Crown Grand

Colour Brand

Law Pride

Festival Fes

Open Cause

Eldest Child Count

Youngest Child Flame

Legend Carrier God's Holder

Chapter 1Part 3The next morning, we got on a train leaving London.Though we had agreed to meet at the platform, I found Gray confused and stuck at the ticket gate. It seemed she was still not used to using trains. While she seemed to understand how tickets worked, once confronted with the new contactless IC Card readers at the turnstile, she had completely frozen up.Her luggage was the same as always.I also had nothing but a single suitcase. Trimmau naturally couldn't be allowed to be seen in town, so she was in storage. Of course, her mercury form had been altered with magecraft to be much lighter than normal."Sorry for making you come with me.""D-don't mention it," Gray replied politely.Sitting in a compartment for four people, we ended up sitting facing each other. Though it would be difficult enough with just two of us here, it would be even harder to avoid talking if we sat like this. Though saying that, there had been very few chances for Gray and I to talk alone since she came to London, so I was a little unsure of what kind of things to talk about.(...I guess starting with food would be a good idea.)Thinking that, I retrieved a small wooden box from my suitcase. Untying the red ribbon and lifting off the lid, the sweet smell of chocolate wafted out.Lined up cutely inside was an assortment of flower-shaped chocolates. Along with the flower shaped chocolates were some real flowers, preserved with sugar, making it fun to look at right from the start.Taking one of the chocolates in hand, I popped it into my mouth. The chocolate, with a melt-in-your-mouth sweetness, also held a faint bitter taste. The sweetness of what used to be flower petals came in layers, and before I knew it I had taken two or three of them. They were a product of a particularly favoured chocolatier in London, and though I normally settled for their chocolate drinks, this kind of assortment couldn't be underestimated either."Mmm. They've made them a little bitter this month. Dammit, they're just trying to cram the calories in me, aren't they?"Of course, there were any number of weight-loss medicines within magecraft, but I wasn't about to become a guinea pig for those kinds of experiments.After thinking for a bit, I offered some to the girl across from me."Would you like one?""...t-thank you." As she had answered so politely, I handed one over.As if she didn't have much experience with sweets, she let the flower-shaped chocolate sit in the palm of her hand for a moment, like she was unsure of what to do with it. Then, all at once she popped it into her mouth, after which she went wide-eyed and stiff for a few seconds."...it's delicious.""Oh? Well then, would you like some more?"My mean streak temporarily satisfied by her reaction, reminding me of a small animal, I reached into my suitcase once again."Tadah!" This time, I pulled out a bottle."...alcohol?""This chocolate is sold as a set with champagne, you know. This time I've replaced it with a non-alcoholic wine, though. Would you like to try a little?"In England, as long as they had the permission of their parents, a child could begin drinking alcohol at home from five years old. As such there was a certain sentiment associated with non-alcoholic drinks like this, but there was still an appropriate time and place for them.Taking out two portable glasses, I poured some for Gray and myself.Take a bite of chocolate.While that rich sweetness still lingered in your mouth, take a sip of wine. That sweetness, mixed with the refreshing flavour of the wine, created a satisfying combination you could feel all the way down your throat."Please, please, help yourself." Seeing Gray sipping on her wine alone, I offered her the box of chocolates again, still more than half full."Ah, thank you...but I've had enough.""Oh? Quite the small appetite.""...my master says that a lot, too." As if apologizing, the girl dropped her shoulders.As if to prove that her compliments of the food had not been a lie, she held held on to the glass in her hands with a happy expression."By the way...umm...""Hm?"Dropping her gaze, Gray spoke up in a reserved voice."Why are your eyes a different colour now?"As Gray had pointed out, normally my eyes were a fiery red colour. Now, however, they probably looked more like a brilliant blue.Gently touching the area around my eyes, I smiled."This is their natural colour, you know? Ah, now that you mention it, it's about that time isn't it?"I took some of my eye medicine out from my coat. Holding my eyes shut, I waited for the medicine to soak in before opening them again."It's because of my particular kind of Mystic Eyes. When my eyes come into contact with magical energy, they start turning red as a side effect."This was also a 'bonus' of being born into a lineage of magi. From the beginning, my family was just a branch family of the Archibald family, so such an incomplete result was to be expected. In all honesty it was a hindrance to many people, but a situation like this afforded one certain status within the Clock Tower."It's not such an issue in the Clock Tower, where magical energy is everywhere, but having red eyes isn't really acceptable in the general public, is it? Considering the nature of magi, it stands out a little too much."I laughed gently. In short, it was like dressing up to go out. Just like when you go to a funeral, you dress in black as much as possible. As a magus, you had to be very sensitive to the circumstances you found yourself in.The scenery continued to pass by.As we left London, the cityscape turned to fields and forests. I felt like my tension was melting away with the gentle rocking of the train. Once we arrived at our destination, there would be no escaping the tension, so it was better to let my mind rest now.After a while, Gray suddenly lifted her face."...may I ask about what we're doing?""About the Gold and Silver Princesses, right?""Yes," she nodded."Where to start?" Sinking into the seat, I thought for a while before answering. "Well, there's a family that is dependant on Lord Valuayeta, the Lord of the Faculty of Creation. Most magi within the Faculty of Creation consider themselves artists in some sense. Of course, the varieties therein are countless, but the Iselma family has pursued the creation of 'the most beautiful person' for generations."I ate another chocolate. This one was shaped like a lily. The combination of sweetness and bitterness gently filling my mouth spoke to the skill of the craftsman."