Shinji Matou at Your Service

Lorelei had originally planned to have Arcueid make an appearance, even if just for a fleeting moment. However, due to Arcueid's current state and the potential impact of her appearance, Shinji ultimately vetoed this proposal. Instead, they decided to use a projection of Altera, which was of equal or even higher caliber.

Fourteen thousand years ago, that massacre nearly wiped out humanity, and the civilization built by the survivors was lost in the river of history. To this day, apart from the gods who have entered the inner world and the heroic spirits on the Throne of Heroes, very few on Earth know about the white giant Sefar. Even the great nobles of the Clock Tower wouldn't be able to identify the woman in the projection or her background. This mystery undoubtedly fits Shinji's need to confuse and the Department of Policies' inscrutable image.

It's worth mentioning that the use of the projection was approved by Altera herself and specially treated with magic. It was meant to cause a sensation without overshadowing the radiance of the Golden Princess and Silver Princess due to its overwhelming presence. After all, Lorelei was just here to say hello, not to truly antagonize the other two great noble families. Otherwise, if Shinji had directly shown a scene of Altera and Arcueid clashing - Vanguard of the Stars versus Tue Ancestors, a collision of planetary-level mysteries - even as a projection, it would have been enough to drive the inexperienced magus mad.

Just imagining that scene is thrilling. That's true art as an explosion, an explosion of the mind.

Ahem, excuse me, I got sidetracked.

Due to mental excitement, the projection derived from memory naturally became difficult to maintain and gradually faded away in a ripple of water.

Immediately, several magus let out groans like "The World!" to stop time and some even prayed that they could die like this.

Amidst a scene that could be described as demonic revelry and ghostly wails, dry applause broke out.

An elderly woman over seventy was clapping her wrinkled hands.

Her silver hair was as noble as a wolf's. The old woman wore a fashionable green gown, her back straight as an arrow, happily offering applause. The cool tone of her clapping, combined with her determined attitude, brought the dazed mages back to their senses.

"Lord Valualeta."

Someone said.

With the appearance of this name, the Golden Princess and Silver Princess were once again led back into the shadows of the balcony by their maids.

"—That was splendid, Lord Byron."

With one sentence, she stabilized the situation; with one sentence, she attributed everything to Iselma's arrangements. Although those in the know could tell there was something amiss, at Lord Valualeta's venue, with the lord herself setting the tone, no one would dare to question it openly. That was enough.

The music started again, changing from jazz to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. This change also represented a shift in the rhythm of the party.

"Impressive. As expected of Lord Valualeta, her social skills surpass both Lorelei and Kayneth."

"Those who can become lords are not simple characters. In some sense, becoming a lord in old age is more terrifying than achieving success young."

At first glance, this might seem incorrect, but upon careful consideration, one realizes that Touko's words make a lot of sense. Success at a young age can be attributed to talent and potential for future development. To achieve success at an age when one should be retiring can only mean one thing - this elderly person truly has extraordinary skills. This is Lord Valualeta.

"If I remember correctly, she was your teacher, right?"

"Yes."

Touko sighed with complex emotions.

"I don't want to see her for now. Could you cover for me? I'll step away for a bit."

"Mm, I'll find you after the party ends."

Shinji nodded imperceptibly. Now that the beauty feast was over, they naturally couldn't be as unrestrained as before.

Within a minute of Touko's departure, the elderly woman who had become the center of attention turned and walked towards Shinji.

"That stupid disciple of mine, wasn't she just here?"

She revealed a meaningful smile, looking quite pleased as she swirled her glass of whiskey.

"Lord Valualeta!"

Shinji quickly shuddered, pretending to be nervous, and asked in a low voice, "Are you referring to Miss Aozaki Touko?"

"Who else could it be? I saw you two chatting for a while. What were you talking about?"

"Well..."

Shinji scratched his cheek, looking a bit embarrassed, "Cigarettes... and alcohol."

"Hahahahaha..."

Hearing this answer, the old woman laughed heartily, her laughter making her already eye-catching presence even more prominent.

"That sounds just like something that stupid disciple would do. You seem to have..."

The old woman sniffed as if confirming something.

"...Yes, that's right, quite a nice tobacco smell. Cuban cigars? Seems to be mixed with some special South African tobacco?"

Creative magus are all artists, and the Lord Valualeta is the pinnacle of artists. Artists seem to have a hard time separating themselves from things like tobacco and alcohol, which have narcotic and stimulating properties.

"Lord Valualeta, your eyes are truly perceptive," Shinji complimented.

"What perceptive eyes? I'm using my nose," the old woman waved her hand casually.

"Then it's a perceptive nose."

"Hahaha."

The old woman laughed again.

"You're an interesting young man. No wonder you can chat with my stupid disciple. Velvet has found himself a good student."

"It's been a while, Lord Valualeta. I didn't expect you to come as well."

Waver approached at just the right moment, with Reines inseparable by his side and Gray following like a shadow behind them. The two young women seemed to be whispering to each other, with words like "Department of Creation", "Lord", and "The Twelve" faintly audible.

"Hey, hey, this is a big day for the branch family. No matter how busy I am, I couldn't miss it. There seem to be quite a few new faces. Are they all your students? I'm Inorai Valualeta Atroholm. Pleased to meet you."

"Hi I'm Flat Escardos. Nice to meet you, Lord Valualeta!"

Perhaps because the old woman seemed approachable, Flat bounded over from nearby.

"Flat, that's very rude."

Svin, whose manners were several levels above Flat's, bowed respectfully to the old woman.

"Svin Glascheit. It's an honor to meet you."

"I'm Gray, the gravedigger."

The gray-haired girl's hood bobbed up and down nervously.

"Levi Ackerman."

Without a doubt, this was another of Shinji's disguised identities.

To be fair, among this group, only Reines and Svin's etiquette could be considered standard. The others all had various issues, but the old woman didn't seem to mind. She said with a smile:

"What an interesting bunch of students. New Age, I quite like it. How about it? Have you considered joining us? Compared to those high and mighty folks, we're undoubtedly more suitable."