Chapter 34: El-Melloi II Arrives in Snowfield City
In the arrivals hall of Snowfield City International Airport, Lord El-Melloi II stood by the conveyor belt, staring expressionlessly as his suitcase slowly slid out.
He wore a gray suit with a tie hanging loosely around his neck. The dark circles under his eyes were particularly prominent under the pale airport lighting, and his entire being radiated an aura of decadence.
"This should be the flight..." he murmured softly, pulling a cigarette case from his pocket before silently tucking it back under Gray's wordless gaze.
Gray stood quietly half a step behind him, her hood pulled low, revealing only the lower half of her fair face. Her gaze swept over the crowds passing through the hall, her fingers unconsciously stroking the box transformed from Add.
"Master," she spoke softly, "Flat said he would come to pick us up, but ten minutes have already passed."
"Normal." El-Melloi II twitched the corner of his mouth. "If that fellow's sense of time could be accurate to within ten minutes, I would instead have to suspect he'd been swapped for an impostor."
Just as the words left his mouth—
"PRO—FES—SOR—!!!"
A voice loud enough to make half the people in the hall turn their heads exploded from the direction of the arrivals gate.
A vein throbbed at El-Melloi II's temple.
He slowly turned his head to see Flat waving frantically across the barrier, his blond hair exceptionally conspicuous in the crowd, the smile on his face as radiant as if he had just won the lottery.
"I'm over here! Over here, over here!"
While shouting, Flat attempted to vault over the barrier, only to be stopped by a nearby staff member, after which he reverted to standing on his tiptoes and continuing to wave.
El-Melloi II took a deep breath, silently chanting 'this is my student, I cannot beat him to death' three times in his mind before moving his feet.
Gray followed behind him, faintly hearing him mutter under his breath about giving the boy ten more papers once they returned.
By the time the two reached the gate, Flat had already broken free from the staff member's restraint and rushed forward in a single stride, spreading his arms wide for a bear hug.
El-Melloi II raised his hand without expression, placing his briefcase between them as a shield.
"Stop," he said. "Maintain distance. Three meters."
"Eh—the Professor is so cold!"
Flat said the words, but still obediently took two steps back. Then his eyes lit up, and he leaned in closer, lowering his voice:
"Professor, let me tell you, I've seen something su—per amazing!"
"Oh." El-Melloi II gave a perfunctory response, his gaze shifting over Flat's shoulder to fall behind him.
Four people were standing there.
As El-Melloi II's gaze swept over the four, his pupils constricted slightly.
That blond youth wearing silvery-white knight armor—even across a distance, El-Melloi II could feel that undisguised Magical Energy Fluctuations belonging to a Servant.
Beside Richard stood a blond girl, looking fifteen or sixteen, her expression somewhat stiff and her eyes betraying obvious unease. El-Melloi II recognized that face: Ayaka Sajyou.
But this was illogical; Ayaka was clearly still...
Behind and to the side of Ayaka Sajyou was a woman completely shrouded in black robes.
Though her face was hidden, her attire and the aura she emitted made El-Melloi II instantly think of the assassination sects of the Middle East. An Assassin class, and likely a member of the Hassans.
And finally, that black-haired boy...
El-Melloi II's brow furrowed.
The boy looked very thin, wearing a simple shirt and trousers with his hands in his pockets. He stood there quietly, head slightly bowed, his bangs covering most of his face.
But El-Melloi II could feel a strange sense of incongruity from this boy.
It wasn't that his magical energy was powerful or his aura dangerous, but rather a kind of... discordance.
"Flat." El-Melloi II spoke, his voice lowered. "Explain."
"Ah? Oh, right!" Flat finally remembered he hadn't come alone and hurriedly turned to introduce them. "This is Mr. Richard! The King of England! He's super amazing!"
Richard offered a bright smile and nodded to El-Melloi II: "Nice to meet you. I am Richard."
"...A pleasure." El-Melloi II forced a polite smile, his mind already beginning to calculate how many types of catastrophic consequences would arise from this group gathering together.
"This is Miss Ayaka Sajyou, Mr. Richard's Master, though she's not the Ayaka we know," Flat continued. "This is Miss Assassin, Mr. Sigma's Servant."
