A Certain Magical Index, Vol. 20

by Kazuma Kamachi

  Now that she mentioned it, that was true, but it still took courage to jump out where people were clearly moving around.

  Kamijou opened the container’s sliding door a tiny crack. Peeking out, it seemed like nobody was nearby, miraculously. Several wooden crates were piled up on the flat snow’s surface—if they could pass through while using them as cover, they could probably keep themselves from getting caught.

  …Getting cold feet now won’t help.

  “Guess it’s time to go,” he said, widening the door gap a little bit more. Then he wriggled through the opening and exited. After dropping down to the ground from a height of about a meter, he immediately went behind the pile of crates and hid. Lesser followed after him. Her movements were limber, like some sort of carnivore.

  As they were doing that, the work of unloading cargo was proceeding on the other side of the stacks of crates, making Kamijou feel like he was surrounded by footsteps and talking voices. He was intimately aware of the sweat coming out of him every time he heard one of those sounds.

  “Think positively,” said Lesser, her expression cool in contrast. “If they’re being noisy, they won’t notice if we make a little noise.”

  The exit to the makeshift train platform was at a spot about ten meters away from the stack of crates. What looked like a staircase leading up was visible. The platform was under the snow, so this probably led up to the surface.

  From here, they’d head to the heart of the fortress Fiamma had made.

  That would have far more eyes about, incomparable to this unloading area, and it would be more dangerous as well.

  They couldn’t afford to trip up here on a lower difficulty level.

  Attentive to his surroundings, Kamijou was about to head for the exit when…

  …he bumped into a Russian sorcerer.

  The young man was older than Kamijou but probably nothing more than personnel for unloading the cargo, as evidenced by the crate he was carrying in both hands. The event seemed to be unexpected for him, too—he was staring at them blankly.

  For Kamijou, the fact that he had his hands full was a silver lining.

  It delayed the sorcerer’s reaction for a mere instant.

  And in that instant, Lesser moved.

  “!!”

  It was an incredibly cold act. Without a sound, she closed the distance and thrust her arm up at the sorcerer’s defenseless throat. A sharper impact than what could be delivered with an ordinary punch struck him, and his body crumpled. Rather than catch the falling sorcerer, Lesser reached for the wooden crate he’d released.

  Only a minimal noise escaped, and the work continued around them as though nothing had happened.

  An unpleasant chill shot through Kamijou’s fingertips.

  “Please be careful.”

  With just that, Lesser lowered the box with a slow motion. Then, after tying some kind of wire around the young man’s ankles, she rearranged some nearby crates to form an enclosed space and hid him in the middle.

  “…H-he’s not dead, is he?”

  “It would have been easier to kill him. Then I wouldn’t have had to use a valuable detainment Soul Arm like Dromi.”

  The ankle wires apparently had the effect of blocking all body movement. After smoothly explaining, Lesser got the sense that Kamijou really did live in a different world than her.

  Meanwhile, as she moved her tail, fluttering the hem of her miniskirt, she thought, This tactic doesn’t seem to be very effective, so maybe being straightforward and racking up points instead will be more efficient in the long run? No, no—I am sexy; I must be!

  After they climbed the exit stairs and emerged onto the surface, they found themselves inside the base proper. A few hundred meters away, they could see what looked like an iron fence barricade.

  And.

  The base was about ten square kilometers in total. Its center, an area measuring about seven kilometers, was raised quite a bit. The height difference looked to be about twenty meters…which made it look like a huge sheet of snow was casting a giant shadow.

  “Standard doctrine would dictate that you want to make your base flat…”

  “Maybe that just goes to show this isn’t your standard place.”

  There was a large entrance in the “wall” of the giant slope, maybe for getting cargo inside. That was where Kamijou and Lesser began their infiltration.

  Inside, it looked like a European castle. Not, however, the kind decorated with glittering silver and gold treasures. It was a damp space, made of stone, like a place for locking away prisoners.

  Fortunately, they didn’t run into any lookouts or patrols on their way.

  Perhaps Fiamma himself had forbidden anyone from entering.

  “Ngh!”

  Kamijou grabbed Lesser’s shoulder as she tried to proceed.

  They were in front of a door.

  Peeking in through the slightly open gap, he saw a vast empty space on the other side. He couldn’t tell what it was for. But he certainly remembered the voice he heard coming from inside.

  “…It’s Fiamma. Didn’t think we’d run into the big boss right away,” whispered Kamijou, and even Lesser stiffened with nervousness.

  It was like a church undergoing renovations—a modern steel frame ran here and there over the old-fashioned stone construction. Fiamma was idle on that frame. An out-of-place high-class table and chairs were set up there, and that’s where he was seated. On the table there was a thick open book that had a faint light emanating from it.

  Nobody else was there.

  Only Fiamma’s voice was audible.

  So was that book a communication Soul Arm?

  “It is necessary. This is a space. Meaning both coordinates and volume are important.”

  Kamijou’s heart stirred at the voice. It’d been a while.

