#31. Idiots

“Who are you?”

“Really? You don’t know? You guys came looking for me.”

“I see. We’ll be taking you.”

Meteor charged forward with blinding speed.

To be precise, he was moving even faster than when he’d beaten down Lane.

*Kuwung.*

What blocked him was a barrier.

A semi-transparent, blue membrane. Absorbing all the impact, stopping Meteor in his tracks.

“…?”

Strange. Just a moment ago, the barrier had shattered like a pane of glass, but now, it didn’t even budge.

It was like someone else’s magic entirely.

“So, the Record possessed her, huh.”

Doubt shifted into certainty.

To protect its master, the Akashic Record had directly possessed her.

Meteor might seem dense, but he was actually quite clever.

“Hang on a sec. I’m reading something right now.”

“You’re searching for a way, but it’s meaningless. ‘The Old Man’ has already seen all possible futures.”

“Ah, the future?”

Akasha chuckled.

“You guys don’t know how meaningless ‘the future’ is.”

*Ttak.*

She snapped her fingers. A massive magic circle materialized in the air.

“So, who did you presume to think you’re taking?”

Calculation, lightning magic.

“Say it again.”

Countless beams of light crashed down. Burning and destroying the laboratory as they advanced.

Meteor’s vision flickered. Partly blinded by the lightning, but…

He lost consciousness.

Then regained it.

The process repeated.

‘This is…’

Meteor’s body was special. An unyielding strength that even mediocre magic couldn’t touch.

His skin possessed the property of repelling mana, making it impervious to anything short of ‘Grand Magic’.

And yet, this.

With mere simple magic, his mind was being shaken.

“Keugh…!”

“Oh, so you’re holding on now?”

Meteor possessed another particular trait.

『Adaptation.』

He adapted to others’ attacks, relentlessly.

Before one knew it, Meteor’s skin was withstanding the electrical current.

“Just a human, after all.”

Akasha quirked one corner of her lip. Rain already had an irritating face, so the sneer doubled the unpleasantness.

Curious. That the victim could appear as the aggressor. Perhaps that, too, was a talent.

She pressed her thumb and middle finger together. Holding her arm forward, it resembled the stance for flicking a forehead.

No, it wasn’t a resemblance; it *was* the stance for flicking a forehead.

Akasha flicked her finger into the air.

Calculation, Impact Magic.

Even for Rachel, it was magic that required physical contact to be effective.

However, Akasha wasn’t a being one could compare to something as simple as a human.

A shockwave shooting out in a straight line.

Originally, shockwaves had no form. They were merely phenomena where impact traveled, so visible distortions shouldn’t occur.

So why was it that such a shockwave was captured in Meteor’s vision?

Spatial distortion.

The very space in which the shockwave existed twisted, leaving Meteor’s eyes no choice but to show him the abnormal sight.

If he recognized it, evasion was the correct response.

If his reflexes allowed it, that is.

“Guh… huff…”

A large hole appeared in Meteor’s left breast.

The area the shockwave pierced through remained a smooth circle, but was quickly obscured by gushing blood.

Thud.

Thud.

The destination of her leisurely steps were Rain’s inventions, scattered on the floor.

Slightly scorched, but their function seemed unaffected. Akasha stored all the inventions in her subspace pocket.

Attaching the subspace pocket to her waist, her business in the lab was finished.

“To make you realize it was an overly ambitious goal.”

She tossed a lofty remark to Meteor, whose life had already ended.

Hmph, Akasha snorted primly and used flight magic to leave the lab.

She was in a very foul mood. In Earth terms, it was like “She was lying in bed watching TV, but had to get out of bed due to an unforeseen situation.” Truly annoying.

The only thing Akasha and Rain had in common was their dislike of activity. Currently, her mind was occupied with nothing but wrapping up the situation quickly and returning.

“Gotta see who this b*stard is.”

She ascended higher.

Remnants of Meteor magic were visible, but she paid them no mind.

It wasn’t like she’d fuss over something as trivial as Meteor magic.

“You?”

And so, she encountered the old man, who had been quietly observing the situation.

“Leave that woman be. Rain needs her.”

Akasha demanded, audacious.

······.

Was it truly a demand?

In the old man’s hands rested none other than Feliana Mirion, unconscious.

Professor Rachel was currently engaged in battle above ground, prioritizing student safety, and therefore had no time to come rescue her colleague.

Clearly, she held the superior position. Certainly not in a place to receive demands.

Think again.

Was it truly a ‘demand’?

The old man understood. This was not something as gentle as a demand.

At the slightest expression of negative sentiment, the library’s master would ensure he paid dearly for daring to offend her.

“Heh heh······. I certainly didn’t expect to meet you like this.”

The old man spoke. Bloodshot eyes behind the mask turned towards Rein’s body.

The Akashic Record. To manifest itself directly for its master.

This has become troublesome. The old man gently lowered Feliana.

“I have business with you.”

“I know.”

Akasha, in her heart, wanted to immediately flatten his wrinkled hide, but there was something she needed to extract from the old coot.

How do you know of my existence?

“I’m going to ask some questions. If your answer is even a little delayed, I’ll make sure you all meet the Goddess.”

“Very well. Ask away.”

“How do you know me?”

The eyes behind the mask curved unpleasantly.

The old man was smiling.

“That’s a slow answer.”

“No, it isn’t.”

The old man began to calculate magic.

Large-scale magic. Dozens of meteors began to fall from the sky.

Akasha was unconcerned.

A few seconds later, all the meteors vanished.

Before the meteors had moved far, she had reversed the old man’s magic.

“So you want to die, is that it?”

This time, Akasha calculated magic.