Zealot gave a slight nod, a low female voice coming from beneath the black robes: "A pleasure."
She did not correct Flat's error; in any case, that filthy magical creature was dead, and everything else had become irrelevant.
"And this is Sigma!" Flat patted the black-haired boy's shoulder.
Sigma looked up, revealing a face that still held a trace of childishness.
He said flatly: "I am Sigma."
"...A pleasure," El-Melloi II repeated the word, his gaze lingering on Sigma's face for an extra second.
"So," El-Melloi II withdrew his gaze and looked back at Flat, "can you tell me why these individuals have come with you to the airport?"
"Eh? That!" Flat, completely failing to notice his Professor's near-explosive emotional state, said cheerfully, "We ran into each other at the church just now, and then Miss Olga Marie made a super cool declaration! Mr. Richard said he wanted to talk to her, and since I happened to be coming to pick up the Professor, they came along!"
"Oh, right, Miss Olga Marie is just outside the airport. You'll see her in a bit."
"Declaration?" El-Melloi II didn't follow up on the arrivals but instead pressed, "What declaration?"
"The one about being the President of the Earth!" Flat spread his arms, making an exaggerated 'embracing the world' gesture. "Miss Olga Marie just announced to the whole world that she's taking over the planet! Global broadcast! It was super cool!"
El-Melloi II's expression froze.
He stood on the spot, motionless, like a statue suddenly turned to stone.
"Global... broadcast..."
"Announced to the whole world... taking over... the planet..."
"Yeah, exactly!" Flat nodded vigorously. "The internet is exploding right now! The number one trending topic on Twitter is 'President of the Earth'! Professor, do you want to see? I have a record—"
"No need." El-Melloi II interrupted him, his voice very soft.
He slowly raised his hand and covered his face.
A long, trembling inhalation leaked out from between his fingers.
"Professor?" Flat asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," El-Melloi II said, his voice muffled. "I just suddenly feel that this world might not be quite suitable for me."
"Eh?"
"I should be in London," El-Melloi II continued to mutter to himself. "I should be sitting in a classroom, drinking black tea, and grading papers that never end. Instead of standing in an airport in the United Nations, listening to my student tell me that a Servant who looks exactly like an acquaintance and calls herself the President of the Earth has just declared war on all of humanity."
He lowered his hand, revealing a face written all over with 'done with life'.
"I might as well buy a ticket back right now."
He said, "I'll just say I suddenly got acute appendicitis and need to return to England immediately for surgery."
"But Professor," Flat blinked, "you don't need to return to England for surgery for acute appendicitis, do you? The medical standards in the United Nations are quite advanced."
"Shut up."
"Oh."
El-Melloi II sighed and rubbed his temples.
He knew he couldn't go back.
From the moment he stepped onto this plane, he had already walked into this mess.
And now, this mess was expanding at an alarming speed, escalating from 'an abnormal Holy Grail War' into a 'diplomatic disaster that could trigger a world-level crisis'.
"So," El-Melloi II forced himself to calm down and looked back at Richard and the others, "you all wish to speak with that... President of the Earth?"
"Indeed." Richard nodded, his smile bright. "How could I not meet such an interesting hero? And since she has declared her intention to rule the planet, then as a King who once ruled England, I naturally have a few things I'd like to say to her."
"Me too," Sigma spoke flatly. "I have some questions I want to ask her in person."
El-Melloi II stared at Sigma for two seconds before averting his gaze.
"I understand," he said. "Then let us leave this place first. The airport is crowded with prying eyes; it is no place for a conversation."
"Then let's go to a KTV!" Flat suggested. "I know a KTV near the airport with super good soundproofing in the private rooms! And at this time, there shouldn't be many people!"
"...A KTV?" El-Melloi II's expression twisted. "Are you serious?"
"I'm serious!" Flat looked perfectly matter-of-fact. "Think about it, Professor—KTV private rooms offer great privacy, they have sofas and tables, and you can order drinks! And—"
He lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I heard the microphones at that place have especially good effects; they don't crack even when you hit the high notes!"
El-Melloi II: "..."
He was now seriously considering whether he had destroyed the world in his previous life to be saddled with such a student in this one.