Chapter 565

Our room was… nice. Nothing to really write home about. It was a room on a Train, so the luxury that could be added to each room was limited

Our room was… nice. Nothing to really write home about. It was a room on a Train, so the luxury that could be added to each room was limited

Our room was… nice. Nothing to really write home about. It was a room on a Train, so the luxury that could be added to each room was limited

Our room was… nice. Nothing to really write home about. It was a room on a Train, so the luxury that could be added to each room was limited

Our room was… nice.

Nothing to really write home about. It was a room on a Train, so the luxury that could be added to each room was limited. As far as train rooms go, it was certainly on the upper end, however.

Not that I was complaining; I’m not one to roll my eyes when I lack luxury or accommodations, simply making a note.

Salem and Venelana looked interested too.

“It reminds me of the Train that goes to the Underworld.” Venelana hummed, shifting through drawers.

She wasn’t just doing it to be nosy or keep busy.

Salem found a spot on the wall, tapped it, and began to run her finger across it as if tracing something. “There’s so much magic here that shifting through anything…unsavory within this room is an annoyance.”

I didn’t even have to say anything, and they both began to look for any spying devices or magical effects someone may have left in the room.

Yes, it was all very important and rudimentary, especially in this place. If someone failed to discover any spying or eavesdropping, it would be their fault in the eyes of others.

Yes, very important.

I lifted up the back of Salem’s dress.

Somehow her amazing pale butt was contained by a pair of lacy black panties.

Salem paused in her machinations, head turning over her shoulder to look at me with the driest look she could muster before huffing and returning to what she was doing.

I made sure to give her a kiss on the cheek, much to her chagrin.

She didn’t even say anything as I bunched it up over her waist so it didn’t fall back down.

I then moved over to Venelana, giving her a kiss on the cheek and pulling up her dress too, admiring the scene just as much as with Salem. 

Less heft to it, but no less impressive.

She went a different route with a thin piece of fabric that disappeared between her ample backside.

Likewise, I made sure it was held up over her waist before plopping myself onto the bed.

Neither of them stopped and continued to inspect the room.

Salem shot me a glare over her shoulder and scowled. “Look how proud of himself he is.”

Venelana giggled, her butt jiggling perfectly as she did. “At his age, it’s not rare to indulge in such things, you know? Besides, he actually has rather good self-restraint most of the time.” She walked up to Salem and pushed her hips against the Grimm Queen’s. “How many boys his age do you think could hold themselves back with a sight like this, hmm?”

“Hmph.” Salem grumbled. “He’s still an unrepentant pervert.”

I mean, I wouldn’t deny it.

I’m in a train with a bunch of things that would probably kill me given the opportunity.

But this was definitely what heaven for me would be like.

“Are you going to simply ogle our backsides the entire time, or are you going to contribute something?” Salem asked, continuing to map out the insides of the room in a magical manner.

“The former.” I said without hesitation. “But if you want my expertise…” I admit, I considered seeing how far I could push her here, but I pulled that thought back. This was probably already her limit, and I didn’t want to push boundaries. 

After the night we spent together, after the beach, she wasn’t nearly as reserved in things like this now. Heck, before those, I know for a fact that she wouldn’t have been happy with me lifting up her dress in front of one of the other girls. But now, it’s just met with a huff and an eye roll.

“Now that we’ve entered a second train car, I’m fairly sure this Train is one giant Magic Circuit.” I offered my insights. “I think they turned the entire Train into one pseudo-magical organ, which is how it rides Leylines. Magic Circuits have no trouble connecting with Leylines normally; it’s usually the squishy, fleshy bits that take exception to the surge of Mana that would more than likely make someone explode if they tried.”

Well, technically, the Magic Circuits would explode too if an idiot tried to just bluntly connect to a Leyline without any consideration. But the fact remains that Magic Circuits can do so without any issue; it’s just that consequences follow.

Salem looked at me for a moment, clearly understanding what I was saying even if the concepts didn’t originate from her world. She’s been studying the Magecraft and concepts from my home a lot since we’ve met.

Combined with her own ridiculous history of magical knowledge and study, well, it wasn’t hard to grasp the fundamentals and become competent across many fields.

“It’s rather ingenious if you think about it.” I tapped my chin. “It could almost be said that we’re inside a living entity despite it having no life.”

I would investigate it a bit later.

“I can’t find any physical objects.” Venelana spoke up as she bent over and looked behind the nearby dresser. I was only distracted for a moment. “Though, it’s probably unlikely that someone would bug the room with a listening device that’s not magical in nature.”

