The Eldest Daughter of the Bartholomew Family

"Come on, I'll take you to the Department of Law and Politics to register your enrollment first."

Before long, Britisang emerged from the dean's office and looked at Li Mo, who was staring blankly at two cleaning dolls in the corridor.

"Uh, okay..." "Yes, Master."

Before Li Mo could speak, Intres pushed the wheelchair straight after Britisang.

Li Mo:???

Do ordinary people have no rights at all?!

Intres, why did you ignore my opinion?!

Hmph. Once I get some pointers from Touko someday, I'll definitely make a doll ten thousand times better than you—one that listens only to me!

But then again, had Touko come to the Clock Tower yet at this point?

Frowning, Li Mo racked his brain and then realized he seemed to have no idea...

She had to come eventually. I'd just wait for her at the Clock Tower!

"There are all sorts of factions within the Clock Tower as well. But now that you're my student, avoid dealing with them whenever possible. They won't come provoke you either."

Perhaps finding the silence boring, Britisang suddenly took the initiative to speak.

"The Clock Tower has factions too?"

Li Mo froze. He truly hadn't known that.

Everyone got into the Type-Moon fandom because of Saber. Who cared about the Clock Tower when it barely showed up?

"That's right. As they say in your country, wherever there are people, there are conflicts." Britisang's voice drifted lightly over, his soft golden hair faintly gleaming beneath the sunlight streaming through the corridor's floor-to-ceiling windows.

Who would have thought Britisang was such an expert on China?

"It's enough to have a general idea. In any case, not many people would dare provoke someone from my Department of Lore.

"As for your classes after enrollment, try every department first, then choose the classes you like."

He did not mention Magic Circuits, because Britisang had already prepared himself mentally.

If the boy truly did not have them, he could simply get him a few artificial Magic Circuits. Such a trivial matter was no problem for a Lord.

After all, Average One had once only been a legend. This was his first time seeing someone with all five attributes.

As for Rin, she had probably only just been born by now, and Britisang had no way of knowing about her anyway.

"Can I choose all of them?"

Li Mo widened his eyes and blinked at Britisang with an innocent, adorable expression.

"Choose my ass!" Britisang stopped walking, turned around, and swore in exasperation.

"The Botany Department was established specifically for witches. Don't tell me you plan to attend class with a bunch of old broads in the future?"

Huh?

Britisang, you've definitely been to Northeast China before. You even know how to say "old broads"!

No, wait, the point seemed to be that there were lots of girls...

"Lord Britisang, may I ask whether what you just said means you look down on old broads?"

Just as Li Mo was about to speak, an angry voice suddenly came from an open door beside them.

"Uh... no, I didn't mean anything like that, Lorelei," Britisang said, his body trembling as he turned toward the source of the voice and waved awkwardly.

Huh? Other than the dean, was there actually someone Britisang feared?

Li Mo turned curiously and saw a young girl standing prettily by the doorway, fire in her gaze as she stared directly at them.

The girl had brown hair and wore a white women's coat with a large red bow tied at her chest. She held something that could barely be considered a teaching pointer, and her brown eyes—the same color as her hair—swept over Li Mo.

"So this is the person you recommended to enter the Clock Tower this time?"

"Yes, Lady Lorelei. This young man will be a new member of my Department of Lore from now on."

Britisang put away his earlier embarrassment and resumed his distinctive tone.

"He doesn't look like much," the girl said with a cold smile. She stepped outside, turned, and walked away. "Remember to register your personal information with the Department of Law and Politics."

Damn! Li Mo's jaw nearly dropped!

This girl was unbelievably badass—she could speak to a Lord in such an indifferent tone!

"Professor Britisang, who was that? She didn't give you any face at all," Li Mo asked curiously after the girl had gone far away.

"Who else could she be? The current head of the Bartholomew Family, and one of the current Lords of the Clock Tower."

Britisang shot Li Mo an annoyed glance. This brat had no good intentions, talking to him like that.

"The Bartholomew Family controls the Department of Law and Politics and is also the leading force of the aristocratic faction. Who in the Clock Tower would dare underestimate her?"

A current Lord?

Li Mo froze. A Lord of the Clock Tower was actually such a young girl?

Could it be that, like Britisang and those old geezers in their seventies or eighties, she used magecraft to preserve her appearance?

"Don't overthink it. Lorelei isn't that much older than you." With a casual glance, Brishisan knew exactly what Li Mo was thinking.

Magus talent was really terrible—his thoughts were practically written all over his face!

Uh... Li Mo silently did the math. I'm seventeen now, so if she isn't much older than me...

Holy shit! That was another monster-tier one!

As expected of a leading magical organization in the world. Every single Lord here was inhuman!

Still, Lorelei was quite a nice name.

They both looked young, so why was the gap between them this huge? Li Mo suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Brishisan with curious eyes.

Brishisan froze, then his face abruptly reddened. "Show some respect for your teacher! Don't look at me with those curious eyes!"

I only became a Lord because there were so few people in the Department of Lore, but I'm still a Lord, damn it!

The Department of Lore! Do you know what that represents, brat?

It governs the forbidden among forbidden things—the lineage passed down by one of King of Magecraft Solomon's disciples!

Did you think I'd spent all these years fooling around for nothing?!

"Intres, hurry up!" Brishisan turned and left at once, leaving Li Mo, who had been waiting for his lecture, both amused and exasperated.

Shouldn't you explain a little more at a time like this...

"Teacher, are all the Lords of the Clock Tower that strong?" Li Mo refused to give up and continued asking.

"Of course. What did you think?"

Brishisan shot Li Mo an irritated look. "Don't underestimate Lorelei just because she looks young. First of all, as I told you before, a Magus's appearance cannot represent their age."

"Second, every member of the Bartholomew Family is only allowed to leave their estate after becoming a full-fledged Magus;

those who fail to become full-fledged Magi can only remain in the Bartholomew estate for their entire lives."

"Uh... that's that terrifying?" Li Mo clicked his tongue. Wasn't that approach a little too extreme?

"It is that terrifying, Mo-jun. Every Magus is a madman, because each of them has a stubbornly obsessive side."

"Isn't it all for reaching the Root?" The moment the words left his mouth, Li Mo realized what he had said and hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth.

Yet Brishisan did not question why Li Mo knew about the Root. He merely gave him a deeply meaningful look before saying:

"Indeed, it is for reaching the Root. But nearly every Magus only wants to reach the Root alone."

Li Mo understood. He wasn't an idiot.

Everyone wanted to reach the Root, but it was enough if they themselves were the only ones to get there. That way, their own status would become unshakable.

In the end, it was still human selfishness at work. How many people in history had reached the Root and then emerged from it intact afterward?

At least, as far as Li Mo knew, there really were not many such people.

Besides, Mushroom had retconned things more than once or twice. Who knew whether he would change the setting and retcon it all over again?