I want to just drift through life in Type-Moon.

Page 107

Magicians are all ruthless and cold-blooded people. Orange was told this by her grandfather from the very first day she stepped into the path of magic. Having been raised as a "magician's egg" from the very beginning, she felt this even more clearly after leaving that small hill and coming to the clock tower, the stronghold of magicians.

Selfishness, intrigue, and deceit—in this clock tower, Orange finally witnessed what a social vortex truly is. Here, every word spoken by others carries various implications, and every action may contain malice.

Here, all the memories Orange gained, whether academic or interpersonal, were verified and absorbed by her. Now she can be called a shrewd person.

Orange, who was well-versed in these matters, could certainly see through the meaning behind Lydia's seemingly nonsensical actions, so her gaze towards Lydia softened considerably.

Just as Lydia learned that she had been stripped of her inheritance rights to the Aozaki family, there are always those overconfident individuals who will try to test the waters of news that, while not exactly a mainstream topic, is widely circulated in the underworld.

He spent a year and a half to achieve a high position in the Clock Tower, having climbed over the corpses of the losers along the way.

For the Clock Tower nobles who believe in bloodlines above all else, the Aozaki family, which has been passed down for five generations, is just a lucky nouveau riche. After all, there is an unwritten rule in the Clock Tower that only families with a lineage that has lasted for eight generations or more can be called nobles.

However, the Aozaki family rose to the top of the demonic path simply because the spiritual land they possessed was a crooked spiritual vein, and they happened to obtain magic directly through this spiritual vein. This was unacceptable to the vast majority of the demonic nobles.

This family succession dispute can be seen as a catalyst; the losers, overshadowed by her brilliance, have a great opportunity to do whatever they want.

However, Lydel's actions must have disrupted many people's plans. At least magicians without sufficient strength had to be wary of the behemoth that Lydel represented, Archerlot.

Orange took out a cigarette from her pocket, intending to light one to ease her troubled thoughts, but in the end she didn't. Although she had accepted the memories of her other self from another world, there were still some things she couldn't get used to.

Just like smoking, no matter how naturally she acts in another world, she has never smoked in this world. The reason she always keeps cigarettes on hand is just an unconscious behavior. If she were to actually smoke, she would still subconsciously resist it.

"Cigarettes?" Lydel frowned as she looked at the cigarette box in Orange's hand. As the Coal Witch, she had a keen sense of modern craftsmanship and knew immediately what was in the box.

"I remember you're only two years older than me, Orange, right? Smoking at this age will make you age very quickly. Even if you want to look mature—well, no, your current attire is already super mature. I advise you not to touch this stuff, even if you're under a lot of pressure!"

Lydia looked at Orange with disdain. "If you want to relieve stress, take some time to go to a spa. It's good for your skin and relaxing."

As an idol who became famous throughout Europe shortly after her debut, Lydia naturally pays great attention to maintaining her appearance. Even though she is still a minor, her figure is already in a stage of rapid development as a Caucasian.

In fact, there is a big difference between women who take care of themselves and those who don't. She has been going to spas, beauty salons, and practicing yoga regularly since she was a child. She takes a certain amount of antioxidants every day and does all kinds of skincare things meticulously.

Exercise is also essential. She has been dancing ballet since she was a child and pays special attention to maintaining her figure. Swimming every day is a must. In addition, with proper physical exercise, she already has a curvaceous figure even though she is not yet an adult.

Orange glared at her angrily, then put the cigarette pack back in her pocket. Although she didn't pay much attention to Lydia's suggestion, she had already put the creation of a spare body for herself that was younger or more suitable for her age on her agenda.

Just then, the airport announcement came over the loudspeaker that their flight was about to depart. The two women exchanged a glance and left the waiting room at the same time.

Chapter 243 Hidden Dangers (Part 2)

After boarding, Orange and Lydia went straight to first class. After finding their seats, Orange looked at Lydia, who was sitting in the next cabin, with amusement. "I didn't expect you to be able to buy a seat next to me in such a short time."

