Kanzaki Kaori stared blankly at the empty space in front of her. She quickly spread her senses and examined everything in the surrounding area. When she confirmed that there was no trace of the two of them anywhere nearby, her expression immediately turned grim.
"This is troublesome."
Her fingers tightly gripped the hilt of her blade while anger surged within her chest. The friend she had sworn to protect had been taken away right in front of her eyes. It had happened again. She had been careless. Careless once again.
She bit down on her lip.
Nothing had changed. She still had not matured at all. She could not properly protect her friends or anything around her.
Anyone who became close to her would inevitably be dragged into unnecessary conflicts.
Even though they had already known that the other party was a Level 5 esper from Academy City, they still acted recklessly without first understanding the nature of his ability.
Index.
"Cough cough cough!"
Stiyl Magnus suddenly woke from his unconscious state. He coughed painfully and spat out a mouthful of blood. His face was pale and drained of color.
Although he had lost consciousness almost instantly during the fight, he understood very clearly that he had been completely defeated by that boy.
"Ouch. That bastard..."
He had been knocked down before he even had the chance to react. For someone who had been praised as a genius magician since childhood, this was an unprecedented humiliation.
"You should not move. Your sternum is fractured, four ribs are broken, and there is internal bleeding," Kanzaki Kaori said seriously as she walked toward Stiyl. She then lowered her head slightly and spoke with a voice full of self reproach.
"I am sorry that I did not intervene immediately. Because of that you were seriously injured."
"Where is Index?" Stiyl forced himself to speak despite the pain twisting his expression. His first concern was still the safety of the girl.
He knew very well that he had been far too reckless and had greatly underestimated the power of a Level 5 esper from Academy City.
"Index has been taken away. I am sorry. I underestimated him. I did not expect that boy to possess a spatial movement ability," Kanzaki Kaori said with resentment while lowering her head.
The saint who valued responsibility above all else placed all the blame on herself. If she had taken action immediately, Stiyl would not have been injured. If she had been more vigilant, Index would not have disappeared from her sight.
This was the worst possible outcome for her.
"Index should not be in immediate danger with that boy. But the Level 5 esper from Academy City is the real problem. That bastard must have taken Index into Academy City. This is something the two of us cannot handle."
Stiyl forced a grin despite the pain while rage burned in his eyes. Academy City was the core stronghold of the science side. Its position was equivalent to Jerusalem in Christianity or the Holy City of Rome. For two magicians from the magic side, even entering the city would be extremely difficult, let alone taking someone away from it.
Even if they somehow managed to enter, there was still the question of whether they could leave safely. Academy City was an unknown territory for the magic side. Everything about it was uncertain.
...
London, England.
St. George's Cathedral stood in Lambeth, a district known for its many buildings dating back to the eighteenth century. The cathedral itself was said to be more than three hundred years old.
This was also the headquarters of the Puritan Church's special division, the Church of Necessary Evil.
The so called "Necessary Evil" was a department created to eliminate non Christian gods and pagan practitioners. However, in order to destroy pagan magic, one first had to understand their magical systems and knowledge.
In the eyes of traditional Christianity, studying such things was considered filthy and evil.
Because of that contradiction, certain individuals who were skilled in dealing with heretical magic were required to learn those forbidden techniques and incorporate them into the Christian system. Yet at the same time, these individuals were viewed as people who had been deeply tainted by evil and were themselves targets that should eventually be eliminated.
Thus the strange and contradictory organization known as the Church of Necessary Evil came into existence.
St. George's Cathedral was not a place open to tourists. Aside from the main hall used for worship, the rest of the complex was decorated in a style that was both simple and luxurious. In fact, the interior looked more like an elegant commercial building than a traditional church.
Numerous defensive barriers had been established throughout the area. Other than clergy members such as nuns and the priests of Necessary Evil, there were no visible patrol personnel.
The church had even constructed the largest bathhouse in all of Britain so that the nuns could perform ritual bathing and cleansing during important feast days.
A beautiful girl with dazzling golden hair that flowed all the way to the floor hummed a gentle and unfamiliar melody with a sweet voice. She tested the temperature of the bathwater with her fingers before gracefully placing her slender and fair feet into the bathtub.
"Hmm, hmph, hmph."
A sheet of white paper marked with Germanic script and the emblem of St. George's cross floated through the air and entered from outside the bathroom door.
"Huh?"
Laura Stuart blinked her clear blue eyes and looked at the communication paper in front of her. She let out a soft sound of curiosity before breaking into a bright smile.
"It is quite rare for that child Stiyl to contact me at this time. It seems he has encountered quite a bit of trouble. And in the Far East of all places."
"Supreme Bishop. Did you hear that, Supreme Bishop?"
"I heard you, Stiyl. It is not very gentlemanly for an Englishman to shout at a beautiful young lady like that. Also, why does your voice sound so weak? That seems rather suspicious," Laura said playfully while holding the communication paper in front of her.
"This is not the time for jokes. The High Bishop Index has been taken away." On the other side, Stiyl's expression darkened as he spoke through clenched teeth.
This old woman had looked exactly the same when he was just a small child. According to his grandfather, she had looked like this even during his grandfather's youth. Yet despite being well over fifty years old, the Supreme Bishop still behaved like a playful young girl. It was honestly unsettling.
"What? The Index Librorum Prohibitorum has been taken away? Are there really magical forces in the Far East that dare oppose the Puritan Church?" Laura asked while narrowing her eyes slightly.
"You were with the female Saint Kanzaki Kaori and yet Index was still taken away. You even had to contact me because of it. Have you really become that useless, Stiyl?"
"Yes. I am very sorry. This is entirely my responsibility," Kanzaki Kaori's voice spoke with deep self reproach from the communication paper.
Laura smiled faintly after hearing Kanzaki Kaori's voice.
"So which faction took away the Index Librorum Prohibitorum?"
"It was Academy City. I am sorry. This is not something the two of us can resolve on our own. I will absolutely find a way to make up for this mistake," Kanzaki Kaori said with a resentful tone.
"Academy City. Tell me everything that happened."
"This is what happened..."
"A Level 5 esper from Academy City. That truly is troublesome. This is no longer simply a matter of demanding the return of a single person. It has escalated into a diplomatic issue between the Puritan Church and Academy City. This is giving me quite a headache," Laura sighed while pretending to look troubled.
"I am sorry," Kanzaki Kaori's remorseful voice sounded once again.
Laura maintained the same gentle smile on her face.
This cooperation with Academy City would allow her to achieve three objectives at once. This single incident was enough to ensure that this saintly woman would willingly devote herself completely to the Puritan Church.
...
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