Tsuchimikado Motoharu could not use magic.
Strictly speaking, if he used it, he'd lose control of his body. As the human body wasn't numerical, it couldn't decide how many times could he endure it. He may endure it up to 4, 5 times, or he may die in one use.
It was like playing Russian Roulette; there was a chance where he would die. In this situation where he was uncertain, Tsuchimikado was trying his best not to use it. If he was to end up being unable to take action, one could expect what would happen after that.
Thus, Tsuchimikado was unable to use the 'Seeking Magic'.
He placed the thick piece of paper that Oriana had left behind on the floor, and drew a perfect circle around it. He then positioned many different colored papers, and that was all. Basically, it was Stiyl's job to activate it.
"The name of the spell is called an 'all-around reality array' — it would have been easy if I used it during the Angel Fall incident nya...in order to prevent any interference, I only used a single defensive spell, and got damaged really badly. Kanzaki nee-chan isn't good at setting up a boundary either, so it was really troublesome. Of course, I can't possibly teach the important figures of the Russian Orthodox Church this..."
"Stop yapping and start working. I heard that the effective range is about a 3 kilometer radius?"
"Ah, to interrupt me like this. Ahhh, Kami-yan, please move away bit. What if your right hand breaks this 'all-around reality array'?"
Hearing Tsuchimikado mention this, Kamijou frantically backpedaled. Tsuchimikado continued to make some markings on the ground, and after he was done, moved back to where Kamijou was.
A black circle with approximately 50cm in diameter was drawn on the ground, and the piece of paper that Oriana had stuck on the bus washing machine. The blue, white, red and black pieces of paper divided the circle into four equal quadrants, each set at 90 degrees. Seemed like this was to represent north, south, east and west.
Stiyl knelt halfway down in front of the circle that Tsuchimikado had drawn, clapped his two hands together, and closed his eyes. A drop of sweat flowed down his forehead.
"—IITIAWHAIICTTPIOA (Through the wind, but not through air, but to convey thy will)."
As he recited this, the four pieces of paper started to float in the air. Like a clumsy puppet being pulled by invisible strings, the colored paper stood up. The edges of the pieces of colored paper reminded one of the sharp edge of a sword blade.
"This so-called rune is the idea of magic by adding and removing colors."
Tsuchimikado stared at the circle on the ground, saying,
"First, one has to imprint something that's of significance, and forcefully input some energy to activate the spell, and deactivate it by removing the stains. For Stiyl, he uses 'pre-prepared dyed cards' that were printed, so the spell activates extremely fast. When the card 'burns', the removal of the color will be over in an instant nya. So normally, people will use spells that 'are pre-prepared'..."
The four pieces of paper continued to draw a spiral. The papers continued to draw a line that was of the same color. The line continued to get closer and closer, and the circle got smaller and smaller, as they got closer to the middle, where the card that Oriana had left behind was.
"As long as we follow the basic rule of 'adding and removing colors', even if it's Futtark, which doesn't follow the normal regulations, one can activate a rune spell nya. In fact, different types of 'rune words' formed during different ages."
―There was only 15cm to the center of the circle.
Kamijou stared at the fast rotating pieces of paper.
"If we use this, we can accurately determine where Oriana is?"
"Um. If we use it, we should be able to determine it in a 3 kilometer radius. However, we won't get anything if she leaves the perimeter."
"...3 kilometers. It's rather far. But if we find her at exactly 3 kilometers from here, wouldn't the enemy move somewhere else?"
"One more thing. After activating an 'all-around reality array', it'll take fifteen minutes for us to set it up. However, it's no problem if it works once."
Tsuchimikado said this, but if they failed...
"Although 15 minutes sounds short, wouldn't it be bad if the opponent takes a bus or tram?"
"I don't care where she runs off to. Kami-yan, have you forgotten? I'm a magician too. Don't I have the Red Spell as my last resort? Although I only have one shot."
―There was now only 10cm to the center.
Kamijou revealed an irritated look, and said,
"What you are talking about...is that gimmick that you used to bomb my house from the seaside resort to prevent that Angel Fall? It's alright if we can use such a long range strike...wait a minute, if everyone knows about how someone used magic brazenly in Academy City, wouldn't the many magicians waiting outside be using this as an excuse to invade?"
