Reunion

"I am Byron Baruereta Iselma. The banquet is about to begin. Please come in."

As the group passed Iselma's leader and entered the tower, a voice suddenly came from behind them—

"Lord El-Melloi II, could you please wait a moment?"

Seeing Lord Byron's seemingly unspeakable predicament, the Lord El-Melloi II, who had stopped in his tracks, remained silent for a while before finally nodding.

"Let Reines lead Flat Escardos and the others into the banquet hall first," said the Lord El-Melloi II Prince, who remained alone.

"How strange, are there even people that Lord Byron fears among the guests this time?"

"I see, so you noticed..."

After listening to the Lord El-Melloi II's speech, Lord Byron was slightly stunned before giving a wry smile.

"This is not hard to guess."

Lord El-Melloi II took out a cigar from his pocket, lit it, and said:

"You Lord Byron, previously said that the banquet was about to begin, but as the host, you remain here. This should prove that we are not the last group to arrive."

Perhaps it was the aroma of the cigar that eased his mood; as he exhaled the smoke, the Lord El-Melloi II's brow relaxed slightly.

"As for why I was asked to stay... was the other person someone I or my predecessor knew?"

"..."

"Your expression seems to have already answered the question, Lord Byron."

Seeing the gentleman's stunned expression, the Lord El-Melloi II spoke to him in a rare joking tone:

"Although I hold the title of [Lord], it is mostly an empty title I acquired out of respect for my ancestors. If you encounter someone who is truly unreasonable, my title of [Lord] will be of no help to you whatsoever."

Moreover, as the head of the household, Lord Baruereta has no reason not to be present at this family division banquet. Since Lord Byron did not entrust the task to that person, but instead summoned me, who is merely a figurehead.

So, to put it bluntly, the title of [Lord El-Melloi] is probably more valuable to them than [Lord Baruereta].

"As expected of [Big Ben☆ London Star], your reasoning is basically correct, but it still has a few minor flaws."

Taking a deep breath, Lord Byron nodded with a smile, but his tone carried a hint of the characteristic banter of an English gentleman:

"First, you've underestimated your influence. After all, as [the professor within the Clock Tower with whom you most want to have sex], even I, being here, have heard of him. Second..."

After a brief silence, Lord Byron shook his head and gave another bitter smile:

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it. According to the rumors, although [that person] isn't an unreasonable person, if you could introduce me, then I could put my mind at ease."

After all, [that person's] friendship with [El-Melloi] was well-known within the Clock Tower.

"... Lord Byron, you're not talking about that guy, are you?"

Based on the clues provided by Lord Byron, the Lord El-Melloi II instantly identified the candidate in his mind and asked in an incredulous tone, "Lord Byron, why did you send him an invitation? Logically speaking, he shouldn't be attending this kind of banquet at all..."

"No, I wasn't the one who sent the invitations."

At this moment, Lord Byron's tone seemed to contain a sense of grievance:

"The invitation was sent by someone else. After we discovered it, although we shared your initial thought, we never expected that person to accept it..."

"This is really..."

The Lord El-Melloi II gave a wry smile and then said, "If it's him, then I might be able to say a few words. But Lord Byron shouldn't have too high hopes, after all, he only had a past relationship with him."

"Then I'll trouble you..."

Seeing that the Lord El-Melloi II had agreed to this troublesome "problem," Lord Byron instinctively breathed a sigh of relief, but his gaze immediately shifted to the distance—

"They're here..."

Following Lord Byron's gaze, the Lord El-Melloi II noticed a figure in the distance. Unlike himself, this person was not being picked up by a carriage, but was walking slowly towards him step by step.

As the distance between them gradually shortened, the visitor's appearance became clearer.

It's hard to imagine that the bespectacled man in front of you, dressed in casual clothes, is the same guy who made the head of the Izelma Family look so alarmed.

"Hey, Waver!"

As he approached, he noticed that the person in the Lord El-Melloi II greeted him first.

"Good evening, Mr. Wang. Thank you for your help with the matter last time."

Lord El-Melloi II, one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, bowed to the man before him in gratitude.

The scene unfolding before his eyes left the Lord Byron with a bewildered expression.

Why is this different from what we agreed on?

Chapter 324. Meeting

"What? Am I that scary?"

Upon arriving at the banquet hall, Wang Xiaoming didn't rush inside. Instead, he stood in a corner chatting casually with the Lord El-Melloi II beside him. After hearing about the previous behavior of the head of the Iselma family, Wang Xiaoming wore an expression that was both amused and exasperated.

"You should be asking yourself that question..."

As he answered, the Lord El-Melloi II glanced around the banquet hall before him.

The dazzling ceiling lights cast a solemn glow over the banquet hall.

Thick carpets covered the floor, yet it didn't feel stuffy; the banquet hall was filled with cool air and jazz music.

The melody evoked images of a distant sea, with the trumpet soaring like the ocean waves, the piano delicate like the surf, and the double bass powerfully supporting the underlying current. Even more astonishing was that the music was not played by humans, but by mechanical puppets.

It seems that Iselma intends to stick to the fairytale style to the end.

"As expected of the legitimate branch of the Department of Creation (Baruye)," the Lord El-Melloi II Prince murmured in admiration.

"Good evening, elder brother and Mr. Ming."

Just then, a voice from the side interrupted Wang Xiaoming's chat with the Lord El-Melloi II. Turning around, he saw a girl dressed in aristocratic attire standing there, followed by a group of students from El-Melloi Classroom.

