This was a fun chapter to write with several things going on at the same time. Sometimes it is hard to keep all the timing right, but definitely worth it when it is done. Those of you who have read the light novels will see some very familiar scenes when Touma meets the Queen and the main guy under her. I kept some of the scenes very close to the light novels for a couple reasons, even using some exact dialogue, but then it branches out to include the different information. One, it introduces the personality of the Queen and others. Two, it leads to where I need to go for my story. This arc is turning into an AU England with the science side involved a lot. If you don't like it I have a few choice words for you. You can go….
*********TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED*********
The author has gone on a rant that would no longer make this fic rated T. SO while he gets all the frustration out of his system, please enjoy a message from our sponsors.
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*********TRANSMISSION ENDED*********
…in a bucket. I feel better now. Oh, for those who have not read the light novel, there are spoilers for future events. Explanations do not go as far as the books do so I still recommend reading the Light Novels.
Dragon, Yakutsu, and Haku: Well, I'll be. I had to google that to see what you all were talking about lol.
I'm also glad the poker scene went over well with everyone.
Food for thought: Every story you read on this site, is just a different combination of 26 letters. Enjoy this combination.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters. Reading this story may cause you to burst out in laughter or yelling at fictional characters. This may cause nearby people to assume you have gone crazy. Please read responsibly.
"The Queen?" Touma and Mikoto gasped simultaneously. Accelerator raised an eyebrow in surprise, but avoided blurting out his shock.
"Yes," Stiyl confirmed, rubbing his head. "The Anglican Church works closely with the royal family, so it is not unusual to arrange meetings between our groups. We are investigating the magic group you are all familiar with. We need Index to analyze a couple of locations that were the site of magic attacks. We are working directly with the Queen now because her knights are going to act as body guards."
"Is she really that important?" Mikoto asked looking at Index.
"Of course Short Hair," Index replied, as she turned around looking smug. "I have the knowledge of 103,000 grimoires. There's not much I can't decode."
"Oh I see," Mikoto said, a vein in her temple throbbing, but she forced a smile. "They just want to use the Silver Sister as a walking encyclopedia."
"Don't call me that," Index said puffing out her cheeks in anger. "I'm much more than just an encyclopedia."
I see why he tried to keep this a secret, Accelerator thought to himself. "So the reason you tried to drag the hero away quietly is to avoid everyone else interfering with the meeting."
"You again appear to be pretty intelligent unlike him," Stiyl said agreeing with Accelerator. "Obviously too many people would interfere with the meeting. That's not even counting that you two are from the science side, but I guess the current situations affects us all. Besides, having too many people entering Buckingham Palace will draw attention." He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I hate these types of meetings. Kanzaki usually handles them, even if she doesn't like them either."
"Wait," Touma said. "The palace? Won't my hand interfere with the security measures? I mean, the Queen should be protected by something like a magic fortress right?" Stiyl laughed briefly, and then sighed.
"Strongholds like that do exist. Windsor Castle, the secondary residence of the royal family, is an example." Stiyl said sounding slightly bored. "We even had to take precautions when you visited St. George's Cathedral. Buckingham Palace is used for meetings with important people from other countries. If they use magic in the defenses, it could seem like a trap. Also, the queen doesn't need that kind of security anyways."
"Is the Queen a magician too?" Mikoto asked amazed.
"Yes," Stiyl said. "But it's a lot more complicated than that."
"You probably wouldn't understand Short Hair," Index said looking superior again.
"I don't want to hear that from someone who can barely operate a cell phone," Mikoto snapped back. They glared at each, started to argue a little bit, and then there was silence in the car for a while.
Accelerator leaned back in his chair thinking. The Queen must be pretty powerful if they don't need security around her. It's the opposite of Academy City. The higher ups are always worried about their security. It's kind of interesting seeing the difference between magic and our abilities. It might be worth the hassle to be here. He just ignored the bickering between Mikoto and Index, but was glad when it finally stopped. He enjoyed the silence until Touma turned around and spoke to him.
"Aren't you worried about Last Order getting into trouble?" Touma asked.
"Eh, Worst isn't there to cause problems," Accelerator said indifferently, though for a brief moment he was worried Last Order would do something stupid. "Plus the Flower Girl is there and she seems like the kind of person to take over watching the brat."
"Uiharu-san would definitely watch her till you got back," Mikoto said thinking about it too. She knew the way Last Order like to run around and get lost. "She has a name you know, not Flower Girl. It would probably not be good if she came with us anyway. Last Order in a palace?" She paused for a moment. "At least 'she' didn't come with us." Touma felt the way Mikoto said 'she' that Mikoto was referring to someone else. Accelerator, on the other hand, knew exactly who she was talking about.
"You might still have uninvited quests," Accelerator warned Stiyl.
"What you mean?" he asked turning around slightly to look at him.
"The fifth rate is quite resourceful," Accelerator said shrugging. "She's also weirdly infatuated with the hero. If he's gone too long, she will probably find out where he is and come sneaking into the palace."
Stiyl sighed. "He does seem to have some weird ability with females. Even on missions, he finds times to flirt with them."
"Hey!" Touma said indignantly as Accelerator smirked. Stiyl's comment brought him back from his thoughts about meeting the Queen. He was insanely nervous since he had never met such an important person, such as a ruler of an entire country. He temporarily forgot all about it as he tried to defend himself, painfully aware Index and Mikoto were no longer fighting and glaring at him. "I don't flirt with people. I don't even know how to flirt."
"It comes naturally," Accelerator said continuing to smirk as he repeated a line from their classmates.
"As much as I enjoy making fun of him," Stiyl said. "We are here." The palace itself and the grounds were huge, almost like an entire section of England's capital city was left open as a combination of two adjoining parks. There was also a square rest area that had guide lights, so it could be used as a heliport. The van pulled in around the back of the palace and Stiyl motioned for them to hurry up. They entered quickly and the door closed behind them. The door may have been small, but the hallway beyond it was a scenery all of its own.
When Touma had heard they were going to the palace, he had been imagining a world of sparkling gold, but that was not what actually laid before him. The hallway was as wide as a small room. Inside the hallway, there were carpets that seemed meant to be looked at instead of stepped on, paintings and sculptures scattered around periodically, and even a maid carrying around a tea set. He glanced at Mikoto, who also had a stunned expression on her face. Accelerator was looking around, but his face was passive and Touma could not get anything else from him.
Mikoto had been used to living in Tokiwadai's glamorously decorated dorm, but even it paled in comparison to the palace. Wow, so this is what living as royalty is like, and this is just the back area. She stared at some of the paintings as she recognized a couple of them from her history classes. She also made note of the maid carrying around a pure silver tea set. That actually reminds me of school. She glanced over at Touma whose mouth was still slightly agape. She nudged him with her elbow and whispered "Close your mouth, it's impolite." He did and smiled, embarrassed, at her.
Accelerator also looked around but, unlike the other two, he wasn't someone to be impressed by luxury or wealth. He only paid attention to things that interested him, usually something complex, funny, or something that may be problematic in the future. Well recently, he was discovering that he was slightly enjoying himself, going on some of the random adventures with his classmates. He, of course, was never going to admit out loud he actually had fun on most of them. "About what I expected from a palace," he muttered more to himself than the others.
