AKM Act 11-14

Act 11-14: Emergency Situation At The Library

Part 1

「Hang in there, Katakake-dono!」

Kuroki rushed over to Katakake, who had collapsed in front of the library reception desk.
When he lifted Katakake up, it seemed Katakake had only lost consciousness, there were no signs of any life-threatening injuries on him.

「He might’ve just been put to sleep by force... Shall I try waking him up with magic?」

Mitsuami who followed behind Kuroki offered her help.
Magic related to sleep and awakening falls under the category of spirit-type magic.
Mitsuami majors in alchemy, but she might have some knowledge of spirit arts as well.

「No, let me to try first.」

Kuroki rejected Mitsuami's offer for the time being.
While necromancy naturally involves magic related to death, it also excels in spells concerning sleep and dreams.
Some spells are such that, without the use of special means, the person affected may never woke up again.
Kuroki once used a nightmare spell in the past, and deeply regretted it when the target couldn’t wake up from the nightmare for the rest of his life.
Thus, ever since that incident, he had been honing his skill in magic to learn the skill to wake up the victim of the said magic.
And now was the time to use that magic.

「Huh!? You can use magic…? Ah, of course you can, you’re the Hero-sama's comrade, so it’s only natural you can.」

Mitsuami looked at Kuroki with a surprised expression.
It seems she thought that Kuroki couldn't use magic before.
That was only natural since he wore swordsman outfit instead of magician's robe.
Since the sleeping magic used on Katakake wasn't particularly powerful one, Kuroki could wake Katakake up without a hitch.

「... Eh? Oh right, Chijirege!?」

As Katakake opened his eyes, he looked around at his surroundings.
Then finally, he saw Kuroki and the others.

「K-Kuroki-dono? And why Kyouka-sama and Mitsuami-san is doing here too?」
「sigh… It seems something happened, doesn’t it? Katakake-dono, would you mind telling us what happened before you passed out?」

Kyoka looked at Katakake with an exasperated expression.
Her gaze was cold, so much so that she seemed like a completely different person from the night before.
Katakake got startled when she looked at him with such icy cold gaze.

「well, take your time, but can you please tell us what happened?」

Kuroki stepped in to block Kyoka’s gaze with his back and gently asked Katakake,

「Y-Yes. I saw Chijirege coming with mysterious person clad in black robe and a small girl... And when I tried to ask him about their identity, they suddenly struck me down with sleeping magic...」

Katakake began to speak quietly.

「A small girl? That's suspicious indeed.」

Kyouka cocked her head.
Kuroki nodded in silent.
The fact that nothing besides the small girl left much of an impression suggests that she was an exceptionally striking presence.

「So... Why are those people coming to the library?」

Mitsuami voiced the question that had been on her mind.
She couldn't think of any reason for them to enter the library.

「I’ll go check on the state of the Forbidden Archive. Kyouka-san, please report about this incident to Magius-dono. Katakake-dono, stay here with Mitsuami-dono.」

Kuroki gave his order and move immediately.
Chijirege had been eager to get into the Forbidden Archive. So it was highly likely that his objective lies there.
In addition, there was the possibility that the people who came with him was the member of the Cult of Death.
He had no idea what Chijirege and the other was trying to do, but there was no doubt it was something bad.

「Yes, I’d like to go with you as well. If it’s just to deliver a message, wouldn’t Mitsuami-san be enough?」

Kyoka looked like she wanted to come along.

「No, I'm telling you to do this because you're indispensable for this job, Kyouka-san. Only you can do this, Kyouka-san. That's why I ask you to do this.」

Kuroki took Kyouka's hand and said so as he looked into Kyouka's eyes.
Magius and the other were currently in the middle of the Council of Sage.
Since they were protected by a barrier, communication magic shouldn’t be able to reach them.
Thus, direct message was the most reliable option in this situation.
If he asked someone like Katakake or Mitsuami, who were just ordinary magicians, there was no way they would be granted an audience.
Since Kyouka was the comrade of Chiyuki and the Hero’s little sister, there was a higher chance she’d be granted an audience.
This was an emergency situation, and it needed to be conveyed as quickly as possible.

「If that’s what you say, Kuroki-san, then I suppose I have no choice.」

Kyouka replied softly with slightly flushed as her hand was still grabbed by Kuroki.

（Sorry but I have to tell white lies to her in this situation. If it's Reiji, he will do the same.）

Seeing Kyouka’s expression, Kuroki felt a twinge of guilt.

「Katakake-dono and Mitsuami-san, please stand by on this place and make sure that there's no other intruder in the meantime.」

　The intruder was up to no good in the library.
　They had to keep people away from the library as much as possible.
　When Kuroki said that, Katakake and Mitsuami nodded in agreement.
　It seemed that Mitsuami’s view of Kuroki had changed after seeing him use magic.

