《The Averruncus of Water》


 Period 0: Awakening

    Period 0: Awakening


    The Averruncus opened her eyes in a cold dimly lit room. She knew instinctively she was in the Grave keeper''s palace in the ruins of old Ostia. Her petite body was lying naked on a stone slab, engraved with magic circles and glyphs. She slowly began to acclimate herself, registering the sensation of stone against her skin and temperate in her body.


    "Good morning." She turned her attention to the two figures at her bedside. Both wore long dark robes with hoods covering their faces and were observing her intently. "How are you feeling?" the first figure asked.


    She sat up slowly, testing whether or not she''d been created with a sense of balance, fortunately she had. She stood up and took a moment to examine herself. She was small, probably only a few feet tall, as her two companions towered over her. She looked down. Her skin was pale, almost ghostly white. She had a pair of modest breasts, a slim waist, and a slight curve to her hips. She flexed her fingers and took a few experimental first steps.


    "Everything seems to be functioning properly, Lifemaker-sama." The name came to her almost without thinking. There was no question; this was her master, the one who had created her and this entire world, the mage of the beginning.


    "Incredible," said the other robed figure. "Despite such potent magical ability, she still retains such a high level of cognitive function. I daresay she could even pass for human."


    "Fu, fu, fu. behold Dynamis, this is no mere construct or doll, she is my crowning achievement. The first unit of the Averruncus series. Shaped by ancient magics, and given life by my own blood, this is my daughter."


    They were talking about her. She knew what they were saying was true, she could feel it. She carried the blood of the creator within her, she was more than a mindless drone animated by magic.MagicShe had a vast library of spells and knowledge installed into her brain, and she could sense she had incredible reserves of magical energy, with an affinity for water magic. She held out her hand, moisture in the air began to condense and collect in her palm. In a moment she was holding an orb of clear liquid. In it''s reflection she saw her face for the first time. It appeared human, no horns or fangs of any kind. Her chalk white hair reached down to the base of her neck. Her starling blue eyes were framed by bangs hanging over her forehead and along the sides of her face.


    "Your magic pathways seem clear," said the Lifemaker observing her spell.


    "Yes," she said dispelling the water. "There are no abnormalities."


    "Excellent. Come let us assemble." Her master held out a hand and a magic circle appeared at her feet. She was bathed in violet light, and clothes began to materialize on her body; a simple uniform of orange sneakers, blue slacks, and a matching long sleeved shirt.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    She and Dynamis walked with their master through the palace of the grave keeper, until they reached the outer terrace where they were greeted by a small army of Demi-humans. She looked into the crowd and saw cat folk, dryads, and even some dragon folk. Most were young girls like herself. She presumed they were war orphans from Hellas. Two girls stood apart from the crowd, one with blue green robes and long sea green hair that covered most of her face, and the other a short dark-skinned girl in a simple black dress and bright blond hair that reached her thighs. Averruncus recognized them instantly: the seventeenth Adad of water and the second Atur of fire. Just like her they were true disciples of the Lifemaker, created for the sole purpose of achieving their noble goal. No that was inaccurate. Theentiretyof Mundus Magicas owes their life to the creator, however there was a distinct separation in the group. Firstly there were about a dozen girls from Hellas orphaned by the war and rallied to their cause, the Adad and Atur stood before them, and finally Dynamis and herself stood at the left and right hand of the Lifemaker. The taller of the two girls bowed her head as they approached.


    "Master, esteemed generals, I trust all is well?"


    "Indeed" Dynamis replied.


    "So this is the new girl?" The shorter one said with mild interest, as she walked up to the white haired girl. A moment later that interest completely evaporated and she occupied herself with whatever snack she was chewing on. The crowd whispered and murmured. They all either snuck glances and pretended not to look at the Averruncus, or blatantly stared at her. Doubtless they had herad rumors about her creation for weeks leading up to this moment. They were instantly silenced when the Lifemaker spoke.


    "My loyal followers, my Cosmo Entelechaia" Her voice was that of a loving mother addressing her children. "We may have suffered losses in the years past, our ranks may be reduced and weakened, but make no mistake, this our day. We will succeed in guiding this world to the eternal garden. Though that very world may oppose us, never forget that this is the only path capable of saving all souls." The crowd erupted into applause. She dismissed the others and addressed the Adad and Atur. "Septendeciem Nii, you will command our forces. We do not have the numbers we once did, so we must make sure we are prepared when the battle comes."


    "It shall be done," the taller girl said, bowing her head.


    "As long as I get to burn something I''m satisfied." The blond said with a bored look on her face.


    "Dynamis, you will see to Megalomesembria. They will be our biggest threat. Do not underestimate them."


    "Understood." The general responded. This all made logical sense. The Hellas Empire or Adriadne Knights were not likely to get involved, even if they caught wind of their plans, and Megalomesembria was considered the world''s greatest military power. Dynamis would be the perfect choice to cripple their forces before the coming battle. But that begged the question . . .


    "What of me, master?" The mage of beginnings turned to her newest disciple.


    "You child, have the most important role of all. Of course we have secured this grave keeper''s palace, however there is one more place of power we must bring under our control to execute our plan." Averruncus blinked. Obviously her master could not be mistaken, but the statement made no sense.Allthe mana in Mundus Magicus flowed through this palace. It was the magical center of the whole world. There was nootherplace of power. Her master seemed to read her expression exactly. "Do not be confused child. Our target is not in Mundus Magicus, but the old world. It''s location is somewhat fortified, but it shouldn''t pose much of a problem for you. A place called Mahora academy.

 Period 1: Welcome to Mahora

    Period 1: Welcome to Mahora


    "Good Morning everyone!" Negi Springfield said to his homeroom class.


    "Good morning Sensei!" thirty one energetic middle school girls shouted back.


    "How is everyone feeling today?" Immediately an elegant blond girl jumped out of her chair and spread her arms dramatically.


    "Sensei, any day I have the pleasure of bing greeted by your gallant smiling face can only be filed with utter bliss! Why Sensei if I could only-Gluph!" She was interrupted by a textbook which seemed to fly across the room and strike the back of her head completely at random. "Ah who dares assault my love for Negi-sensei!" She shouted accusingly. A smile spread across her face as realization dawned on her. "Ah, I see. It could only be the untrained monkey over there who only knows how to act in a Zoo." This triggered and automatic response from a redheaded student with pig tails.


    "Who are you calling a monkey, you shoutacon!?"


    "What did you say baka!?" Soon the two girls were at each other''s throats, pinching cheeks, and pulling hair, with many of their classmates cheering them on or placing bets. Their teacher clapped his hands to get their attention.


    "Now, now, girls lets all settle down. I know this is a bit sudden, but a new transfer student will be joining us today." Everyone looked up. This was unusual. Mahora academy didn''t break up classes. Most of these girls had been classmates since primary school, so getting a new classmate was quite rare. Negi turned to the door. "Please come in." The door opened, and in stepped the newest edition to Mahora academy''s class 2-A


    X


    A mere two weeks ago she was being appointed as a disciple of the life maker, and now the Averruncus of water stood in a middle school in the old world before her thirty one new classmates. Not classmates, she told herself, contacts. She wasn''t here to learn after all, she had a mission to complete. She looked out into the sea of bodies before her and saw a seemingly random collection of mismatched characters. Some were so tall and well endowed, they looked more like college students than middle shcoolers. Others were so small they could pass for elementary school children, and did that girl have antennae on her head? Most bizarre was the person standing next to her, who she presumed to be her teacher, and appeared no more than ten years old. She had no data pertaining to this situation. Could it be, that students in the old world are instructed by children?


    "Good morning. I am Mero Averruncus. I will be in your care from now on." She said bowing her head. All the other girls inspected her curiously. She only wore the standard Mahora school uniform; a burgundy waistcoat and blazer over a white button down shirt, with a red tie, and a pleated skirt with knee high socks, but it stood out quite a bit against her pale skin and white hair. Her eyes stared straight ahead, her mouth a straight line that betrayed no emotion. The crowd erupted into a chorus of "oh"s and "ah"s followed by a barrage of questions.


    "Wow!" one pink haired girl cried out. "What a beauty! Look at that white hair. Are you a foreigner?"


    "What school did you go to before this?" Someone else asked.


    "Where are you from?" and similar questions persisted. The teacher turned and spoke to her.


    "My name is Negi Springfield. I will be your homeroom teacher starting from today."


    "Negi . . . Springfield?"


    Her eyes widened ever so slightly, as she zeroed in on his last name. It couldn''t be. Springfield was the name of the thousand master, the legendary mage who with only a few allies ruined all her master''s plans and crippled their organization. The one man in this world who was capable of matching her master in magical combat: Magister Magi Nagi Springfield, also known as the thousand master and "hero" of the magical world. Surely this stripling of a boy couldn''t be related. She was staring. Intently. The room became deathly silent.


    "Ummm," Negi began nervously. "Is there something on my face?"


    "No." She said simply.


    "Yes, well I''ve only just started teaching here myself, but if there''s anything you don''t understand, please don''t hesitate to ask." He said with a smile.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Yes. I will do that." She said before finally breaking eye contact, and moving to take an empty seat. There was a collective pause. And then . . .


    "Wha-wha-wha-wha whaaaaaaaaaat!" Yukihiro Ayaka cried at the top of her lungs. "Negi Sensei what is the meaning of this?! What is your relationship with this girl?!"