Lydia frowned her beautiful eyebrows and looked around the compartment, which was much smaller than her own private jet, before finally speaking: "It's not that I bought the seat next to you, but that I booked all the first-class seats. I just didn't ask you to refund your ticket."

Orange silently thought to herself: Just as I expected. Orange had anticipated Lydia's extravagant behavior, but it was precisely because of this that Orange's plan had a hidden danger.

Seeing that Aozaki Touko remained silent, Lydel cleverly realized that she had done something wrong, but being as proud as she was, she would not apologize easily. So she said in a provocative tone, "Aozaki Touko, if you are someone who is called a monster by the entire Clock Tower, this little trouble can't possibly stump you, right?"

Although her tone sounded provocative, it was also a form of trust. So Orange rested her chin on her hand and looked at the closed compartment door. "Of course, just like you said, it's just a minor inconvenience."

"Hmph~ I'll wait and see. Don't disappoint me, Miss Aozaki." Lydia revealed a cruel smile completely out of character for her age. "Let me see who these idiots are who dare to lay a hand on us, knowing the actions of the Archerlot family~"

"Lydel, I think there are some things you haven't figured out." Orange closed her eyes and listened to the sweet female voice on the radio.

"Good morning, passengers. Thank you for flying with Allday..."

The flight attendant's sweet voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing that the plane was taxiing on the runway and would be leaving British soil in a little while.

"What?" Lydia asked, lying on the barely acceptable leather recliner.

“There are three types of people targeting me.” Orange turned her head to look out the window. The slight feeling of weightlessness meant that the plane had begun to take off, and her plan was beginning to enter the preparation stage.

"The first type is those small fry who have no idea you exist. After all, you're just a temporary intruder, and those who aren't qualified to know your whereabouts won't change their actions at all. That's why I said at the beginning that you are responsible for your own safety."

After hearing Orange's explanation, Lydia realized this, but just as Orange said, those beings were just small fry, and she didn't need to take them seriously at all.

"The second type is people who are in a middle-class position but have connections who know you're on this plane. A large portion of those people probably became hesitant and backed out after receiving the news. Most of these people are just following the crowd. It would be great if they could kill me, but even if they can't, it doesn't really matter."

Orange tapped her cheek lightly with her index finger, a cold glint in her eyes. "The smart ones will back down after learning of your existence. The only ones who won't back down are those who see me as their mortal enemy. They're a bunch of madmen with no way out, so if they make a move, they'll stop at nothing and use any means necessary."

Lydia didn't care much at first, but she became serious as she listened. Someone that Orange called her mortal enemy was not comparable to the first type of cannon fodder. Knowing what Orange had done in the Clock Tower, she naturally understood who Orange had stepped on to rise to power.

If the cannon fodder are driven by jealousy, then these so-called mortal enemies are those whose families have been destroyed and are facing a crisis of extinction.

After all, the theories and defense results published by Aozaki Touko were the ultimate pursuit of certain families. Moreover, Touko had secretly done some things that could not be exposed. Although she cleaned up the mess very well each time, in the year and a half that Aozaki Touko entered the Clock Tower, in the last six months, among more than a dozen magician families, some announced that they would close their doors to guests, some announced that they would change their heirs, some had rumors that they needed to adopt bloodlines, and even the most serious family line disappeared silently.

What these families have in common is that they once stood in Aozaki Touko's way. In the end, Touko was safe and sound, but those families encountered various problems. So what exactly happened? Those in the know all have a good idea.

Lydel knew that there were several prestigious families among them. Although these families had declined, they still had a strong foundation. If the other party really went to great lengths to take revenge on Aozaki Touko, she, as a fellow traveler, might be in danger.

"And the last one can be said to be the most dangerous or the most harmless." Orange looked at Lydel with a playful smile.

"Just like your Acherot family betting on me, those nobles in the Clock Tower, once they reach a certain level, are all opportunists who won't act until they see a clear benefit."

"Because of the pearl, I was connected with your Archerlot family from the very beginning. But from the initial interactions, it's clear that you didn't take me seriously. But that's understandable, since in the eyes of the Clock Tower, our Aozaki family is just a heretical nouveau riche."