「Well then, I'm off.」

　After parting ways with Kyouka and the others, Kuroki headed toward the Forbidden Archive.
　The Forbidden Archive located on a floor even below the non-public archives.
　He descends the stairs and heads toward the entrance of the Forbidden Archive.

「Eh!? Is this!?」

　Kuroki was really surprised when he saw the entrance to the Forbidden Archive on the 2nd basement floor.
　The entrance door had been destroyed, leaving the inside completely exposed.
　However, the real problem wasn’t that the entrance door was destroyed.
　The inside looked completely different from the last time he had been there.

（Come to think of it, Totona and Magius-dono did mention something… That if someone without permission enters, the Forbidden Archive’s defense mechanisms will activate…）

　The Forbidden Archive was created by Heibos, the God of Blacksmith.
　It seems he added special function to the Forbidden Archive.
　Currently, there was no way to tell what state the Forbidden Archive was in.

「But let's try to enter first...」

　Thus, Kuroki entered the Forbidden Archive.

◆

　Katakake watched as Kuroki headed down into the basement.

（What was that… just now?）

　Katakake recalled the moment when Chijirege had entered.
　Led by Chijirege, the girls entered the room.
　At the front was a girl who could easily be mistaken for a young child.
　He was familiar with her appearance.
　Eyes that shone like golden owls.
　That girl was clearly not a human.
　Those behind her had their faces hidden under hoods, so it was impossible to tell who they were, but they didn’t seems like human either.
　There was no doubt that Chijirege was involved with some dangerous individuals.

（Chijirege... How did it come to this…?）

　Katakake met Chijirege shortly after arriving in Saria.
　Chijirege had also just arrived in Saria back then.
　Both of them shared the same name as the great sage Magius, and each carried the weight of their parents’ expectations.
　They quickly hit it off due to having similar background.
　However, studying magic was difficult, their magical power was weak, and they struggled just to find a mentor willing to take them on as apprentices. Those were days filled with frustration and the urge to cry.
　Even so, they encouraged each other and kept trying to learn magic together.
　Eventually, Chijirege was accepted to study under a mentor who was a disciple of Tarabos, the vice president of Magician Association. She invited Katakake as well, and together they finally found a way to make things work in Saria.
　Naturally, that was all ruined when Tarabos was exiled.
　Katakake still considers Chijirege a friend even now.
　Chijirege apologized when she put Katakake to sleep.
　He didsn’t truly want to do this. The fact that he didn’t kill Katakake was the proof of that.
　Just as Katakake was being cornered due to the absent of mentor, so did Chijirege.
　And now, Chijirege had gotten involved in something she should never have touched.
　Katakake's heart ached.

「Well then, I suppose I must go call for Chiyuki-san. Mitsuami-san, I’m leaving this to you.」

　Kyouka left the library after saying those parting words.
　Only Katakake and Mitsuami were left behind.
　Katakake looked at Mitsuami..
　Unlike Katakake and Chijirege, she was an honor student, and that made her hard to deal with.
　Although Katakake was a little older, her position in the library outranked his.
　And he always got scolded by her.
　Because of that, Katakake couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable when he was alone with her.

「Sigh… So we've to stop anyone who tries to come in here, huh? Hey, Mitsuami-san. Standing the whole time must be tiring, why not take a seat?」

　Katakake spoke to Mitsuami.
　But Mitsuami remained standing still, staring intently in the direction of the basement where Kuroki had gone.

「Uh, y-yeah… You're right. But now that I think about it… Why am I even here…? 」

　Mitsuami spoke while touching her forehead.

「Eh? What are you talking about, Mitsuami-san? Something serious is about to happen in the Restricted Section! Are you okay!?」

　Katakake checked on Mitsuami.
　This action was so unlike her, someone who’s usually so composed.

「Forbidden... Archive? Eh... I have to go there for that personage?」

　Mitsuami spoke as he began to walk.

　Kuroki and Kyouka, who weren't well-versed in spirit arts, didn't notice, but the magic cast on Mitsuami still hadn't been lifted.
　Although being struck by Kyouka temporarily brought her back to her senses, the magic was invoked again.

「W-Wait a second, where are you heading to, Mitsuami-san!?」
「Out of my way.」
「Gueh!?」

　When Mitsuami said something, Katakake was blown away.
　It was weak air bullet.

「Ouch... What's going on?」

　Katakake looked at Mitsuami as he raised his body.
　Mitsuami was heading toward the underground.

「Dammit, I have to stop he--- Ouch...」

　Katakake put strength into his injured leg and stood up, then began to chase after Mitsuami.