyone’s perception.

“First and foremost, I don’t want to appear desperate. If I immediately jumped to their summons, it would make me look like I was worried and distressed. I can’t afford to show any signs of weakness. At the end of the day, despite the fact that my family is on ‘good terms’ with the Church, we are still technically enemies. A significant portion of their members would happily stab a knife into my back at the first opportunity.”

“You don’t trust them.” She said with her same emotionless tone.

“Not at all.” I admitted. “Well, that isn’t true. I trust them to work in their own best interests first and foremost. If that means throwing me under the proverbial bus, then that’s what they will do without hesitation.”

Granted, I had a bit of an advantage here; the fact that my family is owed a debt means a lot more than people might think.

While technically, the Church could just ignore that, it would be a huge hit to their reputation. It might sound stupid, but a lot of what we do in the shadows is carefully balanced on reputation.

Magi and Enforcers often work together despite each side despising the other.

It doesn’t take much for that delicate balance of ‘trust’ to not kill each other on sight to break.

There are channels where I can complain upwards, let everyone know that the Church is reneging on an ancient and significant debt, and screw over my family—a predominant family—even if we don’t maintain a presence at the Mages Association.

Outside actors could even use this sort of thing as an opportunity if they wanted to, depending on the situation.

If there are any negotiations or agreements going on or being discussed between the higher-ups, then this could also be used as a means to pressure the other side.

Suffice to say, and rather ironically, ‘keeping your word’ is rather important in our world.

Obviously, everyone does their best to get around agreements and such, but they wouldn’t do it in such blunt ways that they would be called liars or untrustworthy in the open.

It’s a strange contradiction to the cutthroat world where everyone is out for themselves.

Sometimes, a Geass contract is beneficial to the ones being forced to sign. Because if they can get around it and break the ‘agreement’ without triggering the Geass, then they can point to the Geass and say that since it didn’t trigger a backlash, it means they didn’t go back on the agreement.

“Don’t worry though, we’ll be visiting them later today. I just wanted to do one thing before heading over there.” 

Just as I didn’t want to appear desperate, I also needed to make sure I didn’t push their patience either.

The delicate balance of making them wait, but not making them wait too long.

It also set a tone.

It said that I wasn’t the one at fault, so I’ll come over there when I damn well please.

“You did not speak to me about where we are going.” Lancer stated. “Is it something you wish to keep a secret?”

One thing I appreciated about Lancer was the fact that she could recognize when I didn’t want to talk about something.

‘Secrets,’ and such, she understood.

“Call it a surprise.” I smiled faintly. “I was going through some of my family’s records, and I had forgotten about this…surprise. It was something my grandfather left behind, but my parents weren’t quite as enthusiastic about.”

I wasn’t idle during these past couple days.

I was without a doubt panicking and almost had an anxiety attack, but I managed to calm down. Oddly, doing basic work, going through records, and other miscellaneous things helped settle my mind and heart.

I took out some papers from my pocket and glanced at the street name. “It should be this building over here….” I said hesitantly because it didn’t look anything like I’d expected.

Lancer followed along as I went to the sturdy metal door and took a key out of my pocket, pushing it into the lock. I could feel it grind as I turned it; years of disuse, maybe rust, fought against me before I finally got it to unlock, and I pushed it open.

It opened up wide; there were barely any actual walls inside, but that was intentional.

It was a garage that my family used to store our cars.

Well, my grandfather’s cars.

Mom and Dad weren’t really…into it, like he was. I remember being really little and coming here with Grandfather, and he would sit me on his lap as he sat in the car, and I made driving noises and played with the steering wheel.

How nostalgic.

Father would come here every few months and make sure the cars were taken care of, that they still ran properly, and what have you.

Obviously since my parents passed, this place hadn’t seen any visitors.

There was a noticeable blanket of dust over all the car covers. Of which, I could make out about eight cars in here; some of them I only vaguely recalled.

“Can you help me take the covers off all the cars?” I asked her.

Lancer nodded, as it was an easy request.

I went to the one ‘room’ inside the building, a small office…it looked more like a hobby room. There were model cars everywhere along with some family pictures.

I picked up one that was me as a child with my grandfather.

