Mongolia—the place where the world's first Spirit descended thirty years ago, and also the country that had borne the brunt of the Eurasian Great Spacequake.
It was no exaggeration to say that this was absolutely the most severe and terrifying disaster in human history.
Nearly 150 million people lost their lives in that disaster. The entire country, including neighboring provinces, had been ground away at the epicenter of that spacequake, becoming a blank missing piece on the map.
In the thirty years since then, because of sensitive issues such as border divisions, resource allocation, illegal immigration, and terrorist organizations, that land destroyed by the spacequake had not only failed to recover, but had instead beco a battlefield no less dangerous than the Middle East.
There were no Wizards here. No Spirits.
Only the endless sound of firepower in one's ears, and mountains of corpses piled up from human lives.
Yutsuki's emotions were mixed.
Honestly, she was not soone directly involved. Whether it was the damage caused by the Eurasian Great Spacequake thirty years ago, or Mongolia's current state, to her, they were rely data that appeared in textbooks and international news.
But now, following Ai Mulian's perspective as she ran through this land of death, watching life after life disappear aninglessly, Yutsuki found it difficult to imagine that this place and the Tengu City she lived in belonged to the sa world.
The wound torn open by the Origin Spirit thirty years ago had still not healed even now.
The mories gradually approached their end.
After that, Ai Mulian, as a dic, happened to save a heavily injured military general. With the other party's help, the undocunted Ai Mulian obtained a legal identity, left Mongolia, and by several coincidences indirectly beca a Wizard. In the end, she answered DEM's recruitnt and joined them, becoming one of Westcott's subordinates.
These mories basically matched the intelligence Yutsuki had investigated beforehand, only with more specific details.
For example, during her period as an anti Spirit soldier, Ai Mulian displayed an extrely passive attitude. Most of her training ti was spent slacking off, and whenever a Spirit appeared, she always blended into the rear ranks. Unsurprisingly, this half hearted attitude drew dissatisfaction and rejection from her teammates.
But later, after learning of Ryougi Yutsuki's existence, Ai Mulian seed to beco a completely different person, madly investigating and collecting all information related to Spirits.
After learning that when Devil, the Spirit Hunter, appeared in Japan, a spirit wave reaction similar to Hacker had also been detected, Ai Mulian imdiately decided to go to Japan. She actively responded to DEM's recruitnt, and with her half baked Wizard skills, defeated the elite Wizard conducting the interview in one move, drawing the attention of Ellen and Westcott.
"This is everything about , Yutsuki-san."
Suddenly, Ai Mulian's voice ca from behind. Yutsuki turned around and saw the environnt behind her change once again. At so point, Yutsuki was now inside a spacious and elegant cafe. There were no staff or custors inside the shop. Music and fragrance flowed through the space. Only Ai Mulian, wearing casual clothes, sat by the window and waved toward her.
Unlike the illusions shown in the previous mories, this ti Yutsuki could clearly feel that the other party was watching her.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Yutsuki chose to take the initiative and walk forward.
If this place was truly the Phantom Library Ai Mulian had created, then blindly running away would only make her more passive. If she wanted to leave this place, Yutsuki would have to face Ai Mulian sooner or later.
"You finally ca, Yutsuki-san."
As she spoke, Ai Mulian closed the book on the table. Seemingly casual, she brushed her long hair behind her shoulder and gave Yutsuki an intimate smile.
Soone who did not know better might have thought she was a college girl waiting for a date with her boyfriend.
The corner of Yutsuki's eye twitched slightly, and she said unhappily,
"Should I answer with sorry for keeping you waiting? Honestly, I really don't understand the logic or purpose behind your bizarre operation."
"Hehe~ Thank you for the complint."
"Ah… I wasn't praising you. More importantly, shouldn't you explain to what exactly you're trying to do?"
Enjoying Yutsuki's dissatisfied gaze, Ai Mulian nodded and explained,
"That's true… Simply put, I was using this book just now to learn about so of Yutsuki-san's past. But if only I understood Yutsuki-san one sidedly, that would obviously be unfair. So, in exchange, I also shared my past with you. This should make it easier for us to understand each other, shouldn't it?"
