บท 57: 54. Ultear Milkovich
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Totomaru
"So, you decide how you're gonna approach this?" He asked from his stool next to the white-haired girl, his attention on the homework Juvia had asked him to look over before she handed it to her tutor tomorrow.
He had insisted on a portion of their earnings going to her to get a proper education at a private school nearby. His reasoning was sound, so Lyssa agreed to pay for it considering that the cost of the school was equal to their regular living expenses, which he agreed to pay for.
Other than the risks their jobs entail, it would give her more opportunities to socialise now that she has slightly better control over whether or not it rains, which would mean she wouldn't get bullied as much as she used to by other kids and help her develop better social behaviour. Something he firmly believed was crucial for a kid's development.
Lyssa asked him why he didn't offer her an opportunity like that, to which he responded by saying that she was well beyond having a healthy childhood development and needed to be kept in a "proper environment."
She grumbled but didn't argue.
Going back to the present, she leaned back on the bar counter as she kept her eyes on the guildhall door, waiting for the government representative to show up. "Giles is the type to overreact, but not without reason. I'm not going to kill her, but we'll be having the meeting in the S-Class lounge."
"Mmm, so that's why you told me to skip a job today," he mumbled as he looked at the papers in front of him with growing irritation. It was bad enough he had to go to high school twice, but now he has to help someone else with their algebra? He hates algebra! Why can't Juvia just skip to geometry? Something he was actually good at?
Unaware of his plight, Lyssa answered with a simple "Exactly."
Lyssa was hosting the meeting in her home territory, the main guildhall, where not only a Wizard Saint resided, but where four of the now-five elite members of the guild were, with the exception being Sol who was at some important socializing event that none of them cared about learning.
In Totomaru's opinion, there are probably more members in Phantom Lord at his calibre. He would argue that in an outright fight, he was the weakest in a direct confrontation even if he was the fastest. Aria had invisibility and the ability to steal the magic power out of people, the latter being especially lethal to the more powerful wizards and even some mercenaries. He didn't have the raw magic power Lyssa and Lyubov had, nor the adaptability of Sol who was almost as good at stealth as he and Aria while also having a fight-winning spell in the form of Merci la Vie. A spell that allowed him to read minds and trap people within their own traumatic memories, causing them to lose the will to fight where he would then petrify them.
He had only seen the spell used by Sol twice. The first was when Lyssa stole the tea set he left in the library, which he took offence to. He then challenged her to a fight when she refused to apologize for using his possessions without permission, which is when he used the spell. Unfortunately for Sol, he had to bear witness to the things that Lyssa considers traumatic, which would have been bad enough, but the little she-beast only got annoyed by the attack, breaking free of the spell and stripped the grown man naked, whipped him in front of everyone with a Dark Make: Whip (which affects the mind as much as the body) and then crucified him on the front door of the guildhall.
The display only caused Totomaru to think the spell was rather weak, but then Sol used the spell against Momonji, the previous flame of the Elemental Four. A short while after Totomaru usurped his position, something occurred between him and Jose that led to him getting kicked out of the guild. The fool came back drunk a few days after with some random gang he found and tried to trash the Oaktown guildhall. Sol made an example of the man, well before the fight could even start.
Aria is someone capable of killing Wizard Saints with ease, while Lyubov is considered a peer by their resident Wizard Saint. Normally the reason the Elemental Four are the only ones considered S-Class formally is that you need to either become one of the Four or be sponsored by them. And if they allow someone else to rise to their station, then that means fewer high-paying jobs for them, which means less money. Lyssa being sponsored despite their pride and greed is a testament to her ability, her being fourteen only makes it more astonishing even if very few people know about it yet.
So where does Totomaru's strength come into play? Simple, he's a goddamned otaku.
Who was a once twenty-seven-year-old chef, Shinji Okeada found escapism in manga in all its forms. Shonen? Most definitely. Shoujo? He's read a few. Seinen? Berserk was his first manga. Josei? He wouldn't tell a soul, but he loved them, too.
But his favourite of all was Naruto. He kept up with the series ever since the first chapter was released in 1999, until his unfortunate death at the hands of a gas leak-caused explosion in the kitchen he worked in in 2005.
