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57.31% A Nascent Kaleidoscope. / Chapter 337: Chapter 304

Chapter 337: Chapter 304

I had been here only a single day and I had already solidified a single thought about Chaldea.

What the fuck was wrong with this place?

First that thing, which had been able to sneak up on me. I had no idea what it was only that it was something monstrous hiding beneath its fluffy surface that was kept under lock and key. It didn't appear hostile for now, so I had stopped overly worrying about it, for now.

But still, what the hell was it doing running around here?

And this, this new creature/man/being.

What had Olga call him, Lev?

What the fuck was that thing?

Because every instinct of mine told me that he wasn't human. But I also had no idea what he was, and her had been….friendly with the Director, so did I even have a right to call him out? I can't exactly call myself a normal human either and I don't have any ill intentions towards the people here.

That's how I tried to rationalize the situation to myself, however, that thing gave me a very strange feeling, and I didn't know how to process the reaction I had. There was a sense of…..familiarity, but something else that set me on edge around him.

It was no where near the same feeling of terror that the little animal gave me, but it was still something that made me cautious. A dim glow rather than a spot light.

But more importantly, why did I unconsciously default to hatred for whatever he was? I caught myself from overtly reacting, but just being in his presence made me annoyed and uncomfortable, and I don't know why.

No wonder the old man wanted me to investigate this place; there was a lot happening here under the surface. And frankly, I was becoming more and more confused on where to even begin my investigation.

It was hard to pay attention to what the Director was droning on about. Not that it was things I needed to know. She was giving a quick course in how to act around other Mages, but it was important for those who might be in my future team.

Just because I had a main objective which was to investigate what was going on, it didn't mean I would skirt any responsibilities I was given. Call it pride, but if I was supposed to get these people up to scuff, I would do so.

"And that is why you don't interrogate other Magi on their crafts." Olga clapped her hands, breaking me from my thoughts. I glanced up to see her wiping away chalk dust from her hands, looking proud of herself as everyone else was listening intently. "Anything you want to add, Shimoda?"

Jeez, why do I feel like I'm back in school with my teacher calling me out?

I scratched my head a little awkwardly, because I think she knew I hadn't really been paying attention. "Honestly, it's a pretty decent rule of thumb to just not ask too many personal questions, even if you think the question might be innocent. A good majority of Magi have a story, you never know what could poke them in the wrong way. Best just to be polite and not ask too many questions if you don't know, just to be sure. If you really need help with something or are confused, I'm sure there are people on staff that could help you without getting offended."

And I did say they could come to me about anything.

"Good, I will make sure you know which staff members are available for questions to not cause problems." Olga nodded in confirmation before taking out a pocket watch of all things. "That lazy idiot should be ready now. Shimoda, you're up first, head to the Medical Facilities for your check up."

"Um, where—"

"…I'll show you the way." She let out a sigh.

"Roman, you better not be slacking off!" Olga practically kicked open the door. "I swear, if I see you watching that stupid cartoon again, I'm going to –"

"D-Director!" I peeked inside to see a light-browned haired man fumbling with some things in his hands as he tried his best to shove them into a draw at the desk he was sitting at. "I'm working, I'm working, I promise!"

"Sure." She snorted. "I have your first patient, give him a proper check up, make sure there's no problems."

"R-right on it, Director!" He stuttered out, clearly caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be.

The Director scowled, but stomped out of the medical area, presumedly going back to where the others were.

"Whew, that could have been bad." The man sighed in relief. "So you're my first patient, huh? You should be a member of the B-Team that we just had arrive."

"Nice to meet you, Takao Shimoda" I held my hand out, something I would normally be hesitant about with these kinds of people, but he gave me a very…..fluffy feeling. I felt comfortable around him, strangely enough.

"Romani Archaman." He smiled rather good-naturedly, taking my hand for a shake. "You can call me Roman, everyone else does."

