Two Days Later - Great Britain
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Vivienne and Edgar stood in the living room of Lavinia's relative's house, dressed formally and carrying a briefcase full of legal documents.
The relative a middle-aged woman with a pinched expression sat across from them, arms crossed, clearly trying to maintain some semblance of authority and formality despite the fact that she was completely outmatched by them.
The aftermath of the battle that happened last night had been handled.
Edgar's cleanup team had worked overnight, repairing structural damage, removing magical residue, and most importantly erasing and replacing the events that had happened .
Though It was a nightmare for them to clean up in some cases.
Thankfully Edgar had promised them a bonus,and hearing that.
The cleanup team rapidly did their job and then by dawn everything looked back to Normal.
Everyone in the neighborhood now remembered an attempted burglary at the relative's house. Nothing more, nothing less no magic,no explosions,or giant ice spikes appearing.
Just a normal, mundane break-in that had been thwarted by local security.
Perfect cover story.
Now, all that remained was the official handover.
"So," the relative said stiffly, "you'd like to adopt her ."
"We do," Vivienne said calmly. "We've prepared the custody transfer paperwork. Everything is legally sound."
She gestured to Edgar, who opened the briefcase and laid out the documents on the coffee table.
The relative glanced at them, then at Vivienne and Edgar.
"And the... compensation?"
"Included," Edgar said, sliding over a bank transfer document.
The woman's eyes widened when she saw the amount.
It was substantial.
Very substantial.
More than enough to ensure she wouldn't fight the adoption or cause problems later.
"This is..." She trailed off, staring at the numbers.
"Generous," Vivienne finished. "We want to make sure there are no complications. You just need to sign the papers, and the funds will be transferred immediately."
The relative hesitated for only a moment.
Then she picked up the pen.
"Where do I sign?"
Ten Minutes Later.....
The papers were signed.
The custody transfer was official.
Lavinia's belongings what little she had had already been moved out earlier that morning by Edgar's operatives.
Vivienne and Edgar stood, collecting the documents.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Vivienne said politely, though her tone was cool.
The relative just nodded, still staring at the bank transfer document like she couldn't quite believe it.
As they walked toward the door, Vivienne paused.
She glanced back at the woman.
Who's currently in shocked.
Glenda put a spell on her, that applied her cruelty toward Lavinia.
I should remove it, she thought.
Vivienne raised her hand subtly, and a faint magic circle appeared for just a moment invisible to non magicians before dissolving.
The spell was broken.
There.
Maybe she'll be a better person now.
Or maybe she won't.
Either way, Lavinia is free of her.
Vivienne turned and left without another word.
Outside - In the Car
Lavinia sat in the backseat, clutching Mochi, watching nervously as Grandma Vivienne and Grandpa Edgar approached.
When they climbed into the car, she looked at them with wide, hopeful eyes.
"Is it... is it done?"
Vivienne turned in her seat and smiled warmly.
"It's done, sweetheart. You're officially our adopted granddaughter now."
Lavinia's face lit up.
"Really?"
"Really."
Tears welled up in her eyes happy tears this time and she hugged Mochi tightly.
"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much."
Vivienne reached back and squeezed her hand gently.
"Welcome to the family, Lavinia."
Edgar started the car, glancing at Lavinia in the rearview mirror.
"You good back there, Lavinia?"
Lavinia nodded, smiling so wide it looked like her face might split.
"I'm good, Grandpa."
Edgar smiled and pulled out of the driveway.
As they drove away, Vivienne glanced at her husband.
"We should call Edward and Giulia. Let them know what happened."
Edgar stretched his back, wincing slightly. "Yeah. Probably a good idea. Before they find out from someone else."
"Agreed."
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Meanwhile - France
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(Michael's POV)
I was not at my house.
I was at Jeanne's house.
Because Jeanne had decided at 7 AM that I needed to come over immediately to help her build a blanket fort.
She'd literally dragged me out of bed, marched me down the street in my pajamas, and announced to her very confused parents that I was staying for breakfast and fort-building.
So here I was.
Sitting in Jeanne's living room, surrounded by blankets, pillows, and couch cushions, while she barked orders like a tiny general.
"No, Mikey, that pillow goes on the left! The left!"
"This is the left!"
"From my perspective!"
I sighed and moved the pillow.
This is my life now.
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Back at Michael's House
----------
Giulia was currently standing at the kitchen sink, washing dishes and humming softly to herself.
Edward meanwhile was sitting on the couch in the living room, with a glass of wine in hand, watching some daytime television program about home renovations.
It was a very much peaceful, quiet,nice day.
Then his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
It was his Mom.
She was Video calling him.
He blinked in surprise.
Mom doesn't usually call this early. And a video call?