    "P-Please calm down, Inchou-san!" He said raising his arms in defense. "I only just met her too!"


    "Oh I see!" She flipped around to face the transfer student. "So you mean to challenge me for Negi-Sensei''s affections? Well this Yukihiro Ayaka will not lose! I- puth!" She was suddenly pushed aside by a gaggle of other girls.


    "Hey, hey is it true? Do you actually have a crush on Negi-kun?" Saotome Haruna asked.


    "A forbidden love between teacher and student? Sounds like a pretty big scoop!" Asakura Kasumi exclaimed brandishing her camera. Off to the side Miyazaki Nodoka blushed and fidgeted nervously.


    "Wha- what should I do?"


    "No, It''s to early to give up Nodoka!" Ayase Yue assured her. "You have to be bold!"


    "Negi . . . " Kagurazaka Asuna growled at him. "What have you gone and done this time?"


    "Asuna-san I really didn''t do anything!"


    X


    The rest of the day passed quickly. Once class ended Mero immediately left for the dorms. She had to contact her master. It was bad enough the headmaster of the academy happened to be Konoe Konoemon, the head of the Kantou magic association, and that one of the teachers here was the infamous Takamichi T. Takahata, who had spent the better part of the last decade hunting down the remnants of their organization, but now in addition to all that she had come face to face with a child bearing the name Springfield. These were the thoughts going through her head when a stranger''s voice called her name.


    "Uh, Mero-san is it?" She turned around and saw one of her classmates with long purple bangs covering her eyes. "Um hello. I''m-"


    "Seat number 27, Miyazaki Nodoka." Mero interrupted.


    "Uh, y-yes." Nodoka said, suprised the girl remembered her name from the morning roll call. "Welcome to our Mahora academy! Do you have some free time now? I was thinking maybe since you''re new I could show you around campus. This place is really big and it''s easy to get lost."


    "No. Thank you, but I am going to my dorm now."


    "Um, w-wait a minute."


    "Do you have some business with me?" she said impatiently.


    "No, I-I just, I mean I-" she stammered nervously.


    "C''mon Nodoka, just ask already!" said a new voice as Saotome Haruna appeared beside her friend. "Just tell us already, do you liiiiike Negi-kun?" She said completely invading the transfer student''s space.


    "That''s something I''d like to know too actually." said Ayase Yue as she approached from the other direction. "Sorry to be so blunt Mero-san, but as Nodoka''s best friends we will support her love. Please give us a straight answer. Are you in a relationship with Negi-sensei?"


    "No."


    "No?"


    "No." A moment passed, and slowly Nodoka''s confusion turned to relief.


    "Hmmm, really?" Haruna interjected. "How do you know him then? You have some kind of history together right?"


    "No, nothing like that. Please don''t worry about it."


    "O-Okay" Nodoka said dumbfounded.


    "Now please excuse me." The statement was almost automatic. A convenient way to end the conversation quickly. Before the other girls could retort she turned and walked away.


    X


    A few minutes later, Mero Averruncus walked into the room where she was expected to live for the next scholastic year. There was no one else there but based on the basketball T-shirts, posters, and other sports paraphernalia scattered around the room, she clearly had a roommate. She closed the door and sealed it shut with a quick spell. After confirming that she was alone one more time she dug into her schoolbag and took out a large scroll, bound in a thick cord. While it was always somewhat difficult to establish a connection between earth and the magic world, she had the ability to do so, under normal circumstances. Right now however, most of her magic was sealed. Mahora academy was the stronghold of the Kanto magic association, and a significant number of their faculty were mages. If she used a powerful spell on campus there was a high chance of getting detected. In order for her infiltration to be successful she had disabled everything but a passive magical barrier and a few basic spells. She untied the cord, removing the scroll''s seal, and unfolded the yellowed parchment. She pressed her hand to the magic circle in the center of the paper. The ancient Greek and Sanskrit runes came to life under her fingers as a connection was established. The circle swirled and twisted and began to form an image. Soon she was staring at the face of her master.


    "Fu, fu, fu, hello Mero-chan." She chuckled. "How was your first day of school?"


    "Master, we may have a serious problem." The Averruncus said before recounting the events of the day. The mage of beginnings was silent as she spoke, but when she mentioned the name "Springfield" a brief flash of something that may have been panic ran across her master''s face.


    "This complicates things." The life maker said finally. "There had never been any news about the thousand master having children. After the war he practically vanished off the face of the planet. Perhaps he isn''t- no, it would be foolish to assume he is unrelated."


    "Should we delay the plan master? Perhaps wait for a time when the school is less guarded?"


    "No. Even if this is the son of Nagi Springfeild, we cannot say for certain that he has inherited his father''s magical power. Proceed as planned for now, just be cautious. He has no reason to suspect you. As long as you don''t draw attention to yourself everything should be fine. But most importantly, under no circumstances are you to confront him unless you are absolutely certain of his his identity."


    "Yes master. But what if he really is who he appears to be? What if we are discovered?" The answer was simple and direct.


    "Kill him."

 Period 2: Bath Time

    Period 2: Bath Time


    Rattle Rattle


    "Huh? That''s weird." Akashi Yuna said as she shook the doorknob of her dorm room. She stood in the hallway and put in her code again, but for some reason the lock wouldn''t open. She rapped her knuckles against the door. "Hello? Is someone in there?" The girl inside the room looked up at the sound.


    "Ah, yes. Just a moment." After securing her scroll in her bag she pointed a hand at the door. "Dispelsatio" she whispered.


    The spell on the door broke and her roommate walked in. Yuna was wearing basketball shorts and a jersey, with a towel draped over her shoulders. As she had just come from practice, she was coated in a layer of sweat. Her most notable features though, Mero observed, were her breasts. She was easily two or three cup sizes above her.


    "Oh, the transfer student. So you''re my roommate huh?"


    "That is correct. I am Mero Averruncus."


    "Akashi Yuna. Nice ta meet''cha." There was a pause. Mero seemed to be done with the conversation. "Hey," Yuna said gesturing to the door. "How''d you do that? The combinations to these doors are fixed, they don''t change."


    "No." She said matter of fact-ly. "They normally don''t."


    "How then?"


    "I just altered it a little." She said, which was true.


    "Wow." She whistled. "Looks like we''ve got our own little MacGyver over here." A mischievous grin spread across her face, and she leaned in close. "So what were you doing in here that you needed to lock the door huh?" Mero considered carefully before answering.


    "I like my privacy."


    "C''mon don''t be like that. You can tell me. We''re going to be roommates from now on, you can trust me. Unless, wait don''t tell me you were doing ''those'' kinds of things."


    "What kinds of things?" She asked innocently.


    "Y''know, like . . . something naughty . . ."


    ". . . What are you talking about?" Yuna stepped back.


    "Okay, what then? Hey wait, that''s your bag right? Heh, heh, maybe you''re trying to hide something in there?" She casually reached for it and Mero sprang into action. She snatched the bag and held it away from her body.


    "No. There is nothing suspicious in here. Please leave it alone."


    "Saying that just makes me even more curious."


    She half tackled the girl for the bag. Ordinarily the Averruncus would have frozen her or trapped her in a prison of water without a second thought. Unfortunately she forgot that her magic was locked away, so instead she just stood there as Yuna wrapped herself around her body. Not really knowing what to do or say to get her to stop, she simply raised the bag up above her head. Yuna stood up on her toes and reached for it. Because she was taller than her, she ended up pressing her large breasts into Mero''s face. Immediately her smell washed over the smaller girl completely. In her short existence she had never felt such strong physical stimuli. It completely overwhelmed her senses. She awkwardly stumbled back and gasped for air.


    "Uh, sorry," Yuna said backing off. "I didn''t mean to touch you so much. I just came from practice and haven''t showered yet." She sniffed her arm and recoiled a bit at her own body odor. "My bad, my bad. Hey if it''s your first day that means you haven''t been to the baths yet right?"


    ". . . No" She said still catching her breath.


    "Then we should go together."


    "N-No. It''s fine. Please don''t concern yourself with it."


    "Nope, unacceptable." She said grabbing her by the wrist. "Female bonding is an essential part of our culture! After all you can''t really get to know someone until you''ve seen them naked and washed their back. I''m sure some famous guy said that once."


    Mero was a homunculus. Even without magic she was much stronger than any ordinary human, but her head was still spinning and disoriented. She didn''t trust herself to pull away without injuring her. And besides, going to the bath was definitely preferable to staying here and risking Yuna finding her scroll. So she let the taller girl lead her away.


    X


    Two naked girls stepped into the massive bath of Mahora''s middle school dorm. It actually more closely resembled a resort or a water park. There were artificial plants and trees decorating the bathing area, and even a small gazebo overlooking the water, where one could sit and relax.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "This is a very large bath." Mero said looking around.


    "I know right? It''s the pride of our dorm, our giant bath!" Yuna declared proudly.


    Mero lowered herself into the water. It was cool and soothing on her skin. She was in her element, literally. With just a bit of magic she could manipulate the bath water any way she chose. She closed her eyes and laid her head back. She sat there for a few moments until an odd sensation snapped her back to reality. It was a smell, but not the stink of sweat she smelled on Yuna before, this was sweet and inviting. She sniffed the air, and turned to where her roommate was lathering up beside her. Yuna, who was humming to herself with closed eyes, nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Mero''s face staring from mere inches away.


