A Certain Magical Index: Apocrypha Archive - Volume 1 by Kazuma Kamachi

Author:Kazuma Kamachi [Kamachi, Kazuma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

7

The magician Freadia Strikers arrived at the city library along with the Necessarius reinforcements of Flack Anchors and his men.

The building itself was not all that large.

It was the kind of square three-story building made of stone that was common in London. Even a cheap apartment for students would have more personality. The library had been created to naturally and casually retrieve dangerous grimoires from the public at large in the form of rare book donations. It had been designed to blend into its surroundings.

Because it was disguised as a public facility, it had no lights on after nine at night.

However, Freadia and the others did not need light. They had decided the darkness was where they would live. Anyone who was afraid of the dark was not the type that should set foot into their field of work.

Flack asked a curt question while barely moving his mouth.

“Where is the repair room?”

“On the eastern end of the second floor. The door is labeled staff only.”

“I want to avoid falling for our own traps. Where are they?”

“They have been stopped. Feel free to go on in.”

Hearing that, Flack lightly waved a hand to give his men an order. They and Flack swiftly ran toward the staircase to the second floor. Freadia could hear no footsteps. These were the movements of people used to attacking at night.

As Freadia walked slowly after them, she focused on the long, narrow duralumin cases Flack and the others held.

While surrounded by silence so pure it hurt her ears, she stroked the old crystal radio hidden in her bag. She looked toward the carpet at her feet.

(I don’t see any footprints.)

She had not expected to see dark muddy footprints. However, the carpet barely had a single wrinkle. The few marks she did see likely belonged to Flack Anchors and his men.

She walked up the stairs, turned around at the landing, and continued on up.

The number of steps was looped based on a numerical cipher to produce a trap where the staircase continued eternally like pi. There was no trace of that trap having been broken. Had the enemy not passed through here or had they passed through without triggering it like someone stepping over a tripwire?

(Were they intent on leaving no trace? It’s almost like they were ignoring the safest plan.)

She arrived at the second floor.

The light of the nightscape coming in through the window vaguely illuminated the entire hallway. Flack waved at her from in front of the door to the repair room. He did not appear to be tense. Had he already eliminated the criminals or…?

“They are not here,” said Flack plainly. “To know for sure we need to check with the librarians here, but there are no obvious signs of a disturbance. The enemy has likely not arrived yet.”

“What…?”

Freadia pushed past him and stuck her head into the half-opened door to view the repair room that smelled of old paper.

It was a small room. A work table and chairs were located in the center and bookshelves covered one wall.

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