"There you are," a male's voice said as the man, who it belonged to, came out a side door and into the hallway. Touma, Mikoto, and Accelerator turned to look at the man. He 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. Normally, it would have been a suit in a world Touma never would have been part of, but it reminded him of the auction he had gone to with Shizuri. The man's well-kept blond hair, looks, body build, the quality of the suit worn, and even the dignified way of walking were stained with the format of royalty from the palace.
"Woah," Mikoto said softly and Touma felt a twinge of jealousy as Mikoto stared at the man. Accelerator, however, scowled. He could sense this man was not someone to trifle with.
"Knight Leader," Stiyl said nodding slightly. "Thank you for the transportation. We had a couple… unexpected guests." Mikoto and Accelerator gave him an innocent look, or as much as they could, because they both knew they were not innocent at all.
"I noticed," Knight Leader acknowledged. His eyes turned to Accelerator, Mikoto, and Touma in turn. His gaze seemed to be passive, but Touma felt like the Knight Leader was able to see through them completely. "So you are the one carrying the duty of being Index Librorum Prohibitorum's guardian," he commented when his eyes stopped on Touma.
"Well," Touma said nervously while under his stare. "I'm not really her guardia…"
"Touma's my friend," Index said fiercely. "He's not a guardian. I can protect myself." Stiyl raised an eyebrow, but did not say anything. Touma had the feeling Stiyl looked a little annoyed.
"My mistake," Knight Leader replied looking at her. ""I had been curious as to what kind of person was accompanying the 103,000 grimoires." He looked Touma over again. "I heard a lot about you, but rumors tend to be misleading." Touma felt like the Knight Leader was not impressed by his appearance and he felt slightly irritated.
"I wouldn't know of what rumors you heard," Touma said carefully. He wasn't sure exactly how to act in front of important people, so he didn't want to embarrass himself or his friends if possible.
"He has done a lot of impressive deeds," Mikoto said coming to his defense.
"The only thing Touma is guilty of is trying to handle everything on his own and leaving me behind," Index added. Touma wasn't sure if that was a compliment or insult.
"I did not mean any disrespect," Knight Leader continued. "One cannot just blindly believe rumors. Many deeds are exaggerated, but it should not diminish the actual deeds of an individual." Mikoto and Index nodded slightly, appearing satisfied. "Please follow me. We do not want to keep her majesty waiting." He turned and lead Touma's group down the hallway toward the center of the palace.
Royalty, Accelerator thought, slightly bored as he followed everyone. They really know how to use their words. The only one behind him was Stiyl. They walked in silence until Touma broke it by whispering to Stiyl.
"Who is he?" he asked.
"He's the leader of the order of knights directly under the royal family," Stiyl whispered back. 'That's really all you need to know about him."
"Some conversationalist you are," Mikoto muttered. "You're almost as bad as him." Her finger moved slightly to point at Accelerator.
"Can you tell us more why we are here?" Touma asked the Knight Leader as he tried to gather more information. "We were only told Index needed to examine some magical areas leftover from The Fallen."
"Stiyl could have been clearer on his explanation," Mikoto muttered again.
"I told you all you needed to know at the time," Stiyl stated simply. "Maybe your lives are too sheltered to understand secrecy."
"Sheltered?" Mikoto snapped furious and a couple sparks flickered near her head under her hair. "Do you know what…?" She stopped when Touma put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head.
"Stiyl's just like that," he whispered. "He doesn't mean anything too bad from it." Mikoto was about to open her mouth to respond in disbelief, but Knight Leader answered Touma's original question.
"Something like a strategy meeting is about to take place. It's true that she will be needed for the examinations, but there is more to it. Members of the royal family, the knights, and the church have gathered here for it. However, the top members of the royal family, those who have royal blood, are present, so it is officially an audience." He looked Touma, Mikoto, and Accelerator up and down. "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."
"It was kind of sprung on us at the last minutes," Touma said sighing. He hated the fact they were not dressed at all for an audience with royalty.
"More like getting pulled away into a car at the last minute," Mikoto said grinning and Touma groaned.
"Whatever," Accelerator muttered. "If they can only judge someone based on their clothes, they can't be that special."
"You can't talk about the royal family like that," Mikoto hissed at him.
"Who cares," Accelerator shrugged. "They aren't here."
"It's still rude and he's standing right there," Mikoto replied indicating the Knight Leader. Knight Leader had glanced over at Accelerator, when he mentioned the royal family, but he didn't say anything. Stiyl was in the back trying to suppress a grin. He wasn't a big fan of these audiences either. He preferred to leave them to Laura or Kaori.
"Why are we having a strategy meeting?" Touma asked quickly trying to move the topic away from Accelerator's passive insults.
"That will all be explained shortly," Knight Leader responded. "The Queen personally summoned you, so you can understand how serious the situation is right now." The Knight Leader stopped in front of a set of large double door. The doors were large, even for the palace. As the Knight Leader reached for the knob, Touma felt all the nervousness, he had in the van, return in full force. He did not know what he was expected to do, but he hoped it wouldn't be too much. Mikoto also looked apprehensive at meeting the Queen, so Touma was glad he wasn't the only one who felt out of place. Accelerator looked like normal, passive faced, as if nothing bothered him. Index seemed to be dozing off slightly, as all the cookies she had eaten back at the cathedral was finally hitting her.
While Touma and Index were dragged away by Stiyl out of the room, Misaki, Mikoto, Kazari, Ruiko, Kuroko, Accelerator, and Last Order were still in St. George's Cathedral having tea with Laura and Itsuwa. Agnese had gone to talk to some of the other nuns, since she was at the cathedral. Misaki was sipping her tea slowly while the others talked. She had been aware of Touma and Index being called away by Stiyl. She was curious at why Stiyl wanted to talk to them, but realized it had to be something related to the magic side. Based on her previous conversations with the other magic side users, they did not want the science side involved if it could be avoided. I can't really blame them for it. Different groups with different philosophies never liked working together if they could help it. Tokiwadai is the same way. She watched Kazari and Ruiko chatting excitedly with Laura, while Kuroko kept trying to talk to Mikoto, who watched Touma leave with a slightly serious expression on her face. I know what she is planning to do.
Misaki's predictions were normally perfect, and this time was no exception. Less than thirty seconds after Touma had stood up, Mikoto had excused herself. Misaki frowned ever so slightly. She knew Mikoto was curious as of what Stiyl and Touma were going to do. I'm curious too and I don't want her to be alone with him. Before Misaki could get up, Accelerator randomly stood up and muttered something about stupid conversations and left. Misaki was so surprised, she forgot to stand up. Is he going with them or did he just want to leave because he was surrounded by girl talk? She sat there thinking for a moment before she realized what she was going to do. She also excused herself and exited the room. The hallway was empty as she looked around.
"Where did they go?" she muttered impatiently. She figured she didn't have much time before her absence would be suspicious. She looked into a couple rooms and only saw a couple nuns in one. When she reached the back door, she opened it cautiously and looked out. There was no one outside and she shut the door. "If she tries to monopolize Touma," Misaki muttered irritated. "I'll make sure she regrets it." She went back to the tea room and sat down in her spot. Everyone continued to talk until Kuroko, who was the first to realize Mikoto was missing, voiced her opinion something was wrong.
"Where's onee-sama?" Kuroko asked. "She left and still hasn't come back."