    "Gah! W-What is it?"


    "I don''t know." She said sniffing the other girl.


    "Oh, it must be my bath soap you''re smelling. Go ahead and smell all you like! After all I need to redeem myself from before." Mero seemed to accept her offer. She continued to inhale deep wafts of the sweet scent, as her face slowly drifted closer and closer, until she was once again nestled between Yuna''s generous breasts.


    Soft was the first word that came to her mind. I didn''t notice it before, but his girl is truly soft! She reached up with her hands to investigate, squeezing the delicate flesh between her fingers.


    "Ha ha! You like those?" Yuna bragged. "I don''t mind if you feel them, we''re both girls after all!" Mero continued. "Yeah, just go ahead and. . . mng. . . Just, I mean ah, you can . . . Ahn" She let out a soft moan. "WOULD YOU CUT THAT OUT ALREADY!" She cried shoving the other girl away from her. Mero for her part, didn''t seem to register that Yuna was upset. She was still trying to process the information.


    What interesting sensations. The elasticity makes my skin tingle, and I keep inhaling the smell almost involuntarily. Maybe this body is a bit too sensitive?


    "We may both be girls but you''re still taking It too far!" Yuna shouted.


    "Your body is very soft, and it has a nice scent." She said as if it explained everything.


    "Uh, thanks, I guess? Here I''ll give you some of my shampoo and body wash so just back off okay?"


    "Hey what''s going on in here?!"


    "Oh, is that the transfer student?"


    Mero and Yuna turned toward the new voices and saw half a dozen naked and towel clad girls enter the bath.


    "What kind of indecent things were you girls doing in here?" Ayaka asked.


    "Stop jumping to conclusions Incho. I was just giving her some soap."


    "Eh? Reeeeeaaaallly?" Haruna said with a lecherous smile on her face.


    "Please don''t Imply weird things Paru." Yuna said trying not to add fuel to the fire.


    "Yes, she gave me this." Mero held out the tube of gel.


    "Lemme see, oh I use this kind too!" Konoka said.


    "Ew. I-I''m really not good with slimy things." Makie recoiled in fear.


    "How do you use it?" Mero asked.


    "Eh?" All the other girls exclaimed.


    "Do you really not know how to wash your hair?" She shook her head. Yuna sighed.


    "Well it can''t be helped. Give it here, I''ll do it for you. Consider it a special service from your new roommate!" She began to work the gel into Mero''s hair.


    "Thank you, Akashi-san."


    "Don''t sweat it! And call me Yuna, we''re all friends now."


    "We are?"


    "Of course! Didn''t I say it before? Once you get naked and scrub each other you''re already friends!"


    "What you just said sounded really dirty though. . . " Makie cut in.


    "Shut up!" She shouted back. "Seriously though, what kind of life have you had that you''ve never had to wash your own hair?"


    "I''ve never used these types of things before. Is that strange?"


    "Well kinda."


    "Yeah," Makie agreed. "The white hair''s unusual too. Are you really a foreigner?"


    "Yes. I did not originate from this country." She admitted. Ayaka perked up at this.


    "T-Then is it true? You really came here from Wales with Negi sensei?!"


    "No. My homeland is much farther than that." She said swaying a bit under Yuna''s fingers.


    "Really?" Said Makie. "There''s actually a rumor going around that Negi-kun is the long lost prince of some foreign nation, and you''re a secret agent come to take him back to his country by force!"


    Mero stared at her for several seconds before saying,


    "That is ridiculous." With a completely straight face.


    "Ehhh, so it''s not true?" She sounded honestly disappointed.


    "Geeze guys enough already!"


    Everyone looked up and turned to Asuna, who had apparently come in while they were talking. "Can''t you give the poor girl some space? It''s only her first day, and you''re already trying to scare her away with your craziness?"


    "Come on Asuna, don''t tell me your not curious." Haruna said. "What if she''s come to take Negi-kun away from you?"


    "Don''t be Stupid Paru! She can have the brat for all I care!"


    "Asuna-san!" Ayaka declared. "I will not allow you to speak about sensei in such a manner! Don''t think you have some special privilege just because you share a room with Negi-sensei!"


    What was that she just said?


    "Negi-sensei is living in your room Asuna-san?"


    "Eh, ah yeah . . . "


    That certainly seemed unusual.


    "Why?" She asked as Yuna rinsed the shampoo out of her hair.


    "It was decided by my grandfather." Konoka chimed in.


    "Your Grandfather?"


    "Mmm hmm, my grandfather is the principal here."


    What? If Negi-sensei really was the son of the thousand master then why would the head of the Kantou magic association want to pair him with this girl? Was it just a coincidence? It must be. The Averruncus of water looked her up and down. Kagurazaka Asuna, out of all the 2-A girls she''d met so far she didn''t particularly stand out. She was tall, but not the tallest, had a pretty average build, albeit with some muscle tone on her, but there wasn''t really anything special about her.


    "W-What?" Asuna said uncomfortably.


    "Why would Negi Springfield be living with you?" She wondered aloud.


    "Aha!" Ayaka cried. "So you really are after sensei!"


    "Yeah what is the deal with you two?" Haruna asked.


    "C''mon tell us!" Makie pleaded. Everyone was looking at her expectantly.


    "Nothing." She said. "I have never met him before. I just thought he might be an interesting person."


    "Eh, that''s it?" Yuna said.


    "Is it common for teachers to appear so young?"


    "Well I guess it''s true that a 10 year old teacher would be pretty surprising." Konoka said.


    "Yeah, we thought the same thing when we met him a couple weeks ago." Makie agreed.


    They seemed to accept her response for now. That was fine. For the moment Negi Springfield was not an enemy or a threat, merely a young man with an unusual name. And Kagurazaka Asuna was the girl who just happened to share a room with him. Right?

 Period 3: Sensation

    Period 3: Sensation


    The next day sitting in class Mero made a point to observe Asuna closely. Of course it was astronomically unlikely that she was anything other than an average middle school girl, regardless it wouldn''t hurt to focus a little extra attention on her.


    "Alright class," Negi said, "Who would like to translate this sentence for me?" No one raised their hand. "Okay how about Asuna-san?"


    "WHY ARE YOU PICKING ON ME!" Asuna immediately snapped.


    "Fu, fu, fu, how like a monkey." Ayaka said. "What are you getting offended for? Just answer the question. Unless of course you can''t do it."


    "O-Of course I can!" Asuna countered. "Let''s see um ''Jason ate the flower for his lunch'', um . . . ''but then dogs came to help'' and um . . . "


    "Asuna san," Mero observed "You are really bad at English."


    "Guu" Asuna couldn''t deny the transfer student''s claim.


    "Not just english, she''s also bad at math." Ayaka said.


    "And history." Haruna said.


    "Japanese too, aru" Ku Fei added.


    "And she''s horrible at science." Hakase put in.


    "In other words" Ayaka concluded, "She''s a genuine idiot."


    "I see, Asuna-san is an idiot." Mero agreed.


    "Hey hey! Don''t just blatantly insult someone with such a straight face!" Asuna cried.


    X


    Their next class was gym. As they ran down the track it became clear that Asuna''s poor performance in the classroom was not a reflection of her skill on the field. She easily blazed past most of her classmates on the track. The only ones who managed to keep pace with her was seat number 9 Kasuga Misora, and Mero herself. If she''d been able to use supplementary magic she could have easily broken the sound barrier during the 100 meter dash, but even without magic her artificial muscles still put her on the level of an olympic athlete. It was nearly unthinkable that not one but two ordainary middle school girls were challenging her. She took first place of course, but only by a very slim margin, with Asuna and Misora finishing close behind.


    "Haa, haa, wow." Misora wheezed. "You''re really good. Why don''t you join the track team?"


    "Hey hey, just because I turned you down you immediately go for the new girl? You''re such a fickle woman Misora!" Asuna joked.


    "Nope, I still haven''t given up on you either!" she retorted.


    Looking around, her other classmates were all bent over catching their breath, all except four; Sakarazaki Setsuna, Tatsumiya Mana, Nagase Kaede, and Ku Fei. There was nothing strange about this in and of itself, but these four did manage to finish relatively close to Asuna, and were displaying no signs of fatigue whatsoever. Maybe she had just underestimated the humans from the old world? Regardless she made a mental note of these students.


    "Impressive De Gozaru." Kaede said. "I didn''t think there would be anyone who could best Misora donno so easily."


    "That speed is master class level aru." Ku Fei agreed.


    The rest of the events were not nearly as close. Setsuna, Kaede, Mana, and Ku all did exceptionally well in high jump, pole vault, and 100 meter hurdle. They were clearly the physically strongest in the class. Mero still outperformed them all.


    "Incredible aru. With training she could be a good rival ne." Ku exclaimed. "Hey do you wanna join the chinese martial arts club?" She asked running up to the white haired girl.


    "No." She answered instantly.


    "Ha ha, I got rejected huh? Too bad arune." The exchange did not go unnoticed by the rest of the class.


    "Hey is it just me, or is that girl kind of cool?" Kugumiya Madoka wondered aloud.


    "I know right?" Kakizaki Misa agreed. "A mysterious white haired transfer student from a far off country who''s also beautiful and athletic? It''s like something out of a fairytale."


