Another Christmas come and gone, and it is now almost the New Year. Couple hours left for me, but for many of you, I am sure it is already 2016. The first month, everyone will still be putting 2015 on dates. I worked hard to get this out before the New Year, as my gift for you. I am also happy to say this is the fiftieth chapter, quite a mile stone. When I first made this story, I told myself I wanted it to be long and involved. More than just a short crack fic, in which I wanted to improve myself as a writer. I expected it to be long, but I did not expect it to balloon into what it is now. A lot of people have asked questions on what I have planned for future arcs. I have to answer too many of those questions with just don't know. The story has taken on a life of its own and I just have to write down what happens. I have a couple major events in future arcs, but priority now is to finish this with the optimum level of misfortune for Touma and everyone else being happy.
Generation Zero: Oh, the ending will be great. As for WWIII, that proposes an entirely separate issue. The current events will definitely affect the final outcome so it will be vastly different then canon.
Agent Nine: How much damage did the wall do to your fist? We can't all have a fist of steel like Touma Kamijou.
Guest: I can't wait for A Certain Beauty-Sempai to make her appearance. After all, she and Misaki have such a colorful history together.
general ironox: With that scenario, there would be no survivors.
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.
"Why would you say those things to them?" Touma demanded at Carissa, after she had George forcefully take the phone away from him.
"I simply informed them the seriousness of the situation," Carissa responded, completely passive. "I have done everything I promised. The plane is getting ready as we speak and you have told your friends the deal you made. If they accept it, then this will be the end of it. If they don't, well… they know the consequences of their actions. I almost want them to refuse my offer though. That one girl was quite rude to me and I would like to teach her the proper meaning of respect." Touma felt his stomach sink. He didn't like it, but he had to admit she was right and did fulfill her promise. The issue was, he knew, she was serious about treating his friends as enemies if they refused. If they did not choose to accept the deal, by their responses they weren't, there was a distinct possibly they would be hurt, or even killed. At that moment, he resolved to do everything in his power to work on stopping the fight.
"You don't have to continue this war you know," Touma told her. "There are other ways to end this peacefully. The knights follow you, so they obviously believe you would make a good leader. You don't have to kill your family."
"I am afraid I am forced to," Carissa said as she stood up. "As long as one of them is alive, my rule is not secured. The threat of them trying to take Curtana away from me will always be a possibility. My mother was weak, and England is suffering on the world stage, while both of my sisters are not any better."
"What do you mean?" Touma asked. He wanted to get as much information as possible from Carissa in order to find out the best way to stop this. He didn't want her to lose and get branded a traitor, but he also didn't want her to succeed in killing her family. One you go down that route, there's no turning back. I will save her before she does something she will regret. Touma didn't see people as good and evil, he focused on what they did. He would do anything in his power to help people go down the right path.
"You haven't been here long," Carissa sighed. "I also don't know how much information Academy City allows their citizens to view on current events, but England's place in the world has been shrinking ever since my mother took over. She's been known as the Pacifist Queen." Carissa spat out those last two words in disgust. "Due to her wanting to prevent any conflict, she has been signing all sorts of treaties with the European Union. Part of the agreement was disarmament and we lost most of our advanced weaponry. The first thing I am going to do is void all those treaties and reassert England as its own true sovereignty. We will build up our military once again."
"Isn't preventing war a good thing though?" Touma asked confused. Does she only care about actually fighting?
"If it's real peace maybe," Carissa said waving her hand dismissively. "The hidden fact is the Roman Catholic Church is pulling the strings to weaken England. They know trying to take us out in a straight out war will not work. They are giving more and more power to other countries, especially France, who really is just a puppet for them. Now, they are allowed to hold the technology for advanced warfare and we are supposed to get rid of all of ours. Because we appear weak, other outside forces are trying to take advantage of us. The Fallen have begun to test our defenses, because we have shown them our weakness. This can't be tolerated. My people deserved better than this. I won't wait for when England fails the test of time and becomes a puppet to the Catholic Church."
Touma's eyes widened slightly and he gave her a brief nod. "I see," he said slowly as realization hit him. "I knew there was more to this coup. You are doing this for the people, not just yourself."
"Oh," Carissa said in mild amusement, but raising an eyebrow. "So you do understand. My name will go down in history as the Queen who brought England from the brink of annihilation."
"But," Touma continued. "Regardless of your motives, killing your family is still wrong. Just because they didn't follow your idea of the best path, doesn't mean their choice was incorrect. We can't predict the future and can only follow what we believe is the best choice for the future. Killing people, however, is wrong, because there is always another way. If you talked it out with your mother, I'm sure you could have come up with a better plan then either of yours put together. I can't really give you advice on the path to go for protecting an entire country but, if you insist on traveling down the path of a murderer, I will shatter that illusion of yours." He held out his right fist, but didn't make any attempt to charge at Carissa. George had shifted his weight in anticipation of an attack, but stopped when he realized what Touma was doing.
"Not a bad speech for a high school student," Carissa commented. The look of amusement did not slip from her face. "Have you practice it before?" Touma didn't reply and instead kept his eyes focused on her. "Did you think I haven't talked to her about this? She is quite stubborn, I inherited that trait from her, and she will definitely come to try to take Curtana away from me. If she does, I will be branded a traitor and the country will go back to the slow decline as it did before. However," She stopped and gazed back into his eyes, a slight smirk on her lips. "That resolve you have… I definitely choose correctly to make you a knight and serve me. I have only witness that type of resolve in two others, Knight Leader and an old mercenary. When I finish my business, I will make sure to supervise your training… personally. Anyway," her tone suddenly became crisp and business like as she turned to George, "You are in charge of watching him until my return. Your unit is on reserve, so you might as well introduce him to them. It would be good for him to understand what being a knight means."
"Yes ma'am," George replied putting his fist on his chest. She nodded in acknowledgement and dismissed them with a wave of her hand. George grabbed hold of Touma's shoulder and led him out the door they had come through. Right before the door shut behind them, Touma turned and looked at Carissa. She looked distracted until he caught her eye. She immediately smirked at him as he opened his mouth.
"If my friends don't leave," Touma called over his shoulder. "And they get hurt. I will never forgive you." Carissa didn't reply and the door shut behind him. Touma and George walked in silence down the hall. Touma glanced at George's passive face, but couldn't read anything about what he was thinking. Touma turned his thoughts back to what he heard Carissa tell him, and he couldn't understand why she wasn't able to come up with a better option. He snapped out of his thoughts when George guided him down a different hallway, instead of heading back to the room Index was in. "Aren't we going back for Index?" he asked.
"Not right now," George replied. "She will be monitored in that room until Lady Carissa says otherwise. This was a direct order from her."
"Why?"
"Because of her knowledge," he answered simply. "You know her ability to analysis magic correct? Would you let an enemy tactician move around at leisure to examine your military might? The risk of her sabotaging our defenses still exists."
