"Mordred, as much as it pains me to say this, Slate is not at fault".
After Mordred calmed down and the chaos settled, she accompanied Slate to the main headquarters. Violet was waiting for them, prepared to explain exactly what happened.
Upon entering the room and sitting down, the first words said by Violet were to calm Slate down, who was shaking like leaf.
"If he isn't, then why would he raid my own home?"
Violet began typing into her computer. "At 1:09 PM, the alarms to your home went off. Using the cameras you had us setup, we checked them in case of a false positive."
She began pulling up surveillance footage.
"However, after checking the cameras, we confirmed that there was an intruder, so Slate lead his team to apprehend or eliminate the intruder."
The footage began playing, everything was normal until a figure walked up to the door.
And seeing who it was, filled Mordred with dread.
The figure, clad in obsidian black armor, covered head to toe.
'Why is she here?!'
Altered Lancer Artoria Pendragon—someone Mordred hoped never to see again—was now standing at her doorstep.
She casually knocked on the door, and after a few minutes of no response, she tried the doorbell. And with no response, she grabbed the handle and shattered it, forcing the door open, triggering the silent alarm.
With no cameras inside the home, they didn't know what she was doing. Except that she seemed kind enough to attempt to put the door back into its position, despite the fact it was ripped off the hinges.
Within five minutes, the entire building was surrounded by armored cars with dismounting troops securing the perimeter.
Slate and his team lined up on the door, Slate with a flashbang in hand, while another with a battering ram.
And the rest was history.
Her chest tightened. Panic crawled up her spine.
'Why? Why is she here?! How did she even get here?!'
"The strange thing is, when we entered the building, we only found the boss, but the intruder was gone without a trace. How did you even manage to get inside, boss?"
"My semblance has the ability to allow me to travel between points instantly" Mordred answered. She wasn't going to tell them about interdimensional travel, at least not at this time.
"Damn, I wish I had a semblance like that..."
"You'd have to unlock your aura first" Violet spoke up. "After searching the area, we found no trace of this individual. As if they never left your home."
'Ava?'
[Host, it is highly likely that she is also capable of interdimensional travel]
'Then how did she know I live here?'
[There is a high chance that she was tracking you through the spell's residue energy]
'She can do that?!'
[As long as the residue energy hasn't deteriorated and broken down, it is possible to track the coordinates. However, due to how much time has passed, the precision would be low]
'So, I barely just missed her! Then she is either in Danmachi or Date A Live...'
Then suddenly, she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.
'This feels weird to say... but Shiori! Please conquer my father so that she doesn't kill me again!'
This little mental prayer confused Slate and Violet who were watching. When Mordred was done, she spoke up.
"Don't attempt to track them, you won't be able to find them. Just continue with our operations."
"Boss, do you know who it is?" Slate couldn't help but ask.
"I do, that person... is my father".
This revelation shocked them both, not expecting it was a family member to break in.
"Really? I always took you for being fatherless".
Mordred shot him a glare that made Slate freeze up.
"Slate, I recommend you keep your mouth shut, unless you want to end up in the hospital again". Violet also shot him a glare, and with those words, he simply nodded and closed his mouth.
"Let's just move on from this. Slate your dismissed, Violet, get me updated on everything that's happened while I was gone.
'Looks like I'm not staying for long.'
...
...
[Vale City Council]
Vale was ruled by a council of mostly elected officials. Every year they would meet up to discuss the affairs of the kingdom and future plans. Normally this meeting is held at the end of the school year, when hunters graduated from Beacon Academy. But for today, they decided to hold it early to discuss a new situation that has risen.
The recently created weapons manufacturing and mercenary company made by Mordred Pendragon.
The council member each took their seats, including Ozpin who was largely seen as the head of the council due to his influence in Vale and with other kingdoms.
The council chamber was tense as the members began their discussion that quickly turned into a debate.
"This mercenary company is growing unchecked. Every day they are expanding their reach to more and more villages. All this power under a single woman. If she decides to turn her forces against Vale, what then? We would be powerless to stop her."
"And? We are already powerless to protect the villages in our kingdom! Her weapons are saving lives. Villages once abandoned to Grimm are thriving. Her forces are securing trade routes and protecting the people. She's filling gaps our own lack of military has failed to address. We should be grateful."
"Grateful? Atlas is already watching closely. General Ironwood has expressed concern. A private army this size is a threat to the stability of Vale and the kingdoms."
"Ha? If he truly were concerned about stability, he would be doing something of the Schnee Dust Company but guess who handles his paychecks!"
"She's too dangerous to just let her grow unchecked!"
"Perhaps she is dangerous. Do you prefer villages burned down by Grimm and bandits and trade strangled? Or do you prefer results? Miss Pendragon has delivered exceptional results so far."
Their voices rose, overlapping each other as they continued to argue. Some argued for regulation, others for partnership, others for dismantling her company entirely.
Through it all, Ozpin sat in silence. His eyes moved from speaker to speaker, absorbing every word spoken.
Finally, when the chamber fell into uneasy quiet, Ozpin set his mug down with a soft clink.
"Miss Pendragon has proven to be unconventional. But her results are undeniable. She has given structure to chaos, restored regions we failed to protect, and reduced crime where our own institutions faltered."
"Many of you fear her power, and rightly so. But power without understanding is the greatest danger of all."
The room stilled.
"Rather than drive her away, perhaps we should consider bringing her closer. Not only to Beacon… but here, to this very council. Her influence is already close to rivaling our own. If she is to shape Vale's future, then perhaps she should have a voice in it."
The council erupted once more.
"Invite her onto the council?! That's madness! She's a mercenary, not a stateswoman!"
"She already wields great power, before she grows even more, it would be better to have her here where we can influence her actions!"
The arguments continued. In the end, Ozpin declared that a vote would be held, whether to invite Mordred onto the council or not. The vote would be held in two weeks' time, to give the council members time to process the information discussed today and to further look into Mordred.