He fell in love with the idea of shinobi, chakra, and everything the series had to offer. Especially the fishnets, for some unknown reason. So when he found himself in this weird world full of magic and cool abilities, he trained to be a ninja.
Sol can turn invisible, but Totomaru doesn't need a spell to be unseen. Aria can read people's memories, but Totomaru doesn't need a spell to collect all the blackmail he could need. Lyubov can destroy a city from a recliner, but Totomaru can assassinate their leaders before they even hear a gunshot.
So the plan was pretty clear to him the second Lyssa said a single sentence. He was to hide in the room, study her, watch her, pickpocket any documents that might be on her person. If he's discovered? He's an S-Class wizard, too, and her legal guardian. If things go sideways? The guild will be a wall of extremely powerful bodies. And they likely wouldn't risk asking to have the meeting somewhere else considering how long they had to wait for a meeting opportunity, because even after hearing about this Ultear girl wanting to meet with her again, Lyssa had unceremoniously "disappeared" again for another week.
At least, that's what he thought was supposed to happen…
—
Ultear
14:00
That was when she was supposed to talk to Lyssa after finally getting her to stay in one location. William has had no luck navigating the prisoner's memories, and Jellal has been called to act as the escort for the Queen of Minstrel, the second-largest country on the Ishgaran peninsula. And considering the rising tensions between Fiore, one of the smallest countries on the peninsula, and the Alvarez Empire, which is the size of an entire continent, and the seemingly constant attempts of their Queen to annex Fiore it didn't take a genius to assume what she was here for.
So that meant their greatest lead on Beestenbloed at the moment was the fourteen-year-old who just wouldn't stay still.
And even then it wasn't a guaranteed lead. But at this point, something was better than nothing. Maybe she could at the very least get an idea of what Lyssa did to their greatest lead.
But she was also running out of time, as within the week the Council would publicly announce to the public the identity and affiliation of their prisoner in hopes of stirring a hornet nest, which would allow them to gather something.
Because for some reason, after years of not doing anything, Beestenbloed decided to make themselves known. They somehow managed to alter enslavement collars to use the spell of a Wizard Saint, the same Wizard Saint that had been missing for months without anyone noticing anything, kidnapped hundreds of people who have been confirmed to have been affiliated with dark guilds or participated in the magic artifice trade, again, all without garnering suspicion, and attacked a shipment containing twenty tonnes of etherion.
Disrupting a primary economy and acting against Fiore's rather lacking war machine is one hell of a way to make a debut, in her non-terrorist opinion. But despite how useful the Council's ineptitude is when she's using it for her benefit, she can't help but be infuriated when she needs them to be able to be competent for once.
'Get in ten minutes early, try to get as much information as I can, and leave before 15:00. Lord Hades should be available for most of the afternoon, so I should be able to get some help from him, Jellal should also try to talk to brain Brain.'
Without wasting time, the chronomancer walked up to the large castle that served as Phantom Lord's main headquarters at exactly 13:50.
As she expected, the place was seedy and grimy. The air was cloudy with smoke, from the various flames lit to illuminate the room and the smokers that she was sure were lounging around. Several men and women openly leered at her, plenty were drunk or popping unknown pills, some were fighting, and the rest were gambling. Just from a glance, she counted at least fifty people that she would have full authority to arrest, but she wouldn't.
Only the daring would impose on a Wizard Saint's territory, as such was the unspoken law of strength.
They were the continent's primary source of military power and morale, as well as the wizard, mercenary, and minuscule amount of alchemist guilds that dotted the landscape. The Magic Council could be stronger, should be stronger, but when only ten percent of the world's population could use magic properly and only a handful of that chose military doctrine over the freedom of guild work there was only so much that they could do. That's why a majority of the footsoldiers in the Magic Council were Holder Wizards, because even if they don't have the Magic Origin that true wizards have the lesser citizens can piggyback off of the hard work of wizards.
But eventually, Hades' dream of a world where only wizards can thrive will become reality and the rest will be crushed under heel.
That's a dream for the future, though, one she must work now to bring to fruition.
As she passed by a preteen crunching metal in his mouth she approached the bar where her target was, she couldn't help but take an appraisal of the girl. White hair laid loose, ghostly pale skin uncommon on fire wizards, a sleeveless turtleneck that exposed extremely toned arms, a corset with red laces, flexible-looking jeans, and knee-high stiletto boots. An outfit she would expect on most wizards, but from what she could gather she fought mostly in a form that utilised aerial acrobatics with her feet being the main weapon of choice.