    "Good grief." Asakura sighed. "Her second day here and she''s already got a fan club?"


    After class when the students retreated into the locker room, she continued to be the center of attention.


    "Who would''ve thought, not only is she super cute and smart, our Mero-chan''s a superstar on the field too!" Yuna exclaimed.


    "Better watch out Mero-chan," Kakizaki warned. "If you''re not careful some of the girls here might just fall for you."


    "I am always careful." She replied. All her classmates roared with laughter.


    "Although, there''s something bothering me." Kugimiya said, when the laughing died down.


    "What do you mean?" Yuna asked.


    "Well her movements were super awesome, but something felt kinda . . . off."


    "Yeah, almost like she didn''t have . . . "


    "Is something wrong?" Mero asked before taking off her gym shirt.


    "Not really, we were just- WHOA WHAT THE-"


    "What is it?" Mero asked innocently.


    "What do you mean ''what?'' Why the heck aren''t you wearing a bra?!" Yuna demanded.


    Sure enough, once the the shirt was removed her bare breasts sprang into view, unsupported and unobstructed.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "D-Don''t tell me, you did all that exercise braless?" Asuna said in shocked horror.


    "I knew she was looking a bit too bouncy back there!" Makie said.


    "A bra?" The new girl seemed genuinely confused.


    "Hey your not joking around are you?" Yuna grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. "Are you saying you''ve seriously been running around all this time without a bra?"


    "I don''t understand. What is a ''bra'' and why is it so important that I have one?"


    "Gah!" Yuna threw up her hands in frustration. "A bra, a brassiere! Like this!" She pulled up her shirt revealing her own overstuffed bra.


    "I see, so this is called a bra?" She said inspecting the device curiously.


    "No, no, this is just too weird. How can you not know what a bra is?" Around her, the other girls echoed the statement.


    "Is that really so strange?"


    "Yes! definitely! See how everyone else is wearing one?" She waved toward the half naked girls around them. "As soon as school is over were running out to go buy you some bras!"


    "Is that really necessary? I don''t really have any desire to go shopping with you."


    "No objections! A growing teenage girl absolutely MUST have a bra!"


    Mero sighed. It was clear that her classmates were not going to let the subject drop, no matter how pointless and trivial it seemed.


    "Very well."


    "Good. Let''s invite these guys too, we''ll make a date out of it." She blushed and rubbed her chest. "I''ve actually been meaning to get some new bra''s too. My breasts have been growing a lot lately, and they''re starting to get in the way during basketball.


    X


    "So um, why am I here exactly?" Asuna asked as she walked through Mahora''s shopping district.


    "Come on Asuna, don''t say that. We''ve gotta help our classmate in need right?" Yuna said.


    "Yeah!" Makie said. "It''ll be fun!"


    The group of girls walked into the lingerie shop and were immediately surrounded by rows and rows of colorful fabric.


    "Okay, first things first," Yuna said. "Do you know your cup size?"


    ". . . I presume you are not referring to drinking cups?" Mero said after a moment. Yuna sighed.


    "Honestly, I''m not even surprised anymore. Okay listen up, bra sizes are measured in cups. To get your size first we need to measure your full bust and under bust. Here Asuna will demonstrate."


    "Like hell I will!" She cried smacking the other girl in the back of the head.


    Her classmates explained that the full bust measurement refers to the diameter of the fullest part of the chest, while the under bust is the diameter of the abdomen under the breasts, and that the difference between the two measurements determines one''s cup size.


    "Okay, let''s get you measured then!" Makie said shoving Mero into the changing area. Yuna joined them after grabbing a measuring tape from the store clerk.


    "Alright, get undressed."


    "Yes." She said before stepping out of her shoes and stripping off her uniform, revealing that she wasn''t wearing panties either.


    "What the hell!" Asuna exclaimed. "You don''t wear panties either?!"


    "Panties? Is that another under garment?" Yuna sighed and slapped her forehead.


    "It''s- you know what never mind. One problem at a time. Hold out your arms."


    She did as she was told, and stood feet apart, arms spread and completely naked before her peers.


    "W-Wow. You''re really not shy are you?" Asuna noticed.


    "Her complete lack of embarrassment is making me embarrassed." Makie said blushing.


    "Yeah," Yuna agreed. "H-Here, start measuring." She said handing Makie the tape measure.


    "Huh. W-Why me?"


    "It''s no big deal right? we''re all girls here. Just do it."


    "You should do it Yuna, you''re roommates right?"


    "Ugh, fine! I''ll do it you big baby.


    Mero maintained the same stoic expression as Yuna wrapped the measuring tape around her chest. Then she pulled the ends tight to read the measurement, squeezing the plastic against the tips of her breasts.


    "Ah. . ." The sensation produced a soft moan from Mero. She began to tremble. It wasn''t painful or even unpleasant, but it still created a powerful shock that penetrated deep into her body.


    As I thought, this body is too sensitive!


    "80 Centimeters." Yuna said before releasing her. "Okay, now we just have to pick out a bra."


    "And underwear too!" Asuna reminded them.


    "Yeah, what kind of styles do you like Mero-chan?" Makie said excitedly.


    "It does not matter. I have no preference for style."


    "Heh, heh, just leave it to us then! We''ll make sure to pick something cute!"


    A few minutes later, after Asuna harshly rejected the notion of sexy lingerie for the girl''s first pair of underwear, they helped her try on a simple pale blue bra and panties set. She rubbed her breasts, observing how they fit into the strange device.


    "Interesting. It''s holding them up and supports them when I move."


    "Now do you understand why you need a bra?" Yuna asked.


    "Yes. It''s quite clever."


    "How does it feel? It''s not too tight is it?" Asuna asked.


    "No, it''s soft and comfortable."


    "Take a look at yourself, what do you think?" Makie said turning her to the mirror. She paused for a moment staring at her reflection. The light blue complemented her pale skin nicely. The brassiere pushed up her modest breasts and created a small valley. An elegant streamlined shape.


    "The design is acceptable."


    "Geez, Mero-chan. You always say the weirdest things. At times like these you should just say it''s cute."


    "It''s, c-cute"


    "Heh, heh, looks like we''ve got a winner."


    After they made their purchases and left the store, Mero was expecting to return to the dorm immediately, but Makie suggested they visit a new desert cafe that had recently opened in the area.


    "This place is great," she insisted. "It''s not too popular yet, but all their cakes are awesome! Trust me you guys will love it!"


    It didn''t seem like she had much choice, so she reluctantly followed the group. Soon they were all siting around a table outside of the cafe. Mero looked at the cake in front of her. She didn''t actually need to eat if she didn''t want to. As long as her core had an adequate supply of mana it could keep her energized for centuries.


    "Wow, Makie-chan you were right this is great!" Asuna said digging into her pastry.


    "Yeah, it''s so sweet and fluffy!" Yuna agreed.


    They seemed to be enjoying it quite a lot. Could they really get so much joy from a simple blend of cream and sugar? She took a bite. Her taste buds lit up so suddenly and drastically she nearly jumped out of her chair. Her hands shot to her mouth, and she doubled over. She couldn''t stop shaking.


    "Hey are you okay?" Yuna asked putting a hand on her shoulder.


    "What''s wrong are you feeling sick?" Makie said.


    "Delicious."


    "Eh?"


    "This cake is incredible." Her voice was deadly serious as she said it.


    She cleaned her plate. She wasn''t messy, she cut careful precise slices and gently placed them in her mouth, but she did so at nearly superhuman speed. Her companions just stared at her blankly.


    "What is it?" She asked.


    They all immediately burst out laughing


    "Ha, ha, no matter how good it is, you don''t have to eat it so fast." Yuna said her arms at her sides.


    "She doesn''t really look like the type, but I guess Mero-chan has a bit of a sweet tooth huh?" Said Makie.


    Did she really? It was difficult for her to judge considering this was the first time she''d actually eaten anything, but the strong response from her taste buds made it hard to deny. She decided it might not be so bad to have such a sensitive body.


    "You''re such a weird girl," Yuna said. "But that''s not bad at all."


    "Yeah," Asuna said. "You''ll fit right in with everyone else in 2-A."


    "Is it really okay to be fooling around like this though, aren''t the end of term exams coming up next week?" Makie asked.


    "Guh! Don''t remind me." Asuna slumped her shoulders.


    "Don''t worry about it!" Yuna said. "This is an escalator school anyway!"


    "Actually, this might be bad for Negi." Asuna said. "He''s only a probationary teacher right now, if his class comes in last in the exams again. . . ."


    "Wow Asuna you really do like Negi-kun don''t you? I thought you said you hated kids." Yuna said.


    "Damnit why is everyone saying that?!" She shouted. "Look when it comes to people who try their best at everything, I don''t hate them even if they''re kids."


    "It''s true," Makie agreed. "Even though he''s only 10 Negi-kun can be surprisingly adult-like at times."


    ". . ." Mero said nothing.


    "Hey tomorrow''s Sunday, so why don''t we have a study party?" Yuna suggested.


    "Yeah, let''s do it!" Makie cried. "Mero-chan you''re coming too right?"


    Tomorrow was Sunday, for the first time since arriving at Mahora she would be free to explore the campus on her own. It was the perfect opportunity to complete her mission objective.


    "No. Sorry, but I have plans tomorrow."


    "That''s too bad. Well then, we''ll have to make do with just the three of us!"