Directly ignoring Ai Mulian's final sentence, Yutsuki looked at the sheepskin book on the table before her and narrowed her eyes slightly.
"…Beelzebub."
"Correct."
Ai Mulian touched the book cover and sighed as if deeply moved.
"This book really is convenient. I understand now why Boss wanted the power of Spirits so much. Thanks to this book, I now understand many things I didn't know before. For example—"
As she spoke, Ai Mulian lightly snapped her fingers. In an instant, a cup of steaming coffee and a plate of pasta appeared on the café table.
"Coffee with milk and sugar cubes. As for main dishes, you prefer noodles over rice. Is this acceptable, Yutsuki-san?"
Seeing this, Yutsuki could not help frowning.
"Are you trying to say that you already know my preferences?"
"Wanting to know everything about the person you adore is a very normal feeling."
Ai Mulian shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.
"By the way, if my guess is correct, the places where you feel most at ease should be the Spirits's apartnt and Itsuka Shido's ho next door. But if I chose to et you there, you would probably turn hostile imdiately, wouldn't you?"
"Obviously."
Yutsuki gave her an irritated glance.
"All right, all right. In any case, it isn't very convenient to keep standing while we talk. Yutsuki-san, please sit down and rest a little too. Rest assured, as compensation for my previous rude offense, I will answer all your questions truthfully."
After saying that, Ai Mulian patted the seat beside her and friendly signaled for Yutsuki to sit there.
(This woman…)
Looking at Ai Mulian's composed manner, Yutsuki secretly clicked her tongue. She understood the routine the other party was using.
Without touching the other person's bottom line, she was calmly implying that she held the initiative. At the sa ti, she was using the difference in information between both sides to lure the other person into following her rhythm.
The spacious and comfortable environnt, the relaxed and intimate attitude, and the suggestive wording were all unconsciously wearing down the other party's guard.
Back when Yutsuki persuaded Artemisia to turn against DEM, she had used a similar routine.
However, Yutsuki had to admit it. She did indeed need intelligence to understand the current situation. After seeing Ai Mulian's mories once, there were also so doubtful points that she had to confirm with the person involved.
"…Fine. My attitude has always been that if sothing can be solved through talking, I'll try not to resort to violence."
Yutsuki nodded and pretended to compromise, sitting across from Ai Mulian. Looking at Ai Mulian's regretful expression, she calmly asked,
"I'll confirm one thing first. This is inside the Phantom Library, correct?"
"Mm, correct."
Ai Mulian nodded and said,
"At the ti, I only wished wholeheartedly for a world for just the two of us, where no one would disturb us. Then this ability appeared in my mind."
"…I see."
Yutsuki forcefully controlled her expression and continued asking,
"Then are Tohka and the others here too?"
"Of course not."
Ai Mulian shook her head and spoke decisively.
"This world contains only the two of us. As for those Spirits, I asked others to entertain them."
"Others?"
Hearing that, Yutsuki's brow moved slightly, and she muttered,
"Right now, DEM has already been wiped out. What you can use is basically Beelzebub's power. In other words—Nibelcole?"
"Correct. As expected of Yutsuki-san."
Ai Mulian clapped in praise and said,
"I imagine Yutsuki-san understands the strength of those pseudo Spirits better than I do. At most, they can only delay ti. They cannot harm those Spirits."
Looking at Ai Mulian's sowhat smug reaction, Yutsuki vaguely felt a sense of indescribable dissonance. But after confirming that everyone was not inside the Phantom Library, she also relaxed slightly in her heart.
"Then… my final question."
Yutsuki took a deep breath, looked straight into Ai Mulian's eyes, and asked in a low voice,
"If you weren't ntally disordered, then at sixteen, you should have already been sentenced to death for murder. But after that, you suddenly appeared on the battlefield, and you knew absolutely nothing about spacequakes or Spirits. Correspondingly, in the intelligence I obtained, everything about your experiences before becoming a dic is completely blank. The disconnect between these two mories…"
"I think… the answer is exactly what Yutsuki-san is imagining."
Looking at Yutsuki's hesitant expression, Ai Mulian raised the corner of her mouth into a playful smile.
"Just like Yutsuki-san, I also transmigrated here from another world."
User Comments
0 comments from readers