novelMagic Cabal of the British Labyrinth (1)
| ← Ch.129 | Ch.131 → |
Part 1
After all that, they finally landed in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh was a city in Scotland, the northern part of the United Kingdom. London was in the south. They had to switch to a domestic flight to get to London.
"There certainly were a lot of TV cameras there. I guess it was because of the terrorist attack."
Kamijou had managed to get through the immigration gate with the little bit of English he knew and he was checking the time on his cell phone.
"Hm? Oh, that's right. I have to correct for the time difference."
The phone most likely had a function to switch the clock to the times of the different major cities in the world, but Kamijou wasn't the kind of person that read thick instruction books. He put the phone back in his pocket and looked around until he found a clock on the wall.
".... 8 at night... We're not almost at the last flight again, are we?" muttered Kamijou as he knew very little about airplane schedules.
"Tou-grrrr-ma-grrrr..."
"Ee!? I-Index-san!! I think I heard some beast-like growling in the middle of my name there!"
"That's because I'm starving and starving and starving and about to collapse!! The beef or fish never came and I didn't get to eat anything! Any more of this and I'm going to die!! If I don't get anything to eat, I'm really going to die!!"
Index was still wearing the dress instead of her nun's habit (even on a domestic flight, taking those safety pins on a plane was a bad idea), and she was swinging her arms around at full force in her attempt to appeal Kamijou for some food. In response, he sat down on his suitcase and crossed his arms as he thought.
"Won't there be an in-flight meal on the domestic flight?"
"I have a feeling there won't!! I have no proof, but I have a feeling there won't!!"
It was true that, according to the flight schedule, the Edinburgh to London flight was only an hour long. It was possible they wouldn't provide a meal on such a short flight.
Kamijou continued to think.
"... No, I'm hungry, too. Let's go get something to eat."
"Tooouuumaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
"You're too happy!! That's scary! There are stars in your eyes! I think this is the most dynamic smile I've ever seen!!"
As they spoke back and forth, Kamijou took Index along as he began searching for the airport's light meal area. He had started studying English using an app on his phone, but he was still a ways away from knowing enough to be practical. But he managed to find his way through the vast airport by relying on the knife & fork and coffee cup symbols on the signs.
(I'm pretty sure there was some British currency in the luggage Tsuchimikado gave us. I suppose this qualifies as a necessary use. )
"T-Touma! I smell coffee from over there!!"
"Eh? I don't smell anythi-... What!? There really is a café around the corner here!!"
In front of Kamijou was a stylish coffee shop with glass on all sides. He felt that people truly used to travelling would disapprove of them going to a chain store that they had in Japan after coming all the way to the UK, but for a normal lower middle class person (who helped stop a terrorist attack) like Kamijou Touma, he felt like shouting "Yay, food!!"
He was almost like how Index normally was. And speaking of Index...
"☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆!!"
"Wah, wah, waaaahhh!! Index, those aren't even words!! Those eyes! Those eyebrows! Those lips! Really, your face as a whole looks rather amazing!!"
Kamijou renewed his resolve to get in the café as soon as possible to start eating a ham and lettuce sandwich and he grabbed her hand to pull her towards the glass entrance.
That was when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder from behind.
He turned around and found a girl standing there. She was about 18 years old. She had Asian facial features and was greater than average height. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail and yet still stretched down to her waist. She was wearing a pair of jeans with one leg cut clean off all the way to the top and a t-shirt tied so her navel was visible. Above the shirt, she was wearing a jacket with one sleeve cut off so her arm was bared. But what drew the most attention was the ridiculously huge Japanese sword Shichiten Shichitou that was hanging from her belt that looked like something a gunman from a western would wear.
"Long time no see, " she said.
Hearing those words, Kamijou responded.
"Wh-why is the Fallen Angel Ero Maid here... !?"
The Japanese sword girl, Kanzaki Kaori, started coughing. As she struggled to breathe gasping in air, she desperately moved her lips.
"Th-the British Royal Family requested that I bring you and Index to Buckingham Palace. If you had just taken the non-stop flight on the supersonic passenger plane prepared by Academy City, I wouldn't have had to do this."
"That doesn't really answer my question. There's no real reason that had to be done by the Fallen Angel Ero Maid!!"
"I am not a fallen angel, I am not erotic, and I am not a maid!! I-it's true that... after the battle with Acqua, I... did v-v-various things. I admit that. But 'Fallen Angel Ero Maid' should not be the first words out of your mouth when you see me!!"
"I can't help it!! That really was a fallen angel-like ero maid!!"
"Stop recalling the details and getting distracted!! D-don't blush like that!!"
Kanzaki was shaking Kamijou by his shoulders, but it seemed as if Kamijou was not looking at her in the eyes.
"A-anyway!! I am not that kind of indecent person! I have come to get you as a messenger of the Anglican Church and as the Priestess of the new Amakusa Church. I am not embarrassed!!"
"Isn't that a bad idea in and of itself? I mean, you're walking around an airport with a sword! What did you even come here for today! Whenever 2 or 3 magicians gather, it's always bad news!! Just tell me what's going on!!"
Index finally cut into the argument between Kamijou and Kanzaki.
"Tooouuumaaaa..."
Her gaze was not on Kamijou or Kanzaki. She was staring at the stylish coffee shop.
"... If you drag this out any longer, I'll never forgive you."
"Ehhh!? You're saying this is my fault!? I wouldn't say so! How is it my fault that terrorists attacked the plane or that Kanzaki started talking to us!?"
He attempted to argue his case, but it didn't get through to Index as she was being controlled by her empty stomach. Kamijou decided that he had to quickly end the conversation with Kanzaki and head to the café with Index.
That was when Kanzaki Kaori the Ero Maid spoke.
"Th-that's right. Food. You need to hurry, because we don't have much time."
(Ohh, she understands!! A girl that can pick up on the mood is so wonderful!! And I'm pretty hungry myself!!)
Kamijou started towards the café, but then Kanzaki continued speaking.
"Due to the terrorist attack, all the other flights have been cancelled so they can inspect all the planes. I have a helicopter and a pilot ready, so we'll head to London that way."
"......................................................."
Kamijou remained silent for a bit and then looked towards her.
"... What do you mean?"
"You were originally supposed to head directly to London in the Academy City supersonic passenger plane. However, you hurriedly switched to a different plane putting us 7 hours late already. We can't delay this any longer. Index Librorum Prohibitorum was summoned with an official order by England, so you need to do your duty as her guardian.... By the way, she needs to change into her Walking Church nun's habit. There's a space in the back of the helicopter she can use to change."
"... What about the food?"
"There's no time to eat. Come with me. If you were just making us wait, it wouldn't be a problem, but right now you're keeping the entirety of the British Royal Family waiting. You've neglected to follow up on a promise made with those of royal blood for 7 hours without contacting anyone... I'd be less worried about the Royal Family itself and more worried about how the obstinate Knights would react if they knew."
Kanzaki Kaori dragged Kamijou along by the hand while talking about things he didn't understand. He then tried to explain what he felt was most important.
"Let me repeat: What about the food!? Index-san has been at her limit for a while now!! I have a feeling that her anger will bring forth a tremendous energy if we leave her hungry for much longer!"
"You are her manager, so you do something about it."
"How can you act like it isn't your fault!?... Wait, are you mad? Did I make you mad by teasing you about the Fallen Angel Ero Maid thing!?"
"No, not at all. I'm perfectly calm, so just get on the helicopter already."
Kanzaki used the strength of a Saint to drag Kamijou by the arm.
Part 2
The third princess of England, Villian, stood in a large room.
That space half the size of a tennis court was Villian's territory. Simply put, it was her private room. The Royal Family had constant political intrigue not just inside and outside of the country, but in their home as well. Her room was the sole safe place she could shut it all out and be alone in.
"... I see. Yes, yes. That the plane managed to land in Edinburgh safely is what matters most."
Villian was holding the receiver for an antique phone with a ceramic surface. Apparently, the line went through a cutting-edge switchboard in Buckingham Palace that heavily encrypted the signal, but she didn't know much about technology.
She was talking with the person in charge of the Edinburgh airport.
What Villian was currently worried about was the cargo packed on that plane.
"Yes. I think you should inspect everything because of the terrorist attack, but please make sure the liquid foods get to the individual households as quickly as possible. For the people who cannot eat normal foods, this is literally a matter of life or death.... Yes. Please give them relief as soon as you can."