"No, they won't. Kami-yan, because their excuse is to 'protect ordinary civilians from those bad magicians that invaded Academy City.' As long as we settle this with a single strike, take the 'Stab Sword' back, and announce that 'the danger is gone, so we don't need your help,' isn't it alright nya?"
―5cm left.
Tsuchimikado grinned at Kamijou, and said,
"Even so, I'm not comfortable with solving this as a magician. So I used that Red Spell, and not my specialty, the Black Spell nya. If anyone was to ask who was the one who used magic, I'd just lie to that guy and say that it was Stiyl, the fire manipulator, who launched the strike."
"...That...that is a bit too bold. Can you really trick them like that?"
"I can. Because Necessarius is keeping the knowledge of 103,000 grimoires. It's not weird for them to even learn spells that are not of Christian origin. Stiyl's runes themselves have no relation to Christianity. However, they can't use these spells the Eastern way, so they have to refine it such that it looks Western."
"..."
"What's with your expression? Anyway, we win if we can confirm Oriana's position. The ideal case is if we can capture her, and force her to talk about Lidvia's deal with this other party. Right now, the main priority is to prevent the deal of the 'Stab Sword' from taking place. In other words, it'll be alright even if we blow up the 'Stab Sword' or Oriana to pieces."
―The distance was now 0cm.
The four pieces of paper touched the thick piece of paper that Oriana left. With a crisp 'BAM!' sound, the pieces of colored paper were flying all over the place, drawing an intricate map quickly on the ground. At first it was as blurred as a camera with the lens not at the focal length, then it gradually became clearer.
This map showed everything, from the roads, constructs, trees, benches, vending machines, and wind generators, to each and every single empty can on the ground. Maybe it was more accurate to call it an ultra-high resolution photo taken from a satellite than a simplified or marked map.
Finally, the place that appeared was...
Oriana looked up suddenly.
With one hand, she was holding a billboard-like thing that was covered with a white cloth. She slightly raised her ample breasts, as if she was trying to add to the pressure on the second button, which was the only button she had buttoned. She looked up at the sky.
In the late September blue sky, there was white smoke from the fireworks that were fired, and one could feel the cool breeze in this ruthless summer. The mottled clouds continued to move in the same direction, and everything seemed calm.
Even so, Oriana's skin felt a sharp sense of tension.
It was like trying to get into a bank that had been overrun by robbers and strongly fortified.
Oriana Thomson started to take some time to wonder what was approaching her.
"―Through the wind, but not through air, but to convey thy will — this onee-chan heard that, you know."
Then, she cracked a smile.
"Roar...kakakakakkakakakakkakakakaka—!?"
Suddenly, Stiyl seemed to be hit by something in the chest, as he bent forward.
Picha! The map on the ground was scattered around like how someone sneezes and blows a sand painting away. A loud breaking sound could be heard, and Kamijou was so scared that he instantly took a deep breath, wondering if Stiyl's bones were broken.
"This is a space-bending sound due to him losing control of his power — it's just the sound of air molecules colliding with each other! Kami-yan, hit Stiyl's body! It'll probably stop!!"
Hearing Tsuchimikado call out like this, Kamijou was shocked. Anyway, it was rather scary when 'he didn't know what was going on.' Kamijou rushed to Stiyl and frantically smacked his back that was bent. As he was thinking about doing this fast, he forgot to adjust his power.
Suddenly, the sound of air being depressed was heard.
Stiyl relaxed his body as he lay on the ground, but the strange situation seemed to be over, and he couldn't hear that sound just now. Stiyl panted heavily, and finally pulled his hand away from his sweaty hair—
"What's this? Is this...some spell to prevent being snuffed out...?"
The pieces of colored paper weren't moving anymore, so Tsuchimikado picked one of them up with his fingers, placed his fingers on the paper, and folded several creases on it.
"If so, since I used the 'all-around reality array', I should be affected as well...but there's no such phenomenon."
He waved the neatly folded colored paper, and said,
"Stiyl's magic should have been read by the opponent, and the opponent probably used a counterspell that will cause a reaction in Stiyl. That Oriana, I thought that she suddenly decided to counterattack, so this is her goal. She's trying to force us to use our magic, read and analyze them, and set up a magic array that sends signals nya."