"Come to think of it," Ruiko said looking around and thinking. "Touma and Index left with Stiyl a little bit ago and they aren't back either."
"Accelerator is gone too MISAKA cries as MISAKA pulls herself away from the delicious cookies."
"I'm sure he will be back soon," Kazari said trying to reassure Last Order who was looking like she was about to run off to look for him.
"Onee-sama," Kuroko fretted as she looked like she too was about to rush off. "Don't tell me you are planning to go off alone with that ape and jerk…." A vein in Misaki's head's throbbed for a moment and it compelled her to take action.
"Stuart-san," she said somewhat coldly. "When I came back I did not see them either. Could you tell us what happened to them?"
"Oh my," Laura said putting her hand up to her cheek. "Stiyl always seems to take matters into his own hands. I'll find out for you, one moment." She snapped her fingers and a nun quickly rushed into the room and bowed. "Could you please see what happened to our guests?" The nun bowed again and quickly left. Laura turned to everyone else. "We should know where they are in just a moment."
"Thank you," Kazari said bowing her head in thanks.
"MISAKA is thankful too MISAKA agreed."
"I hope they are ok," Ruiko said.
"I'm sure they are fine dear," Laura reassured her. "If Stiyl is with them, they should not be in any trouble."
"Your help is most appreciated," Misaki said. However, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, even with the smile plastered on her face. She knew Laura was hiding something, but it was hard to gain much information from her. She's really good at keeping secrets. Misaki was skilled in information gathering, so she could tell something was happening but nothing else. She better hope nothing happens to him. She's the Archbishop so she should be in charge of Stiyl. I would not doubt it for a moment if she told Stiyl to take them.
Someone else was being uncharacteristically quiet now. Kuroko was pretending to sip her tea, but was staring intently at Laura. She's hiding something. Kuroko was not the most skilled person at distinguishing lies from truths, but the last couple weeks, she had a lot of practice. While Jason constantly lied to her in order to mess around, she had been slowly learning how to tell when he was lying. Sometimes, he didn't have any obvious signs, but other times there were slight indicators in the tone of his voice and small changes in facial expressions. I guess being around that liar has benefits. Nothing better have happen to onee-sama.
They all sat in silence for a few minutes when the nun came back inside and whispered into Laura's ears. The nun then left while Laura turned to them all. "It seems young Index was called away to help with an investigation. As Kamijou-san is her legal guardian at this time, he and Stiyl went with her. It seems like Misaka-san and Accelerator-san both followed them. Due to the importance of the meeting, it seems that Stiyl did not want to waste time and took them too." The other girls immediately burst out in questions.
"Who are they meeting?" Kuroko asked immediately.
"Touma is Index's guardian?" Ruiko asked. "I thought they were friends?"
"Why did they need Index?" Kazari asked curiously.
"Why didn't he take MISAKA along? MISAKA cries as MISAKA is sad she didn't get to go too."
"One question at a time," Laura said in an understanding tone. "Please give me a moment to explain. There are some secrets known to only our church and some to only the magic side. What I am going to tell you does not need to be shared with others. Index is from the magic side as you might know." Everyone nodded, to them a nun would be. "She is quite skilled in reading and interpreting magic, so she helps a lot with problems on our end. Due to certain circumstances, she currently lives n Academy City where Kamijou-san watches her. There have been some strange occurrences here, so they took the opportunity, since Index is visiting England, to have her take a look. I do not know when they will be done."
"Is Index-san really important on the magic side?" Kazari asked.
"Yes," Laura responded sipping her tea. "For security reasons I can't tell you anymore. I'm sure you understand, being from Academy City, the importance of secrecy."
"It sounds like you have been there," Kuroko stated.
"I know a couple individuals there in order to check up on her," Laura said smiling.
"Why would you tell us all that?" Misaki asked. "I believe the magic and science side were supposed to be separate."
"You have already been involved more then you should have been," Laura replied as her smile faded. "At this point, we rather give you the information instead of you trying to find it all out yourself." Misaki understood what that meant immediately. Laura was pretty much saying, don't go digging around, because you don't know what you will find.
"I'm sure Accelerator is fine," Kazari told Last Order, while patting her on the shoulder to try to prevent her from leaving on her own.
"MISAKA knows MISAKA replies. MISAKA can tell if something happens to him through the Misaka network MISAKA adds as MISAKA brags about her superior tracking technology." Kazari smiled, glad to know Last Order was ok, although she did not understand what Last Order was talking about.
"Then are we supposed to wait here for them or are they going to meet us somewhere else?" Ruiko asked.
"I do not know how long they will be," Laura said evenly. "I would recommend you all continue with the plan Itsuwa-san and Agnese-san had prepared. I will personally make sure Stiyl brings your friends to meet with you."
"I can't have fun knowing without knowing where onee-sama is," Kuroko sighed depressed. "Can't we just go to where their meeting is and wait for them?"
"That would be quite impossible at this time," Laura said. "The location is not easily access."
"Where is it then?" Kuroko asked feeling irritated at the lack of help.
Laura glanced at the clock on the wall. "Buckingham Palace."
"Wait," Kuroko said frowning then her eyes went wide. "Isn't that…?" Laura nodded.
"They are having an audience with the Queen." There was silence in the room, and then simultaneously, from all the girls present except Laura…
"EH?!" All the girl's jaws dropped and their eyes went wide. No one expected their friends to have an audience with the Queen, even Itsuwa. Misaki had noted she appeared to know Index and Touma were going to a meeting, but she did not know with whom.
"Wow," Ruiko added.
"I wish I was able to go," Kazari whispered amazed. "To actually see the Queen up close and in person…"
"I didn't know the Queen summoned them," Itsuwa said shocked.
"MISAKA hopes Accelerator will be polite MISAKA adds as MISAKA understands Accelerator's neet like behavior."
"Wow onee-sama is going to meet the queen," Kuroko said gazing into the distance with a glazed look on her face. "I mean, she is amazing so it's only natural. But that also means the ape and jerk are going with her. Oh no," she snapped out of it and grabbed her head. "That ape is going to make a fool of himself and make the Queen despise Japanese people."
"Come on Shirai-san," Ruiko said trying to keep a joking face, but she actually had a similar feeling. "I'm sure he will be fine. Accelerator on the other hand…"
"Hey MISAKA cries out as MISAKA can't believe your lack of faith in him."
"Accelerator-san is smart," Kazari added. "He will probably just be quiet most of the meeting. Kamijou-san is a little, accident prone, but he's a good person."
"Besides," Laura continued smiling. "The Queen is a little… unorthodox… in private meetings. She's not one to condemn someone for accidents."
"It still is impressive to meet face to face," Misaki said recovering. She had never envisioned anyone she knew would have met the Queen in person. She was glad none of her clique was hear because if they used her nickname, The Queen, these conversations would get confusing quickly. "I take it the Queen is a magician then?"
"Of course," Laura replied. "England is a stronghold of magic so it is only natural for the Queen to be a magician."
"I hope they can get a picture," Kazari whispered to Ruiko and she nodded.
"We could hang up a picture of onee-sama and the Queen at school," Kuroko added happily. "It would really show off how special she is."
