Editing Ultimate Antihero:Volume 3 Chapter 1

It was a humid season from the late summer heat that still left lasting effects.

<nowiki>*pan pan*</nowiki>, the clear blue sky was filled with countless sounds of fireworks that were launched up.

Cheerful music of various countries were played.

The festival opening was the grounds of Japan’s Imperial Palace that was lent to them by the good will of the emperor, and the roads at its outer circumference.

There, countless people had already been gathering, colorful stands were built lining up.

The contents of the stands were yakitori, choco-banana, apple candy, stall-keeper――, a typical line-up of a Japanese festival, then there was also fish & chips, shish-kebabs, pickled herring, stalls that didn’t look Japanese yet still didn’t lose in its colorfulness, there were a great variety of stalls.

Even the people who usually were forced to a frugal living because of the infrastructure that hadn’t been completely recovered yet, just on this day they could cut loose, eat a lot, got drunk a lot, and enjoy the exchange of foreign cultures.

That was the festival of the students――the culture festival.

That was why all the educational establishments inside the Tokyo life sphere received government’s support and held their culture festival by riding on this victory commemoration festival and the students built their stalls as they pleased.

The stalls and shops, and performances that the students built, were as expected quite crude compared to the adults. But there was no mistake that there were many unexpected things from the students and that their magnificent enthusiasm and merriness managed to serve to rouse this festival.

However… during such a fun festival, no matter where it was, there were always bunches of people that got carried away and overdid it, so――

A little far from the throngs of people, under the shadow of the trees, something was going on.

Two men with large body builds were standing as if cornering a girl wearing a short-sleeved apron dress and hairband that was imitating cat ears to the thick tree trunk, they talked with a slimy tone.

“Bu, but, that, I, I’m, in the middle of attracting customers, so……”

In the middle of distributing the flyers of their stand of cat-eared teahouse, she was caught by these men.

Well, in actuality, although she was a young girl but Ayumi was a magician that was participating in the battle with Jambure. Against two mere hoodlums, she could do anything if she felt like it.

“I-diot. Teaching this kind of girl who looks like she never play around, about the fun of adult game is a gentleman’s obligation y’know. That’s why, see, just leave alone things like culture festival and go play yeah. It’s the long awaited festival after all.”

Ayumi’s hesitant behavior only served to make the men get even more carried away.

Ayumi’s behavior made the two thugs mistaken their own superiority and now they approached even more oppressively.

Naturally the skinhead man turned back with an angry look towards that someone who was holding his shoulder and pulled his body.

With the unexpected entrance of this dangerous character, the two thugs were seized with fear and their expressions paled.

“Tha, that’s fine-su! We will refrain for now-su!”<ref>-su is a kind of peculiar way of talking. Usually mascot characters or lowly underlings use it.</ref>

“I told you no need to get so reserved. Well, come here with me. I’m gonna show you my treasured photo of Ib-chan first.”<ref>Don’t know which evil god this Ib-chan is. Anyone know it please tell me.</ref>

“ “Hi, hiii!” ”

Their resistance was useless and they got dragged into the bush. Then

“ “GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” ”

Ayumi’s shoulders trembled twitchingly from that extremely painful voice and stood stock still.

“-geez. They are at the age to know better to not make a ruckus. You ok? Koga.”

Homura smiled in relief hearing that reply.

“Aah. The customers are better than expected. The ingredients for the menu in the store ran out so I got out to restock see. Then when I did that there was this mind transmission from those guys telling me that Koga got entangled with these men with perverted looks, so they asked me to help.”

[[Image:Ultimate Antihero V3 p035.jpg|thumb]]

Pointing behind him, at the direction where Homura’s thumb was pointing, there were the friends of Ayumi who were her teammates in the same platoon, Anna Dronin and Rozalind Wagner.

“Man― just now was a close call! But it’s great, it’s really great that nothing big happened―”

“…It’s a little dissatisfying for me. I want to make those kind of idiots that made Ayumi scared meet an even more painful experience, not just surprising them with a photo.”

