Curioser and curioser

Of course, the sudden and unwarranted act of violence needed an explanation from Cinder. But all that Cinder could answer him with was that she sensed danger, a real feeling of danger out of nowhere, and she had reacted purely on reflexes.

It was… A rather strange and only partially workable explanation.

Jonathan hadn't noticed anything of the sort even after Cinder had thrown the knife, though of course he'd been distracted. But that still didn't change the fact that there was nothing in the place where Cinder had thrown the knife that other people could have noticed.

So, why did Cinder feel a sense of danger?

There were many possibilities, from sudden unmotivated aggression, to hallucinations, but Jonathan was well aware that the world was too big for even the strangest and most improbable options to be dismissed so easily. And so before coming to a definite conclusion, he at least ventured to inspect where the knife had struck…

To find, the knife was not only stuck quite deep in the wall, but that there was a small red smudge of blood on its blade.

Blood that had appeared out of nowhere.

Could Cinder have injured her hand by accident? A further quick inspection showed Jonathan that this was not the case. So the blood had come from somewhere… the only question was, from where?

There were, in fact, an insane number of possibilities where the blood could have come from.

Without even dismissing the strangest ones, like that the blood had simply materialized out of nowhere, or that the blood on the blade came from a wound on the wall itself. In fact, there were many incredible possibilities that cannot really be discounted. But then there's no need to think that hard, there is one simplest possibility that can explain everything neatly.

Something or someone was in front of that wall, something that was invisible to the eye.

So… Invisibility.

Of course, Jonathan would most likely be able to sense a strong magical background if someone in his presence was making themselves invisible using magic… Well, maybe, for all his achievements, he was still not a master of the arcane. So, a greater practitioner would probably be able to pull the wool over his eyes easily. But then again, such a Mage would not bother doing such things in the dark. On the other hand, if it was not actually a magical ability, then every piece of the puzzle would fall into place.

Well, more accurately speaking, it was magical from the average man's point of view, but actually non-magical to him, an awakened one. Hmm, was it semblances, was that the name Hunters gave to their special abilities?

Jonathan had somewhat studied the subject of Semblances, the special powers one with an awakened Aura can one day acquire. But the extent of his study was only to what he could gather without invading the secret archives of Atlas, so he couldn't state with certainty whether or not it could have been a Semblance. Still, various types of Semblances that granted invisibility did exist in this world.

Huh, actually, if it was only invisibility, and he does have a drop of their blood, well… Even if it was only a drop, he had the wounded's blood. At the very least, he could try to determine if what was here was a living being and where it was at the moment.

Magic really was useful to the extreme in all areas.

However, before he got down to it, Jonathan had a really important thing he needed to do first.

Turning to the frozen and silent attendees of Cinder's birthday party, who were somewhat hushed as they watched him inspect the knife, Jonathan sighed. "Excuse me, but it seems to me… well unfortunately, Cinder, your party has to be postponed."

Cinder only nodded slightly in reaction, not at all bothered by such a thing.

"I will also ask my dearest guests," Jonathan glanced at Ghira and Kali, along with Blake. "Not to leave the confines of Mount Glenn for the time being…"

Probably, under any other circumstances, such a request would not have looked as bad as it might have seemed. Though then again, an occasion where the head of a foreign country placing the head of another foreign country under house arrest, having better optics was very rare indeed.

Thankfully, at least, Ghira had a measure of trust in Jonathan, and could acquiesce easily to the request. "Okay."

"I'll call for an escort," Aisa said evenly, to which Jonathan only nodded, barely holding back an explosive sigh.

As if he didn't have enough problems in his life already…

***

Marcus Black, having escaped from the restaurant, was barely holding back the urge to curse, stopping only because his semblance doesn't actually make him silent. Though his ability to levitate does mask the sound of his footsteps, the sound of his voice would still be audible, breaking his invisibility. The failed assassination had forced Marcus to escape to a back alley, in complete silence. A back alley which he had scouted beforehand for its remoteness and had deposited his clothes, he could even still smell the sweat and alcohol stink that he had left behind.

Only when he stopped using his semblance, assured that there was no one around, could he spit angrily and swear.

That little cunt… whose name he hadn't even managed to get, how did she even detect him! He was invisible, for crying out loud!

