In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
As time went on, it seemed that the amount of people that seemed interested in bettering the squad from the inside out was gradually starting to grow. And rightly so. They were one of the squads that possessed some of the most funding due to their ties to several very wealthy nobles, possessed several promising knights and quite frankly, had more to offer than what they were putting out into the world at this time. The way Gawain saw it, the amount of effort coming out of the squad was a laughable mockery, what with every bit of the golden stars they had earned in recent times belonging to him. Why he considered this to be laughable was due to the fact that he hadn’t even been a Silver Eagle for as much as a year yet, though he seemed to be just about the only one putting in any ‘true’ effort.
The other day, he had met up with a fellow magic knight that seemed to want to do more as well, which honestly managed to put a smile on his face. Two pairs of hands could do more than one, or so the saying went. Following that logic, three pairs of hands could do even more than that. And what started with three people had the potential of growing into something even greater than that, or so he hoped. It made it important for him to follow through on the meetings he had set his mind to having, making this the second one this week.
Even as he passed through the Silver Eagles headquarters, he could tell that there were plenty of people there that mocked him for his size, his stature and his age. Seeing him wandering about in a magic knight cloak that was almost as long as he was, seeing as how it tugged along the ground behind him ever so slightly, it was a funny sight to many. Little did they know that these people were twice as laughable to Gawain as he was to them. People two or three times his age, often possessing enough money to buy a small castle, yet they had amounted to nothing. Not a single golden star. Meanwhile he had singlehandedly brought in seventy. Seventy. Scoffing as he passed by a bunch of people that seemed to just be talking about nothing, he felt a hint of frustration rising up inside of him over the general uselessness that hung in the air here.
But if it were up to him, it would not be like that for long. Change was coming, and it was coming soon.
Heading back towards the same training grounds he had visited the other day for a somewhat informal discussion, he hoped his compatriot would manage to arrive on time, and brought a somewhat good mood as he had forgotten to bring his own. If all went well, he was sure to retrieve what was a good mood in no time at all, that much at least seemed sure enough. And given how this whole meeting was to be revolving around the betterment of the squad and give him people to play with on missions and the like, a pleasant state of mind was just around the corner.
Post by Mordred Lefay on Mar 16, 2024 22:26:45 GMT -5
The Silver Eagles were one of the wealthiest magic knight squads within the Clover Kingdom, all due to the tradition of accepting noble blood into their fold. It was the perfect squad for members of lesser houses to gain status, wealth, and fame among the Great Houses. A fact that Mordred knew full well when joining the Silver Eagles. He could care less about their sense of honor and their pride. No. All he wanted was their resources, their connections. By joining the Silver Eagles, he planned on uplifting House Lefay to that of a“greater” status. But he couldn’t help but sense tension within the Silver Eagles. In recent years, it seems that the squad had undergone a “decline.” Important positions within the Silver Eagles appeared to be taken up by people with either a famous family name or with the deepest pockets. It was an unfortunate reality, one that upset Mordred slightly.
While Mordred was a noble, his family wasn’t all that rich or essential. House Lefay had declined within recent years– all due to his idiot father and stupid brother– how was he supposed to rise to a position of power if said position was not given based on merit? It was time for a change! More importantly, feeding the flames of discontent would bring forth endless opportunities. Opportunities that Mordred could not afford to miss. At last, he didn’t want to bring all the attention to himself. No! That would be too dangerous! He needed a scapegoat, and fortunately, he found someone to “align” himself with in that manner.
The young magic knight was somewhat of a prodigy and a wild card. Usually, Mordred would not align himself with someone so destructive and unpredictable, but in a matter as delicate as change, he’d make an exception. The heir to House Lefay snaked his way through the headquarters of the Magic Knights, avoiding people whom he did not want to speak with and keeping close to the shadows as he always did. Soon, he found himself on the training grounds, it was a nice day. The sun was out and about, and a gentle breeze brushed through Mordred’s long black hair.
Mordred was unlike most noblemen and women who could be found within the Silver Eagles. He did not have a taste for fancy clothing nor for much wasteless luxury. This was no doubt a side effect of his father’s reckless spending. Instead, Mordred Lefay wore a simple black robe, simple riding boots, a couple of rings, a satchel to carry his grimoire, and the Silver Eagle’s cloak. In his free hand, he brought with him an apple that he had taken from the mess hall. Seeing his “companion” already at the training grounds, he placed on his signature smile, and approached him.
