Vol. 2 Side Chapter: The Dilemma About Yuuki

***The Main Office of the Society of Mages, the city of Paris, France...***

The viral video of the duel between the sons of prominent members of the Society of Mages and an ordinaria soon reached the high leadership of the organization, the Mages' Council. Of course, it created an uproar among the magic houses, particularly among the families of the defeated mages. An emergency session was called, where the aggrieved parties demanded action from the higher-ups.

"We can't allow this humiliation to continue!" the father of Tenda slammed his fists on the table. "One of these ordinaria sticks his head out, the rest will soon follow! We're looking at a possible source of tension and conflict between them and us, breaking the order long established back in 1815!"

"From the House of Rheims, we demand that this ordinaria be censured and punished!" the family of Steve backed Tenda's father. "He cannot be allowed to continue insulting our existence as mages. And we also proposed banning the teaching of all martial arts to the ordinaria."

There was a considerable murmur among the sitting members of the council, as the proposed measures would surely create animosity among their non-magic counterparts. Seeing that they were going nowhere, the long-time leader of the Society, the enigmatic elf known only as 'The Oracle,' moved to silence everyone just as she spoke...

"While I agree that this present a possible upending of the order established by the Concert of Europe in 1815," she began, rising from her seat. "The ordinaria are still outsiders to our community, thus, this boy is never subject to our laws. However, we can exert pressure on the Adventurers' Agency to punish their member, if our aim is to warn others."

A hand was raised just as the Oracle ended her speech. Once the person was acknowledged, the head of the House of Sokolov took the floor.

"The House of Sokolov is making a motion exhorting this council not to mete out punishment, nor any censure, to the ordinaria in the video on the basis of self-defense. The Filipino adventurer with the call sign 'Yuuki' is a member of my daughter's party, and as we have established before, the sons of the Houses of Worth and Rheims had acted dishonorably to my child. Yuuki is just defending her honor! Such adverse actions to his chivalry will only cast doubts on our supposed 'nobility' and would antagonize other ordinaria further—a scenario we seek to avoid."

"As the head of the House of d'Anvilles, I support Lord Sokolov's position," Temaire's mother, the Lady d'Anvilles, spoke out as well. "Besides, let's look into the circumstances. Yuuki is an ordinaria whose martial arts skills was honed by his dedication and focus to develop himself. Tenda and Steve are both Acolyte-ranked Mages, which—according to our rules—are deemed competent enough to deal with ordinaria threats. Still, the unexpected thing happened; and now, there is an uproar about a person who didn't stop learning his skills. As mages, will this not send the wrong signal to our children? Yes, this surely poses a threat to us, but we can also consider the valuable lesson behind it: we cannot be complacent with our magic!"

"Lady d'Anvilles," Tenda's father called out from his spot. "Are you saying that the House of Worth is incompetent?"

"I said no such thing, milord! Please don't put more meaning into my words; take it just as it is! And if you want proof that we—including my house—needs to keep up with the ordinaria, I suggest you watch the video again!"

"Lord Worth, the ordinaria aren't so stupid as many of us thinks," Lord Sokolov added. "Just like warfare, they will continue to develop and evolve. And with their numbers, we will soon be overwhelmed if we stick to our old ways and beliefs."

"Alright, point taken!" Tenda's father replied, though everyone could tell he was pissed at both Lady d'Anvilles and Lord Sokolov. Seeking to salvage himself, he turned to the Oracle, going back to his earlier proposal. "Milady, I still demand that we do something about this incident. For all we know, this adventurer might be a member of the Iscariot—!!!"

The Mage Council was filled with shouts and screams as a stream of electrified wind shot from Lady d'Anvilles' seat. It missed the head of Lord Worth by only a few centimeters, and awkward tension slowly filled the room as the embers faded.

"Oh, my...I'm really sorry for that, milord," Lady d'Anvilles bowed, though the smile on her face told them otherwise. "My hand slipped when you brought up that accursed name. Again, just to remind everyone in this council, I fought in the Iscariot War, alongside the great mages that are not with us here anymore. With my hands and the same magic you saw just now, I killed the last Iscariot. You know my hatred for them; the mere mention of those accursed devils will make me cast my magic...and this time, I won't miss. What shall it be, Lord Worth? Are you—the heir to your grandfather's great house, who fought alongside me—willing to risk my ire?"

No one dared to try Lady d'Anvilles' patience. Nevertheless, The Oracle quickly took control of the situation. "The Houses of Worth, Sokolov, and d'Anvilles had made their stands and arguments. As the presiding officer of this council, I hereby decide that the ordinaria adventurer, Yuuki, be placed under surveillance, though he will be unpunished for his actions. Furthermore, this observation will only be temporary, just for the purpose of determining if he poses a threat to us, Mages. Once his innocence is proven, the surveillance ends, and everything will return to how it is before. Anyone who has anything else to say, you may raise your hand; otherwise, this council is adjourned until further notice!"

Seeing that no one protested her move, the elf sealed the approval for her decision by slamming her gavel on the block.