Just what was it that alerted the little bitch to his presence!? He was invisible, and he hadn't even taken a step before he was found out. He was practically undetectable… Well, practically.

Could it be? Marcus glanced at himself and grimaced.

Could it be the smell? Yes, that was the most logical reason for his presence to be found out. Of all the things Marcus could be detected by, it was probably the smell of his unwashed body. Huh, he should have showered…

Enraged, Marcus raised his hand, then slammed it with all his might on the rubbish bin next to him, before spitting angrily once more as he started to pull his clothes on.

Still, the little shit… This is why Marcus didn't like children.

The small scratch on his side had already begun to heal, though it was impossible to call it a wound from the beginning, Marcus was still angry.

As has been said before, Marcus's semblances… worked worse than when they belonged to their original owners, his intangibility included.

For example, he could penetrate solid obstacles like concrete walls with great mental and effort, expending great stamina all the while, using the bulk of his Aura, rendering him vulnerable. Though it wouldn't matter much since he would be intangible… mostly.

Though he could concentrate enough to make a sword blow or a bullet pass through him, the density of the objects was still a problem, it would take time for him to be able to do so. While this wouldn't matter much when he's invisible or flying, in combat it's another matter entirely, where fractions of a second could either mean living or dying. Without his Aura protecting him, Marcus would be nothing more than a sitting duck, so he preferred to simply not get caught up in any combat situations while maintaining his intangibility. Preferring it as a means of travel instead, passing through walls or even roofs sometimes.

But that knife? The knife had appeared out of nowhere, almost piercing him the moment Marcus had just passed through the walls of the restaurant. It was definitely not the surprise he had expected.

Of course, if he had seen it coming, he might have easily gotten past such an unexpected problem, it wasn't hard per se.

But who would expect a surprise attack!?.

Marcus Black was the best at murder, at assassination, not because he was the most magnificent and seasoned professional, but simply because he had been very lucky with his semblances.

Once upon a time, he was even passable as a Hunter, but, for a long time now, Marcus had been primarily a drinker and a womanizer rather than an assassin, letting his skills rot.

And it has always worked out!

As an invisible, inaudible and intangible assassin, capable of sneaking through walls into the most secure rooms, he doesn't need any more than that! In fact, his main professional quality was in being able to squeeze more money out of his employer.

It had been a long time since Marcus Black had encountered any targets that would have required anything more from him than that.

However, one couldn't blame Marcus for finally losing his skills as an assassin, or rather, one couldn't blame him alone. His targets were indeed very seldom able to match his skills. His targets were not professional Hunters, who could give Marcus a nasty surprise even when caught unawares in the middle of the night, but politicians, businessmen and activists, who were barely child's play for him. The only obstacle he faced was getting to them in their protected corner.

And it was precisely this problem that Marcus's semblances easily solved.

In other words, the issue was not so much Cinder, who showed a reaction and keenness of observation unexpected for her age, but rather Marcus himself, who had become complacent. Relying on his semblances as crutches, far more than on his skills or any well-developed plan.

Had Marcus, while taking precautions, chosen to still walk through the wall to continue maintaining his intangibility, the knife thrown by Cinder would most likely have simply passed through him, remaining in the wall without injuring him in any way. Marcus Black, however, simply chose the option that stressed him less, and just after his intangibility no longer seemed to be needed, he had relaxed, becoming vulnerable to the makeshift weapon.

Actually, even if Cinder hadn't thrown that knife, it was likely that Marcus, who had decided not to sneak into his target's room at night but to his adopted daughter's birthday party, would have been found out. He could easily have collided with a waiter rushing somewhere, crashed into a table, or made a dozen other mistakes. He was barely able to keep himself upright after all, he was that drunk.

In other words, what happened to Marcus was not an improbable accidental event, but the natural outcome of the degeneration of his skills that was bound to happen sooner or later.

Sadly, such a realization would never happen for Marcus so easily. Such a thing could only have been achieved through a labor of long reflection and self-reflection, a balanced examination of all Marcus' previous decisions and actions. And for the current Marcus? That was impossible.