“I apologize if I was late,” he said dipping his head in respect, “I decided to stop by the mess hall for an apple, I hadn’t eaten all day.”
He took a bite from the apple. “Now, what was it that you wanted to discuss?”
[519]
Last Edit: Mar 16, 2024 22:27:10 GMT -5 by Mordred Lefay
“Don’t worry about it, you’re early enough. The name’s Gawain, and I assume you might have heard about me, or we wouldn’t be here right now.”
In response to the question, Gawain didn’t really know the exact time, just that they were more or less on track. Besides, he had time to waste as he had been the most active member of the squad for as long as he had been a part of it. As such, he truly believed he had earned the right to take some time off and focus on equally important matters that were filled with the intent of improvement. And once improvement was the general vibe that was going around, there was no telling where such a movement might stop. But for it to start going around, it would actually need to start first. The other day, the first step towards this movement had been set into motion, but just two people wouldn’t make that big of a difference. At least, normally that would be the case, but they had something that was working in their favor.
One of these two people was Gawain, the boy prodigy who had earned every single one of the sixty seven gold stars the squad owned. While it was nothing compared to the one hundred and thirteen golden stars owned by the Golden Dawn, the fact that he had singlehandedly managed to keep them in the running And in second place was something he took a great deal of pride in. However, that pride was a double-edged sword that truly cut both ways. For as much pride as he felt in himself, this was also the loathing he felt for the rest of the squad and their overall laziness, for their collective uselessness. So as his eyes quickly glanced over this man, it seemed that there was yet another member in this squad that he had never seen or heard of before, which made for two in two days.
“To be perfectly honest with you, I’ve got no idea who you are. But you being here is a good sign at least, as it means you’ve either been around long enough to see the decline firsthand, or you’re someone with ambitions beyond just existing around the bottom of the figurative food chain.”
Speaking plainly and honestly, the boy had no time to beat around the bush and play into any ego’s that may have existed here. The way he saw it, there was not a whole lot of time to waste when it came to showing to the rest of the country that they were one of the best squads out there, or at the very least had the potential to be. He did not want to come in third or fourth, one of which being a fairly plausible outcome in this star race. If the two of them could reach an agreement on how to move forward, they would need to get right into it starting tomorrow. But even if they were in a bit of a rush, that did not mean that they should surrender to it. There was still such a thing as proper etiquette when it came to getting to know one another, which was twice as important when it was between people who had plans towards some kind of partnership. As such, cutting corners was not the right call.
“If you wouldn’t mind telling me who you are, we can get into the details afterwards. Just a first name will do, surnames are worthless to me. I don’t deal with families, I simply deal with the individual.”
This was honestly in line with something similar he had said the other day. If he was to be dealing with these people, and they were to be dealing with him, they needed to understand that he did not give two shits about who their family was or how much money they had laying around. He cared only about the intentions of the individual and how much effort they were going to put into this whole thing. Partaking in missions, delving into dungeons, earning those stars so that they might be able to close the gap between squads at least a little bit. The last thing he wanted was for the Black Bulls to gain on them and surpass them, as they were the current number three in the ranking. Now, whether this was just him being overly competitive or not, he did not really care. For the time being, the best way for people to prove to him that they were planning on advancing the squad as a whole would be through effort.
The kind of effort that could be measured in golden stars.
Post by Mordred Lefay on Mar 24, 2024 9:31:23 GMT -5
“I am glad that I did not make you wait for long then.”
It was the truth. Mordred grandfather taught him that being late was unbecoming of a nobleman and that it was a sign of disrespect towards the one being waited on. Not only was it a sign of disrespect, but Mordred came to understand that time was a valuable asset and weapon. A weapon that needed to be carefully protected and used wisely at all times. His father did not use his time wisely, and it nearly brought about the end of their noble house. Mordred planned to correct that mistake and spend all his time returning his family to their former glory. Therefore, Mordred could not afford to waste his time being late or forced to wait. And he hoped that Gawain and this conversation were well worth their time.
“Indeed, I am very aware of who you are, alongside some of your exploits. As for who am I, I am Mordred Lefay, Grandson Maeghor Lefay.”
