Upon hearing the stranger casually call out her title, Index instinctively retreated behind Yuuya, her small hands tightly gripping the back of his shirt as she peeked out at the green-haired magician.
It was hardly surprising that a magician recognized her. As the human repository of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, virtually every cabal on the Magic Side sought to capture her.
'Is this just another rogue magician trying to kidnap me for the grimoires?' she wondered anxiously.
With his hands tucked lazily into his pockets, Yuuya eyed the man in the white suit as he strolled down the stairs with aristocratic arrogance. Every line of his posture radiated condescension and a sharp, underlying hostility directed straight at Yuuya.
The source of that hostility was painfully obvious: Index hiding behind him. To a man like this, anyone who commanded Index's trust and reliance was an immediate enemy.
Yuuya knew exactly who this man was: Aureolus Izzard.
Before Kanzaki Kaori and Stiyl Magnus were assigned to Index, Aureolus had been her close companion and protector. He was a tragic figure who had fallen madly in love with the innocent Sister—a man willing to sacrifice his career, his faith, and his very soul just to save her from the annual memory wipes.
The tragedy, of course, was that Index possessed zero recollection of his existence. Even if she were told, learning about the atrocities he had committed in her name would bring her nothing but horror.
To break Index's tragic cycle, Aureolus had cast aside his holy faith, abandoned his magic name—Honestis145—and descended into darkness as a rogue Alchemist. His entire world now revolved around a single, desperate delusion: curing Index. Without that goal, he was merely a hollow shell drifting through reality.
Magicians who lost their direction were pathetic enough, but fallen Alchemists driven by fanatic obsession were among the most dangerous entities in existence. They would tear down the fabric of the world just to reclaim their purpose.
To achieve his vision, Aureolus—formerly a honored scribe of the Roman Catholic Church—had seized Misawa Juku as his personal laboratory. He had used brainwashing magic to subvert the faculty and students, forcing thousands of teenagers to chant the Gregorius Chant in unison to turn the entire complex into a massive, artificial mana battery.
"I originally assumed you had merely brought an unwanted intruder along, Himegami," Aureolus chuckled, his voice echoing through the grand hall as he landed on the marble floor. "I certainly did not expect such a magnificent alignment of fate. Not only did you bring my precious companion back to me after three agonizing years, but you even managed to capture an ancient vampire. Splendidly done. Once my grand technique is complete, I shall grant you the reward I promised."
Aureolus noticed Yuuya's half-closed, unimpressed gaze, but interpreted it merely as the cautious posture of a restrained beast.
In Aureolus's mind, giving Himegami Aisa those cross talismans to track down a vampire had yielded results beyond his wildest expectations. He had never truly expected the Vampire Killer to capture a pureblood alive—merely luring one into his domain was supposed to be enough.
"I have already received a powerful charm to shield my ability from the vampire, Mr. Alchemist," Aisa said politely, pulling out the Hakurei talisman Yuuya had given her. She bowed slightly to Aureolus, a faint, gentle smile touching her lips. "Thank you for taking care of me in the past."
Although her relationship with Aureolus was purely transactional, he had helped her navigate the underground to enter Academy City, and she remained genuinely grateful for his past assistance.
"Oh? That paper charm..." Aureolus paused, examining the glowing talisman in Aisa's hands before turning to Yuuya with a polite, aristocratic nod. "As expected of an ancient vampire renowned for vast esoteric knowledge. To craft an amulet capable of completely masking the scent of Deep Blood... I must apologize for underestimating your resourcefulness."
Aureolus bowed with elegant ceremony, though his eyes betrayed his uncontainable ecstasy. "To express my formal apologies, I invite you and Index to join me in my personal office upstairs. We have monumental business to discuss."
Everything was progressing flawlessly. Not only had he secured the Vampire Killer, but Index herself had walked straight into his lair. He had originally anticipated needing to bypass the Anglican Saints or Academy City's Level 5s to reach her, yet here she was.
'God is truly rewarding me for my three years of solitary suffering,' Aureolus thought, his chest swelling with triumph. 'Once Ars Magna cures her condition, I will become her permanent savior and protector. The Anglican Church will have no choice but to yield her to me!'
"Heh. There's no need to waste time going anywhere with a fallen Alchemist who threw away his own magic name," Yuuya said coldly, his voice dripping with utter contempt.
He stared down the proud Alchemist as if looking at a piece of garbage. "I came here solely because this pretty miko invited me. I have zero interest in hearing out the delusions of a stray dog."
"What...?" Aureolus's smile froze, genuine shock flickering across his face.
He had expected awe, terror, or at least diplomatic caution after revealing his domain. Why was a long-lived creature acting so recklessly inside an Alchemical barrier?
"A fallen Alchemist who abandoned his magic name..." Index whispered, her eyes widening as she recognized the underlying formulation surrounding them. She looked at Aureolus with profound wariness. "Your ultimate goal... was to use the 103,000 grimoires in my head all along!"
"Mr. Vampire, it seems you have failed to grasp the reality of your current position," Aureolus's face darkened, his pleasant facade shattering into cold malice. Hearing Index's wary tone only inflamed his jealousy. "This building is my absolute domain. My polite invitation was merely a courtesy to secure your voluntary cooperation."
He glared at Yuuya, his eyes twisting with murderous intent. "If you refuse to act with dignity, I shall force dignity upon you."
"Force dignity upon me? Pfft! Hahaha!" Yuuya burst out laughing, covering his face with one hand as his shoulders shook. "You actually think you have the power to make me submit? That's hilarious. Go ahead and try—if you can even scratch me, I'll generously give you a compliment."
"Yuuya, be careful!" Index warned urgently, tugging on his sleeve. "Inside this Alchemical Phase, the caster operates as a localized creator! This space is an artificial reality constructed through Möbius's world theory and Kabbalistic idol worship! Within these walls, his thoughts can manifest directly into physical law!"
"As expected of my precious Index," Aureolus said softly, his voice trembling with manic devotion. "You decoded the nature of my barrier from the subtlest spatial ripples. But worry not—you will be saved by my hand very soon, and then you will remember me forever!"
Aureolus reached into his lapel, pulling out a long, gleaming needle of solid gold. Without a moment's hesitation, he plunged the heavy needle directly into his own neck, driving it deep into his nervous system to concentrate his mental output.
"Ars Magna!" Aureolus roared, his eyes flashing with absolute, terrifying authority as he pointed a finger directly at Yuuya.
"Vampire... lie down and submit before me!"
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Give me powerstones.
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