"She's not an enemy," Touma protested, but then sighed. "Though, I see your point. So where are we going?"
"I am taking you to meet my unit," stated George. "Just like Lady Carissa said. They are waiting in the far wing, as they just got back from their patrols. We are on standby right now until we are ordered to move out, which probably won't be long if the church decides to attack." His voice was calm, but Touma could tell there was a lot more on his mind then he was letting on. Touma figured this would be one of his few opportunities to try to get some answers.
"Do you support what she is doing?" Touma asked him again, as they walked down the deserted hallway. There was a moment's hesitation, like he was thinking if he could get away easily like last time, before he spoke.
"As a knight," he said slowly and deliberately, like he was weighing every word. "My duty is to the ruler and the country. I can't bring personal feelings into this. I follow orders as directed and will give my life if needed. While her actions may be slightly… distasteful… we swore to follow her. We had to choose what we believed was the best direction for England."
"I understand your feelings," Touma told him, and he truly did. The knights were worried about the direction England was going too, and they followed Carissa because they believed her choice of action was the one with the greatest chance of success. Touma didn't know all the politics involved between England and the Roman Catholic Church but, because England was a country rich in magic, he could tell there would always be some disagreements. "But there has to be away for England to exist without killing the other members of the royal family. I don't believe the country is as weak as you think."
"Your optimism is refreshing," George said and there was a sad smile on his face. "I suppose there is always that possibility, but there is not always time to discover it. The other forces move while we sit and deliberate. Lady Carissa is a woman of action, something us knights can understand and support. Queen Elizard may have meant well, though former queen now, but many of us felt she was too passive when dealing with other countries. Though, I personally approved of our alliance with America and Academy City. Even then, they begin to influence our country too."
"Having allies doesn't mean you are weak," Touma told him. "Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. When you join forces you just make yourself stronger by covering each other's weaknesses. Also, the opposite is true with regards to influence. We learned globalization in school and even if they influence you, you are also influencing them. Alliances are two way streets and I'm sure if England is in trouble, they will come and help you. While I'm here, I am going to do everyone I can to convince Carissa not to go through with her plan. I don't know anything about ruling, but I am going to stop her from going past the point of no return. I know what it is like to try to do everything myself, and it took an important friend of mine to make me realize I can't."
"When we introduce you to the others," George told him, changing topics. "Remember to address her correctly. You do not want to show off your relationship to my men."
"W-we don't have a relationship," sputtered a surprised Touma.
"Regardless," George said, interrupting him and a small grin appeared on George's face. "You do not want people to perceive one if one does not exist. It leads to problems, and may start undermining her leadership if people believe she is playing favorites. I know she is not one to do so, because I have seen your actions first hand. I will vouch for you. But if you plan to continue to try to persuade her to change her plans, I do not like your chances."
"What do you mean?"
"She is not one to change her mind when she sets her sight on something," George answered seriously. "Ever since she was a kid, once she decides on a course of action, she would follow through with it to the end."
"I've been told I'm pretty stubborn too," Touma said while laughing slightly.
"You two have a lot in common then," George muttered. "Oh, I just remembered." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. "Most of the knights under me can't speak Japanese. Lady Carissa and I have been speaking it to make the transition easier. Tuck it under your collar and don't touch it with your right hand. It will translate words into English so they can understand you and you them." Touma frowned slightly. He was so use to people speaking Japanese to him, that he completely forgot people don't speak it normally in England. The few times they spoke English in his presence, there was a translator. He took it with his left hand and did what he was told.
They continued the rest of their trip in silence until they stopped at a door. "Let me introduce you before you say anything," George told Touma. Touma nodded and George pushed open the door. It was a large room, with an open door on the far side that led outside. It was not elaborately decorated like the other rooms he had been in. The rug looked worn and the furniture was simple. There were two large tables and many wooden chairs, but no couches or sofa chairs he had been used to seeing. The room was occupied by about twenty men, ranging in age from mid-twenties to upper fifties. Three of them were wearing full armor, except the helm, and the rest were in casual clothes, most likely what they wore under their armor. Every one of them turned and looked up at George and Touma. When they walked in and shut the door behind them, all of the knights stood up immediately and put their hand to their chest in a salute.
"Sir!" they said in unison.
"At ease," George said raising his hand. All then men relaxed and went back to either sitting down or leaning against a wall. "I have come to introduce you to this young man. His name is Touma Kamijou, a student from Japan. Due to… circumstances… he is the guardian of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, and they are now staying in England. It appears Lady Carissa, specifically, wants him to be trained as a knight. Since the country is currently experiencing a revolution, his training will be put on hold. For now, she wants him to get to know the knights and learn about what we do, until we get summoned." All the knight's eyes turned to Touma and gazed intently at him. He shifted slightly during the uncomfortable silence, until someone spoke up.
"It seems like an odd time to join us sir," a knight with short black hair and around his mid-thirties spoke up suspiciously. "Doesn't he need to go through the proper training before joining an actual unit? Besides, if he joined now, wouldn't it be likely he might be a spy?"
"Timing is the reason WHY he joined us in the first place," George replied. "As for a spy, well he has worked for the church before and previously was a student from Academy City in Japan."
"Doesn't that make him an obvious spy?" the knight asked incredulously.
"One might think so," George responded nodding solemnly. "However, he and Lady Carissa have had an arrangement made. Right now, he is not a spy." Touma felt all the knights turn toward him again, this time in surprise rather than curiosity, when George mentioned he talked to Lady Carissa.
"You talked with her directly?" one of the knights near Touma asked him. The knight was younger, around mid-twenties, with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked impressed. "Usually only the commanders get a chance to have a private audience with her. How do you know her, if you're from Japan?"
"Well," Touma said rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He was painfully aware of all the stares and he wanted to make sure to heed George's warning about not causing anyone to think he was involved with Carissa. "While I was on a trip to England, I accidently saw the princess and two knights getting attack by members of The Fallen. I jumped in and helped out as best I could. During her cou… revolution," he decided to use the term George used, "we ran into each other and she brought me back to the palace. We reached an agreement, and now I am here." He didn't lie, but he wanted to keep several parts of the conversation a secret, unless it was absolutely necessary. The young knight stared at him for a moment in shock, Touma didn't know why, until he spoke again.
"You actually helped her in a fight?" he asked. "But she's incredibly strong."
"Yea well," Touma said rubbing his neck again. "They were equipped to fight English magicians, but they didn't expect my involvement."
"I doubt you were any help to her, except maybe as a distraction," a large man in the corner snorted. His head was completely bald, but it looked like he shaved it. "Did you just wave your hands and yell while they turned around? I don't sense a single drop of mana within you."
"I was with Lady Carissa at the time," George interrupted glaring slightly at the knight. The knight lowered his head slightly, but his stern gaze did not leave Touma. "They had enchanted weapons that could bypass our magical defenses. Our armor was blown away with just a light tap from their blades. While I had no doubt Lady Carissa would have made it out alive, his interference was indeed helpful. He could take down one of them with a single hit." The bald mana looked very much like he didn't believe it, but he wasn't going to publically denounce a superior office. George wasn't fooled though. "Do you doubt me?"
