Chapter 137 Angel In White
They say the winds of change are coming, but even if the sky looks the same, chaos rushed in like a stampede.
An old man, out of breath and shouting about a crisis, claimed to be a knight and rushed to the scene. The place was Aegir Library. Inside, an eerie atmosphere wrapped around everything.
"Ugh, ugh..."
"...Guh, ah..."
"Hiiro, what is this...?"
"Tch. What the f*ck is going on? Everybody just crumpled."
Moans echoed from all around.
Being one of the largest libraries in the country, it was vast and splendid, with many visitors. But it was a hellish scene, with those visitors sprawled out from the entrance all the way to the back.
"Hey, old man, lemme know if you know shit."
"No, I have no idea. I was just about to leave when I suddenly heard screams coming from deeper inside."
"Screams, huh?"
"Yeah. When I turned around to see what was going on, a bright flash of light suddenly lit up... and then everyone started suffering and collapsing."
"Light, huh? Gonna be magic, ain't it?"
"..."
To sort out the situation, I tried to gather information from the old man who reported the library's strange occurrence, but the cause seemed vague. It looked like it was some kind of magic, as Lyam said, but there wasn't enough information to confirm it.
Strangely, most of the bodies were facing the entrance, as if they were trying to escape from something deeper inside.
(If it's deeper inside... could it be that altar at the very back?)
The cause of this disturbance was probably in the back.
Following the old man's information and my intuition, I turned my gaze toward the back. The layout of the library seemed to allow a clear view from the entrance to the very back.
There, against a broken window frame, was something that looked like an altar. It felt odd to see an altar in a library, but what was placed on that altar caught my eye.
(A scale? Why is something like that here...?)
Sitting on the altar was a single scale.
This is a library, right? Why is there a scale here? Plus, it was tilted to one side, probably because there was a book on the right plate, which was strangely concerning.
"Lyam, hit the back. Keep an eye on that old man."
"Y-yes. Please be careful."
It probably isn't just an object. Maybe it's connected to what's happening this time. Prompted by that feeling, I started walking deeper inside.
But just after taking ten steps, when I had only made it about a third of the way into the entrance, something suddenly felt off in my body.
"Ugh!? What the f*ck is this shi*t?!"
(What's this feeling? Is my strength draining away?!)
I felt my core shake, and an unusual sense of weakness hit me. It was like I was connected to an invisible tube, and my energy was being sucked out.
Reflexively, I jumped back toward the entrance.
"Ugh! ...? "
"Hiiro? Are you okay?"
"..."Yeah, but what the f*ck was that just then..."
Maybe jumping back worked. Strangely, the weakness had stopped.
From the outside, I must have looked odd. Lyam rushed over to check on me, but I still didn't quite understand what had just happened.
(...Should I try going again?)
For now, I needed to figure out what was causing this.
I took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward again, one careful step at a time.
As soon as I stepped into a certain spot, that feeling of weakness hit me again.
"Ugh, f*ck this shit! Not again!"
"Hiiro? What's going on?"
"Don't get too close, got it!?"
"!?"
I held Lyam back as she tried to approach, taking a step back myself.
Just like that, the weakness faded again.
I got it. This was like a barrier. And with this feeling, I could guess what was being drained from my body beyond this point.
"Got it. Magi is getting sucked away."
"
"Magi?!"
"Yup. From the floor and deeper inside. Looks like there's a damn barrier set up beyond this point, and if you step in, your Magi gets drained like a wet rag."
"
"A barrier that sucks up Magi...? B-but why would something like that be in a library...? No way!"
It was invisible, yet the moment you stepped into its range, it stole your Magi. What a nasty trap──who set this up?
It seemed like Lyam had some idea, even if I didn't.
Her already pale skin looked unhealthily blue.
"Ah, I knew it..."
"What's wrong, Lyam?"
"The balance... Libra: RE is tipping! That child is probably deploying the Magi absorption barrier, Hiiro!"
Lyam pointed at the infamous balance.
No way. That weirdly designed balance is causing something this outrageous?
