Author's notes: The story will be in third person for most, if not all of the story, focusing mainly on Vivio and Yuuno, and those they are interacting with. On the rare occasion, the story will shift to another character if it'll make future plot points make more sense. when characters use telepathy, [it will be displayed like this]. And before anyone asks, no, the Aces won't be showing up and taking over the investigation part-way through, because I they would be way too overpowered, though they will be mentioned and possibly have a video call or two with Vivio.
The story will have some dark elements to it, with those who have played the game GrimGrimoire will be aware of. For those who haven't, people can summon devils to sell them their souls, some parts of the world, and even in the kingdom the game takes place in still burn witches and wizards at the stake, something Lillet's best friend almost had happen to her. People will die, but I will not be going into gorn levels of detail.
I've got the first 4 chapters already written and posted in the AnimeSuki Social Group Exiled to the Couch, where I got a couple of improvement suggestions on this chapter, which I implemented, so you can thank Dezopenguin for that.
Prologue
Spring 0084 – Mid-Childa, Infinite Library Secure Briefing Room
"Thank you all for taking the time to sit in on this briefing. As some of you are already aware, today's briefing is about the events that transpired on Non-Administered World #122." Yuuno comments, hoping to suggest a codename for the planet at the end of the briefing. "Takamachi Vivio and I, Scrya Yuuno, were involved in the incident during our investigation into potential Lost Logia, called Grimoires by the planet's inhabitants."
"The inhabitants of this planet seem to live in an Earth-like, or Non-Administered World #97, Medieval era in terms of technology and societal living. While the knowledge that magic exists is wide-spread, the country that we were investigating in, Karsk, had mixed views on the matter, with most members of it's religious community, and the people under their influence viewing it as evil, possibly because one school of magic they had involved summoning creatures deemed to be evil to serve them. These facts, combined with a relatively recent attempt by a magician called Archmage Calvaros attempting to take over the country, have put a lot of negativity towards magic onto the population, making formal contact to bring them under TSAB jurisdiction ill-advisable at this time. My assistant and I recommend maintaining observations of the planet and it's natives, as there are a few powerful summoners and their grimoires, books containing their summoning spells, and it's low technology and conflicting national leaders make it a tempting target for criminal organizations."
"Any operatives sent to NAW#122 should be briefed by either Takamachi Vivio or myself before heading onto the planet, as there are certain things they should know beforehand. The first they should know is that in some areas of Karsk, outside of the Crown's influence, and even in entire countries, have been known to burn people alive just for being suspected of being able to use magic, as one of our contacts on that world informed us." Yuuno cautiously informs the gathering.
Taking up where her 24 year old senior ended, Vivio continued, "Our mission was a combination of determining whether to approach the world's governments for membership within the TSAB due to their being a small, but growing number of mages, and the possibility of the planet having been a former colony of the Belkan Empire, and thus possibly having Lost Logia. While their technology level may indicate otherwise, it is possible that at the time the Belkan Civil War started, it was a new colony that was forgotten due to the lack of established infrastructure, and after a few decades the existing tech either failed and they were forced to regress to survive, or was destroyed, either deliberately to avoid being dragged into the civil war, or a natural disaster hit that destroyed their technology and most of their records."
Resuming the briefing, Yuuno once again began to speak. "As for the mission itself, we had Sacred Heart and my own storage device recording what occurred to back up what we are about to tell you, though some of what we are about to say was told to us by those we encountered, and only have their word for, which Vivio and I are inclined to trust as the truth." And so Yuuno began the tale of the investigation...
Chapter One – Stranger in Danger
A young, dirty blond haired man of about 5'6", wearing a beige cape, pants, and shirt, is travelling along an open dirt road with a shorter teenaged blond girl, whose left eye is red, and her right eye is green, wearing similar clothes to that of her male companion, only in dark blue. The two of them are deep in conversation with each other, but were doing so via telepathy. [So, what do you think of fieldwork in a living society Vivio?] asks the man.
[It is pretty interesting, Yuuno. It's a lot different then studying old, half destroyed ruins, or reading about the society in delicate, worn scrolls and tomes.] Vivio responds, before adding, [It is hard dealing with the people though. I keep having to make sure I don't say something that might seem offensive, and dealing with those who are bigoted takes every ounce of willpower I have not to use Divine Buster on them.]
Shaking with the effort to suppress his laughter, Yuuno replies with, [And I greatly appreciate it. Your mother's usual method for problem solving wouldn't likely work here. While some might even see you as some sort of demon or devil, it might be even worse if the name of the spell made people think you were a god or at least an agent of one. How would Carim, Sein and the other sisters of the Saint Church feel if they found out you spawned another religion after all the complaining you did about the sisters calling you 'Your Majesty' when you were younger?]