He did not expect Gawain to know his or his grandfather's name- primarily because Mordred was new to the Silver Eagle’s scene. Mordred, on the other hand, was undoubtedly aware of Gawain and his reputation. Rumor went around the Silver Eagles that Gawain was a “boy prodigy” with ambition and drive to match. They say that he had earned about sixty-seven gold stars for the squad. But also, this boy prodigy was a bit of a troublemaker, one who had a knack for causing issues and acting “out of place.” Gawain was a wild card, at least, in Mordred’s opinion. It's a wild card that Mordred would want to keep close at hand rather than ignore. In short, as a new squad member, Mordred wanted to keep an eye on this troubling figure, especially with his questionable reputation.
“I wouldn’t expect you to know anything about me. Not only is my family not well-known, but I am also a bit new to the Silver Eagles and haven’t had time to establish myself. Speaking plainly, you, on the other hand, have a reputation, one that caught my interest. So I guess you could say that, at the very least, I am someone who doesn’t want to be at the bottom of the food chain for much longer.”
The young heir was glad that Gawain didn’t seem interested in beating around the bush, and he was also pleased that the young magician seemed to have a drop of caution. Admittedly, Mordred did not fully understand what Gawain wanted to achieve. Nor did he fully understand the reasons behind Gawain's wish for change. Mordred had vague ideas. But vague ideas only offered little insight; no, he wanted his ideas to be confirmed. That would be the only way for him to confidently move forward and carefully choose what actions he should take. Caution was key in delicate situations such as this, especially when aligning himself with such a reckless person.
“That’s an honorable sentiment, but, unfortunately in this world family names mean everything. If you want to achieve anything, that’s a fact you must understand and use to your advantage. Now, I have told you my name, and surname. Shall we discuss details? Then move on to personal matters?”
Firmly planting his behind in a comfortable seat, Gawain thought to himself for a bit. He had heard everything Mordred had said clearly enough, though there was one thing he wanted to zoom in on a bit before moving on with the flow of things. Finding individuals that wanted to improve the standing of the squad was one thing, though making sure they understood one another and understood where the other was coming from was equally as important. After all, at this point, only one of them could be considered a child, though he doubted they would be behaving as children just because they disagreed on the bottom line of something. Whether they would be able to come to terms with what Gawain was about to say or not, they did not need to find any complete agreement, as long as they could agree that right now, the most important thing to do was to make the Silver Eagles great again.
“It takes having a somewhat impressive family for people to want to throw a last name around. Me? I’m a commoner, everyone around me died, so you could say that I’m a family of one. Does me throwing around my last name give me any kind of power or influence? Not really.”
Sharing a tidbit about how his entire family was dead and gone, he did not feel like going into the specifics of that story as it would undoubtedly tear open a whole other can of worms he’d rather keep closed. But for the sake of the debate, he felt like it was at the very least important to bring it up. Because the fact that Mordred knew who Gawain was had nothing to do with his last name, nor did Gawain know of Mordred based off of his.
“You see, it’s the people with noteworthy families like the Silva, the Ravencrest, the Vermillion, the Yuiee, the Blakes, they state their last names because it invokes a certain gravitas. Among them, some have earned the right to be considered influential and powerful, though others wield their last names as a shield. ‘Look at me wrong and my family will hear of it’, similar to how annoying younger brothers would call their bully of a brother to beat you up after school.”
Painting with incredibly broad strokes, the ashen-haired youth knew well enough that there were a good few individuals within those families that had earned their stripes. They had worked and fought hard for it, so he would have nothing bad to say about them. That said, there were always those that used the reputation of their relatives and the weight their names carried as a means of keeping themselves aloft. People who had nothing noteworthy to their names aside from clinging to their family like parasites while relying on them for protection whenever they did something stupid or undesirable. Whenever Gawain screwed up, he had to carry the full brunt of it on his own and make sure that damage was somehow repaired. And for someone who was still very much going through puberty, things like accepting fault and making amends could be… difficult.
But not impossible, never that.
“My mentor once said to me, ‘Influence isn’t power. Reputation isn’t power. Power is power. From power, influence and reputation is born and earned. Someone can be born into the wealthiest family and make their problems go away by throwing money at it. But if I were to destroy them and their estate under the sheer pressure and might of my magic, their money evaporates along with them and everything they held dear’, and I think he had a point.”