Kamijou did not understand what Tsuchimikado, who was folding the paper, was talking about, as he extended his hand out to Stiyl. Stiyl irritatedly waved Kamijou's hand away, and swaggered as he tried to stand up.
Stiyl spat onto the ground.
"Is it a spell that identifies a person and seals him up? Really, to think that she could come up with that."
"...What's that? You mean it can target Stiyl and attack him directly?"
Tsuchimikado sighed.
"This thing called magic...because of the approach of the caster, the quality and quantity will be different...but, I don't think that this is enough to create a perfect counterattack nya."
As he spoke, Tsuchimikado placed his hand into his pocket, and pulled out a red pen...or maybe it isn't.
According to his explanation, this thing called magic was like gasoline. It was originally like the gasoline that we rely on so heavily, and was refined heavily through sects or religions like an oil processor.
"For Stiyl, if he were using the Aztec method to train his magic, the type of magic formed will be vastly different. Like using crude oil, one cannot refine it into gasoline, but into heavy oil and light oil nya."
Tsuchimikado said.
For an Amakusa Saint like Kanzaki Kaori, besides Christianity, there was still some essence of Buddhism and Shintoism. So they could freely adjust the type of magic and quality of the spell according to the situation.
What Tsuchimikado was suggesting was that, to Oriana, in order to take on Stiyl himself, she'd try and grasp what type of magic that he could possibly use, and try her best to focus on sealing Stiyl's magic. It was hard to imagine Oriana having peace of mind now, as she probably didn't have all the information about Stiyl's power. No matter his strength, one would normally consider about that.
"That...Oriana, what did she do?"
"About this...I guess, it should be something like this."
As he spoke, Stiyl stood up, his legs still wobbly.
"This thing called magic has multiple forms of existence. But the previous stage is no longer the same. The methods we can use to refine this talent will be dependent on religion, spells, and one's own lifeforce. After that, it's like a math problem. As long as one calculates it backwards, the answer will be out."
Imagine if there was 20 pounds of magic A, and a way to process magic called B. By comparing the two, if a person used the magic procession B needed to process 20 pounds of magic, how many pounds of this lifeforce would be required—this way, one could calculate the original 'lifeforce'.
Stiyl irritatedly pulled out a cigarette stick from a pack with his mouth, and stared at Tsuchimikado. Tsuchimikado was using something like a red pen to draw some markings on the colored paper in his hand.
"In order to overcome this situation, I'm making a new array."
Tsuchimikado told Kamijou, still focusing on the paper.
Stiyl's gaze returned to Kamijou.
"Although magic doesn't have a personality, lifeforce does. In other words, my lifeforce was read by Oriana. Bastard, I shouldn't have set up the rune cards so easily...no, if the opponent is using an underground large-scale interrogation facility for magicians, like an execution tower or the basement of Windsor Castle, it's still possible. To think that it's possible for a magician to be able to do every single step—research, analysis, reverse calculation, application, and engagement all by herself—as expected of the Route Disturb, Oriana Thomson."
Said Stiyl unhappily as he pulled out a matchstick, a rare sight, and struck it against the soles of his shoe. It was likely that he was wary of using magic to light a stick. Right now, he couldn't strike back, and could only wait for Tsuchimikado to finish his preparations. For such a man who had such a high self-esteem to 'be cautious', one could see how unfathomable Oriana was. Hearing him say this, during the battle at the depot, Stiyl had been the only one who used 'magic' outright.
"If she's doing a reverse calculation and counterattacking, the one hurt should have been Tsuchimikado, who set up the 'all-around reality array'. Since nothing like that happened, I guess it reacted to my lifeforce."
Stiyl continued. Tsuchimikado was working hard on some weird project, so only Kamijou and Stiyl were conversing with each other.
"Which means, that Oriana can still analyze Stiyl's magic while she's escaping?"
Kamijou tilted his head, not knowing what was going on.
Seeing Kamijou like this, Stiyl couldn't help but blow out some smoke irritatedly. Maybe it was because he lost his cool after being damaged, or maybe he felt that it was troublesome to talk about things that were straightforward to magicians.
"If she knows this move, then it should be even more potent...than your right hand."
He inhaled some smoke deeply.
