"The Clock Tower's reputation is... formidable, to say the least."
Weber exhaled a plume of grey smoke, his tone a mix of warning and advice. "Try to keep a low profile for a while. Focus on your studies and stay out of the limelight."
"Iwas thinking the same thing."
Wayland nodded. He'd already planned to spend the next two months buried in his books, aiming for a top-three finish in the upcoming theory exams.
He was confident in his chances.
After all, he'd survived three years of high school; in terms of academic 'stamina,' he was currently at the absolute peak of his life.
"Lord El-Melloi, I was wondering if you could ask Melvin Weins for a favor on my behalf?"
Wayland had originally intended to use the Rail Zeppelin incident to build a relationship with Melvin, but given the current timeline, it seemed the train's itinerary and the Fifth Holy Grail War might overlap. Between that and the time needed to secure his catalyst, he simply wouldn't have the luxury of waiting.
This was the perfect time to ask Weber for a favor, especially since he'd just done the El-Melloi family a considerable service.
"Melvin? What could you possibly want with him?"
"I want to undergo a ritual to implant a Cursed Core and form a first-generation Magic Crest."
"Have you lost your mind?" Weber sat bolt upright, his voice sharp with alarm. "Do you have any idea why modern magi have abandoned that kind of crude, high-risk method? Leaving aside the rarity of a compatible Cursed Core, the danger is astronomical!
"The rejection reaction is absolute. It will act like a cancer, eroding your body and mind for generations before it even begins to stabilize. You have a brilliant future ahead of you; once you graduate, there will be dozens of families willing to grant you a branch of their own Crest just for the chance to bring you into their lineage."
"By marrying in? Or by becoming an adopted son?" Wayland shook his head. "No, thank you."
"You..." Weber slumped back against the sofa, his frustration visible. Suddenly, his expression softened as he thought of himself.
Lord El-Melloi II.
"You've truly made up your mind?" he asked.
"I have."
"When?"
"Tomorrow morning, around nine o'clock. I was hoping Melvin could accompany me to a specific location."
"Fine." Weber waved a hand dismissively. "Get to your classes."
"Thank you, mentor. I'll take my leave."
Leaving Weber's office, Wayland made his way toward the El-Melloi classroom.
He'd arrived back from the Twin Towers of Iselma earlier that morning. It was Friday afternoon, and his next class was The Origins and Evolution of Chaos Magecraft.
Which, ironically, was taught by Weber himself.
As he entered the classroom, the usual cacophony of voices died down instantly. The only sound was Flat Escardos' excited shout.
"Hey! Rising Star! Over here!"
Wayland took a deep breath, mentally reciting a mantra about not getting angry with children.
His attention was immediately caught by a unfamiliar girl sitting in the back row.
She had eyes like amber jewels and long, blonde hair adorned with pale blue ribbons. Every inch of her radiated a golden, aristocratic pride.
Luviaedelfelt.
When she noticed Wayland's gaze, she gave a subtle flourish of her curls, a knowing smile touching her lips.
She was clearly intrigued by the rumors surrounding the recent 'Golden Princess' incident.
Wayland blinked in surprise, then gave a curt nod of acknowledgment.
He hadn't expected Luvia to have already joined the Modern Magecraft department.
Shifting his gaze slightly, he noticed another stranger sitting against the far wall.
The boy was wearing glasses and looked a bit older than the others. He had short, chestnut hair, blue eyes, and a light dusting of freckles across his nose.
His white shirt was embroidered with a subtle pattern of golden leaves.
Considering the current timeframe, the boy's identity was obvious.
Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia. A member of the Yggdmillennia clan and the future Master of Frankenstein's Monster, Berserker.
Wayland walked over to Flat and Svin, first offering a polite greeting to Gray.
"Quick! Tell me! Tell me everything that happened at the Twin Towers!"
As expected.
Wayland let out a long sigh as he looked at Flat, then shifted his gaze to Svin.
Svin was leaning his head on the desk, his eyes fixed on Gray. His nose was twitching rhythmically, and he was murmuring to himself in a dazed, almost trance-like state. "Gray-tan... today is a slightly melancholic, 'square-shaped' blue note flavor..."
Wayland shook his head in resignation.
And he was the one being grouped together with these two 'problem children' as the Three Greats of El-Melloi.
"Didn't you ask Gray about it this morning?"
"This morning? I was busy building a friendly, elder-brotherly report with our two juniors!"
"Juniors, huh?" Wayland couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Luvia and Caules. Having a 'senior' like Flat Escardos was a burden no one deserved.
"Hey! What's with that look? You're my junior too, you know! And besides, greeting your juniors is a fundamental rule of being a decent person!"
"Fine, fine. I'll tell you about the towers."
In the few minutes before Weber arrived, Wayland gave them a brief summary of the events at Iselma.
"Whoa! Poor little Reines! If I'd known, I would have gone with you! I would have given those guys a piece of my mind!"
Wayland pressed a hand to his temples.
'Thank god I didn't take you with me. It would have been a total disaster.'
In the original story, Flat and Svin had been incredibly reckless when they'd faced off against Atrum and Touko Aozaki.
If they hadn't been so overwhelmingly powerful in their own right, the situation wouldn't have ended nearly as cleanly.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
There might be a mistake somewhere, im sleepy as heck when doing this shi, do tell the mistake you found on that paragraph comment, ill fix it asap later, yeah im uploading these chapter in advance cuz i want to sleep early, cya next week