The Black Knight was at the time one of the most powerful knights in the country, one known for patrolling the forsaken realm like a wolf prowling around its territory while stalking potential wrongdoers without mercy. While he was not the kind that would go around taking heads, he also didn’t care about killing those that he deemed a threat to the safety of others. So while the man was gone now, the things he had passed on to Gawain still existed as they took root deep inside of his core and very much aided in forming his personality. But he was not the kind of person that wanted to throw around his power in a way that made it sound like it was a “My way or the highway” type deal. On the contrary, he would rather debate a topic and hear what the other site had to say about it. And truth be told, he just liked sparking debates for the sake of it, as he felt a proper discussion here and there was good for the brain.
“Clearly I’m not that radical. Where he was focused entirely around what he could do on his own, I’d like to look to my fellow squad members. So while you and I are clearly quite different, I assume there is one thing you strive for just as I do, albeit for altogether different reasons.”
With that, he looked Mordred straight in the eyes as he was certain he had come here with a good reason. Whether it was something personal or something to do with the family he had been bringing up a bunch of times now, it was clear to see that it held some level of importance. Now it just came down to narrowing down just how important it was to him and why.
“There is one thing that stands out for as long as I’ve been able to look back in the files when looking at the state of magic knight squads. This is the fact that we as a squad have never before managed to climb and hold a position in the upper echelons established by claiming golden stars. This means that, as a squad, our reputation has been… well, it’s been in the shitter. That is what I wish to see changed, and what I’m working towards changing.”
Post by Mordred Lefay on Mar 28, 2024 10:02:06 GMT -5
“Hmmmmmm,”
Like a snake eyeing its prey, Morded watched Gawain comfortably take a seat in a chair behind him and scratched the underside of his chin. Admittedly, Mordred did not completely believe that this little brat could change the squad. He seemed painfully oblivious to the simple truth of the world, corrupted by his master idiotic idea that power is power. The belief wasn’t wrong persay, simply misguided. Power was an idea, it didn’t truly existed. It rested in the hand of the masses. Power lied where people believed power resided. Manipulating the perception of the powerful and powerless is key in attaining status, wealth, authority, and yes, power. Gawain seemed to be the type of person who didn’t have the intelligence to understand that rule.
“You misunderstand my intentions,” Mordred said. “My intention was not to flash my family’s name in the hopes of leveraging rank with my heritage, but to uplift my family name from its ashes, to remind people that we still exist. I matters not whether or not you care about my heritage, as long as the name gets out there. Eventually, I will mention it to someone with greater influence, or who’d care about such things, and that name will be remembered.”
Holding his chin, Mordred turned his back to Gawain and simply listened to his words. The younger squad member painted a broad picture of the current state of the Silver Eagles, alongside, the noble house that essentially ran the Clover Kingdom. Mordred nodded here and there to show that he was listening. From a certain point of view, Mordred could understand where Gawain was coming from. Being surrounded by ignorant, stupid, self-entitled fools was obnoxious. Especially, when they were in positions of power and did not deserve said positions of power.
“Your mentor sounds wise,” Mordred acknowledged. “But I must agree with his statement that power is power, of course, with all respects in doing so. Power lies where people believe power resides, as long as people believe that there is power in wealth and status, then there will be power in those things.”
He paused for a moment. By this time the heir of House Lefay had turned around, to which, Gawain captured Mordred’s gaze– Mordred cold, apathetic, gaze. The serpent smiled with a mischievous grin.
“The question is how do you plan on changing that?” Mordred asked. “Are you willing to play their game? Or are you going to try and break it? Making any enemy of yourself and all those whom believe in your cause?”
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Last Edit: Mar 28, 2024 10:03:18 GMT -5 by Mordred Lefay
“I may be young, but I don’t play games. Whether it’s theirs or mine, the parameters have been set a long time ago, long before either of us were even born, which for me isn’t that much of a stretch. The reputation we receive can almost be measured by golden stars, so that should be a simple enough focus.”