Villian slowly put down the receiver and gave a light sigh.
It was possible the intelligence agency had been listening in (regardless of whether it had been encrypted or not), but she hadn't said anything she didn't mind anyone hearing.
The United Kingdom was a complicated nation.
It was made up of four cultures: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
It contained three factions: the Royal Family, the Knights, and the Anglican Church.
The interconnections between those two categories formed the United Kingdom. Depending on the situation, one knight from England and another from Scotland could get into a fight and a member of the Royal Family from Wales and a member of the church from Wales could have a connection between them.
Of course, as the third princess, Villian was part of the Royal Family. She had been since the moment she was born. The only way to join the Royal Family faction was to either be a descendant of the monarch or demonstrate one's political skill as a close aide of a member. Theirs was the faction that represented the nation, but it had significantly fewer members than the knights or the church.
The Royal Family's duty was to intervene and seize control of the parliamentary government in order to take substantial control of the country. While the knights and the church worked in the shadows, the Royal Family had the most power in a public sense because it needed to be able to control the police and the military.
That said, Third Princess Villian had no real power.
The three daughters of the Queen of England had the following qualities:
The eldest daughter had intellect.
The second daughter had military might.
The third daughter had a natural benevolence.
In other words, despite Villian's popularity, she had no trump card with which to move the country. The man from the Edinburgh airport she had spoken to on the phone had likely thought she was very kind for being worried about that kind of thing, but he wasn't about to swear his eternal loyalty to her or anything.
Her benevolence did not give her connections within the factions.
Her sisters would say that everything she did was wasted effort.
Her duty was to be treated as the public face of the Royal Family by the media and, in the common magazines, she was referred to as the princess people would most like to marry, but that was the entirety of her role within the Royal Family.
The prospect of a political marriage with her was used to make foreign leaders lose focus, but the idea of marriage was just bait and not a serious offer. The queen and her sisters would use the opening this created to negotiate the best treaty for England.
Keeping up her etiquette as a member of the Royal Family and carrying out her official duties gracefully made Villian feel like she was a mental stripper. And if England was ever in an unavoidable crisis, she would probably actually be forced into a political marriage.
"..."
Villian gave a heavy sigh in the large room.
The recent quarrel between England and France was enough to suggest the possibility of that terrible trump card.
Her thoughts were then cut off by a small knock.
"Lady Villian."
The person calling out to her from the other side of the thick door was a young maid. She was a civilian who knew nothing of magic. There were special workers for the Royal Family, the royal maids, that were essentially a type of shrine maiden because they looked after the royalty who were traditionally said to gain their authority by having a piece of divine power, but Villian chose to use civilian maids.
"The heads of the Knights and the Royal Family as well as the boy who is a guest from Japan's Academy City have arrived in the palace. The audience will be held soon. Lady Villain, please prepare yourself."
"... Understood, " she responded, but there were no preparations she had to make. Even in her private room, Villian remained dressed at the minimum needed for an official appearance. Her life was constantly filled with a certain type of tension.
She walked across the large room, opened the door, and exited. A woman wearing a green maid uniform was standing so as not to get in Villian's path. The maid nodded in her direction and Villian started walking down the hallway. But then she suddenly stopped and looked up.
The ceiling of the long, long straight hallway was very tall. Much like the lights in a tunnel, shield-shaped crests were lined up on the walls at even intervals.
They were the crests of knights throughout history.
There was a similar hallway in the Royal Family's secondary residence, Windsor Castle, but the one in Buckingham Palace held the meaning of a magical faction, so only the crests of knights were displayed. Having one's family's crest displayed in that hallway was the first step towards becoming a noble family and it was what everyone who wielded a sword for England wished for.
Perhaps because the crests had been developed so they would be easily distinguishable on the battlefield, each one was extremely distinct. It was to the point that it almost ruined the harmony of the hallway. But there was something else that ruined the hallway's harmony even more.
There was an empty space.
Amid the evenly spaced escutcheons, one spot had nothing in it. It gave Villian a strong uncomfortable feeling much like a comb with a missing tooth.
She knew the reason behind the empty space.
A certain man had fought for England and was supposed to have been made a knight in recognition of his valiant actions. The man had still been a mercenary when he had disappeared from the country, but the head of the Knights left that space empty to show his respect for the man.
Seeing that empty space, Villian's lips moved almost on their own.
"... William..."
The maid walking next to her said nothing.
Part 3
The helicopter Kamijou and the others were on landed in a large park in London... or so Kamijou thought. Apparently, it was on the grounds of Buckingham Palace where the Queen of England lived. An entire section of England's capital city was left open as a combination of two adjoining parks, so his mistake wasn't too surprising.
Normally, Kamijou would have raised his voice in admiration at the scale of it all, but something else had his attention.
"Touma.... fooooooooooooooooooooooooooddddddddddd!!"
"Hgyaaaahhhhh!? This isn't just a bite!! I think you've started chewing, Index-saaaaaaaaaannnnnn!!"
The silver-haired green-eyed monster (she had finished changing into her nun's habit on the helicopter) had climbed up on his back and was declaring her intentions in a dreadful way. Watching the two of them from the corner of her eye, Kanzaki Kaori stepped down from the helicopter ahead of them.
"I screwed up. We took longer to arrive than scheduled because we were flying into the wind. We need to hurry. Everyone will already have gathered."
"Hey!! How can you say that while this tragedy is unfolding before your eyes!? Surely, you can at least get her a sandwich!! I think she's so hungry she's about to turn into a completely different creature!!"
"Hee hee. Managing Index Librorum Prohibitorum is your duty. I'm relieved to see how flawlessly you are handling it."
"You are mad, aren't you!? You're mad about the whole Fallen Angel Ero Maid thing, aren't you!? But you're the one who came bursting into the hospital room dressed like tha-ggghhhhghgh!!"
Kamijou's words became suddenly garbled because Kanzaki had covered his mouth with her hand.
"(... You must not mention that in front of the pilot or anyone else. Do you understand?)"
"Mggghghg-Your Saint's-ggghhghghh-your Saint's strength is-ghgghggghhh-crushing-ghghghggghhh!?"
Still crushing his face, Kanzaki dragged Kamijou along and they moved from the square rest area that had guide lights so it could be used as a heliport to Buckingham Palace. Since Index was still clinging to Kamijou's back, they must have looked like an odd group.
Kanzaki did not lead them to the large main gate, but to a small back entrance.
However, Kamijou opened his mouth to speak just before she grabbed the doorknob.
"Wait a second, Kanzaki!!"
"Why are you speaking while your head is being held like a volleyball?"
"I don't want to hear that from the person doing the grabbing! Anyway, is it really okay for me to go in the palace!? My right hand contains the power of Imagine Breaker, so I'm not going to destroy all the national treasures the second I set foot inside and have to spend a lifetime of misfortune trying to pay back my debt, am I!?"
"... Oh, that's what you're worried about?" Kanzaki finally let go of Kamijou's face."You don't need to worry about that. England may be the country magic was developed in, but all of those kinds of security measures have been removed from Buckingham Palace."
"Eh? Really? The Queen lives here, so I was sure it would be a ridiculously strong magical fortress."
"Strongholds like that do exist. Windsor Castle, the secondary residence of the Royal Family, is a good example." Kanzaki sighed slightly as she spoke."Buckingham Palace is used for meetings with important people from other countries. If it was covered in magical mechanisms, it would look as if they were inviting the foreign leaders into a trap. That would be a major diplomatic problem. Public parties are held in Windsor Castle, but only those who trust the queen regnant enough to not lead them into a trap are invited to those. There are types of danger other than physical danger."
She then glanced away from Kamijou who still had Index connected to his head.
"Also..."
"?"
"The Queen doesn't need that kind of security."
Speaking those significant-sounding words, Kanzaki opened the back door.
The door itself was small, but the scenery beyond it was quite something. The sheer scale of it was clear by the fact that the inside of a room could be referred to as "scenery".
When Kamijou had heard it referred to as a "palace", he had been imagining a world of sparkling gold, but that was not what actually lay before him. The hallway was as wide as a small room. Inside the hallway were carpets meant to be looked at instead of stepped on, paintings and sculptures scattered around, and even a maid carrying around a tea set.