It was weird; despite technically never meeting him, I still had that familiar warmth in my chest as I inherited all these memories. The cynical part of me let out a sigh, knowing it wasn’t technically my grandfather.

But…is it wrong to just stop thinking that way?

This is my life now; is there a reason to keep making a distinction between now and then?

“Master, I have finished.” Lancer called out to me.

I peeked out to see all of the cars in their glory. I wasn’t a car person, to be honest. Put a ten million dollar car in front of me and a ten thousand dollar one, and I would probably opt for the latter because it has more modern conveniences.

That being said, I could appreciate some of the classics.

“You know, I can’t keep borrowing my uncle’s car. So…which one do you like the most?” I asked her point-blank.

She blinked at me in confusion. “Which one do I like the most?”

“I promised you a car, didn’t I?” I responded. “Though, this isn’t a proper replacement for you picking out something you truly prefer. But for now…well, feel free to pick whatever you like the most.”

I had seen her internet history; she had been reading the ‘laws’ surrounding driving a car.

She most certainly hadn’t forgotten her own desire to drive.

“Master… Are you…giving me one of those vehicles?”

“That’s right.” I said casually, not wanting it to sound like some grand gesture. “Feel free to pick the one you like the most.” 

At most, they had some sentimental value.

“Oh.” She said in a strange tone. 

“...Are you upset? Is it inappropriate that I want to give you one?” I asked her.

There's no point in beating around the bush; if I did something to offend her, directly asking her was the best bet.

I don’t know if I stepped over a line of hers if I didn’t ask.

Who knows if this kind of ‘gift’ was something she was uncomfortable with?

Lancer shook her head. “No, Master. I am just a little startled. I suddenly have this happy and warm feeling in my chest. I like this gift very much.” She smiled beautifully.

That’s good; I didn’t want it to come off as crass, considering the value of some of these cars. But frankly, I doubt she even knew how much they were worth.

“Is it really okay for me to choose one of my liking, Master?” She asked me again, and there was a very clear tone of hesitation in her voice.

I could practically feel her desire, her hope that I didn’t reject her after I got her hopes up.

“Lancer—Artoria, please, pick whatever you want. You don’t need to hold back; it’s a small thing for me, and I know it would make you happy.” I smiled back at her.

She had an unreadable expression on her face, but at this point, I could pick up on the surge of happiness even if she didn’t overtly show it.

She started from one side, running a hand along the first car.

I think it was a Rolls Royce.

She went to the next one; was it a Porsche? I don’t really know.

After that, well, most of them I didn’t recognize at a glance.

Finally, she settled on one. “I like this one, Master. I like it very much.”

The way she said it was…well, I think “cute” was an appropriate word to describe it.

I went back into the office and found the keys before tossing them to her. 

“A Corvette, from the 80’s, I believe.” I told her. “We’ll need to double-check later, but…it’s a nice car.”

Not the most expensive of the lot, I’m sure of that. But it certainly has that 80’s charm to it, doesn’t it? Perfectly maintained too, and the black paint didn’t have a single scratch on it.

Yeah, this fits her well.

Sleek and elegant, but it’s definitely a bit of a monster under the hood, if I’m not mistaken.

She caught the keys, evaluating them before gently unlocking the door and sliding into the seat. It was only a moment later that the car roared to life.

Even if it hadn’t been touched for a few years, it had been taken care of for a very long time.

I went over to the other side, opening the passenger door and joining her.

“We don’t have to head over to the church immediately,” I told her.

Again, she smiled brightly, understanding what I meant.

@***@

Lancer pulled up to the empty parking lot of the church.

After a rather…interesting ride around town.

She took it to heart when I said we didn’t need to head to the church immediately. She had fun driving all around the city and getting used to how things work.

Admittedly, it was a little bumpy at first, but she picked it up extremely fast. Her riding skill probably played a part in it, and having read over the driving rules, you probably couldn’t tell she never drove before after about ten minutes.

It was a nice distraction to see Lancer enjoy herself.

Anxiety through the roof, but that was able to calm me down a bit too.

Well, let’s get this over with.

We got out of the car, and she meticulously locked it and went over it to make sure it was secure.

The city didn't have that many churches; this was one of the ones a bit out of the way. Hell, I think my family donated to having this church built in particular, along with a few others.

