A voice, barking like a mad dog, roared and cursed as it emerged from a shadowy corner of the alleyway, accompanied by heavy footsteps.
He was a tall young man with a surprisingly youthful face, his hair dyed a fiery sunset-red, dressed in a sweeping, pure black monk's robe.
Judging from his clothing and the silver cross hanging around his neck, he was clearly a clergyman. But his face was marked with a barcode-like tattoo beneath his right eye, his ten fingers were adorned with large, old-fashioned silver rings, and a row of silver earrings pierced his ears.
Such an outfit wouldn't be considered strange in a country where cosplay culture was prevalent; an ordinary passerby would simply assume he was an eccentric teenager trying to look edgy.
But on the Magic Side of the world, he was a well-known Magician of the English Puritan Church's secret branch, Necessarius. He was a sharp sword used exclusively to hunt down heretics and rogue magic cabals.
Stiyl Magnus.
"Damn it! We were watching her so closely, and she still managed to be kidnapped right under our noses!" Stiyl slammed his fist against the brick wall, roaring like a mad hyena.
"Who exactly was that person?! I didn't sense any fluctuation of magical power! Is it a heretic from the Rosicrucian Order or the Golden Dawn?! I've already sent a blanket warning to the entire magical community to back off! I didn't expect there would still be some damned bastards brave enough to offend the Puritans!"
Stiyl had originally thought that issuing a direct threat to the underground magical world would prevent such an abduction from happening. With his rune magic and the overwhelming protection of a Saint, they were supposed to be able to handle any unexpected situation.
After all, there wasn't a single magical cabal in the world that wasn't terrified of the English Puritans. Historically, the Puritans were the ones who supposedly hunted down and killed Aleister Crowley—the most evil and powerful Magician of the 20th century, and the creator of modern Western magic.
"Our priority now is to locate Index. Fortunately, I placed a specialized location-tracking spell on her vestments beforehand. With the absolute physical and magical protection of the Walking Church, Index will be safe from harm for the time being, Stiyl."
The girl who stepped out from the shadows behind Stiyl spoke in a cold, composed voice.
The girl had silky, glossy black hair tied in a high ponytail that reached her waist. Her skin was as pale as milk in the afternoon sunlight.
She was wearing a white T-shirt, but the hem was tied up at her ribs to expose her navel. Her jeans had the entire left leg cut off at the thigh, revealing a straight, perfectly toned leg.
Such a highly impractical, asymmetrical outfit went completely beyond the scope of everyday fashion. But the massive Nodachi longsword she carried at her waist—a blade as tall as she was—combined with her cool, stoic face, revealed the undeniable, heroic aura of a Valkyrie.
Kanzaki Kaori.
"What...? She actually went to that place..."
After verifying Index's location through his tracking magic, Stiyl's face turned deathly pale. He pulled a cigarette from the folds of his monk's robe, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled a thick smoke ring. His tone grew infinitely more annoyed and anxious.
"Index wasn't taken away by a Magician. She was taken by an Esper from Academy City. This is even more troublesome than if she had been grabbed by a rogue magic cabal!"
It made frustrating sense. Considering how physically close they were to Academy City's borders, the most likely culprits to possess untraceable teleportation abilities were high-level Espers.
"What... what should we do?" The aloof Kanzaki finally looked deeply troubled, her stoic facade cracking.
"Although I'm glad she wasn't caught by those magic lunatics, our identities are a massive problem in a place like that. Especially for you, Kanzaki," Stiyl said, pacing back and forth with the cigarette clamped between his teeth.
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault. If I had realized that the boy who approached Index wasn't an ordinary civilian, this wouldn't have happened," Kanzaki sighed guiltily. She had once again made a mistake that caused her precious companion to suffer.
She and Stiyl were Magicians, but she was also a Saint.
In global geopolitical terms, a Saint's status was equivalent to a strategic nuclear weapon on the Science Side. If a living nuclear weapon crossed the borders into the headquarters of the Science Faction without authorization, Academy City would definitely go crazy. The General Board of Directors would deploy their entire military arsenal and the Level 5s to suppress her.
Not only would they be unable to retrieve Index, but it could trigger an all-out global war between Science and Magic. Even the mighty Puritans might face absolute annihilation in a conflict with Academy City.
"There's no other way. We can't just blindly infiltrate Academy City to find Index right now. We have to contact the Archbishop and officially negotiate with the city's leadership," Stiyl said with a grim expression.
"This is the only thing we can do for now," Kanzaki agreed, her voice heavy with guilt.
She felt incredibly depressed. Having only been a high-ranking member of the Puritan Church for a little over a year, she couldn't even manage her primary mission, which led to this terrible mistake.
In fact, she blamed herself for causing Index to be homeless and hunted for the past year. If she had just stayed by Index's side and waited for her to wake up after the memory wipe, none of this would have happened.
Even her decision to abandon the idea of forcibly taking Index back to London was due to her own selfish motives. In order to avoid causing the child further psychological pain, Kanzaki didn't dare to acknowledge her as a friend anymore. She wanted Index to avoid forming any deep ties with anyone, so she wouldn't suffer as much when her memories were inevitably erased again.
Ring~ Ring~
"Oh dear, Stiyl! Why are you calling me at this hour? Are you in trouble? You only ever call me directly when you've made a mess of things!"
A sweet, innocent voice came from a specialized communication card adorned with tracking runes. The tone was filled with delightful, teasing laughter.
"..." Stiyl bared his teeth around his cigarette like a cornered dog, then forced himself to speak patiently. "We are indeed in trouble, Archbishop Laura."
"My, my! What kind of trouble could possibly require a self-proclaimed genius Magician like you to seek help from a delicate, fragile girl like me?"
The sickeningly sweet voice made Stiyl purse his lips in disgust.
'Delicate?!' Stiyl screamed internally. 'Everyone in the European magic underground knows that you only became the Supreme Archbishop by ruthlessly crushing all the rival Puritan magicians with absolute force! Yet you always pretend to be a weak, innocent woman! Besides... you looked exactly like this when I was seven years old, and you haven't aged a single day! You're probably even older than my grandfather!'
"There's a serious problem regarding Index. She's been taken across the border by a high-level Esper from Academy City," Stiyl reported stiffly. "Kanzaki and I are planning to infiltrate Academy City to bring Index back. To avoid triggering an unnecessary international war, I'd like to request your official intervention."
"I am so sorry, Archbishop. It was all my fault," Kanzaki said into the communicator, bowing her head apologetically. "I will make amends."
"What?! Index has been taken inside Academy City?! This is a huge problem!" A high-pitched, highly exaggerated gasp of surprise rang out from the card.
Kanzaki felt even more guilty. Did the Archbishop also find this politically impossible to resolve? She pursed her lips and lowered her head further, accepting her punishment.
"Well... although it is terribly troublesome, I will immediately open negotiations with the General Superintendent of Academy City to try and secure you a legitimate diplomatic status to enter their borders," Laura said.
"Thank you for your assistance, Archbishop," Stiyl said, visibly relieved.
"Kanzaki, what's done is done. I don't blame you. Good luck over there," Laura said gently.
"I will definitely bring Index back safely," Kanzaki promised firmly.
...
The communication link closed. Despite the bureaucratic nightmare of dealing with Academy City, Stiyl and Kanzaki received an official reply surprisingly quickly.
"Let's go," Stiyl said, grinding his cigarette out beneath his boot. "Academy City has just granted us clearance to enter. But it's strictly on the condition that we don't cause any collateral damage to their infrastructure, or we'll be targeted for immediate expulsion by their security forces. Tsk! What a hassle."
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