"There you are."
While Kamijou was being overwhelmed by the scenery and the maid, a man's voice reached his ears. The man spoke in Japanese and was wearing a suit. However, this was not the kind of worn-out suit someone in a packed train would be wearing; it was a suit one wore to display one's status at a party. Frankly, it was the kind of suit that would most likely never be a part of Kamijou's life.
Seeing the man, Kanzaki opened her mouth to speak.
"Knight Leader, many thanks for supplying our means of transportation."
"If you mean the helicopter, think nothing of it. It was a necessary expense." The blond man Kanzaki had called Knight Leader turned his gaze in Kamijou's direction."So you are the one carrying the duty of being Index Librorum Prohibitorum's manager."
"E-eh? This whole manager thing is really pretty vague..."
"I had been curious as to what kind of person was maintaining those 103, 000 grimoires, but I never expected he would do so with her attached to his head. The mystic secrets of the Orient truly are a sight to behold."
"I knew this was wasn't right! The only reason we're in this odd situation is that she lost to her hunger!! If you don't mind, could you at least get her some bread to eat before she actually breaks through my skull!?"
A warning glare from Kanzaki told him he was acting improperly, but Knight Leader used a hand to call over the maid carrying a tea set. Kamijou and Index received scones from the maid. They were sort of like a mix between bread and cookies.
"Hm... Nnn!? What's this!? I-it's spreading! This scone feels like its spreading throughout my stomach filling it up bit by bit!"
"I see. That's good. Now, everyone is already gathered, so if you would come this way."
"Eh? It's free? This is free!? In that case, we're not holding back. Index! Eat as much as you want!!"
"I was never planning on holding back!! Scones!! Scones!!"
"That's right, Index!! Keep at it!! Let's eat them all!!"
"... Excuse me, but the situation is developing even now, so we need to hurry and..."
"Oh, they level up even further when you put butter on them!!"
"Blueberries work, too!!"
"But eating them plain is great, too!! That way you can enjoy their natural flavor!!"
"Okay, then all the butter, blueberries, strawberry jam, and honey are mine!!"
"That's not what I meant, you stupid nun!!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!"
"Wa ha ha ha ha ha ha!!"
"So good!! Ah ha! So good!!"
Knight Leader was left speechless for a while until he finally cast his eyes down and muttered to Kanzaki.
"... Do you mind if I draw my sword?"
"If you're trying to persuade them, let me do it!! Don't worry. I'll do something!!"
Kanzaki then punched Kamijou and held Index's hands behind her back. The maid hurriedly left and the scone heaven was over.
Part 4
"So why exactly were we called here?" Kamijou suddenly asked as they walked down a large hallway in Buckingham Palace.
"Did Tsuchimikado not tell you anything as your guide in Academy City?" Kanzaki asked sounding a bit flustered.
Kamijou shook his head.
"No. He just gassed us out of nowhere and left us at the airport."
"That bastard..."
Kanzaki closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, but Kamijou didn't seem as worried about it.
(Isn't he always like that? He did kick me out into the air with a parachute over Avignon. )
Knight Leader opened his mouth to speak after listening to their conversation from the side.
"Something like a strategy meeting is about to be held. Members of the Royal Family, the knights, and the church have gathered here for it. However, the top members of the Royal Family – that is, those who have royal blood – are present, so it is officially an 'audience'."
Having said that, Knight Leader glanced over to check what Kamijou was wearing.
"As such, it would be best if you were dressed more formally, but I suppose nothing can be done about it at this point. And they aren't the type to get angry at you for wearing a T-shirt and casual trousers."
Kamijou gave a slight start at being pointed out like that.
Kamijou started panicking at the thought that he had made some extremely basic faux pas, but then he saw Kanzaki walking next to him with her bare leg and navel.
"With Kanzaki like that, I guess there shouldn't be any problem with me..."
"That is a rather rude assessment. My clothing is accepted as a means of configuring my spells."
There was a bit of anger hidden behind Kanzaki's words and she made a slight attempt to keep her body out of Kamijou's gaze. That was when Index spoke up.
"You said this was a strategy meeting, but what are we making a strategy for?"
"It was the Queen's decision to officially summon you, but that shows just how serious the situation is."
Knight Leader stopped in front of a certain door.
It was an impressive set of double doors that was large even for the huge palace.
"You may have seen it on the news, but the Eurotunnel connecting England and France was bombed by someone. All three tunnels were hit. The destruction of that undersea tunnel has delayed the transport of personnel and goods which has had a major impact on our economy."
"???"
"In short, it is possible magic was used in the bombing. That makes it a magic attack on a national level."
As he spoke, Knight Leader reached for the knob of the large door.
When Kamijou thought about the fact that a room where an audience with the Queen of England and a strategy meeting awaited him, a natural anxiety ran along his spine. He was being treated as Index Librorum Prohibitorum's protector, so he probably wasn't expected to say much, but he was still going to be present at a meeting that would guide an entire country.
He gulped.
Knight Leader turned the knob.
But before he could fully open the door, a voice came through the gap.
"Gwohhh... This dress is a pain in the ass. Couldn't I just wear a track suit?"
Knight Leader suddenly froze.
Not knowing English, Kamijou merely looked at him quizzically.
"... Excuse me a moment, " Knight Leader said quietly and then slipped through the cracked door.
"Ngh!? At least knock before you come in!!"
"I apologize for that, but I need to have a word with you.... Were you really thinking of wearing a track suit to an official appearance? You idiot!!"
"Yay, Knight Leader's the first in!"
"The order we enter the room does not matter!! Please, just act like a queen!! No, that isn't necessary. No one is expecting you to have some surprising character, so please don't bring out an electric guitar!!"
Kamijou heard sounds of a commotion and stared at the door suspiciously, but Kanzaki wasn't translating the conversation into Japanese for some reason and Index just looked sleepy because she had just eaten.
Eventually, Knight Leader stuck his head out through the crack in the door.
"... Sorry for the trouble. Everything is in order now. Queen Elizard has had her eyes opened."
"?"
Kamijou didn't really understand what he meant, but he entered through the door anyway.
The room did not contain a large throne on a stage with stairs leading to it as was often seen in RPGs. The spacious area looked more like a party hall. A number of tables were set up in concentric circles like the rings of a tree. It reminded Kamijou of the UN conference room he had occasionally seen on TV.
And in the center was the Queen of England. He was pretty sure she had been called Elizard. She was around 50 years old. Her skin and hair were beginning to show the shadows of age, but in some more fundamental way – perhaps you could call it her core or her frame – she outdid even a teenager like Kamijou.
She was wearing a long dress that covered even the tips of her toes. The dress was colored white and black and it looked expensive enough that Kamijou would have to spend the rest of his life paying for the cleaning costs if he got gum on it or something.
The other point of interest was Queen Elizard's right hand.
She held a sword in it. It looked like a stereotypical double-sided Western sword that was about 80 cm long if the hilt was included. However, it had no tip and no blade. What looked like a long square board was attached to the hilt.
The queen looked like a model English lady and yet she was walking around with that sword out not even putting it in a sheath.
Seeing that sword brought an initial impression of the queen to Kamijou's mind.
And Kamijou then spoke his impression out loud.
"What a surprising character... !? H-Himegami tried so hard and failed to gain some individuality and she's acquired it so easily!!"
"No, that is normal! The electric guitar, the soccer ball, the cup-and-ball game, the surfboard, and all the other unneeded tools have been taken away!! You may not be familiar with it, but that sword is the symbol of Queen Regnant Elizard!!"
Knight Leader was holding his head in his hands as if he were recalling a nightmare.
In contrast, the queen gave a broad smile.
"This is a sword exclusive to the Royal Family known as the Curtana."
"Curtana?" Kamijou repeated questioningly, but Knight Leader spoke before the queen could continue.
"It is a sacred sword that is passed down generation by generation to each head of state. Following that sword's history would be the same as understanding the history of the British Royal Family."
"You are making too much of it. I admit that it is a useful tool, but the Royal Family would not be destroyed if it were to be broken, " denied Elizard ostentatiously with a smile on her face.
The familiar way the queen spoke of the sword showed just how used she was to carrying the Curtana.
She looked back towards Kamijou and continued speaking of the Curtana.
