"It was rude of me. May I ask your name...?"
Seeing Waver's stunned expression, Darnic did not take offense. He simply asked again in a soft voice.
"Waver, Waver Velvet. I'm sorry, that was terribly rude of me! This is indeed Professor Kayneth's package... did you want something?"
Realizing what he had just done to a legendary Grand Mage, Waver answered in a panic.
"It's all right. May I call you Waver?"
Once Waver responded, Darnic gave him a warm smile. He swiftly assessed Waver's clothes and bearing, then changed the subject instead of pressing him about the package.
"You're a mage from a relatively young bloodline, aren't you?"
He soon spoke with complete certainty.
"Yes, my lineage only goes back three generations..."
What does this guy want? Is he going to mock me for being a country bumpkin too? Waver silently lowered his head at Darnic's words. Grumbling in private about other people's disapproval was one thing, but lashing out in front of someone of Darnic's stature would be asking for death.
But contrary to Waver's expectations, Darnic changed tack and spoke with conviction.
"Bloodlines are nothing more than pointless shackles those aristocrats impose on people of humble birth like us. They cling to their rotten rules and suppress those with genuine ability."
Darnic did not sound particularly impassioned, yet his calm description carried a persuasive force.
Waver's eyes widened despite himself. This was the first time such a legendary figure had acknowledged him, and it was rare for anyone to share the ideas he had been so sure of.
Still, he said cautiously, "Actually... it's not quite that..."
Watching Waver struggle to contain his emotions, Darnic's eyes flashed, and he patted Waver's shoulder.
"There's no need to fob me off with empty words, young Waver. If you know anything about me, you should know that my background was hardly privileged compared with the Clock Tower's aristocrats. I established the Yggdmillennia family precisely because I wanted to reject the rotten Clock Tower and offer truly capable mages a home, without using bloodlines to divide them."
Darnic tightened his grip on Waver's shoulder, conveying a message with a smile that inspired goodwill.
"Waver Velvet, I sense untapped talent in you. Would you be willing to join Yggdmillennia?"
"I, I... of course I would!"
Waver's face flushed with excitement. The thrill of being understood for the first time left him a little carried away.
His three generations of inheritance were worth next to nothing compared with Yggdmillennia anyway. There was nothing wrong with this.
"You'll be welcome whenever you graduate."
Darnic smiled again and held out his hand.
"Now, may I have a look at Professor Kayneth's package? I'll deliver it to him afterward, so you won't have to trouble yourself."
At that request, Waver instinctively started to reach out, but when his hand touched the package, he hesitated.
Being appreciated was certainly something to celebrate, but Waver had not completely lost his head. However sincere Darnic's praise might have been, at least part of it had surely been intended to gain access to Kayneth's package.
The conflict between those two was already common knowledge. Trading that obnoxious lemon-head for a bright future might be a good deal, but was that really what he wanted?
In the competition called the Holy Grail War, whether one's Heroic Spirit's true name was exposed could determine victory or defeat. That was what Darnic had come for, wasn't it?
Waver only wanted to prove his own ability. If he made Kayneth lose through something akin to cheating, wouldn't that turn him into nothing more than a treacherous little schemer?
"I'm terribly sorry! I really must deliver this to Professor Kayneth myself!"
Waver shut his eyes and bowed to Darnic in apology.
"Tch."
Darnic's gaze immediately darkened, and he reached toward his chest. Although that thing was only an empty shell, it could still briefly daze someone at close range. He no longer wanted to waste time talking nonsense with this brat.
"Stay away from my student, Darnic."
Suddenly, an icy voice interrupted Darnic's movement.
Kayneth approached with measured strides. Rather than immediately reclaiming his package, he pulled Waver behind him somewhat roughly.
His blond hair was impeccably combed, though that also exposed a slightly worrying hairline. He carried himself with the reserve and pride of an old-fashioned aristocrat.
"Are you truly a man with nothing to offer beyond your glib tongue? Even after we have established ourselves as opponents, you still resort to such sordid methods to gather intelligence."
Even after being exposed, Darnic did not fly into a humiliated rage. He simply turned to Kayneth with perfect composure.
"What can I do? This is the Holy Grail War, after all. An event from a bygone age like this has no place for a modern mage like you. Do try not to lose your life there."
"I shall keep that in mind, upon the name of El-Melloi. Now, surely I need not ask you to leave."