Rozalind frankly said that Homura’s way was too lenient.

“Then y’all take care of this yourself. Even if Koga is too meek that it can’t be helped, you two are not the type that gonna hesitate to use sorcery on civilians right? Why did you expressly call for me huh?”

While thinking that her face looked completely like an apple combined with her round face, Homura clapped his hands.

“Now, the two idiots that were a hindrance to the business are taken care of already, so you all stop messing around and quickly get back to your jobs. Right now is the lunch time, time to make it big. Don’t waste even a second. Hurry, hurry!”

“Yeah, yea―hh. Even so Homura-kun, for some reason you are really spirited. It’s not like you isn’t it?”

“Yep yep. This cat ear teahouse is also Homura-kun’s proposal. Even today, you work hard as the floor manager. Just why on earth? Is Homura-kun the type of man that gets fired up in this kind of festival?”

Homura who had completely decoded the world’s strongest grimorie, <Liber Legis>, had learned all the sorcery that existed in this world. Therefore, there was not a single thing that he should learn in schoolwork.

The point was, his attitude in class was really not proper. He had that kind of delinquent image.

But in regards to this culture festival, with a motivation that was completely unthinkable compared to his usual attitude in class, he participated actively since the planning stage.

Just what in the world was the reason for this difference in attitude.

Correct. The truth was that the culture festival of New Tokyo Sorcery Academy was adopting the system of returning the whole earnings to the students in order to encourage the students’ motivation.

In other words, the students could make their business with zero risk using only their physical strength as the capital.

“Aah, I see. It’s really hard for <Evil God User>-san who attracted the eyes of the government―”

“If you really think so then attract customers, even if its just one more. I’m begging here.”

Saying that Homura turned on his heels and left the three.

After receiving the word of thanks by his back and returning the reply by lifting his arm, Homura dashed with all his strength towards the backyard of their cat ear teahouse which was located in a corner of the opened grounds of the imperial palace.

For Homura who was always receiving a heavy burden on his mind and body as if he was inside the deep ocean from the effects of <Aureole>, it was quite an intense act, but his legs didn’t stop even though his breath roughened.

Just like Anna guessed before, having the eyes of the <United World Government> zeroing in on him, Homura whose nationality was robbed couldn’t find a proper job. It meant that he almost had no way to obtain money.

As the only way to properly obtain money, he could also exterminate demons and receive compensation from the <United World Government>, but they were extremely bitter in their payment. Because the other side also understood that even without compensating Homura he would still kill demons, and also because of the relation structure that the <Evil God User> was under the control of the <United World Government>, they didn’t pay him generously.

Yet despite so, it was not Homura’s personality to rip off money from other people by force or asked for money from humans who regarded him favorably like Kinugasa.

As a result, Homura’s financial situation was always barely scraping by.

No, rather, the more Homura got motivated, the other students who harbored fear to the <Evil God User> would only shrink back more.

But―that was only a story until before this.

When Homura arrived at the backyard, several students who were working behind the scene saw his figure and gathered around him with light footsteps.

Rather, their expressions were even filled with adoration and respect.

Not only once but twice, not just twice but thrice, Homura had showed that he saved this world from <Demon King class> demons.

The <Evil God User> was not that terrifying of an existence like how the government made him out as a <traitor>.

Certainly the power he possessed was terrifyingly fearsome, but… there was no doubt that he was the ally of them, mankind, a reassuring protector.

The recognition of the normal civilians towards the <Evil God User> was also in the process of changing.

“Hee. That’s the you-know-who… looking at him directly like this is my first time, but isn’t he really cool!”

“Waa― lets’ take a commemoration photo!”

Among them there were also people taking pictures.

Looking at that populace, the avatar of <Liber Legis> that Homura hid in a pocket dimension, Vel leaked out her honest opinion in a small voice that only Homura could hear through mind transmission.

That was because she didn’t wish for Homura to become closely mixed with humans.

{Come now, don’t say that. They dropped their cash here after all, so I’ll warmly welcome them.}

While saying that Vel directed Homura’s consciousness towards one of the customers, an old woman sitting at the corner.

