The Simulacrum

~Chapter 154~ Part 1

"Sorry for intruding. Is Mr Walker here?"

On this Friday, the school was out early thanks to a certain PE teacher calling in sick (or rather, me calling sick in for her, but let's not split hairs over such small details), and since I had no other prior obligations, I had plenty of time to tick some minor stuff off my priority list.

 As such, I made my way over to the school's enormous library building and poked my head around a certain row of bookshelves, behind which I could see three familiar faces. My initial question was, of course, purely of performative etiquette; thanks to my Far Sight, I already knew he was there, sitting around a small table in a quiet corner, accompanied by his fellow arch-mages.

Not all of them though. For once, Lord Ambrose was separated from Lord Gulliver, sitting with his back turned to me. The corner seat was occupied by Lord Taika, and she was browsing through a small mountain of books, while the dark-skinned arch-mage was sitting leisurely while leafing through an old archived newspaper. All three of them turned to face me when I walked into their little cubbyhole in the least-frequented section of the library.

"I'm present, and you're not intruding," Lord Barnabas answered cordially and put down his paper. "Can I help you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." I only continued when I reached the tableside. "You see, I'm planning a bit of an excursion during the spring break, and I'd like Amelia to join us. The problem is that she can't be left alone because of the whole Conduit thing, and Amadeus can't come with us because of various boring official reasons. However, I got him to agree to let her come with us so long as I could arrange responsible adult supervision, and you were the first one who came to mind."

"Oh. I'm flattered, but… where exactly are you planning to go?"

"Abroad," I responded curtly, and while it wasn't exactly a lie, it wasn't the full truth either.

But then again, what he didn't know couldn't worry him, and it wasn't like we were going anywhere dangerous, so it didn't really matter. My internal conflicts thus quelled, I flashed a reassuring smile, and Lord Barnabas gave my words due thought.

"Who else is coming?"

"My family, the Dracises, Judy's family, plus Joshua and Angeline. Also, Amelia and you, if you agree."

"I see. Is it absolutely necessary for Amelia to attend?"

"It's not 'absolutely' a must, but I kind of planned things with her in mind." Scratching the back of my neck, I feebly added, "You would really help me out with this one."

"In that case… I'll consult Lord Amadeus and I'll try to free up my time."

"Thank you. I appreciate it a lot."

I flashed a smile, and I had a hard time keeping it relieved instead of self-satisfied. Knowing him, it was fifty-fifty whether Barnabas would agree on the spot, so I played the hapless act to get the odds in my favour.

"Is there anything else you need from me?"

"No, that was all."

"In that case, shall we talk about the 'extracurricular classes' you missed?"

I involuntarily twitched and forced a startled expression.

"Ah, right. I'm sorry, but something urgent came up the other day."

"It's fine. When would it be convenient for you?"

Ugh. Now that he agreed to do me a favour, I couldn't weasel out of this easily. No offence to the man, but his lessons about etiquette and diplomacy were not only astonishingly boring, I fundamentally disagreed with a lot of his negotiation tactics, both on the theoretical and practical level.

"How about… Monday?" I squeezed out, and he nodded with satisfaction.

"Sounds reasonable. Don't forget to bring the articles we talked about the last time."

Articles? As in, items? I couldn't immediately remember it, but after emptying the drawers of my mental filing cabinet, I did find a faint memory of promising him one of my signed enchantment plaques. It never came up in the context of these tutoring lessons, so it took me a while to connect the dots, and lacking any other choice, I nodded.

"Sure, I'll make sure not to forget."

"I'm glad to head that. Now, if you excuse me, I believe there's no time like the present." Saying so, he folded his newspaper and stood up. "I shall visit Lord Amadeus right away."

"You don't need to, but I'd much appreciate it."

He turned to the silent arch-mages at the table, saying, "I wish you a pleasant weekend." Then, he faced me again. "As for you, Leonard, I shall see you on Monday."

"Goodbye till then."

He nodded with a thin-lipped smile and left the nook. The moment he was out of earshot, Ambrose let out a guffaw and grinned at me.

"Ha! You thought you'd get one over that old fox? Oh, the folly of youth!"

"I don't know what you mean," I replied with a considerably more relaxed shrug and took the newly opened seat by the table. "I've got what I wanted, so it's a win in my book."

"Ha! Look at him, being all cocky!"

Taika only sent a disapproving frown in the man's direction, and after shaking her head, she disappeared behind an old art history textbook.

"Where's Lord Gulliver?" I asked absently to change the subject, and the bearded arch-mage let out a loud harrumph.

"Hmpf! That lout still has classes! I told him he should stop with the rouse and quit already, but do you know what he said to me? He actually likes kids! And teaching! What a fool!"

"… Sure, if you say so."

Huffing and puffing, the fiery arch-mage suddenly snapped his fingers and pointed at me.

"Since we ran into each other like this, can I have some of your time one of these days?" That was an unexpected question, and it must've shown on my face, because he hastily amended, "You absolutely have to show me how you managed to get your hands on my Gri—" He bit back the last word, and after glancing around, he considerably lowered his voice. "The item formerly in my custody which will not be named."

