Chapter 180: Volume 2 Extra 4: Gestures of Friendship

"My Lord, there really isn't anything wrong with the wards."

"I implore that you inspect them again, just for the sake of certainty."

The middle-aged artificer, dressed in his usual garbs consisting of a brown apron worn over a business-casual suit and an adjustable loupe strapped to his forehead, gave the owner of the room a dejected look, but at the end of the day, he returned to his task.

Needless to say, the inside of Lord Endymonion's office was filled to the brim with tension, which not even the presence of the school nurse elegantly slurping his tea from a large porcelain cup could ease. At the moment, there were exactly three people inside; the aforementioned portly old man, currently leisurely drinking while sitting on an armchair that certainly wasn't there half an hour ago, the Arch-mage himself behind his desk with a face sourer than a vat of undiluted vinegar, and the artificer, who was busily re-inspecting the walls of the room with a flat hand-held device seemingly made out of glowing blue crystals.

The silence in the room didn't last long, as after pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment, Lord Grandpa let out a groan conveying about sixty percent exhaustion and forty percent frustration.

"I can not help but conclude that I have severely misread the current situation," he noted, and in response, Peabody put his beverage down with a nonchalant shrug.

"O-ho-ho, it happens even to the best of us." His encouragement obviously didn't work as well as he hoped, as the man behind the desk lethargically took off his hat, if only so that it wouldn't get in the way when he buried his face in his hands for a second. "Now, now, Amadeus. Don't be so hard on yourself. Why, even I thought it was Friedrich who took the key!"

The moment he heard that the Arch-mage immediately looked up to send a glance at the artificer still immersed in inspecting the wall, and once he was sure he didn't react, turned to the school nurse again.

"That is still confidential information," he hissed between clenched teeth before tapping on the bulge on his chest, no doubt the current resting place of the aforementioned Griomire Key, and when he was sure it was still there, he let out a curt sigh. "More importantly, I am not speaking about your nephew."

"Oh? In that case, you must mean the young mister Dunning," Peabody noted with a flat smile, much to the other man's barely hidden chagrin.

"Yes. I have obviously misjudged his capabilities, not to mention his audacity."

"O-ho-ho. Reminds you of someone, doesn't he?" the portly man commented between two chuckles, and this time Lord Endymonion didn't even bother to hide his distaste and promptly rolled his eyes.

"Spare me your witticisms, Archie. I am really not in the mood right now."

"Cheer up, cheer up. Things might not have turned out how you originally wanted, but the situation is not that bad, is it?"

"No, but it is also considerably far from ideal as well," the Arch-mage jabbed back before letting out a huge breath and slouching back in his chair. "That said, you are certainly correct in a certain sense of the word. While things might not have proceeded along the path I have envisioned, the ultimate result is still something I can utilize. If only he did not take the…" He abruptly paused here, and after sending a glance at the still working man with the glowing crystal slate, he finished in a low voice. "I only wish we could have reached this point without the confidential item ever being taken. It created an unforeseen opening, and I am afraid the conservative faction is going to try and use this incident against me."

"O-ho-ho? Are things getting heated up between the Conservative and the Reformist parties?"

"In a manner of speaking, but in this case, I am almost certain that it is Arch-mage Saahira pulling the strings. She had been trying to gain a senior seat for close to a decade, and utilizing the inner conflicts of the Assembly to her advantage is certainly not something below her."

"Saahira? The tall girl with chestnut skin and braided hair?" Peabody inquired absent-mindedly while reaching for his tea again, and the Arch-mage all but snorted in response.

"She is hardly a girl anymore. As a matter of fact, I believe she has just stepped into her fifth decade a few months ago."

"O-ho-ho? Has it really been that long since I last saw her? Oh, how time flies by."

"It indeed does." There was a long beat of silence while the school nurse continued to sip his tea, and once he finished, Lord Amadeus quietly added, "She had been a thorn in my side for more than half of those decades, though I believe it is to be expected, considering we are competitors in the same field."