"The Curtana is a ceremonial sword used in the coronation of the king or queen. It is not the sign of being the queen, but the proof of being the person who chooses the ruler. As you can see, it has no blade and its tip is flat, so there is no danger in letting it hang down."
"It may look odd to you, but it would be helpful if you could get over such cultural differences, " added Knight Leader.
As neither a knight nor a samurai, Kamijou didn't understand the point of a sword without a blade.
"(... Is that really such an amazing sword, )" he whispered to Kanzaki.
"Well, yes, " she nodded."It's only artificial, but it provides the bearer with the same type of power as Michael. It is a sword that lets you freely control the power of not just an archangel, but the leader of the angels. It can hardly be called a normal sword."
"The leader of the angels... ?"
Kamijou stiffened at those dangerous sounding words and Index drowsily spoke.
"That refers to the most powerful of the angels."
"..."
The term angel alone brought bad memories to Kamijou's mind, but now they were talking about the strongest one.
He looked back in Elizard's direction and she rested the Curtana on her shoulder.
"However, it can only be used within the boundaries of the United Kingdom. Basically, the Curtana is a sword that provides a large amount of Telesma to the queen and the knights, " she explained bluntly."Basically, there is a special rule that only take affect within the four cultures of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and the three factions of the Royal Family, the knights, and the Anglican Church exist to enforce that rule. The Curtana functions as a sword that provides great power to those who enforce that rule and protect the United Kingdom."
"A special rule... ?" Kamijou asked and Knight Leader continued the explanation in Elizard's place.
"The Anglican Church is a Christian Church original to this country. Henry VIII, a king in the 1500's, created it because he hated having other countries interfering with the governing of his own country. In order to get rid of all external influence, he made sure of two points when he created it. The first was that the country would never be violated by foreign influences and the second was that the King of England would be at the top of the Anglican Church and that the king did not have to listen to what the Roman Catholic Pope said."
"Henry VIII established the position of the king as the leader of the angels because it was a position higher than that of the Roman Pope. He would then lead the people of England with his knights as an army of angels. Thanks to this, the queen regnant can even now possess the same type of power as Michael, the leader of the angels, so long as she holds the Curtana and is within the country, " said Elizard as she swung the Curtana down from her shoulder.
The queen spun the bladeless sword around like a baton and Knight Leader continued the explanation.
"In the 1500's, Henry VIII used the four countries of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland to create this mechanism. Four is a number that indicates the earth. It seems he wanted to create a magical meaning that only held true within an 'all-English land' by constructing a map made up of a meaningful number of countries. He created a great land that glorified being very independent and received no influence from the many areas of power the Roman Catholic Pope held at the time. It is possible that he was troubled by the complicated politics of the surrounding countries, and he wished for the legendary land spoken of in old stories."
The reason had been political, not religious.
By preparing an "all-English land" created of the 4 nations making up the United Kingdom, he had made the king the leader of the angels and the knights into an army of angels.
It couldn't have been done with only one country. A symbol of multiple nations had been necessary for the "all-English land" to receive that blessing. And since it was also politically all under the control one large country, it all was exceedingly beneficial from a political standpoint.
That was the United Kingdom.
And the ruler standing at the top of the kingdom could use that power to its fullest.
That was the queen.
"(... Be that as it may, I can't get as flashy as what was detected during Angel Fall. I may have power, but I'm still human. Using angel-level spells isn't that easy. )"
"Hah?"
"Nothing. But Henry VIII didn't have it quite that easy. He wanted to use the four countries of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland to construct the rule that would make him the leader of the angels, but Scotland was an independent nation at the time and was actually at war with England. He had assumed Scotland would be easily conquered when he came up with the rule, but it turned out to be a formidable opponent. For a while, it started to look like his rule was in danger of failing."
Apparently, there was also a problem in that it could only be used within the 4 countries, so he couldn't use the power of the leader of the angels while in colonies outside the UK.
"Incidentally, part of Ireland is currently regarded as independent, so that area is not used in the symbol of the 4 nations. Keeping Northern Ireland as a part of the United Kingdom was necessary in order to maintain the four country structure, " Elizard said as she spun the Curtana around."By setting up that rule, the Curtana leveled up from being the sword that decided who the King of England would be to the sword that determined who England's leader of the angels was.... Although, the sword only has an effect on royalty and nobles, so it is a tad unfair to the common people."
Then Kanzaki cut in from the side.
"Members of the Anglican Church such as myself are not affected by the power of the angels. We are treated as those who use the power of the Christian Church as humans like usual, so we do not receive the blessing of the Curtana. Just think of the Curtana as giving a large amount of power to the queen and to the knights."
"The United Kingdom is a land made up of 4 cultures and is protected by 3 organizations. The Curtana is used as a little tool to construct the relationship between those 3 organizations."
As usual, the queen was the only one that spoke lightly about the Curtana.
It wasn't that she didn't understand its importance. She just had enough power to spare that she could laugh off tradition.
"Okay, that's the end of the Curtana lecture. Do you understand a bit more about this small tool from England's history now?"
"So the reason Buckingham Palace doesn't need security is... ?" Kamijou asked timidly and the queen responded lightly.
"Do you know of any human that could kill the leader of the angels? I've never see one, at any rate."
Kamijou didn't fully understand, but he had gathered that it was used in some ridiculous ceremony, so he decided he should make sure not to accidentally touch it with his right hand. He put his caution at its maximum level. A sword used in a ritual that chose the king or queen sounded like a national treasure to him and he knew it would be very, very bad if something did happen.
Queen Elizard saw Kamijou drawing back from the sword and gave an unconcerned smile.
"Even if you did damage or destroy it in some way, no one would blame you. After all, this is historically the Curtana Second."
"Just the name doesn't really tell me anything..."
"That means it's the second one. Historically, the Curtana Original disappeared somewhere. This Curtana Second was hurriedly created so there wouldn't be any hindrances to the ceremony. So even if this one was broken, a new Curtana could be made. You don't need to worry too much."
"Really... ?" Kamijou said with a questioning look on his face and a voice spoke up from behind him.
"That isn't true at all. It's true that the Curtana Second is a second sword that was artificially created by the Royal Family, but the method to do so has been lost. A third or fourth sword cannot be created so easily."
The voice was coming from the doorway.
A beautiful woman that looked to be in her early 30's entered dressed in a dress just as luxurious as the queen's. Her dress was mostly blue, but her skirt did not spread out. Instead, it stuck with the lines of her legs. She had a monocle over her left eye which increased her intellectual – or rather, cool-headed – appearance. Her black hair reached her shoulders. The hair was unnaturally glossy, so it may have been dyed.
Her outfit was luxurious but not gaudy. She left one with an odd but graceful impression.
"(... That's the first princess, Rimea, )" Kanzaki whispered in his ear.
Knight Leader seemed shocked that the princess had arrived without being accompanied by an aide or even a single maid.
"If you had asked, one of my men... no, I would have gone myself to get you."
"Oh, no, no. I can't have others accompanying me. That just adds to the risk of being stabbed in the back. I have no intention of putting my trust in those who know me."
"..."
It looked like Knight Leader was going to get upset over that, but he instead gave a sigh of exasperation. It seemed Princess Rimea's distrust wasn't unusual.
"I see you're still as gloomy as ever, sister."
This time, a woman in a red dress entered the room. Unlike the other two women's dresses, this one was made up of bright red leather, so it was reminiscent about something bondage related. The woman wearing the red dress looked to be in her upper 20's. She had two knights accompanying her, one on either side.
In contrast to Rimea, she was a very gaudy woman.
Her skirt did not spread out, but it appeared to be supported by a wire framework. As she passed through the door, the skirt made a noise and expanded to an unnaturally large size like an umbrella.
"Why must you always be so depressing, sister? If you truly cannot trust anyone, why don't you just get it over with and die?"
(Sister?)
Kamijou looked on in confusion and the woman in the red dress glanced over at him.
"I am the second princess, Carissa. Have you at least been taught your history, boy?"
Kamijou was shocked by the scale of someone whose name was in the history books just by being born. On the other hand, Carissa didn't seem interested in Kamijou.
"Oh, so you came too, Villian."
A woman in a green dress who had appeared in a corner of the room at some point gave a start at those sudden words. With her long blonde hair, her white skin, and her dress with a spread out skirt, she was the kind of stereotypical princess one would expect to see in a picture book. However, it seemed she didn't like to stand out too much. While shrinking down and holding down her skirt with both hands, the woman who had been called Villian silently nodded and hurriedly moved away.