"Oriana's counterspell...which is on par with those spells used for execution, requires a magic array — no, something that's even higher than it. Oriana didn't just use a spell, she set up an entire area of effect. It's like setting up a high-speed computer, and letting it do all the analysis. This way, Oriana can focus on running away, but..."
"But what?"
When Kamijou said this, Stiyl replied in a bitter voice,
"...No, maybe I'm thinking too much. I feel that I have seen this inhuman 'auto-processing' before...no way. Even if she's Oriana, she can't possibly have that..."
It was like he was muttering to himself.
Kamijou, who didn't understand the situation at all, frowned. Tsuchimikado, who was beside them, was drawing something on the paper. He opened his mouth, and grinned.
"No, Stiyl, I'm thinking the same thing as you."
"Really? …If so, it would explain why Oriana is able to let it work despite being someplace else. But if so, she's not a magician, but a sorcerer."
"Aiya, is this really the case? I always felt that there was something wrong about Oriana. If she's really a complete warlock, there should be some magicians whom she taught that will act as her underlings. Shouldn't that be something that Lidvia should be doing?"
As he spoke, Tsuchimikado continued to create markings on the colored paper. It was like a marking was add on another marking.
"??? What is that?"
The two magicians continued to mutter among themselves, causing the amateur Kamijou to be confused. Seeing Kamijou like this, Tsuchimikado gently smiled.
"Oh yeah, Kami-yan probably hasn't seen an actual situation. But, just having knowledge of it means that you know it. By stuffing any knowledge related to magic into someone, the knowledge will form a magic array without the caster's will. Even if the caster doesn't use magic, it'll cause the 'power' released by nature and lifeforce to multiply, making it active semi-permanently."
Tsuchimikado's smile now had a deeper meaning.
The lens of the blue sunglasses were reflecting light.
"You still don't understand? It's the person closest to Kami-yan nya. 'That' Index that memorized 103,000 grimoires, isn't she with you?"
103,000.
Index.
Even if he didn't understand completely what Tsuchimikado meant, he knew what that referred to.
"No way?"
"That's right, Kami-yan."
Facing Kamijou, who was muttering right now, Tsuchimikado gently shook the colored paper in his hand, and casually said.
"The original copy of the grimoire."
The original.
A book that had the secrets of magic. At first glance, it didn't look impressive, but any ordinary human would get a nervous breakdown if they just read the contents only. Also, the chapters, paragraphs and words of the book would become a semi-permanent magic array that would automatically counterattack if anyone was to try and destroy it.
Nobody had the power to destroy the 'original copy' of a grimoire, so they could only use emergency measures to temporarily seal it. This was why people like Index, who had memorized 103,000 grimoires in her head, and Orsola, who tried to analyze the original Book of the Law, did this to counter these dangerous grimoires.
Kamijou was a complete novice when it came to magic. And he had never seen a real 'grimoire' before. Even so, there had been quite a few incidents around him that involved magic or grimoires, so in this sense, he had quite a bit of knowledge.
Tsuchimikado exhaled deeply, and made the four corners of the folded piece of paper with a pen.
"A grimoire has a similar nature as a magic array, since the secondary effect of a grimoire originates from the effect of a magic array."
Kamijou frowned. He didn't understand what Tsuchimikado was talking about.
"How is a grimoire similar to a magic array? Isn't a grimoire something ancient? And isn't a magic array some star painted circle symbol that commonly appears in RPGs?"
After Kamijou asked this, Stiyl looked somewhat frustrated as he narrowed his eyes.
"...You're using such a stupid analogy again; that's the Star of David. This isn't a single product, but a Middle age magic array that's used within a circular array."
He stared at something beside Tsuchimikado's hand.
"First, we'll explain from the 'array'...the first magic array was just an ordinary circle. It's just like that."
As he said this, he picked up a stone, sat on the ground, and drew a circle with an approximately 50cm diameter on the asphalt road. Though it was hand-drawn, the circle was rather accurate. Kamijou looked surprised, but Tsuchimikado, who continued to draw on the colored paper, didn't bother to even look. Seemed like a magician who had to create his own magic array or rune cards had very dexterous hands.
