Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:AgneseSS Chapter8 (section)

===Part 4===

Agnese Sanctis quietly sighed.

It was all over.

The pope was safe where he lay on the floor. With the defeat of Tu, aka Albert Dying, the Violator of the Peace spiritual item trying to force its way through the old man’s holy garb had stopped resisting. Agnese only had to crouch down and grab it for the X-shaped belts to unravel from the pope’s chest like no more than ribbon.

She tossed the Violator of the Peace aside and it hit another of the culprit’s spiritual items with a solid clang. It looked like nothing more than a small sickle made from crude materials, but even that could destroy the world.

That was what made magic so frightening.

She pressed a communication card against her ear and spoke into it.

The method used by the card had existed before the invention of electronic devices, but most people would assume she was operating a phone. Most cars around the world had round steering wheels and there was no real reason to make showerheads X or star shaped. Most everyone would settle on similar shapes because those were easiest for people to use.

“The Sickle of Saturn has been retrieved. Yes, yes, you check on things outside. Eh? It’s going to be stored and preserved in the British Museum? No, I’d rather destroy it here. Hand this to you Anglicans and who knows what your black-hearted Archbishop will do with it!”

She remained crouched and gently stroked the pope’s forehead with her empty hand while holding the conversation.

Lola Stuart at the top of the Anglicans was entirely different from this old man. That woman loved power games and kept her good and bad deeds perfectly balanced, so there was no point in worrying on her behalf.

“Stiyl, you agree that would be best, don’t you? Yes, yes, I know a poor middle manager like you isn’t allowed to say so out loud, so just dock my pay already. Ugh, I swear the world is edging toward destruction because saving it only gets you punished. Bye.”

That ended her magical call.

Now she spoke to someone in the same room as her.

“Hey, Sister Lucia. You still alive?”

“…Barely.”

“You too, Sister Angelene. I took out the bad guy, but do you also need some recovery magic?”

“Already working on it. Ugh, don’t those Larvae things suck all the fat out of you once they latch onto you? The legends say they also leave weird marks all over your body, don’t they?”

The three girls stopped talking there.

So when they heard a groan, it did not come from any of them.

“Uhh…”

There was no reason to stay here until he woke up.

Every last part of Agnese’s body was aching and she had been stabbed in the back to protect the pope, but she had not risked her life to place him in her debt.

Reluctant to leave, she rubbed the old man’s forehead once more.

That was enough.

“Sister Agnese, it’s time.”

“C-come to think of it, we’re in the country without our passports, aren’t we?” said Angelene. “E-eeek! There’s only one exit from here and if they find us, we’ll be thrown in jail for sure!”

Agnese Sanctis pulled her hand away and silently stood up.

“The pope is fine. What about the cardinals?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. There is only one exit, so we check on them as we leave.”

“Then there’s Tu – Albert Dying.”

“Eh? We’re in the country illegally and now we have to carry an entire person back with us!? I-isn’t an unconscious person really heavy?”

Angelene started to fidget nervously.

But if they left him with the Catholics and he later escaped, it would be their fault. Anti-magician combat was the Anglicans’ specialty, so it would be safest to take him back home with them.

Back home.

Agnese smiled at that phrasing.

This was supposed to be their home. It was the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. So how could they go “back home” from here?

She knew the answer.

And she knew what to say next. They needed to choose who would carry Tu on their way home.

“Rock, paper…”

“!?”

“!?”

“Everyone but me loses!!”

“Who put you in charge!!!???”

“Who put you in charge!!!???”