“Eh? Kamishiro-san. Where is the additional ingredients?”

One of the students tilted her head and asked Homura who was looking at the old woman with a wry smile.

Large amount of food and drink of various kind was brought out in the backyard.

“Wow, amazing……! Isn’t there around the amount of one mini-truck here?”

One of the female students pointed that out after looking at the materials that were in a heap.

But naturally, there was a reason for this.

With pitter-patter footsteps, among everyone who were wearing cat ear hairbands, there was only one petite girl wearing dog ears, Ichinotani Chikori was energetically running into the backyard.

Homura intended to invite even more customers by doubling the number of the shop’s seating.

But in contrast with the two’s harmonious atmosphere, the surrounding students’ expressions paled from that exchange.

“A, additional table, you want to increase the seats more than this!?”

Currently even with just twenty tables the students who were not used of working part-time were already gasping for breath.

But naturally, Homura had also expected that. Therefore he said this.

“Uwaaa! It’s <Evil God> as expecteddd<nowiki>~~~~!”</nowiki>

That was a mountain made from countless cats that curled up their bodies.

And then there was a single girl that laid sprawled on top of that cushion of cats.

And then on the head of the little girl was crowned with cat ears of the same color as her hair.

This girl was the god of love and bountiful crops which were revered by the ancient people of Egypt, the goddess that supervises the cats of the earth―<Cat Goddess> Bastet.

Homura talked to the materialized god of cats with a carefree tone as if asking a favor from a friend.

“Bastet. It has surely reached your ears which can listen to the voice of the Jupiter cat. Just as you know, this is a situation where I even want to borrow a cat’s hand. Cooperate with me.”

In response, Bastet raised her body on top of the giant furball,

“Fu……. Being flattered or the like by a human is not something we the highly proud cats do but, if it’s thy request then we cannot also just refuse. Leave it to us.”

“Nyaa―oo――――-“ She emitted a greatly low sound that was like a rumble, it was not a sound range that generally could be pronounced with a human’s vocal cords.

With their inherent keenness and nimbleness, the cats spread out through the whole area of Homura and the others’ shop in the blink of an eye.

Then some other cats were skillfully carrying a plate of hotcake on top of their heads,

Sometimes there was also a cat that sneaked a bite, but those individual cats were immediately punched by other cats and punished.

Actually, their movements were led really well.

All the students and also the customers similarly opened their eyes wide towards this sight.

A student asked Homura while sweating buckets.

“Fufu. The worry of that person is most correct Homura. My power certainly cannot be borrowed so casually. My name is the <God of Evil Cat> Bastet. The <ancient god> that has the like of blood and entrails as offering! Now, thy wish is fulfilled. Just as what the priest of Bastet did for me before, thy can present the compensation of blood to me now! ……Or maybe, the people that are here in this place are that offering?”

“ “ “Hii……!” ” ”

Bastet’s eyes that shined bewitchingly made the students tremble and back away.

“That ain’t it―. Don’t threaten anybody even though you know already. In the first place, you aren’t eating things like humans anymore anyway.”

Homura carelessly threw [that bag], which he purchased together with the ingredients for the shop’s use in the supermarket, to Bastet.

Instantly, Bastet caught it with a agile movement that should be expected from the god of cats, then that childish face burst out in a smile.

“Nn~♥ Deliciousss. Deliciousss~♪ I thought that you all just merely a hairless ape, but you human bunch are quite a big deal. After all you made something this deliciousss~♪ The instant you know this flavor, things like humans just smell so fishy that you cannot bear to eat♥”

Homura who had paid the compensation to Bastet gave his guarantee to the students around who were still showing a fearful expression.

“……It’s fine not getting scared like that. <Ancient god>, like Bastet, is different from <{{furigana|Great Old One|Ancient Ruler}}>, like Ithaqua or Iod, they are <evil gods> that have coexisted with humans for a long time until now. They are not so friendly to the point that they can be called as ally, but they are not a bunch that actively harm humans. They can be talked with as suits the occasion. Especially Bastet, she is harmless as long as you don’t torment cats, so it’s fine to relax.”