It was true, Gawain wasn’t one for playing games. He was actually very upfront about his intentions for the vast majority of the time spent with other people. Sure, there were things he would prefer to keep to himself, though that could be said about anyone and everyone. There did not exist such a thing as an open book that did not keep a single page to themselves, for that would just be odd. Through it all, there was something the boy noticed about this guy. Whether he realized it himself or not, the way in which Mordred went about his line of questioning made it sound like he was trying to play some sort of an angle. And while the ashen-haired youth could be an incredibly blunt instrument, he was by no means an idiot that could not see what was being said to him, that was incapable of reading between the lines.
But where as others might see the need to try and sway him in one way or another while trying to divulge his hidden intentions, if there were any to begin with, that would only make it that much easier for him to play into it. He had nothing to hide as his intentions of cleaning up the squad were pure enough, though letting others think he was just some misguided child who had been handed a weapon of mass destruction in the form of a four-leaf grimoire was perhaps not the worst thing right now. He had been underestimated before, and it had never worked out well for the other party. But time would tell how things would end up this time around, as much was riding on the decisions made by Mordred.
“Its an easy enough measurement. You take part in bettering the country, handle yourself well on missions and go to any of the magic dungeons that pop before others lay claim to it, you earn golden stars. Then, when the grand festival comes around and all of the points are tallied, the whole of the country will know of the squads that exist within the top positions.”
Continuing to speak as though he didn’t need to think on it any further, his mind in fact kept pondering on the subject. Did this guy bring things up in the way he did because he wanted Gawain to behave like a wayward projectile, riding along until his trajectory became too erratic so he could jump off when he had propelled himself far enough into the right direction? He didn’t know. He couldn’t know, because aside from reading into the words the man spoke, the kid could not actually look inside of his mind. He did not possess that kind of intrusive magic, and he was a lot happier for it. No one should have that kind of power as it would completely destabilize society as a whole. But in some cases, it would have been really bloody handy to have. For even though some mentions were made as to his family, Gawain couldn’t be entirely sure if it was all truthful, even though they did end up agreeing on some factors.
“So my question as the single person working to put us in that top position of squads is, will you join up with me and others who are serious about cleaning up this mess of a squad by putting in the work and getting your name on some finished mission documents, or will you continue slithering along the ground on your belly like some of the other serpents within this squad.”
His intention was not to sound arrogant, he was just stating the facts as they stood. Before long, he was sure his total of golden stars would have grown considerably yet again, leaving the sixty-seven he had now behind for a greater number. As it were, it was the only thing he could do as rooting out actual corruption from within the squad from where he was standing was not possible, nor probably. Maybe Griswold had been correct in those regards. Maybe he had been right in assuming that there was no way any of them could truly change the system as it was, as the rot of nobility went too deep to cure or cut out without dealing irreparable damage to the rest of the body. Maybe for the time being, the only thing he could do was to work with it as it were to make things consistently better with small steps. Even if it would stay with just those little steps, as long as he kept walking, he’d at the very least be able to make things better for himself and the people who chose to stuck to his close circle.
“There are plenty here with forked tongues and honeyed words, only to stick to delusions of non-existent fame. Yet there are few who carry their weight and work to return this squad to their supposed former glory. So, what say you?”
This was something Gawain had learned ever since he had first joined the squad. People did not need a reason to look down on him, as he had two things working against him from the start. He was a no-name from a family that was not worth mentioning as they were no nobility nor royalty, and he was by most accounts just a young boy. They never needed for him to show his ass to someone as a taunt to pile up on him when his back was turned, they had their reasons already. As such, he had never bothered to really sway them into believing anything else than what they had been imprinted with for the duration of their lives. He could only change things on a grander scale, by making people see what he was all about through working hard and earning the golden stars he needed to pull the squad out of the shithole it was in right now. That was to say, a shithole as far as reputation went, as they were easily one of the most luxurious groups in the bunch.
But maybe that was the problem. People were so content with their own mediocrity because they had been surrounded by luxury, silver was even in their name. But unlike what the color signified, he had no intention of playing second fiddle to the Golden Dawn, he very much wanted to be number one, even though he knew well enough that that might not be possible with just him. As such, other people would need to pull their weight, and they needed to start pulling their weight sooner rather than later. But seeing as how he might need to pull some of these people over the edge and into the fray, he would need to give some of them something along the lines of incentive. And different people required different kinds of incentive, so it was up to him to figure out what they might need.
“Once we get things on the road the normal and established way, that is when we can starting changing things up in a way that works for us.”