"Never sir," the man replied instantly.
"I think you are," George replied sternly. "Your doubt is understandable though. I think a demonstration is in order." He grinned. "Since you seem to doubt him, you would be the best opponent for him Frank."
"Demonstration?" Touma asked quickly turning to George. "No one said I would need to do something like this."
"Think of it as a sparring match," George replied still grinning and smacked Touma in the back. His strength caused Touma to stumble forward a step. "They all have been cooped up here too long. A little warm up match to help some of them stretch their legs isn't a bad thing. There's a small ring outside that door we can use."
"Heh," Frank laughed. "I could use the exercise and I'm interested to see what this kid can do without any mana." He stood up and left out the back door and the rest of the knights followed, talking between themselves excitedly. Touma, however, turned to George.
"You can't be serious," Touma said to George. "These guys are trained for combat and infused with Curtana's power right? You know the power of my hand, it only works on magic, and even Index said it wouldn't negate the Telesma the knights received. I'll get killed if I fight him in a fist fight."
"Oh I doubt that," George said, dismissing all of Touma's concerns with a wave of his hand. "You'll be fine, but we need to do this and get it out of the way. It is only a matter of time before they find out the preferential treatment you are receiving from Lady Carissa. It's best to show that her judgement is correct, otherwise they may begin to doubt her leadership."
"She's showing me preferential treatment?" Touma asked dubiously. "What does normal treatment entail then? Actually, on second thought, I don't want to know. But your answer doesn't say how I am supposed to fight someone who's trained for combat, like a knight."
"He is trained in physical combat yes," George agreed, as he led Touma outside. "But he tends to… ah I don't want to spoil the surprise." He grinned. "This will be a good lesson for him too. I don't play favorites but, as the underdog, a word of advice for you. Try to end it quickly."
"You have a lot of confidence in me," Touma replied dryly and hung his head in despair. "If I make a fool out of myself, it's your fault." He had no idea what George saw in him. Even if the knight didn't use the Telesma given by Curtana, he would undoubtedly be trained in some sort of hand to hand combat. The only training Touma ever received was all the street fights he got into. His technique was more centered on trial in error, and he still had the bruises to prove it. He also had never fought a knight before and had no idea how they fought. He briefly thought back to the fight against the Fallen, when they were on his side, but they were using weapons. I hope he doesn't use a weapon. He sighed, depressed, as they walked over to the others. "Such misfortune."
"I'm sure you will do fine," George reassured him. "If not… well try not to get hurt to badly. I'll only step in to stop a life threatening blow."
"What?" Touma asked stunned and spun to look at him. "Do you think it would be funny if I get pulverized?"
"Maybe a little," George shrugged and Touma glared at him. "Hey, I may be a knight, but I'm still a human. We can't be as strict as Knight Leader all the time. But as I said, I am sure you will do fine." They walked over to a dirt patch area, surrounded be a small dirt mound to mark the ends of the ring. All the knights were gathered around it and Frank was standing in the middle, stretching his arms above his head. "Go on then," George said giving Touma a slight push into the ring. "Oh yea," he said, as if the thought almost slipped his mind. "Since he has not gone through the rite to be a knight yet, he can't access Curtana's Telesma. Well there's other reasons he probably can't too." He muttered the last sentence under his breath, and then his voice got loud again. "Frank don't use yours either, just rely on your skills as a knight. No physical weapons, but magic is allowed."
"Sounds good," Frank said cracking his neck. "I don't want people to think I'm bulling a kid." Touma didn't say anything in response. He didn't want to fight, because he didn't have a reason to fight. Frank looked really confident and Touma noticed, while he didn't have any armor, Frank was muscular. He also had a couple scars on his arms, which made Touma believe he had been in several fights. George looked at both of them and raised his hand.
"Begin."
Touma immediately went into a defensive stance, because Frank seemed like the kind of guy to charge straight ahead. To his surprise, Frank grinned and pulled out a small silver sword handle. He gripped it and mumbled something under his breath. The handle started to glow and then the silver hilt began to stretch until it was a couple feet long. Frank swung the sword in front of him, as if testing the weight. "Hey," Touma protested, turning to George. "Didn't you say no weapons? That definitely looks like one."
"The hilt isn't a weapon," George replied mildly. "The blade was made by magic, so it's allowed." Frank grinned and Touma groaned.
"I'm beginning to think you hold some grudge against me," Touma mumbled and George grinned. A couple of the nearby knights laughed. Touma sighed and pulled his attention back to the fight. Frank was obviously confident, since Touma didn't appear to have any power. Wait if the sword is made of magic… ah, that's why he allowed it. His eyes darted to George who gave him a quick wink. Touma took a step forward and Frank responded by dashing towards Touma. Even though Frank wasn't using the power from Curtana, he was still fast compared to a normal person, though Touma believed he might have had body enhancing spells. Touma moved to his left, in order to position his right hand in between himself and the sword. However, Frank didn't swing the sword at him, and instead kicked at his legs. Touma jumped back at the last second to soften the blow. The hit didn't do any real damage, but the momentum was enough to make him fall to the ground.
"You're ten years too early to fight a knight," Frank laughed. "Are you sure this is the kid the princess had her eye on?" George nodded. "Is this all he can do?" George shrugged. Frank looked annoyed at the lack of useful information and turned his attention back to Touma, who had stood up again. Most of the knights were shaking their head at this seemingly one sided fight. The younger knight who talked to Touma earlier was one of the few who looked apprehensive. "I'm disappointed. I heard a couple of the people from Academy City caused some commotion at a mall. If they are as weak as he is, there's no doubt they will fall before us. But of course the weak get weeded out for the strong." Touma froze for a second and then got angry.
"Don't you dare think of trying to hurt my friends," Touma told him through gritted teeth.
"Oh," Frank said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, maybe they shouldn't be so weak and foolish. They are just going to die if they oppose us."
"They aren't weak," Touma shot back. "Apologize." He didn't care if he was insulted, but he would always stand up for his friends.
"Make me," Frank dared him and jumped forward, while swinging his blade. George might have stepped up because the fight, which was just supposed to be a sparring match, was turning personal, but he could tell Frank was only going for a shallow cut with the sword and decided against it. Touma simultaneously brought up a fist. He was determined to sock that guy once for insulting his friends. The sword came down on his fist, and shatter with the sound of glass breaking. Everyone could only stare in stunned silence as Touma continued to bring his fist into the side of Frank's face. When his hand hit the target, they heard the sound of breaking glass again. Touma's fist connected and Frank was knocked backwards. He moved his foot back reflexively and prevented himself from falling over, but he immediately jumped back and looked at the hilt in his hand.