Lydia looked away guiltily. Just as Orange had said, at first, the Archerlot family did not value Orange. After all, every year a large group of people would enter the Clock Tower for training through various channels. The higher-ups who held the greatest power in the Clock Tower did not care about these people. After all, no matter how outstanding these people were, they could not shake their position.

Even the Aozaki family, which has a mage, is only slightly special in their eyes. Although they respect mages, they do not need to be in awe of them.

The main reason Lydel contacted Orange was to get information about Alice (Ayumi) from her; otherwise, she could have just found someone to bring Orange into the Clock Tower.

However, now, Lydia is very glad that she personally approached Orange, because after Orange entered the Clock Tower, she showed unparalleled talent, leaving countless people far behind, and then did several major events that could shake the entire magic world.

If you were to extend an olive branch to an already established orange brand at that point, it would certainly be of little use.

After all, Orange has the identity of the Aozaki family, and now she has been taken under the wing of the current monarch of the Creation Department, Inolei Baljeeta Atolohom. She is very likely to become a monarch candidate in the future, and it can be said that she has already become a force to be reckoned with.

Chapter 244 Hidden Dangers (Part 2)

Before news of Aozaki Touko's disappearance and the stripping of her heir status spread from the Aozaki family in Japan.

The radiant Orange was taken as a disciple by the Creation Department Monarch of the Clock Tower. After passing several papers and achieving undisclosed merits, she temporarily ascended to the Clock Tower's Color Rank. Finally, she was reminded of her nickname "Egg of the Mage." The entire magic world believed that she, who was so perfect, would inherit the magic of the Aozaki family. Therefore, Aozaki Touko was extremely popular for a time.

However, when Aozaki Touko first entered the Clock Tower, most nobles adopted a wait-and-see approach or even ignored her. After all, for the nobles of the Clock Tower, even if the rumored family was powerful, they were still no match for them, as they came from the Far East of the Magic Wasteland and had always been despised.

As a result, Orange rose to prominence in a way that no one could understand. By the time they wanted to get in touch with her, they found that she had already reached a height that they could not reach. At this point, she had enough power to look down on them.

Aozaki Touko, who is backed by two powerful families and whose factional stance is unclear, and who may even inherit magic and become a magician in the future, has become the object of contention among various factions in the Clock Tower.

The power structure of the Clock Tower is centered on factions bound by blood ties and inscriptions, with the most prestigious being the twelve lord families that have controlled the various departments for thousands of years.

Even more noble than the lords are the three great noble families: Barthemello, who controls the Legal Studies Department; Transpelio, who controls all the Basic Studies Departments; and finally, Baljereta, whose teacher, Orange, belongs to the Creation Department.

These three families, including more than twenty relatives, are also known as nobles. This title comes from an ancient tradition that existed before the formation of the lord system. They led the establishment of the Clock Tower and are the oldest families in the Clock Tower and even the entire magic world.

Then, centered around the twelve lords, each major family branched into three major factions based on their own political stances.

First, led by Barthezello, there was a belief that the operation of the Clock Tower should be handed over to extreme aristocrats of superior noble lineage.

Both are aristocratic, but they are willing to accept new nobles from the magic family lineage. Centered around Transpelio, they include another major noble family, Baljereta, and are ordinary aristocrats.

Secondly, there is the democratic belief that even if one's bloodline is not ideal, talented young people should still be given more opportunities to work.

Third, there is neutralism, represented by Meastia, who only cares about research and is indifferent to everything else.

The magician's lineage is centered around the inscription. As long as the inscription is passed down, the lineage will continue even if the bloodline is cut off. If the inscription is lost, the lineage will end even if there are still descendants.

Each family will bestow a small portion of their own mark upon another, and any damage caused by this can be repaired within a year. Others can then use this as a starting point to cultivate their own family's magical mark.

Such heads of households are considered to be from a branch of the main family. With the seal as the link, the main family and the branch families together constitute a large family lineage.