"Is she also researching artificial life?" Peabody inquired with a curiously raised brow, apparently hearing about this conflict for the first time.

"In a manner of speaking. My School is aiming to create homunculi with artificial souls yet capable of utilizing the mystic arts. As you are already aware, we already had a few minor successes in the endeavor a decade and a half ago, but ever since then our research efforts have been stagnating."

"If you put it like that, I'm sure she must have had a breakthrough in the meantime."

"Multiple, even," Lord Grandpa uttered with a complicated expression. "If her research were to bear fruit, it would allow one to transfer their soul to a new artificial body. Understandably, many of the other Seniors in the assembly have vested interest in her research."

"Justifiably so," Peabody nodded with an expression that said he just realized something.

"Certainly. She had been using her research to leverage the support of the Reformist faction of the Assembly, and since we could not stop the rumors regarding the break-in, it is only a matter of time before a nominally unbiased group of investigators would arrive on the island. I am almost one hundred percent certain that she and the other members of the Reformist faction will attempt to use this opportunity to drag me down."

"You don't seem too worried about the prospect," the nurse noted, and the Arch-mage let out a small chuckle in response.

"I can not say I am. After all, I know them, and I know their methods. Let them try; I have been playing this game far longer than Saahira or her ilk."

"O-ho-ho? Now that is the confident Amadeus I know!"

The lord of the School politely waited for his friend to finish chuckling, and only then did he heave a tired sigh.

"Nevertheless, I must be vigilant in the future; I can not afford any further unforeseen interference from Leonard Dunning. I must make sure he would not sabotage another crucial plan in the time to come."

"Speaking of which," Peabody mused while slowly refilling his cup from the teapot on the Arch-mage's desk in a sophisticated manner that could be best described as 'aggressively British'. "What exactly was that original plan of yours? I gather you really wanted Friedrich involved because he made Galatea, but I am quite foggy on the rest."

"You knew I had plans for him, and you still acted as a bridge between us?"

"O-ho-ho! Of course! I know that you take care of your people, so there was no harm done."

"True enough, I suppose," the old man shrugged and once again slouched back in his seat before explaining himself. "There is no point lying about it at this point; our School is really desperate for a breakthrough. I hoped that the expertise of your nephew would grant us the push we need to further our craft, but I naturally also put a number of other plans into motion, most important of which was enticing the Kage clan and their sacred sword to come to the island. Did you know, old friend, that if rumors are to be believed, their sacred blade houses the soul of an eastern saintess?"

"Is that so?" the nurse asked back, most likely just to keep the conversation flowing.

"Indeed! If that is true, it means that sword must hold the secrets for preserving a soul for centuries! Possibly indefinitely!" Lord Grandpa explained with unusual zeal. "If we could get our hands on it, or even just examine it, it might not only provide a vital clue to our own research and allow our homunculi to function without the looming menace of an unexpected breakdown, but it might also serve as a crucial bargaining chip that would allow me to gain the upper hand against Saahira!" He paused here for a second, and once his head cooled down a bit, he continued in a considerably more subdued voice. "But alas, enticing the free-spirited folk of the Kage clan was no easy task, and even after I managed to lure the wielder of the sacred blade to the island, it was imperative to provide her a good reason to stay, so that we might observe her or even establish a bargain once sufficient familiarity was reached."

"O-ho-ho? That's an unusually timid approach for you," Peabody noted between two sips. "If it was so important, I'd have thought you'd take the sword by any means necessary."

"Please, Archibald! Do you think me a brute?" the old man scoffed, yet a moment later he added, "Yes, I have indeed had a contingency plan ready in case she was about to leave the island ahead of time, yet it was definitely a last resort. The wielder of the sacred blade is known to hunt all manners of phantasmal beasts, and her prowess with the blade is quite notorious; facing her in direct confrontation, even if it was within a trap I arranged ahead of time, would have most likely involved casualties we could scarcely afford." There was a beat of silence here as he recalled something, and his white brows immediately furrowed. "But then again, such theoretical speculations have already become completely moot thanks to the interference of a certain Leonard Dunning."