"What the…?" he said. "You destroyed my blade… and my defensive spells. What are you?" The other knights' expressions turned to shock, and they started to whisper among themselves. The younger knight and George were grinning. Frank muttered under his breath and the hilt formed another silver sword. His face no longer had an amused expression. "I might have under estimated you."
"Apologize for insulting my friends," Touma told him again, as he stared intently at Frank. Frank didn't reply and Touma got a deadly premonition, so he immediately shifted to his right. The sword Frank was holding had extended and moved like a whip, right where Touma had been standing a second earlier. It retracted and started to spiral in front of him. I'm glad I listen to my instincts, or I could have lost an arm. He's getting serious, why didn't George stop it. Touma didn't know it, but George was just about to jump in. He stopped himself at the last second because he saw Touma move. The circle of knights was deadly quiet. They too could feel the tension in the air.
"Shut up boy," Frank snapped. "I don't care who you are or who chose you. The look on your face pisses me off." He knew this was just a sparring match, but he wanted to cause a serious injury to the boy in front of him. He wasn't entirely sure why, but the boy really irritated him. It might have been the fact the boy was chastising him in front of everyone else. He could shape the metal in his sword like a whip, but with even more control. His next attack was going to be a faint and, instead, the blade would circle around Touma and strike at him from the side. He grinned as he swung his blade. It whipped forward in a slight arc and, right before it struck Touma, it changed direction and looped at his right side. Frank was sure he won, when Touma stuck out his right hand and grabbed the end of his sword. The blade shattered and broke apart from where Touma touched it, like it was being disintegrated.
"Are you done?" Touma asked him softly and Frank looked at his eyes. They seemed to be staring straight through him. Frank had no idea what happened. It was like this boy could destroy magic, but he refused to believe that. Before he could clear his mind and think logically, Touma charged at him. Metal erupted from his hilt and formed a circle in front of him. He had instinctively made a shield, but he had no way of knowing how useless that was against Touma. He heard the sound of breaking glass, right before his shield exploded into dust and the first continued to fly right towards his face. He felt the blow and, though it wasn't strong enough to knock him out, it had hit him in the jaw. The blow disoriented him enough to knock him down onto the ground. He shook his head and looked up to see Touma standing over him. There was silence, and then the rest of the knights burst into cheers.
"I see we have a clear winner," George said stepping into the ring. "I believe you have something to say Frank?"
Frank looked at the ground in shame. "I'm sorry for the disrespect."
"Thanks," Touma said and reached a hand down to help Frank to his feet. After he was standing up, George smacked him on the back.
"That's what I call a sparring match," George said. "Keeping your cool in the situation and striking when your opponent lets their guard down." He turned to Frank. "You know you could have beaten him if you just used basic training instead of relying on your magic. Touma Kamijou here," he spoke louder to the rest of the knights, "has the power to neutralize magic. Because of this, and his determination to help others, he fought besides myself and Lady Carissa against The Fallen. If you all noticed, even after he won, he showed his opponent respect. Do any of you still believe he is not worthy of being a knight?"
"No sir," every knight in the circle said in unison.
"Good," George told them all. "Anyway, the main reason I brought him here was for him to get to know about the knights. He still has to go through most of the training, so don't spoil too much for him." Several of the knights laughed and Touma felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. "Answer questions, tell him what it's like, what kind of things you have done, and so forth. At least until he is summoned back." He turned and walked back inside, while calling over his shoulder, "Who thinks they can beat me in poker? I could use a couple games to relax." Most of the knights headed back inside, but a couple of them, including the young one, stayed back.
"That was impressive," the young knight told him. "Oh, my names Zach by the way. Your power is really impressive."
"Thanks," Touma replied. "It has gotten me involved in a lot of problems though. I was told my power negates my luck too."
"That would explain how you got involved with the princess," the knight with short black hair said. 'You must have interested her or she wouldn't have pressured you into the knights. She usually doesn't recruit and only supervises our training."
"How do you know I got forced?" Touma asked turning to him.
"Her personality," he said shrugging. "If you had volunteered, you would have just gone through basic training before meeting a knight unit."
"She has an eye for talent," Zach added. "She's also very strong and has the innate ability to lead. So, you actually fought alongside her? What was that like?"
"Well," Touma said shrugging. "At the time I didn't know who she was and we fought some masked Fallen members. She was incredibly quick and figured out how to fight them when she just learned of my power."
"Sounds like her," Zach said impressed.
"So," the black haired knight continued and grinned. "Has anything happened between you and the princess?"
"What?" Touma asked shocked. "First George and now you? Why does everyone think something happened? What do you all think could happen?"
"Well if she took interest in you," the knight pointed out. "But judging from your strong reaction, nothing happened yet."
"What do you mean YET?" Touma asked wildly. Even Zach looked at the other knight in interest.
"I don't think he knows," another knight said behind the black haired one. "And Zach wasn't a knight then."
"Ah well," the black haired knight said sighing. "Probably shouldn't tell him then. It's better if he can live a normal life a little longer before he finds out."
"Tell me," Touma said desperately. "I need to know what to expect."
"Fine," he sighed again. "About seven to eight years ago Lady Carissa developed an interest in someone else. She personally oversaw his training and was harder on him then any of the other knights. There were a lot of rumors she was going to choose him as a husband, since knights, above a certain rank, can marry into the royal family. Anyway, from what I heard, he was a very rebellious person, who didn't like taking orders and stood up against her. I think that may have been what drew her interest in the first place. I can't really say attracted because no one knew if she really loved him. She eventually dropped him after he was sent somewhere."
"I heard it was up north," the third knight said and he nodded.
"Ah that's right."
"What happened to him?" Touma asked.
"Why did she lose interest?" Zach added.
"This is only a rumor," he said and put his arms on both of their shoulders. "I heard he had a nervous breakdown and his mind broke. He sort of became a yes man and she lost all interest. So Touma, try not to lose your mind or you might join him." He got off them and stretched. "I feel sorry for you."
"Poor b#$$%^&$," the third knight said shaking his head. They both looked at each other and laughed.
"Now I know you too are messing with me," Touma sighed and, while his heart stopped beating wildly, a reluctant grin formed on his face. Zach started grinning too, when he realized it was all a joke, or believed it to be one.
"It's true," the black haired knight said looking straight at Touma. Touma felt his grin slip off and crash to the floor. "She's really picky on who she wants as a partner." He stopped and looked around to make sure no one else was listening. "You didn't hear it from me, but I heard the Queen was getting impatient with her."
"There's no way that could happen," Touma said trying to laugh, but his voice came out hoarse.
"Well if it does," the third knight told him. "Run if you see a whip in her hands." He and the black haired knight left Touma and Zach to themselves.
"Please tell me they are joking," Touma whispered to Zach, who just shrugged.
"I don't know," he replied. "I have heard rumors the Queen wanted her to start seriously looking for someone. The ensuring fight shook the castle and I heard Knight Leader had to intervene. Wish we knew where he was now. This revolution could end a lot faster."