The last time she saw her supported this; she wore loose-fitting pants and sandals.
'I suppose a stiletto to the eye wouldn't really be pleasant, but…' she thought as she studied her posture. Relaxed, smirking, and reclining onto the bar on her elbows, legs crossed and violet eyes staring Ultear down with similar appraisal. 'She's comfortable, but she's also looking like she's about to get more out of this meeting than I am.'
Ultear didn't realize how accurate she was.
She shoved those thoughts away and stood in front of the demon. "It's nice to see you again, Ms. Wisteria," the ravenette said with a professional smile.
"Likewise, Colonel Milkovich," said as her entire demeanour shifted, less cocky and more professional. Ultear was thankful that the girl at least tried to look like she was taking this meeting seriously, whether or not she actually was was a different matter entirely, though.
"Do you have somewhere private where we can have this discussion?"
The girl stood up and motioned with her hand for Ultear to follow. As she followed Lyssa up a set of stairs, she couldn't help but notice that some of the attention from the crowd had diverted from her. Slack jaws and incredulous gazes were sent in Lyssa's direction as she led Ultear up to what she assumed was the area designated for the S-Class mages if the lone mission board plastered with dozens of S, SS, SSS, Decade quests and the lone Century quest said anything.
Did they not know Lyssa had been promoted? She wasn't even part of the guild and Ultear had deduced that the train guardian mission was her promotion trial. What other reason was there for someone lower than S-class to go on an SS-rank mission? Then realization struck her.
'She isn't the type to display her achievements! No wonder the Council hasn't heard anything about her. Jose probably doesn't know about her strength either, otherwise, everyone would have heard about it.'
This raised another alarm for Ultear. Pride was the rule, for wizards, not the exception. No matter how weak they are, or how wasteful it would be, wizards showcase their abilities habitually. 'Look what I can do that you can't.' Considering her age Ultear couldn't help but be more surprised by it.
Getting 'Siegraine' recognized for his strength was especially easy because he's at the height of puberty. He's cocky, and, in his mind, invincible, all while being more than capable of backing up all his talk.
So for this kid of equal age to him, a girl who was capable of levelling mountains with what was basically a glorified Fireball spell, to have flown almost entirely under her radar until she went looking for information on her because she lacked that need to show off her abilities, Ultear couldn't help but grow more cautious. Especially when she realized that she couldn't feel her magic power at all despite being right next to her!
That was because of something that only a handful of people in the world other than Lyssa could do. After Makarov sensed her magic power despite Lyssa trying to hide her presence, she grew paranoid. For the past week, she learned how to form a metaphorical shell out of her cursed power around her to trap her magic power. Considering you need to have an energy to sense that energy, those without any curse power won't be able to sense her through aura alone.
It was plenty difficult for to do for her, though. Especially since she seldom used her curse power in any shape or form. Sure, she studied it, she was a scholar before a fighter after all, but it was like trying to brush your teeth with your left hand when you're right-handed. It's possible, but feels just alien enough to feel wrong.
But that was how she approached everything. If she finds a weakness in herself she works to cover for it or use it to her advantage. Example; she can die through a stab wound? Learn how to not die from a stab wound and use it to psychologically mess with her opponents.
It was a fairly simple thought process in her mind, but the sheer undertaking that she had to do through constantly experimenting on her person would have her labelled as insane by generally anyone else. But, because she never talks about them, no one ever knows about them.
Totomaru was the only one that had even the slightest bit of information about what she's been doing to herself and he drilled into Juvia's mind to never enter Lyssa's room even if she says it's okay to.
So, for someone like Ultear whose entire job was reconnaissance and espionage to be confronted with a giant question mark in the form of a pubescent demon, it's only natural for her to be on her guard.
Even if it didn't take much effort to hide that she was from the girl. She was not scared of her in particular, but rather the variables she presented and the risks those brought with her.
And it was these little psychological queues that Lyssa loved triggering, even if she didn't know exactly what she was doing. Something that all stemmed from learning how to play poker in a single night developed into a passion for mind games. Get them stuck in their heads, have them overthink, so focused entirely on what she can get them to be they don't even notice the orange ninja walking up behind them while drinking a Sazerac cocktail.