I shrugged. “You’d be surprised; some people make use of them because they know that a lot of Magi will overlook that. But thank you for checking.” I gave her a smile.

I may not have checked personally. Ironically, despite not looking down on technology, I do fall into certain mental traps and overlook some things.

“The room has innate enchantments that can be activated by the occupants.” Salem also added. “If you want, I can activate them, but I don’t trust something put up by someone else.” Salem turned to me, and she paused briefly because she knew where I was looking. She crossed her arms, pursing her lips, waiting for a reply.

“Oh my, that sounds like a trap.” Venelana chimed in. “And it would probably make whoever did so lose a lot of status in the eyes of others, yes?”

I nodded. “Pretty much. Magi are pretty petty like that. If you can’t handle defending your own room, you’re going to be mocked by them.”

They picked up on things really quickly.

Honestly, it all just boils down to pettiness.

Salem could have brute-forced it if she wanted; I didn’t doubt that. But it looked like she was being meticulous and inspecting every detail with a fine-toothed comb.

“I’ll take care of this.” Venelana volunteered abruptly.

Before either of us could question what she meant by that, she took out what looked like a metal ball that had several parts that rotated. And if you looked very closely, you could see hundreds of tiny characters inscribed onto it.

She tossed it up casually, and it hovered before cranking and turning before activating.

Very quickly, a burst of light pulsed out, as if sweeping over everything. It invaded every corner of the room, and very quickly, it outlined all magical signatures and all magical effects, making them visible to the naked eye.

Salem and I watched silently as it seemed to register them, then began to segregate everything as it put up its own Bounded Field, outlining the room.

She must have noticed our gazes, because she smiled coyly. “Ajuka gave me this after the whole Kokabiel fiasco. He said it would hold up to someone like Kokabiel attacking it for a bit, and it had other functions as well.”

Just by looking at it, I could see that it was a very good Bounded Field that covered the entire room. It basically covered every spectrum that either Salem or I would deploy by ourselves.

Anti-scrying, anti-eavesdropping, anti-spirit…the list goes on.

Salem poked it a few times, inspecting it quietly before just crossing her arms with an indignant huff. 

Venelana looked very proud of herself, though.

It was a rather well-crafted Mystic Code. Just what I would expect based on what I heard about that particular Satan.

The rumors that there’s no magic in the world he can’t analyze on the spot and counter. 

Before Salem could utter a word of annoyance, a piece of paper slid up from under the door.

I wasn’t hesitant about picking it up. If it were bad, or if there was anything dangerous about it, the new Bounded Field around the room would have activated. Beyond the normal things like keeping sound out and such, the Bounded Field doesn’t stop the room from being a room. The door still works; people can still knock on it, people can still slide things under the door, etc.

“What does it say?” Venelana peered over my shoulder curiously.

“We are cordially invited to partake in a discussion regarding the upcoming auction by Lord Olga Marie Animusphere.” I summarized, not bothering to repeat all the flamboyant wording that one would expect.

“Is that the child you were looking at fondly?” Salem asked.

“Yeah, I know her older self from Chaldea. She’s technically my boss.” I smiled, remembering Olga’s behavior before I left. I could just picture the looks and reaction she’d give once I showed her the pictures I’m going to take.

“How long does it give us?” Venelana wrapped her arms around me from behind.

“A couple of hours, it says, based on the time.” 

“Perfect, just enough time to break in this bed.” 

Break being the operative word here.

Funny enough, Salem didn’t look like she was protesting the statement either.

@***@

Following the directions on the invitation we received, it was about two train cars back from our room where we found the ‘gathering.’

Olga wasn’t there, but that wasn’t surprising since we came early. But there were also a bunch of other people.

I could more or less guess the purpose of her ‘gathering.’ Perhaps to put on a united front and pressure the church people after what happened earlier.

Regardless, I did find a few people I knew. With Venelana and Salem following after me, I walked up to the bar and sat next to Waver.

“Good evening again, Waver.” I greeted him politely.

“Good evening, Lord Schweinorg.” Waver had already noticed me coming in. While he was one who stuck to decorum, he wasn’t…obtuse about it. He knew I was easy going and didn’t lick my boots with every sentence. “Lady Salem, Lady Gremory.” He also greeted my girls politely, which won him extra points in my book. “I hope the amenities have been to your satisfaction.”

I spun slightly in my stool to look at the kids he brought with him sitting at the booth a few feet away. “It’s about what you would expect for a train; I have nothing to complain about personally.”

“Though, they could do with sturdier beds.” Venelana added.