Then, with the addition of intermarriage, a complex network of relationships is formed using imprints and bloodlines, covering the entire upper level of the clock tower.

This is why the Eastern clan, where Aozaki Touko resides, is looked down upon by the Clock Tower nobles. They have no noble blood, and their family lineage is far inferior to that of the Clock Tower clans, which often boast thousands of years of history.

Simply put, it's because of insufficient foundation. If it weren't for the fact that the ancestors of the Aozaki family achieved the Fifth Law through the spiritual veins and passed it down, without this prerequisite, no matter how much Aozaki Touko achieved or how remarkable her results were, she would not be recognized—because she is not a noble.

No matter how talented such people are, if they do not join a faction, they will never achieve anything in their lives, their unpublished works will be misappropriated, and they may even die under mysterious circumstances.

Even for Aozaki Touko, who has a special background, her path to rise to power is filled with bloodshed and darkness.

Lydel was born in Acherlot, one of the monarchs of the Clock Tower, and was born to stand at the highest point. Because of this, she could see the darkness hidden under the Clock Tower from the very beginning. She was also taught how to use the power in her hands to fight for more power. No matter how much she hated the darkness, she still had to fulfill her duties.

Lydia's childhood friendship with Arisa Kuonji was the purest of all her interactions, so she cherished it abnormally, even pathologically, despite Arisa's constant teasing, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

It was based on Ayumi's instructions that Lydel kept an eye on Aozaki Touko, and that's why she was able to get along with her quickly. Although she didn't know why Touko ultimately chose the Creation Department instead of the Plant Department controlled by Archerlot, the foundation had been laid from the beginning, and their relationship had always been in a honeymoon phase.

With the presence of the Kuonji Temple's jewel as a link between the two, it seems unlikely that there will be any major problems for a long time to come.

As the Aozaki family inheritance dispute escalated, Lydia had been advised by her family not to get involved, and her intuition told her that this incident might cause serious problems. However, she ultimately followed her heart and came over under the pretext of inquiring about Alice.

She wanted to see Aozaki Touko clearly with her own eyes in order to make some very important decisions.

"Let me make this clear beforehand, I've never looked down on you, Aozaki Touko, or rather, I wouldn't stoop to being like those people." Lydel looked at Touko seriously.

"The third type of people you mentioned who are blocking you, the most dangerous or the most harmless of them all is us, the Twelve Monarchs, right? Although I admit you're right, Miss Aozaki, I think you overestimate yourself. You haven't reached the point where our lordly families would do anything to fight for you, because your existence is not enough to affect the balance of power."

After hearing Lydel's words, which were essentially without any concealment, Orange chuckled and looked at Lydel with the eyes one would use to look at a little girl. She thought to herself: That's only because I've hidden most of my abilities. And what I know is enough to overthrow the entire magic world. If I were to go all out, I could even overthrow the entire structure of human society.

However, Orange could tell from Lydel's words that most of the lords meant the same thing, so she said nothing more.

Yes, at this stage, the lords are harmless. Even if they make some small moves in this turmoil, they probably just want to see how good Orange is, or to make her understand her own worth. They won't use any overly drastic methods.

As long as it's not a trump card against the monarchs, Orange is confident that her journey home will be safe and sound. She won't even need to lift a finger; the bodyguards she's hired will handle everything.

However, as mentioned at the beginning, Lydel's unauthorized actions have become a hidden danger. If someone acts rashly and, knowing of Lydel's existence, tries to curry favor with Archerlot's enemies, they might resort to extreme measures.

At that time, Orange will face the means of dealing with the monarchical class and become an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

You face opponents of a certain level, and even if someone from a higher social class attacks you, they won't go too far, since they also need to maintain their status.

But when you suddenly have a high-level companion by your side, some people may turn their attention to that person. They may then use tactics that are not suitable for you without restraint, since you are no longer their target. If you are unfortunately implicated, you can only accept your bad luck.

Orange didn't know if Lydia had thought of this, but since the other party had come along, and had chosen to travel with her out of unspoken goodwill.