"If you ladies are interested," Laura said. "I know something you could do to kill some time while you wait for your friends. Not too far away is another church called St Bride's Church. There are a lot of rumors circulating around it that I think you all might find interesting.
"Ooo," Ruiko said immediately. She loved rumors. "What are they?"
"The main one is if you go there and make a wish to marry the person that you love," Laura explained. "You will get a proposal from them in an unimaginable way and will live happily ever after." There was silence as every girl stared at her for a moment.
"I feel we may have overstayed our welcome," Misaki said trying to keep her voice calm. She did not believe in rumors like that, but it was too good of a chance to pass up and Mikoto was not there. With all this magic around, there might even be truth in the rumor. "Why don't we take her advice and take a look."
"That sounds like an excellent idea," Kuroko agreed evenly, but Misaki could see the excitement beginning to seep out of her voice. Kuroko felt the same way Misaki did. Anything to increase my chance and destroy the ape.
Ruiko had similar thoughts. Even the archbishop heard the rumor, so it must be true. After all, England is full of magic. This will increase my chance with him. "I can't wait to check it out," she said excitedly and looked over at Kazari. Kazari was staring off into space, her face turning red and Ruiko smiled. "U-i-ha-ru!" she exclaimed loudly using her ability to flip up Kazari's skirt from a distance. This broke her out of her daze as she hastily pushed her skirt down and turned to look at Ruiko.
"SATEN-SAN!"
"MISAKA should relay to the sisters the important news MISAKA mumbles as MISAKA knows there is one in London."
As Knight Leader turned the door knob and the door was opened a crack, they heard someone say in English.
""Gwohhh… This dress is a pain in the ass. Couldn't I just wear a track suit?"
Knight Leader froze and turned to Touma's group. "…Excuse me a moment," Knight Leader said quietly and then slipped through the cracked door.
"Hey, 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!"
Touma heard sounds of a struggle. His English was not great and he caught a couple words that he thought he recognized, but they seemed way out of place. Maybe I'm even worse than I thought. He turned and whispered to Mikoto, "What are they saying?" Mikoto didn't answer him and he looked at her. She had a shocked face, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. He looked over at Accelerator and Stiyl to ask them instead. Stiyl had face palmed while Accelerator was smirking with amusement. What are they saying?
A moment later, Knight Leader stuck his out through the crack. "…Sorry for the trouble. Everything is in order now. Queen Elizard has had her eyes opened."
"What do you mea…?" Touma started to ask, but was pushed forward by Stiyl as the door opened.
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, Queen Elizard, as Knight Leader had called her. 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. She held a sword in her right hand. It looked like a stereotypical double-sided western sword that was about 80cm long, the hilt included. However, it had no tip and no blade. It looked like a long square board was attached to the hilt.
"What is with the sword," Touma asked pointing in shock. "It gives her such individuality."
"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.
"This sword is unique to the royal family," Elizard said smiling, She spoke in English, which Mikoto quickly translated for Touma; since she knew he didn't know English well. "It is known as Curtana."
"Curtana?" Touma and Mikoto asked.
"It doesn't seem very useful without a blade or tip," Accelerator pointed out.
"It does not require a blade," Knight Leader said his eyes slightly narrowing at Accelerator's lack of respect. "It is a sacred sword passed down through the royal family. It may look odd to you, but it would be helpful if you could get over such cultural differences."
"Is it really that valuable?" Mikoto asked looking around.
"He is making too much of it," Elizard said. "I admit it is a useful tool, but the royal family would not be destroyed if it was broken. The sword is used as a 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."
"Is it really that special?" Touma asked Stiyl.
"I didn't expect you to know anything about it," Stiyl whispered harshly. "But do you truly believe in a land of magic, even the ceremonial items would not have value?
"I don't…" Touma said slightly irritated.
"Curtana was forged with the same powers as Archangel Michael," Stiyl considered smirking slightly as he insulted Touma. "It allows the bearer to control his power. It is hardly a normal sword, let alone just a prop for ceremonies."
Touma flinched slightly as he remembered all the instances where he had seen the power of an angel. The Angel Fall incident would have destroyed the world, and then there was The Herald who only had a fragment of Lucifier's wing and nearly killed him and his friends. "So she has the power of the most powerful archangel?
"So you do have some knowledge of religion," Stiyl commented and Touma ignored him.
"There are restrictions," Elizard explained. "It can only be used in the United Kingdom, specifically England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and then it can only be used by the Royal family. Curtana provides Telesma to the Queen and the knights in order to protect the United Kingdom."
"So you could use that power to cast magic beyond what a normal magician could do?" Mikoto asked. She had some understanding of magic, including Telesma, but she still wanted to verify what all could be done with Telesma. She also had seen firsthand how much damage a normal magician could do.
"Sounds handy," Accelerator commented. "No wonder it was made."
"Curtana was made for more than just its power," Knight Leader said. "King Henry VIII wanted freedom from the influence of other countries and the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He created the Anglican Church for the governance of his own country. In order to get rid of all external influence, he proclaimed that the country would never be violated by foreign influences and made the monarch the Head of the Anglican Church. He established that the king of the Anglican Church is the leader of the angels, as it was a position higher than the Pope, and that the knights as an army of angels. To do this, Henry VIII made use of the nations of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales for his 'All-English Land', four representing the element of earth, in order to construct that magical meaning."
"Leader of the angels refers to the most powerful of the angels," Index said quickly looking at Touma.
"So it's also a symbol for independence?" Touma asked and the Knight Leader nodded. It sounds like it was political, rather than a necessity though.
"And more," Elizard said. Then she turned to look at Mikoto. "Even if I have Telesma, I am still human. Using angel level spells is not that easy."
"Even as a member of the Anglican church," Stiyl added. "I do not receive Telesma. Think of Curtana as giving a lot of power to the Queen and the knights."
"So that's why there are no defenses set in the palace," Mikoto said as realization hit her. "You are already protected by Curtana."
"Do you know of any human that could defeat the leader of the angels?" Elizard ask them.
"No," admitted Touma and then he sighed. "But I know a couple of people who would think of it as a challenge." Mikoto covered her mouth quickly to hide her laugh and Accelerator smirked. Touma looked at the sword and moved his right hand back unconsciously, as the thought he had to be careful with his hand.
"I have heard about your hand from the Archbishop," Elizard said smiling at Touma as she noticed his drawing back slightly. "Even if you accidently destroyed it, it would not matter. This is historically Curtana Second. Curtana Original was lost long ago. Even if this one is destroyed, another one could be made."
"That's good I guess…" Touma said, but still promised himself he would be careful around it.
"She is not telling you the entire truth," a female voice said interrupting him. Everyone turned to see who the voice came from. The female was slender and appeared to be in her early thirties. She had long black hair that reached her shoulders and it appeared shinier then what was natural, almost as If it was dyed. She wore a long blue dress that stuck to the lines of her legs. She had a monocle over her eye, which made her give off a demeanor of being intellectual and cool-headed. "While Curtana Second is indeed the second sword to be made, the methods to make it have been lost. A new sword could not be made as easily as mother would have you believe."
"That's the first princess Rimea," Stiyl whispered to Touma, Mikoto, and Accelerator. Touma noticed the Knight Leader appeared shocked at her sudden appearance.
"If you had asked, one of my men…no, I would have gone myself to get you," he said.