"You can talk freely. I already isolated this area with a concealment spell," Taika commented without looking up from her book.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Ambrose let out a relieved breath and started over. "So? When are you coming? Tomorrow? Sunday?"

"I already have some plans for the weekend, so… how about Wednesday?"

He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Almost a week? Ugh! The wait is already killing me!"

I didn't know how to feel about this. I wasn't the one who stole his Grimoire Key… or rather, it was future-me who did it, so I had no idea how I was going to do it. Or… wait. Would going over there now to take a look at the defences help me sneakily circumvent them later as future-me? But I wouldn't need to go there if I didn't steal it in the future, which I could do seamlessly because I already went there in the past which is five days from now, and oh goddammit I hate time paradoxes.

"Hm? Is everything all right?"

"It's nothing. Just a sudden headache," I told Ambrose, two fingers already massaging my temple. "Let's talk about this again on Monday, when I'll have a better grasp on my schedule for the rest of the week."

"Hah! You're a busy man, aren't you?"

"Unironically, yes." I let my hand down with a sigh. "I have all my official obligations, plus the unofficial ones, on top of planning a trip, and I still have to study for the exam season too. It will probably involve a few group study sessions, and why are you looking at me like that?"

Said question was aimed at Taika, and she hurriedly averted her eyes.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought that with all of your other responsibilities, you wouldn't consider academic performance all that important."

"Well, I don't, but my girlfriends would flay me if I didn't get at least decent grades."

The arch-mages still looked at me like I was the weird one, and the stale-mate would've probably continued for a while longer if not for a sudden guitar solo.

"Huh. It's been a while…" I muttered as I reached for my phone, only to realise that it wasn't mine.

"What is it?"

Instead, Lord Ambrose casually took a fancy smartphone out of his thick robe and raised it to his ear.

"Yes, I'm still in the library, and… What?"

Wait, hold on. The old arch-mage who looked like the type who would send freaking messenger pigeons not only had a mobile phone, it was a modern smart one too? And he was using it without any problems? Wow… Naoren really had no excuse, did he?

"Fool! What am I, your assistant!?" Ambrose bellowed and rose to his feet, using one hand to cover the mic of the phone. "I must leave now, it's an urgent matter. Let's talk later." Following that, he raised his phone back to his ear again and walked away at a brisk pace. "Say the title of the book again. Louder, you clod! I can't hear you!"

Just like that, I was left alone with Lord Taika, and when I turned to her, she quickly returned to her book. She was acting… kind of suspicious. It was time to probe her.

"Do you have something to tell me?" I asked in a nice, neutral voice, and it made her finally look me in the eye.

While I couldn't be sure, I figured she must've been searching for the right opportunity to question me about my Phasing ability. At least that's what the class rep told me the other day, yet her behaviour was still suspect. I was under the impression we got along well, so why would she be so nervous around me?

Just as I was about to broach the subject myself, she snapped her book shut so hard it startled me. She put it down, exhaled hard, and raised her palms as if I had her at gunpoint.

"Leonard… I must apologize."

"… That kind of came out of left field." It took me a moment to collect myself, and then I gestured for her to put her hands down before a random onlooked would misunderstand the situation. "Okay, let's start from the top. What exactly are you apologizing for?"

"It's… Honestly, I'm not supposed to talk about this, let alone to you, but knowing your track record, it's only a question of time before you would somehow find out about this, so I want to come clean about it."

"You're doing a lot of dancing around the topic."

"You're right." She rubbed the bridge of her nose and finally let the cat out of the bag. "I… copied and reproduced the message Bel of the Abyss left for you."

"… Okay. And?"

"We've asked an… independent third party to translate it for us, to make sure that… there wasn't any secret communication between you and Bel."

"Oh. Oooh?" I folded my hands and nodded with newfound enlightenment. "Okay, now it makes a whole lot of sense."

Taika averted her eyes. She must've thought I was talking about her behaviour, but as a matter of fact, I was referring to the way the message was written in character. It didn't bother me that much at the time, but I did secretly wonder why future-me chose to write in such a roundabout way.

"And? What did you find?" I inquired out of pure curiosity, and she didn't hesitate for long.

"Our… expert had a hard time transcribing it, but he said it was addressed to Polemos, it mentioned something about arranging pawns on a board and the Grimoire Keys, and… there was a mention of something called an 'Axis of Evil'?"

"That's all?"

She nodded, and I shrugged in return.

"Bel is unpredictable and incomprehensible at the best of times."

"Yes, but… what is an 'Axis of Evil'?"

"I'll be damned if I knew, but knowing Bel, it's either an evil organization of evilness, or the name of his treehouse club."

I waited for a reaction, but Taika didn't get my joke. She only nodded with a small, jerky movement, her eyes focused and lips set in a thin line that made her look like a sculpture. That impression didn't last for long, as she soon started apologized again.

"Nevertheless, I'm sorry. I knew that doing something like this behind your back was underhanded, but we all agreed to it in the heat of the moment, and it's been eating away at me ever since."

