32 The Fiance

The Sun rose over the city of Fuyuki once again, it's bright rays shedding light on all that was previously concealed by the dark that came with their absence.

Yet, the city didn't return to normal as usual. Following recent inexplicable events, the entirety of Miyama Town had become nothing but destroyed and distorted terrain, the sheer wealth that had been lost with the explosion that caused it would leave the common man shook to his core.

If one observed closely just now, they would see that the masses going about their days had hollow eyes and shuffled about aimlessly, like their minds had been dulled or something. At the same time, a number of individuals dressed from head to toe in nothing but black could be made out walking among them, here and there. These individuals could even be seen stationed on rooftops with certain seemingly abnormal distances between them.

One thing they all had in common was that they ALL wore crosses.

The Holy Church had immediately made it's move when the truth of what happened in Fuyuki reached them, the fact that many more servants had appeared in Fuyuki was enough reason but when the destruction it caused became known, it only made them react more harshly.

A grand ritual had been erected in Fuyuki, one that would dull the minds of the populace so that the truth of the world didn't become known to them.

Such was the duty of the Holy Church, as the Overseer of the Holy Grail War.

Something like this was actually well within expectations considering the entire city had been left in ruins in the Second Grail War and as such, squads had been ready to move out at a moment's notice right from the start.

The Mage's Association, chose to wait and see how the situation would pan out.

-

Fuyuki, Japan,

Edelfelt Mansion,

"Alright, I'll be the one to say it. What's up with this atmosphere here?"

Roman, no longer able to ignore the tension in the air, dropped his knife and looked at the other people in the dining hall.

Waver sat off to one end with his head hung low, he was ashamed of himself and couldn't come up with a way to interact with Roman after lashing out at him and thinking he was insane.

"Pardon my not mentioning it sooner."

A certain blonde spoke out gracefully, placing a hand over her mouth as she glanced at Roman. She'd arrived the day before and only met him in the afternoon.... A bland and dry response was all she got... Well that and she saw his friend was depressed.

"I was happy when you were silent, Luviagelita."

"Please, call me Luvia." Luviagelita Edelfelt, a girl no older than 10 and the possible next head of the Edelfelt Family, she'd come here to 'accompany' the man she was to wed.... Though admittedly, the change in her attitude towards Roman had left even Thea speechless.

"That's just weird. What's your game?"

"And the very same to you as well, what's your game?"

"I don't want to explain that to a graverobber." Roman mused with a small smile, far more relaxed than the hectic day just before. He did just witness a star fall... even if he was the one who made it fall in the first place.

"How can yo-"

"On another note, where is everyone?" The one eyed magician looked around the room, effectively ignoring the now red faced Luviagelita. The only people here were him, Luviagelita and Waver... not even Thea was here at the moment.

"Ugh, can you at least be nice to me?" The Edelfelt sighed, placing down the knife she'd been using for her food and turning her head towards her fiance.

"I tried to be nice to you, but now I don't feel like it."

"I apologised already!" Luviagelita raised her voice in protest, her eyebrows slightly twitching with how petty he was being. Yes, she got it okay? She was a bitch to him. She remembered that he'd actually been amiable when they first interacted and she explained how he was 'unworthy', she was young then and didn't get it!

The only reason she'd come to her senses now was because a few days ago her grandmother had actually explained to her.

"I like how you think that solves everything." Roman ignored her, his gaze fixed on the oh so interesting ground.

"...Fine, what do you want me to do? Just say it." The Edelfelt sighed with her head in her hand, she also knew that whatever she did wasn't nearly enough to make up for how she'd treated him.

"Oh I'm not even angry at you. Just I'm not interested in getting along either so.. ta ta." He waved his hand with a close eyed smile, he had other better things to do at the moment like having breakfast, dragging Tamamo out of her hiding spot.

Killing at least two servants today was also on his agenda.

"Wea-"

".....If you say wealth I'm just gonna leave." Roman stared at the young girl, he was being unreasonable at the moment but oh well, it wasn't like she wasn't to blame at all now was it?

"....." Luviagelita lowered her head in defeat, not wanting to increase his dislike for her.