  “I have no interest in Russian palaces. If all I wanted was to sit on the throne, I wouldn’t have smashed up St. Peter’s Basilica, would I? To me, this place is more important than Moscow, and that’s all that matters. Though it does take some time for news about the current state of affairs to reach me, which is a problem. Nevertheless, I cannot leave here if I am to go forward with my plan. Not when considering it from the viewpoint of Project Bethlehem.”

  “…”

  Kamijou carefully maintained his silence. If he didn’t put his mind to it, he’d probably cry out and charge in this very moment.

  “I know that. This was not a battle any of you wanted. And I’m not talking about World War III—I’m talking about the greater movement at play, of Academy City and the Roman Orthodox Church opposing each other.”

  They were quite far away, but perhaps because nobody else was around, Fiamma’s words reached Kamijou’s ears. On the other hand, that meant they were in danger of their own words reaching him. Kamijou’s tension only grew.

  Who on earth was Fiamma talking to?

  “If Academy City wins, an age controlled by the science side will be ushered in. If the Roman Orthodox Church wins, it will be the start of an age of magic. But either way, there is little for the Russian Catholic Church to savor. Even if an age heralded by sorcery does come, if the Roman Church is in a leadership position, then the Russian Church will lose its footing.”

  Kamijou thought about this as Lesser translated the Russian for him.

  But then his thoughts were interrupted—he’d spotted something.

  Another Soul Arm on the table.

  “That was why you acted at such an early stage. To reap the greatest profits once this great war ends by aligning yourselves with the faction that will bring the most benefit. In that case, you should hand over the investigation results soon. Give me the reports from the Russian soldiers I sent out everywhere.”

  It was a small, cylindrical item.

  It had several ringed metal fittings on it, making it look almost like a padlock with a dial.

  The Soul Arm that remotely controlled Index.

  The object that was causi
ng her to suffer in unconsciousness.

  If only.

  If only he could destroy that…

  “Yes, that’s right. That’s a good boy…The Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations? Yes, if Sasha Kreutzev were there, it would make sense that we couldn’t find her despite searching all over Russia.”

  Kamijou leaned forward in spite of himself.

  But then someone covered his mouth from behind.

  It was Lesser.

  Then, with her other hand, she delivered a sharp blow to his side. He tried to cough in agony, but he couldn’t even do that with his mouth clamped shut.

  Strength began to fade from his body.

  “No, they’re still sorcerers serving on the front lines. Regular soldiers wouldn’t be able to properly deal with them. Although, if they get shot and killed, that would be troubling in its own right. The Russian Church? No, Annihilatus is useless, too. I don’t know if they were unconsciously pulling their punches against former colleagues or if their specs are simply that low, but the fact of the matter is that they still haven’t captured her, even at this stage…I’m loath to say it, but I’ll have to do it myself. If it brings more certainty to my plans, it’s for the best.”

  His body still pinned down, Kamijou glared at Fiamma through the gap in the door.

  He hadn’t noticed them.

  “…And one more thing. Your plans don’t involve you stopping at bishop, do they? The patriarch is the highest authority in the Russian Church, right? But at this rate, you won’t assume that position during your lifetime. That’s what I’m talking about. If you want to use me for your own purposes, start working hard enough to convince me to want to use you. If you still plan on being oddly parsimonious and waste my time with worthless offers, I will cut you away without a second thought and find someone else. Understood?”

  Closing the thick tome as if to cut off the conversation, Fiamma left the book there and grasped the Index remote-controlled Soul Arm.

  Kamijou hadn’t noticed until now, but there was a steel window-like object right next to Fiamma. Fiamma flung it open and sunlight shined into the dimly lit room. He nimbly jumped through it, making his exit.

  The remote-control Soul Arm had been one step away, but now it was out of reach again.

  As Lesser uncovered Kamijou’s mouth, he whipped around to face her.

  He was very close to grabbing her by the collar.

  “(…What’s the big idea?! He was right there!!)” he hissed.

  “(…What were you planning to do?)” she hissed back. “(There are over two hundred sorcerers in that room!)”

  Kamijou stared at her blankly.

  He hadn’t noticed at all.

  But now that she’d told him, he took another peek through the gap between the wall in the door and saw several things here and there in the vast space, deeper in the dark, that looked like the glint of eyes. Maybe they were doing some kind of work, or maybe they were standing by as Fiamma’s bodyguards.

  “(…If we had marched right in, we wouldn’t have reached Fiamma. If he’s the kind of person you say he is, he would have had his men stall us and escape through the window anyway.)”

  Lesser spoke each word slowly, quietly, in order to soothe Kamijou’s agitation.

  “(…He mentioned the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations. And Sasha Kreutzev. He sent an order for Russian soldiers to stand down, so he might be trying to make contact with Sasha alone. If you want to steal that Soul Arm, we’ll just have to head him off. As long as we can catch Sasha Kreutzev before he does, we’ll be able to take time to plan a surprise attack against him.)”

  “(…Damn it,)” Kamijou forced out in a huff.

  Fiamma of the Right. He was exactly the kind of person to manipulate all these people just to cause global turmoil, then watch the fallout from on high. Kamijou knew he wouldn’t be able to get to him that easily, but still…

  “(…Anyway, let’s look for Sasha,)” he continued at a whisper. “(If Fiamma wants her, it can’t possibly be for anything good…And besides, I need to settle the score for what he did to Index.)”