Suddenly, I felt the Spear in my ring vibrate, and for the briefest moment, there seemed to be a spark of Holy Power between us as soon as our hands met.

We both quickly jerked our hands back, looking at each other in confusion.

"….that was strange." I quickly tried to play it off.

Honestly, it was really weird. The Spear didn't usually react to things or people like that. And I couldn't very well take it out to investigate in a place like this. Who knew what kind of sensors or alarms might start blaring if I take out such a potent Holy Weapon.

"Y-yeah, what was that?" He smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, I have a Mystic Code on my finger under my glove, maybe some kind of reaction? Like two magnets or something."

"….yeah, that's probably it, I'm wearing a few Mystic Codes myself, I'll make sure to keep them from activating." I took the out that was given to me. "So, what kind of check up am I going to do? I doubt you want me to cough while you – "

"No, not that kind of physical." He chuckled awkwardly again. "Well, I guess we do need to check your physical health, but this is mostly to make sure there aren't going to be any foreseeable side effects to using the FATE system or Rayshifting if the time comes."

"Sorry, Fate System?" I furrowed my brow.

"Did the Director not get to that yet?" He scratched his cheek. "Uh, she'll probably explain it better than me. It's the system we use to summon servants, based on the one used in the Grail Wars."

"Ah." I nodded in understanding. "She did mention Servant summoning, but there's….. a lot of things to cover for mundane people who have just stepped into our world."

"Oh yeah." He winced. "I'm sure the Director is loving that."

Yeah, she definitely felt put off having to do something like that.

"It seems like she's going to hand over those responsibilities to me though. Most likely I'll be the Leader of B-Team from what she said." Networking was a go. It's a good idea to start making acquaintances with the other staff members

"Congratulations." He smiled rather happily. "Take care of me when you start moving up."

"I'm probably going to be nothing more that a glorified teacher." I chuckled. "But the benefits are probably good."

"The Director takes care for her people." He nodded. "A word of advice, if you need anything reasonable, she'll probably huff and groan about the costs and necessity, but she generally makes sure we're all satisfied."

Huh, a surprising take based on what I'd seen of her so far.

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

"Anyways, we should get started before she kicks my door down again." He slumped his shoulders. "She already confiscated my hidden snack stash the other day because she caught me taking a break."

I'm wondering what he meant by 'break'.

Well, not my business.

"Alright, so, what's first?"

"Mmm, going to need you to strip first, down to your unders, please."

I shrugged, as I began taking my clothes off. Thankfully, the old man had prepared me for a situation like this.

My command seals were hidden by a Mystic Code he created, a small bracelet on my wrist. I could easily play it off as my own 'Magi Paranoia' that I refused to take it off, or bullshit some other reason. It also did a good job of hiding my non-human nature from most probing, though it was certainly not full proof.

"Let's see..." The Doctor was flipping through some documents. "We have most of your information from when you signed up originally. Blood type, Gender, general medical history…..though there are a few more….invasive questions we're going to need."

"I understand, ask away." I hopped up on the bed, seat, table hybrid thing that most doctor offices had, sporting only my briefs.

"Are you a virgin?"

Well, that came out of left field. "…..are you coming on to me?"

"W-wait, I know it sounds weird to ask –"

"I'm flattered, really. But I think this is highly inappropriate given the circumstances." I could feel the corners of my lips twitching upwards.

"You're messing with me." He sighed, slumping his shoulders. "Why does everyone bully me."

Probably because it's easy and natural. "So, what's the explanation for that question, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I know it's weird, but it's generally an important thing of note when using the FATE system for summoning. It can affect what Servants can be potentially summoned and the more information we have, the better we can facilitate the whole process."

Should I make it more awkward for him? Ask him to clarify if certain activities counted as losing my 'virginity' or not?

'Does it count if I went balls deep into King Arthur's throat?'

I'm sure that would go over splendidly.