Now one may wonder why she'd become genuinely apologetic about her actions in the past.

The answer was quite simple really.

Her own view on him was extremely flawed, she saw her fiance exactly as the public did, as an unmotivated good for nothing. That view got pretty much drop kicked by her Grandmother who'd actually been keeping tabs on the man.

Lazy? By no means, he always had a book on his person a while back.

Ambitionless? No, the man had connections with several prominent families, and not from his background, these families however, her grandmother refused to name.

Talentless? Seemingly but if one actually thought about it, it made no sense. He worked extremely hard, hidden from the public eye and had excellent Magic Circuits rumoured to outclass his own father's.

He also wasn't relying on his family. A little background search revealed that the man actually had a lot of wealth, wealth that came from sources even the Edelfelt couldn't track completely. The total he himself owned however, was actually several times their own wealth.

Of course these were all things any could notice, maybe several had, even Luviagelita's own interactions with him proved these facts once she actually thought objectively.... Magi just had a very biassed view of Roman.

His father, McDonell was a fool because he only valued merit, only actual feats which Roman seemingly had none of... If Roman was born to some other family, they would go to great lengths to ensure he was skilled. McDonell didn't care if his successor was a son or daughter but the aristocratic nobles did.

So yes, Luviagelita realised that the 'cripple' was by no means 'unworthy' of being her husband, he'd even managed to pull the wool over the eyes of many magi so she actually admired his prowess now, that and his simplistic way of life really did align with her own.

"..." Sakura, who'd gone ignored by everyone in the room so far, silently stared at the slightly older blonde that was apparently Roman's fiance.... It really affirmed just how weird magi were about certain things but at the same time, this was supposed to be a pretty normal practice, "Why.. are you so rude to him?" Still, she couldn't allow the way Luviagelita addressed Roman.

"Rude?" Luviagelita looked at the purple haired child in mild surprise, a hand over her chest, "I am not 'rude' little girl? It is simply the proper way to address my fiance."

"A fiance that has no interest in you~." Roman chimed in with a small clap of his hands.

"...."

"....Shouldn't you be more.. nicer then?" Sakura didn't understand, weren't wives supposed to support their husbands? Not you know, mock and demean them?

"I am nice though." Luviagelita didn't understand.

"That stick up her ass is something passed down the family. She's actually unaware of it." Roman whispered to Sakura and she nodded in a confused manner, what did that mean?

"My.. how vulgar."

"You like to wrestle, don't call me vulgar."

"Wrestling is a profound practice, what do you know?" Luviagelita huffed, folding her arms and turning her gaze away.

"Sure it is, but you're supposed to be a 'lady'. What lady goes around suplexing people?" Roman tilted his head with a small smile, he was slightly enjoying this interaction.. People lost their shit when insulted, it was nice to talk with someone who could bite back.

"The Luvia kind." The blonde puffed out her chest and closed her eyes, a smug air about her, "And you, what kind of Lord goes around hitting people with his cane?"

"The kind that does whatever he wants."

"You're a fool if you think that's actually the case."

"....I lose." Roman admitted his defeat, narrowing his eyes at Luviagelita, was this... a worthy opponent? He slapped his hand on the dining table and then retracted it to reveal an uno reverse card.

"....." Luviagelita was now speechless at his behaviour but also disappointed that he didn't compliment her dress, she'd specifically changed into this one..

.... This seemingly normal and light hearted day was on it's way to become extremely hectic. For a certain divine fox had just finished with her rituals.

"Master!"

In another part of the mansion, a certain Berserker was weeping about how her Master had someone he was going to get married to... She wanted to make that someone disappear...

"Yooyooyoo...."

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Share thoughts.

That last line isn't for the dumbasses about to comment, "I kNoW yoU'LL jUsT MakE iT Go tHRougH."

You lot can keep your retarded inconclusive thoughts to yourself.

Buncha insecure pussies.

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On another note, anyone got a Jap name that don't sound cringy as all hell? I need one cause using one of the names I usually use would be canonically incorrect.... This isn't related to this story in case you're wondering.

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You can find up to 7 chapters ahead over at, patre0n.com/stoned_face