"Oh, no," she replied. "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." Knight leader sighed in defeat as if this was the princess's normal behavior.
"You are so distrusting of others sister," said another woman entering the room from another door accompanied by two knights. Everyone turned to look at her and Touma temporarily forgot where he was."
"IT'S YOU!" he shouted pointing as he recognized the blonde hair and the red dress. She turned her head at his voice and froze when she also recognized him and made a tsk sound with her mouth. Touma felt pain on the back of his head as two people hit him.
"You idiot," Mikoto whispered angrily at him. "You can't call a princess 'you'."
"Are you retarded?" Stiyl snapped and then grabbed Touma by the neck and forced him into a bow. "I apologize for this idiot's rudeness." Touma moved his eyes to look up and saw the contemplating look on the woman's face.
"Touma," Index called out reprimanding him. "You need to show respect."
"It's fine," the woman said dismissively. "I can overlook it this one time."
"Oh," Rimea said gazing at Touma. "That's quite unlike you sister. Normally, you would demand he be whipped for his disrespect. Do you perhaps know this young man?"
The woman made a tsk sound with her mouth. "He interrupted a skirmish I had with some of the magical organization men we were going to discuss. He's brave, but the interruption was unnecessary." She moved her gaze over Mikoto, Accelerator, and then Touma. "I am the second princess, Carissa."
"It's rare for you to give a complement," Elizard commented. "Was this when the SOS signal went out on the traveling fortress? I don't recall any mention of another individual helping in your report." Carissa looked annoyed as she was being questioned by the Elizard and Rimea. Touma felt sweat drop as he felt Mikoto's glare on him.
I know he mentioned he helped a woman, Mikoto thought. But who would have thought it was a princess? What kind of weird luck does he have? She had to stop herself form grabbing her head and instead gazed at Carissa. Her appearance looked a little gaudy to her, but her eyes fell on Carissa's chest and she felt depressed again. It's like all the girls form the magic side have large… is their MAGIC for that? Those…
"He's doing it again," Accelerator mumbled and Stiyl had to resist hitting Touma again.
"Hmm," Carissa said looking to her left. "Looks like Villian has come too. How dull." Touma turned to see who Carissa was staring at and he saw a woman with long blond hair, tied in a sort of ponytail, and pure white skin. She had blue eyes and wore a green dress with a spread out skirt. She also wore arm length gloves, a veil hanging from behind her hair, and jewelry, like necklaces, earrings, and a small crown. To Touma she looked just like a stereotypical princess. Villian didn't say anything about the way Carissa talked about her.
"Looks like everyone has arrived," Elizard said. "We have representatives of all three factions. Have a seat everyone. We have a lot to talk about and very little time." She turned to the Knight Leader. "Make sure you men keep everyone else away. I'm not in the mood to listen to a bunch of people think they have ideas, but refuse to carry them out." Knight Leader nodded and left for a moment. When he returned, everyone was already sitting down. Touma sat down and Mikoto sat down to his left. Accelerator sat in one of the chairs closest to him, even if it was away from everyone else. Index took a seat near the Queen in order to talk to her easier. To Touma surprise, Carissa took the seat next to him. He looked over at her, but she didn't seem to pay him any attention. He looked over at Mikoto who shrugged slightly.
Touma looked around the room at the Queen, the three princesses, Knight Leader, and a priest clad in black robes. It was like something out of a fairy tale book. He felt really out of place as he looked around. He now understood why Accelerator tried to keep away from the center of the room. He figured Mikoto would be someone who would be use to these sorts of environment, being from a school full of ojou-samas, but, when he looked over at her, her face was full of apprehensive. He pulled out his phone to look at the time. It's not as late as I thought. He was really, tense due to the atmosphere, and he felt they had been at the palace forever. As he looked at his phone to check the time, he remembered something.
There was a camera on his phone.
I really shouldn't do this, but would I ever get a chance like this again? He was internally arguing with himself as debating if it would be proper etiquette to take a quick picture. He raised his camera slightly, to see if he could take a picture of the Queen, when a smaller hand grabbed his hand.
"What are you doing?" hissed Mikoto.
"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," Touma whispered back.
"You can't just take a picture like that though," Mikoto hissed back. "It's not right."
"I just want to get a quick one," Touma responded. "As a souvenir. I'll send you a copy."
"I still don't think we should," Mikoto whispered hesitantly. I really want to take a picture too. She was debating if she should take out her phone and snap a picture too. Touma heard Mikoto change her words to 'we' so he was going to press his advantage, until he realized Carissa was a lot closer to him, her bare shoulder almost touching him.
"W-what are you doing?" Touma asked, barely keeping his voice to a whisper. Mikoto just realized what the princess was doing too. Before Mikoto could say anything, Carissa answered Touma.
"I thought you wanted to take a picture," she said. Touma didn't know what he was expecting, but he sure didn't expect that response. He looked down at his camera and turned it. He realized Carissa was leaning close so her face was clearing in the picture. Mikoto was staring at them with a shocked expression too. She was just as surprised as Touma.
"Is this ok?" Touma asked nervously. "We aren't making a mistake using a phone, are we?"
"It's true most people would not use a phone," Carissa said. "But wanting to leave behind as lovely a face as possible is something of a conditioned reflex. Lean closer too girl," she added looking at Mikoto. "Or else you won't be able to get into the shot."
"Ah ok," Mikoto said scooting her chair over so she was shoulder to shoulder with Touma.
"We were too slow," Carissa mumbled. "Here comes my sister. She has the same habit as me." Touma and Mikoto turned their heads and saw first princess Rimea move silently over to them and appeared, on Mikoto's other side, leaning towards them while she looked at the camera.
"You have such a nice shot of my little sister," Rimea said. "But I'm not fully in the picture. That just will not do. Let's see… if I move here…can you move over here." Fitting four people in a small frame was not an easy task. In the end, Mikoto and Touma were pressed up right against each other, turning to each other slightly. They have full views of each other's faces, which were both red in embarrassment. Carissa and Rimea were pressed against both of them, their chests right up against their shoulders.
I think I know what Touma feels like when Shokuhou and I do this now, Mikoto thought as her eyes flickered for a moment onto Rimea's chest. She felt a familiar pain of jealousy.
"How did it end up like this?" Touma whispered. He saw Accelerator watching them with an amused look on his face. Touma saw him pull out his cellphone and hold it up like he was texting, but Touma saw the glint of evil in his eyes. Damn it Accelerator, don't be like those idiots.
"I don't really mind," Rimea said. "But we should hurry. Knight Leader tends to disapprove of these things and might draw his sword." That snapped Touma back to reality from imagining what Accelerator was going to do with that picture. When he raised the camera to snap a picture, he noticed a fifth head in the shot. At some point, Villian had moved silently and was standing behind Mikoto and Touma and just managed to get into the frame.
Here I thought she was the only proper princess, Touma thought to himself.
"You only ever take the initiative when taking photos," Carissa commented.
"I was… just…," VIllian said softly and then went quiet. Touma was about to take the picture when a voice stopped them.
"…Really, where do you people think you are?" Elizard said suddenly. Touma and Mikoto turned to look at her. Next to her, Knight Leader was nodding in agreement, while Stiyl had his head buried in his hands in exasperation. Elizard continued. "This is the United Kingdom, the nation of the queen. Why are you taking pictures leaving out the leading part!?"