But, actually considering what I knew of how Servant summoning works, I can actually completely understand why he was asking that in hindsight. "No, I'm not a virgin." I chuckled.

And I'm already starting to miss my girls.

"Alright, moving on." He quickly jotted some notes done. "Are you related to any notable historic individual through any direct means. Be it a direct bloodline, or an inheritance of some kind?"

"Not that I know of."

Yet, anyways. Would it count if one of them bared my children?

"Hmmm, I'll put you down as unconfirmed for the time being. We may need to further search your history if it turns out to be an issue down the lost."

I shrugged, not like they could find anything meaningful.

"How many questions are there, exactly?" I asked.

"Uh…." He began flipping through pages, dozens and dozens of pages. I realized we were going to be here for awhile.

[****]

"Right, moving on, I'll mark you down for a positive on the time dilation."

Funnily enough, they had a question asking if I've ever had my personal time altered to not align with the world. Which….I spent a few years in the Land of Shadows, while only a week passed outside. So….technically? I was obviously vague about spending time in an area that flowed different than the outside.

"How much longer do I have to hold this?" I asked.

"Oh, I forgot about that. Eh….you should be fine now. I'll mark it down as a pass." He reached over, taking the Mystic Code out of my hand. "It's just a measure of how much Magical Energy output you can sustain for the process of facilitating the Summoning of a Servant."

It was just an orb-like object that constantly drained my Magical Energy at a consistent rate and I had to keep a consistent flow into it.

"Now….are you aware of any inhuman ancestry you might possess?" He asked. "Oh, and you can put your clothes back on."

[Nope, none whatsoever. Completely mundane human over here, no need to check.]

Hush, you.

[Ignore the wings, and the Divinity, and the Dragon. Completely natural, I assure you.]

I rolled my eyes at Ddraig's antics.

But there was the matter of how to answer this question. "I…..have a relation to Youkai – specifically of the Kitsune variety."

Which….was technically the truth, just not the type of relation he would assume. And I very well couldn't say I had demonic ancestry. The Church would probably burst through the door before the words left my mouth.

He raised an eyebrow as he looked at me. "Huh…..that's new." He scratched his head. "While we have some non-human blood among some of the staff, it's the first time we've run into someone related to Youkai. Not many Magi from out east that come on over here."

"Do you think it'll be a problem?" I asked, putting my shirt back on.

"Probably not?" He sounded a little uncertain. "We can't know for sure until later. But...you have Magic Circuits, so it's not like that kind of inhuman blood is predominant. So….I think it's fine to treat it as any other mixed-blood among our staff."

"…..It might also help if you gave some blood for testing." He said quietly.

"I would rather not." I forced a smile as I fixed my buttons and adjusted my tie back into its original place.

He did ask before, more officially, but we could also reserve the right to refuse. No Magus worth their salt would willingly give their blood to another Magus. The amount of horrible things you could do with willingly given blood was absurd.

An interesting thing of note, that willingly given and forcibly taken, made a huge difference when conducting rituals.

"Speaking of inhuman blood, would you happen to know a person by the name of 'Lev', the Director seemed familiar with him. Big poofy hair, likes to wear all green. But a snappy dresser?"

"Oh, lev?" He perked up. "Yeah, I know him. We studied at the Association together, and we've been friends for years." Roman smiled warmly. "Lev Lainur. He's supported the Director for years now and even after Lord Animusphere passed away."

Hmm, they seemed to have a good opinion of him, so maybe I'm just overthinking things?

"Wait, what did you mean by inhuman blood? Lev is fully human, I've known him since we were still teenagers." Roman blinked.

"Oh, my mistake, I was probably just misunderstanding something." I played it off easily enough. "Do you think he is – "

"If you have any questions about me, I would be more than happy to answer them myself."

My eyes dilated for a moment as I turned my head towards the source. The man was standing right in the doorway.

I didn't even sense his presence and I was hesitant to expand my senses outward in case anything unnatural about myself was noticed.