That's... unusual.
He answered. "Hey, Mom. What's-"
Edgar's face appeared on the screen. "Is your wife there?"
Edward blinked. "Uh... yeah. Why?"
"Get her. You both need to hear this."
Edward's expression shifted slightly. "Is everything okay?"
"Just get Giulia."
Edward stood and walked to the kitchen. "Honey? My parents are calling. They want to talk to both of us."
Giulia looked up, drying her hands on a towel. "Both of us? Is something wrong?"
"I don't know. Dad sounded serious."
They walked to the couch together, and Edward held up his phone so they could both see the screen.
Vivienne's face appeared beside Edgar's.
"Hello, you two," Vivienne said warmly.
"Hi, Mom," Edward said. "What's going on?"
Vivienne exchanged a glance with Edgar.
"It's... a long story."
And then-
A small face popped into the frame.
Blonde hair and blue eyes,smiling shyly.
"Hi!" Lavinia said, waving.
Edward and Giulia both blinked.
Stared.
Blinked again.
"Uh..." Edward said intelligently.
" It's a long story. " Vivienne replied to Edward question before he even asked.
Later - After the Explanation
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Edward sat on the couch, staring blankly at the phone screen.
His face was completely expressionless.
Giulia sat beside him, one hand over her mouth, eyes wide.
Vivienne and Edgar had just finished explaining everything.
On what happened after they left, with the person revealing themselves,and then going to Lavinia house.
And the person being an old friend of Edward's mom,Glenda who tried to kidnapped Lavinia.
The Templar operatives appearing and fighting against her.
And them then arriving and evacuating the operative and Lavinia.
And they're fight against Glenda.
With them obliterating Glenda.
But she managed to escaped.
Then revealing about magic and telling Lavinia about what her ice doll is.
And The adoption.
Edward finally broke the silence and spoke.
"Okay," he said slowly. "Let me get this straight."
He held up one finger. "So the person that was trying to kidnap Lavinia was an evil witch who's an old friend of yours who's now your enemy tried to kidnap a nine-year-old girl aka lavinia due to her having a Longinus."
Another finger. "You and Dad fought her in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Which created some disturbance and damage some of the structure there"
Another. " Mom used her spatial Convergence spell which practically ripped parts of her body and Dad used the Templar Holy Combat Technique at her slicing her arm off and got injured during the fight."
...
...
...
He looked at the screen. "I understand well on that but the last part on you getting injured is the only thing I don't believe here...."
Edgar's eye twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Um ....You're you, Dad. You don't get injured."
"I'm old, and human Edward. Of course I get injured."
"You fought an Ultimate-Class Devil seventeen years ago and walked away fine."
"That was seventeen years ago!"
Edward opened his mouth to argue but
Giulia elbowed him sharply.
"Edward."
He sighed. "Fine. Sorry."
Giulia turned her attention back to the screen, concern evident on her face.
"Vivienne, Edgar are you both alright the injuries aren't life-threatening, are they?"
"We're fine," Vivienne assured her. "Just some bruises and cuts. Nothing serious. We're recovering." With her showing some cuts but nothing life threatening.
Edward visibly relaxed, exhaling in relief.
"Good. That's... that's good."
Then Lavinia's face appeared on screen again, looking hopeful.
"Um... is Michael there?"
Giulia smiled gently. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Michael isn't home right now. He's with his friend Jeanne."
Lavinia's face fell slightly but she nodded. "Oh. Okay."
"But," Giulia added warmly, "we'll make sure you two see each other soon. I promise."
Lavinia's smile returned. "Okay!"
Vivienne placed a hand on Lavinia's shoulder.
"We'll call again soon. There's still a lot to discuss. But for now... welcome to the family, Lavinia."
Edward and Giulia both smiled.
"Welcome to the family," they echoed.
Meanwhile Edward then leaned back on the couch, processing on the previous information his parents gave to him and his wife.
"So... what's the plan, anyway?" he asked. "I mean, I don't mind adopting Lavinia. She a sweet kid. But what's the logistics here?"
Vivienne nodded, clearly having thought this through.
"For the first few months, Lavinia will stay with us here in Britain," she explained. "She needs to learn magic. Learn to control her Sacred Gear. And... she needs stability. A safe environment where she can recover from everything she's been through."
Edward nodded. "That makes sense."
"After that," Vivienne continued, "we'll transition her to living with you and Giulia in France. She'll be Michael's adopted sister, officially. But I want you to train both of them Michael and Lavinia. Magic, combat, everything they'll need."
Edward straightened slightly. "You want me to train them?"
"Yes. You're more than capable, even if you don't often trained but a talented person is still talented."
Edward scratched the back of his head. "Alright. I can do that."