"The pentagram or the hexagram that you novices think about is used to add an additional effect. In order to add on to the basic effect of the circle, we add the seal of King David or the seal of King Solomon."
Stiyl puffed out a cloud of smoke, and continued to add a pentagram on it. The five tips of the star divided the circle neatly into five different parts, and there was no deviation in any of the straight lines.
But what did this have to do with the grimoires? Kamijou tilted his head, thinking.
Seeing Kamijou like this, Stiyl gently clicked his tongue. Besides his irritated feelings to Kamijou and his own injuries, the reason why Stiyl was all panicky now was that Tsuchimikado was taking too long to plan (or so he thought) a way to break this status quo.
"Then, there's the last step of setting up a magic array...it's too troublesome to explain it a few times, so watch carefully."
Stiyl shifted the small rock away as he said,
"The last step of setting up a magic array is to add other things, like words. Most of the time, we write something outside the circle to declare which angel we want to borrow power from."
While speaking, he continued to write some things along the circumference of the circle. Because it was a scary magic array, Kamijou thought that he would use an unknown ancient language. But he was just writing English.
Stiyl continued to engrave words on the asphalt floor.
"Just like this case, I'll have to write down the name of the angel whom I want to borrow the power from. I'll then have to specify the type of power I want, like 'fire' or 'wind'. I will also have to write down what kind of Telesma I need, and how much power. The quality of the power is important, but what's more important, and maybe surprisingly, is the quantity. If it's too little, I definitely won't be able to activate the spell. But if it is too much, the excess will go out of control, so it's difficult to find an optimal amount."
It was only a little while, but there was already a line of words around the circumference. Stiyl's hand continued to work as he started to write another line of words on the circumference.
"Once I get the correct amount and quality of Telesma, I'll have to write down how I'm going to use it. Maybe the caster will input this power into his staff and get some special ability, or maybe he will set it up around the magic array for defence, etc. With that—"
The second line, the third line, the fourth line, the words continued to pile up like a Swiss roll.
Maybe one should call it a magic array that had markings that were continuously added onto it.
"—Doesn't it look like the page of a book?"
Stiyl puffed out some smoke at the magic array.
In reality, it was as Stiyl said. Although the way it was written wasn't conventional like ordinary books, where there was a specific rule that one had to write horizontally or vertically. But what if one was to read the text along the circle in a horizontal manner? If it just 'required any type of quality and quantity to mix and match before getting some effect'—wasn't it like a formula or some sorts?
The formula of a spell.
This was basically what a grimoire was about.
"But there's still a weakness about using this type of magic array. The more complicated the picture is, the more difficult it'll be to control it. Like the word 'front,' besides the meaning of facing forward, there's also the meaning of 'promenade.' If there's a difference in what the caster intended and what is interpreted incorrectly on the magic array, the spell will go out of control and cause the caster much trouble...but if it's one's own misinterpretation, the caster must be pretty talented."
Stiyl finished speaking, and slowly stood up.
He tossed the small rock in his hand away.
Seeing this, Tsuchimikado spoke up,
"In the end, the amount of information given for this magic array has a direct relation with its power. The complicated look and the lines added are just details that are added onto it. The reason why I used four pieces of colored paper for this 'all-around reality array' is to add decorations that signify that I want to collect information from every single direction. With this, how much power does a grimoire that's entirely stuffed with magical knowledge? —Basically, an original grimoire is a high-intensity magic array. Even specialized magicians find it tough to handle nya."
Tsuchimikado brought this conclusion. The colored paper in his hand was somewhat wet as he was continuously making some markings on the colored paper with his red pen.
Kamijou remained silent for a while.
"If so, in preparation of Daihaseisai, Oriana actually prepared an original grimoire to form this auto-activate counterspell?"
This was something that makes people freeze up.
Once, because of the grimoire that was called The Book of the Law, Kamijou himself had been involved in a battle started by three magic factions. Of course, there were differences in the value and tiers between the grimoires, but no matter how anyone thought, this wasn't normal. To say that the scale was too big, one may say that it was so big that it was almost a waste.
Stiyl disagreed with Kamijou's views.
"...Is this really possible? The alchemist Aureolus Izzard was also a grimoire author. That guy was known as the fastest Cancellarius, and, if he didn't sleep or eat, it'd still take three days for him to write up just one thin book, and probably a month to write a thick one. I don't think she has time to write up an 'original book' while she's spending her life running around. Or maybe the enemy had set up an 'original' beforehand..."