"We can consider it a trade." He smiled innocently but I felt an underlining hostility there. "Afterall, I'm also very curious about you."

[***]

Here's the Tuesday/Wednesday chapter. No chapter for Thursday, took the day off for some personal time, wanted to play some Hogwarts Legacy.

If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.c.o.m. / astoryforone


next chapter

Chapter 338: Chapter 305

"I hope I'm not intruding, Roman." The man looked cheerful as it walked into the room.

"Ah, well…." The doctor scratched his head. "I guess It's alright, it's not like you won't have access to this information afterward the exam anyways. And we're done with the personal examination, only have some questions left. As long as Takao over here is okay with it, that is."

"By all means." I kept my emotions even.

"Wonderful." He said with a jolly tone. "I'm excited to have a talk with our B-Team leader."

"It's not quite official yet." I strained a smile.

"Once Olga sets her mind to something, it gets done." He shrugged in a 'what can you do' manner.

For some reason, his entire attitude was very unsettling.

"Well, I suppose I should just accept it then. Takao Shimoda, B-Team leader." I introduced myself, a little tongue in cheek. "You came all this way to see me, what can I help you with?"

"An interesting choice of words. Do you believe there is something you can help me with?" He questioned, eyeing me intently.

"I'm always happy to help, but I'm just a simple hedge mage from the Far East, I fear I couldn't possibly be of much assistance to someone like you." I smiled right back at him. "With such a lofty position, I'm sure you have access to much more competent help with but a snap of your fingers."

His lips thinned. "Talent can blossom in the most unlikely of places. I do so enjoy helping bring out that hidden potential that I sometimes come across."

I didn't like what he was insinuating underneath those flowery words.

Was I seen through?

No, I don't think that's entirely the case. I think he's in the same situation as I am, we both noticed something was off about the other, something familiar that we can't quite place. Or atleast something similar in his regard, because it was difficult to read this person.

I'm making a lot of assumptions here.

"And what makes you think I have some hidden potential? I could very well have peaked as I am now. I'm just a rather average Magus, nothing too special about me."

"I have a fairly good eye for this." His own narrowing. "One might even call it instinct."

"You should listen to him." Roman spoke up as he watched us go back and forth, clearly not reading the mood. "Lev is a well known teacher, all of his students have gone on to be successful. If you could learn a thing or two from him, it would definitely help you."

"….Thank you, Roman." Lev twitched slightly, clearly annoyed at his 'friend' interrupting him.

"Oh well, how about we continue the check up, The Director might get impatient if we take too long." Don't know what this 'Lev's' motivation was right now, I think it might be better for me to take a step back and watch him for a little bit.

So I just took the opportunity presented by Roman to end that little back and forth.

"Alright, well, we just need to clear up your own Crafts that you practice." Roman looked down at his paperwork. "Obviously we won't ask you to delve too deep into them, we know how secretive that kind of information is. But for the ease of summoning, and for picking relics that could better align with yourself, we need to know what your area of expertise is. However, there may be some Crafts that require a few more….personal questions. In that case, I'll be contacting the Director, and we'll set up the proper protocols to make sure that kind of information doesn't get out."

By protocols he probably meant a Geass. I could imagine some Crafts or practices could have an effect on Servant summoning. Things like Spirit Invocation needed to be taken into consideration, and the more darker aspects of Magecraft, such as Necromancy, also needed to be taken into consideration. And hell, even transformation types of Crafts should probably have some asterisks next to them. Generally they would want to summon coherent and easy to get along with Servants, not monsters or the worse type, those that could easily be called villains.

"Fine, what do you want to know?" I already prepared some explanations for what I had going on.

Lev was also listening intently, obviously curious as well.

"Just a rough idea of what you're competent in and what your pursuit is. Are you seeking the Root like most Magi, or are you just using your Magecraft in a more practical application?"