"Yo, what the f*ck is that balance supposed to be a damn barrier for?! Hold up though, you mean like some kind of white beast?"
"Yes. That's a being with a unique power among beasts... the 'Star Crown Beast'."
"What the hell?!"
I was shocked by the name Lyam mentioned.
The Star Crown Beast is the very creature I searched for in the encyclopedia to apologize to Quollio. They say it refers to 12 beasts that surpass human understanding, but I never thought that balance was one of them.
Meeting this twisted fate brought back an unexpected sense of nostalgia.
"Whaddya mean somethin' be in a library? Doesn't matter now. Point is, we gotta do something 'bout it."
"...Yes. But Hiiro, shouldn't we first rescue the people who are unconscious outside the barrier?"
"Why not? They just blacked out from lack of Magi, right? If it can be stopped easy, we should."
"If it could be easily stopped, we should do that, but Libra: RE is at the center of the barrier. Getting close is really... Besides, leaving the unconscious people like this is dangerous."
We have to stop that thing. My impatience was calmed by Lyam's unusually composed words.
"Magi is our vitality. When Magi runs out, consciousness fades because the body needs to rest to generate more Magi. But inside that barrier, even the generated Magi is quickly absorbed."
"...I see, we gotta get them outta there fast."
"Yes. If the lack of circulating Magi continues for too long, we don't know what kind of harm it could cause to their bodies. We should prioritize the rescue."
"...Got it."
While nodding at the smooth explanation, I was desperately trying to hide my small surprise. I had only seen the usual timid and shy side of Lyam, so seeing her make such a calm judgment was refreshing.
It seemed I still didn't know Lyam well enough. The presence of a reliable teammate naturally made my mouth curl into a smile.
"...But what the f*ck are we supposed to do? Even if we throw a f*cking rope or something, everyone's out cold already. Should we just force our way in and toss them out of that f*cking barrier?"
"No... If we faint inside the barrier too, it's game over for us. So, I'll help everyone without entering the barrier."
"You're so sure of yourself. Can you really pull it off?"
"I'll give it a try... Come here, Mokumon!"
"Mokumoku!"
What she pulled out, as if to say "leave it to me," was the Mokumon lamp.
The purple fairy appeared without delay, already holding the key item in her hands.
At a glance, I nodded in understanding.
With that magic, we could definitely rescue them from outside the barrier.
"'Hurry, hurry, welcome back!'"
Wearing the white apron she received from Mokumon, she began to chant while drawing a magic circle on the ground with a bamboo broom.
Thanks to her quick and practiced movements, the circle was completed in just a few seconds. Without a moment to catch her breath, Lyam looked up at me, as if pleading for something. Her request was strangely conveyed without words.
"'To your home. To my heart'.
Hiiro, please be the catcher!"
"Alright, leave it to me!"
"Here we go── 'Silky's Devotion'!"
As soon as she finished chanting, Lyam stepped back from the circle, and I took her place.
It was a simple role, but it was the right fit. I couldn't let the delicate Lyam be the catcher. Even if the catcher wasn't a white-coated angel, I hoped he wouldn't hold it against me.
While offering such a silly apology, I braced myself to firmly catch the user flying towards the circle at high speed.
*For those who forgot, here's an explanation from the third daughter, Ms. Skuld.*
[Silky's Devotion]
*Chanting Phrase*
"Hurry, hurry, welcome back.
To your home. To my heart."
This is an intermediate-level magic that pulls the designated target to the spellcaster place with a whoosh.
It's a magic that specializes in the attractive force of the yellow attribute, and as mentioned in the story, it's mainly used as an emergency escape tactic from danger. But if the target is too far away, it won't activate, so I always have to keep track of the range. Plus, the pulling force is really strong, so if it's used suddenly, it can be super scary!
The catalyst is wearing a white apron and drawing a magic circle with a bamboo broom. This further expands the range distance with the target I can attract. Hmm, it's a handy technique, but I can't help but feel a bit of a yandere vibe from it.
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