"What do you mean?" Touma asked interested. He knew Knight Leader had gone after Jason, who must have gotten away, but he didn't know why Knight Leader didn't come back.
"Since you haven't gone through the rite yet," Zach said hesitantly. "You wouldn't know and I probably shouldn't say. But a little while ago, there was a ripple in the Telesma as Knight Leader's presence just vanished. It's not like he died, but more his power was severed. We have no idea what happened."
"That's weird," Touma said frowning. Did Jason do something? Or did someone else interrupt them?
"That's enough depressing talk," Zach said slapping Touma on the back. "I'll introduce you to everyone and warn them you're the princess's eye candy."
"No!" Touma told him firmly. "Don't you dare. I have enough idiotic friends who do stuff like that to me."
"I'm just messing with you," Zach laughed. "Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone." Touma followed him back inside and started to mingle with the others.
After an hour or so, Touma learned a lot about the knights and the order. What surprised him the most was how normal everyone was. There were so many personalities and everyone joined the knights for their own reasons. Some joined for glory, others wanted to help England, and some it was tradition. Either way, they all seemed to get along, with only an occasional fight. It seemed like the thing they grumbled about the most was, since they were on reserve, they couldn't drink. About two thirds of them complained about it within ear shot of him. One elder knight complained too much and George threw a chair at him to get him to shut up. The atmosphere feels just like my class. It's like we all grew up and kept the same maturity. Touma was told about several of the missions the unit carried out, including a rescue operation against a Roman Catholic magic time passed,he briefly forgot all these men were trained knights, who were quite capable of killing, until the door to the room burst open and Carissa entered.
"ATTENTION!" George roared at his knights as soon as he saw who it was. As one unit, all the other knights jumped into a standing position and stood side by side on each side of the room. Touma, who had no idea, was left in the middle, painfully aware of everyone watching him.
"Did he perform well?" Carissa asked George.
"Exactly as you predicted," he replied.
"Excellent," Carissa said smirking and looking right at Touma. He gulped, afraid what was about to happen to him. The fear of the other knight's words echoed in the back of his mind. "You," she pointed to Touma, "are coming with me and George." She turned and looked at George. "I have a couple things I need to discuss with you. The rest of your men," she turned to them, "are to get ready to move out immediately. The church has begun to marshal on London's west side."
"Yes ma'am!" they chanted in unison. Carissa turned to leave and George motioned for Touma to follow. He didn't really have any choice in the matter and his legs moved automatically after them. The door shut behind him and he heard muffle footsteps as all the knights started to put their armor on.
"You don't have to figh…" Touma started to say, but Carissa cut him off.
"Don't be so ignorant," she snapped at him. "You know damn well the church chose the option they are going to take. I do have good news for you though. It appears your friends have accepted my deal."
"What?" Touma asked in genuine shock. After the phone call, he expected them to do something stupid, like he would do. "How do you know?"
"They contacted me through your phone," she said holding his phone out in her hand. "The bus had just entered the airport a moment ago. They tinted the windows and added a couple protective spells to it in case I decide to go back on my word. My knights reported there is only one person capable of using magic, the others fourteen can't. Does that much up with your group?" Touma quickly counted everyone.
"Yes," he said. He was glad they were going to be out of harm's way, even if he was going to be left alone in England with Index. The knowledge they wanted to help save him was enough for him. I rather be the only one in trouble then have all my friends share it. He suddenly remembered Mikoto's speech back at the beach during the Tokiwadai trip. Maybe I am just being selfish… Wait, only one person who can use magic? Wouldn't Tsuchimikado also show up? Could he have stayed behind because he works with them? But she said fifteen total so he should be there. What is going on?
"Shame," Carissa said softly. "I was hoping that rude girl would decide to attack. I would love to meet her on the battlefield, to teach her respect, and talk your magic user friend, who somehow managed to escape Knight Leader. Do you think he would accept a job if offered?"
"Maybe?" Touma said shrugging. He gave up trying to figure out what Jason would do. He always seemed to do the opposite of what people expected.
"Anyway," she turned to George. "Your troops will move out and join up with the other knights to intercept the main church forces."
"The church should know a frontal assault would be futile," George replied sternly. "This sounds like a diversion."
"Oh it is," Carissa laughed. "They are using the majority of their forces in hit and run tactics. They want us to move all of our forces toward the west. A scout detected a small unit moving stealthily on the east side. Most likely, that unit has their skilled individuals and is part of the rescue mission for the boy. Since his friends have unusual powers, I saw the reports from the mall, I stationed several knights to monitor them as the head toward the airport. The church was waiting for my troops to spread out so they can attack. It's not going to work."
"Since Knight Leader has not returned," George said. "Who are you sending to intercept the small group?"
"I'm sending the first elite squad under Knight Leader," Carissa smirked. "They should be enough to take out even a couple Saints. Plus, they want revenge for their commander. Since we know their objective," her eyes flickered to Touma, "I will be stationed here in case they somehow manage to get through."
"You appear to have thought of everything Lady Carissa," George acknowledged.
"Of course."
"Isn't there some other method we could do to avoid the violence?" Touma asked, though he really didn't believe Carissa would go with along with his suggestion.
"You really are dense," Carissa sighed. "I suppose you could tell them you won't help them but, knowing you, if you thought going with them would save lives, you would. Either way, they will force you to help them. That's the kind of games the church plays behind the scenes. They are always trying to manipulate the royal family."
"Huh?" Touma asked.
"It's the triangle to maintain balance," George told him. "The Royal family controls the knights, the knights monitor the church, and the church advises the royal family."
"If they would just accept my rule," Carissa continued, as if she wasn't interrupted. "There wouldn't be violence, but they refused, so they chose this path." She and George started discussing a couple different plans before moving out and Touma got lost in his thoughts.
Stiyl's really stubborn and has a lot of influence in the church. I doubt the church will want Carissa to rule England. My best bet is to convince her, which seems unlikely, or destroy Curtana. He looked at Curtana which was attached to Carissa's belt right in front of him. Did she let her guard down? He started to reach toward it and then stopped. Can I do this? I promised to serve her as a knight if she let my friends go and they accepted. If I try to grab Curtana now, I'm betraying her after I made a promise. But if I grab it now, I could prevent the war from breaking out. Would it even stop the war? What if the knights keep following her? Touma's hand dropped to his side as the debate raged in his mind. His thoughts were interrupted when Carissa's voice cut through them.
"I was wondering if you were going to try," she told him. "I purposely let myself appear to be open to see if you could keep your word. I am pleased you can. After all, if you had tried I would have been forced to break your fingers." Touma let out a silent sigh of relief that he didn't go through in trying to destroy it.
"We are here," George said and opened the door. It appeared to be a living quarters, as Touma saw a small bed, when George pushed him inside. A moment later, he heard his name and saw Index running at him.