“She is a goddess of bountiful harvest as long as you don’t torment cats. She is just right as a beckoning cat.”

After laughing in a joking tone, Homura gave out orders to all present in the backyard.

“Now. With this the lack of personnel is resolved. Resume all the closed menus. Everyone to your stations! Get money, money, earn more money!”

“Be careful to not step on any cats……!”

Like this, without any considerable difficulty Homura and the others operated the cat ear teahouse favorably.

Perhaps because this was connected with Homura’s livelihood, he showed unusual motivation, ran around between the hall and kitchen as the supervisor of the project and gave out instructions to the students.

Looking at his figure that was like that……Hoshikawa Sumika who was wiping a table at the hall while staring at him was sighing deeply in amazement.

Certainly with this busy time where it made one’s eyes spun around, Sumika herself was also thinking that she wanted to borrow help even if it was a cat’s hand, but… to call an <ancient god> for this kind of reason was just too much.

(…Well, Bastet herself is not a god that harms humans, most of all it’s exactly because she is safe that Homura-san also summoned her in this kind of place……)

As a straightforward, common-sense woman, Sumika felt dizzy from this idea that was extremely lacking in common sense.

But, towards that Sumika,

“Ahaha! As usual, he is really an extraordinary boy isn’t he, that Homura!”

Two voices she had remembered hearing from somewhere entered Sumika’s ears.

When she turned to those voices reflexively, what entered her eyes was a pair of a man and a woman sitting on their chairs.

A silver blonde haired middle aged man wearing a characteristic suit with a basic tone of blue and white.

And then, wearing a tropical aloha shirt that really suited the summer and a suggestive G-pants where half of the bottom was visible, a young red haired woman.

Both these two were the trump cards of humanity, similar with Sumika――

They were people who held the designation of S-rank magician.

“Hey, Miss Grimoire. Last time we met was at your commemoration party for your S-rank promotion wasn’t it?”

The moment Sumika called the names of the two, the young woman leapt from her chair and began to embrace Sumika.

“I was worried what would happen when Jambure appeared, but looking at you still energetic like this makes me happy!”<ref>The accents of these two are a little weird. Also they mix some English into their sentences.</ref>

It was an act where no apologetic feelings could be seen from it, but coupled with Dorothy’s cheerful personality, it felt lovely just like her without any unpleasantness.

“I was also worried you know. It was also the case with Jambure, but… for you to also go as far as exchanging battle with that <Special Missionary>, that’s really something.”

[[Image:Ultimate Antihero V3 p053.jpg|thumb]]

“When you have become a S-rank as long as me, you will already create your own information network whether you want it or not. That’s why, naturally, I know that. Whether it’s about how you fought Alfaro. ……And even the demon called <fairy> that became the cause of that fight.”

The arrival of the <Fairy Queen> Elfiena to Japan, and also the acceptance of the <Fairy race>.

The day the <United World Government> spreads the story of the demon’s acceptance onto this earth, the panic among the people would be unavoidable.

Most of all Japan was… Sumika and the others were fighting the church in order to protect a demon.

――If the reason for these two S-ranks coming to Japan together was to criticize her.

“Whoops, it’s okay even if you don’t make that kind of scary face, Miss Grimoire. I and also Miss Scarlet have no intention to criticize that decision of yours at all. We didn’t come here for that.”

“Rather if the event went just as the <Holy Path Church> wished for and they discovered the corpse of a demon in Japan’s state guest house… the standing of this country will worsen drastically. Protecting a demon, even though it was such an unprecedented affair, but fighting them back was the appropriate judgment. Even regarding the migration, there was no way to stop it if that was the decision of the <Evil God User>.”

He showed that he didn’t have the intention to criticize Japan and showed his understanding of Japan’s position.

“Rather, in the first place――the <Holy Path Church> itself also showed their understanding of this migration of the <fairies>. Yet despite so they broke that promise and stabbed you in the back… it was a trick of a brute that is a disgrace to chivalry. I disdain those fellows instead.”