"I don't think so. It's true that one needs a lot of time to complete a book. But this isn't Oriana's objective."
Tsuchimikado spoke in a relaxed tone.
"To her, she just wants the effect of the grimoire that strengthens her magic array. She doesn't care about the genre. Doesn't it feel like nobody can read her cursive handwriting nya?"
Tsuchimikado said this with a thoroughly red piece of paper in his hand.
"...You're implying that she is using Shorthand? I still feel that's impossible...no, alright. Right now, we have to consider all the possibilities no matter what."
Kamijou lowered his head, as the words of these magicians continued to echo in his mind.
Finally, he raised his head.
"This original, it means that nobody can destroy the grimoire, right? If there's a need to create originals for every battle, wouldn't the world be filled with originals?"
"That's right nya— Necessarius never got this kind of report as well. This is just my guess, Oriana's Shorthand is definitely not perfect. A real original can turn each page into a semi-permanent magic array. But because Oriana's one is sloppy, it'll crumble in a short time."
Tsuchimikado smoothly replied as he continued to write on the wet piece of paper. Not only the surface was important, the order the markings were added, and the type of markings added were also important.
Tsuchimikado bitterly laughed,
"In the past, there were many magicians who wrote flawed originals, and ended up losing control over them before dying. Oriana may have used this the other way to destroy the Shorthand on her own. If so, it's better to consider her as a spellcaster. A hybrid that involves the original and a magician — in other words...it's not to pass on the techniques and knowledge to the future generation, but to destroy this original instantly when needed nya."
Hm — Kamijou folded his arms.
"Right now, I still don't understand anything about the original or the magic array."
"...Explaining this to someone like you is really useless."
Because he was injured, Stiyl's face was somewhat green, as his mouth was slightly twisted.
"With the counter, it means that Stiyl is unable to use magic on Oriana?"
"Yes. If we don't settle that counterattack spell, we can't use any magic spells. That spell should be 'ready to strike when it senses that I'm about to use magic.' It won't differentiate each spell on 'what purpose it does,' and besides, it's useless to add that order."
Stiyl sounded like he was confessing his own weaknesses, but though one could tell from his tone that he was having some reservations, there was no sign of giving up. It was like he was trying to say that it wouldn't end like this.
"So how? Stiyl is unable to use magic, right? That 'all-around reality array'...right? Wouldn't it be hard to find out Oriana's position? Since Tsuchimikado can't really use magic well."
"No."
Tsuchimikado shook his head. That colored paper he was holding, which was drenched in red ink, it was a miracle that it was not torn after all the liquid added on it.
Kamijou and Stiyl stared at him.
"I said this before. This is an auto-counter spell created by the Shorthand, so we just need to settle it. If we are successful, we can use some talismans to prevent her from doing it again. Still, the most important thing is to destroy the 'original' that the enemy has, so that Stiyl can safely use his magic nya—"
Kamijou stared at his right hand. The 'original' was definitely a grimoire that could not be destroyed by any means, but his Imagine Breaker may have been able to deal with it.
Stiyl puffed out some smoke.
"It's alright if we destroy the Shorthand, but wouldn't Oriana use this time to run outside the perimeter where the 'all-around reality array' is effective?"
"It's possible. But don't you guys think that the enemy wouldn't use these counterspells if she could escape fast enough? It takes a long time to prepare that. In this tight schedule, one won't do this to add on to her workload."
Hm, Stiyl folded his arms.
Kamijou frowned, thinking that it'd be fine if this was what she was planning.
"That...that Shorthand that you mentioned just now, where is it?"
"I'm guessing it's set up somewhere."
"Is it possible that Oriana is carrying it with herself?"
"I'm not too confident about it if I'm clear about the conditions required to use this Shorthand. But in order to check out the type of lifeforce that Stiyl has, Oriana set up quite a few traps. She then sent some lifeforce that she got from those traps to the auto-magic array. To set up something like this from the beginning to the end, one has to do it all in the same system...is there such a possibility nya?"
"Then where did she set up this Shorthand?"