"TOOUUMMMAAA!" Index cried and collided with him. Touma fell back into the wall and Index fell to the ground rubbing her head. "I didn't know what happened to you. And I'm hungry."
"Good to see you to Index," Touma said, rubbing his gut, before turning to Carissa and George. "What now?"
"You will wait here in the extra living quarters," Carissa told him. "Count yourself lucky, most commoners, actually most people, do not get this opportunity." George grinned at Touma behind Carissa and he felt his ears burn, as his mind went back to what the other knights teased him about.
"Why here?" Touma asked. "I figured you would stick me with the other knights."
"I can hardly leave someone as important as the Index Librorum Prohibitorum in the same living quarters as the knights," Carissa said in a tone, as if questioning his intelligence. "As her guardian, it is only natural for you to stay with her. There is only one bed, so I recommend not doing anything you won't mind getting interrupted. You have no privacy here." Touma looked at her incredulously.
"What are you saying?" he asked wildly. "There's no way I could do something like that! People need to stop thinking that!" Carissa and George both smirked at him and he realized Carissa was just messing with him for her amusement. Index tilted her head. She was confused at what they were talking about. Carissa appeared satisfied with making fun of him and turned back to George.
"Lock him in and go lead your unit," she told him coldly. "Show no mercy to those traitors."
"Understood," George said bowing his head slightly and Touma could feel his demeanor change completely. His facial expression turned stone cold and he stood up straight. His aura changed to someone who was going to fight to the death for his cause. Touma remembered that, while George did enjoy normal things, he was a leader of a group of knights and Carissa was his direct superior. He wouldn't get to that position with charisma alone. The door shut and Touma heard it lock.
"Did they treat you ok?" Touma asked Index and he sat down on a chair and Index sat on the edge of the bed.
"Yes," she confirmed nodding her head and kicking her feet. "None of them would keep me company though, so it was really boring. The room also didn't have any magic in it so I had absolutely nothing to do." Touma felt a small smile on his face form as she complained like a normal girl. "Seriously, they only gave me the small snack of cookies over an hour ago. Do they want me to starve to death? They are as bad as you Touma with regard to food."
"You shouldn't need to eat every hour!" Touma protested.
"A growing girl like me needs to keep her strength up," Index huffed.
"Growing?" Touma asked. "You're the same height since I've met you..." The flash in her eyes told him he made a big mistake.
"Are you calling me fat?" she asked in a quiet, but dangerous, voice.
"Of course not," Touma said shaking his head. "I mean… please don't bare your teeth… Index… NO AHHHHH!" He stood up and tried to get the angry nun off his head as her teeth sank into his skin. After about five minutes, and getting bitten on his arms, he managed to pry her off him. She sat down on the bed, crossed her arms, and glared at him. Touma kneeled down on the floor in front of her and was apologizing profusely. After a couple minutes, she finally appeared to have forgiven him.
"So what happened to you when George dragged you away?" Index asked.
"A lot has happened," Touma admitted as everything came flooding to the front of his mind. "Where should I start? Well first, it seems Carissa is letting our friends go back to Academy City before the fighting starts getting serious. So they should be ok."
"That's good," Index said nodding. "They shouldn't be involved in magic side affairs. They have already seen more than they should." Her eyebrows narrowed and she frowned. "But Touma," she asked. "Why would the princess allow this? It seems like it would be troublesome instead of just getting rid of them, if they interfered. How did you convince her?"
"Well," Touma said rubbing his neck. "She wasn't going to let you leave, so I agreed to stay and work for her if my friends could leave without any problems."
"Touma how could you?!" Index yelled raising her hands above her head in anger. "Don't you stop to think about your actions?! Why would you involve yourself in magic affairs? How many times have I told you not to?!" Touma opened his mouth to apologize when he stopped. His eyes widened as tears started to fall from Index's eyes. "But thanks," she sniffed. "For not leaving me alone." Touma smiled warmly at her, stood up, and put his hand on her head.
"I told you I would protect you," he said. "I intend to keep my promise." Index looked up at him, her eyes were still watery, but the tears stopped. When she looked at him, she knew he would always be there for her, no matter what problems she was involved in. It was the same look he had when they first met.
"I know," she sniffed and then composed herself. "You have been gone a lot longer than just for that. What else happened?"
"I met the group of knights under George's command," Touma continued, slightly embarrassed at her previous reaction, and glad to change topics. "It seems she wants me to join the knights after her coup is over."
"Really?" Index said and her eyes widened in surprise. "I wonder how she is going to have that work. Your hand would interfere with the rite they go through to have access to Curtana's power." Touma shrugged.
"I don't even know what the rite entails," he told her honestly. "Oh, Carissa told me right before we arrived, it seems our friends have accepted her terms. They are heading to the airport now. Also, the church is making their move too." His face darkened and he made a fist. "Their forces are about to clash and there's nothing I can do to stop it." He punched the floor with a dull thud. His hand hurt, but he ignored it.
"You couldn't stop it," Index told him reassuringly. "The church and Knights have long been at odds."
"I wish I could say good-bye to my friends at least," Touma said after a moment of silence. He sat down on the floor and leaned up against a wall. He resigned himself to his fate. He couldn't come up with a plan to stop the fighting, unless he could stand in front of Carissa for long enough to get through her thick head.
"You can use my phone," Index offered.
Touma stopped thinking and stared at her for a moment in complete disbelief. "You have your phone on you?" he asked slowly.
"Yep," Index said happily, pulling out her phone from under her nun habit.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Touma asked, as he quickly stood up.
"You never asked," Index pointed out. "Plus I can't use it very well and the only people to call me are you, Hyouka, and Last Order. Hyouka is busy and you and Last Order are with me. So I haven't needed to use it." Touma wasn't sure if he should be grateful or irritated at her. He settled with just grabbing her phone and quickly dialing Mikoto's number.
Mikoto was leaning up against a door frame. Surprisingly, she was not at the hotel. She had unlocked an office building door in London and was currently looking out from the third floor window. Next to her was a most unlikely individual, Shizuri, who was leaning up against a wall. Both of them had snuck into London and found a building with a view of the palace. Mikoto had been impressed how detailed the church's plan was and how it appeared to try to consider every possible contingency. While the bus was a distraction, she and Shizuri had snuck into the city. Thanks to Kazari, Jason, and a couple of the church nuns, they were able to avoid the patrols, as they approached the palace. She and Shizuri were quite athletic and ran a good portion of the way, since they could only go so far with a car before the patrols became to frequent. Right now, they were waiting for the church's signal. "I hope she doesn't cause any problems," Mikoto mumbled to herself more than Shizuri.
"You know," Shizuri told her. "If the plan is good, stick to it. Only deviate if outside forces make the original one impossible."
"Sounds like you have had a lot of experience with this," Mikoto replied rolling her eyes.