"Ahh," Knight Leader called out. "You fool! Don't show off your unrestrained love of festivities in front of someone from another country! This is a strategy meeting!" Elizard had started to dash at Touma and Mikoto, but Knight Leader, after grabbing his hair in frustration, stopped her with a full force tackle. As the two of them fell to the ground, Touma and Mikoto could only watch in stunned silent, until Carissa poked Touma in the side.
"Ignore those idiots," she said. Touma gave a slight nod and the click of the camera was heard.
"Nooo!" Elizard cried. "How could you take it without me? You can redo it. How about taking another one with me?" Rimea and VIllian left and returned back to their seats. Carissa moved her chair slightly further away from Touma. Mikoto was able to move her chair away from Touma too. Her face was still bright red because of how close they were. Touma noticed Elizard looked depressed as she was on the ground. She shook her head and looked like she remembered why they were here. She stood up, dusted herself off and turned to the rest of the group. "We are here to talk about the magic organization that has been attacking England. The one called The Fallen."
"Before we do," Carissa said. "Can you tell me who these three are? I feel if they are part of this strategy meeting, I should know their relevance."
"Those three had faced off The Fallen before in Italy," Elizard said and Touma and Mikoto introduced themselves. Accelerator just gave a brief nod in acknowledgement, so Touma introduced him. "Touma is also the guardian of Index as well as possessing the Imagine Breaker."
"Touma's my friend," Index said indignantly. "Not my guardian."
"Really?" Carissa said ignoring Index and looking at Touma well, more specifically his hand. "So it's the hand that can negate all magic, interesting. That would explain how he was so effective against those men yesterday…" She trailed off thinking.
"Speaking of that," Elizard said looking at Touma. "Would you tell me your involvement yesterday with my daughter?" Touma gulped and felt stares from everyone at the table, though Elizard's gaze was by far the strongest. Carissa had a look on her face like she was regretting ever bringing up the topic. Rimea and Villian also glanced over at him. Knight Leader was glaring at him, but Touma felt like he was always stuck in a serious mode.
I guess dealing with the royal family's antics forced him to have to be, Touma thought to himself before answering. "A friend and I were walking along the road from the hotel we were staying at and talking when we heard an explosion. I saw the familiar masks from The Fallen attacking a carriage with two knights and a woman." He nodded towards Carissa. "I didn't know who they were, but I knew how to beat the masked guys. Their masks are the weak point and my hand can destroy them with a single touch."
'I see," Elizard said thinking then turned to Carissa. "Do you have anything to add about his involvement or about The Fallen men you fought?"
"His assistance was unexpected and unnecessary," Carissa said. "It did make the fight easier though. I will admit his power is quite useful. As for the men, they seemed to be designed to bypass our usual wards. After all, destroying the Traveling Fortress is not easy."
"Their attacks have also been increasing," Knight Leader said. "Casualties have remained low, but we still don't know what they are after. The information on their masks is useful, and I will make sure to relay that information."
"They told us in Italy they want to collect Lucifer's wings to bring him back into this world and kill god," Touma informed them.
"We know that part," Elizard replied. "The problem is, we do not know of any wing in England. England has been protected by Archangel Michael's power, so Lucifer's followers should be weakened just being here. We looked through our information here to try to discover if it was hidden, but so far we had no luck. Rimea had been doing research into it."
"Everything I have learned led to a dead end," Rimea replied looking up from some magazines on horoscopes. "Isn't that why you wanted the Index Librorum Prohibitorum."
"How unusual for you sister," Carissa said smugly. "I thought you were supposed to be the intelligent one."
"I found references to Michael removing Lucifier's wings," Rimea continued. "But no references or possible lore to direct where it might have been hidden."
"This leads me to believe it was a closely guarded secret that was lost throughout the ages," Elizard said and turned to Index. "Do you have any information you could add Index?"
"I don't have any information on the actual wings being divided into gem like objects," Index explained to the Queen. "All the information I have is about his rebellion and defeat. If it wasn't for the battle in Italy, I would not have any information on these wings."
"That is disappointing," Elizard sighed. "But not unexpected. Then let us move to the next topic at hand. The actual Fallen members, who are currently causing problems in our country." Knight Leader took charge of this topic.
"For several months," he told everyone present. "We have seen small skirmishes from masked individuals who have been causing problems throughout England, attacking knights, destroying property, and trying to steal magical relics. It was only recently that one of them revealed herself. It was a young blonde girl who called herself Eve."
"Ah," Touma and Mikoto said together as they recognized the name and appearance.
"I take it you know of her?" Knight Leader said.
"We met her in Italy after we defeated a guy called The Herald," Touma said quickly. "She appeared right afterwards and took the wing."
"She also seems to have the power to create people from paper with a book," Mikoto added remembering how Eve was able to create copies of The Herald.
"Wait," Knight Leader interrupted looking at Mikoto. "Explain yourself."
"Well she demonstrated her ability to create copies of The Herald we fought," Mikoto said quickly. "She held out a book and paper flew from it and created them."
"Are you telling me," Carissa said sounding irritated. "All those masked men we kept fighting where just her creations?"
"They fell apart into dust when their mask was destroyed," Touma pointed out. "It was the same as with The Herald, except he did not have a mask when we fought him."
"You don't understand the significance of some of those masked soldiers," Stiyl said. "The Herald, as you explained to us, actually had intelligence and self-awareness."
"What's that have to do with anything?" Mikoto asked surprised. "Isn't that just part of magic?"
"Short Hair," Index said exasperated, using the same tone she used when Touma asked a stupid question about magic. Mikoto glared at her, but kept quiet because she wanted to hear the answer. "What she should be making is a golem. Golems are principles found in the Kabbalah, as an attempt by man to mimic God. Men were golems originally made of clay, formless and soulless, until God breathed life upon the dirt and called it Man. Mankind learned the secrets from a group of fallen angels on how to make golems through oral traditions. However, mankind could not understand the divine language of angels, so the information could not be passed on perfectly. What were left were soulless machines that can only be puppets to men. Mankind does not have the knowledge to create life from nothing."
"So she found out how to make intelligent puppets," Accelerator said shrugging. "What's the big deal?"
"Arg," Stiyl sighed rubbing his head. "This is why I hate talking with science side individuals. The big deal is that by creating puppets with human intelligence, they are stepping into the domain of god. They are surpassing the powers of normal magicians and it could lead to being a magic god."
"Magic god?" Touma asked.
"They are beings that can shape reality as they see fit," Index explained. "They could destroy the world if they wanted to with little effort. Defeating a magic god with normal magic is impossible. Even using angel class spells might not work."
"Which leads us to the situation of determining what kind of magic they are using," Knight Leader said turning to Index. "Do you have any information on the spells Eve used with your prior meeting in Italy?"
"I was unconscious," Index admitted. "I woke up shortly after they left and we were forced to leave quickly so I only had a brief moment to analyze the magic in the vicinity. It was definitely Christian based magic, but there was something else mixed in. It seemed… older, but I did not have time to study it further. But thinking about how Eve was creating people out of paper from a book, I have some theories. She might be using the Book of Genesis as a base for her theory, focusing on the creation of man. Using paper as a medium instead of mud will only require a small change to the spell. It does not explain how they are able to give their creations intelligence. I will have to see it in action to have any chance of deciphering it."
