"Rather than making a hollow and insincere visit, it's better to help her family. I doubt the Vatican will pass up this opportunity."
The woman in a red dress revealed a confident, faint smile as she spoke.
"Your Highness, you mean..."
"Offering help in times of need is always better than adding flowers to a brocade. Has that vase of a sister of mine come as well?"
"...Yes, Your Highness. Third Princess Villian has also arrived in Academy City."
"Hmph! That spineless puppet actually left her ivory tower? Let me guess—whose idea was it? Her advisors stirred by her soft appearance? Or our mother's favoritism... Hah, all she can do is beg for pity with tears. Useless."
It was clear from her words that the red-clad princess held nothing but undisguised contempt for her sister.
"Using Katie to gain backdoor access and establish a connection with Selene may be effective, but judging by her methods, I doubt she has much affection for a decorative vase. She and I are the same type—that's my intuition as Carissa."
Carissa, a member of the British Royal Family, second daughter of Queen Eliza, and elder sister to Third Princess Villian, was known for her military prowess, pride, and unconventional attitude. She had strong support from the British knight faction.
The phrase "European nobility is one big family" wasn't just talk—connections with Katie were well established.
Even if familial ties had grown distant, the Habsburgs' relationship with the British Royal Family was still more tenuous than that with the Bourbons, Hohenzollerns, or even the extinct Romanovs. Still, the basic connections existed.
As for Carissa's desire to meet Selene, it was simply to seek like-minded allies. Nothing more. Gaining support—whether from the military products developed by Selene's Schicksal Group or from Selene herself—was what she needed.
Just a bit of military coup business.
Of course, this was only a preliminary idea for Carissa. She wasn't foolish enough to broadcast it. Officially, she had come to Academy City seeking large-scale support for Schicksal's armaments. With Schicksal's expansion centered around Academy City's research institutions, it already showed traits of a high-tech military-industrial complex.
This matched Carissa's strengths perfectly—her military acumen and close ties to the armed forces required little concealment.
"I've always found those old fossils in the Vatican unpleasant. Protecting Selene's younger brother will not only earn her favor but also disrupt the Roman Orthodox Church's plans. Two birds with one stone. Such tangible sincerity—no matter how fast my soft sister acts—now and in the future, I'm still the more valuable partner."
"Are the arrangements in place?"
Rising to her feet, Carissa surveyed her surroundings. All those present were members of the British knight faction who had accompanied her to Academy City.
"Everything is ready... but so far, the Vatican operatives haven't made a move. However, one of our scouts did spot a well-known freelance magician—the courier known as Route Disturb."
"A courier?"
...
District 7.
"What an interesting place, Academy City."
A tall blonde woman with a stunning figure paused in her steps, extending her hand toward the riot-control armored units standing by at a nearby crossroad. A seductive smile curled at the corners of her lips.
Walking through the bustling crowd, the woman's bizarre attire drew stares—a loose gray uniform shirt with only the second button fastened, unzipped pants with no belt, exposing her voluptuous chest and navel. The pants were so loose they looked ready to fall off at any moment.
Under normal circumstances, such a voluptuous and provocatively dressed woman would cause quite a stir on the street, yet the crowd around her seemed completely indifferent, eyes fixed forward like righteous gentlemen.
The truth was, any magician nearby would sense it—a repelling spell to ward off onlookers.
It was obvious. With her dazzling, fluffy golden curls and blue eyes, this beauty was a magician—and a highly capable one at that.
"Troublesome... with this many combat robots, if I get tangled up with them..."
The woman glanced down at the rectangular board she carried, her heart stirring slightly. She needed to finish her delivery task quickly. Her sixth sense told her that staying too long in Academy City would spell disaster.
Continuing toward the drop-off location, she pulled a blank slip of paper from her pocket and held it between her teeth. Buzz buzz—as magical energy converged, the note was inscribed with a communication spell: shorthand grimoire, water symbol.
"Hey, this is Oriana Thomson."
Just like making a phone call, the blonde woman held the magically inscribed slip to her ear and said, "The goods have arrived."
Her identity: Oriana Thomson, a well-known 'courier' on the magic side.
Moments later, a low, magnetic, reverent female voice replied, "Please avoid saying your real name. Others nearby can hear your voice."
Just from the sound, Oriana could already imagine the client's general demeanor.
"More importantly, don't you think the security here is overkill? I've already run into multiple standby riot units along the way."
Elsewhere, in a cramped room.
Under dim candlelight, in front of a low table adorned with a silver cross, a nun in a worn, white-and-red habit opened her green eyes from her prayer.
Her features weren't stunning, but they were clean and sharp. She appeared to be around twenty-five to thirty.
"Do you have countermeasures ready?" Oriana's voice transmitted through the spell.
"Naturally," the nun replied calmly. "The 'goods' are just appetizers. The real gospel is yet to come."
"Understood. I'll complete the delivery shortly."
Click!
The communication spell ended. The nun turned around without changing expression. In the shadows stood a tall, gaunt man entirely clad in green.
"The God's Right Seat is involved too? Has the Vatican formally decided to go to war with Academy City?"
"Who knows... Maybe it's just a probe. Maybe it's full-scale war. The two can switch at any moment."
Wearing a loose green robe, his outfit bizarre, his cheeks sunken, the man's chilling laughter was just as odd as his appearance.
The God's Right Seat—Vatican's most secretive and powerful magical organization. Known as the Roman Catholic Church's ultimate weapon.
This man was the Right Seat's 'Terra of the Left.' Yet from his presence alone, there was nothing sacred about him. He seemed less like a lamb of God and more like a demon from Satan's hell.