Who knows? My family had donated to a lot of places, but I did read some records that helped give me some perspective for this little meeting.

Project confidence and show no fear.

I took a deep breath, and with Lancer behind me, I went to the doors and pushed them open without hesitation, walking in like I owned the place.

Similar to the PRT meeting, but also different.

There weren’t any normal people inside.

There were a few exorcists inside; I recognized their attire. It was slightly different than what normal church personnel wore. Not only that, but the way they looked at me—I could see the clear disdain in their gazes.

They didn’t say anything; I didn’t say anything to them.

One of them, on the opposite side of the hall, past the pews, held open a door that led further onwards.

It was clear they had no intention of starting a conversation, so I didn’t bother and just moved as they seemingly led me.

Instead of a deeper room, the door opened to a small courtyard.

I might even call it a garden, but it was lacking in the plants department.

Nonetheless, there was a table set up, and the person I came here to meet was already waiting for me.

I would guess his age to be around sixty, perhaps a tad younger?

He wore the robes of a cardinal.

He wasn’t alone either.

Ciel, the Burial Agent, was standing behind him.

She looked at me, and I could tell she wanted to get annoyed at my presence, but she was holding it back.

“Frederick Verde.” The Cardinal called to me. “Would you be so inclined to join me?” He gestured to the seat across from him.

I met his gaze for a brief moment, then nodded curtly before taking the offered seat.

Lancer stood behind me just as Ciel did for him.

The two also looked at each other, but I think Ciel found herself annoyed because Lancer didn’t show a flicker of emotion on her face in comparison.

“Cardinal Hale.” I greeted him back.

It would be stranger for me to not know him, I suppose. He was the Cardinal in charge of handling all the supernatural side of things in the States.

If I recall correctly, I think he was even a native New Yorker.

He had a cup of tea in front of him as he gently swirled his spoon, having deposited a cube of sugar into it. “I am to understand that you wish to lodge a complaint.”

I kept my expression neutral, not wanting to reveal too much on my face. “You could say that.” I looked up at Ciel. “Though, I think a complaint is understating it at this point, don’t you think, Cardinal?”

The Cardinal let out a short sigh. “An unprecedented reveal of Magecraft is not something any of us wanted, Lord Verde.”

Huh.

Being called ‘Lord Verde’ tickled me in a way I hadn’t expected.

“We’ve already been moving to minimize the damage.” He added.

“Don’t say that as if you were doing it for my benefit.” I quickly retorted, not letting him set that up. “You have just as much of a desire to keep things hidden as I do. Not only that, the fault lands on your side of the line, Cardinal.”

“That matter is up for debate.” He didn’t accept it easily, which isn’t strange.

“Shall we then?” I held up a finger. “Your Burial Agents barged into my city without giving me proper warnings.”

He didn’t react overtly. “The mission parameters of the Burial Agency are not beholden to the Second Answers. It is a courtesy, nothing else.”

I leaned back. “And due to not observing the courtesy, I was unable to coordinate with the Church Executors in my city, and it led to the widespread reveal of Magecraft. It’s not me you have to argue with, Cardinal. That is my very reasonable report I’m going to present when I get called in front of the Lords of the Tower. Pardon my language, Cardinal, but your Burial Agent fucked up.”

“I did not—!”

The Cardinal held his hand up as Ciel was about to blurt out a response. “Miss Ciel, please stand quietly.” His tone was polite, but it was enough for her to bite back her words.

“I thought the Burial Agency only answered to their director.” I raised an eyebrow.

“The…Director is not one for handling delicate matters. I have been assigned to oversee the peaceful resolution of this incident by His Holiness.” The Cardinal said politely.

“Let me be candid, Cardinal. I had been turning over Ghoul nests for a week, blindly, because I didn’t know anything that I should have. Your Burial Agent neither informed me that there was a Dead Apostle in the city nor that they were also hunting it.”

“There were extenuating circumstances.”

“You mean the fact that the Dead Apostle was a Parahuman.” I cut right to the chase, and the Cardinal’s expression shifted slightly. “It was rather easy to figure out after nearly getting killed by him. A complete novice, utterly ignorant about our side of the world. And I’ve never heard of a Dead Apostle Parahuman before. That’s another strike against your side, Cardinal, for not sharing the information.”