If they didn't know where she ran off to, it was impossible for them to find out where did she had set up the counter magic spell book.
"We'll be looking into this next nya."
What should we do? Tsuchimikado didn't immediately reply to Kamijou's question.
Tsuchimikado breathed out a small amount of air to adjust his breathing. He then placed the red pen he was swinging about into his pocket, and with both hands, he carefully carried the colored paper that was all sticky and wet now.
He then said,
"Stiyl. It doesn't matter what kind of magic it is, just use it. I'd like to know where the interference came from."
Such cold words.
"After Oriana read Stiyl's lifeforce, she used the Shorthand to hinder our work. That counterspell should involve some magic as well, so I set up this 'divination circle array' that acts like a litmus paper around you to react to her magic. This is a yet unused magic array that doesn't have any magic power yet. The 'divination circle array' will activate when there's magical force from a counterspell. It can also calculate where the spell came from, and the direction and distance."
Tsuchimikado said as he knelt down on the floor, still holding onto the colored paper that was dyed red. He then shifted the paper around like he was wiping a table with a cloth. A red circle with diameter of 2 meters appeared immediately on the ground. When he finished this, he stood up, looking bored.
Like he was reading a manual, Tsuchimikado's voice was emotionless, leading Kamijou to wonder whether Tsuchimikado's brain was alright. He frantically grabbed Tsuchimikado's shoulders,
"But this isn't the way to go, Tsuchimikado! You should know what will happen if the counterspell arrives!? If we do this again, Stiyl will fall again!!"
"Again?"
Tsuchimikado inexplicably frowned.
"Who said that? It can't possibly end once, right? Stiyl can't possibly fall here. At least if we destroy that counterspell, we'll have to activate the 'all-around reality array' to look for Oriana. Before that, if one 'divination circle array' isn't enough to find out where the spell is, I can only allow him to retry as many times as it takes."
Kamijou's expression changed.
"...Are you serious?"
In contrast, Tsuchimikado gave a straightforward answer.
"Kami-yan, you seemed to have forgotten, so let me remind you again. Even if Oriana Thomson isn't in front of us, even if there are no swords or bullets flying around, this is still a war that concerns human lives. Countries, or even the world, may be overturned as a consequence, you understand?"
"But...!!"
Kamijou stomped onto the ground.
"I can understand if we're able to win as a result of Stiyl getting injured. But why can't we get this clear!? If so, there's a possibility that it won't be effective no matter how much damage he takes! Also, even if we find out where the counterspell is, and destroy it, are you going to drag Stiyl around to battle? STOP JOKING WITH ME!! I CAN'T POSSIBLY AGREE TO THIS!!"
Stopping himself there, Kamijou swallowed down his final words at the last second.
...Tsuchimikado, you're asking Stiyl to use magic because you hate getting hurt in a battle...
"I got it. Let's do this."
Stiyl accepted this proposal that nobody would find sensible to agree with.
"But you...!!"
"Kamijou Touma, this is gross, stop acting familiar with me. If this can solve everything, there's no problem."
After saying that, he glared at Tsuchimikado.
"Conversely, we have to find out where the spell is no matter what. Also, we have to do this on our own, and we can't let it develop into a bigger problem, got it?"
Being glared at by Stiyl, Tsuchimikado didn't look away.
"OK. I promise not to escalate this incident and cause Index to forcibly return. I'll protect her life while she's still in Academy City, is this your condition?"
Hearing Tsuchimikado's words, Kamijou was at a loss of words.
No matter how injured he was, Stiyl was only thinking about a certain girl's happiness.
Even if that happiness didn't involve him.
Even if where he had been was now occupied by Kamijou Touma.
He wouldn't pull back because of that fact.
The magician Stiyl Magnus turned his back at Kamijou and Tsuchimikado, and pulled out a rune card from his torso.
'Divination circle array'.
Without hesitation, Stiyl stepped into the red circle that Tsuchimikado had drawn on the ground.
"Kamijou Touma...I'm unhappy that you're here right now."
The red-haired priest said in a firm voice,
"Why aren't you beside that child? It's your fault if that child is unhappy because of this."
After that, the rune flames exploded, and the counterspell activated.
With a scream, one could hear someone fall onto the ground.
This was how Stiyl Magnus lived his own life.