"She is my younger sister, the third princess. Boring, isn't she?" Carissa said calmly.
Her difficult to comment on words had surely reached Villian, but the third princess only shrunk down further.
After seeing that the three princesses had entered the room, Queen Elizard spoke.
"It looks like everyone's here."
Those words must have indicated the beginning of the strategy meeting that was being called an audience. Most likely, a large number of soldiers and magicians would enter. From the number of seats prepared, it looked like the meeting would have more than 100 people in it.
(... I feel so out-of-place here. )
As Kamijou was giving a bitter laugh in his heart, the queen continued speaking.
"So let's get out of here."
"............................................."
Kamijou looked over to Index, but she was still just looking blankly ahead. When he looked at Kanzaki's face, he saw she was giving a sigh of exasperation. Knight Leader averted his gaze with a bitter look on his face when Kamijou turned his questioning look in his direction.
Amid it all, Elizard spoke with a smile on her face.
"In a large meeting where everything said is recorded, a lot of people can't say what they want to say. In a situation like this where every second counts, having people argue is just a waste of time. At times, making a decision quickly with a small number of people is more effective."
"... In Your Majesty's case, I feel there are too many of those cases, " murmured Knight Leader.
Kamijou was taken aback and looked around the conference room.
"But... um... Is that really okay? Doing it with just a few people is fine, but won't the others feel bad about being left out?"
"Oh, that's simple enough to deal with. We just tell them that they are free to butt in, but, if we go with their policy and fail, all of the responsibility lies with them."
"... Wahh."
"Those people acting like specialists love to give their opinions, but very few of them are willing to take responsibility for those opinions. And having people like that complicating things can be a problem. Especially when we're trying to lead a nation."
Second Princess Carissa nodded at Queen Elizard's words.
"As long as we have a representative from the Royal Family, the knights, and the church, I don't mind. I don't like that the head of the Anglican Church, the one who summoned Index Librorum Prohibitorum, isn't here, but I suppose it's fine since we have a Saint here in her place."
"I-I'm very sorry. It seems our Archbishop is acting secretly behind the scenes as usual, " said Kanzaki as she lowered her head.
Kamijou started thinking.
The knights had Knight Leader, the Anglican Church had Kanzaki Kaori, but the Royal Family had the queen and all three princesses. There appeared to be a bias in who was invited.
"Hee hee hee. For better or for worse, this country is, in the end, a kingdom.... That is, the land of a king or, in this case, a queen, " First Princess Rimea said while looking at Kamijou's face.
Apparently, the Royal Family had the most weight when it came to decisions on the national level. As Kamijou was thinking that, Third Princess Villian silently lowered her head apologetically for some reason.
On the other hand, Carissa pointed towards Kamijou and spoke.
"By the way, the representatives of the three factions are fine, but what's that boy's role? If he's going to be in the meeting, I'd like to know what his position is."
It sounded like she was saying that she would rather he be left out if he wasn't needed, but the queen smiled.
"He is the brave boy who saved the lives of our people and protected our national interests in his unpaid efforts to eliminate the French terrorists who attempted to hijack a passenger plane. In recognition of his achievement and experience, I am willing to listen to his opinion."
"Hmm. I see. So that's what you're going with." For some reason the second princess smiled and she moved her face closer to Kamijou's."So you are brave. Then it won't be a problem. That is an excellent word."
Kamijou felt like drawing back, but Queen Elizard brought the discussion to a close.
"Now then, let's get this meeting started. If we waste any more time, it will take all meaning out of running off."
Part 5
The queen, Kamijou, and the others used a staircase to climb up from the 1st floor to the 3rd floor, walked around a bend in a large hallway, and gathered in a simple reception area. As they all sat down on sofas and got comfortable, a maid passed by and looked surprised to see them there.
Kamijou quickly looked around at the faces of everyone there.
The Queen of England, the three princesses, and the head of the knights were all people that sounded like they were from a picture book. Even with the people Kamijou knew, Index and Kanzaki, one was the Index Librorum Prohibitorum who had 103, 000 grimoires precisely memorized and the other was one the world's fewer than 20 Saints. That group of people made him doubt for a second that he was really in a 21st century society.
(Honestly, could I be more out of place... ?)
Kamijou was feeling uncomfortable, so he stood up from the sofa and pulled his cell phone from his pocket out of habit. He was just planning on checking the time, but he remembered the phone had a small lens on it.
It had a camera.
"(... Hmm. With the queen and the princesses here, it kinda makes me want to get a picture of them, but using a cell phone in such a fancy palace just seems wrong. )"
After mumbling that, he started to close his cell phone.
But the next thing he knew, Second Princess Carissa was much closer to him than she had been when she spoke to him before. Previously, she had just been facing him, but now she was standing right next to him with her bare shoulder almost touching him. She was tilting her head in Kamijou's direction looking at his cell phone's screen. It was much like when someone on a train started looking at the magazine the person sitting next to them was reading.
He wasn't reading an email or anything, but Kamijou still hid the screen from view.
"... The screen has a film on it so you can't see it from the side."
"You fool. A princess wouldn't secretly do something like that. I thought you wanted to take a picture."
With a puzzled look on his face, Kamijou held the phone in one hand and spun his head back around. He saw that Carissa had tilted her body in front of the camera and was pulling her chin back slightly to make the softest expression he had seen on her face up to that point.
Kamijou drew back a bit.
"... Hey, did you practice that face for photos?"
"What are you saying? This is just the basis. Unlike when addressing the general public, you can retake this as much as necessary, so I can easily maintain my majesty by just going with the best one. I'd say that's plenty fair since we don't have any special lights or makeup like they use for sample photos of food."
Carissa gave her rebuttal with her face frozen in its photo-taking expression.
He got the feeling she was urging him to hurry up and take the photo, and from the fact that she was making that expression, he decided she didn't have a problem with having a camera pointed at her.
He had a feeling Carissa would stay like that forever if he didn't take a photo, so he switched the phone into camera mode and held his arm out.
"But, um... Is this really okay? I'm not making some kind of ignorant mistake by using a cell phone camera to take a photo of a princess, am I?"
"It's true that most people don't use cell phone cameras, but wanting to leave behind as lovely a face as possible is something of a conditioned reflex.... And just so you know, this isn't just a bad habit of mine. Look, my sister has noticed the camera and is headed this way."
"Wah!?"
The next thing Kamijou knew, First Princess Rimea was standing on the opposite side of him from Carissa. She spoke with her eyes on the cell phone screen.
"... Oh, dear. You have a nice shot of my little sister, but I'm not fully in frame. I won't allow that. Let's see... like this, no, more like this. If I get closer... and that should do it..."
Fitting three people on the small screen was a difficult task, but Rimea forced her body up next to Kamijou to fit in the frame. This caused various soft portions of her body to be pressed up against Kamijou's arm.
"(... Gwah!? What? How did this situation spring up so suddenly!?)"
"(.. Hm? I don't mind, but we should probably hide this because Knight Leader can be rather hard-headed and he might draw his sword if he noticed. )"
"... !!!???"
An extremely stiff smile appeared on Kamijou's face.
"..."
A third figure was now standing behind him having arrived so silently he hadn't noticed. Third Princess Villian was silently working her way into the frame.
(Wait a second. Unlike the other two, I had taken her as a proper graceful princess!!)
"Oh. As I thought, when it comes to taking photos, you're actually willing to take the initiative."
"... I... wasn't really..." she mumbled in response to her sister's words, but she maintained the kind of cool expression one used for an ID photo.
Kamijou started wondering what was going on in the British Royal Family and he decided to just take a picture to end it.
But there was one person who stopped him.
It was Queen Elizard.
"... Really, where do you people think you are?"
The queen spun around the Curtana Second's flat tip and pushed it to the floor and then gave a sigh of exasperation. Seeing that, Knight Leader (who didn't notice that the first princess's breasts were pressed up against Kamijou's arm) and Kanzaki Kaori nodded in agreement. It was as if they were saying, "That's right, that's right."
But then Elizard continued speaking.
"This is the United Kingdom, the nation of the queen. Why are you taking pictures leaving out the leading part!?"
