Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:NT SS (section)

===Part 10===

“The…diagrams…”

The Priestess of Bastet practically gasped out the words while lying on the ground.

She glared at Index and at the human intellect that had defeated the beast.

“I had her Book of the Dead…but it was incomplete. The diagrams…were missing…due to tomb robbers. I needed…those diagrams…so…”

“Oh, so that’s it,” muttered Index.

Grimoires could be transmitted from one person to another. There would remain only the one original, but a copy could be newly made.

When that happened, the illustrations and diagrams caused the most trouble.

In consecutive editions, even the grimoires covering the ceremonies for the Golden magic cabal had alterations to the magic circles, rose symbol, and other descriptions that needed to be seen to understand. (Most of the changes were made to make them look fancier and more impressive.) The text alone was not enough for a grimoire. Without both the correct text and the correct diagrams, the true wisdom could not be reached. Human ignorance and vanity would hide the key somewhere.

The Priestess of Bastet had madly sought that.

She had held the incomplete text in her heart and searched for the lost illustrations and diagrams.

The scattered jigsaw puzzle had not had enough pieces, so she had used Index’s head to fill in the gaps.

Even if the grimoire was incomplete, her 103,000 grimoires could be used to fill in the missing pieces after observing those gaps from countless angles.

If it was then stolen from her head, the Priestess of Bastet would have a complete Book of the Dead with both the text and diagrams.

She would have the full records of a certain individual’s life, deeds, rewards, and punishments.

She would have the true picture of that person with no falsehoods mixed in.

“I will reach her.”

She could not gather strength in her body.

She knew that better than anyone.

But despite lying on the ground, the Priestess of Bastet extended a shaking hand straight upwards as if to grasp the sun. Beyond that hand was the girl who had memorized and managed a great number of grimoires.

“Bastet will reach Sekhmet… I have to. I will take back…the diagrams…and truly understand her. And to do that…I must…I must…!!”

“…”

After hearing that, the white nun named Index took in a quiet breath.

And…

“ ‘This is for the best, Leep. Instead of being trapped by me, you should become a freer magician. That is the true correct answer.’ ”

Those few dozen words were enough for the Priestess of Bastet to completely lose sight of reality.

“What?”

The tone of voice was that of a lovely girl.

However, the tempo, accent, breaths, and everything else were all those of the person she knew very well.

That person had descended to this place.

“ ‘To be honest, I was confused by how much you looked up to me. I was not that kind of person, but at the same time, I was happy. That was why I refused to take you on as an apprentice and yet continued to partially respond to what you wanted. I should have outright refused you, but I was afraid of losing you. I’m sorry.’ ”

(No.)

The black cat thought in her confusion.

(I don’t know anyone with such a kind look in her eyes.)

As she thought long and hard, the Priestess of Bastet finally realized what was happening.

She herself had obtained the Book of the Dead and read it. It had described all the good and bad deeds of that person, but it had never mentioned the kind of person she had been.

That information was not in the text.

These were the lion’s unwritten words that one could say were between the lines.

The ultimate version had been created in Index’s head by combining the text and the diagrams. By recording the deeds and sins of a certain individual, the custom-made grimoire had been fine-tuned to save the soul of that individual. It was with that grimoire that Index knew this.

This was not a conversation.

It may have looked like it, but it was technically not.

It was like reading a diary entry someone had written long, long ago. The important feelings that someone had long hidden in her heart yet wanted to express someday were being spoken to a dense person who understood nothing.

It was like explaining the true meaning of a book to someone who had read the blurb and shut the book there.

“ ‘I was truly happy when you created a path to Bastet instead of Sekhmet. So become someone who will cover people in a shower of blessings rather than someone like me who covers people in a shower of blood. While you were my greatest trouble, you were also my greatest hope. Do you understand, Leep? Even as you looked up to me, you were a magician who had moved far ahead of me.’ ”

That became the finishing blow.

It was unavoidable.

The physical damage was tormenting her mind to the point that her false conviction and her great desire were the only things keeping her conscious, but the final core of her being broke.

When she heard those words, a barely-noticeable smile appeared on her lips and she was unable to stop the tears from flowing.

And thus the black cat that had looked up to the lion fully let go of her consciousness.