PrologueTo speak frankly, I have a bad personality.I smile when I see other people suffer. Even more so if they are a straight-forward, honest person. When someone who by all rights should have been walking a path overflowing with light is forced to step off the correct path due to some meaningless mistake, it fills me with pleasure.If this had been some sort of result of my upbringing, or maybe an effect of some childhood trauma, then maybe I could be excused.Unfortunately, I was just born this way. In that respect you might have thought it was something I inherited from my parents, or my ancestors. In reality though, there was no one in my family who could sympathize with my feelings. For the most part a bad personality was the default for a magus anyways. Even the notorious El-Melloi faction in the Clock Tower was little more than a group of unsavory individuals who banded together under the name of Archibald to trip up everyone else they could.So.That day became especially deeply ingrained within my memory."...yes. That was pleasant."Recalling it, I smiled again.I had already been keeping eyes on 'him,' the man that survived that Great Ritual in the Far East.The fact that he, who was the most inexperienced and unqualified participant in that ritual had managed to come out unscathed was not something anyone in the Clock Tower had considered even in their dreams, but if he came back there was nothing to do about it but leave him be.In contrast, the wildly unexpected death of a Lord - Lord El-Melloi - birthed a new conflict over who would succeed him, could absolutely not be ignored. Assets, talents, lands, and Mystic Codes that were all amassed under the name of El-Melloi that had been passed down since antiquity were all stolen away as if by a flock of ravenous birds.Not just rivals, even members of the family itself came forth in large numbers to loot the spoils. Branch families of the Archibald lineage came forth taking large chunks of assets under claims that it was theirs to begin with, dividing up huge portions of the family's assets. And as they did so, the other Lords just sat back and gladly watched it all happen. As a result, the only things left over for the main family were the title of El-Melloi, and a debt of astronomical proportions.And yet, what did they think to do?In the midst of all that, someone carelessly remarked that 'he' who had returned should be given the now abandoned El-Melloi classroom.Classes in the Clock Tower followed a basic principle of only those who could keep up with classes needed to bother with them.In magecraft, bloodline and talent decided almost everything. There was really no need to take classes seriously. Much of what lecturers in the Clock Tower did consisted of just giving out information as bait, and using that to lure in assistants for them to use.As such, the others found little value in the forgotten El-Melloi classroom. For 'him,' however, that was not the case.As a lecturer for third year students, he quickly made a name for himself.At first, he wasn't even placed into a specific Faculty, so his lectures had a vanishingly small number of attendees. Thanks to this, however, the lessons had a practicality to them that was unrivalled elsewhere in the Clock Tower, and the new generations of students with nowhere else to go flocked to him. Winning the approval of other lecturers that had failed in their struggles for power, he was able to take the stage and actualize a multilateral approach to education that had yet to be seen.Thinking about it now, that had probably been an entirely unintended consequence.For 'him,' who had neither the blessings of a powerful bloodline nor any inborn talent, the vague and rough style of teaching that was common was probably too difficult for him. Having somehow managed to become a third year lecturer while studying the bare essentials, he had no choice but to rely on others due to his own fundamental lack of ability.Yes, the figure of his young figure trying to bear the pain of another stomach ache came to mind easily. No doubt this was the time when those deep wrinkles began to form between his eyebrows. They would proably continue to just get deeper as his life went on. It made me want to measure them a little, so I could compare them later.In any case, under his leadership, the El-Melloi classroom continued to be used for three years.You could call it a kind of miracle.Of course, compared to the other assets owned by the family, it wasn't much. However, the oversight of a classroom was linked to the overseeing of lands. For someone like him who had no support or backing of any kind, one would have expected the position to be snapped away from him at the first mistake or sign of weakness. To think that he had managed to survive on his own for three long years made one think the other lecturers in the Clock Tower were being blinded by fairies or something.Around that time.Having taken an interest in him at a whim, I summoned him.Well. Let me make a small correction.I said I called for him, but it would be more accurate to say I took him captive. Thanks to a few small quarrels coincidentally ending around the same time, what little authority remained in the El-Melloi faction was concentrated around me. Using that authority, I had him brought before me.And so, with him grovelling before me, I spoke."I know of your activities since returning to England. Day and night, I have been watching your actions with a racing heart. You could call me something like a secret fan of yours."He had probably been preparing himself to die when he was brought before me.From my position, he was nothing more than another thief that had stolen away the resources that rightfully belonged to the El-Melloi faction. To have insulted the El-Melloi classroom, a renowned name even amongst the Clock Tower's elite, with such vulgar classes as those belonging the Faculty of Modern Magecraft, no matter who you asked they would say his death would be the only suitable reparation.But.But he was stunned right from the very beginning. Asking questions like who I even was, he hung his head and apologized, standing stiff like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. It was such an unexpected response that I had been struck silent as well.But then..."