By the time they sat down on the plush chairs of a private meeting room Ultear's entire perception of the girl she only thought of as powerful beforehand had changed. But that was all the more reason she had to finish this up early.
Get what she needs, get out, and then have someone do recon for her on Lyssa while she works on finding Beestenbloed and Wolfheim.
"Let's cut straight to the point," Ultear started as she opened up the briefcase she brought with her, picking up a notepad for herself and handing over a manilla folder to the girl sitting across from her. "I would like for you to validate the reports on your involvement in the attack on the train heading for Era. As well as fill in some missing information."
"Alright."
"Is it true that you and Lyubov joined the train at Oshibana station at noon, where you were positioned in the car right in front of the cargo?"
"Yes."
"And when the train was attacked, what was your role in the defence?"
"I tried to route as many of the transformed humans as I could. Assuming them to be some type of vulcan I went all out, killing nearly thirty before I retreated back to the barrier that Rune Knights were deploying around the train."
"And according to the reports you and Miss Lyubov separated tasks, with her overseeing the subjugation of the transformed humans and you going after the controller. From here the reports lose track of you. Besides the large amount of destruction that was found leading away from where we found you and towards Era, as well as the safe release of those transformed, there is no information regarding your actions. Would you care to provide details?"
Lyssa took a deep breath and leaned forward, putting the folder she was looking at on the table before resting her elbows on her knees and cupping her hands. "I suppose to make things more clear I should provide some details about me, first. How much do you know about demon slayer magic?"
"Next to nothing, with most knowledge being what we can assume to be common factors regarding all slayer magics." Her voice came out measured, and only slightly interested, but inwardly she was holding herself back from demanding more information out of her. In truth, Ultear was desperate to know more. Demon slayer magic sounds like exactly what they need to remove Tartaros from the picture in totality.
"I expected as much," she mumbled under her breath. "Demon slayer magic, from what I've been able to learn, is the third pillar of the three slayer magics. Dragon slayers have a stronger body, God slayers aim for total subjugation of their branch of magic, but Demon slayers have some influence with souls. Something like a secondary food source, I suppose.
"This mostly stems from the origin of demons in Earthland. They're wraiths from the World of Nihil that were born into human bodies after the first gate to the World of Nihil was opened. Wraiths themselves are souls that couldn't pass on peacefully, and hold onto a deep-seated negative emotion that rapidly erodes away all other desires and emotions until eventually not even that emotion, their memories, or their identity remains.
"However, those things have to go somewhere. Raw emotion is then converted into what is known today as demonic energy. In the World of Nihil, what purpose this energy serves is unknown, but for demons this energy is transformative. It rips open new pores to allow for ether osmosis to occur quicker, transforming the body so this magic surplus can better take root. The body releases extreme amounts of dopamine and adrenaline to counteract the pain this process brings, turning demonic energy into an addictive substance.
"Demons have the ability to naturally produce demonic energy as well as devour souls to produce more in a surplus, though most demons today consider the latter a taboo punishable by death. Demon slayers have a surplus of demonic energy enchanted into their bodies in a similar way that dragon slayers can have lacrima made from the corpse of a dragon placed into their body, though they face the fate of having their own soul twisted into a wraith, turning them from a human into a demon. The state in which their bodies are flooded with demonic power can be considered our equivalent of dragon slayers' Dragon Force.
"Due to the 'hollowness' of a demon slayer and demon's soul, they have the ability to see each other for what they are fully capable of. The type of magic they use, for instance, is laid bare. I do not believe the Etherious are capable of this, though I don't have any experience with one that can talk, so I can't validate this."
"But you do have experience with Zeref's creations," Ultear latched onto like a lifeline.
"I do," Lyssa started before reclining back into the chair. The golden rays of the setting winter sun bounced off the platinum strands she idly twirled. "When I left to find the one controlling the transformed humans, she mistook me for the demon that destroyed Himura and killed her father. Although I did play a part in the former, the latter was not me."
The strange admission caused Ultear to look at her in questioning. Lyssa smirked before answering the unspoken question. "As I said - dopamine, adrenaline - demonic energy is a potent substance on the lower end of its dosage. Add in a little possession from a wraith on top of that and things don't end quietly."
