The Lords' Council. As the name suggests, it is a meeting where the twelve Lords gather, and it is also considered the highest-ranking meeting in the Clock Tower in a formal sense.
Such a meeting is not convened unless there is a major issue. Once it is called, it is certain to cause significant ripples within the Clock Tower.
On the first day of the last month of 2004, the Lords' Council was convened.
It took place on the top floor of the oldest building at the Clock Tower headquarters, in a roundtable-style meeting room.
The initiator of this Lords' Council was Lord Trambellio, head of one of the three major factions, the Democratic faction, and also the Lord of the General Fundamentals Department, which every student of the Clock Tower must enter upon admission. He was from the Trambellio family, one of the three great aristocratic families.
The purpose of this meeting was well known even before it started: to challenge their long-standing enemy, Lorelei Barthomeloi, head of the aristocratic faction and the leader of the Policies Department, which governs the Clock Tower's administrative body. Barthomeloi was also the head of the three great aristocratic families.
"Many of you are probably aware that not long ago, in a small city in Japan called Fuyuki, a magi opened a path to the Root."
"Chasing the Root is the ultimate goal of every orthodox magus. As the administrator of the magus order,
Lord Barthomeloi, who is trusted by all magus as a noble, not only failed to take any action when the path to the Root was opened but also didn't bring back any valuable information."
"Regarding this, I can only think of two possibilities: one, Barthomeloi deliberately withheld information; two, Barthomeloi is incompetent. If it's the former, then I must question the principles upheld by the Policies Department. If it's the latter, it only shows that the current Barthomeloi is not capable enough to hold the position of a Lord."
"I've dealt with Barthomeloi for many years and am more inclined to believe it's the latter. After all, the previous Barthomeloi never had such problems. In addition, there's another piece of evidence—the Magician Conflict. Although we all know that Magicians are uncontrollable beings beyond normal standards, Lord Barthomeloi, as the highest enforcer of the rules of secrecy, was present but did nothing. It's hard not to doubt her abilities in this regard."
These words were sharp and insidious, carefully avoiding falsehoods while focusing on facts unfavorable to Lorelei. It was a vicious attack.
But Lorelei's side was not unprepared either. Considering Lorelei's queenly image, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to personally refute the argument, so her staunch ally, Kayneth, stood up instead.
"Trambellio's argument is nothing but sophistry. As a participant in the Holy Grail War, I am well aware of its dangers. The fact that Barthomeloi returned unharmed already demonstrates her capability. If anyone here were in her place, they might never have made it back!"
The moment these words were spoken, not only the opposing aristocratic and democratic factions, but even the neutral faction, which usually stayed out of things, could no longer remain silent.
"And what makes you say that?"
"I say this based on my own disappearance. The reason I was missing for three years was due to severe injuries sustained during the Holy Grail War, and it took me over two years to recover."
Some expressed doubt, and some were shocked.
"What?"
"Is that true?"
"Why have you never mentioned this before?"
Kayneth calmly retorted, "Would you announce something so humiliating if it happened to you?"
The answer was obvious: no. Everyone present was a Lord, the highest figure in the Clock Tower, and they were all concerned with their reputation. How could they possibly admit such things?
"Now, do you understand why I said what I said?"
"We understand. It's certainly not easy," nodded Lord Valualeta, the second-in-command of the democratic faction, before giving a strange smile.
"However, if I'm not mistaken, there was also another participant from the Modern Magecraft Department, wasn't there? And he participated twice, both times returning safely."
This was, of course, referring to Waver Velvet, who, being not a Lord, had no right to attend the Lords' Council.
"Doesn't this imply that Professor Velvet's abilities are superior to those of the two esteemed Lords?"
"Hmm! You can't judge a person's abilities based on just one event," Kayneth frowned.
"No, you can't judge someone based on just one event, but it is an important reference, isn't it? Especially in major incidents related to the Root and Magicians.'"
At this point, the debate devolved into endless bickering. One side brought up past achievements to support Lorelei, while the other clung to the issues of the Root and the Magician Conflict.
Because of the immense allure that the Root and Magic held for magus, even the neutral Lords leaned toward Trambellio's side, putting the aristocratic faction in a disadvantageous position. Although it wouldn't truly shake Lorelei's position as a Lord, it would undoubtedly damage her authority and force Barthomeloi to pay some tangible price.
A tiresome dispute, with a predictable outcome.
Seated at the head of the table, Lorelei sighed to herself. She had anticipated this scene on the flight back to the Clock Tower.
Just as Lorelei was about to present the conditions she had prepared to end the dispute, a loud crash suddenly echoed from outside the meeting room. The door, forged from rare metals and inscribed with hundreds of magical spells, exploded with a bang. A young man clad in white, with short blue hair, walked in.
"Sorry to interrupt. The people outside insisted on stopping me, so I had no choice but to resort to force. Please don't take offense."
One of the Lords sitting closest to the door glanced outside and saw that most of the Lords' attendants were lying on the ground. Even those who hadn't fallen were no longer capable of fighting.
However, none of the Lords present panicked. Although the fallen attendants were elite magus, the ones sitting here were the true powerhouses, each bearing ancient lineage crest marks, and they were among the most outstanding mages of the current era.
"Who are you? Do you understand the consequences of barging into the Lords' Council?"
Lord Trambellio asked coldly.
"I don't know, and I don't care. Your rules have nothing to do with me."
Shinji stood casually, sweeping his gaze across the Lord's present. His arrogant demeanor reminded Lord Valualeta of someone she had met a few months ago—another defiant young man.
"Didn't I see you at the Twin Tower? Though you've changed quite a bit since then."
Shinji raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.
"I didn't expect you to recognize me. I thought my disguise was pretty good."
The straightforward and cheerful old woman smiled and replied, "I'm an artist, so I'm good at noticing subtle differences. I believe your name was Levi Ackerman, a student from the El-Melloi Classroom in the Modern Magecraft Department."