"Could they be using a piece of Lucifer" Touma asked. "The Herald used it and gained a lot of power."
"That reminds me," Stiyl said. "When Kanzaki and I were there, we felt a dark Telesma coming from more than one source. Do you know where that came from?"
Touma exchanged a briefest glance with Mikoto and Accelerator. Both of them looked like they didn't want to say anything about it. Touma shook his head. "We can't detect Telesma since we aren't magicians. Jason would have been the only magic user with us and he was knocked unconscious."
"Sounds like a disappointing person," Carissa yawned, but her eyes never left Touma's face. Touma felt like she knew he was lying.
"Anyway," Elizard interrupted. "Back to the situation on hand, since you three have met her, what can you tell us about Eve and her accomplish Adam?"
"Is he here too?" Mikoto asked and Elizard shook her head.
"Adam is currently besieging the Roman Catholic Church," Elizard said. "They have passed it off as a terrorist attack, but we have no more information than that."
"Adam seems straight forward," Touma said remembering their brief conversation. "He was prepared to kill us all just because we MIGHT be a hindrance in the future."
"I guess he was right," Mikoto joked quietly and Touma gave a brief grin.
"Eve…," Touma began thinking. "She appeared aloof. Like she would do whatever interested her at that time. She was the one who made the deal for us to stay away from their activities and they would not bother us."
"But then he goes and breaks it rescuing a princess," Accelerator commented.
"I did not need rescuing," Carissa said narrowing her eyes. "I just used an available resource."
"Eve actually came to Buckingham Palace not to long ago," Elizard said.
'What?" Mikoto, Touma, and even Stiyl said in shock.
"She wanted free access to do some research in London," Knight Leader said. "We might have actually listened to her if she didn't go and turn ten of my knights into snakes. The Queen used the power of Curtana to chase her away, but we have no idea what she is planning."
"I might be able to turn them back with my Imagine Breaker," Touma offered.
"I will hold you to that then," Knight Leader said. "But for now, other matters need addressed first."
"It sounds like she wants to find information on the wing too," Rimea continued. "Trying to acquire knowledge without interference is the best way."
"So when do we get a chance to take the fight to her?" Carissa demanded looking at Elizard and Knight Leader.
"Once Index has a chance to analyze the sites of her recent activities," Elizard said. "We will start planning our counter strategy."
"For now," Knight Leader added. "Her creations have spells that appear to counteract our normal defensive spells. We need to figure out how she is making them so we can alter our defenses to prepare for an assault."
"So I'm going to go with them for a while to analyze the magic sites," Index told Touma like he didn't realize she was going to.
"I should go with you," Touma said quickly.
"Impossible," Carissa said suddenly. "While your ability is quite useful, and I intend to make full use of it if the future requires it, but your hand could interfere with the remaining magic. Then she might not be able to analyze it completely and it will be a wasted trip."
"That makes sense," Touma sighed. Mikoto looked at him and gave him a brief pat on the back to reassure him. Suddenly, a most surprising ally came to his aid.
"If I go to watch over her," Accelerator said speaking up. "Then that should not be a problem." He ignored both Touma's and Mikoto's incredulous looks. His reasons were not completely selfless though. I owe that damn hero for my mistake before. I should never have let the nun be captured from right under my nose. The Queen exchanged a look with the Knight Leader who shook his head slightly and spoke up.
"I will personally go with the princesses and her as protection," Knight Leader said. "Along with a squad of my knights. That should be acceptable, no?"
Touma wanted to speak up, but he knew the Knight Leader was offering a perfectly acceptable condition. They obviously don't want the science side butting in too much. "I guess," he said.
"Excellent," Elizard said. "Now we have one more matter to discuss." She turned to Stiyl. "I do not know if you know yet, but there have been some strange activates in Scotland." Stiyl nodded. "Has the church uncovered anything related to it?"
"Well it appears there was a small magic cabal doing some excavation in an old ruin," Stiyl said. "They must have finished, because the trail is showing they packed up and left."
"Do we have any idea where they are headed," Rimea asked.
"They appear to be heading to London. They were found with a map of London marked with every surveillance system in use."
"The church has some inspection points set up to detect magical items correct?" Elizard asked and Stiyl nodded. "But if this group is skilled, they probably can avoid them. I was hoping the church could take charge in tracking down these magicians," Elizard paused for a moment then continued. "We do not know if they are part of The Fallen or not, but they obviously are planning something. Your group is more experienced in tracking down those types."
"Understood," Stiyl said. "I will personally take charge until Kanzaki returns." Stiyl's eyes darted over to Touma and he realized he was going to get roped in no matter what his opinion was. Mikoto also noticed because she whispered into his ear, in an almost threatening manner.
"Don't you dare think of leaving me behind."
Laura Stuart was walking down one of the stone passageways beneath St. George's Cathedral. Not a lot of outsiders knew the full extent of the underground labyrinth that runs for many kilometers under London. Not only did it confuse intruders and protect the many valuable spirit items of the church, it was also good training for the members of Necessarius as there were real and fake traps, along with detour hallways to easily get lost. Laura had been traveling through these halls for years and knew them like the back of her hand. She approached a room marked by an ordinary wooden door. There were no identification markers on the door, and, as she reached for it, she stopped for a moment when she heard voices coming through it.
"Wow, who would have thought he would get a picture like this?"
"Hah, he really came through. Kami-yan always takes things to the extremes. No one is immune to his charms."
"I knew not to take that bet, but, even so, I'm not sad at all. Seriously, two of them. I actually think he's losing his touch. Misaka-san looks embarrassed though."
"She now understands the pain, punishment, and sheer enjoyment of what is the Harem King."
Laura sighed and composed herself before she entered. In the room were two blonde haired young men in high school sitting at a table looking at their phones. "Hello you two," she said. "I hope I am not interrupting anything."
"Not at all," Motoharu said putting his phone away. "A friend of ours just sent us a funny picture."
"Did you find anything out about these marks?" Jason asked holding out his arms revealing two of them.
"We have," Laura said. "After analyzing them, we have determined we can seal two of them immediately."
"Which ones?" Jason asked immediately. "And why only two?"
"Gluttony and Lust," Laura answered. "As for why, each one requires very specific components in order to seal them. We only have the material for two of them right now. Later this week, we should be able to acquire more. We would prefer to destroy them, but as of now, nothing we do could permanently remove them. They would simply find a new host and we would like to prevent them spreading. As of now, you are a very interesting subject by being able to host all seven."
'Yea," Jason said narrowing his eyes at her. "I have heard that before."
"It seems you have something to say to me," Laura commented looking him in the eyes.
"I don't trust you," Jason explained. "I am only working with you out of necessity. You have the same scent as him."
"How rude," Laura said pretending to pout. "I bath on a regular basis unlike him." Motoharu looked between them as they spoke. Neither said who 'he' was, but Motoharu had a pretty good guess.
"It's the scent of secrets and manipulation," Jason clarified though he knew Laura knew exactly what he meant. "Either way, sealing two of them sounds fine. When can we get started?"
