When Lorelei regained consciousness, she found herself not in the distorted and cramped walls, but rather amid the brilliant starry sky and the ruins.
The Gertler family stronghold, which had a history of nearly a hundred years and had been reinforced countless times, no longer existed. Both the aboveground buildings and the underground facilities had been reduced to ruins. Fortunately, the barrier that blocked the propagation of sound was still functioning, so the fierce battle tonight had not affected the surroundings.
Lorelei quietly checked her own body and found no changes, not even a speck of dust on her. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although she had displayed resolve and bravery in front of Shinji, she was ultimately an underage girl, and it was understandable that she would feel a little nervous in the presence of an unfamiliar stranger whose identity was unknown.
After calming down a bit, the magic power stored in her body spread through her magic circuits, quickly dissipating the soreness caused by her unconsciousness. Lorelei sat up from the simple silver metal bed.
It was only then that she realized that the bed she was lying on was made of a fluid-shaped, pressure-solidified Mercury.
"I didn't expect that unpleasant-sounding assassin to be so considerate. I've gained a bit of a better impression of him," Lorelei said, with a slight curve of her lips. The lofty air about her had somewhat abated, replaced by the delicate femininity unique to a young girl.
After a moment of thought, she left the metal bed, used her whip to outline a ritual, and dissolved the solidification of the mercury, then stood quietly at the edge of the mercury, waiting.
Dozens of seconds later, a figure in a cloak emerged from the wreckage, dragging a safe with his left hand and clutching a gem with his right hand, looking like a nouveau riche.
"Ah, you're awake. Good morning, milady. Did you sleep well?"
This "nouveau riche" was naturally Shinji. Sensing that the solidification magic on the mercury had been dissolved, he knew that Lorelei had woken up.
"It was alright, just a bit too hard. A mattress would have been better," Lorelei replied, not dwelling on the previous offense, perhaps because she was in a better mood after the nap or amused by Shinji's eccentric appearance.
"Ah, sorry, sorry, I accidentally used too much force and ended up destroying the whole place. Didn't have time to grab a mattress. I'll be more careful next time."
"Next time?"
Hearing Shinji's insincere apology, Lorelei's eyelids twitched, and she could barely hold back the urge to make a sarcastic remark.
"What happened to the Gertlers?"
"They're dead, reduced to ashes, not even a trace left," Shinji said, shrugging.
Since the head of the family had witnessed Shinji's supreme form riding the Pegasus, the Gertlers had to die, and their bodies and souls had to be destroyed, lest the magus skilled in necromancy read any information from them.
"I see..." Lorelei let out a sigh.
"What's wrong?" Shinji asked.
Lorelei questioned in return, "Do you know why I was here?"
"To mediate the conflict between El-Melloi and the Gertlers, right?"
The Barthomeloi and the El-Melloi belonged to the same camp of aristocratic factions and were allies. But this time, the Barthomeloi family, who should have been on the El-Melloi's side, had sided with the traitor Gertlers. There was an extremely high likelihood that the Gertlers had offered the Barthomeloi conditions that they couldn't refuse.
"A mere Gertler, what leverage could they have to sway the Barthomeloi? If they had such leverage, wouldn't it have been better to negotiate directly with the El-Melloi faction?"
"Because the conditions the Gertlers offered were only tempting to the Barthomeloi in the entire Clock Tower," Lorelei explained. "At this point, I might as well tell you the important information regarding Ottennbrose."
"Whose information?" Shinji felt the name was familiar, but couldn't quite place it.
"Trhvmn Ortenrosse, although the title 'White Wing Lord' is more well-known to most people."
With that, Shinji knew who it was.
The "White Wing Lord" Trhvmn Ortenrosse, the 17th seat of the "Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors", was a magus-turned-vampire. A typical vampire, known as the "King of the Dead Apostles" (in name only), his territory among the Twenty-Seven was the largest, being one of the oldest Dead Apostles.
The entire Magical World knew that the Barthomeloi family was focused on hunting Dead Apostles, and they were especially obsessed with the White Wing Lord.
"I see, no wonder you would be tempted. But surely a noble lady like yourself doesn't need to put yourself in harm's way. If I didn't have the means to break the impasse, it would truly be the end."
Shinji's seemingly normal response made Lorelei furrow her brow, looking suspicious.
"Are you... one of the El-Melloi?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" Shinji's heart sank, but his tone remained unflinching.
"Then you should know the Barthomeloi's ideals."
Shinji was left speechless, only able to carefully recall the limited information he had about the Barthomeloi family and Lorelei's background.
It seems that out of some consideration, Lorelei did not delve deeper, and instead continued to explain:
"The Barthomeloi family's ideology is that 'one's abilities are more worthy of consideration than one's character.' So the people in their family take family or personal matters very lightly, and what we value is only ability. If you want to obtain something, you must demonstrate the corresponding ability."
While this does not sound like typical aristocratic rhetoric, it is indeed the Barthomeloi family's ideology. However, there is a major caveat - this only applies to those of equal status. The Barthomeloi firmly believe that only their bloodline possesses true nobility and the only ones who can stand as their equals are the manifested users of the First Magic.
Therefore, the Barthomeloi completely disregard the well-being of other aristocratic families and rarely interact with them. The family they are closest to is the Archibald family, where Lord Kenneth resides. But even then, after Kenneth's death, the Barthomeloi only provided the bare minimum of assistance to ensure the El-Melloi were not disinherited.
The other two factions are much the same. Regardless of whether they proclaim noble bloodlines or not, magi are beings whose rationality outweighs emotion. As long as one has the ability, they will be valued in any faction, just not as extremely as the Barthomeloi.
Given this underlying premise, the members of the Barthomeloi family have long since cultivated the habit of "self-reliance and self-sufficiency." They may delegate unimportant matters to others, but crucial things they will always handle personally.
"Within the Barthomeloi, the best way to demonstrate one's abilities is through the hunting of Dead Apostles, especially those related to Ottennbrose. The Gertlers happen to possess information on a direct descendant of Ottennbrose. If I can hunt them down, no one will be able to block my inheritance of the Barthomeloi. For now, I'll just assume you are a member of the El-Melloi family. How will you compensate me?"
P.S. While the "White Wing Lord" has a vast domain, the vast majority of Dead Apostles don't care about territory, so he is certainly powerful, but likely still not strong enough to crack the top 10 of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, at best barely making it into the top ranks.
=====
Support Me At Patreon.com/AbsoluteCode