Entrance

After the conclusion of a rather awkward and tense lunch, it wasn't long before Vahn found himself in the same black car that had picked him up from the train station. Though it was a comfortable ride, he felt it was somewhat boring compared to the times he would travel around on foot, fly through the sky, or ride on the backs of Terra, Fafnir, Khaos, and Alexa. He was looking forward to the day when it would not be planes seen in the sky, but Phantasmal Beasts, Airships, and powerful Magi. At the same time, he was looking forward to strict regulation to remove the pollution that seemed to have run rampant in the world, causing a foul smell to linger in the air of every large city he had ventured to, London included...

As they neared their destination, Vahn could already sense the powerful barriers around the Clock Tower and, knowing what awaited him inside, he turned to Gray and plainly stated, "You will stay with Luvia and protect her." This caused Gray to furrow her brows but, rather than argue against his words, she nodded her head, muttering, "I understand..." in a somber tone. She was unable to go against Vahn's words at the present moment and, though he didn't intend to exploit this fact for his own selfishness, there was no way he could take the current Gray with him into the lair of a potential enemy. His intuition told him that she was a landmine that could cause great misunderstandings so, while it made him feel a little guilty to see her in such a downtrodden state, this was a burden Vahn would willingly bear to protect her...

Hearing Vahn's words, and seeing how Gray reacted, Luvia's eyes flickered with a thoughtful light but, as she never intended to attend the meeting between Vahn and the Association Director, she ultimately kept silent. Instead, she would be preparing for the potentiality that something went wrong as, without the status of a Lord, her presence at the meeting would actually put Vahn in a more difficult position. After all, he was going to be presenting himself as an Emperor and, while her status wasn't exactly low, the difference between a family Head and an Emperor was significant. There was also the simple fact that, if a battle were to break out due to whatever reason, her being at Vahn's side would make her a liability as, even though she was confident in her strength, Luvia harbored no delusions that she was on the same level as the Association Director and a Wizard Marshall like Zelretch...

Luvia's main duty, at least in the beginning, was simply making Vahn's presence known within the Clock Tower while, immediately following this, she would begin to gather their allies en masse. This included Lord Animusphere, Faculty Heads of the Democratic faction, and Lord El-Melloi II. Though it wasn't exactly the best time for Lord El-Melloi II to stand out, taking a step back at this point would be meaningless as, after the Trial, he was already considered to be working with the Edelfelt family.

After reaching the front of the Clock Tower, an ancient building recognized by the general public as the Palace of Westminister, Vahn couldn't help admiring the timeworn structure. It served as the meeting place for the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses representing the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The fact that the heart of the Mage's Association was the very same place that legislation was passed to govern non-magi wasn't even remotely surprising to Vahn, even if it hadn't already been explained to him beforehand. He had noticed from the very moment he entered into this Record, even before meeting Rin, that the stagnation of the world was the direct result of the powers lurking in the shadows, chiefly the Mage's Association and the Holy Church...

Though the Clock Tower appeared 'relatively' normal from the outside, with tourists wandering about the premises while politicians would occasionally enter and exit the building, this was only how normal people would view it. After exiting the car, Vahn, Luvia, Artoria, and Gray passed through an invisible membrane, a type of barrier known as a Bounded Field. From the perspective of others, they were simply walking up the stairs to enter the building while, in reality, they had stepped into a sub-texture of the World, not all that dissimilar to the Projection of Avalon, albeit without the time dilation. Even looking around, Vahn noticed that the pedestrian traffic had completely disappeared, giving the appearance of unoccupied hills spreading out into the distance while the River Thames could be heard flowing nearby...

Knowing that the absence of London was essentially just an illusion, a snapshot of the landscape before the Clock Tower had been built, Vahn didn't pay much attention to it. Even if he wandered toward the hills in the distance, he would simply find himself stepping outside the Bounded Field once again, returning to 'modern' society once again. He could even bump into a group of tourists and, due to the barrier influencing their minds just by being in close proximity to it, they wouldn't even be surprised by the fact he seemingly appeared out of thin air.

This was another one of the aspects of the Magus community that troubled Vahn as, from the 'horror' stories he had heard from Rin in the past, Vahn knew mind control and hypnosis were heavily exploited by Magi interacting with 'normal' humans. Other than the more criminal acts, some would use a form of Mystic Eyes that all Magi could develop, known as Mystic Eyes of Whisper, to effectively get out of paying for meals, staying at hotels for free, or even outright trespassing into people's homes without consequence. Since even students could learn how to develop these Mystic Eyes, it was a big problem than had run rampant, both within the Magus community and the Holy Church for millennia...