    "Aren''t you two Baka rangers though?" Yuna pointed out.


    "SHUT UP!" Makie and Asuna replied simultaneously.

 Period 4: Lets Take a Walk

    Period 4: Let''s Take a Walk


    It was Sunday. Mero Averruncus set out to complete her mission this day. She dressed herself in her uniform before realizing that it was actually the only set of clothes she owned. Would she stand out if she wore her school uniform on a Sunday? It probably didn''t matter, but still it might be a good idea to think about getting some casual clothes in the future. She began her walk around campus. Her target was a large focal point of magical power located somewhere on the school grounds. She didn''t know where on campus it was, or even what exactly she was looking for, but as long as she came into it''s general vicinity she should have no problem sensing the flow of mana. That''s how it should have been, but even after walking around for hours she felt nothing.


    How could this be? She thought. If she were in the magical world, where magic was constantly in use then she could understand having trouble, but this was Earth where magic was rare, a huge mana source should be incredibly easy to find. So why wasn''t she picking anything up? Mahora Academy was huge, it could be that she just hadn''t come across it yet. She continued her investigation. The middle school division was only a small part of the campus, there was also an elementary school, high school, and university division, as well as a fair sized shopping district. It was essentially a fully functional city. It was impossible to explore the entire area in a single day. She considered using a locater spell to narrow her search. If she cast a spell on such a wide area though, it would be easy to detect by any mage who happened to be close by. Is it worth the risk? She was pondering the situation when she ran into Asuna.


    "Mero-chan? What are you doing out here?"


    "Nothing you need to be concerned about. I am just walking around right now. What about you Asuna-san?"


    "Oh, a bunch of us are studying for exams back at the dorm. Well more like we started studying and just ended up playing around. But anyway I just went to go buy some snacks for everyone." She held up a plastic bag from the convenience store. "Hey if you''re not busy now, why don''t you come with us? I bet you''re pretty smart, Im sure we''d be able to make more progress with you there." Mero considered this. There was no point to studying with the others, but it was becoming clear that she was not going to find her target today. She should call it quits for now, and try again another day.


    "No thank you, but I''m going to start heading back now, so I can walk with you."


    The two girls began to walk back towards the dorm. As they arrived they approached an older gentleman with glasses in a grey suit. Asuna immediately flushed when she saw him.


    "T-Takahata sensei!"


    "Ah, Asuna-kun. It''s been a while, how is everything?" He said to the blushing girl. Asuna fidgeted and stared at her shoes.


    "E-Everything''s great. Thank you so much for asking!" She said much louder than she needed to. Mero''s eyes narrowed as soon as she heard the man''s name.


    "Takamichi T. Takahata!" Her usually calm and expressionless face contorted into an ugly scowl. Takahata was part of the group that thwarted the eternal garden twenty years ago. He helped dismantle her master''s plan for a perfect world. This was her enemy.


    "Oh, and who''s this?" He said turning to the white haired girl. When she didn''t answer Asuna tried to introduce her.


    "She just transferred into our class the other day. Her name is M-" Mero immediately held out her hand and cut her off.


    "My name is not something to be so easily given out to the likes of you Takamichi T. Takahata."


    "Oh?" Takahata raised an eyebrow. "Have we met before young lady?"


    "No."


    "Eh? Wait, what''s going on here?" Asuna looked back and forth between the two in confusion.


    "Then allow me to introduce myself. I''m Takamichi T. Takahata, though it seems like you already knew that. I was homeroom teacher of 2-A before Negi-kun took over. Won''t you tell me your name?" He said extending his hand.


    "Please do not misunderstand. There is no reason for us to get to know each other. I have no intention of becoming close to you Takahata sensei." She said the last word with disdain, like it was an insult. Takahata put both his hands in his pockets.


    "I''m sorry to hear that." His tone changed, and became suddenly serious.


    "Hey, what the hell is this Mero-chan? Why are you being so rude to Takahata sensei?!" Asuna shouted.


    "I am merely speaking the truth." She said bluntly. "This man has done nothing to earn my respect. I refuse to pay allegiance to him simply because you or anyone else does."


    "Why you!"


    "It''s alright Asuna-kun." He said without taking his hands out of his pockets. "She''s right, there''s no reason to become friends right away. But I hope we can get along in the future." He offered her a friendly smile.


    ". . ." Mero''s only response was a cold stare.


    "I''m sorry Takahata sensei, I don''t know what''s gotten into her all of a sudden."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "Ha ha, it''s okay Asuna-kun. But it''s obvious I''m only making things awkward here. I''ll leave you two alone." And he walked away.


    "Geez, what is wrong with you!" Asuna shouted. "Insulting Takahata sensei for no reason!"


    "I have a reason." Mero answered. "Why do you seem to admire him so much?"


    "Huh? Uh, well that''s . . ." Asuna stammered.


    "Ha, ha, ha, she''s right Kagurazaka Asuna."


    The two girls turned around and were face to face with a very young looking girl with long blond hair, in a frilly white dress, accompanied by a much taller girl with long green hair and a pair of metal fins sticking out from behind her ears.


    "Eva-chan and Chachamaru?" Asuna gasped.


    "Good afternoon." The green haired girl said, bowing politely.


    "You were listening just now? Hey wait did you say she was right?" Evangeline A. K. Mcdowell chuckled.


    "Fu, fu, fu, Kagurazaka Asuna you really are a straightforward idiot aren''t you?"


    "Hey where is this coming from all of a sudden Eva-chan?!"


    "Why should she respect Takamichi, because you''re in love with him? How childish. People should be judged by the quality of their actions. You owe absolutely noting to someone you''ve just met. Or are you just sad because she insulted your crush?"


    "Guu." Asuna had no retort. Evangeline then turned to Mero.


    "Isn''t that right transfer student? Or maybe you know something special about Takamichi that earns him so much hate?"


    ". . . Who are you?" Mero asked.


    "Evangeline A. K. McDowel." She said with a sharp sinister smile.


    ". . . " She was clearly unsatisfied with that answer.


    "Anyway, Kagurazaka is an idiot, you don''t have to force yourself to get along with her."


    "Grr, well sorry for being an idiot!" Asuna snapped.


    "Now then, I have my own business to attend to." She turned to walk away.


    "What about you Mckdowel-san?"


    "Hmmm?"


    "Should I force myself to get along with you?" The tension in the air was palpable as the question hung between them. Finally Evangeline broke the silence.


    "Take care, Mero Averruncus. Let''s go Chachamaru."


    "If you will please excuse us." Chachamaru bowed again and left with her mistress.


    Mero kept her eyes trained on both of them until they were out of sight.


    "Hey, I don''t know what you heard or who you heard it from, but Takahata sensei''s a really great guy okay!" Asuna said blushing again.


    "If you think that then you are naive. What do you really know about him?"


    "I know plenty! For your information Takahata''s been taking care of me since I was little, s-so there!"


    "Fine. If that thought gives you comfort, then you should hold onto it."


    "Gah! Why are you making it so hard to like you?!"


    "It''s fine if you don''t like me."


    "See! That''s exactly what I''m talking about! Asuna shouted.


    X


    "Geez, I can''t believe that girl!" Asuna cried, throwing herself on the floor of the dorm room.


    "Um, Asuna-san, I know you''re upset, but maybe we could focus on studying right now?" Nodoka said trying desperately to steer the conversation back to academics.


    "I mean where does she get off acting all superior like that?!" Asuna whined.


    "I''m sure Mero-donno has her reasons." Kaede said reaching over to grab a snack.


    "Don''t take it personally aru, she''s never been in Takahata sensei''s class." Ku added.


    "Um guys", Nodoka said again. "If we could get back to studying?"


    "Sorry Honya-chan, I''m just really riled up right now!" Asuna admitted.


    "Okay everyone," Konoka said walking up to the group with a tray of steaming cups. "I made some tea so why don''t you all take a break?"


    "Uh, no, actually we''ve barley done any-"


    "Yay! Konoka''s tea!" Yuna jumped up and grabbed a cup. Nodoka sighed.


    "Okay we can take a short break. But then we really need to get some work done."


    "Don''t be so uptight Honya," Yuna said, "It''s basically a waste of time trying to tutor the baka rangers anyway."


    "Who''s a baka ranger?!" Asuna shouted.


    "B-But if we don''t do really well on our finals won''t Negi-kun be in trouble?" Makie asked.


    "It''s probably hopeless aruyo." Ku admitted.


    "N-No!" Nodoka spoke up. "I''ll go through the material again, so let''s all do our best okay? For sensei''s sake."


    "At this point I think we need a miracle." Yuna said with a sigh.


    "Well," Yue said finally joining the conversation. "If studying won''t work there is one thing we could do . . . "


    "Huh, Yue you don''t mean . . ." Nodoka exclaimed.


    "Yes I''m talking about the magic book deep within library island." Yue confirmed.


    "Wait what the heck are you guys talking about?" Asuna asked.


    "Well you know how we''re members of the library expedition club right? Well the truth is library island is actually way bigger than you think. There are dozens of floors below sea level and it''s full of traps and snares. No one knows for sure how far down it goes.


    "Yeah," Nodoka said. "We''re only the middle school club so we aren''t allowed on the lower floors, but there''s a rumor that there''s actually a magic book down there that can make you smarter just by reading it."