The man silently took a sip of his tea.

He didn’t seem the type to get into a heated argument, shout, or yell.

No wonder the Pope told him to fix everything, for lack of a better word.

“You are correct. The Dead Apostle was a Parahuman.” He nodded.

I let out a breath. “It’s unprecedented, which is why a burial agent was deployed.” I summarized.

He nodded. “You grasped the essence.”

“I think I’m owed an explanation on that as well, don’t you think?”

He was silent again, perhaps deep in thought. “Very well, consider it a gesture of good will.” I wanted to snort in response, but I held it back. “If you are expecting a grand conspiracy, you will be disappointed. Six weeks ago, our agents discovered a Dead Apostle experimenting on the populace on the border near Canada. Through research notes uncovered and examinations, it was clear that the Dead Apostle was attempting to induce a ‘Trigger Incident,’ as I believe you are familiar with the term.”

I nodded. “I know the vernacular associated with Parahumans and the relevant details.”

“I believe you know that there are orders to not experiment with parahumans?”

I nodded again, decidedly not adding that I probably know the reason behind that too. “Continue.”

“Through his experiments—by chance—he was able to sublime a Dead Apostle and Parahuman into one vessel.”

“I can guess the rest from there. The new Dead Apostle probably escaped or ran away while its creator was fighting off your agents. It had no concepts to grasp what it was for the most part and could only reach blindly in the dark.” I tapped my finger on the table. “It explains the Ghouls in my city. Plenty of nests I found; it looked like some failed amateur’s attempt at some kind of experimentation.”

The Cardinal made a noise of confirmation. 

“However, that still doesn’t excuse the lack of ‘courtesy’ that led to everything exploding as it did. Considering I had been turning over Nests for a week, it stands to reason they were present for longer and never had a spare moment to pass on a polite letter as a minimum?” I added.

The Cardinal barely blinked at my accusation, but I vaguely felt like even he knew he was arguing in bad faith here.

“Cardinal, my city was almost overrun by Ghouls. My identity has been revealed. My school was attacked by the Dead Apostle. I am being very polite in answering your request for a meeting like this.” He didn’t respond immediately, so I kept going.

“Undead, not ghouls.” Ciel grunted.

I rolled my eyes. “Everyone calls them Ghouls in the field. The fact of the matter is, they could have swept through my city if we weren’t lucky.”

Yeah, technically the undead weren’t ghouls.

Ghouls were a tier higher, and they were something more vampire-like than the undead that mindlessly wandered around and tried to kill things.

But I learned from Bazett, and in the field, they call the undead “ghouls” because, from a practical point of view, it didn’t matter. Technically, if undead are left alone, they can turn into ghouls after enough time. Not only that, they also can infect just as Ghouls do.

In the middle of a fight, differentiating between them is rather pointless since they all have to die anyways.

They’re just…weaker and even stupider.

But the fact of the matter is, I was right, and he knew it.

I was being very polite.

I was the wronged party; I had been fucked over very hard here. My name was plastered everywhere; I was now probably one of the most famous people in the world by virtue of being the only outed ‘Wizard’ right now.

I decided to express my anger just a little bit to get my point across.

“Cardinal.” I hissed under my breath. “I still have the news camped outside my house.”

He looked at me, and there was ever so slightly a grimace of emotion. “I understand your complaints.”

“As another gesture of goodwill, I will give you some information.”

“I’m all ears.” I said dryly.

“Our sources within your Association have reported their response to the incident.” As soon as he said that, I felt myself tense up. “They will be calling for you shortly. However, there is a schism in how it should be dealt with; thus, they will be putting you on trial.”

I let out a long breath. “I expected something along those lines.”

“A portion of your lords believe an immediate execution was in order.”

Right.

Thankfully, I had Lancer.

“Another portion believes, however, that you have other uses rather than just to be killed.” He added.

My Sorcery Trait.

Good to know that I’m still a commodity.

“So it’s a farce.” I tapped the table again. “The larger group wants to use it as a reason to get me under their thumbs; is that it?”

He nodded slowly. “As you say.”

It’s not that the city wasn’t fucked for me, and it didn’t deserve a ‘trial,’ but that they would rather use it as a reason to get me locked in a dark room and pump out heirs for their families instead of execution.