“Exactly as James said. We don’t have any intention of blaming Sumika’s decision. …After all if right now Japan collapsed, we will also get troubled the same. Rather we are really, really thankful that you accurately handled that difficult situation.”

Hearing the words of these two, Sumika… she felt relieved inside.

“…Thank you for the understanding.”

Dorothy was also in the opposition of the Democratic party of the president of America, Joseph, she was a member of the Republican party’s force.

These two were closer to Japan with their standings.

Just as Dorothy said, if Japan collapsed then the power of the <Anti-Five Great Leaders> force within the <United World Government> would decline comprehensively.

Saying that, James sent his gaze from Sumika towards the shop’s backyard in a glance.

At the end of his gaze was the figure of Homura busily giving off instructions to the students.

“I see…”

Perhaps this was the refined act of an English gentleman.

“But, it’s an important story that made you purposefully cross the sea to arrive here isn’t it?”

“It seems the gist of the story has been already told to him from prime minister Kinugasa. Besides… right now I don’t really want to be a hindrance.”

After saying that, James directed a gentle gaze from within his narrowed eyes toward Homura and murmured.

(By any chance…)

In response James nodded with a soft expression.

“That’s because originally both him and I were magicians affiliated to the same organization in the past, in the <Knight Order Without Borders>. I had also instructed him in sorcery once when he was still little.”

When he crushed the <Grim Bullet> that she fired, he was making use of the dimension element sorcery James specialized in.

“That’s why, for the moment I believe that I know about him more than most people. Of course, I also understand that the infamy coiling around, all of those <Evil God User> are also the pretentious negative campaign of the <Five Great Leaders>. …Really, what an ingratitude bunch they are.”

Saying that, James breathed out the indignation inside his chest as a deep sigh.

“Yes. Homura, when he was still with the <Knight Order Without Borders> already possessed an outstanding talent as a magician, but even so it was not to the degree that could subdue even <Evil God>. At best he was at a level that was a little stronger than all of us S-rank magicians, so he was also not isolated because of extreme strength or anything, …most of all he had comrades. Comrades that possessed strength where they could fight as much as they could to stand equal together with him at that time.”

She never imagined of existences that could be called as the comrades of Homura of all people.

In response to this question, …James shut his eyes in grief and answered like this.

“The sections we belonged to were different, so I don’t know about the details, but… I heard that all members other than Homura, had died in battle at <Walpurgis Night>.”

“…Ah.”

What Homura said back to Shiori, who was criticizing his actions that were covering himself in mud to fix the wrongs was,

{After all, there is also a team that no matter how much you wish, you cannot return back to like before for a second time anymore.}

“If they were still alive, then it’s possible that Homura too won’t choose to be isolated this much…”

“ “…………” ”

“…No, please pretend you didn’t hear that. It’s something where there is nothing that can be done anymore.”

“Miss Sumika. The reason of our coming to Japan today, I want to talk about it to you too. It’s something that by no means is unrelated to you who are also a S-rank. …Right now, can you give us a little of your time?”

Sumika confirmed her surroundings after hearing those words of James.

Thanks to Bastet’s assistance, it seemed that the store was progressing favorably.

If it was now, there was free time to listen to their story a little she guessed.

Towards this, James formed a deep crease on his forehead while… saying this in a serious voice.

“…Recently, the government troops under the banner of the <Five Great Leaders> are moving actively.”

{…The times are like this. Is it natural to arrange war preparation because of that?}

{Certainly it’s natural to take the war stance in preparation of demon attack. However… the current movement of the military is… no matter how I see it, they look like they are preparing to fight humans. An amount of ammunition and explosives that is too much to be called a reserve amount is coming and going through the life sphere.}

Ammunition and explosives… fundamentally, modern weapons like those didn’t have any power to affect demons.

Demons could only be injured by an attack that was clad in magic power.

That was the reason why magicians like Sumika were highly treasured.