Groaning at the thought, Vivio tells him [Don't even joke about that! Still, if that did happen, maybe it would help end the persecution of mages here, or renew it. Now I understand why the TSAB tries to avoid influencing Non-Administered Worlds when they can avoid it.]
The pair travelled in silence for a bit, thinking upon their mission. The TSAB had sent them to Non-Administered World #122 to learn about their magic system, which appeared to consist of summoning creatures to assist the summoner, or to do battle. While many of the summons were of D to B rank, a few were capable of being AAA or even S rank if the summoner had the time to collect enough many and enhance the runes used to summon them. The two of them had decided to put in a request to have Lutecia Alpine be brought into the investigation, if she consented, in their reports they planned to send to the Guella Ha , the ship that had brought them here, and its Captain, Hawke.
The purple-haired girl Lutecia, a skilled summoner and occasional hand-to-hand sparring partner of Vivio's, could prove useful in determining whether her summoning style or the ones from this planet had any advantages or disadvantages over the other. The pair had pieced together that the grimoires on this planet contained many summoning spells, but did not themselves contain magical power; rather than being functional Devices they were merely reference works written by the local mages, so were nothing like the Book of Darkness or Tome of the Night Sky. This meant that Lutecia's assessments may wind up being the biggest breakthrough in the case.
About an hour later they spotted a woman who appearance led them to believe she was in her mid 20's, with brown hair and hazel eyes wearing glasses. She is currently fighting off over a dozen ghostly soldiers with a short sword, somehow wounding the spectral creatures, though it is clear that she would soon be overrun without aid. Deciding to aid the woman, Yuuno cast the spell, "Struggle Bind!" The four closest creatures are instantly immobilized and seem to even make them appear slightly more solid.
At the same time, Vivio has Sacred Heart activate her Barrier Jacket as she charges towards the rest of the spectres, with Sacred Heart intoning "Jet Step" as she moves into the fray faster then the eye can see, instantly closing the gap between her and her opponents. Targeting a spectre to the left of the older woman, Vivio collects her mana in her right hand, before smashing it into the back of the creature's head with a cry of "Accel Smash!", dispelling it.
By the time Yuuno has caught up to the two females, only Seven of the fifteen spirits remain, Vivio having dispelled four more, and the unknown woman having defeated one unbound and two of the bound adversaries. Yuuno himself wasn't inactive in the fight during that time, having cast Round Shield several times to defend the mystery woman from attacks from behind her and from the side. He has also bound three more with Struggle Bind. Looking to the bound creatures, Yuuno addresses the mystery woman, "Will these things be able to answer questions if we do not destroy them?"
Deflecting an attack from one of the creatures, the rescued woman replies, "No, the Phantoms will not talk unless the summoner orders them to, and even if you had a way to force them to speak, the summoner could dispel them at will to prevent you from learning from them."
"I see, in that case, Shoot Barret!" Yuuno calls out firing the most basic shooting spell a Mid-Childan can learn into the bound and weakened Phantoms, destroying them. While Yuuno took care of the trapped ones, Vivio has taken out another one, causing two of the remaining three to attack her together, while the other woman fought off the other one.
When one of them was in the act of swinging their sword at her, Vivio captured it with little trouble, yanking the blade from the Phantom's hands, and watches as is began to dissipate and reform in her attackers hands. "Well, that bumps them up a little in difficulty, but not by much. Accel Smash! Revolver Spike!" Vivio states, as she punches the phantom she had just tried to disarm, followed by a kick that took care it off. When the other Phantom hits her with its blade, it causes her to stumble a bit, but her Barrier Jacket took most of the damage for her. "Big mistake. Plasma Arm!" As Vivio charges mana into her hands, she dodges another attack and lands multiple blows with her fists into the Phantom, destroying it just in time to see the other woman finish off the last one.
After a quick check to confirm all the Phantoms were gone, the woman addresses her rescuers. "My name is Marjorie Cointreau, and I thank you for your assistance. It seems the two of you are magicians, though I don't recognize your magic or your accents."
"We are from a rather distant country, Porgan. Our people prefer not to be involved in affairs outside our lands, with many isolationist policies dating back centuries. My niece, Vivio Takamachi, whom is also my apprentice, and I, Yuuno Scrya, are scholars of history and magic who left home to learn more about the world our ancestors thought to seclude themselves and their descendants from." Yuuno explains, using the cover story they have created prior to beginning the mission. Using one that is mostly true seemed like the best shot at not accidentally revealing too much, and being isolationist would allow them to justify keeping some details vague to deter curious visitors from trying to find their homeland. "We have only been in this land for a few days, so if could recommend a few places for us to visit, it would be appreciated."
