You can read ahead up to 70 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/GGS6395
In the end, as expected, everyone in the café, along with all the electrical appliances, ended up as collateral damage under Misaka Mikoto's rage.
Under those circumstances, Fang Li quietly slipped away without anyone noticing.
"Alright, let's continue searching for Index."
As if nothing had happened, Fang Li resumed his search for the gluttonous girl.
Unfortunately, even after that, all the way until the afternoon, Fang Li still couldn't find Index.
Only then did Fang Li begin to sense that something was wrong.
"Even though Academy City is large, it's impossible for Index to leave District 7. And with such a limited range of activity, there's no way I wouldn't have found her by now."
Moreover, Fang Li had already sent Scorpius's subordinates to search as well. Not only did they fail to find her, but they also brought back some information.
"She was taken away?"
Listening to the report from the other end of the phone, Fang Li frowned.
According to the intelligence gathered by Scorpius's people, someone had seen a silver-haired girl in pure white monastic robes being led away by several individuals.
"Did they have any distinguishing features?"
At Fang Li's inquiry, the subordinate began reporting the witness accounts.
Apparently, they were just a few very ordinary people.
No particularly noticeable clothing. No especially eye-catching behavior.
Like ordinary tourists, they approached Index, who was eating and drinking at a stall, and said something to her.
Then, Index followed them.
After that, the group disappeared into the crowd with Index, and no one could find them again.
That was the last reported sighting of Index.
In response, Fang Li had only one thought:
"This is too abnormal…"
That's right.
Far too abnormal.
Despite Index's innocent appearance, she wasn't completely defenseless against everyone.
Knowing that many people were watching her and coveting the grimoire knowledge in her mind, Index was actually quite sensitive to danger. Otherwise, she wouldn't have managed to evade Kanzaki and Stiyl's pursuit for an entire year.
So the fact that Index would follow strangers without even informing Fang Li was, in itself, extremely abnormal.
Could it be…
"Could it be that a magician really entered Academy City and took Index away?"
However, magicians either dressed very distinctively or possessed an unusual presence, either extremely weak or overwhelmingly strong, so that anyone could sense something off about them.
Yet according to the eyewitness accounts, the ones who took Index away were completely ordinary people. They didn't even force her; instead, they said something that made Index willingly go with them.
And combined with what Stiyl had said earlier…
"Could it be…"
Fang Li thought of a possibility and immediately made a call.
After a series of beeps, the call connected.
"For you to actually take the initiative to call me, I have to wonder if you're really yourself."
The moment the call connected, the other party spoke in an aggressive tone.
Who else could it be but Stiyl, who had always disliked Fang Li?
However, Stiyl's breathing sounded somewhat rushed, and his footsteps were chaotic, as if he were chasing something, or being chased.
"If you've got something to say, spit it out!" Stiyl urged impatiently while adjusting his breathing, without the slightest politeness. "I'm busy here, I don't have time to waste on you!"
It seemed that a magician really had infiltrated Academy City, and Stiyl was currently pursuing them together with reinforcements arranged by the city.
Fang Li couldn't be bothered to waste any more time.
"Tell me, why did you bring up Kanzaki earlier?" Fang Li said directly. "If it's related to the Book of the Law, then tell me immediately. Index has likely been dragged into this."
As soon as he finished speaking, Stiyl on the other end of the phone drew in a sharp breath.
Shortly after, Stiyl clicked his tongue and began:
"I told you before, didn't I? Because the Book of the Law was stolen, there was some internal turmoil within the Roman Catholic Church."
That much, Stiyl had indeed mentioned before.
At the time, he said that the Roman Catholic Church ultimately suspected there was a traitor within their ranks.
"Because of that, the Roman Catholic Church carried out a major purge afterward, judging and dealing with all those under suspicion."
In a blunt tone, Stiyl spoke the cruel truth.
"And among them was a nun named Orsola."
Hearing this, Fang Li inwardly thought, as expected.
Because this was something that had happened in the original story.
Orsola.
Full name: Orsola Aquinas.
She belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. Although her position was that of a nun, and she had made great contributions to missionary work, in reality she was an expert in intelligence analysis, particularly skilled at deciphering secret codes related to magic.
In the original story, Orsola claimed to have deciphered the encoded writing style of the Book of the Law and obtained its decoding method, which led to her being hunted by the Roman Catholic Church.
Now, it seemed that even before making such a declaration, Orsola had already become a suspect due to the theft of the Book of the Law, and was directly subjected to the Church's purge.
After all, it wasn't a secret that Orsola had been working on deciphering the Book of the Law, it's just that few believed she would succeed.
"However, after the Book of the Law was stolen, the Roman Catholic Church suspected that Orsola Aquinas had successfully derived the decoding method and intended to use the power of the Book of the Law. So they believed she stole it and planned to punish her."
Stiyl's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"However, Orsola seemed to anticipate that she would be suspected and purged, so she escaped in advance. In the end, she came to this country and, for her safety, sought asylum from a certain religious group here."
And that religious group had deep ties to Kanzaki.
"The group is called the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church."
Stiyl explained:
"In the past, Kanzaki was once the Pope of this organization."
In other words,
"In other words, the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church has been dragged into the Book of the Law incident. They are now fleeing together with Orsola, being pursued by the Roman Catholic Church."
Stiyl spoke word by word.
"And you have been stealing original grimoires all along. Kanzaki knows this. She'll probably suspect that the Book of the Law is in your possession, and may try to retrieve the stolen Book of the Law from you in order to help the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church escape the Roman Catholic Church's pursuit."
"For that reason, Kanzaki might make a move against you."
"You'd better be careful."
Fang Li didn't listen to these words.
Because even without Stiyl saying it, Fang Li had already guessed.
For no other reason,
But right in front of him, a girl with a long sword at her waist was slowly walking toward him.
Her gaze was incomparably resolute.
(End Of This Chapter)
I am translating some new fanfiction (Haikyuu- Starting From Volleyball). Read it and support me.
PS— I will post 1 Bonus Chapter for every 100 Power Stones