Yet despite so, to increase the reserve modern weapons like those was… certainly like what James had said, it was a movement that couldn’t be thought of as anything other than preparing to fight against humans.

{I said this to you because you are a S-rank magician, but in order to make their rule even more rock solid, the Five Great Leaders are trying to enforce a reorganization of the <United World Government>’s member-nation with a plan called the <One Year Plan>. …By any chance, perhaps they are trying to make a bold movement with the pretext of the fairy race’s acceptance here.}

{This is an information of my country, but Alfaro, who is currently unconscious, was transported into the Detroit life sphere. The possibility that they might invent a story that the <Holy Path Church> as well as the <Five Great Leaders> were trying to prevent the acceptance of the <Fairy race> with his presence as the proof cannot be denied.}

The prediction of these two, …until the end was only in the realm of conjecture.

Certainly, something like that might really be done.

If it was the <Holy Path Church> that broke their promise with the <Fairy Queen> and came attacking, then they really might do it.

{Exactly―. For the Republican Party and also for the Queen faction, it will be bad if Japan which is one of the pillars of the <Anti-Five Great Leaders> force collapsed.}

{I see… If it’s something like that then I also can understand why two S-ranks came together to Japan.}

{…Well, it’s nothing more than speculation in the current stage. However it’s not an impossible scenario, the suspicious actions of my home country is a fact. It’s best to be alert. …Miss Grimoire, you too, please have the readiness for the worst case. You must be able to act quickly in the case of emergency.}

If the <Five Great Leaders> were really moving in the scenario exactly as James said, then the possibility of their hand already reaching into the inside of the life sphere was extremely high.

She was on a lookout for suspicious people in this town that was jammed with people due to the victory commemoration festival.

It was a bone-breaking work, but it was not really that hard if one had reached the level of a magician as Sumika.

She put the magic for seeing-through objects in her eyesight and searched if there was someone that was carrying a weapon.

But, even after walking around for thirty minutes, she hadn’t found anyone that was like that.

(At the very least there is no one that is that suspicious… I wonder.)

The action of the <Special Missionary> Alfaro who caused battle inside the life sphere by his own accord and ignored the decision of the government leaders made Kinugasa send an extremely strong protest towards the <Holy Path Church>.

Just as James said, if they had discovered a corpse of a demon in that place, the standing of Japan’s government would become extremely dangerous whether in the external or internal.

That attack couldn’t be thought of as anything else other than having the objective of aiming for that.

Innocentius claimed that it was the arbitrary movement of <Paladins> and the <Special Missionary> and denied his own involvement, but it was clear that it was only sophistry.

Since then, Kinugasa imposed an extremely strict immigration check towards any person related with the <Holy Path Church>.

As it were Japan was in a super high alert on the double.

(…Will they really, make a movement that bold…)

Certainly James’ conjecture was not an impossible story in light of the disposition of the <Five Great Leaders> and their political relationship with Japan. …No, rather, it could even be said that it was only obvious they would cause such a thing.

No matter how much large an army they prepared to challenge him, everything would only come to nothing.

Even if he was just alone he would still…

Her memory of the battle with Jambure was still fresh, where even the people that Homura had saved were looking up at him with a scared gaze after witnessing Homura’s power with his summoning of Ithaqua.

It was impossible for the tiny humans to accept the threat of the likes of <Evil God>.

Sumika who understood well about the threat of <Evil God> more than most people realized that.

No――rather, getting scared and then distancing oneself was the more wholesome way.

What was the most deplorable were the people who thought of Homura’s existence as a deterrence, just as a convenient phenomenon that protected them yet ignored his sacrifice and hardship.

With such a situation, the young boy named Kamishiro Homura became all the more distanced from being human.

He was becoming unable to live as a human among humans.

…Homura didn’t mind that and even accepted that selfish weakness with tolerance, but… something like that was wrong.

Even Homura was just a single human. He was nothing more than a youth the same age as Sumika.

To push such a youth to loneliness and isolation until that far, that was absolutely something wrong.

It was nothing but Sumika herself that hated this.

…She wanted to be beside him.

