Reverse London. A place where witches, wizards, and their associates lived. A city of magic where magic was common.
Wing Bind was the name of an association where Noel was employed as a member.
And Shirou was brought there because of his accidental encounter.
A large office filled with employees wearing suits, dressed neatly and tidily, sat at their respective desks. Some of them wore checkered mantle while some wear white mantle.
Everyone had a distinct style of dress that set them apart from others.
There was also a group of men in black suits, looking intimidating and serious. Their faces showed no expression at all.
And then there was him.
In this city where strange creatures seem to exist, some resembled normal pot plants and some resembled cute flying squirrels or lizards, or a flying book that moved on its own. It was like a scene from a fairytale.
Other than that, people seemed to live pretty normally in the Reverse London. The way of their life was pretty similar to the one in normal London. People worked and lived together.
But he couldn't say it was exactly the same.
Some of them seemed to be carrying magical items with them and some were using it casually. Some even had an invisible layer of magical protection that surrounded them.
It was almost like a Soul Society after the industrial revolution with magic and modern technology.
"What are you looking at?" A voice brought him back from his musing. He blinked once before realizing it was Noel talking to him.
The black haired girl tapped her arm impatiently while she waited for his reply. Her eyes narrowed and she looked annoyed at him.
The way she acted reminded him of Rin, which made him chuckle lightly.
"Hmm, I was just admiring how nice this place is." He replied honestly with a small smile.
Noel rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Really? It's nothing special." She said in disinterest.
Shirou didn't respond and just looked around.
"Well, you are free to look around, I suppose." She shrugged before walking away without waiting for him. "We need to register you as a guest for Reverse London. I will explain the rule of this place while we're on our way."
"Please do."
Following Noel in silence, Shirou listened attentively to what Noel told him as she showed him around.
"Here, magical creatures and people lived together. It's a city that exists as part of London but is also separate from the real London." She said, gesturing at their surroundings.
"The rules here are simple, there aren't any strict regulations. As long as you don't disturb others, then everything will be alright." She paused and looked at Shirou, who nodded his head.
"First, don't do anything stupid. Second, there is Dragon contact prohibition. You can't make contact with dragons or you will be put in prison for 100 years." Noel explained as they walked down a street.
"A dragon?"
So they did exist.
Shirou could no longer say that his dad's words were a joke now.
"Don't worry, they don't usually come out of their territories." Noel waved his concern. "They rarely show themselves in public and usually only interact with others through a medium. Wing Bind has already wiped the Dark Dragon to ensure safety."
But a caution was still required.
Her voice sounded a bit heavy and tired when she continued.
"Next is about the Wing Bind and their role." She said, "We are tasked to keep peace and protect this city from threats and dragons. It's pretty simple."
"You are the police."
"I am an agent of Wing Bind. It is more accurate to say we are government agents. The police here are the London Tower security." She explained with a calm voice.
"And we have a few groups. I am on the Pipers team. Each of us is assigned with one job and we have a partner to work together with."
Shirou was silent as he listened attentively to every word that was said.
From the explanation he received, it seemed like Wing Bind was something like Gotei 13 from Soul Society and Pipers were something similar to Division.
But instead of Captain, they were led by something called the Zodiac.
Then the easy explanation about Reverse London was that it existed similarly to Soul Society.
'It's not a reverse world where Avalon is located.'
He was slightly disappointed at the revelation but it was understandable. He should have expected as much. But then again, the possibility wasn't completely zero yet.
"We've arrived. This is the gate of West Branch. And behind it is Wing Bind's headquarters."
Just like a typical structure in London, the gate was constructed from bricks, and there were two stone pillars at both ends. It was decorated with carvings and engravings that were very artistic and detailed.
A large sign with 'WB' written on it hung between them.
The headquarter Noel mentioned was a tall modern building with a strange house on the roof. The house looked pretty similar to those often seen in the Victorian era movies, and it was surrounded by several trees.
"It looks amazing." He said as he looked up at it.
"Let's go." Noel stepped into the gate without waiting for him, so he had to jog a bit to catch up.
Walking into the large lobby of the building, he saw many people wearing suits sitting around talking with each other. Some of them were reading books or working on something while others were chatting amongst themselves.
A reception counter stood right next to them, manned by a beautiful lady who smiled kindly as soon as they entered.
Her hair was blonde and curly and she had bright green eyes. Her outfit consisted of a black suit jacket and matching skirt that hugged her body nicely.
"Good morning, Miss Niihashi. Please wear your mantel." The receptionist said with a smile.
"I will, Miss Watson."
Noel nodded and took out her shepherd check-patterned mantle, wrapping it around herself.
For Witches and Wizards, clothes were important as it showed the group they belonged to. The mantle Noel wore represented the Piper, a special unit within Wing Bind that worked under the Zodiac's orders.
"And this one?" Miss Watson the receptionist asked, pointing to Shirou who stood next to Noel.
"A guest. He's a... What?" She turned to him and asked, "Wizard?"
"I don't think that is the correct term." Shirou smiled awkwardly. "Magus, a third rate one."
Introducing himself as a Quincy in this part of the world might bring trouble, so he had to say that he was a magus instead.
A Wizard in this universe meant a male witch, so it wasn't really a suitable term to describe his power. He could be described as a magus who specialized in Reinforcement, Projection, and Tracing, but that didn't matter right now.
"Ah, are you a Watcher?"
"Watcher?"
"Term for people who can see dragons." Noel kindly explained to him.
'So it's like a spiritually aware human.'
Shirou nodded, taking the new term and adapting it to one he knew.
"Anyway, I will show him around the place. Can he get a temporary identity card for this visit?"
"Sure, I will issue it right away. Just a moment please."
Miss Watson took out her magical device, what she called a witch kit, and started to work on her magic.
"Hey, Noel." A young girl called out to them from across the room. She had long blonde hair tied in a twintails, with a red ribbon holding them in place. She was dressed in a similar uniform like Noel except hers were in black. "Oh? Who's the guy with you?"
"This is Kurosaki Shirou, a guest." Noel said curtly. "Shirou, she is Ninny Spangcole. My partner."
The blonde girl, Ninny, approached them. She smiled brightly as she looked at Shirou before gasping at Noel.
"Wait, did you just use this chance to get more achievements and pay?!"
"What do you mean?" Noel averted her gaze from Ninny.
"As I thought!" Ninny looked betrayed and furious, "How can you be so selfish?! I can't believe you, Noel!"
Noel didn't say a thing and just ignored her partner.