"Brat," Shizuri said glaring at her. "In my line of work, a single mistake can lead to your death. You quickly learn to follow the plan if you don't want to die." She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I can't believe I get paired up with someone as inexperienced as you. I would even have preferred Frenda over you."
"It's not like I begged to be paired up with you either," Mikoto mumbled dryly. Their groups had to be small to avoid detection, and there was a lot of debate on who was getting paired up with whom. Mikoto and Shizuri were in charge of the actual infiltration and rescue of Touma. It was determined there team needed mobility and firepower in case they encountered any knights as guards. Mikoto would have preferred Kuroko to help her infiltrate, but Stiyl and Itsuwa had a much more important role for her teleportation. She had no idea what happened to Accelerator. Stiyl and Kaori were talking to him after assigning her here. "I'm more surprised you agreed to help."
Shizuri sneered slightly at her. "As I said before, he's part of my group and he is really useful. I'm not going to let some spoiled rich princess take my property."
"He's a person not property," Mikoto snapped at her. "You really need better motives to help people."
"How about this one," Shizuri replied and her grin faded. "I'm returning a debt I owe. He saved me when I made a stupid mistake on a mission, which would have cost me my life. So now I'm returning the favor. I hate owing anyone anything." Shizuri grinned when Mikoto snapped her mouth closed. Mikoto had no idea what Touma had helped her out with, only that he did and she and Misaki found him leaving Shizuri's apartment. "How much longer till we move?" Shizuri asked her.
Mikoto pulled out her phone. "Stiyl gave us a rough estimate but, since we have to wait for the forces to actually clash, maybe ten to fifteen minutes?"
"Good," Shizuri said looking out the window towards the palace. "I'm getting bored waiting. I want to blast a couple of those knights."
"I can't believe how bloodthirsty you are," Mikoto sighed, but she was kind of glad she had someone with her power helping her. "Shokuhou-san is right about you. Anyway…" she stopped when her phone started vibrating. She didn't recognize the number, but she thought it might have been someone from the church. "Hello?"
"Thank god it made it," Touma's voice said hastily. Mikoto's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm using Index's phone, they must not have realized she had one. I don't know if we are being monitored, so I have to make this quick. Is everyone on that bus heading to the airport?"
"Not quite," Mikoto told him, but the line suddenly went dead. She looked at her phone and cussed loudly. "Idiot, if you are going to call, at least find a way to stay on for more than a moment." She tried to call back, but she just got the voice mail immediately.
"What did he say?" Shizuri asked. She had recognized who the word idiot referred to from Mikoto and she wanted to know why he called.
"He knows about the bus," Mikoto replied. "He was asking if we were all on it."
"So the plans working," Shizuri shrugged. "Depending on their response, it will affect if they get out of the bus alive."
"You concern for them is admirable," Mikoto replied dryly. She was getting really pissed at Shizuri's lackluster attitude. People she knew were going into a warzone.
"They knew the risk," Shizuri replied irritated. "Stiyl, Itsuwa, and Agnese made it perfectly clear what the possible outcomes would be. We accepted that risk. You're the one who demanded you get to help, even if you ran in on your own." Mikoto sighed and, though it pained her greatly, admitted to herself Shizuri was right. She glanced back out the window, waiting for the signal, so they could move out.
Be careful everyone. We all need to make it back alive.
Near the airport, a couple knights were monitoring the bus that was heading toward them. They couldn't sense normal people, but there was one magic user on the bus and it agreed with the report they were sent. The bus rolled up and stopped about twenty feet from the gate. Two of the knights walked up and the door opened. They stepped into the bus and looked around at all the teenagers and then left. One of the knights waved the gate open and the last two knights obliged. The bus rolled in slowly and parked outside the airport. Besides the four knights, there was one more knight in a tower with a communicator in case the students from Academy City tried to attack. He reported the number of individuals on the bus to the palace and then stopped. A moment later, all the other knights walked off into the airport, found a small room, and collapsed.
"Whew," Kuroko sighed and leaned back in her seat, her heart pounding. "When they walked in, I thought for sure our cover was going to be blown. It's was so weird to just seem them look at us."
"You power is really useful," added Itsuwa.
"Thank you for the kind words," Misaki smiled at her, while twirling her remote. "I told you Shirai-san, I know what I am doing. I had experience with bypassing their defenses from earlier today. I'm glad I checked their minds to see if anyone else was hiding, or I would have missed the one in the tower. He's programmed to relay everything is fine and I'll be listening to anyone he talks to."
"Now comes the tough part," Itsuwa said and the bus started moving again. They drove to the side of the airport closest to the palace. She got out of the bus and used her spear to cut part of the gate away. She walked back in and sat down in the driver's seat. "I don't like the fact we have to wait out in the open, even with the defensive spells placed on the bus, but we have to be ready to go in a moment's notice."
"I'm worried about onee-sama being with Mugino-san," Kuroko said. "She doesn't appear to be completely stable." She had wanted to be in Mikoto's group, but had been convinced she was needed more in this group.
"You don't know the half of it," Misaki replied seriously. "But they have a clear objective so I don't think she would cause any problems. The biggest issue will be if the princess is still in the palace or leaves to join the fighting."
"We believe she will want to be on the front lines," Itsuwa replied. "She is not the kind of person to slink away from a fight."
Misaki nodded and, based on her opinion of Carissa from the phone call, she believed the church was correct. The church had laid out a very detail plans that impressed even her. She was use to planning several steps ahead at all times, but this was completely different. The church had used every means at their disposal. Their plan was for their large group of combat members to act as the main bait and pretend to be trying to siege the palace. They would take out a couple of patrols before slowly retreating from the main knight forces. A small strike team of skilled magic users were supposed to pretend to be the rescue group. Carissa would be sure to send her elite guards to intercept them. Mikoto and Shizuri were supposed to be the actual rescue group. They could move quickly and had enough fire power to incapacitate any hostiles quickly. It would be a hit and run tactic.
Kuroko would have been a good person to work with Mikoto but, it was decided, she would be stationed with Misaki and Itsuwa at the bus. They had one of the riskiest roles in the rescue operation. Misaki would use Mental Out to take over the guards and prevent the alarm from being activated. One magic user had to go with them because, while Misaki could control what people see, they needed someone with magic to act as Jason. Since they didn't know exactly how the knights were detecting mana, they couldn't rely on Misaki's power if the detector was too far away. Kuroko was there in case Misaki's power failed. Her power would let them escape if things went south. As soon as the signal was sounded, Mikoto and Shizuri would move in. Simultaneously, Itsuwa would drive the bus as close as possible to the palace to pick them up. The bus had been fortified, with as many spells as the church could do in short notice. Misaki would also use her powers to try to prevent back up and stop knights chasing the rescue team. If everything failed, Kuroko's power would be essential in combat, as proven when she fought Knight Leader.
"We have no choice but to reply on them though," Misaki sighed. "I'm sure Misaka-san wouldn't want to fail her part and, while Mugino-san is pretty barbaric, her ability is very powerful. I do have one thing I can use if problems arise on our end."