So instead of thinking 'why did this happen?' in the broadest sense of the word, and thinking of how to fix it, Marcus only thought of 'I should probably wash up' and 'that little shit foiled my plan!'. Immediately after using the last brain cells he had, he kicked the bin once more, causing it to fly up slightly and immediately fall over on its side, showering the unremarkable alley with rubbish. His rage expended, Marcus was able to calmly exhale.

Okay, okay, so… the first try was a failure. What's next?

Marcus paused for a second, thinking. In that case… his next attempt should be taken when his target, Jonathan, was in a more secluded spot, where he'll feel the safest, letting his guard down. Preferably without that little cunt around!

Somewhere like… his house? Marcus' mood brightened up as he came up with his brilliant idea. It shouldn't be that hard to find the residence of the most famous man in the Kingdom, right? So, if he could find the local King's residence and sneak into his house at night, it would be his job done then and there!

And, if all goes well, he might even be able to finish his work and skip town tonight.

But just in case, he should still wash up. Marcus took a step and staggered a little, either from the alcohol he'd drunk earlier, or after slipping a little on the waste spilled from the trash bin. Actually, he might as well change his clothes as well.

At least, that would definitely increase his chance of successfully completing his mission…

***

Jonathan's escort arrived at the restaurant after only a couple of minutes. Three inconspicuous cars that would blend in with the cars of the ordinary people of Glenn, with the seats occupied by inconspicuous people and fauna in civilian clothes, stopped at the front of the restaurants. As the car stopped, the occupants filed out, and which immediately cordoned off the restaurant. A task made a whole lot easier as Jonathan had rented the entire restaurant for the day. As the surroundings were cordoned off, the agents rather quickly escorted everyone inside to their cars.

As might be expected, the men in civilian clothes tightly cordoning off the influential politicians and others were none other than members of RATS. And the 'ordinary civilian' cars are armored to the gills, enough even to withstand several direct hits from a rocket launcher. Aisa was escorted first, and then the Belladonna couple, who were then rushed off to their allocated official accommodation.

It was not known exactly what had happened a second ago, and whose blood was on the blade of the knife immediately expropriated by Jonathan. But because their intent was definitely for nothing good, it was ideally worth it to prepare for all possibilities. It was a room full of potential assassination targets, after all.

Though, who the potential assassin was targeting sounded particularly ominous. It was unlikely to be a fan who simply wanted Jonathan's autograph or to see Ghira Belladonna in person had snuck into a place of concentration of influential politicians. In other words, the most serious measures had to be taken in the first place. In this case, a contingency when there was a failed attempted assassination.

Because of all possibilities of what had happened, that was actually the most likely to have happened.

Jonathan himself, Cinder, Neo and Nora, who were present when the anomaly had occurred, had also been given temporary accommodation as the contingency instructed. But, since Jonathan was planning to perform a ritual to determine whose blood it was on the blade, he needed to pick up some specialized tools.

So instead of heading directly to the planned safe house, or even directly under the protection of the RATS HQ, they were to go on a detour to his home. And the two operatives, one driving with the other on the passenger seat, followed his directives. The perk with being the boss.

During the time Jonathan's car drove to his house, Jonathan was deep in thought, but not about the possible attacker, either their identity or their motives. Such a thing is reserved after he has done the analysis of the blood. No, Jonathan was thinking about something else.

"This is…" Jonathan pondered as he looked at the backs of the driver driving carefully, who was keeping an eagle eye on the surroundings while driving. "Really convenient."

RATS, Glenn's special services, is a department that is in the full and accountable control of Aisa, though Jonathan had never really thought of them before. In fact, for him, it's almost as if they hadn't existed at all.

I mean, of course he knew they existed and were probably fulfilling their function properly. But apart from the experimental development of a communication system for them by his own magical powers, their service as escorts for him a few times a year and the fact that he had seen the head of the RATS once or twice, he hadn't really interacted with them much.

Jonathan was more involved with his own interests. Maintaining an orphanage, a school, and a university, and other than some rare 'official' appearances on TV putting on or on some regular charity event, that was pretty much it.

Oh, how great is the King when he doesn't even know which Kingdom he rules…

His first thought was to settle the Belladonnas in the nearest luxury hotel and return to his home himself. But Aisa had stunned him when she had both inconspicuous escort cars and plans for temporary accommodation in place, including Jonathan's. In other words…

Aisa is more prepared to be King than you are. Is that news to anyone?