Orange will treat this as taking care of her immature younger sister and won't reveal everything this time. She'll see what happens next. She's also looking forward to seeing the methods of the monarchical class. It would be great to have the opportunity to witness it firsthand.

As the plane took off, Orange shifted her position, adjusting her chair from sitting to lying down, and closed her eyes, saying, "I'm going to sleep for a while. We can talk when I wake up."

After hearing this, Lydia looked at Orange, who already had her eyes closed, with a strange expression. "Aren't you worried at all?"

“I know what you mean, but the other side won’t be foolish enough to make a move so soon. They’ll at least wait until the planes are flying over international waters. As for the reason, I think you understand by now.”

Lydia blinked, and in an instant, she understood.

Although magicians are beings who exist outside of normal human society, it doesn't mean they ignore all rules. Even magicians have their own set of social rules, the most important of which is to maintain the mystery of magic.

Taking action at this time could lead to a lot of trouble if things escalate, and even if the attackers succeed, the outcome might not necessarily be in their favor.

This journey lasted more than ten hours and covered half the globe. Just as Orange said, taking action over international waters would reduce a lot of trouble.

Seeing that Orange was completely unhurried and confident, Lydia realized once again just how extraordinary this woman, who was only a few years older than her, truly was.

A person's experience should be proportional to their age, but from observing Aozaki Touko's behavior, she found that this common sense simply did not apply to her.

Whether it's her knowledge or her interpersonal skills, the girl named Aozaki Touko seems to be the result of countless years of condensation, yet there is no contradiction in her. A magician with some ulterior motive once suspected that Aozaki Touko had been replaced by something.

To prove herself, Aozaki Touko had the forensic department examine the connection between her soul and body before joining the Creation Department, and the results proved that those people's guesses were completely unfounded.

Chapter 245 The Puppet Master (Part 1)

About four hours later, the plane that Orange was on, flying from London to Narita Airport in Japan, officially entered international waters. Orange woke up, stretched, and then opened the door to her compartment, where she found Lydia having afternoon tea.

The three-tiered porcelain plate in front of her not only held a variety of exquisite pastries, but the black tea she was drinking also exuded a heart-warming aroma.

“Darjeeling?” Orange asked uncertainly.

Lydia glanced at her in surprise upon hearing this and said, "I didn't expect you to know about tea too."

Chengzi thought it was quite a surprise, but after thinking about why she knew about tea, she didn't say anything more.

The reason she knew it was Darjeeling was because she had afternoon tea with Yuzhu a few times, and it always smelled the same. Over time, she remembered it. If it weren't for this taste, she really wouldn't know what kind of tea Lydia was drinking.

“I’m also quite hungry. Would you mind if I joined your tea party?” Orange said with a smile.

"It seems you only have a superficial understanding of British afternoon tea culture. You commoners are really something else. This is not a tea party..." Lydia muttered a few words, but pointed to the person opposite her, indicating that Orange should sit there.

Then she asked the flight attendant to bring an extra cup, picked up the silver teapot, and poured a cup of black tea for Orange. "Tell me whatever you want to add, ginger slices or milk, we have them all here."

"No thanks. I don't like to add any strange things to my tea like you British people do." Orange picked up the cup of mellow-colored black tea in front of her, closed her eyes, and carefully smelled the aroma.

When it comes to the love of black tea, Britain considers itself the best, so as a true British aristocrat, Lydia had no choice but to respond to Orange's words.

"What do you mean by 'strange stuff'! What's wrong with adding milk and ginger slices?!"

"Hmm, no problem, but what's with adding champagne or even baijiu? Admittedly, alcohol will make the aroma of black tea more intense, but that would ruin the taste, wouldn't it?" After taking a sip of black tea, Orange found that not only the aroma but also the taste of the tea were very familiar.

“What do you Japanese know? Our Great British Empire is a specialist in black tea—” Lydia was about to explain to Orange just how much their great British aristocracy knew about tea culture.

However, before she could launch into a long explanation, Orange asked, "Was this tea given to you by Zhu?"