Magic forbidden to humans. Instant death magic.

“Well, in your case, it would be natural causes, I suppose.”

The target was that irritating old man.

Disturbing the routine was a great sin.

“······Ah.”

And all of Akasha’s magic was cancelled.

‘The World Library.’

Or ‘The Library of Akasha’ contained the past, present, and future of all things.

Therefore, one could say that Akasha, the librarian, also knew the past, present, and future of all things.

But all the trouble began with this place being a library.

Akasha’s memory was by no means exceptional.

All knowledge was contained within the ‘books’ of the library, not within Akasha’s head.

In that respect, Akasha made one mistake.

She didn’t fully check the future before dealing with the old man.

Akasha immediately checked the future upon experiencing the anomaly that had befallen her, but alas, the moment had already passed.

“…Goddess.”

A voice echoed in her mind.

[ You shouldn’t interfere in the human realm, Akasha. ]

Her consciousness began to fade.

She was being forcibly summoned by the Goddess.

“Farewell,”

The old man offered his parting words, as if he knew everything.

Around the same time, Akasha confirmed the future of this incident.

A slight snort.

A small laugh escaped her lips.

That crazy b*stard.

What won’t he do, really.

“Hey.”

Akasha spoke her last words just before her consciousness was severed.

“Congratulations on making the worst possible choice.”

*

Her eyes fluttered open.

Ugh, another unfamiliar ceiling.

A considerably high and dark ceiling. Was this a stone building?

Wherever this was, it certainly wasn’t the academy.

I slowly sat up.

“What…?”

Good heavens, I was even bleeding from my nose. What had happened?

[ Your body was pretty good. ]

“What?”

[ I used your body a bit. ]

“What the hell are you talking about?”

[ You don’t understand my words… I entered your body and used some magic. It must have been strenuous to endure my magic with that paltry vessel of yours. ]

Damn it.

What?

“Without my permission?”

[ My permission, I guess. ]

This b*stard…

Even amidst my annoyance, I took stock of my surroundings.

An awfully large room. Dust-laden, dim, and cold.

A small window was visible, but barred, rendering escape unlikely.

“Akasha, where am I?”

[ The Sun Cult’s headquarters. ]

“What?”

What was it I just heard?

“The Sun Cult’s headquarters, you say?”

[ That’s how it is. ]

Quite, no, *remarkably* disconcerting news.

“If you’re going to use my body, the least you could do is prevent a kidnapping.”

[ ……That’s how it is. ]

I wake up to find myself in an unfamiliar place.

And apparently, it’s a criminal organization’s base of operations.

What sort of twisted predicament is this?

I clutched my head and let out a silent scream.

Father.

I should have just gone home.

Research be damned, there’s nothing better than cocoa by the fireplace.

“Ughhh……”

[ What’s wrong? ]

“You know nothing.”

[ What? Hey, is there anything I *don’t* know? Do you even know who I am? ]

“What *was* the identity of that stone again?”

[ ……I don’t know. ]

Fine.

This is only going to exhaust me.

I decided to start plotting my escape.

*Creak*.

Before I could even properly start my mental strategizing, the previously closed door swung open.

“……Who are you?”

“That’s hardly the important question, Rain Ortiz.”

He knows my name.

A stranger, calling out my name…… More frightening than when the professor came looking for me.

The person who entered was wearing a mask.

Clearly a demon.

“I suppose a warning is in order.”

The demon spoke in a low voice.

A voice deliberately lowered, it seemed, to intimidate.

It’s a relief. The terror has receded.

“This place is a magic-null zone. Your fancy inventions, your powerful enchantments—all are useless here.”

I see.

Not that I was particularly curious.

Still, thanks.

Useful, I guess.

“If you’re thinking of escaping, best to fold that idea away nice and neat.”

That’s… something.

“Your job here is simple.”

Thwack.

The demon tossed something.

It was a piece of old paper, like it had been torn from a book.

I carefully picked up the paper.

“…What is this?”

“A resurrection spell. You’re to research it.”

“Why would you need this?”

The demon grinned.

“To resurrect the Demon Lord, of course.”

“….”

I thought to myself, quietly.

Idiots…

‘Akasha, can you analyze this?’

[Yup.]

The demon, having calmed his laughter, continued.

“If you simply complete the spell, we will send you on your way. There will be no injuries, no deaths.”

*SLAM!*

The demon retreated, slamming the door roughly.

The sound of his footsteps grew fainter and fainter, until they vanished entirely…

“You grabbed this, didn’t you?”

[You knew?]

“Of course I did.”

I reached for the sub-space pouch at my waist.

And pulled out, naturally, the ‘Magitech Anti-Gravity Shotgun’ and ammunition.

Its radiant form, ever dazzling.

Come to think of it, they said this place was a magic-null zone, right?

“This isn’t magic, though.”

I loaded the shotgun, wearing a bemused expression.

[Hey, analysis complete.]

“Ah, is that so?”

Just in time, the announcement of the resurrection spell’s analysis.

I stared at the paper in my hand, then asked a question.

“But is this the original? It’s filthy.”

[The paper itself is imprinted with an anti-replication cipher. No one can copy something like that.]

“Ah.”

*Riiiiip.*

*Riiiiip.*

*Snip.*

*Riiiiiip.*

I tore it.

Until it was unrecognizable.

Then, I crumpled a few scraps and stuffed them into my subspace pocket.

That should give them a brain hemorrhage if they try to piece it back together.

“Let’s break out.”

I was satisfied.

Time to head back to the dorm.

I aimed at the bars and fired a shot.

*Whoomph.*

Watching the bars fly off pathetically, I vaulted out the window.

“Idiots…”

Farewell.