Upon seeing the girl, Wang Xiaoming raised his hand and greeted her.

"Reines, it's been a long time."

"Mr. Ming, we are very grateful for your help in the previous Castle of Separation." 1. "O!" 2. "O, O!" 3. "7, 9, 9!"

Reines gave a graceful bow and rose to speak to Wang Xiaoming. A hooded girl beside her also bowed somewhat awkwardly to express her gratitude.

Those were the disciples who stayed by Waver's side throughout the Castle of Separation.

"I feel unworthy of such treatment... After all, I was only acting on Kayneth's behalf."

With a helpless wave of his hand, Wang Xiaoming shifted his gaze to the girl who always wore a hood.

"You must be Gray, right?"

"... Um,"

After a brief silence, the girl's reply finally came from under the hood.

Wang Xiaoming didn't mind the girl's somewhat impolite behavior. He turned to the Lord El-Melloi II beside him and said, "I also heard from Kayneth that even if I hadn't arrived in time, you wouldn't have been in any trouble, right?"

"..."

Seeing that the atmosphere seemed to be getting dull because of the topic he had started, Wang Xiaoming waved his hand:

"Alright, I have no interest in knowing anything secrets."

"Also, now that Waver is here, [El-Melloi] must have something more important to do than just sit here chatting, right?"

This is a [social banquet], a place where Magecraft use to build superficial relationships.

As the head of the Department of Department of Modern Magecraft and the master of the El-Melloi Classroom, Lord El-Melloi II receives many similar invitations every day. At first, he would handle them personally, but in the end, his aversion to trouble took over, so he simply delegated these matters to Reines.

However, since the Lord El-Melloi II has graced this banquet with his presence, it is only natural that he must personally appear to show respect.

"You're right, then we'll take our leave."

Watching the group leave El-Melloi Classroom, Wang Xiaoming's lips curled into a slight smile, as if he had discovered something interesting.

--Gray, [Gods Holder], is an executor who uses a Mystic Code inherited from the Age of Gods.

This was the intelligence Kayneth gave to Wang Xiaoming at the time.

In some ways, this child does resemble Wang Xiaoming.

The banquet hall had now become a place for people to socialize. Reines was leading the Lord El-Melloi II Prince among the guests, while Wang Xiaoming, who had been "abandoned" in a corner, was leisurely sipping a glass of red wine he had received from a waiter.

However, his casual attire, so out of place at the banquet, meant no one bothered to approach him, until a gentle voice came from behind him—

Why are you here all alone?

Following the direction of the sound, Wang Xiaoming turned around.

Standing behind him was a woman wearing glasses.

A head of dull red hair, eyes that matched her hair color, and a body and appearance that seemed to have been frozen in time.

--Aozaki Touko.

That is, the person who pulled him from across the ocean, thousands of miles away, with just a letter.

"If you don't come, where else can I go?"

"..."

Perhaps surprised that the first greeting after so long would be like this, Touko Aozaki briefly lost her composure before reverting to her "old" self. With a slight smirk, she said:

"How old are you? Still so glib-tongued?"

"How old are you? Why are you running away from home?"

Since Fujino Asagami graduated from the Reien Academy, Touko Aozaki has left "Garan no Dou" with her disciples, without even informing one of her former employees, Mikiya Kokutou.

"If Fujino Asagami didn't occasionally remember to call back, I would have really thought you'd vanished into thin air!"

Perhaps because of long-standing resentment, Wang Xiaoming unleashed all his pent-up dissatisfaction and worries, giving Touko Aozaki a severe dressing-down.

Surprisingly, Aozaki Touko, a [Grand] Magecraft, was unusually quiet as she listened to the man's incessant chatter. If she weren't so furious, Wang Xiaoming could even see something melting in Touko Aozaki's warm eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Xiaoming, having finally vented his anger, asked the Touko Aozaki in front of him:

"So, are you still coming back or not?"

"That's not necessarily true. Maybe I'll get tired of somewhere and leave."

As she spoke, Touko Aozaki's lips curled into a smile that made the men around her itch with desire. However, the response she received was Wang Xiaoming's disgusted expression:

"Fine, go then. Fujino Asagami's back now. Who will you rely on to take care of you from now on?"

Well, who knows?

"Never mind..."

Wang Xiaoming finally steered the conversation to the main topic. "What's the matter that you called me here for?"

However, Touko Aozaki's answer was also very straightforward:

"I forgot."

"You..."

After staring at the Touko Aozaki for a while, Wang Xiaoming's expression turned serious when he realized the other person wasn't joking. Just as he was about to speak, cheers erupted from the depths of the hall.

"--Looks like the Golden Princess has made her appearance."

Touko Aozaki, also drawn by the sound, turned her head, but upon noticing Wang Xiaoming's still furrowed brows, she gently patted his shoulder and whispered:

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I know my own situation."

"I hope so..."

Sighing, Wang Xiaoming, who planned to investigate the details after the banquet, also turned his gaze towards the direction from which the cheers came. After all, the "main event" of the banquet was about to begin, and even Wang Xiaoming, who wasn't aiming for it, felt a touch of curiosity deep down.

On the upper "stage," a pair of maids who appeared to be twins had appeared out of nowhere. Judging from their mirror-like postures and beautiful faces, it wouldn't be surprising if some people mistook them for the Golden Princess and the Silver Princess.

Two maids lifted their skirts, bowed to the crowd, and then spoke to those behind them.