"So the barbaric Anglo-Saxons from the British Isles are here too? I can't wait. Let's begin the operation. Hahaha... For these heretics, to submit to our Lord is their greatest honor!"
Spreading his arms, Terra of the Left laughed maniacally as he stared at the image displayed on the parchment scroll.
Twisted, his face resembled that of a ghoul from forbidden grimoires. His sharp, owl-like laughter made one deeply uncomfortable.
"Lord Terra of the Left, what about the other members of the God's Right Seat..."
The nun hesitated as she noticed Terra's eagerness to act prematurely and tried to intervene.
"Silence. Are you teaching me how to do my job?"
...
Near the athletic grounds of a certain high school.
"So annoying... Where did Index run off to again? Her phone won't connect either. I just went to Tokiwadai's main venue to discuss a thank-you dinner. Is that really worth throwing a tantrum over?"
After parting with Misaka Mikoto, a spiky-haired boy sighed, listlessly walking toward his high school's competition prep area.
No matter how important the school might seem to Academy City's upper circles or certain interested parties, the truth was, this high school was just an average institution. Most considered it mediocre—neither elite nor bottom-tier.
Naturally, it hadn't been granted a spot at the main venue.
"The phone with Selene's number got dropped in the bathtub by Index. Sent it for repairs and then managed to break it completely on the way home... Why am I so unlucky?!"
A single phone call could've settled the dinner plans with Selene, but due to one mishap after another—and with all Selene's data sealed under [Bank]'s highest-level permissions—Kamijou Touma couldn't find any other way.
He had no choice but to deliver the message in person. It left him utterly drained.
Oh well. He was used to it.
Better get back quickly. The pole-pulling match was probably about to start.
Honestly, hearing about Selene participating in the Daihasei Festival over the broadcast had left him stunned. With her as the strongest Level 5, wasn't that a bit unfair to the rest of them?
As for the so-called rule forbidding the use of supernatural powers and related abilities? Ha!
Others might not know, but he certainly did.
Whether it was on the space elevator Endymion, where Selene broke first cosmic velocity (7.9 km/s) with her bare body, walked in a vacuum, and shredded Ladylee Tangleroad like a rag doll—or when she singlehandedly demolished his dormitory and beat up the Saint Kanzaki Kaori—Touma had either witnessed or been the direct victim of those events (namely, the time his dorm got kicked into rubble).
With her bare hands, she could dismantle Academy City!
Selene was a fusion of the magical side's Saint and the science side's esper.
That was the conclusion Kamijou Touma had reached after learning more about the magic side from Stiyl Magnus and Kanzaki Kaori.
"But the curfew being lifted..."
Though he was a repeat offender and often ignored student regulations, he couldn't help but feel a little pleased at the administrative notice. He hated detentions and extra assignments.
Wading through the crowd, he watched on the public screen as Habatobi High School got completely crushed in a dodgeball match. Touma swallowed hard—Selene seemed to be enjoying herself...
He had a bad feeling about this.
Nah... no way. There's no way a top school like Tokiwadai would get matched with our average one.
Still, the thought of Selene repeatedly mentioning she wanted to spar with him sent shivers down his spine. If she slammed him with one of those cannonball spikes, he'd be dead!
Quickly shaking off those thoughts, Kamijou Touma sped up to check on how the guys from his class were doing. If he was late again, he'd get chewed out...
And then—
"Wait! What happened to you all?!"
Upon arriving at the prep area, Kamijou stood dumbfounded, staring at his classmates from Class 1 of his high school sprawled across the ground like dead fish.
"Hey hey hey! Isn't the pole-pulling match about to start? What about your prep work?!"
"No motivation..."
Lying at Touma's feet, the blue-haired earring guy rolled over like a salted fish, speaking in a fake Kansai accent, "How are we supposed to beat those other schools? Just thinking about it drains the last bit of energy I have..."
"That's completely backwards!"
Kamijou was speechless. Was he really the most motivated person in the entire class?
"Come on, you guys heard the news, right?! Selene said in her speech that the Board of Directors would significantly increase the prize money for the Daihasei Festival events! There's cash on the line—lots of it! Doesn't that pump you up at all—"
"Forget it, Kami-yan. With the state of our school, how are we supposed to compete with elite academies? No matter how high the rewards go, it's like it was never meant for us."
"That's the nature of student competition."
Off to the side, the emotionless girl Himegami Aisa adjusted her silver cross necklace and added a demotivated comment.
"But speaking of Selene... Oh! Kami-yan! You've made it big, huh?!"
A sudden yell made Kamijou jump. The blue-haired guy sprang up and slung an arm around his best buddy's neck, giving him a sleazy squint.
"Hey, Kami-yan, you called her name so naturally—so familiar? Looks like those urban legends weren't just rumors. The strongest Level 5 has a Level 0 male friend. That guy..."
"It's you, isn't it? Don't tell me even Selene couldn't resist your ridiculous luck with girls?! Damn you!!"
Poking Kamijou in the cheek, the blue-haired guy's voice dripped with jealousy and resentment.
"Uh..."
Kamijou Touma knew better than to argue. In situations like this, any denial would only fuel the fire. The real danger was if this guy shouted too loudly and the rest of the class joined in. That would be a disaster.
He'd suffered plenty from his awful luck and ridiculous romantic entanglements.
In the chaos and teasing, the next moment, Kamijou suddenly felt a chill on his neck. A voice from his other close friend rang in his ear—this time, unusually serious. He didn't even add his usual "meow" at the end.
"Kami-yan, come with me. Something's happened."
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