"Like what?" Kuroko asked curiously.
"Secret," Misaki said winking, but her hand automatically clutched her purse holding her remotes. It also contained one other item. A small case filled with white powder. She had debated trying to read Rikou's mind to find out more information on this body crystal, but she never got the opportunity. Shizuri was in a bad mood and if Misaki was noticed, she knew she wouldn't get out of the encounter alive. She had one other option and it had gone better then she had planned. She was still thinking about the warning Jason gave her though, back at the hotel, when she asked him about it.
"Hey Kagere-san," Misaki had called out. "I need to ask you something real quick."
"Sure, what's up?"
"Since you work with the research department," Misaki said. "Do you know anything about Body Crystals?" She knew he knew about it by the way his eyebrow rose ever so slightly.
"How… never mind," he sighed changing direction. "I'm sure I know how. Why though?"
"I heard it could boost abilities," she continued, which was true since she had read Rikou's mind. "But it hasn't been widely dispersed."
"With good reason," Jason replied and he frowned. "I guess a brief explanation wouldn't hurt. In short, it pushes an ability user's power to the extremes. It allows them to access a higher level power then they could do on their own normally. Usually, it will only work well with certain abilities. I don't know how it's made, but it has something to do with that process. The few successful cases allowed level 3s to use level 4 powers, and a couple level 4's can push the boundary to level 5. I believed they were even debating on using it on Accelerator at one point, but he wasn't compatible."
"It sounds handy," Misaki said. "Why don't they give it to more people?"
"Side effects," Jason answered and his face went dark. "Indefinite comatose states, unstable control of their powers which could lead to self-destructing, and deterioration of health if used too much .It's too dangerous to rely on, though a couple people are working on trying to get rid of the dangerous side effects."
"I see," Misaki said thoughtfully. She had decided to bring it just in case. If she had no other option, she would use it as a last resort.
"Don't say that," Kuroko admonished, bringing Misaki back to the present. "You can't keep secrets during a mission like this."
"I know," Misaki nodded. "It's just a part of my power and may prevent me from doing anything else later. It should be enough to allow you to get everyone out though." Kuroko and Itsuwa stared at her, but she didn't elaborate.
Touma stared at the phone when his call with Mikoto disconnected. His first thought was the signal must have been blocked or she was in trouble. Then he noticed the real issue. The phone's screen was dark and it looked dead. "Index," he said slowly turning to her. "Did you remember to charge your phone?"
"Charge?" Index asked tilting her head. Touma face palmed.
"Well there goes that plan," he mumbled. What did she mean by not quite? Touma pondered on these words as he stared at the wall. I figure the church has a plan, but how would it connect with the bus taking my friends back to Japan? He sat down and sighed. He had no idea what was happening outside of the palace and he wasn't sure what he should be doing in here. If his friends were allowed to leave, he would have to fulfill his end of the promise he made. If they weren't, well Touma didn't really want to think about that. Index was being uncharacteristically quiet and staring at the same wall he was. "What are you thinking about?" he asked her.
"Oh just why that wall there has a magic circle embedded in it," Index replied not taking her eyes off of the wall. "It was so weak I almost missed it."
"Huh?" Touma said and he stood up. He walked towards it and put his hand on the wall. He heard the familiar sound of shattering glass, but nothing happened. He pushed the wall and it wouldn't budge. He turned to Index and shrugged. 'What was it supposed to do?"
"Assist with the opening," Index said shaking her head. She decrypted the spell a moment before Touma's hand touched it "Seriously Touma, why do you always act first without thinking?" Touma opened his mouth to defend himself when he stopped. He put his ear toward the wall and heard the sound of boots echoing on stone. The footsteps stopped right behind the wall and he could feel the wall moving. He jumped back and stood between Index, who also stood up, and where the person was pushing the wall. He heard the person on the other side say something very inappropriate and then the wall started to move. A moment later, a young man in old clothes stepped through and looked at them. He wiped his brow and smiled.
"I'm so glad I found you," he said gasping slightly for air. "She said you would be here. But why was that door to the passageway so hard to open, is it old?"
"Why do you think that is Touma?" Index asked with a superior look on her face.
"No idea," Touma lied quickly and turned back towards the man. "Who are you, and who told you we would be here?"
"I'm just a servant of the palace," he said saluting. "Many of us escaped when the princess began her coup. I volunteered to return when a young noble woman asked me to deliver a message. She said you would eventually end up in one of these rooms and I was to deliver you a message." He held out a small envelope. Touma took it and looked down at it. There was no writing on the outside, but it was slightly heavy, like it contained more than just paper in it.
"Why would you take this risk?" Touma asked him.
"I don't believe the princess is correct in throwing this coup," he replied. "I don't have any knowledge of the magic she is using and this is all I could do. I'm sorry I can't be of more help. If it wasn't for her predictions of the princesses moves, I wouldn't have been able to do anything."
"Just because you can't use magic," Touma praised him. "Doesn't mean you can't do what is right. Thank you for bringing this to me." He gave the man a short bow to show his respect. The man's eyes widened and he bowed back too.
"Thank you sir," he said. "I need to get going and report back." He exited back the way he came and sealed the wall behind him. Touma couldn't tell the wall had even moved.
"What does it say?" Index asked Touma.
"No idea," Touma responded and opened the letter. He was curious about the contents too. Index stood on the bed to read over his shoulder. His eyes scanned the letter and then widened in shock.
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.
Next chapter is definitely going to be fun.
Motoharu: Good job Kami-yan, impressive strategy.
Touma: Huh?
Motoharu: Getting all chummy with the knights. When you become king, you need them to support you. Impressive thinking, coming from you.
Touma: That wasn't the plan, and what do you mean king?
Accelerator: If he becomes king, the entire country is going to fall into ruins in a week.
Jason: You give him too little credit.
Touma: Thanks I think…
Jason: Three days tops.
Touma: And there it is.
Mikoto: There is no way he is going to be with that princess.
Misaki: I agree, he can only be a king with me as the queen.
Mikoto: No one asked you, and there is no way he is going to end up with you.
Misaki: Better then with someone with an underdeveloped body...
Mikoto: Better then someone with blobs of useless fat…
Motoharu: Hang on.
(Short Intermission)
Me: I'm getting tired of them always fighting.
Accelerator: The only destroyed a building.
Jason: And that's only because Shizuri and Lessar joined in.
Touma: I don't know why they fight so much anyway.
Motoharu: Seriously?
Accelerator: Are you this dense on purpose?
Jason: He might have hit his head one to many times.
Me: Well, I'm getting tired of answering everyone's questions and so forth. One of you needs to do it for me next week.
Motoharu: I'll do it.
Me: Cool, it will give me a break to do RL stuff.
Touma: NO! Don't give him any power! Do you know what you have done?
Motoharu: I'll be answering questions and comments next week everyone. Be careful though, you may not like the answer.