"Quite a troublemaker, that young man!" the portly nurse exclaimed, followed by a hearty chuckle. The other old man naturally didn't find it half as funny.

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"Troublemaker is putting it quite lightly," Lord Amadeus noted with a grimace. "The most dangerous thing about him is his unpredictability. I also can not, even after meticulous research, discern his origins or affiliations. At first, I was fairly certain he was related to the Brotherhood in some shape or form, but then he entwined himself with the young heiress of the Dracis. Considering how pedantic they are in regards to their bloodline, it also meant it was all but certain that he was not related to any of the winged ones by blood. That, and his considerable expertise concerning counter-measures against the mystic arts, artifacts, and illusionary arts made me contemplate the possibility that he was sent by one of the rival Schools to infiltrate us, but then he would not have readily returned the item that shall not be named to me in return of a few minor concessions."

"That's quite a pickle," Peabody noted, which earned him a skeptical look from the Arch-mage.

"Archie, do you actually know something about his background?"

"O-ho-ho? What makes you ask so?"

"I know you. You always look away when you are hiding something."

"Oh, am I?" The school nurse made a conscious effort to look the man behind the desk in the eye, and told him, "Even if I knew, I'm afraid I can't say. You see, I really can't afford to anger the Brotherhood of Hippocrates. They have eyes and ears everywhere."

Lord Grandpa gave the comically serious old man a long, flat look, and ultimately let out a lung-rattling groan that made even the artificer working in the background shudder.

"Archie, that joke was already old when we first met more than half a century ago."

"O-ho-ho! It's not old, it's vintage," Peabody responded with a wink, earning him another small groan.

"Let us ignore this tangent and continue the previous conversation," Amadeus proposed, and his partner agreed with a nod. "For the time being, I believe Leonard Dunning and his group of eccentrics can be considered a neutral party as far as our future plans are concerned. He currently possesses two things we need; your nephew's talents, and access to the holy sword of the Kage clan. While our relationship is far from harmonious, I believe it can be gradually improved over time."

After saying that, the Arch-mage took a piece of paper out of his drawer and began drawing on it with a focused expression.

"First and foremost, while he demanded custody of Friedrich, he also requested us to fund his expenses. This tells us two things; instead of keeping him in captivity, he wishes to utilize your nephew's talents for himself, and he does not have the resources to do so by himself. This gives us an opportunity to steadily build a dependent relationship that would enable future cooperation and eventual co-option."

"Sounds reasonable," the nurse noted as he leaned forward to take a better look at the flowchart the old mage was drawing.

"Next, we must ease the tensions. Amelia might have picked their side already, but she is still my scion, so if I ask, I am certain she would advocate for our cause. By his accord, Pascal has also been on good terms with the Bernstein boy. I shall ask him to deepen their bonds and enter their circle, so that we would have another voice speaking for us. Finally, I am thankfully in a cordial association with the Dracis patriarch. By exchanging a few favors, I might be able to have him subtly influence the young mister Dunning." After drawing another circle and a few more arrows, Lord Grandpa paused for several seconds before stating, "If all else fails, creating a crisis might also force them to consider creating closer ties with the School."

"A crisis? What kind of crisis?"

"I am considering a kidnapping scenario, or possibly arson," the Arch-mage noted with an almost disinterested voice, as if he was only talking about the weather. "Ideally it should be combined with framing one or more of our adversaries. The winged lords of the Abyss seem to be the obvious choice, though revealing a hint of the inner conflicts within the Assembly and turning their animosity towards the Reformers would naturally also have a certain allure. Once they face this unfortunate crisis, we would naturally offer our full support as a gesture of friendship. As for the exact details of such a ploy, I shall consider the details at a later time"

After declaring so, the old mage continued to tap his pen against the paper in front of him, deep in thought, occasionally adding a few words here and there. This continued for about a minute before he finally noticed that the artificer stopped poking at the walls and was silently waiting by his desk.