Waver nearly choked on his drink, and I had to hold back a laugh.

“Hmm, I suppose we’re allowed to help ourselves to the bar?” Venelana asked, noticing the drink in Waver’s hands.

“It’s activated on command, Lady Gremory. You merely have to ask what you want, and the bar will respond and make it for you."

Venelana pursed her lips, getting up and walking behind the bar to take things herself, finding all the items she needed. Cups and mixers—she opened the cupboards and found them easily enough before she started mixing her own drinks.

Waver merely raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

And the other people here, well, they seemed like they were giving me a wide berth.

Did my ‘identity’ get revealed now?

“Thank you.” I said as Venelana set a drink in front of me. I didn’t know what she made, but all her drinks are usually good in their own way.

“Salem, would you like something light or heavy, fruity or bitter?” Venelana asked.

“Either or, bitter. Please.” Salem said casually.

Venelana nodded and got to work again.

I spun back around to look around, and my eyes landed on the people Waver brought. “You don’t usually leave your classroom for jobs, Waver. It seems something important got you moving and brought students with you too. Extra Credit? Field Trip? Special attention?”

“There were…extenuating circumstances.” Waver said carefully. “And I only brought along Gray and Caules.”

My eyes landed on the girl he specifically excluded but who was still part of the group. “Miss Lehrman, I believe? If I’m not wrong, it’s a distinguished family that specializes in Mystic Eyes in some capacity; the details escape me.”

The girl with pink hair perked up. “That’s right!” She preened. “My family specializes in artificial Mystic Eyes, so we’re always around when the Train comes calling! It was the perfect excuse to spend time with my future hubby.”

Waver sighed.

“Do you have examples?” Salem spoke up surprisingly. “Of your family’s craftsmanship?”

The pink-haired girl blinked once, looking at Salem. She then reached up and flipped the eyepatch on her right eye. In place of her eye there was a jewel, a green gem with an eight-pointed star etched into it.

“Exquisite.” Salem said, appreciating the craftsmanship. 

“Of course, my family is the best!” She replied haughtily, appreciating the praise.

Salem looked happy too, experiencing more magical culture.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but Gray isn’t a Magus?” I asked, though my voice was easily heard by them. I noticed Gray stiffen slightly, and Waver frowned. “Don’t misunderstand, I’m not asking as an insult. Venelana here isn’t a Magus either.” I gestured to her.

Venelana gave a little wave. 

Waver nodded lightly. “She’s my student in other regards.”

I didn’t press; it seemed like a sore spot for Gray. “And Mr. Forvedge. I believe you are a specialist in spirit evocation.”

“Ah….yes.” The boy looked surprised.

“I’m surprised you are aware, Lord Schweinorg.” Waver answered in his place. 

“Erm, my family isn’t that well known….” Caules awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. 

“Well, technically, this isn’t the first time I’ve met Caules Forvedge.” I chuckled. “I’m sure Waver must have told you my identity.”

His eyes widened. “You mean…?”

“I can’t say I knew him very well, and we were even ‘enemies’ for a time.” I said the enemies part rather flippantly not to scare him. “I met your sister too, Fiore. I ended up healing her legs.”

It technically wasn’t wrong to say we were enemies when he was the Master of Berserker during the Grail War. But then again, I had no intention of actually hurting him, so I suppose it’s a moot point.

“Fiore’s legs!” Caules nearly shouted as he abruptly shot up to his feet. 

“Calm down, Caules.” Waver said softly but firmly.

Caules sheepishly sank back into his seat. “Fiore decided to give up Magecraft.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? She was considering that, from what I knew, too, before I healed her. Everyone has their own pursuits in life. Does that mean you took over the family?”

Caules smiled awkwardly still. “There wasn’t anyone else but me. Unfortunately, my talent in Spirit Evocation isn’t very good. Teacher Velvet here was the one who convinced me to start practicing Lightning Magecraft, saying I had talent in it.”

“Hoh? Lightning Magecraft, huh?” I rubbed my chin. “I’m something of a specialist when it comes to Lightning Magecraft myself.” I mentally went through my storage, looking at my stuff, before taking out a book. “Here, a greeting gift for a fellow Lightning specialist.” I tossed him a spell tome, Lightning Rune that I had from Skyrim. “It’s a rather nifty spell I picked up. It creates a Lightning Landmine, essentially.”

He caught it in shock, seemingly not knowing what to say.

“Make sure to thank Lord Schweinorg, Caulus.” Waver reminded him.

“Y-yes, thank you!”