...the most beautiful person?""Why is beauty a thing people recognize?" As if continuing the conversation earlier with my brother, I spoke. "Well, what people recognize is said to have a large effect on magecraft. When new Gold and Silver Princesses have been decided to be created, it's become common practice to announce it. Though it's the first time I'll be seeing them myself.""That's what the Gold and Silver Princesses are..." As if engraving it into her brain, she muttered those names over and over. After which, she spoke up again. "Do you think...something might happen?""What makes you think that?"After turning back the unexpected question, Gray paused a moment before responding."...when we went to the Castle of Separation, it seemed like you also...predicted something might happen. So I thought, why would you ask me to come...if you didn't think something was going to happen again?""Wow. You've got quite the intuition, haven't you?" Saying so, I lightly slapped my own forehead.I had never intended to take this girl lightly, but before I knew it she had become quite sensitive to the way other people thought. Or maybe it was better to say she had begun taking an interest in it. No doubt her desire to 'learn more about the Clock Tower,' much to my brother's chagrin, was coming from the same place."There's a rumor a Grand is going to respond to the announcement this time." I had no reason to hide it from her, so I gave her the honest answer."...Grand? That's the highest rank among magi, right?""Correct," I nodded.Those are the different ranks the Clock Tower is divided into. Just like it appears, Grand is the highest rank, while Flame is the lowest."Realistically speaking, the top rank is Brand. The majority of Lords end up staying at that rank. My brother-in-law Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald also ended up getting stuck there...well, if he hadn't died so early, he might have had a chance at making it higher.""My master's...predecessor?" Gray responded with a twitch to that name.It seemed like she had her own thoughts about him. I wonder what they were?Maybe it was just because she had seen her master suffer over the thought of him. The reason he insisted on being called Lord El-Melloi 'the second' was no doubt because of the guilt he felt towards his previous teacher. It was just a treat for me, though. However if it was something that even his favourite student was worrying over, maybe there was room for a bit more consideration on my part. Maybe....that just makes it more enticing though, doesn't it?Regardless, I continued my explanation."That being the case, the number of people who actually reach the position of Grand is vanishingly small. Those who do make it that far tend not to spend much time fraternizing with other magi.""...I see," Gray seemed to accept it easily. "...by the way, how is my master's standing, being a Fes?""There are some special circumstanes behind that as well," I said, unconsciously giving a bitter smile.Normally it would just be considered the fourth rank, but in his case it was given thanks to special considerations. To keep it short, rather than being given to him for an assessment as a magus as was normal, it was an honorary title given to him for his particular skills and achievements. Something like Tiferet, an element of Kabbalah's Sephirot - as long as it's beautiful, everything's fine."As long as it's beautiful...it's fine," Gray repeated.To say that the connection between this and our current topic of the Golden Princess was a coincidence would be dishonest. It could be said that in general, the pursuit of beauty was a natural characteristic for magi. As with my brother's case, you could say that being able to measure the recognition of a person was a basic skill for magi."Thanks to that, the rank of Fes tends to carry a different meaning than the others."As far as ability in magecraft, they displayed the whole spectrum from top to bottom. In some cases, there were even those ranked Fes who had abilities that exceeded even those of the Brands.For example,, the Enforcer who held a Mystic Code passed down since the Age of Gods.For example, the Master of Restoration capable of easily regenerating a damaged Magic Crest.Those who did not stop within the realm of ordinary magi, whose tremendous, unusual abilities inspired awe....or."...of course, in my brother's case, it's because of the assessment of his students," I said, fully aware of the mean-spirited smile that had risen to my face. "As a lecturer, such a glowing assessment of his students is nothing short of fantastic. However, you could say reaching the rank of Fes for such an assessment was completely unheard of for anyone who became a Lord, even if temporarily."If it weren't for that assessment, it wouldn't be unusual if he were to fall into the rank of Cause or Count. As an aside, my personal assessment of his abilities put him considerably lower than a Cause. Certainly he was well above the level of the New Age students who had recently arrived in the Clock Tower, but his particular ability wasn't at a level worth talking about. Truly a mediocre person in a field of mediocre people.Strictly speaking, the rank attributed to a family and to an individual was different, but the difference here was enough to be tragic. But that's a complicated matter, so let's leave it be for now."...s-sorry, I'm...a little confused." Gray's face held a somewhat suspicious expression. Maybe I had dumped too much information on her at once. With the way her eyes were spinning and she was massaging her temples, it seemed like she might break out in a fever any moment.She thought she just wasn't very smart, but that wasn't really the case. She still probably wasn't used to having to deal with so much information all at once. She seemed like the type to try and take in everything at once. Trying to cram everything right before the test was not exactly recommended, though.I kind of wanted to tease her for that too."Well, I'm sure you'll be fine just winging it," I said with a smile.