"Ahh, you fool!! Don't show off your unrestrained love of festivities in front of someone from another country!! This is a strategy meeting!!"
The queen had started to dash towards Kamijou and the princesses, but Knight Leader tore at his hair with both hands and then stopped her with a full-force tackle. Seeing the two of them fall to the ground, Kamijou's face paled, but the second princess tugged on his elbow. The look in her eyes was telling him to ignore the idiots and just take the photo.
A slight electronic noise sounded as he took the picture and Elizard looked up from the floor with a look of despair on her face.
"Ah! You took it!! You really took it without me!! You can redo it! How about you take another one with me in it!?"
The queen swung Curtana Second as she shouted, but the three princesses walked back to their spots on the sofas with expressions saying they had done what they were there to do.
Elizard lay on the floor stricken with various emotions, but she must have finally remembered why they were there. She got to her hurt feet shakily.
"W-we are here to discuss France."
Kamijou assumed she was taking him into consideration and the others had mastered Japanese, because that was the language she was speaking.
"What about France?" asked First Princess Rimea with a number of magazines all open to horoscopes and other forms of divination.
"Yes, I suppose I should explain everything in order. The problem started 5 days ago with the Eurotunnel explosion, " the queen said nodding slightly in response to her daughter's words."That sole land route between England and France has three separate tunnels, but all three of them were blown up. I have determined that it was done by the French government."
"... Do you have any proof of that?" asked Carissa.
However, she was not saying it because she doubted it. She had a dangerous look on her face that made it clear she wanted to be able to just start a war and physically deal with the problem.
The queen shook her head.
"That is why Index Librorum Prohibitorum was summoned. If a French-type of Roman Catholic spell was used, she should be able to analyze it using the 103, 000 grimoires."
Index looked on blankly while Elizard brought the focus to her.
The queen lightly tapped her own temple with her index finger.
"As long as we can gather some evidence, we can take action. It may be none of my business, but France has its own complicated decision-making process it has to go through. There is a group there that hates the Roman Catholic Church's one-way interference in France's business. If we can contact the people that want this to end peacefully, it is possible this could all be resolved through talks.... Of course, that plan comes from the wishful thinkers here in England and it's really nothing more than a nice thought that has little chance of succeeding."
"If this is about France..." Kamijou timidly said with a frown. He wasn't really sure if he should be speaking up at such an important meeting."Then does this have to do with the plane hijacking earlier today? I'm pretty sure they were French."
"That likely had nothing to do with this, " Elizard said while looking at Kamijou."At the very least, I don't think the government was involved. However, I cannot deny the possibility that they knew it was going to happen and let the terrorists do it." She sighed."According to the police, they received aid from multiple organizations in exchange for teaching those organizations how to hijack a plane without using guns. However, we do not know if those multiple terrorist organizations actually exist. The French government is asking us to hand over the terrorists because they wish to punish criminals from their country themselves. It certainly does seem suspicious."
She spoke of a certain level of suspicious, but did not follow it too deeply.
She was not the type of person to pointlessly keep at a problem when there wasn't enough information to come to a proper conclusion.
"The Sky Bus 365 is the primary model used in air shipping to the United Kingdom and the weakness this hijacking pointed out makes them unusable. And all the other models of passenger planes are being inspected to ensure that they are safe. At normal times, that would be an acceptable loss, but with the land route cut off, it is a terrible loss."
"If they cut off the sea route, we'll be completely isolated, " said First Princess Rimea in a bored voice as she read the various magazine divinations for some reason.
She was looking at standard horoscopes, blood type horoscopes, tarot, and kigaku (The last one had kanji that Kamijou didn't even know how to read).
"For example, what if they used airplanes to scatter mines throughout the sea around the UK? If just one was hit, it would make the private companies think twice even about going in areas of the sea that weren't known to have been mined."
"... Your thoughts are as cunning as ever, " muttered Carissa in a provoking way.
Either Rimea took it as a compliment or one of the bits of divination in a magazine had said she would have good luck, because she smiled before speaking some more.
"But even if we dealt with France, it isn't clear if that would truly solve the issue. We're looking for a French-type of Roman Catholic spell. This time the attack was carried out by France, but 'they' are surely behind it. It would be best not to think of this as a dispute between England and France, but as antagonism between the England/Academy City side and the Rome/Russia side. We mustn't be satisfied with having taken out just the vanguard. If we use up all our strength on that, we won't last afterwards."
Knight Leader seemed to agree with her.
"Now that the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church have joined forces, most of the nations affiliated with the EU and even most that are not, are being supported by the Rome/Russia alliance. Currently, the United Kingdom is on its own. There is a good chance that other countries are part of the vanguard along with France."
"And that is not the only problem, " said Elizard and everyone focused on her."In the confusion of the previous hijacking, there was one thing that caught my attention."
"Something that caught your attention... ?" muttered Kamijou without thinking.
The queen nodded in response.
"That incident was resolved with the help of the Anglican Church's Necessarius. They used a type of illusion to alter the display of the fuel gauge in the cockpit. If it had succeeded, it would have appeared that the amount of fuel was rapidly decreasing, the pilots would have mistaken it for a fuel leak, and they would have been forced to perform an emergency landing on a highway. The knights would have been waiting for the plane and would have used Robin Hood to quickly shoot straight through the wall of the plane in order to hit the terrorists."
"But... when did that happen?"
Kamijou had been putting forth great effort aboard that plane and he didn't recall anything like that happening.
"It didn't. It ended in a failure because someone interfered with the illusion from a distance, " responded Queen Elizard.
She took some documents from Knight Leader and lightly threw them on the table in front of her. The numerous reports spread out like a fan and stopped right in front of Index.
"It's still under investigation, but do your 103, 000 grimoires agree?"
Index looked down at the reports for a quick moment.
The grimoire library Index Librorum Prohibitorum showed no signs of worry.
"It was a Norse spell, " responded Index smoothly with no hesitation."Seiðr magic is used primarily by female Norse magicians. It uses a certain type of song to cause one to see an illusion while it is used, but it also has a spell that can be used to remove its 'intoxication'. This works with both illusions that trick the brain and illusions that directly cause an image to appear."
"I see, " nodded Elizard.
Rimea seemed to be done with the divination pages and she was folding in the corner of a page about an effective type of massage.
"If someone created interference, he – well, I suppose this is most likely a she – must be a magician, " she commented.
Carissa frowned at that.
"But didn't they say the terrorists in the hijacking didn't have anyone like that in their group?"
"The problem is that the interference came from the direction of Scotland, " the queen responded bitterly.
Carissa's expression twisted sadistically.
"So the enemies aren't just on the outside."
"Depending on whether a French magician has made it inside the country or a British magician has betrayed us, and how we deal with this changes, don't you think?" Rimea said with a smile as she threw one magazine to the side and grabbed another.
But Elizard shook her head.
"No. This magician has only interfered with an illusion of ours once. If this magician had truly wished for the terrorist attack to succeed, he or she would have seen it through to the end. The magician could have shot down the plane from the ground after the hijacking had been dealt with."
That idea sent a chill down Kamijou's spine.
"Think of it like this: If this magician is skilled enough to interfere with an illusion from a distance, she is very likely able to use those skills to attack. And yet the magician did nothing more. This brings forward the possibility that the magician was not attempting to aid the terrorists."
"What reason could this magician have had to interfere with the illusion other than helping them?" asked Carissa.
"For our plan, a runway had to be prepared so the passenger plane could make its emergency landing. This was to be done by sealing off a portion of a large highway. If this magician had no interest in the fate of the plane, her aim had to be preventing that highway from being sealed off."
"... So this magician had some reason she had to pass through that area at that time?" muttered Kamijou.
Elizard gave a bored sigh.
"If this magician interfered with the illusion to achieve her objective knowing that Necessarius was creating the illusion, she would have to be rather stupid. However, it feels like she was willing to make an enemy of the country to carry out whatever her objective is. Of course, that would mean the objective could be something truly dangerous indeed."
"Just the dispute between England and France was enough to make my head hurt and now you're saying there is an independent terrorist within the country?"
The queen nodded in response to Knight Leader's question.
They now had two major problems. England now had to deal with an attack from the outside and one from the inside.
"The highway in question connects Scotland to England and the interference came from Scotland. This leads me to believe that the dangerous magician was heading south from Scotland."