  2

  Shiage Hamazura drove the stolen car.

  They’d gotten food, funds, and fuel. Now, it was finally time to “fight” Academy City—by finding a bargaining chip to guarantee his and Takitsubo’s safety.

  “…But what should we even be looking for?”

  “Since we’re at war, it might be a blessing in disguise that Academy City soldiers and weapons will be hanging around in Russia, too. Hamazura, maybe we should attack from that angle.”

  “You mean we should seize brand-new military weapons and stuff and use the technology to negotiate?”

  “We could also monitor Russian military movements to offer Academy City as intelligence.”

  Hamazura was the one who had brought it up, but none of it actually felt very real to him.

  Who could blame him?

  He had a wealth of experience, but at heart, he was nothing more than a delinquent kid. Even with words like soldiers and weapons getting thrown around, it didn’t have a sense of reality for him. And he didn’t have any clue about how exactly one would cut a deal with a massive global power like Academy City.

  Meanwhile, Takitsubo, who had peered into the depths of Academy City’s darkness, was giving him advice.

  “Hamazura. Think about what Academy City wants from this war.”

  “Huh? They’re worried Russia will invade, so they’re trying to defend the City, right?”

  “If that was all, they wouldn’t have to mount an offensive into Russian territory. They could simply focus on building a comprehensive line of defense in the Sea of Japan. Normally, no one would be able to intercept so many bombers and ballistic missiles, but Academy City can. While they buy time with their defenses, they could gradually manipulate the global economy and put enough financial pressure on Russia that they had to stop the war.”

  “…You mean Academy City has another goal in mind?”

  “And since we know that, we should head for the heart. Imagine a set of balanced scales. You might only be a small weight, but if you can take a position where you can tip them no matter which side you’re on, you’ll be able to make any demands of Academy City you want.”

  “…”

  That meant they’d have to dive straight into the battle raging between Academy City and Russia. They would hurl themselves at the issue and hope they came up with information. The strategy could literally shave years off their life, but if they didn’t do it, they’d be giving up one of their only chances.

  “They were really going at it around here, too. The Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations, was it? We should be close to there. Maybe we start searching in that area.”

  “…Yeah, we should, Hamazura…”

  “? Takitsubo?”

  Hearing her hoarse reply sent a bad feeling down Hamazura’s body. He spared a glance toward the passenger seat, then, without thinking, hit the brakes.

  Something was wrong. Her face was drenched in sweat.

  “Hey, what’s the matter, Takitsubo? Are you all right?!”

  “No…problems. I’m fine…So…let’s move quickly, Hamazura.”

  This was no joke.

  Anyone could see her condition wasn’t normal.

  Takitsubo was still was suffering from the ill effects of Crystals. The fact had been thrust before him again, but that didn’t mean he could do anything about it. Would it be better to bring her to a hospital after all, even though he knew it wouldn’t help? If he had an outside doctor look at her, they wouldn’t have any idea how to cure her. And even if they did, he was worried about who would take custody of her. It was wartime, and to begin with, neither had so much as a passport—they were both illegal immigrants.

  But.

  He didn’t want to do nothing. He didn’t want to leave her like this. For emotional reasons more than logical ones, he wanted to reduce the strain on Takitsubo’s body as mu
ch as possible. Then what should he do? To find a bargaining chip to negotiate with Academy City, they’d have to enter the heart of the conflict and obtain useful information. That was the only way.

  As Hamazura was anguishing over it, he heard a soft rapping nearby.

  Someone was tapping on the driver’s side window with a fist.

  He turned to look and saw a tall Caucasian man standing there. Probably Russian. Without thinking, Hamazura drew his pistol and kept it pressed against the door so the man wouldn’t be able to see from his perspective. As stated previously, Academy City and Russia were not on good terms right now. The fact that Hamazura hailed from Academy City, Japan, meant there was a possibility of harm coming their way.

  The pistol still hidden, Hamazura carefully opened the window.

  The tall Caucasian man said:

  “I’ve done tour guides in Japanese for sightseers before. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “What are you supposed to be?”

  “It looks like you need a doctor.”

  The tall man gestured with his chin to the passenger seat.

  Hamazura found himself taken aback at the question. The man smiled and continued, “How about some give-and-take? Our settlement is out of generator fuel. It’s below zero, and at this rate, everyone will freeze. This thing’s got a diesel engine, right? If you would be so kind as to give us the fuel stored in this junker, I can bring the young lady to see our doctor. What do you say?”

  3

  Had tanks really ever gotten any more comfortable?

  The engine was loud, and the smell of fuel and exhaust mixed with the sweat and grime to create an incredibly foul stench. Of course, with five old guys packed into such a cramped space, maybe any environment would have been uncomfortable.

  Antseka S. Kufalke, sitting in the commander’s seat, sighed.

  They were in central Russia. They had no manual for deploying troops in this area in a defensive outline to protect themselves from foreign enemies. Defense was meant for places closer to the border, and many plans, depending on the situation, anticipated preemptive troop deployment inside the enemy’s borders.