"In that case, let me tell you that there's no need to be bothered by it. It's your job to be vigilant about such things, so I won't hold it against you."

"Thank you." She acted like I just took a weight off her shoulders. "So… I know this is presumptuous, but can I…?"

"Asks about my ability to teleport?" I cut to the chase, and her eyes opened wide.

"Yes, exactly. How did you know? Wait, on second thought, it doesn't matter." In contrast to the surprisingly modern Ambrose, she took out an old-timey timepiece from her breast pocket. It was a simple, stainless-steel construction with a white face and Roman numerals, and after peeking at it, she snapped it shut and shook her head. "It's a little late now, but could I impose on you on another day? Maybe sometime next week, once you find an opening in your schedule?"

"Sure, but… It's not that late," I pointed out by literally pointing at the sun hanging high in the sky, visible through the huge window panes of the library building.

"I have a prior appointment and I have to leave within the hour, so I'm afraid we don't have time for an in-debt discussion today."

Wait. Did that mean she expected our talk to last for more than an hour? Ugh. I'll have to come up with a really convincing fake explanation for my Phasing, won't I?

"In that case, let's discuss this again next week."

I kicked that question down the line for the future me (not 'future-me' me, but the current me in a few days) to figure out. Taika smiled and fidgeted with the corner of her book, so I figured there was no reason to keep her from her reading, research, or whatever she was doing.

Bidding farewell, I stood up and left the library, passing by an angry Ambrose balancing on top of a ladder and trying to find a book on the upper shelves of the first floor. I could've helped, but he didn't look like he wanted any, so I just nodded in his general direction and strolled outside.

While the sun was shining high in the sky, the weather forecast said there would be rain in the evening, and I could already see some clouds on the horizon. Not that it mattered, as I would be back home long before that. Or in the base. One or the other.

Of course, first I would have to stop by the Dracis mansion, because Abram finally came back from a business trip and I wanted to catch him while he was around. Emese too, while I was at it.  I already told Judy I would visit the mansion, so my girlfriends unilaterally agreed that we should meet up in Elly's room to cuddle after I'm done with business. Then I'd take Judy home, like a responsible boyfriend before heading to the base to get some miscellaneous enchanting done. All in a day's work. Or at least that was the plan.

"Hey, pal. Why aren't you home yet?"

On my way back to the main building, I just happened to bump into Josh carrying a big cardboard box in his hands.

"Tennis club practice," he responded wearily, and while I couldn't see his face because of the box, I was sure he was grimacing.

"Dude, at this point, they should make you an honorary member," I jested while he turned to the side so we could look each other in the eye, only so that he could roll them.

"Don't even joke about that. It's already bad enough without being a member."

"A fair point. You need any help?"

"Nah, it's the last box."

It was only at this point that I realized that he was carrying the box towards the gymnasium's back entrance instead of to the tennis courts at the far end of the campus. That was mildly peculiar, so I couldn't stop myself from poking my nose in it.

"So there are more? What's in this, anyway?"

"A bunch of stuff. New uniforms, tennis rackets, balls… the whole nine yards."

"Seriously?"

Josh shifted the box in his grasp and exhaled a tired, "Yeah. The club's been asking the school for new equipment for a while now, and they finally got what they wanted."

"Angie?"

"Yup." Josh flashed a mirthless smile. "I guess the principal didn't want to start a diplomatic incident by rebuking the request of the great and mighty Deus, Father of Elysium, and so on."

I let loose an impressed whistle.

"Nice. Just make sure it doesn't go to her head and start demanding weird things from Lord Grandpa."

My friend first blinked in surprise, then narrowed his eyes and muttered, "He told me you would tell me that."

"He?"

"Angie. I mean, Deus." Pausing, he exhaled a weak groan. "Man, pronouns have been a pain ever since an old guy started living in my girlfriend's head."

"We all have our own crosses to bear, I suppose." My grin made the guy's expression darken in record time, so I tactically changed the topic. "Are you sure you don't need help?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He hefted the box. "Standing around like this is kind of dumb though. Why don't we walk while we talk?"

"Nah, I pass. I was about to leave, but since we ran into each other like this, I might as well ask now: Are you free tomorrow?"

Josh was visibly surprised, and after some thinking, he nodded.

"I have some plans for the morning, but I'm free in the afternoon. Why?" Suddenly his expression shifted. "Personal training?"

"No, of course not. Seriously, dude, you need to relax a little. You're getting tunnel vision."

"Oh. Then what do you need me for?"

"I just thought we should hang out a bit. You know? Like in the good old times." I scratched the back of my head. "I'll be the first to admit that I seriously need to let off some steam, and I think you need it too."

"I'm… not going to argue with that. Arcade-hopping?"

"Sounds like a good start, and then we'll figure it out from there."

We both grinned and then walked past each other, secure in the knowledge that all the necessary arrangements had been successfully made. Yet, even as I ambled into the main building, I couldn't help but wonder why organising an outing with male friends was so dead easy while planning a date with a girl was still a pain in the neck even after all this time.

"It must be some kind of unexplored law of nature. It's the only logical explanation."