Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:GT Volume16 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 2===

She wasn’t foolish enough to descend directly into a British airport.

So her plan was to first enter France under a fake name and then pass through the Channel Tunnel to reach London.

It was late at night.

She didn’t think she had taken even ten steps from the train.

Takitsubo Rikou found Leivinia Birdway standing in front of her on the giant station platform.

“Way too obvious. On the magic side, England has long seen France as its greatest enemy. Why would you try to sneak in on the most watched route? You should have at least tried stowing away aboard a ship from Spain or the Netherlands. Although those holes will be filled given another two weeks.”

She was speaking English of course.

And with a proper British accent that would sound out of place in America or Australia. Birdway had no obligation to speak Takitsubo’s language.

The confident blonde girl took a sip of the drink a subordinate handed her and then stared at the bottle’s label in disbelief.

She demonstrated her lack of concern by taking her eyes off of the enemy directly in front of her.

“Ew, gross… Hey, Mark, what the hell are you making me drink? It tastes like the paint used to make glass bottles shine.”

“It is mineral water, boss. And a luxury Swiss product. It costs more than a cup of the tea you love to give trivia about despite not making it yourself.”

“Natural water? You mean water from the ground!? European groundwater is far too dangerous to drink without boiling it first. At the very least, no self-respecting Brit would touch the stuff. No wonder my body instantly rejected it. We might be outdoors and on the streets, but the correct choice is to prepare a safe and tasty cup of tea. And I mean you should do that, Mark, since you’re just standing around stealing your wages.”

“Look at all this work I am doing, boss. Every last thing crammed into the pages of my notebook is something that should be your job as head of the cabal.”

Apparently that man in black did not demand his mistaken boss change her ways. Simply pointing out the mistakes and letting shame do the work apparently wasn’t just a tool of Japanese bureaucracy.

Takitsubo ignored all that and interrupted in Japanese.

“If I would have been caught regardless, why did you take the risk of contacting me? Are you also planning to-”

[[Image:GT_Index_v16_BW5.jpg|thumb]]

“Nah, I don’t really care about Hamazura Shiage.”

“…”

“Don’t give me that look. And don’t try to bluff without even a two of a kind in your hand. Making threats without any idea how to fight is also known as suicide. Also, you seem to be staring intently at the cards in your hands, but are we even playing European poker here? Or is it Japanese seven bridge? You can’t even guess at the rules for how you battle a magic cabal.”

Birdway chuckled.

That was all.

But the next thing Takitsubo knew, she was surrounded. By men dressed in identical black suits.

Their numbers alone weren’t the problem.

(I’m a tracking expert, but ''I didn’t even notice their approach''.)

This was what happened to an information expert skilled enough to slip out of Academy City.

It was like the relationship between an old-fashioned radar facility and a strategic stealth bomber. She had been shown the truth before the fight even began: if she tried to resist, she would be unilaterally slaughtered.

They were right in front of her, yet they had had so little presence it was like watching shadows stand up from the ground.

They were being managed on that level.

It was that sort of game.

“I understand being worried from your point of view. You might not know what exactly a witch trial entails, but it isn’t a term that inspires optimism. Especially when a friend of yours is involved and you can’t just watch on pretending you know what’s happening.”

“You make it sound like you do know what it means.”

“Because ''that'' is the world I fight in.” Birdway shrugged. “For example, have you heard of a tool called the Spanish Spider?”

“?”

“It’s a set of metal hooks that open and close like scissors or pliers. The four sharp points stab into someone’s back and then they’re lifted up using a pulley on the ceiling. The poor victim’s back muscles and fat are torn through by their own weight. And, of course, it isn’t just some bluff – it was actually used.”

“You…”

“There’s also a torture device modeled after millstones. The victim’s body is placed between a pair of stone pieces designed to rotate in the opposite direction of each other and are then ''slowly'' rotated until they confess. Torture devices are not some unique form of technology. They’re based on objects found in everyday life.”

“…”

“The rack, the garrote, Lissa's iron coffin – there are so many other cruel options. There are as many ideas as there are stars in the sky, yet not a one of them is a benevolent tool. It really is cruel. People love to say human nature is good, but this is a wonderful example of what humans produce when they gather together and lose control. If you want a detailed explanation of any of them, just let me know. Unlike those holy men and women, we aren’t bound by any requirement to always remain good. So unlike those arbiters of justice who go to so much trouble, we won’t underestimate the cruelty of the actions or the number of victims. We will tell you the unvarnished truth. And that is the path that Narthex and Hamazura Shiage are headed down now.”

It was true Birdway knew more about this than Takitsubo.

And yet Birdway had said she didn’t care about Hamazura.

“We in the Dawn-Colored Sunlight are interested in The Girls – Narthex in this case. Those presents were left by Great Demon Coronzon and rival Grimoire Library Index Librorum Prohibitorum. That sealing magic user would be a tremendous asset if we could get her. …That said, she is a superweapon created by the Anglican traitor Lola. ''She belonged to their enemy, so it isn’t entirely clear that she belongs to the Anglicans''. Nevertheless, they took her back from Academy City and are attempting to get the death penalty for her in the Tower of London. Right before my eyes!! What a waste it would be to execute a genius like that!”

“You make it sound like you wouldn’t care if she was executed if she weren’t a genius.”

“Because it’s true. I’m not opposed to the death penalty, but I don’t actively support it either. If you want to avoid the death penalty, then show me how it would benefit me and I’ll help you out. But I see personality as a part of someone’s talent and I don’t need a duplicate trump card. ''And I already have one exception who can pleasantly manipulate me.'' Oh, and I don’t mean my sister. Little sisters are a category all their own.”

It wasn’t that Leivinia Birdway didn’t know who Hamazura Shiage was.

Yet she didn’t even need to think about it.

These were the words of someone who chose people based on a hierarchy. In a way, that coldhearted side was necessary to lead an organization.

“You want to save Hamazura Shiage. He’s getting a trial, but it’s effectively a fixed game and it’s been predetermined he’ll be executed, so I understand you’re impatient. But you don’t even know where he’s waiting for execution, do you? Ha ha ha. Searching the ordinary police and court records online from France isn’t going to turn anything up. This is being done under another system entirely: magic. The people who can’t be judged by ordinary laws won’t be managed by the public institutions that operate under ordinary laws, now will they? But someone still needs to punish them for the sake of peace and safety. Let me guess: you couldn’t even find the name Hamazura Shiage in the immigration database.”

“…”

“Is that silence your habit when you can’t find an answer for me? If so, it’s pretty cute.”

“I doubt you will tell me the answer. It doesn’t benefit you any.”

“Right you are.”

Takitsubo heard a quiet sound.

From the side of her neck.

“''I can’t help you. Because I’m not all that interested in Takitsubo Rikou of Academy City.''”

She couldn’t resist.

Not when one of the men in black – the one named Mark – had chopped her at the perfect angle with the perfect speed.