    "Eh, just by reading it?" Asuna sounded skeptical.


    "Ha, ha, come on, don''t tell me you guys actually believe in something like that." Yuna laughed it off.


    "Well it is just a rumor." Yue admitted. "But there are a number of unusual phenomena around campus, like the world tree for example."


    "If something like that really existed the government would have carted it off a long time ago." She rebutled.


    "No, wait this might actually be for real." Asuna said realization dawning on her. "Yue, Honya-chan, we have to get that book!"


    "Not you too Asuna." Yuna sighed.


    "No, I don''t think that''s a good idea." Nodoka said. "Even if it does exist, library island is way too dangerous! It has all kinds of traps, even the university club can''t go to the lowest floors. Just forget about that magic book okay?"


    "You''re right, it''s completely impractical. I just thought it was worth mentioning." Yue sighed. "Let''s just get back to studying."


    "A magic book huh . . ." Asuna mused.


    X


    Takahata walked into dean Konoemon''s office. The old man was sitting patiently behind his desk, with his fingers laced in front of him. His eyes were hidden under his thick bushy eyebrows, but it was clear he was a little concerned.


    "Thanks for agreeing to see me on a Sunday."


    "For you to call me out so suddenly I''m sure it must be serious." The dean said stroking his long gray beard.


    "Maybe . . . let''s hope I''m just overreacting."


    "What is this about Takamichi-kun?"


    "The new transfer student in Negi-kun''s class."


    "Ah, you mean Mero-chan."


    "Mero?" Takahata asked.


    "Yes, that was her name if I recall; Mero Averruncus."


    "Averruncus?" Takahata jumped a little when he heard the name.


    "Does that name mean something to you?"


    "I don''t know, maybe. It''s just a name. I was only a kid back then, I could easily be mistaken."


    "Ho ho, you think she might be somehow connected to Ala Rubra?"


    ". . ." Takahata stared at the ground in silence.


    "Well there was nothing unusual about her transfer, all her paperwork seems to be in order, but if you feel it''s necessary we could keep an eye on her, just in case."


    "No, I''m just being paranoid. I''m sure she''s just an ordinary girl, after all I can''t call myself a teacher if go around spying on my students now can I? But still. . . "

 Period 5: Baka Rangers Assemble!

    Period5: Baka Rangers Assemble!


    "Alright class," Negi said on monday morning. "As I''m sure you all know by now, the end of term exams are less than a week away. So all week were going to have a special cram session every day!"


    "Whaaaaaaat?" Most of the class cried out.


    "I think it''s a wonderful idea Sensei." Ayaka said.


    "Every day is too much aru." Ku complained.


    "Yeah Negi-kun, that''s too mean!" Whined Makie.


    "Well actually the truth is, something really bad will happen if we''re the worst class in the year again." Negi began to sweat nervously. "So um, p-please do your best!"


    "Eh, something bad?" Ku wondered aloud.


    "Yeah what''s that about Negi-kun?" Makie said.


    "A-Anyway, let''s start our cram session!" Negi sputtered.


    What followed was a series of intense drills and quizzes. Most everyone was relieved when the bell rang.


    "Finally it''s over." Asuna groaned.


    "Um actually Asuna-san," Negi said. "I would like you and the baka- uh, I mean I would like you, Ku Fei-san, Nagase-san, Makie-san, and Yue-san to stay after class for some extra tutoring."


    "Hey, you were about to call us baka rangers again weren''t you?" She growled.


    "Uh, I-I''m sure I don''t know what you mean Asuna-san." He said nervously.


    "Baka ranger?" Mero asked. "I''ve heard Asuna-san use that term before. Tell me what is a baka ranger?"


    "Basically they''re the stupidest people in the school." Yuna answered. "Our class is always last place in our grade, but those five girls are dead last. A special kind of dumb."


    Kagurazaka Asuna, Ku Fei, and Nagase Kaede, were all people Mero had marked as being potential threats. And of course there was Negi Springfeild himself.


    "Sensei, may I stay for the lesson as well?"


    "You Mero-san?" Negi said looking at her quiz. "Your results were actually quite good. there''s no reason for you to stay."


    "Am I not allowed?"


    "No, it''s not like you can''t but-"


    "Splendid. I will see you this afternoon sensei."


    After school that day, Negi Springfeild, Mero Averruncus, and the five baka rangers gathered in their classroom. Ku who had changed from her school uniform into a traditional chinese qipao, somersaulted into the room.


    "Mahora 2-A''s. . . " She kneeled in a dramatic pose with her arms spread wide. "Baka yellow is here!"


    Yue did a sliding dash stopping at her side in a similar pose.


    "2-A''s baka black is here."


    Kaede towered over them from behind with one hand on her hip and the other thrust forward triumphantly.


    "Baka blue reporting in De Gozaru!"


    Makie who had changed into a pink leotard acrobatically flipped over her, landing in a split between Ku and Yue.


    "Baka pink is ready for action!" She declared flashing a peace sign. They all held their poses and waited. "C''mon Asuna, that''s your cue!"


    "Damnit!" She cried. "Cut it out with all the ''baka ranger'' crap already!"


    Negi who had been eagerly watching the whole performance, stood up and clapped enthusiastically.


    "Wow, that was so cool!"


    "Heh heh" Makie smiled. "Did you like that Negi-kun?"


    "Yes! You were just like the hero''s from that show I saw recently, pow-"


    "Oh I see," Mero said cutting him off. "They are assigned code names based on their hair color. So that would make Asuna-san baka orange? No I suppose baka red would be more appropriate."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Exactly!" Makie exclaimed. "Mero-chan you get it. But Asuna-san never wants to play and always screws up our combination."


    "I am seriously going to hit you." Asuna scowled.


    "Ahem." Negi cleared his throat and tried to compose himself. "Now that that''s over with let''s commence our after class lesson. I''ve prepared sample exams for all of you. You can''t leave until you score at least a 6/10 okay?"


    Yue was the first to leave with a perfect score of 10/10.


    "Wow, that''s amazing Yue-san!" Negi exclaimed. "See you can do it if you try!"


    "Sorry Sensei. I just really hate studying." She admitted."


    After the other baka rangers failed Negi gave a short lesson, then a second round of tests. This time Ku and Kaede both passed with a score of 8/10.


    "Good job both of you!" Negi said.


    "Yes. I still learning japanese. English is hard." Ku said.


    "Oh yes, I remember Takamichi telling me your first language is chinese? It may be hard but please do your best!"


    "Yes. Do my best!" She smiled and ruffled his hair.


    After the next round of tests. Makie finally passed with a score of 6/10.


    "Good job Makie-san, you just made it!" Negi said.


    "Sorry for being so dumb Negi-kun." The pink haired girl said blushing. "Gymnastics practice doesn''t leave too much time for studying."


    After she had gone the only ones left in the room were Negi, Asuna, and Mero. After Asuna failed again she began shaking with anger.


    "You still haven''t passed yet?" Mero asked.


    "Shut up!" Asuna shouted. "You can''t do it either right?"


    "No, I passed a long time ago." She said holding up her test, displaying the bright red 10/10 score.


    "What, a perfect score? But how?!"


    "It''s not that difficult." She shrugged. "The alphabet and much of the vocabulary is similar to that of latin."


    "What?" Negi looked up. "You know latin, Mero-san?"


    "Yes. My . . . family made sure I had a thorough understanding of the language from a young age."


    "I see . . ." For a moment his brow furrowed, like he was considering something important. "How nice. Now let''s get back to the lesson."


    X


    "Geez, who does that brat think he is?" Asuna sighed as she walked into the dorm''s bath.


    "Ah, it''s Asuna!" Makie said as she saw her approach.


    "She escaped aru!" Said Ku. The other baka rangers were bathing as well, and Asuna sat down next to them.


    "That Negi brat is being way too strict!" She continued. "Even if my grades are bad, this is an escalator school, so it''s not like I can''t go to high-school!"


    "It''s not that unreasonable." Yue said. "He is a teacher after all. Of course he would want his class to do well."


    "Even so that was just too much!"


    "Asuna, everyone! Big news!" They all looked up and saw Konoka running towards them.


    "Huh? What''s up Konoka?"


    "Well actually there''s a rumor that the class with the lowest scores on the exam will be broken up."


    "What?" Everyone cried out simultaneously.


    "But Mahora doesn''t break up classes!" Asuna protested.


    "I don''t know I heard it from Sakurako." Konoka admitted. "And apparently the really dumb people will be held back and be sent all the way back to kindergarden!"


    "Okay that''s definitely a lie." Asuna said.


    "Wait, didn''t Negi-kun say this morning that something really bad would happen if we fail?" Makie realized.


    "He was quite strict today De gozaro." Kaede said.


    "Eh, that''s true." Asuna realized. "Even if getting held back was just a rumor, maybe Negi would really be in trouble if we all fail."


    "Either way, getting last place again would be bad aru." Ku said.


    "Now that you think about it aren''t we the ones holding back the rest of the class?" Makie said.


    "Negi . . . what can we do?" Asuna wondered. "Wait Yue-chan, didn''t you say something about a magic book before?"


    "Yes, but the chances of it actually existing are-"


    "No, it exists" Asuna said confidently. "It definitely exists! You have to believe Yue-chan!"


    "I mean it''s not like it''s impossible right?" Makie suggested.