Not as just a mere baggage, but as an equal comrade, as a friend, and then as an opposite sex.

(…I’m just all talk, aren’t I.)

If she wasn’t saved by Homura, her life would have surely been lost in that place.

She couldn’t become anything but baggage.

The memory of that battle weighed on Sumika’s both shoulders as a feeling of powerlessness.

(…I want power.)

In any case, the girl was a hard worker by nature.

Everything that she could read using her authority as a S-rank magician had already been carved into her brain.

“Get a hold of yourself… me.”

The cause of death of a S-rank magician was a traffic accident, if that happened then she wouldn’t have the face to look at the other heroic spirits who died in battle.

But even so, garbage dump with its contents scattered everywhere, outdoor machinery covered in spiders’ nests, rusty pipe that looked torn, what a filthy place. The place was smelling of mold perhaps because the sunlight couldn’t enter here.

“…Let’s go back.”

There was a single western-style house built in a very small empty plot.

That small house which was surrounded on four sides by square concrete of apartments had a stylish signboard dangled on its frontage.

“…An old book shop, in this kind of place?”

Sumika guessed the history of the building like that from its weathered state that made the one looking at it feel the small house’s age, as if it had been there all along since the far past.

In fact, most <Artifacts> were treated as antiques in the era where humans still hadn’t noticed magic.

Grimoires were also like that.

A lot of them was passed around all over the place as merely old books that were impossible to understand, from secondhand book stores in the city until the secondhand book market of the Shimogamo shrine.

“Well, as expected, there is just no way something like that still happens in the current era.”

The demon attack rapidly elevated the demand for sorcery, the antiques that possessed that kind of power… the government of countries all over the world strove to be the first to gather <Artifacts> and <grimoires>.

To say nothing of how this was in the middle of Tokyo. It was right inside the turf of the Japan government.

One century had passed since the appearance of demons, there was no way something like that still remained free.

Perhaps the hinges of the door had rusted, the door heavily creaked while it opened.

When Sumika peeked inside the shop, moldy smell characteristic of old books pierced her nose.

What next entered her sight as information was, five lines of bookshelves, then old books which were bound by string, western books attached with locks, yellowing bundles of paper, all of that were stacked up disorderly inside the cramped shop. What entered her sight was such a scenery.

The memory of her own room after an all-nighter of researching sorcery came to mind, it was quite a terrible sight.

Even at the counter that was visible inside behind the lining up tall shelves, there was no sign of anyone.

Had the shopkeeper gone out somewhere leaving his store opened?

Well, however, there was no shopkeeper but if there was a [Shop Open] sign, then surely there would be no problem with her looking around inside.

And then she was going to approach a bookshelf, …she took a deep breath after looking under her feet.

While Sumika was paying attention to not step on the books and parchments that seemed to be scattered on the floor, she walked until in front of a bookshelf.

The thing called an old book might be sold at an absurd price depending on the book.

For example, the first edition of Copernicus’ [Regarding the Revolution of Celestial Sphere] was recorded to be sold at the end of an auction with its price skyrocketing until $2,200,000 (About 200,000,000 yen).

She didn’t know whether the books scattered all over the place around her had that kind of price, but they were products that she couldn’t carelessly dirty or damage.

Just by moving for five meters from the entrance, Sumika was relatively exhausted.

When she arrived in front of the bookshelf she aimed for, a regret of why she forced herself like this and didn’t immediately go back filled her heart.

(Let’s just take a glance and quickly get out…)

Sumika screamed inarticulately and released the book that she pulled out from the bookshelf.

<nowiki>*GARAN!*</nowiki> A stiff sound was raised from the metal fastened book which fell to the floor.

Why did Sumika release the book?

That was because the instant her hand took the book… it was as if countless maggots were creepily crawling through her palm, her back of the hand, her fingers, such sensation that made her feel a primitive disgust was awakened in her.

Were there bugs springing out from the book?

No. The book that fell to the floor wasn’t infested with any bugs. But――

“Just now…! Don’t tell me, this is…!”