"Just in case, we at the church will investigate the cabals based in Scotland, " said Kanzaki."However, there are quite a few magical groups within the country both large and small that would see this chaos as an opportunity. I cannot guarantee that we can determine which one it is quickly."
"That's fine. Just do as much as you can, " responded Elizard.
That was when Third Princess Villian spoke up for the first time and did so even more timidly than even an outsider like Kamijou. Her eyes were downcast and she fidgeted her fingers in front of her chest.
"France, the Roman Catholic Church, and the terrorists are all taking these actions because they want to get a message across. Could we possibly listen to that message and find a non-military way to resolve this?"
"Of course not, " said Second Princess Carissa."I admit that conversation is important, but talking when it isn't needed is just a waste of time. And even if they would respond favorably to a conversation, we need to at least get back at them for what they did to us."
First Princess Rimea nodded as she looked through a special article on methods of face-washing that helped one's looks.
"I prefer methods that aren't quite as physical as Carissa's, but I agree that we need to get through this situation quickly. Oh, don't worry. There is a way to keep the ill-will between nations to a minimum."
"..."
It looked like Villian wanted to say something more in response to her sisters, but she remained silent in the end.
Seeing that, the queen finally entered the conversation again.
"In any case, there are two things we must do. First, we need to investigate the cause of the Eurotunnel bombing in order to deal with our external enemy, France. Second, we need to find out what group this inner enemy, the magician, belongs to, find out what he or she is after, and precisely crush the threat if needed."
"Which enemy has priority?" asked Carissa."I feel the first is more important. For the sake of military diplomacy, I would like to begin preparing our forces."
"No." Elizard shook her head."This is a decision between investigating an incident that already occurred and stopping one that could occur in the future. We should focus on the magic cabal within the country."
"Tch, " Carissa clicked her tongue without even trying to hide it, but she didn't argue the point. The queen then continued.
"Let's go ahead in the usual way. As it deals with an external enemy, the investigation of the Eurotunnel will be led by the knights and the magic cabal within the United Kingdom will be handled primarily by the Anglican Church. However, Index Librorum Prohibitorum will not go with the church in the search for the magic cabal. She will help with the Eurotunnel investigation."
The queen plainly laid out the direction everyone would take.
There were no expressions of exaggerated majesty, no attempt to push the reputation of one organization or another, nor was there any of the other unnecessary "ornaments" that those in power tended to add in. She gave only practical instructions about what different people should do.
That method of assignment was the method a true commander used.
"Report what was decided to your respective organizations. Let's get the inevitable questions over as quickly as possible. After all, there is no kind of rule that makes it so only one incident occurs at a time."
Part 6
Kanzaki Kaori was holding a cell phone to her ear.
At first glance, it looked like she was having a conversation over the phone, but she wasn't. The phone was not sending or receiving the information, the dove strap connected to it was. The rubber mascot created a "voice" by vibrating.
"Yes, yes. That's right. We are investigating the magical groups in Scotland using Edinburgh as a center point, but the main organizational structure here is cabal reserve armies."
The person speaking was Agnese Sanctis.
The girl used to lead a unit in the Roman Catholic Church, but she and the rest of the unit were now affiliated with the Anglican Church. They were using their greatest weapon, numbers, to investigate the group that had prevented the emergency landing so they could use the highway to head from Scotland to England.
Kanzaki looked to the side at Kamijou and Index who were listening in and she spoke.
"Cabal reserve armies are not the polished organizations known as magic cabals, right? Aren't they more a club created from a gathering of novices who are merely interested in magic?"
"Yes, they seem to usually be a gathering of around 3-5 people. We have found one organization with a hundred or so members, but it does nothing more than love fortunes. Most of them do nothing more than mediation and mental exercises, so they disappear naturally without having any effect on others or society as a whole."
"... People like that are trying to do something that will make an enemy of the country?"
"One characteristic of cabal reserve armies is that there tend to be truly refined and therefore important groups mixed in with the worthless ones. I would say this incident was caused by a collection of golden eggs."
"So you've figured out who it was at least to a certain extent?"
"I'll give you the details later, but there is evidence that they've been carrying out secret activities for quite some time. It seems they had a lot planned out ahead of time, but they hadn't had a good 'chance' to make their move. This information came to the surface as we looked into some retailers of unnatural equipment and reports of seeing suspicious things, " Agnese responded in a natural voice."We are a unit that battles using our numbers. With this many people to throw at the problem and the authority of the Anglican Church added in, it isn't hard to get at least some information."
Agnese then sounded like she was reading from a memo.
"Their group is called New Light. They have the usual structure of a cabal reserve army, but their refinement outdoes all the others. It seems they are only using the cabal reserve army structure to maintain their position. The group has 4 members. I will send you the documents with their names and photographs later."
"What about their headquarters?"
"We went by there, but we were too late." Bitterness was mixed in with Agnese's voice."However, it was set up to be an excellent environment for creating spiritual items. Also, the place had a Norse smell to it. We found a detailed map of a certain city. It didn't just have the locations of streets and buildings on it. It also had the locations of the hundreds of thousands of security cameras in the city."
"Hundreds of thousands of security cameras... ? You don't mean..."
"Yes, " Agnese responded after a short pause."It was London. It seems they plan on doing something there."
Kanzaki bit her lip.
This time Agnese asked a question.
"The highway they're using splits, right? How about you calculate the route they will likely take to London from there and set up an inspection point?"
"... I'll have it set up, but it isn't a perfect measure. They use Norse magic, so they could use a spiritual item to hide their presence and existence. Or they could even just break through the inspection point."
"Don't be so halfhearted. If you just physically seal off all the roads..."
"We would if we could. But with limited supplies from outside the country, sealing off the internal shipping routes would just be strangling ourselves. An inspection point is all we can do."
"But then..."
"We'll do everything we can to stop them outside the city, but we may have to take action within London." Kanzaki altered her grip on the cell phone."Do you know what they're after? Do you know specifically what they want to do in London?"
"We got a hint of that from those 'secret activities' I mentioned they had been carrying out." Agnese lowered her voice."I have no proof, but the New Light members may have been excavating something here in Scotland.... Well, we don't really have any document describing their plan or anything. It's just a deduction based on the list of equipment they acquired."
"Excavating something... ?"
Kanzaki frowned.
"It seems they were mainly working at a spot where a fortress used to be, but it is unknown what they were trying to obtain. However, from the amount of time and money they spent on it, it must be central to their plan."
It was most likely something magical like a spiritual item.
And if they were digging it up instead of making it, it must have been something that would be difficult to make with modern materials.
"I suppose it would be best to assume they excavated some spiritual item and are taking it to London to destroy something."
"There is no proof of that, but we did find a short memo. It was dated with today's date and had a short and simple piece of text." Agnese paused for a second."It said, 'Today is the day we change England. '"
"It's true that we can't tell what that means, but it doesn't sound like it has a peaceful meaning." Kanzaki adjusted her grip on the cell phone again."Agnese, you continue your investigation of New Light's headquarters. See if you can find out what they excavated in Scotland and what they plan to do with it in London. If we can figure out what they're after, it will be easier to stop them. We will try our best to intercept New Light outside of London, but we have to be prepared to do battle within London if it comes to it. Investigate the equipment New Light uses to help with that possibility."
"Understood, " Agnese said and severed the connection.
Kanzaki then spoke to Kamijou and Index who had been staring blankly at her the entire time.
"The Amakusa Church and I will be on the lookout throughout London."
"Are you going to fight those magicians who are in the country?"
"Yes. You... or rather, Index will go to the scene of the Eurotunnel bombing. To meet up with the investigation there, head to Folkestone."
"Folkestone? But I thought the Eurotunnel went through a place called Dover?"
"Yes, but the terminal for the England-side entrance is a few kilometers away in the city of Folkestone. So hurry there."
"Eh? Eh?"
Kamijou started getting flustered, but then someone interrupted.
"Oh, sorry, boy. It seems you can't go with her to Folkestone."
It was Second Princess Carissa.
She pointed at his right hand.
"According to the report I received, that can negate all kinds of magic. As such, it would probably be a bad thing to let you near the Eurotunnel bombing site because it's being preserved through magical means. Also, it might have an effect on the analysis."
"But both the Anglican Church and Academy City recognize him as Index's guardian."