Understanding he was about to take one of the first steps to bring about the changes he sought in the world, Vahn raised his head high, his gaze gaining a razor focus as his aura naturally spread through the area. Some nearby students had already been paying attention to them, as Luvia was rather famous, but they quickly shied away after feeling the aura radiating from Vahn's body. At the same time, guards that had been present outside the entrance to the Clock Tower reacted by pulling out small artifacts while several two-meter tall anti-magic golems stood at the ready. Though they didn't attack outright, details of Vahn's appearance had already been spread throughout the Mage's Association so they were beginning to sweat by seeing him standing next to Luvia.

Without being daunted in the least, Luvia immediately stepped forward, exclaiming in a voice that could easily be heard by students and faculty moving in and out of the building, "I, Luvia Edelfelt, have brought forth the Sage Emperor, Vahn Aldrnari Mason, to meet with the Association Director on diplomatic terms. Inform the Policies Department and Enforcement Division that slights against the Sage Emperor will be considered affronts against the Edelfelt, Animusphere, and Archisorte families. We are here to clear up misunderstandings in an effort to avoid conflict. In this time of crisis, fighting amongst our allies is completely senseless...!"

Hearing Luvia's outburst, the two guards felt the emergence of a powerful headache as, regardless of what action they took, they were guaranteed to get berated by their superiors later. Though they were also members of the Policies Department, charged with keeping students in line, there was no way they could handle 'accepting' such high profile people, especially when one was the Primary Sealing Designate. At the same time, they lacked the authority to deny Luvia entrance into the Clock Tower so, while informing their superiors of the incident, they could only stare with deadpan gazes as Vahn's group made their way into the building's interior.

According to expectations, several students quickly began to spread the information that Vahn had arrived inside the Clock Tower. Even though many were on holiday at the moment, quite a number of students had stayed within the dorms so, as Luvia continued to guide Vahn forward, hundreds of curious eyes followed their advance, many belonging to staff and faculty as well. Olivia and Luvia had actually planned for Vahn's entry shortly after the standard lunch period as this would guarantee the greatest number of students and faculty being free to investigate the commotion caused by his entry. After all, curiosity was an intrinsic part of human nature and, as Magi often delved into the arcane and mysterious, many were far more curious than 'normal' humans.

While Luvia led the way, Vahn was spreading his senses throughout the Clock Tower and, though there were many areas obscured, much of the general layout was quickly mapped out by him. His efforts to improve his perception within the Inner Sanctum of the Ivory Castle had born fruit and, determined to one day be able to sense 'everything', Vahn was using this as an opportunity to train himself further. He didn't particularly care if he upset anyone by sensing something they had wanted to keep secret as, for the time being, he was technically enemies with the Mage's Association. After all, they wanted to seal him away in a prison to study and experiment on, disregarding the fact he was another human being while also having the status of an Emperor. This was a grievous offense and, even in less tense situations, could have resulted in a full-scale war based solely on the decision of a few people who thought themselves the betters of others...

After walking through the complex corridors of the Clock Tower for a while, the group's progress was finally arrested when a rotund man wearing regal attire barred their passage. He had neatly combed golden hair and a handlebar mustache that curled up at the ends, standing no more than 165cm and weighing, at a glance, around 140kg. Even with his eyes drooping slightly at the sides, however, he had a noble aura while an intelligent light glimmered within his bluish-purple eyes. As there was also an entourage of capable Magi following close behind, many wearing identical uniforms, it was clear that he wasn't a simple person, especially with most of the students and faculty ducking away when he arrived.

Instead of appearing even remotely upset, Luvia actually had a pleasantly surprised expression on her face as she greeted, "Lord Musik, it is a pleasure to see you in good health. Have you come to escort us to see the Director~?" This caused the man to twirl his curled mustache, a polite smile on his face as he answered, "Lady Edelfelt, as exuberant as ever, I see. Unfortunately, my orders are to interfere with you meeting the Director for as long as possible. I'm afraid you'll have to forgive me, as these methods are not my preferred way of dealing with such sensitive matters..." Though his actual orders were to 'capture' Vahn, Lord Musik had no intention of starting a battle within the Clock Tower when the other party hadn't shown any hostility. Even though the students and other faculty members weren't out in the open, he was very aware that many were still closely monitoring the situation using various means.