"I see. In that case, the first thing I should do is warn you against open displays of magic out here in the countryside if you can avoid it. There are still a lot of people who seem to think the best thing to do with those who have magical talents is burn them alive." Marjorie sees raw anger in the eyes of the young woman, and decides to warn them of the other danger by emphasizing the cruelty of that group. "Another danger is being discovered by followers of the Archmage Calvaros. Even though the man is dead, and his plan to be resurrected has been destroyed, there are those who served him who would take up his mantle and once more plunge the kingdom into a war that would see magicians ruling it while all those who opposed them will either be dead or in shackles. They may try to paint themselves as heroes to other magicians, but they will do anything they can to get the power they seek, whether it be blackmailing people into doing their dirty work for them, killing those whom they perceive as being in their way, to even selling their souls to devils to increase their power."
The looks of shock and disgust at such actions makes Marjorie feel relief. The last thing she wants to do was drive her saviours towards the Archmage's followers by not having them know the whole picture, especially with their unique magic. Getting an idea, Marjorie reaches into her belongings and takes out a piece of parchment, a quill and some ink, and begins writing a letter. "I think you should head to the capital of Karsk, the city of Courvois, and speak with the Royal Magicians, specifically the Mage Consul Lillet Blan-Virgine. She is the head of all magic related matters in the kingdom, and the one who defeated the Archmage's last attempt at regaining his powers. She should be able to answer any questions you may have that aren't a national secret, or she'll be able to point you in the right direction at least. Just follow this road until you hit the trade town of Guil, then take the eastern road until you come to the huge, walled city, which is your destination. It should only take you 4 or 5 days by walking."
"I'd come with you to show you the way, but I need to hunt down the magician who attacked me earlier. It wouldn't do to have a known supporter of the Archmage running around terrorizing the countryside, ruining any progress Lillet and the royal family have made in trying to make things better for all magicians, myself included. Just need to pre-summon a few Glamour spirits and see if they are willing to be bound to an object for instant re-summoning and I won't have to rely on the kindness of strangers next time." Marjorie says, assuring them she can take care of herself. "Here, take this letter, it should get you an audience with Lillet, and if anyone tries to take it from you, tell them I sent you and should stop them from." With that said, the woman hands over the letter to Yuuno and begins to repack her belongings.
"Thank you for the information and letter of introduction, Ms. Cointreau. I believe we will do as you suggested by visiting your Mage Consul, if only to make sure that we don't become targets of suspicion for being foreign mages. Before we go our separate ways, could you tell me how your weapon was able to harm those Phantoms? The stories I have heard would indicate that most weapons don't work on them." Yuuno asks, curiosity getting to him.
"Ah, that is simple enough. I had one of my Glamour familiars enchant it so that that by channelling mana into it, I can strike astral beings. I was just lucky that Glamour is naturally strong against Necromantic magic." Marjorie replies. After exchanging farewells, the duo began heading in the direction Marjorie has pointed them to, while Marjorie herself travels toward the area they came from.
Taking a left fork at the road, Marjorie travels on a less-used road that took her into a forest, before following a path to a cottage. Inside the cottage sat a dusky skinned, green eyed, black haired woman who looked to be in her late 20's or early 30's sitting at a table with two cups of hot tea waiting on Marjorie. Dropping the illusion she had been under, Marjorie's hair turns reddish, and her eyes shift to a more greenish-brown as she took a seat across from the other woman.
"So I take it things went the way I predicted, didn't they Margarita?" asks the older woman, her voice sounding almost hypnotic to Margarita Surprise.
"That they did. I don't know how you knew that the attack was coming, or that I would receive help from those strangers, but it happened just like you said. I don't know why you wanted it to happen like it did, but they are indeed strong magicians. I don't know what you have planned, but if I find out you are deliberately putting that young girl in danger Sultana, I will hunt you down and kill you as if you were the Archmage follower that launched that attack, supposed angel or not. You of all people should know how I feel about such actions." Margarita warned her host, being completely honest with the woman sitting across from her.
Sultana simply smiled as she spoke, "The young man will not allow harm to come to the girl, nor will the girl's protective spirit allow her to stand by while others are in danger. I have merely helped them onto the path of least danger, as both of those two have been saved from danger by the same young woman, and have taken it upon themselves to help others as she has helped them. Now, I think it is time we discussed where your adversary is hiding and when would be the best time to take him and his Sorcerer companion."
AN: Reviews are welcome. Also, thanks to edboy4926 and Drinker for catching that repeat that I missed. I have this story saved on two different files, one is the entire collection of finished chapters, the other the individual chapters, so I wound up editing both, and forgot to paste over that paragraph. Also, Drinker noticed I had forgot to upload a correction of tenses that I believe I now have corrected, along with a few minor edits suggested my DezoPenguin. Gonna take a few days to go over the other chapters and make some corrections to them. Thanks for the reviews, it's the only way I'll improve as a writer.