Chapter Fifty-Three: Morgan's choices
10:24 A.M,
It was a beautiful Tuesday morning.
Clouds drifted lazily across the sky, partially obscuring the sun.
A serene fresh early-morning breeze filled the air as trees swayed gently in it.
Outside, the city was already busy, as usual.
Inside a café, however, it was different.
The shop was nearly empty.
Save for a single person seated at one of the customer tables.
The scent of coffee filled the air as the male blew lightly across the surface of his cup.
..to which he then sipped from it.
Afterward, he set it down on its saucer with a quiet click.
His finger traced the rim absentmindedly as his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Thoughts occupied his mind.
Considering his major goals changes depending on the situation he's in.
Morgan had come to realize one goal in particular might not be reached.
After all, it was like trying to predict the exact moment a thief would rob a bank.
In broad daylight on an ordinary day, no less.
«Master, that analogy is strange.»
He didn't reply.
A small device hung discreetly near his temple, transmitting and translating signals.
Which, in turn, allowed the AI to interpret his thoughts directly.
He'd finally gotten his hands on an Augma.
It was far less conspicuous than his previous setup.
More importantly, it could assist with calculations as well.
Thanks to its micro-realizer, its performance was even better than expected.
Yeah… thanks to whoever invented microchips.
They were an inspirational bunch.
But that aside.
"I know it's a strange analogy, but that's one way to explain the possibility of it happening."
Morgan leaned back in his chair, entwining his fingers together, still deep in thought.
Just as he was about to drift further—
Ding~
"Welcome, customers."
The bell above the café door chimed as two people stepped into the café.
Immediately, they were greeted by the staff at the counter side.
"What can I get for you today?"
"Ah, there's no need to bother; we have an appointment with someone over there."
It was Cecile and Leonora.
Cecile tilted her head slightly, gesturing toward the table where the lone figure sat.
However…
The person was so absorbed in his thoughts he probably didn't notice their entrance.
"Oh? I see. Please enjoy your time."
The waitress said with a smile followed by a curt bow.
She watched as the tall, cold-looking girl gently pushed the wheelchair forward.
Moments later, they reached his table.
Only then did Morgan look up feeling their presence.
"Hm..? You're already here. Please join me."
Cecile nodded.
"Then, please, excuse me."
She stood up from the wheelchair while Leonora folded it neatly.
Then, along with her, she skipped their table and sat at the one in front.
Specifically, at the chair behind Cecile's.
It was like the Leo girl was Cecile's shadow.
However, Morgan wasn't interested in that, instead.
..so, she can walk, huh? Doesn't seem like she can for a long time.
He noted, keeping that to himself.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No, I didn't wait long."
With that, he raised his hand slightly to signal the waitress, who promptly came over.
"You can both order whatever you like, bills on me."
As he spoke, he nudged his head subtly past Cecile, toward where Leonora sat.
Somehow, Morgan noticed her shoulders tremble when he said that.
'No… it couldn't be.'
He didn't dwell on it.
Cecile, on the other hand, tilted her head slightly in silence for a moment.
After a second, she let it go.
"Yes… then one cappuccino and a slice of cake, please."
She said it calmly, then glanced over her shoulder, wordlessly asking her companion.
"I—I'll have the same…"
"Alright."
With that, the waitress left to place their order, leaving the three of them alone.
For the first few seconds—
No one spoke.
Morgan leaned back slightly with half-lidded eyes, afterall, his intentions today were…
Unclear.
He didn't know how to broach or begin the subject, since it was a sensitive topic.
Now, how to steer this without making it worse was what he was thinking.
Eventually…
"So, how are you doing?"
Just as he blurted that out, his lips, which hadn't fully closed, hung in the air.
His lips twitched, cringing at his own words.
Smooth, he thought dryly.
Really smooth.
Still, Cecile answered.
"I'm doing well. Thank you for your concern."
Another silence followed.
Morgan adjusted himself in his seat, letting out a quiet breath.
This wasn't his style either.
Screw it. He thought.
"Fine then, I won't beat around the bush anymore."
Cecile looked at him.
"The person you said I looked familiar to, how is she doing?"
Cecile didn't reply, nor did she react to it, but the person behind her did.
That alone told him everything.
"I'm not sure what you're referring to—"
"Ashley Sinclair, my sister."
Morgan cut in calmly.
And for the first time, he saw a visible change in her expression.
Of all the coincidences.
To meet Wizards who were directly involved with his sister…
Was it 'fate'?
Morgan didn't think of it.
"...it seems like you already know."
Cecile let out a light sigh, and that was when their orders finally arrived.
The waitress placed the cappuccino and cake in front of Cecile, then Leonora.
With a polite bow, she then returned to the counter.
Cecile looked back at him.
"Why did you come here?"
"Try to take a guess; I already told you pieces of it yesterday."
He answered her question with another.
Right, yesterday, he had genuinely given her the answer.
Whether she could form a picture from it depended on her.