"My 'family' is very young, so to speak. However, I can trace my roots back pretty far, and I've scrounged up a few things that allowed me to piece together a path towards the Root I'm striving for. I specialize in Runecraft with a minor in Alchemy, specifically the botany sub-branch. I also have a passing knowledge in Elemental Manipulation, and Onmyoji arts for the more 'practical' application as you put it."

"Not many families are willing to 'waste time' with Runecraft these days." Lev spoke up.

"What can I say? I'm just an ignorant Eastern Magi without many resources available to me. I have to use what I can, even if most others look down on the Craft." I shrugged helplessly

"Truthfully, I think it is foolish to disregard any Craft. Especially considering the Divine Nature which Runes originate from. Most Magi are rather proud of the paths they are treading. Could you sate my curiosity, what is your path to the great wellspring of knowledge?" Lev asked.

Not technically an intrusive question. He's just asking what path to the root I'm taking, which was pretty common knowledge amongst Magi circles. They sure do love to proclaim how superior their own Crafts are in every regard.

"I plan to follow in Odin's footsteps."

"Oh?" Levin raised an eyebrow. "No one can say you don't have high aspirations."

Hmm, he immediately could understand my intent.

Regardless of everything else, he appeared to be a very adept Magus.

"Uh…..can I get a better explanation please? I-I mean, don't just explain the details and all that, but I need something better to put down." Roman rubbed his head awkwardly.

I glanced at him and nodded, taking my attention away from Lev. "There is a well known legend of Odin hanging himself upon Yggdrasil as a sacrifice to himself, and gouging out his eye to drink for the enchanted mead." I didn't feel like I needed to retail the whole legend. "What he did was peer into the foundations of the world, in other words, he gazed into the Akashic Records, learning the Primordial Runes of old. There should technically still be a path there in the present era since no human has ventured it and the Age of Gods has thus ended."

"That sounds paradoxical." Roman blinked. "Since Odin isn't around, you can tread the same path, but everything else involved no longer exists either. I….don't want to tell you how to live your life and practice your Magecraft –"

"I understand where you're coming from. That's why I've dabbled in other aspects, to fill in the blanks so to speak." I shouldn't elaborate more, as someone in my position wouldn't if I wasn't just spouting bullshit.

But this was the background I chose since I had a connection to the Norse cosmology. It would explain a lot of my knowledge and spell usage if it came down to it.

If I was an established Magi from a long lineage, I would have 'taken offense' to his kind intentions. But I could understand where he was coming from as an outside perspective. Roman just seemed like a genuinely nice guy so far.

A far cry from the normal sort of Magi that I've met in both of my lives.

"A well-rehearsed reasoning." Lev smiled innocently, but I could understand his insinuation.

He was calling bullshit

"Right!" Roman chuckled. "It's good, with the Magi around here, even if you practice something common like Runecraft, if you have a well thought out thesis and unreproachable reasoning, they'll give you some respect atleast. Right, Lev?" He turned towards his supposed friend, still missing the subtext.

"It's as you say, Roman."

"It's nice to see such close friends even in these kinds of circles." I didn't miss Lev's little annoyance at his 'friend' continuing to blunder into any attempt at interrogation. "There were so few Magi out East, and I was warned that they were much too cutthroat to even consider the idea of 'friends'"

"Haha, it's a whole different world in the Clock Tower." Roman put an arm around Lev, the latter of whom looked like he was forcing himself to not scowl. "Lev and I became quick friends, but we also made some enemies along the way. If you haven't interacted with many Magi, you should be careful."

"Quite." He quicky corrected himself with a jovial smile. "As Roman says, much of Magi culture is very exclusive. As a member of Chaldea, you're afforded a lot of opportunities that someone without a pedigree would normally come across. And I would be more than willing to help you out in your studies should you find yourself stuck on any problem."

"Lev, always the teacher even while helping out with Chaldea." Roman chuckled. "Just being able to say you're his student will open doors, Y'know?"