I’m sure there’s much more to it than that, but this was more than enough to make my own plans.

“I accept your information in the goodwill you intended.” I finally stated. “However, that’s far from enough to be considered compensation, Cardinal.” I was most certainly not going to let him get off this easily.

“The Church is not in the habit of compensating heretics.” The Cardinal said pointedly.

“The same heretics who rescued one of your popes.” I shot right back. “My family is owed a debt, and I am calling it in.”

The first real flicker of emotion on his face occurred. He didn’t like me; he was a Cardinal, and he probably hated Magi. 

“My associates will not want to recognize a debt owed to a Magus.” He stated firmly, basically relaying the Church’s stance.

“My family doesn’t conduct inhuman experiments. My family quietly keeps to ourselves and doesn’t harm other people. We’ve supported hundreds of charities in just the past couple decades, and we even donate to the Church enough to build churches across the East Coast. Cardinal, if your own response is that you refuse a debt owed because I am a Magus, my respect for your institution will hit the lowest possible threshold, and you can consider my family no longer allies.” 

He was silent.

It didn’t seem like his stance but perhaps the one the Church as a whole was taking.

They didn’t want to be seen as admitting fault.

I doubt they would care that a Magus family is no longer ‘friendly’ with them, but it was more the pride aspect of using my family name to denounce them.

“There have been three senators who have attempted to legislate in a manner of chaining you, Lord Verde, in particular. The Church has graciously handled the ones who have gotten such ideas.” The Cardinal said slowly.

“If you want a word of thanks, I will gladly give it. But you know very well I’m also capable of handling such things as well.” I didn’t bite the bait he gave out.

If I had asked for details or questioned it, he could have sunk some hooks in. But being dismissive about it, he had no room to further expand his supposed ‘help’ that was given.

He didn’t have a leg to stand on, and he knew it.

It was just a matter of if he would be too stubborn to admit it or not.

He held up a hand, with his index finger slowly extending. “If…there was a means to quietly and quickly put this matter to rest and retain our continued relationships, Lord Verde, how would you wish to proceed?”

And there it is.

Basically, ‘What do you want so we can bury this properly because we know we fucked up?’ Because I did have the means to keep throwing this incident around and make the church look bad if I wanted.

But likewise, he made his stance clear.

The Church will not acknowledge anything…ridiculous.

“Hypothetically, if I were to make a request, it would be with the understanding that I will still be blaming the Church when I inevitably get put on trial by the Mages Association.” I made sure to clarify.

“Hypothetically, Lord Verde, the Church would turn a blind eye to those accusations if they benefited your defense.” He replied.

An understanding then.

“I suppose if I asked for one of your Holy Relics, I would be met with the utmost rejection.” I said rhetorically, but the deadpan expression of his face answered that question just as well. But then I had the perfect idea appear in my head. I couldn’t help it; I smiled brightly, and I turned to Ciel.

Her eyes widened in realization. “Absolutely not!”

“I choose her.” I pointed at Ciel.

“No! I’m not an object of negotiation.”

I crossed my arms, ignoring her, and looking at the Cardinal.

“We are not in the habit of…trading away members of the Church, Lord Verde.”

I gave him the most deadpan expression right back. “Do you really want me to poke holes in that statement, Cardinal? Besides, she’s not a member of the Church; she isn’t even a believer. She’s a heretic.”

“What? How do you even know—"

The Cardinal raised his hand to silence Ciel again. “She is a member of the Burial Agency, a valued—”

“She is a Magus.” I said pointedly. “Do you want me to repeat back to you what you said about me being a Magus? Not to mention, she’s the one responsible for this whole mess; you can easily wave it off as making her pay for her mistakes.”

She looked absolutely scandalized but remained silent.

And then, there was a brief moment where the Cardinal’s expression changed.

And just like that, I could see the gears turning in his head as he came to an answer.

Ciel noticed it too, and she saw my big grin.

Payback is a bitch, isn’t it?

@***@

A/N

Here’s the chapter I promised, only slightly delayed because I was at the vet all day yesterday with my cat. She’s doing good, just having stomach issues and a UTI. 

Grabbing Ciel isn't just for spite, there is a plan. She's actually very easy to gain the loyaly of, just tell her how to permanently kill Roa or help her do it.