    "Isn''t library island full of traps aru?" Ku asked. "It could be good training."


    "No" Yue said firmly. "I know I was the one that brought it up in the first place but you guys don''t understand how dangerous that place is for novices."


    "It''ll be fine" Asuna assured her. "You and Honya-chan are experts at exploring that place right? With all of us going there''s nothing to worry about!"


    "I don''t know . . ." Yue was still unsure.


    "You needn''t worry Yue-donno. Ku and I will take responsibility for our safety. You can count on us."


    "Fine." Yue sighed. "But if we do this we need to be prepared. We should ask Mero-san to come too."


    "Geh!" Asuna flinched uncomfortably. "What do want to bring her for?!"


    "Sorry Asuna-san, I know you don''t like her much, but we need as much help as possible. You saw how well she did in gym the other day. She could be even stronger than you."


    "Grr, fine we''ll ask her." Asuna relented. "But that brat probably won''t want to come with us anyway. You''ll see she won''t even consider it!"


    X


    "A magic book?" Mero asked puzzled. After their bath Konoka Nodoka and the baka rangers had gathered outside her dorm room to recruit the mysterious girl.


    "I know, it''s completely ridiculous right?" Asuna said quickly. "Sorry to waste your time with something so stupid. Come on guys let''s go!" She pivoted on her foot to leave as soon as possible.


    "Please wait." The transfer student said halting her in her tracks. "What exactly is library island?"


    "Allow me to explain." Yue said. "It sits in the middle of the lake at the center of Mahora. It''s the largest library in the world established in the megi era with this academy. During World War II rare and important books from all over the world were moved there for safe keeping. As the collection grew the library was expanded underground and safety measures were put into place to protect it. Nowadays there isn''t a single person who knows the layout of the entire island. That''s why the library expedition club was formed, to uncover the secrets of library island."


    "I see." Mero said. "Let me consider this for a moment."


    Something like a magic book was nothing special. Magical tomes and spell books were all too common in her world. What really intrigued her was library island itself. What Yue described was perfectly reasonable. It was common for skilled mages to erect fortresses and traps to safeguard their treasures. She already knew there was a magical power source somewhere on campus. Could this library island really be it? It would explain why she hadn''t found anything during her search the day before. If it was she could use the library expedition club lead her there.


    "Alright," she said after a few seconds. "I will accompany you."


    "Eh, just like that?" Asuna said in disbelief.


    "Yes. Let''s go to library island."

 Period 6: Library Island

    <div>


    <div>


    Period 6: Library Island


    "Wow." Asuna exclaimed as they walked into the building. She Ku, Kaede, Makie, Yue, Nodoka and Mero found themselves at the entrance of a massive structure. The ceiling was several stories high and the interior was completely occupied by oversized bookcases. Some covered the walls, some stood freely, and others sloped at different angles to connect multiple levels."Is this really a library?"


    "Yes" Yue confirmed. "It was modeled after the island of St George in Venice Italy."


    "It looks more like a dungeon from a video game." She replied.


    Yue pulled out a map and laid out a simple path. "The magic book is located here. If we move quickly the round trip should take about four hours."


    "Four hours?" Mero asked.


    "It can''t be helped." Nodoka said. "Remember there are traps, and the library is designed to confuse intruders.


    "Let''s get going then."


    The traps on the uppermost floors were all deactivated. The first section of the journey was essentially a tour of a large elaborate library. Yue and Nodoka were quick to point out whenever they passed a particularly rare or valuable book, but Mero didn''t notice anything that could be magical. She was beginning to get anxious. This could be a colossal waste of time. Asuna walked behind her and stared at her back in silence.


    "Asuna-san," Mero said without turning around. "If there is something bothering you, perhaps you should just say it."


    "Er, uh," The statement seemed to catch her off guard. "Well, it''s just, why are you here?"


    ". . ." The white haired girl turned and gave her a blank look.


    "Uh, I mean, why did you want to come with us? You aced all the practice tests, you should do great on the final, so why do you want to get the magic book?" Asuna asked.


    "Well you might say I''m interested . . . "


    "In library island?" Asuna wondered.


    "In magic." Mero answered. Asuna stopped in her tracks. Mero looked back and found herself on the receiving end of a curious stare from the other girl.


    "Mero-san are you . . . ?"


    "Am I what Asuna-san?"


    "Uh, never mind." Asuna shook her head. "Sorry I asked such a weird question. Forget about it."


    "What about you Asuna-san?"


    "Huh, what do you mean?"


    "Why are you trying to find this magic book? If what you said about this school is true you shouldn''t be so worried about your grades. Could it be you''re actually trying to save Negi sensei''s reputation?"


    "Eh, wha-what-" Asuna fumbled uncomfortably, but composed herself quickly. "Y-Yeah. Something like that. That Negi is a brat. He''s so childish and never thinks anything through, but . . . he is serious about being a teacher. It just wouldn''t be fair for him to fail because of us." Asuna blushed. "G-Go ahead and laugh at me if you want."


    "No, I wasn''t going to." She said. "To dedicate yourself to a cause greater than yourself is very commendable. You are a good person Asuna-san."


    "Uh, t-thanks."


    "Hey don''t fall behind you two!" Yue called from up ahead. "It would be bad if you got lost here!"


    "Ah, we''re coming Yue-chan!" Asuna shouted before catching up to the rest of the group. They came to a new area where the bookcases were even larger. The balcony led into walkways that were actually on top of the bookcases, connected by simple wooden bridges.


    "Wow, we''re actually walking on top of bookshelves? Seems pretty weird." Said Makie walking across the first bridge.


    "Yes," Yue said. "Just be careful. If you fall from here you won''t get off with just a few scrapes."


    "It''s okay Yue-chan we''ll be-" The next step she took caused the bridge to collapse.


    "Makie-chan!" Asuna cried out as the other girl fell. Then in one swift motion she pulled out her gymnastics ribbon and swung it up to the balcony, where it wrapped around the railing.


    "Phew, that was a close one!" She breathed as she hung suspended from the ribbon.


    "Makie''s ribbon sure is useful aru." Ku said, as Makie casually swung herself over to the other bookcase.


    "I know right?" She answered. "It''s super convenient for grabbing snacks when I''m sitting under the heated table!" Mero looked at Makie, then at the others. None of them seemed the least bit surprised by what just happened.


    "Is that . . . normal?" she asked turning to Asuna.


    "Well, Makie-chan is in the gymnastics club after all."


    "I see. . . "


    Makie was on the farther shelf, but with the bridge broken the others were separated from her. Yue pulled out the map.


    "There should be another way around somewhere."


    "Excuse me, Yue-donno" Kaede said before scooping her up in her arms and jumping over the gap. Mero watched as Asuna took Nodoka across and Ku followed close behind. This wasn''t surprising after the abilities they''d already displayed. Of course the jump was easy for Mero, and she quickly caught up to the group. They continued their trek through the library. Soon the catwalk terminated in a shear drop from the tallest bookcase yet. The ridge stretched down into the darkness, well past the point that they could see.


    "What do we do now Yue-chan?" Makie asked. Yue began rummaging through her backpack.


    "Now we climb." She said as she pulled out harnesses and climbing equipment.


    Mero peered over the edge. She would have no problem just flying down with her magic, but even if her abilities weren''t suppressed that wasn''t an option as long as she remained with the group. She sighed and began strapping herself in with the others. After a lengthy climb they finally reached the next sub-level. This part of the library was made of old weathered stone, and had a distinctly ancient presence about it. Mero felt it. A slight tingling sensation that teetered just on the edge of her perception.


    "Alright, the clubs aren''t allowed past this point." Yue said. "From here on out this is uncharted territory."


    A few steps into the cavern Mero stepped on a switch hidden in the floor, and an arrow shot out from the shelf in front of her. She turned toward the projectile. There was no way a simple arrowhead could pierce her magical barrier. All she had to do was concentrate and it would bounce off easily, but before she could Kaede was there snatching it out of the air.


    "Be careful, Mero-donno."


    Impossible. She had been at least ten feet away from her, yet in the time since the arrow fired, she had been able to identify the incoming threat, close the distance, and catch the arrow, all without any apparent effort.


    "How did you do that?" Mero demanded.


    "Kaede-san''s always training up in the mountains." Makie said. "She''s basically a ninja."


    What kind of over simplified explanation was that? While she was processing that, Nodoka hit a trip wire, causing one of the massive bookshelves to come crashing down.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Look out Honya chan!" Ku cried out as she jumped into the air and struck the bookcase with a flying kick, shattering the wood and scattering the books. That was ki! Mero physically gasped when she saw this. An ordinary person couldn''t learn to use their body''s internal energy so easily just by training a little.


    "How . . ."


    "Never underestimate the power of 4000 years of chinese martial arts." Ku said bowing respectfully.


    "Ku-chan is the captain of the Chinese martial arts club." Asuna clarified.


    "We may not be good at studying," Makie said. "But the one thing we baka rangers are confident in is our physical abilities!"


    Just who are these people? Mero wondered, finally closing her mouth.


    "Come on." Yue snapped her back to reality. "From here it''s mostly guesswork, but I have a rough course plotted. Based on the the layout of the rest of the building I''d say the best route is along the east wing."


