Aozaki Aoko Case File

Credits: NovelReader

From within the black storage box, Ciel unveiled a golden compass wrapped in velvet and a key made of brass and crystal.

"Touko, did you pick out something weird again?" Aoko walked over and couldn't help but ask, "You've already spent so much money on a bunch of junk to keep at home…"

"What do you mean by junk?!" Touko immediately got defensive upon hearing Aoko's words and retorted, "You don't understand the value of these treasures. The history they've been through is the guarantee of their mystery..."

Touko lectured Aoko for quite a while before finally stopping. Meanwhile, Arcueid and Ciel, watching the two sisters bicker, were surprised to see this side of the magician sisters. It was quite an eye-opener.

"...So, all the things I bought are valuable treasures. Do you understand?" Touko stood in front of Aoko, one hand on her hip, the other pointing a finger like a teacher educating a child.

"Well, since we're not short on money now anyway, buy whatever you want," Aoko said helplessly. "So what are these two things you bought? Don't tell me it's some pirate captain's compass?"

"This is the Ptolemaic Compass and Key," Ciel interjected, "Yes, that Ptolemy, the one who upheld the geocentric model and authored The Almagest, On the Elements, and Optics."

"I see," Aoko said as she held the compass and examined it for a moment before nodding. "No wonder this compass doesn't point north or south but instead to a specific direction. So these two items are related to that secret, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina built between Ptolemy and the Atlas Institute?"

"Bingo!" Touko snapped her fingers. "Even though you're studying at the University of Tokyo, it seems like you haven't fallen behind in your magical studies!"

"Exactly! The direction the compass points to will always lead to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina!" Touko continued, "And this key is the key that opens the doors to that magical library!"

"Though I hate to dampen your enthusiasm, Touko," Aoko said as she relaxed on the sofa, "why would the Church, who's had this thing for so long, not use it to locate the Bibliotheca Alexandrina themselves, and instead hand it over to you?"

Ciel looked a little embarrassed because, indeed, the Holy Church's Burial Agency had failed to locate Ptolemy's Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

This compass and key had been in the Burial Agency's possession for quite a long time. The original owner was Merem Solomon, but after failing to locate the library for a significant amount of time, the items had been returned to the treasury and left untouched... until now, when Touko had chosen these two items as her reward.

"Aoko, Aoko," Touko said, shaking her head theatrically. "Even though you were the first of us sisters to become a Magician, why is your thinking still stuck in the mindset of an ordinary magus? Why wouldn't magicians succeed where magus and the Church have failed?"

Well, Aoko felt a little embarrassed. She had only said those things to tease Touko. If Touko truly set her mind to find the library, she would undoubtedly succeed—after all, her expertise in the prophetic school of sorcery was quite solid.

"Alright," Aoko said, shrugging helplessly. "Let's assume you've managed to snag something truly worthwhile this time. But going out to search for the library will have to wait until I finish my undergraduate studies. I'm pretty busy right now."

"I want to come too~!" Hearing the Aozaki sisters discussing an adventure, Arcueid eagerly raised her hand. "I'm not interested in libraries, but if it's a journey, I'd love to join!"

Aoko didn't see any reason to object. She rather welcomed Arcueid's company. After all, having someone around who could print all sorts of raw materials at will was incredibly convenient—who wouldn't like that?

...

Just as everyone was chatting happily, a certain unexpected event began to unfold quietly—though, strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely silent. The person who could have raised the alarm was already deprived of heat, frozen into a block of ice, and undoubtedly dead.

The five-star hotel where the Aozaki sisters were staying had a robust security team, but they were no match for this uninvited guest.

The intruder was a silver-haired man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He was handsome, dressed in what seemed to be a medieval knight's ceremonial attire, and wore a cloak-like coat made of what appeared to be black animal fur, concealing most of his exposed skin.

If judged by modern standards, this man might be considered a high-quality cosplay enthusiast, but in the 1990s, the people here obviously didn't think that way. As soon as he entered the hotel lobby, he caught the security's attention.

This was because he carried a weapon that could only be described as a murderous tool—a single-edged greatsword that resembled a butcher's cleaver. If a human were struck by such a weapon, the outcome would be grim.

"Hey! Put down the weapon!" The security personnel, already panicked after seeing one of their colleagues killed, quickly brought out their riot gear and shouted at the man. "We've already called the police! Did you hear me?"

"...The Princess of the True Ancestors... where is she?" Ignoring the security's warnings, Vlov exhaled a puff of white mist, as if he felt cold, and muttered to himself, "Ah, it's so cold here."

The moment his words fell, dozens of security personnel were suddenly engulfed in flames that appeared out of nowhere, burning them to charcoal. Screams echoed as guests and staff in the hotel lobby scattered and fled.

Vlov paid no attention to their movements. However, some unlucky people who were too close were also incinerated by his flames.

As the crowd dispersed, the hotel lobby quickly became desolate. The trembling lobby manager, hiding in an office, tried to dial the police for help, but before he could finish dialing, an icicle pierced through the locked door and pinned him to the wall.

...

"...Hmm?"

Aoko seemed to sense something. She suddenly stood up from the sofa. Noticing the change in her sister's expression, Touko also realized something was wrong. A flash of golden light enveloped her, and her attire reverted to her combat gear from the previous night.

"I thought it would take some time to ferret out these rats," Aoko said as she stretched and loosened her body. "But this guy just walked in himself."