"Anyway, she almost immediately took out a mask made of Leviathan's Blood and started attacking me. When she ended up on the losing end, she cracked a signal lacrima embedded in her mouth. Whatever the message was, a giant Etherious was formed. It was animalistic in behaviour, and its curse was embedded in its carapace. Magic reflection. I had to use brute strength to tear off its carapace in order to get to its hide."
"The…devastation in the environment. How much of that was you and how much of it was the Etherious?"
"I'd say it was probably equal. I ended up demonizing to fight it, as even though my demon slayer magic bypasses curses, the carapace was still too thick and hard to burn through."
So demon slayers have the ability to bypass or destroy curses? Good to know.
"After I killed it, I went back to the controller and got the ring and passphrase needed to free the transformed humans, which you were there for."
"Alright, but how did you get the information? If what you said at the time was the entire password, then it would be more than impossible for someone in the catatonic state we found our current prisoner in to tell you."
At that, Lyssa's mask cracked ever so slightly allowing Ultear to catch a glimpse of what looked like trepidation in the albino's facade. "I umm…don't know, if I'm being honest."
"You…don't know?" Ultear asked incredulously.
"I'm sure someone noticed the vomit in the clearing. I basically forced myself to detox myself entirely from the demonic power that was flooding my system. I learned the password before then, so I was pretty high on generally everything. Trying to remember much during that time is like trying to look through a fog."
"I see," Ultear mumbled as she looked down at her notes. Three things from the conversation stood out to her. Beestenbloed's usage of Leviathan's Blood, an Etherious being involved, and what she learned about demons and demon slayers. Two of which were already confirmed, but the latter was still something she could look over in her own time.
The destruction of Himura has effectively been deemed a useless subject to bring up by everyone less they acquire the attention of a certain hot-headed old man, who for some reason doesn't want it looked into. Though now Ultear had a hunch that he was just protecting his student.
"Thank you for your time, Miss Wisteria," Ultear said as she began to pack everything up and leave.
"You're welcome, Colonel Milkovich."
As she stood to leave through the doorframe, Ultear turned and added, "If you do remember anything I ask you to send it to Council as soon as you can. You will be compensated."
And then she left, ignoring the looks of those of the guild as she left for the nearby Oak Town. Looking at her pocket watch, she smiled.
'20:00. I only spent a little under thirty minutes in there. Good, that means I should be able to organise my thoughts before contacting Lord Hades in the morning.'
—
Totomaru
Totomaru braced himself as he placed the bottle of chloroform and the rag in the kitchen sink.
He had expected many things to happen in that meeting, but the picture of the drugged-out government agent sitting there on the floor with Lyssa's hands bathed in golden water and holding her head in her lap for hours as she read and rewrote memories was not one of those things.
Frankly, Totomaru, and likely many other people, don't actually care that much about curses. A form of power born from negative emotion doesn't really mean much to anyone when it's barely known to the world, and their greatest threats lie in the form of dark wizards using magic who are fought by more people who use magic.
So at the end of the day, curses were just another power to be used in his opinion. And from what he learned, Lyssa was in possession of some powerful ones.
But he knew that she despised curses, or at least the ones she has, and the sight of the girl sitting in their living room without any lights on and her head in her hands only confirmed that he probably shouldn't have gone along with the idea.
Sitting on the couch next to her, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You alright?"
She released a shuddering breath at the question, sliding her hands down her face to grip her pants. She turned ever so slightly to face him, and the faint glimpse of her eyes she could see through her bangs radiated with utter obsession.
"I did it on a whim, a hunch, Toto," her cracked voice cracked in a whisper that stuck to the shinobi's ears with sickly fervour. "But I didn't expect this. I never would have expected this. Toto, I am more than alright."
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A/N: Sorry for the long break. Had to help my grandparents with moving and stuff and then Shadow of the Erdtree came out so I had to play that. And before anyone asks, no, Totomaru never heard of Fairy Tail but he might recognize Plue from Rave Master, Mashima's previous work, but he died before Fairy Tail could be released. Also, Toto isn't from our Earth, he's from JJK Earth which will play into the sequel to this fanfic if I ever write one. You know, Yuna from Goddess of Ice style.
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