Issuing a light-hearted laugh in response to Lord Musik's words, Luvia followed up by commenting, "That really is a shame, Lord Musik. I take it that Madame Bathomeloi has returned from her trip to Germany...?" As this man, Goldolf Musik, was a member of the Aristocratic faction and the Assistant Director of the Policies Department, it meant he was a close ally to Bathomeloi Lorelei. Unlike the cold and errant woman, however, he was known to be a rather agreeable gentleman. Though he was very strict when it came to investigating policy violations, he was also considered to be impartial unless directly pressured by Barthomeloi Lorelei. Even then, he wouldn't simply do her bidding and, like now, would usually serve the purpose of stonewalling to buy her time.

Surprisingly, Lord Musik shook his head, explaining, "Madame Barthomeloi has caught the scent of a Dead Apostle Ancestor and, though she has passed down her directive, the Policies Department is currently under the direction of Madame Adashino. As for my presence here, I am afraid it is at the direction of Lord Sophia-Ri..." As a forthright individual by nature, even though his kept the company of some rather vicious Aristocrats, Lord Musik had no problem throwing the dignity of his so-called companions under the bus. He didn't appreciate being forced to act on behalf of others for no other reason than being an inconvenience. This not only caused him to lose a bit of face with the people he was stonewalling, which usually involved one of the other Aristocratic families, it was also a very troublesome matter for the members of the Policies Department that were forced to act contrary to their intended purpose...

Hearing Lord Musik mentioned Lord Sophia-Ri, Luvia couldn't help shaking her head in exasperation since it was clear he was just trying to annoy her. He had a petty nature and, even though it was Lord Animusphere who spread the prophecy, Lord Sophia-Ri blamed the Edelfelt family for exacerbating matters and letting them get out of hand. With Bathomeloi away, he had almost unchecked power within the Aristocraftic faction and, though Lord Musik could not bar their passage for long, the only thing he cared about was just inconveniencing them. Now, unless they wanted to cause an incident by 'forcing' their way through, the only option available was to wait for the Enforcement Division or one of the senior members of the Clock Tower's management to arrive...

Understanding that the man across from them wasn't an enemy, at least for the time being, Vahn passed his gaze over the man and his entourage. His most notable companions were two identical women with light-brown hair and ruby-red pupils. They were both rather petite, only 155cm tall, but Vahn instincts told him they were both rather powerful, likely being engineered as combat-type Homunculi as, even at a glance, it was clear they were not normal humans. He could sense that their vitality was burning like a trick candle, meaning they had very short lifespans like Mordred. Since they both stood close to Lord Musik, Vahn figured he might be able to pull the man into their camp in the future if he provided the means to 'stabilize' the lifespan of his Homunculi...

As they had both been paying close attention to Vahn, the two women furrowed their brows when they noticed him assessing them, even though he didn't look directly at them. Even though their Magical Circuits were completely inert, they were extremely perceptive to all kinds of intent, much like capable Magi. They needed to be sensitive to things like this in order to protect Lord Musik so, having Vahn 'evaluate' them was not a pleasant experience for either of the petite women. As Lord Musik himself was also aware of Vahn's actions, his expression became less friendly since he did not understand his intentions.

Without showing any signs that he was perturbed by their reaction, Vahn kept a stoic expression on his face as he casually remarked, "Your Homunculi are well-made, Lord Musik. However, they seem to have an unfortunate design flaw. In the future, I'd like to discuss a method that would allow you to stabilize their lifespans, allowing them to live well over a hundred years instead of wasting away in only a decade..." Since he could roughly determine the age of an entity based on the 'feeling' of their energy, Vahn could tell that the two girls were only around four years old. Even so, they had burned through more than half of their vitality and, if they were to engage in combat proactively, their degradation would be sped up considerably...

Hearing Vahn's words, Lord Musik went from offended to genuinely confused over the course of a short few seconds. His family had once been as prestigious as the Einzberns regarding Alchemy but, after hitting a bottleneck nearly two-hundred years ago, they had declined considerably. Even their technique for producing Homunculi had been stolen from the Einzberns and, being incomplete, it meant the Homunculi they produced were fundamentally flawed. Most were completely unable to use Magecraft so, in order to make them useful, their physical parameters were greatly enhanced, making them nightmares in close-combat.