...I have some responsibility in Lord El-Melloi's case."As rude as it was, hearing those words I couldn't help but laugh out loud."Oh? Why would you say that? What responsibility could you possibly have had?"Even I thought that it was a mean-spirited question. Just recalling it now is making me smile. I really am hopeless, aren't I?Remembering the sight of him biting his lip, his shoulders shaking...it honestly makes me regret that I didn't record the whole affair. Of course, with a little effort I could replay the event in my brain with a little activation of my Magic Circuits, but in this world there were things that just had to be shared to be enjoyed.Thinking about it like that, I guess I don't have any friends who would enjoy something like that with me anyways. How unfortunate."Your elder brother, Lord El-Melloi - my teacher, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, was driven to his death because of my recklessness.""Right, right. If you hadn't fought against him, then maybe my brother and his fiancée would have lived a little bit longer."It was a huge lie.Just by interjecting when it seemed appropriate, I brushed off his claim.I see, this man had been a stumbling block to Kayneth right from the beginning of the Fourth Holy Grail War. He stole my brother's precious relic, and then entered the war and stood against him alongside the Servant Rider.(...but, that's all.)So I thought.Just from reading the records, I could tell my brother was destined to die.Sure, he was a prodigious magus in his own right, but his specialization was not in combat.In contrast, many of the others gathered for the ritual were beyond the level of being even professional killers. It was like he was trying to divert the flow of a river by throwing a rock into it. Sure, it was a fairly large rock, but it wasn't a job for a rock in the first place. That was my theory, at least.If he had realized the situation he was in and fled home as fast as possible, then he could have had a long, productive life. But knowing his personality, that option was never on the table. Once he had elected to participate, he wouldn't listen to any warnings from me. His death was really the only possible ending. Well, it may have been rare to happen to a Lord, but it was the kind of tragedy that one expected in the life of a magus.However, as if groaning, he opened his mouth."I acknowledge my sin. So please...at least spare my life.""Oh? Are you saying that if I'm not satisfied that killing you is an option? You know, the Far East where that ritual took place was known for its ritual suicide. Isn't begging for your life like this a little too much?""I still have something I have to do."He said it so plainly and clearly that it left me dumbfounded yet again.What education had he received to become this kind of person? As far as I had been told, he had been a good-for-nothing, self-centered brat who couldn't even see his own immaturity before he had run away from the Clock Tower. Now he seemed like a completely different person.I cleared my throat with a cough."...well then, since we're here anyways, how about I state my demands."I decided to strike right at the main issue.As the sound of him swallowing uncomfortably echoed in the room, I spoke with a bright smile."Right now, the El-Melloi faction is in a rather difficult place financially. With my selection as the next head of the El-Melloi faction, the Archisorte family has been burdened with that debt. However, dealing with that debt, and the accruing interest, is somewhat difficult for us. If you want to take responsibility for what you did, why don't you start by doing something about that debt?"Right from the beginning, it was an impossible request.For an ordinary magus, the amount of assets the El-Melloi family had lost was just too large. Even if they were to be supported by the Clock Tower as one of the twelve great families. To put it in modern terms, it was a debt large enough Hollywood would have been able to make a movie about it."...alright. I'll do everything I can."How softthis guy?Please, I'm begging you, try to understand how it felt to be me in this situation.No, rather than soft, it was probably more like he had already resolved himself. Biting his lip as if he was about to cry, he continued staring at me with a face that was so innocent it made me want to step on it.Pushing down on that impulse, I made my next demand."My brother's Magic Crest - the El-Melloi family Source Crest was recovered by the Mage's Association. Unfortunately, what they recovered only amounted to about a tenth of the full Crest. For the Tuner in our employ, it will take at the very least three generations to repair the entire thing. I wonder if you can do something about that as well?""...alright."Suddenly I became very worried that this man was not right in the head.Maybe the Fourth Holy Grail War was actually a ritual to fill their heads with worms. No wonder my brother lost. He would never be able to take something like that."Then let's get to the most important point. The most important thing for what's left of the El-Melloi faction is to protect the title of Lord, at all costs. As I explained earlier, I am the primary candidate for that position, but I'm a little young, don't you think? I wonder if you'd be willing to keep that seat ready for me until I'm old enough?""That's...fine...but what exactly would 'keeping it ready for you' entail?""To put it simply, until I'm of an appropriate age, someone else has to take the position of Lord."For the first time, his eyes went wide.He may have resolved himself to take on something like the first two of my demands, but this last one was definitely far beyond anything he ever imagined. Hearing the groan start from deep in his throat reminded me of the pleasure I felt the first time I tried pulling the legs off a frog."Hold on. So what you're saying is-""Exactly. Dealing with the other Lords is sure to be mind-numbingly boring, but I'm sure you'll do great, Lord El-Melloi II. How does that name sound? You are now my beloved older brother, after all."All at once, he collapsed.He barely managed to catch himself before he hit the floor, but it seemed like he was only a hair away from fainting completely."Why don't I add a fourth demand while I'm at it? You will also work as my personal tutor. Yes, receiving private tutelage from a brother not connected by blood should sendthe right messages."With a laugh, I finished him off.After this, I also took something from him as collateral to ensure he wouldn't attempt to flee from my demands, but that's a story for another time.That was the beginning of our love.It was a wonderful, heart-warming episode, don't you think?...ah, there was one thing I forgot to mention.My name is Reines El-Melloi Archisorte.The woman responsible for sealing 'him' - the fledgling magus known as Waver Velvet - under the name of Lord El-Melloi II.