Yes, it wasn't the Kingdom's first crisis, but it was the first of its kind to actually affect Jonathan himself. And while previous Kingdom crises had been handled easily enough by Jonathan, this time it is more for the State to handle.

Is it worth worrying about, Jonathan? We can teleport anywhere, so there's no problem, is there?

Or maybe there is a problem after all?

What would Jonathan do if Aisa was not there? Without RATS around?

Would he send Ghira and his family to a hotel? What if it really was a botched attempted assassination attempt? On the Belladonnas? What if there wouldn't be much of a concern for the assassin in tracking their family down in the hotel and just killing them? After all, if the man was capable of turning invisible, he'd have no difficulty sneaking unnoticed and killing the whole family while they're asleep.

And then what?

The White Fang leader's family and Ghira Belladonna himself murdered in Mount Glenn!

It would be the death of three innocent people, and all of it would be on his hands. It would have been absolute political chaos in Menagerie, it would be a political scandal all over the world.

And we want to defend our Kingdom, don't we, Jonathan? Then…

Why aren't we defending it?!

It's only now that the realization has reached Jonathan.

Quite possibly, just half an hour ago, he was one step away from death.

He could teleport, yes, but what if he hadn't had time to react? If the invisible man had simply pulled out his gun and shot him? Here and now?

Slowly, you're starting to get it. You don't want to be a target, Jonathan, but the problem is…

You're already a target.

Jonathan suddenly felt a shiver pass through his spine.

He was there, unknowing of an assassin's blade at his neck. He could have died. He was one second away from death.

And no amount of him denying Ozpin and supporting the schools would have saved him.

He was saved by Cinder, and then by Aisa.

Unknowingly to the deep in thought Jonathan, the car soon stopped, a considerable distance away from Jonathan's house.

"Your Majesty." He heard the man in the front seat addressing him, who had turned to look at Jonathan. He was holding a phone, it had a satellite-phone-like look to it, a phone designed by Jonathan himself for closed circuit communications bypassing the CCTV.

"General Aisa is requesting a preliminary check of the premises by a team of bomb squad and specialists. Does the team have your permission?"

Jonathan blinked.

Huh, yes… after all, if it was an assassination attempt… Indeed, they would probably prepare an ambush in his house or even a small 'surprise' tuck in some corner, if their first attempt failed. And given that it was his officially known place of residence…

"Yes," Jonathan nodded, "You can go ahead…"

After this, the man nodded at Jonathan and returned to his seat, leaving Jonathan behind with his thoughts.

Jonathan, it's not a bad thing if you choose to focus your attention on protecting only part of this world, whether it's only the people you know, only Glenn or even only your family.

The only problem is, Jonathan, that even if you have decided to focus your actions on something, they still need to be performed.

Jonathan could only slowly lower his face.

***

The specialists worked quickly and almost noiselessly, seemingly without even touching the things left in their places. Even the unfinished sheets of Jonathan's unfinished ritual still rested in their places in his office, though the door to his office appeared to have been neatly opened and left slightly propped up. At least Jonathan could applaud the professionalism of the Secret Service.

So after taking the most important contents for the ritual, that coincidentally also fit in one bag, Jonathan was able to go quietly to his temporary place of residence in the company of the other girls.

However, Nora, who was eventually deemed to be 'unlikely to be in danger', was picked up by a different car with a few more people in civilian clothes, taking her to the Royal Orphanage. While Jonathan, Neo, and Cinder found themselves rather quickly in an unremarkable apartment building on the outskirts of the city.

It was a bare three-room flat in the building, without any frills but with sufficient amenities. If not for the very extensive security measures like bulletproof windows, and various additions that are more hidden.

That, however, was not what interested Jonathan or Cinder at the moment. Neo, on the other hand, took a short tour of the flat and found that there was no television or any other form of entertainment. And she collapsed onto her bed, showing him just how unhappy she was, causing Jonathan to be mildly concerned about Neo's boredom.