It had a thick dark leather cover and was bounded with a metal clasp.

The title that was engraved there was… [De Vermis Mysteriis].

(The mystery of demonic maggot…! Furthermore it’s the original copy of the Latin version…!)

Since the moment in year 1542 when its first edition was sold, it received suppression procedure from the <Holy Path Church> due to its too dangerous nature, it was a S-rank rare book with hazard level where there was a need for this book to receive <Sealing Treatment>.

No, right now such circumstances were trivial.

More than that,

“By any chance…!”

Sumika turned her eyes in panic to the bookshelf and read the letters written on the book spines one after another――she was dumbfounded.

…Correct. [De Vermis Mysteriis] was not the only one.

The books lined up on the shelves, there was not even a single one upright book among them.

All of them were the same as [De Vermis Mysteriis], they were grimoires with power.

“This is a lie, right…”

The number, variety, and danger level of this book collection… was incomparable against the likes of the academy library.

No, even that Great Britain Library surely didn’t have this many a collection of rare books.

“Just what in the world… this shop is…-“

<nowiki>*Gii*…</nowiki>

When she directed her gaze there in panic, there was a black skinned youth there holding a paper bag from street stalls in both hands.

“Fuu―, what an awful crowd there. However, it’s fine to be bustling, yet I want to get spared from getting trapped in a line up thirty minutes just for buying kebab. …Hm? Eh? Is there a customer by any chance? How rare this is. Welcome to [John Doe’s Old Book Hall]. Have you found the book you are looking for?”

“Hahe!? Uwaa, wha, what are you doing!? Don’t tell me, a robber…!?”

“No, you are wrong. I am affiliated with New Tokyo Sorcery Academy. I am Hoshikawa Sumika, the leader of the 101st trainee platoon. From the way you are talking you are related with this store right? By my authority as a trainee platoon member and article seven of Peace Preservation Act, I’ll arrest you for being caught red-handed in [illegal possession of sorcery relic].”

“Eh, eeh~? I, illegal possession? Wha, what are you saying…”

“I saw that there is the note of the shop being open in the front, so while impolite I came in by myself. Then I found that the shelves there are storing grimoires where roughly all of them are S-rank in danger level, no matter what kind of circumstance you have but those are not items where personal possession of them will be recognized. I have finished confirming the evidence goods so its meaningless to talk your way out.”

[[Image:Ultimate Antihero V3 p079.jpg|thumb]]

“Uu…”

Sumika’s words that didn’t give him the opening to talk his way out made the youth smile wryly――

“Haa… customer or the like coming here is really rare, so I really neglected to put down the note. Laziness is really something that must not be done.”

(He saw through my contracted heroic spirit…!)

Even a civilian would know her if it was just her face and her name.

But the data of contracted heroic spirit and the like were hardly disclosed to the civilians.

Was he seeing through her just by looking, or did he already know beforehand?

In addition, the number of rare books inside this store.

It was better to consider this youth of having some kind of large organization as his backup.

“…I’ll ask you directly to the point. Who are you?”

John Doe if it was translated to Japanese meant the [nameless palace guard], it was a fictitious name that was used to refer to someone whose full name was unknown in the English-speaking world.

When it was pointed out, the youth scratched his head with a troubled expression.

“…An alias, huh. Well, certainly that’s not my real name. It’s just… it’s also not an incorrect name to call me by any means you know? The [nameless palace guard]… it’s okay to even say that there is no name more accurate than this to represent my existence. If you ask why, that’s because I’m everyone, and I’m also no one.”

“I am not even someone that is here, I’m also someone that is there. Therefore I have no interest in defining what kind of person I am. The one who defines me is always you humans. I have [faces] as many as the number of those definitions. I have [names] as many as the number of those definitions.”

<nowiki>“~~~~……!”</nowiki>

What was before her eyes was, …not even human in the first place.

It was the worst existence that far surpassed Sumika’s assumptions.

About the being that was called by all of those aliases… that evil god.

“<The Crawling Chaos>… Nyarlathotep…-!”