“Don’t mind it; it’s just something simple I picked up a while ago.” It wasn’t very valuable to me, but to a kid like him, it’s a treasure.

Though it’s far from a useless skill. While not very strong, it’s very practical and good for ambushes or sneak attacks.

“Lord El-Melloi II, would you like another drink?” Venelana offered.

“I would be delighted, thank you, Lady Gremory.” He replied, but I didn’t know if he was just being polite or if he was genuinely interested. He was good at keeping his emotions in check.

Expertly, Venelana grabbed a few things off the shelves and from under the counter to make him a drink.

The air was still tense.

Magi seemed to have a natural hesitation when Magicians are around. Well, considering their only examples are Gramps and The Blue, maybe that’s warranted.

Miss, There’s a mountain in my way, so I blew it up, and Gramps unrepentantly throws magical paint-filled water balloons at cars of people he’s annoyed at.

Then again, am I even better?

I keep a brick on me for a very specific reason.

Maybe we’re just all a bit bad?

“This is delicious, thank you, Lady Gremory.” Waver thanked her after taking a sip. “You seem to have a lot of experience; have you trained?”

Venelana put her elbow on the counter, propping her head up. “Oh, I was bored some decades ago and went to mixology school to learn how to prepare drinks properly. I like to keep up with it; one of my hobbies is to brew wines and spirits.”

“Decades?” Waver said softly, repeating it to himself. “You have some…interesting hobbies.”

“When you’re as old as I am, you need hobbies to keep yourself entertained.” She chuckled. “Why, you wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve done. I remember when automobiles first came around; I was a professional race car driver for a few years.” She puffed up proudly. “Of course, that didn’t amount to much back then and usually involved more crashes than anything.”

Waver gave her a certain look.

I don’t think he’s used to people just showing off how ‘old’ they are even when they’re monsters who have lived for centuries.

“Waaah? But you look so young still! What’s your secret?” Yvette, the pink-haired girl, blurted out without an ounce of decorum.

“Yvette!” Waver hissed under his breath, looking slightly panicked.

Venelana just giggled. “I can’t claim credit, dear. I’m not human, so it comes naturally.”

That made them silent, maybe even the others in the cabin who were trying their best to not look like they were listening in on what we were talking about.

“Don’t worry, I’m not one of your vampires.” She added with a wink to alleviate any rampant thoughts on the matter. “Though, I’m afraid those church people would become even more aggrieved if they actually knew what I was.” And then she made it worse.

Waver looked utterly dreading his life right now. 

“You know, I remember when the church first got started. Everyone treated it like an upstart–”

“Alright.” I cut her off. “Now you’re just messing with them.”

Venelana covered her mouth, clearly holding back a laugh. She can be rather mischievous when she wants to be.

“I assume you also got an invitation to talk about the auction, Waver?” I asked.

He seemed to be appreciative of the change in conversation. “That’s right.” He didn’t hide it. “I believed it was worth listening to, considering the volatile status of this auction.”

Volatile was putting it nicely.

“Have you seen that woman in the Veil?”

Waver furrowed his brow. “I have not. But now I believe I should pay more attention considering your tone.”

I shrugged, not elaborating.

I don’t know why she gave me a strange feeling.

“If I may ask, Lord Schweinorg, are you also interested in the supposed Mystic Eyes of Providence?”

“I’m curious as of now; I don’t have any set goals.” I admitted. “That may change if I see them in person, so I am prepared to put forth effort into acquiring them.”

Waver mulled over my response. “Reasonable. I doubt many would consider fighting you for it.”

I let out a breath at that. “I don’t mind if people compete with me, to be honest. I’m not going to throw my weight around in an auction; that would just be crass. Let whoever wins, win.” I waved my hand flippantly. “Sore losers are the worst. If someone can outbid me, then so be it; I’ll accept my defeat.”

I said that more for the benefit of everyone listening in or eavesdropping. I could pick out half a dozen spells designed to spy on this specific cabin as it was.

There was a silence that followed because Waver seemed to follow my line of sight, and it landed on something slithering across the wall. Something invisible to the naked eye, but if you looked really close, you could just barely make out a discrepancy as it passed.

It got close to Venelana. I could see Salem raise a finger up on her lap as if to do something, but I gently reached for it to stop her.

She looked at me curiously but didn’t voice a complaint.

It warmed my heart to know that Salem was going to ‘protect’ Venelana, but she didn’t need it.

Venelana, with a very quick speed, snatched the ‘invisible’ thing from behind her, turning it visible for everyone to see.