"Immediately," Laura said. "We should be able to finish within an hour. Your friends have already left. I did not tell them everything, but they know Kamijou-san and two of his friends are meeting the royal family, which I see you two know too." Jason and Motoharu grinned. "We are currently setting up the room to seal those two marks now. Someone will come in to get you shortly when they finish. Tsuchimikado, I do need to speak with you for a moment." Motoharu nodded and followed Laura out of the room, while Jason leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. Motoharu closed the door and followed Laura down the hall.
"You found out more," Motoharu stated as he followed her.
"Quite a bit," Laura admitted. "He is a very unusual case, but not for the reasons he believes."
"Huh," Motoharu said slightly confused. "What do you mean?"
"After careful examination of the sin marks," Laura explained. "It appears, even with all seven, they do not have any effect on his mana. So he can still cast normal spells, though his knowledge of them is limited."
"But he hasn't been able to use his shadow reliably since we got back from Italy," Motoharu said holding a hand up to his chin thinking. "Except for when he demonstrated it for us. He used it once and it almost spiraled out of control. He believes it was the marks causing his mana to go haywire, since it was the only difference."
"I will admit I do not know anything about the abilities developed in Academy City," Laura admitted. "But even as a combination, the mana is not the problem. The only side effect we found was his body is constantly destroying itself and regenerating from their power. The Pride mark will not disappear because it is always active. He must be constantly in a lot of pain."
"He mentioned he couldn't make it disappear at the beach," Motoharu agreed. "So that sounds true. Then why is his shadow unusable?"
"Telesma."
"What!" Motoharu said stopping in his tracks and staring at her in shock. "Are you saying he has Telesma?"
"No," Laura said also stopping at looking at him. "His body is not producing Telesma. The Telesma is coming from the shadow itself. What is weird is the shadow is not producing it. It just has the Telesma running through it. It's like it absorbed Telesma at some point and is now containing it."
"I wasn't at the battle in Italy," Motoharu said. "But from what Kami-yan told me, Kagere fell unconscious as soon as the battle started when he took the sin marks onto himself. He might have encountered some from the guy he fought I suppose."
"His shadow must have found some source of Telesma," Laura said. "It was like it was bathed in it. From what I gleamed from him as he told us what happened, I doubt he knows of it. It appears when he uses his shadow, the Telesma is empowering it. It probably took some time for the Telesma to spread throughout the shadow, so it would be possible it was exposed before Italy."
"So then what are we planning to tell him then?"
"Nothing," Laura answered simply. "We will modify the rituals when we seal the mark, to dilute the Telesma without him noticing. It should give him more control of his shadow and have him keep believing the sin marks were the cause of it."
"Quite ingenious," Motoharu complimented her. "It wouldn't be good for the science side to have knowledge of Telesma. It could tip the balance."
"Exactly," Laura said and she started to walk again. "I need your help preparing and then you and Kagere-san can go meet up with your friends. I had to tell them an old rumor about the St. Bride's Church in order to come down here to meet with you without drawing suspicion. The blonde girl seemed to be quite perceptive." Motoharu stared at her and burst out laughing.
"Wow," he gasped still laughing. "That rumor is ancient and has been proven false. They are going to be so disappointed." He stopped laughing and looked at Laura. "Oh yea, Shokuhou-san is one of the top ability users in the city. She's quite good at gathering information. Give it a decade or two and she might be as good as you."
"I doubt that," Laura said smiling. "But only time will tell."
Outside a small ordinary gas station, three girls were talking quietly while waiting for their car to fill up. The oldest looking one was about eighteen with silver hair. She has a long-sleeved sports shirt on, with the collar undone making her cleavage slightly visible. The portion of her legs sticking out of the miniskirt had blue leggings on them down to the ankles. She has hearing aid-like devices behind her ears, which look like two vacuum tube-like objects. She looked at the other two as she leaned against the car. "This is the last time we let Lessar pick the vehicle."
"It was partially your fault Bayloupe," the blonde haired girl replied as she watched the fuel nozzle. She was around fifteen and was wearing a white jacket with red and blue sleeves. She wore a skirt and had spats on under it. The weirdest thing about her appearance was she was wearing decorations on her back that looked like small dragon wings. "You told her to find a small cheap inconspicuous car."
"Small does not mean cramped Floris," Bayloupe sighed. "It's easier for you and Lancis, but I have to deal with her antics in the backseat."
"Anyway," Floris said turning to the last girl. "Lancis, how long till we get to London?"
"Hee hee," Lancis giggled but tried to keep her composure. She was a short girl with short brown hair that was forced up with a headband accentuating her forehead. Her clothes were a lacrosse uniform-like set of a shirt, a miniskirt, and spats. "We should be there in a little over an hour. Aheh, it tickles so much haha." She looked down at her hands where small talons were on her fingers.
"Were did Lessor go anyways?" Floris asked.
"She said she wanted to go get some drinks," Bayloupe replied looking at the store. "She better not cause a scene again." She looked up at the convenience store as a girl left with her arms full of drinks. She had the same jacket and skirt as Floris, though she did not have on any spats. She had blue eyes and long black hair, with yellow dye on both sides of her bangs, and sported pink headband. Unlike the other girls, she did not have any noticeable accessories.
"I got drinks," she called our cheerfully.
"Finally," Bayloupe muttered irritated. "Floris just filled up so let's get going. We have a lot of work to do."
"Eh hee," Lancis said getting into the front passenger seat. "Let's hurry…. Hee hee, it tickles so much."
"Damn it," Floris said clicking her tongue. "You always get that tickling feeling whenever you start channeling magic and it makes you incapable of fighting." She got into the driver's seat while Lessar and Bayloupe got into the back seat. Lessar started passing out drinks.
"What's this?" Bayloupe asked angry. "Did you purposely grab the brand of tea I hate the most?
"Of course not," Lessar answered unconvincingly. "I wouldn't do that just because you pulled my tail and hit my butt."
"I knew it," Bayloupe said and grabbed Lessar's cheek. "I never said anything about your tail. If you didn't shove your ass in my face I wouldn't have had to."
"You always get so mad before a mission!" Lessar cried out in pain. "Floris, Lancis, help!"
"I'm focusing on driving," Floris replied evenly. "Lancis won't be able to do much as long as she's using magic." She sipped her drink, perfectly fine with the selection. "Anyway, Lessar, have you finished the preparations with Skíðblaðnir? We have 'it' now so we need to make sure the container is functioning perfectly."
"Huh?" Lessar asked temporarily distracted and allowing Bayloupe to get the advantage in their fight. A long thin tail was sticking out from under her skirt as she fought. "All four of the cases have been prepared."
"Good job Lessar," Floris said praising her.
"About time you do your job correctly," Bayloupe said and let go of Lessar. Lessar started rubbing her cheeks which had become red due to the excessive pulling.
"Let's focus everyone," Floris said now that the excitement had died. "We're about to destroy the very framework of the United Kingdom."
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.
Motoharu: Hmm, four girls? I guess Kami-yan's harem is going to grow.
Accelerator: The majority of them sound like idiots. They fit perfectly together.
Touma: Hey, there's no way some random magic cabal girl is going to fall for me.
Motoharu: …
Accelerator: …
Jason: …
Stiyl: …
Pierce: …
Readers: …
Everyone else in the world: …
Touma: Wait, what do you mean by everyone else in the world?
Motoharu: You know what it means.
Accelerator: Can't wait till see the third's, fourth's and fifth's reactions.