"I understand that, but this is influencing the relationship between England and France. Not to mention that the exact workings of and theory behind that right hand are unknown. You can't know whether it will have an effect on the investigation or not."
"Then..." Kanzaki said hesitatingly.
"Index Librorum Prohibitorum, my sisters, and I will be heading to the terminal in Folkestone in order to carry out the Eurotunnel investigation. We will take a unit of knights as guards. A unit under the direct control of Knight Leader. That shouldn't be a problem, right?" Carissa spoke lightly.
"If you insist on having a guard from the church along, you could always come with us to Folkestone. But I doubt you want to give up any manpower here. I have no intention of getting in your way."
"Well, yes. But..."
Given her position, it was possible Kanzaki couldn't actually complain.
This made it a situation where an outsider like Kamijou could speak much more easily.
"You said your sisters and you, but what about the queen?"
"My mother seems to have some kind of work at our secondary residence, Windsor Castle. She might be preparing something to use against France. It probably has something to do with the secret actions the head of the church has been taking."
Kanzaki and Necessarius would search for the magicians heading for London.
The three princesses and Index would carry out the Eurotunnel investigation.
The queen and the head of the Anglican Church were taking secret actions at Windsor Castle.
"... But what am I supposed to do?"
"Touma!!" Index yelled with her hands on her hips before the second princess could respond."This feeling you have of needing to go deal with every incident is a bad habit of yours!! You're just a normal person, so you can just wait here until it's all over!!"
"But what's wrong with helping? Necessarius needs as many people as it can get to search, right? It would be more effective if you used my help."
"N-no. It's true that we can use as many people as we can get, but I can't condone putting civilians in danger."
That was when Queen Elizard passed by.
"Oh, right. That's right. It isn't necessary to force civilians to help. You can just do whatever you want here until the situation is under control."
"See, Touma?"
Index nodded in agreement, but the queen continued speaking.
"But we can't exactly spend the people's tax money on room and board for someone who isn't giving anything in return. We'll charge you at a later date. You don't mind right? If you just think of it like 2 or 3 suites at a ridiculously high-class hotel, it'll actually seem like a pretty good price."
"... Please let me help you protect England's peace, " Kamijou said lowering his head.
Part 7
The scenery looked like something out of a milk or butter commercial.
The land had nothing but rolling green hills all the way to the horizon. An occasional barn or silo was the only obstruction. It was currently 11 PM, so the cows were asleep within the barns, but during the day, plenty of grazing cows would have been visible.
A single road cut down the green pasture dividing it in two.
A single vehicle was driving down that road. It was a small car that seemed a bit too cramped for a family to ride in. Four girls were packed inside the rental car.
One girl sitting in the backseat was sticking her head out the window. The girl was in her early teens and was wearing a bluish miniskirt and an unfashionable jacket zipped all the way up to her neck. Her long black hair was braided together only at the end.
"Dahh. I can't wait to be rid of this green smell..."
"Lessar, I can see your ass. And that tail is in the way, " said a displeased voice.
The voice belonged to the girl of about 18 who was sitting next to her. The silver-haired girl was wearing the same outfit as Lessar, but without the jacket. She had a long-sleeved sports shirt on and the chest portion bulged out greatly. The collar had a few small buttons, but they were all left undone leaving her cleavage slightly visible. The portion of her legs sticking out of the miniskirt had blue leggings on them down to the ankles.
She slapped the tail swaying in front of her eyes.
"If you don't draw it in, I'm ripping it off."
"Don't be so mean, Bayloupe. What has you so mad anyway?"
Lessar sent an order to her tail with her eyes still looking out the window. By drawing it in, she didn't just put it away somewhere. Instead, it started wrapping like a snake around the base of her thigh within her miniskirt.
In what may have been a necessary action to draw in her tail, Lessar raised her butt up high.
Having Lessar's white panties thrust in her face, Bayloupe's eyebrows twitched.
"I told you to get it out of my face!! I told you!!!!!"
"Gwaaaahhhh!? Why are you grabbing it with both hands like that!? Bayloupe, you always get mad so easily just before a mission!! Floris, please tell her to stop!!"
"Eh? But I'm concentrated on driving right now."
The blonde girl holding the steering wheel didn't seem to be very motivated. She was around 15 and was wearing a similar outfit to the other two. She had the jacket draped over the sports shirt and had spats on underneath the miniskirt.
"... It seems no matter how far we go, the scenery stays the same. This is a straight path, so I don't see how I could have gotten lost, but is this really the right road, Lancis?"
The conversation turned in the direction of the brown-haired girl acting as navigator in the passenger seat.
"S-stop... That tickles... aha... Wh-whenever I take in magic power... i-it tickles so much. Ee hee hee hee hee..."
"Dammit. You always start trembling like that from the magic power you create. Whenever you purify your life energy into magic power, for some reason you always get attacked by a tickling feeling." Floris clicked her tongue and checked on the back seat via the rearview mirror."Hey, you two lesbians who look like you're from some erotic novel or something. Have you finished the preparations with Skíðblaðnir? Since we managed to excavate 'that', we need to focus on its container."
"You idiot!! Using your hands like that is just going to make my ass hurt!!... Eh? You mean the cases? Preparations are done on all four of them."
"Excellent job, Lessar. I suppose I'll tell you that Bayloupe's weakness is her calves."
A slight vibration rocked the car as the two switched positions. Floris took one hand from the wheel and lightly rubbed her stiff shoulders.
"My wings are doing well.... And from the looks of things, your tail is fine, too."
Looking in the rearview mirror, she could see the wriggling tail coming from Lessar's miniskirt as Lessar struggled. It didn't really look like an animal's tail. It was more like a distorted demon's tail.
"Lancis, how are your claws doing?"
"Aheh... They're ready.... A-ah, that tickles... Ee hee."
Hearing that response from the passenger's seat, Floris looked back into the rearview mirror.
"You haven't finished adjusting the scissors yet, have you? Do it before we get there. As you can see, I have my hands full driving and Lancis is useless while she's trembling from that ticklishness of hers, so you two are the only ones who can do it."
"I'll do that and more if you tie up Bayloupe!! And she isn't responding to her calves at all!!"
"What a pain, " Floris muttered as she ignored Lessar and stared straight ahead."Now let's get focused. After all, we're about to destroy the very framework of the United Kingdom."
A traffic sign stood at a fork in the road. It had English words on it and a simple diagram made of an arrow.
It signified that it was 30 km to London.
Part 8
Kamijou was sitting in the passenger seat of a convertible.
Nighttime London smelled of exhaust. Hundreds of years of historical buildings were lined up all over the place, but it was all wrapped in that stench which ruined the mood.
"I never expected to run into you here."
"Oh. It was an unexpected turn of events for onee-san as well, " said a magician with a giggle as she gripped the steering wheel with sparkling manicured fingers.
It was Oriana Thomson.
The young woman had blonde hair, blue eyes, and very large breasts. She had once taken advantage of Academy City's large-scale sports festival, the Daihaseisai, to carry out an attack along with her partner Lidvia Lorenzetti.
She had an astounding battle ability that had allowed her to have the upper hand against Kamijou, Stiyl, and Tsuchimikado all at once, but, in the end, her plan was stopped and she was captured by the Anglican Church.
"Well, onee-san has been through a lot. I made a deal and am now working for England."
"... But the Eurotunnel bombing was done by France with the backing of the Roman Catholic Church. I don't know about the magicians acting inside the UK, but they might have some connections in that direction. Should you really be working against them?"
"Just so you know, onee-san is a magical courier. I haven't sworn loyalty to any one organization. I'm free to work with or fight against whoever I want.... So, as long as you make sure to pay, I'd even be willing to work up a sweat for you. Okay?"
Kamijou's body stiffened at having that alluring breath blown in his direction. It seemed that high school boy had various problems regarding that young woman.
"I-I see. It feels like they're expecting that you can find these magicians using your courier skills."
"Well, the skills for running away and the skills for pursuit are actually completely different, but there are some things you can't understand until you've experienced them for yourself."
"So where are we headed now?"
"There was talk about whether New Light, the suspected magic group of four, would get to London or not, but it seems the inspection point they set up ended up being useless. The traces of something odd were spotted."
"... So they've already made it into London?"
"Are you aware that a few hundred thousand security cameras are set up around London? It was spotted on a camera from north London."
| ← Ch. 129 | Ch. 131 → |