"Oh now, I couldn't possibly intrude on your time." My lips thinned in annoyance. "Especially with all these new responsibilities I have suddenly. Not just being a Master-Candidate, but also the future leader of B-Team as you said. I won't have much time to study my craft as is, much less come to you for tutelage."

Lev opened his mouth to respond but Roman was quicker. "Ah, you're right." He scratched his head awkwardly again. "I'm sure the Director is going to run you ragged for awhile. Best to put a pin in that for now, but hey, thoughts for the future once things settle down."

Lev kept his expression even, but I could guess he was fuming at Roman right now. "Yes, we wouldn't want to make the Director unhappy by preoccupying his time away from his official duties. However, I may drop in every now and then to…..check up on your progress."

"I'm flattered to have earned the personal attention of such an esteemed Magus such as yourself." I replied with mock flattery. "But It may give people the wrong impression if you focus on me so much, and we certainly wouldn't want that."

"Perhaps that is the very impression I wish to give?" He chuckled, though I could see through the tone was using.

He was threatening me with his 'attention' so to speak. But he hasn't actually asked something that really warranted such a tactic.

I was trying to tread carefully right now as to not give away my identity, but at the same time, I wouldn't just roll over for him.

"Hmm, well, it looks like that's all we need from you – " Roman paused. "Oh woops, I almost forgot. We still need to a sample of your Magical Energy signature to key you into certain Security around the place. I'll be right back." He quickly scurried off into a back room leaving me alone with the thing in the form of a man.

"Well, this –"

"Who are you?" I felt a hand latch onto my arm.

The grip was tight, if I was a normal human, I think my wrist might have been broken. I narrowed my eyes at him as I slowly moved to pry his hand off my arm. "My name is Takao Shimoda." I smiled innocently.

And for the briefest second, I think I saw his eyes flash red.

He looked surprised as I was able to overpower the amount of strength he was using.

"An unaccounted one? No.." He looked utterly confused as he mumbled some words under his breath.

"Nevermind!" Roman walked back in as Lev quickly pulled away as if to make it look like nothing happened. "I forgot I still had the measuring device we use to measure your output. I just used the Magical Energy already inside that thing to get it all sorted." He blinked at the tense atmosphere that just dissipated. "….am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all." Lev smiled casually. "Young Takao and I were just having a discussion about some inane subject."

"Well, I think we have everything wrapped up thing." Roman didn't dwell on it. "Why don't you head back, and send the next person in?"

"Sure thing, Roman." I started making my way to the door.

"How about I show you the way back? These halls can be confusing for newcomers." Lev politely offered.

"I'm sure the Director would give me an earful if I had to be escorted back by someone like you. I may as well learn my way around by my own hand. But the offer is very appreciated."

"You're right." Roman interjected. "The Director can be a stickler for wasting time. And if she thinks you're dragging Lev away from his business, it'll only make her ride you harder. Trust me, I know." Roman let out a sigh with shoulders slumped.

I barely noticed the small twitch that Lev had before the corners of my lips curled up.

"It was a pleasure to meet you both. I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of each other quite a bit." I quickly gave my goodbye before leaving the room.

It took me a few moments and several corners before I let out a breath I was holding.

I still had no idea what that thing is, what species he was or his motivations. It didn't seem too intent on 'exposing' me but rather figuring out my own circumstances, so I didn't feel uneasy in that regard.

I knew for sure that this wasn't the end of things.

But seriously…. "What the hell is wrong with this place?"

Two things I had no reference for just on my first day here.

Why did I have the strange feeling that this wasn't the strangest things were going to get?

[***]

Oh boy, late chapter. Just take it as I took both friday and Thursday off. I went passed out as soon as I got home from work on Friday, slept for like 12 hours, then I woke up for a couple hours, intent on writing, and immediately passed out again for another 12 or so. Didn't realize I was so tired before.

Anyways, if you want to support me or read 7 chapters ahead, visit p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone


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