Then another thought occurred to him.
"What's the cover story? For the neighbors, Michael's school, all that?"
Edgar spoke up. "We'll say Lavinia is a distant relative who lost her parents and is being taken in by the family. Simple. Believable. No one will question it."
Giulia chimed in, a practical concern on her mind. "Will Lavinia need to learn French? If she's going to be living with us?"
Edgar nodded. "She will. I'll handle the logistics language tutors, immersion programs, whatever she needs. She's young enough that she'll pick it up quickly."
Giulia smiled. "Good. We'll make sure she feels welcome."
Edward glanced at his father on the screen, concern flickering across his face.
"Dad... you're sure you're up for all this? You said you're injured. And you just used the Templar Holy Combat Technique. That's not exactly easy on the body."
Edgar waved him off. "I'm teaching her language and magic basics, Edward. Not leading her into battle. I'll be fine."
"But you said your were injured. Even using the technique." Edward's tone grew more serious. "How bad is it, really? What's your max capability right now?"
Edgar sighed, recognizing that his son wasn't going to let this go.
"Without the Templar Holy Combat Technique... I can fight at most top high to low ultimate class without the HCT, around medium range of Ultimate-Class,with the technique. Maybe even slightly higher around in the right circumstances, depending on equipment and conditions."
He paused.
"But that's with the technique. And using it takes a toll in a way. I'm not as young as I used to be. "
Edward's expression darkened. "That's... that's really bad, Dad. If you're already pushing your limits-"
"Which is why you should have trained more," Edgar interrupted, his tone turning pointed. "You could replace me,you have the talent. You just chose to chase girls instead during your youth."
Edward groaned. "Dad-"
Not this again.
"I'm serious. You have the capability. You could master the technique if you actually put in the effort."
"I know the technique, Dad. I can use it."
"Using it and mastering it are two different things."
Edgar's expression softened slightly. "What's your current capability?"
Edward sighed. "Around medium High-Class. Maybe around low ultimate class if I use the Templar Holy Combat Technique."
Edgar nodded slowly. "See? You're not far off. A few more years of dedicated training, and you could match me. Even surpass me in some way"
Edward rubbed his temples. "Yes, yes, Dad. I get it. I'll train more."
"Good."
Giulia smiled slightly, clearly amused by the father-son dynamic.
Then Edward's expression shifted, and he glanced at Giulia.
He then had a genius idea on something.
"Hey Giulia what if we keep this a secret from Michael? As a surprise?" Of course he's intention is pure not like he wants to do it for laugh and giggles.....
Giulia raised an eyebrow. "You want to surprise him that Lavi is becoming his adopted sister"
"Yeah. I mean, think about it he and Lavinia are already friends. He's been worried about her. Imagine his face when he finds out she's officially part of the family now."
Giulia considered it, then turned to the screen.
"Lavinia, sweetheart? How do you feel about that? Would you like it to be a surprise for Michael?"
Lavinia's face appeared on screen, thoughtful.
"Um... I think that would be nice," she said shyly. "I want to see his face when he finds out."
Edward grinned. "Perfect. Then it's settled. We keep it a secret until we can tell him in person."
Vivienne smiled. "Alright. We'll go along with that."
Edgar nodded. "Just don't wait too long. The kid deserves to know."
"We won't," Edward promised.
Giulia leaned closer to the screen. "Lavinia, we're so happy you're part of our family now. We'll see you soon, okay?"
Lavinia beamed. "Okay! Thank you!"
"Take care of yourselves," Vivienne said warmly. "We'll talk again soon."
"Bye Mom Bye Dad." Edward waved.
"Bye!" Giulia added.
"Goodbye," Vivienne and Edgar said in unison.
Lavinia waved enthusiastically. "Bye!"
The call ended.
Edward set down his phone and exhaled slowly.
"Well," he said. "That was... a lot."
Giulia nodded. "A lot. But good. Lavinia deserves a family."
"She does." Edward smiled. "And Michael's going to lose his mind when he finds out."
Giulia chuckled. "He really is."
They sat together in comfortable silence for a moment.
Then Edward picked up his wine glass.
"To our new daughter," he said.
Giulia clinked her glass against his.
"To Lavinia."
They drank.
Meanwhile, Michael continued building a blanket fort with Jeanne.
Blissfully ignorant of the fact that his life was about to change in ways he couldn't even begin to imagine.
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Well look like Lavinia has joined the family, i wonder what are the events that will happened.
Also yes, in a way Edward,Edgar,and Vivienne are ultimate class. Due to their expertise in technique and control of their specialty. With Edward reaching ultimate when HCT is active.
Ok see ya in the next chapter đź‘‹
- AgentByteGOC