"Then farewell, young Waver. And Kayneth, I'll see you at the Holy Grail War."
"Hmph."
Only after confirming that Darnic had left for good did Kayneth snort and turn a dark gaze on Waver.
"Waver Velvet, I originally thought your limited perspective was the reason you always displayed such unclouded stupidity, and so I was often lenient with you. I never imagined you lacked even the ability to distinguish right from wrong. With judgment like that, you dare boast of changing the Clock Tower?"
This bastard! Always acting so high and mighty!
Waver gritted his teeth and restrained the urge to punch Kayneth's infuriating face. He had only just resisted temptation, sacrificing a seemingly bright future to preserve fair competition for Kayneth. Why was he still getting lectured?
Driven by youthful indignation, Waver could no longer hold back and began talking back.
"That's only because you have no eye for talent! Darnic thinks highly of me! He even invited me to join Yggdmillennia!"
"Which is precisely why I called you stupid." Kayneth's look grew even more incredulous. "That man's nickname at the Clock Tower is Darnic the Eight-Tongued. It is a pointed mockery of the way he operates."
"He invited you to join Yggdmillennia? Do you truly understand what sort of family it is? They divide their Magic Crest among declining families without regard for the cost, incorporating others' systems along with their paths of magecraft. Under those circumstances, their crest serves, at most, to identify fellow members. Their true core still consists of the techniques they possessed before joining. Those are also the assets that earn those families a place in Yggdmillennia. Surely I need not explain what happens to someone who joins without such accumulated resources."
Waver pressed his lips together. Of course he knew. Choosing a family meant choosing a faction, and once he entered, leaving would be difficult. As his momentary excitement cooled, Waver also realized why Yggdmillennia still could not become a major family within the Clock Tower despite its considerable influence.
Recklessly dividing the Magic Crest on which a family's inheritance depended completely defied common sense. Such a family was like a pack of hyenas, surviving by constantly devouring the carrion of the magecraft world chosen by its leader. It could hardly be considered a normal lineage.
But even though Waver understood that, he remained stubborn.
"So what if I know? I wanted to join Yggdmillennia because I admire Darnic!"
"How foolish." Kayneth glanced at Waver. "That man has been using his background to deceive people like you again."
"Granted, his origins were not particularly distinguished, but his own Magic Circuits and aptitude are formidable. Quite a few families once wanted to take him in. It was only after his bloodline was found likely to deteriorate over the next few generations that they lost interest."
"That is also why he could establish Yggdmillennia without a care. Without relying on himself, he has no way to ensure his descendants inherit his research and legacy. But even as his enemy, I must acknowledge his personal talent."
Although Kayneth's manner remained arrogant, his eyes grew more serious as he discussed this troublesome opponent. "In the study of souls, he may already have reached the level of Grand."
"As for you, Waver Velvet, I can say with certainty that even if you do possess some talent, you will never surpass the level of Cause in your lifetime unless you turn yourself into one of those monsters subject to a Sealing Designation."
That scathing assessment cut Waver deeply, but he did not even have the courage to argue. The very fact that he thought Kayneth had a poor eye for talent proved that he acknowledged the man's ability. It was precisely because Waver trusted Kayneth to recognize the quality of his paper that he had given it to him first.
"However, judging by your conduct today, you are still my student. An error in my judgment would also tarnish the name of El-Melloi. If you truly wish to prove yourself, how about an unusual bit of extracurricular fieldwork? If you perform well, I shall retract my assessment."
Kayneth turned his face away, preventing Waver from seeing his expression.
Although it was merely a dull Magecraft Competition, facing an opponent of Darnic's caliber still carried risks. Kayneth did not believe he would lose, but neither was he certain he could win with effortless grace. Letting his fiancée Sola witness such a spectacle would be far too embarrassing, so he had long been considering a change of assistant.
Waver's abilities were not particularly outstanding, but in light of what had happened today, Kayneth did not mind giving him a chance. With the credit Waver would earn as his assistant in this Holy Grail War, Kayneth could have him join a branch family of El-Melloi afterward, as repayment for today.
Though his emotional intelligence was abysmal, perhaps because of his privileged upbringing and single-minded devotion to research, Kayneth was one of the few mages who retained a human touch.
"Y-you mean...?"
Waver's voice trembled again.
"Waver Velvet, I am asking whether you would like to participate in the Holy Grail War with me as my assistant."
"I, of course I do! I'll prove myself to you, no matter what!"