"…Yes, I suppose you did."
Cecile finally said after a moment, tapping under her chin lightly.
His reaction to learning that his sister and his aunt were wizards wasn't entirely negative.
It was both good and bad.
Good, because they could protect themselves when things went south.
Of course…
Bad because they might also have to face life-threatening battles.
And if he hadn't become a Wizard himself—
Was he supposed to sit back and watch the only family he had left risk their lives?
Surely not, and never will.
"Then… why now?"
Cecile asked the question with her head slightly tilted.
Before he answered, she added.
"She doesn't really talk about her family, she's only mentioned her brother once, offhandedly."
Morgan rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah… that's probably because of what happened ten years ago."
It had been right after the news reached them.
A devastating one.
Not just for the siblings, but for their guardian as well.
Back then, Maya hadn't been an upper-ranking member of D.E.M.
From the records he accessed…
She was originally working for a small squad without any real power.
There were no other relatives to rely on.
Maya was the only option.
But Morgan couldn't bring himself to force that responsibility onto her.
Having lived a previous life, the idea left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Maya herself had still been young.
So he made the decision.
Maya would adopt Ashley, and he would then live alone.
At the very least, he could handle himself, and he actually did.
He occasionally lived in a dorm and managed until he was about to enter high school.
Looking back now—
He might have misread everything.
At the time.
There was no way for him to know how things would turn out.
Regarding a family, would he really wish the worst? No.
Perhaps that was why he never resented Maya for turning Ash into a wizard.
If anything—
They probably wanted to protect me so badly that they sacrificed themselves instead.
And yet…
Here I am, chasing power.
Power for who? For himself.
But that didn't make it meaningless.
Now.. he had it. He could protect the people he cared about.
"I see… No wonder. But I don't think she resents you."
Cecile huffed quietly.
"But there's bitterness there. Probably because you left her without explaining."
Morgan laughed softly.
"I wouldn't even mind if she punched me in the gut. I pushed her away too selfishly."
Cecile shook her head.
That wasn't how she saw it at all. But she was an outsider.
Her interpretation didn't matter.
Still—
"Then what's your motive for coming now?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking my family back."
Morgan replied as though it was the most natural answer in the world.
He raised his hand and clenched it tightly.
D.E.M… He'd be damned if he let them stay there any longer.
Now, it was a no-brainer he had every reason in the world to create a third force.
One that would ensure the safety of those two.
"I understand the sentiment, but simply finding out doesn't mean it's easy to—"
Cecile had begun speaking when she suddenly stopped.
Her vocals stopped.
No, to be more specific, all sounds around them were blocked.
Immediately, she realized a Territory had been deployed.
'...a Wizard.'
Cecile's brows rose before she relaxed them.
As amazed as she was, she kept her composure.
Having seen the worst, she had a mind capable of accepting things quickly.
She could more or less,
'Wait... y-you're...!'
Though she had only seen the footage, currently, Morgan was making a certain gesture.
One she had seen.
From none other than that person.
"Correct~"
Morgan dropped his finger down.
As for why he exposed such secret to then without battling an eye was because of yesterday.
He caught it briefly.
But he could guess.
Right now, seeing her hold her hand to her chest with a furrowed expression.
It worked.
Everything... is all according to plan.
"And, …why are you exposing yourself like this? Do you not fear us reporting this?"
She let out what seemed to be a nervous huff as she tried to compose herself.
It didn't make sense. No, she didn't want it to make sense. But—
"You hate D.E.M right? Then our goal aligns."
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
The more she thought about it, the more complicated this became.
Right in front of her
…was someone capable of overpowering one of the world's top five Wizards.
Within internal affairs, X had already been classified as S-rank wanted.
Placed in the same category as monsters like Nightmare.
It was a tacit admission that he was that dangerous.
But while she stalled, Morgan mulled.
She needs a push, Morgan thought, watching her carefully.
"It looks like you'll need time to think, but I'm not particularly interested in waiting."
Slowly, Morgan prepared to rise from the table.
"I'm warning you only because you seem close to my sister."
With that, he was about to leave when he paused.
Something tugged at his sleeve.
Yes, she took the bait.
Hook, line, and sinker.
Gosh, it would've been embarrassing if all of Beta's research had gone to waste.
"There's a reason we're working for D.E.M., and it's not because we are loyal to them."
Morgan turned fully toward her as she withdrew her hand.
Sitting back, she followed by a sigh.
"Our goal, is to destroy D.E.M."
Morgan blinked.
That was… wasn't that far more reckless than outright antagonizing them.
As for him, he simply wants to annoy the hell out of Westcott.
Despite all the shady stuff, they still help with human advancements, you know?
Right now, not even Asgard Electronics can do all this alone, and he had evidence.
But,
"…Go on."
"That is the goal of the SSS team."
Her eyes slowly opened.
"Our first and foremost goal is to... secure Artemisia Bell Ashcroft."
Morgan's grin widened.
Bingo.