"Yes? Did you find anything unusual?"

"No, my lord," the man shook his head with an exhausted face. "I've checked every single anchor point and the integrity of every minor ward one by one. There was absolutely nothing wrong with any of them whatsoever."

"Preposterous," The Arch-mage huffed a tad indignantly as he put the pen aside and began to drum on the desk with his fingers. "I was denied access to my own wards. There is absolutely no plausible way such a thing would leave no evidence."

"With all due respect, my Lord, there's really nothing here. Maybe it wasn't your access that was denied, but the connection itself? As in, could it be that there was a faux ward set up to intercept your command and make you think you were cut off?"

"I have made these wards. I know them like the back of my hand. I tell you, there is no way I would be mistaken about this."

The two men locked eyes for a few seconds, and it was naturally the middle-aged one who averted his gaze first.

"I have no reason to doubt you, my Lord, but there is simply no way that—"

It was at this point that everyone in the room was startled by the sound of a heavy impact, followed by the tinkling of shaking glass. The three men in the room instinctively turned their heads towards the source of the noise, only for their eyes to land on a tall (if presently slightly hunched), dashing (if currently just a teeny-weeny bit haggard) guy in black.

"Oh, sorry for intruding," I called out to the group with forced cheerfulness. "I realized I have forgotten something the last time, and as they say, there is no better time than today, so I figured I might as well get it over with ASAP."

To punctuate my point, I forcefully tapped the side of the wooden cabinet by my side, which incidentally made all the liqueur bottles inside shake once again.

"Ah… um… Leonard?" Peabody addressed me while once again wiping his forehead with a hankie that I was about three hundred percent sure he didn't have just a moment ago, so I gave him a nod in place of a greeting. He only began to sweat even harder, "When, exactly did you get here?"

I almost reflexively told him that I obviously came in just now, but then I remembered that currently I was still in the process of confusing them about what my powers were, so instead I said, "Who knows, maybe I never left? Maybe even this liqueur cabinet was here all along, but you just never noticed it? Eyes are such fallible little organs, don't you agree?"

"… I'm fairly sure I walked over there," the artificer noted a little absent-mindedly, obviously confused by the situation.

"Oh, but did you really? Or do you just think that? It can be hard to tell sometimes," I replied with a grin, only to then suddenly remember something and add, "By the way, Gowan?"

"Yes?" the man answered reflexively.

"Good, I really hoped I didn't misremember you. I'm bad with names, you see. Anyhow, I just wanted to tell you that, considering the circumstances, I'm afraid I can't attend the symposium tomorrow."

"Ah? I see, but… it has been postponed because of the break-in," the vaguely Scottish artificer noted, apparently still more than a little baffled by this entire situation. Not that I could blame him.

"Really? That's a shame. Oh well, if you have a new date, please inform me." I didn't wait for him to respond, and instead, I turned to the owner of the room still sitting behind his desk and conspicuously concealing a piece of paper with his arms. How cute. "Anyway, as I was saying, while our relationship is far from harmonious at the moment, I figured I would be the bigger man and give you an olive branch. Unfortunately, I'm fresh out of those, so for the time being, please do with this cabinet here. Consider it a gesture of friendship, if you will."

I gave the Arch-mage a supremely ominous wink and waited for a short while to see if they would react, but to his credit, the dapper mage maintained a perfect poker-face, while the other two remained befuddled as ever. That was kind of boring, but in retrospect, I don't know what I was expecting.

"I see that you are busy with something, so I better get going," I stated with mock reluctance. "I will see you around. Bye, and remember: no double-crossing."

And with that, I left Lord Grandpa to stew in his own juices and I Phased home, where I would no doubt have to listen to an earful from Judy for disappearing in a hurry. Oh well. The sun rises on the east, the river runs to the ocean, the lion eats the zebra, and the Judy gets mad at the Leo when he disappears in the middle of a conversation. Such is life.

…

This was totally worth it though.

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