Unlike his predecessors, the current generation Lord Musik treated the Homunculi produced by his family as precious companions. Though some served as his Maids, while others worked as his bodyguards, he treated them dignity and respect, a stark contrast to how most people treated their Homunculi. As a result, they were fiercely loyal to him and, even though their average lifespan was only around six years, the memories of the previous generation would be passed on to the next. Currently, the two women behind him were fourth-generation models known as Toole IV, modeled after his Mentor and caretaker from his youth...

Though he did not believe Vahn's words outright, Lord Musik could not overlook a matter pertaining to his companions' lifespans. With that in mind, and nothing better to do other than block the way, he asked, "Oh? The lifespan of Homunculi is something not even the Einzbern family has been able to fix. You're telling me you have such a method? I will not deny that I am more than a little intrigued by such things..." Even without knowing Vahn, Lord Musik knew who he was 'supposed' to be and, with Luvia escorting him, this gave the rather intimidating young man a great deal of credibility. He expected the price for such information wouldn't be cheap but, if it meant he could extend the lives of his closest aides and confidants, Lord Musik didn't mind spending some of his vast wealth to obtain the means...

In response to Lord Musik's words, Vahn's mouth curled into a slight smile as he casually explained, "I am very familiar with the Einzbern family...however, the method to extend the life of a Homunculi is something I picked up elsewhere. Since you do not seem like a bad person, I do not mind sharing the method with you, so long as you vow never to spread it to people who would use it maliciously. I am of the mind that Homunculi should be treated just like normal humans but I would rather not see the method appear in the hands of people who treat them as nothing more than weapons or tools..." As he said this, Vahn pulled out a scroll detailing the basic structure of Mordred's seal, excluding the more intricate details. He had modified the seal taught to him by Merlin as, when Illya brought her family's Homunculi to live within Avalon, he would need to apply a non-restrictive seal to their body that would allow them to have a 'normal' lifespan.

Seeing the scroll in Vahn's hand, Lord Musik's brows raised slightly and he couldn't help but look at Luvia as if to ask, 'Is her serious?'. Her response was a wry smile as, if she had known Vahn had such a method in his possession, she wouldn't have let him just hand it out like a piece of candy. Though it was certainly a good method to win over allies, the chances the method would eventually fall into the hands of their enemies was infinitely close to one-hundred percent. However, as he had a bit of a savior-complex, Luvia knew it would be almost impossible to convince him not to 'help' those who had appeared before him. The only thing she could do was talk to him after the fact to try and learn what other means he had to 'revolutionize' the Magus community as they would be powerful tools to leverage in future negotiations...

With Luvia showing no signs of refuting Vahn's claims, Lord Musik's expression became serious as he stated in a solemn tone, "I swear by my family name and my pride as a Lord, I would do everything within my power to protect the method you share with me..." Even if he had to suffer the complaints of Lord Sophia-Ri in the future, Lord Musik was even willing to let Vahn walk by if the method within the scroll was legitimate. It wouldn't be the first time he would have to listen to the man prattle on so, if he was able to obtain a method that would become one of his family's heritage techniques in the future, he was willing to swallow numerous 'bitter pills' if necessary.

Somewhat unceremoniously, Vahn tossed over the scroll, plainly stating, "I wish to see whether or not the pride and honor of a Lord have any meaning..." Since there was no avoiding the political game he would be forced to play in the future, Vahn didn't mind laying the seeds for future allies in the present. Even if Lord Musik didn't outright join them in the future, he would be a voice of reason within the Aristocratic faction, at least for a short while. He seemed like a genuine and capable man so, while his association with the Aristocratic faction would undoubtedly cause him a bit of pressure in the future, Vahn expected he would still speak out against senseless violence.

Though he wanted to inspect the contents of the scroll on the spot, Lord Musik knew better than to do so in the middle of one of the Clock Tower's corridors. There were all kinds of means to observe what was going on within and, just by seeing the confidence on Vahn's face, he assumed the scroll was legitimate. With that in mind, he gave a polite bow, crossing his hand over his heart, stating "I just remembered that there is another urgent matter that requires my attention. Pardon me, Your Majesty, Lady Edelfelt..." After this, Lord Musik's Homunculi and subordinates bowed in turn before, without delaying the procession any further, they moved to the side of the corridor and headed in the opposite direction...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Pollution and waste, how distasteful','Fat man blocking the hallway >:O...','He not that bad...?')

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