Additionally, the three of them also had a RATS operative with them just in case, apparently needed to communicate with the outside world and to ensure security even in the current circumstances. So Neo, after lying idle for ten minutes, found her source of entertainment, trying to strike up a dialogue with the operative. As much as it was possible for her to do so.

Jonathan himself, and Cinder, who refused to leave his side, made their way to another room, which was apparently a kind of living room. At least that was what the two armchairs, the small sofa, the table in front of them and the pair of gray cabinets arranged around them hinted at. It was the perfect room for him to complete the ritual, so after asking for the agent to stay outside, Jonathan laid out his tools.

Of course, perhaps, ideally, Jonathan should have also asked Cinder to leave, but… perhaps it was time for him to share one of his secrets with Cinder.

She was a smart girl as it was, so Jonathan himself, after making sure that the door behind him was closed, took a deep breath as he looked at Cinder seriously. Cinder, clearly aware that something important was about to happen, made her way to the nearest chair before glancing at the armored glass windows installed in the flat.

"Cinder," After a few moments of silence to gather his resolve, Jonathan sighed and looked at her seriously. "I am a mage."

It would probably be correct to expect some sort of reaction from a normal person after something so ridiculous being said to them. But Cinder, hearing it, thought for a moment before simply nodding. "Okay."

Jonathan was shocked silent for a second, waiting for Cinder to continue, before realizing that she wasn't going to say anything more. "You're… you're not surprised?"

"I suspected that you have a few very variable Semblances, something that are considered impossible in and of themselves," Cinder replied calmly. "So you, actually being capable of magic, isn't that far off from my assumptions."

"Huh…" Jonathan was flabbergasted for a moment, before sighing. "Of course, though… sometimes I wonder which of us is more mature."

Cinder just let out a small half-smile at his words, feeling a kind of pride for, in fact, Jonathan's compliment.

"So… don't you have any questions for me?" Jonathan looked at Cinder carefully, "I mean, for such a revelation, you can probably think of a dozen."

"Yes." Cinder nodded instantly, "But no critical or urgent ones. They can all wait until the current situation is resolved. And besides, will you tell this to Neo?"

"I will, eventually" Jonathan nodded. "But I'm afraid that she… that she will not take this information as easily as you do. So it would be better to tell her after this situation is resolved, and when there are… fewer eyes around.

"I understand," Cinder glanced over to where the man from the Secret Service was behind the wall from her. "In that case, I assume that you are telling me this for a reason?"

"Well, I have been meaning to tell you about it for a long time, but now is the right time," Jonathan nodded, "And I also need you to participate in a ritual that I'm about to do…"

After these words, Jonathan pulled out a small plastic bag with a knife lying in it, the drop of blood on it had already coagulated and dried.

"Okay," Cinder also nodded, "How exactly?"

Jonathan sighed. All he had of the man, if it was a man, was a single drop of dried blood.

Blood was extremely valuable material for any mage, including a Hermeticist, so there was no need to worry about the ritual failing. But the amount of it…

There was nothing easier than casting a spell on a man if you had even an ounce of his blood, but one drop?

Now that the drop was already coagulated, to analyze it in terms of life, to try to determine what living creature it belonged to, would be extremely difficult. One could try to determine whether the blood had any magical properties, but it was unlikely that this blood belonged to a wizard. And up to this point, Jonathan had never encountered any other representatives of the supernatural in this world. Although, the faunus and their origins did raise questions for him… never mind, those were unnecessary distractions for the moment.

In other words, the blood represented a connection for Jonathan only in that it was connected, very intimately connected, to the person from whom it spilled.

Jonathan could try to locate the person, but that would require Cinder's participation.

So, giving her the knife from the bag, Jonathan pulled a map of Glenn out of his bag, then patching it on the wall.

"Cinder, you've already stabbed your attacker once exactly, haven't you?" Jonathan grinned, "In that case, you just need to repeat that success, and stab him in the same way on this map, simple as that."

Cinder blinked at Jonathan's strange instructions. "I don't know where he is at the moment."

"Neither do I," Jonathan smiled knowingly. "But don't worry, Cinder. First you'll get to him, and then we'll know where he is."

Who would have thought that of all the things he could have started Cinder's introduction to magic with, he would have chosen this particular ritual?

Really, Old Man… Some things never change.