It was a snake, but not a snake.

It was a familiar created through Magecraft; its actual composition I would have to look at beyond eyesight to investigate.

It struggled in her grip but was unable to break free.

“Did someone lose their pet?” Venelana said casually.

It’s a pretty good transfiguration spell; beyond noting that it wasn’t actually alive, I couldn’t see anything else on the surface.

“I believe I know who that belongs to.” Waver said darkly, but before he could say anything, the train door opened and a woman walked in.

It was the Japanese woman I noticed earlier, recognizable because she was wearing a kimono.

“Hishiri Adashino.” Waver named her with a tone that spoke of an unpleasant familiarity.

“Waver Velvet.” She smiled, as if ignoring the distaste in his tone. “And you must be Lord Schweinorg. This –”

“Excuse me, does this belong to you?” Venelana held up the struggling snake. 

The woman slightly frowned, glancing at Venelana. She was very clearly trying to make her ‘introduction’ with me. It was very obvious she had ulterior motives, especially with the snake she sent out.

However, that slight frown quickly returned to a gentle smile. “Ah, yes. It must have wondered off –”

Venelana’s hand erupted with her Power of Destruction. The black, flame-like phenomena began to utterly consume the snake and reduce it to nothingness. In the blink of an eye it was utterly destroyed, not a shred of it remaining.

“You should be careful in the future, child. Having one of your little pets wander and creep around people, it may send the wrong message.” Venelana returned that same gentle and carefree smile.

She was silent for a moment. “I will keep your advice in mind in the future.”

The moment was clearly gone, and she would have to be utterly obtuse to not notice the tense atmosphere she created. Rather than try and get a word in with any of us, she instead went to find an empty seat in the back and sit down.

Salem tapped the counter. “Hmm, transmuting fabric into a snake familiar. It was crude, but not incompetent. Shall I make her disappear?”

Hmm, was it fabric? I hadn’t noticed.

Salem was displeased, however.

“Oh, that’s alright.” Venelana casually waved it off. “Some people just lack certain survival instincts. There’s no point in swatting every fly that buzzes around when there are always so many.”

“Hmph. You’re too kind.” Salem huffed. “If an insect tries to crawl on you, you step on it. It’s common sense.”

Waver looked pale at their conversation.

“You know how it is, though. Squash one, and many more come running.” She let out a sigh. “It gets tiring after a while.”

“I’m more than capable of continuing to squash them.” Salem crossed her arms.

“Oh, I’m sure you are. I just find it dreadfully tiring and simply not worth my time.” Venelana replied.

Salem relaxed a little. “I suppose you have a point.”

Waver cleared his throat. “She’s a member of the Policies department.”

Salem and Venelana looked to me for an explanation. Despite them doing their own ‘research,’ it’s obvious they don’t know every detail about this world. Salem focused more on the magical aspects; Venelana had just started delving into the political landscape.

“They’re basically the internal police for the Clock Tower. Their primary purpose is to protect the concealment of Mystery from the world. But they’re also responsible for arresting anyone who breaks the Association’s laws, and they’re usually the ones leading investigations and auditing other departments. Suffice to say, they’re the least liked Department, but also one with the most power. It’s also filled with a lot of people who no longer concern themselves with the advancements of their crafts, those who pursue other goals. Therefore, a lot of older families often look down on them.”

So, basically, lots of reasons that plenty of Magi hate anyone from the Policies department. Barthomeloi Lorelei is the head of the department, so they can only grit their teeth and obey.

“I suppose I can understand her arrogance now. She’s probably so used to being in control that it’s gone to her head.” Venelana nodded in understanding.

That would explain it, honestly. But I also didn’t really go in depth at how the Policies department actually works. There are both exaggerated and legitimate reasons why that particular department is reviled by a great many in the Association.

More people began to file in as I looked at the clock above the bar.

Almost right on point, the door opened one final time, and Olga appeared.

Behind her was that same woman as before, her minder or keeper; I didn’t know.

But Olga held a gaze of determination. She held her head high, doing her best to look authoritative.

She was the head of the Animusphere Family, the Lords of the Astrology Department.

She took one step inside the train car, and she tripped, falling on her face.

The train went silent.

@***@

A/N

A wild Smolga appears; it hits itself in confusion and faints. 

Funny thing happened. I was done with the chapter hours ago, went to move it around, somehow deleted like 2/3 of it, not even in order, like random bits were cut out. Don’t ask me how I did this, I still don’t know. So, fun times having to rewrite. It killed me for a bit so I took a nap before redoing it.