    As they continued the sensation persisted. There was no doubt about it, she was sensing magic. The mana was getting stronger, meaning they were getting closer to it''s source. This was it, the mana source she was looking for was here. It had to be. They encountered more traps. At one point a heavy log swung down on a rope threatening to crush them. Ku planted her feet, lowered her stance, and blew the whole thing apart with a single straight punch. Afterward a series of wooden spikes rained down on them from above. Before Mero even registered the attack, Kaede jumped over them and shot them all down with a set of daggers she produced from her clothes. It was becoming impossible to entertain the notion that these two were anything resembling normal girls. Even Asuna, who seemed the most normal managed to kick down a heavy wooden door that blocked their path when Yue couldn''t find a way to open it.


    "Alright everyone." Nodoka said. "There should be a safe zone coming up ahead. We should stop there and have our packed lunches."


    What? They were stopping?


    "Yes!" Ku said. "I''ve been waiting for this!"


    No! Mero thought. They were so close! They couldn''t stop now! She looked around, and her companions were already rolling out blankets and unpacking food. Wait this could be her chance. If she could separate from the others here then she could complete her mission uninterrupted!


    "You all can relieve yourselves here. I will go on ahead."


    "That''s a bad idea." Yue warned. "We should stick together."


    "What you''re not going to eat with us aru?" Ku said, shoving a rice ball into her mouth.


    "No. I''m going to continue. I will reconvene with you all later."


    "Hey, Konoka''s cooking is really good you know." Asuna said offering up a bento box.


    "No thank you, I''m going-"


    "Yeah," Makie said. "Have some anmitsu."


    Mero turned her head slowly.


    "What is that?" She was holding a bowl full of jelly cubes, sweet bean paste, and an assortment of fruits.


    "Heh, heh, you''ll just have to try it for yourself Mero-chan." She said handing her the treat.


    She accepted it gingerly, as if she wasn''t sure what to do with it. She sat down and took a bite. It was very different from the cake she had before. There were a variety of flavors that fit together in a way she didn''t fully understand. She savored the taste. In a few moments she was staring at an empty bowl. What am I doing? She said to herself. She was a disciple of the lifemaker, tasked with the most important mission in history, yet here she was indulging in some, admittedly delicious, local cuisine.


    "Thank you." She stood up and wiped her mouth. "I will go scout the terrain ahead." She said before quickly running off.


    "Ah wait Mero-chan!" Makie called out after her.


    "She''s gone aru." Ku said still eating. Yue sighed.


    "Well, there''s nothing for it. We''ll have to go after her."


    X


    Mero Averruncus ran full speed ahead toward the source of magic. She had to move quickly, she ignored every trap she activated. Some sharp metal needles shot toward her face. Before they could impale her she swiped her hand in front of her, catching each projectile between her fingers. She kept sprinting onward until a trap door opened under her. Just as she began to fall she front flipped back onto the floor and kept running. Almost immediately after she was nearly decapitated by a long blade that slid out from the wall. Without even pausing she threw her head back and slid under it. The fact that the traps had increased this much in frequency and intensity must mean that she was getting close to her goal.


    The corridor ended in a large chamber bordered on either side by a river. On the far side of the room, was an ornately carved ivory door decorated with magic sigils and pentagrams. Kneeling in front of the door was a colossal statue. It appeared to be made of clay or stone, with knight''s armor and a sword hanging from it''s waist. In front of it on a small podium was a stone tablet with a series of questions inscribed onto it. After taking in the scene, Mero approached the door. As soon as she got close the statue began to move. It''s joints groaned as the warrior rose to his full height. Then the statue drew his long double edged sword, and planted it''s point in the ground between his feet with his fingers laced around it''s hilt. Not a statue, she realized; a golem. A creature created by alchemy, and animated by a puppetry spell. From a technical standpoint it was actually quite similar to herself. Well ''similar'' in the same way a steam engine is similar to a nuclear reactor. A single purple light lit up the golem''s face and he began to speak.


    "Who goes there?" The voice was deep and steady, without any kind of inflection. "State your name and purpose."


    "Stand aside. The Averruncus of water has need of this place."


    "Only those who prove themselves worthy may enter the hidden library. Step forward and face the challenge."


    She inspected the tablet. It appeared to be a set of questions designed to test a person''s intelligence and ''prove their worth''. She didn''t have time for this. She had to secure the area before the baka rangers realized what she was up to.


    "I''ve no time for your game golem. Stand aside."


    "None shall pass without completing the challenge." Now she was getting frustrated. She puffed out her chest and raised her voice.


    "In the name of the Lifemaker, and the bloodline of Vespertatia, you will let me pass!" The golem''s voice maintained the same steady monotone base as he answered.


    "No."


    "Then perish."


    The golem raised his sword above his head. He was at least twelve feet tall, Mero didn''t even reach his waist. She charged forward, and he brought the sword down. She raised her arm and reinforced her magic barrier. The sword slammed against the invisible wall of force. She pushed against it with all her strength, but it soon became clear that her tiny body could not move the stone behemoth. She slid backwards and the sword cleaved through the ground where she had been standing a moment ago. Looking at the gash in the stone she decided that she had to do something about that sword. The golem lifted the weapon to attack again. Mero raised her hand and chanted.


    "Frigerans exarmatio." [Freezing Disarmament]


    Immediately cold frigid air blew from her palm. Frost and ice collected on the blade until it froze. The brittle stone then shattered and blew away in the wind. The monster continued to advance barehanded. Mero jumped out of the way as his fist slammed into the ground. Seeing her chance she lunged forward and struck the golem with her open palm.


    "Gah!" She recoiled and clutched her wrist. The golem hadn''t even flinched. Without magic to enhance her physical strength, she was at a clear disadvantage against this opponent. He swung his fist again. Mero ducked under it and escaped through the gap between his legs. Then pushing off the ground she jumped back and kicked the golem in the back of the knee. It''s leg bent and the guardian crumpled to the ground.


    "Impaired or not you shan''t best this Averruncus so easily."


    Before she could attack again, the golem whipped around and struck her with his massive forearm. She flew across the room and crashed violently into the wall. She let out a pained squeal as the impact tore through her body. The hard stone bit into her flesh, tearing her clothes and bruising her skin. She slid off the wall and collapsed on the floor. Wha-what is this? she thought. My whole body is on fire! He completely overwhelmed my anti-physical barrier. Ngth! I-I can''t move! She began to panic. No calm down. She put a hand to her chest and did a quick diagnostic. The injuries are only external. My core and internal mana flow remain intact. Stop overreacting! She mentally scolded herself. Trembling, she slowly stood up. The golem had already recovered from her initial attack and was lumbering toward her. Mero took a deep breath. You are a disciple of the Lifemaker. She reminded herself. You cannot allow yourself to fall here! The enemy was approaching, she had to act fast. There was no way she could compete with him physically, and with her magic restricted her options were severely limited.


    "Visju Tal Li Sjutal Vangeit." A stone boot lifted above her head, poised to crush her. "Acceleret!" [Accelerate] As the foot came down she dashed away at blinding speed. The golem swung wildly in a vain attempt to catch the girl, but mana propelled her body across the floor at an impossible speed. She wouldn''t be able to keep this up indefinitely though. With her injuries it as only a matter of time until she was caught. A sharp pain ran through her leg and she dropped to one knee. The golem rushed in. She wouldn''t be able to use that spell again, she had to attack.


    "Visju tal li sjutal vangeit, undetriginta spiritus aquarius, coeuntes sagitent inimicum." [Gather 29 spirits of water, strike my enemy] Twenty nine balls of water gathered and hovered in the air around her. "Sagitta magica, series aquarius!" [Magic arrows series of water!] The orbs shot forward, blasting the giant in the chest and legs. Each time one of the liquid projectiles hit, it cracked and eroded the stone creature''s body. After the onslaught the creature once again collapsed to the ground.


    After taking a moment to catch her breath, Mero carefully approached the fallen foe. She noticed it wasn''t completely disabled. It''s limbs still flailed trying desperately to repel the intruder.


    "U-U-U-Unworthy, may not pa-pa-pa-knowledge restricted to-zzzz." It''s voice was now warped and garbled. From the looks of it, the spell powering him was still active, but his body was to damaged to move. She walked in a wide arc around it, and finally approached the door.


    "At last." She exhaled as she put her hand on the barrier. Immediately a magic circle appeared where she touched it, filled with complex patterns and shapes. "No." She sighed in disbelief. This was a multi-layered mandala style seal. Even with all the knowledge she had it could take hours to decipher. She pushed against the door. It glowed brightly but didn''t budge. Of course not. There was no way to open this with physical force. She turned around.


    "Golem, I demand you release this seal!" She jumped at what she saw. The golem was back on his feet! Impossible. Did it repair itself? It advanced toward her, albeit slower than before. She raised her arms to fight, and her wounds complained. "Ngth." Damn, why didn''t she heal herself when she had the chance?


    Whoosh


    Something large and metal flew thew the air, embedding itself in the ground between her and the golem. It was a bladed four pointed star, about six feet across. A giant shurriken? She turned to the direction the weapon came from and saw the baka rangers standing at the entrance.


    "Excuse us Mr. Golem." Yue said bravely. "Would you kindly step away from our classmate?"

 Period 7: Go Go Baka Rangers!

    Period 7: Go, Go, Baka Rangers!


    "Hey, hey," Asuna said "Is this for real?" She was staring at a giant rock man, standing over Mero''s bruised and battered form. "What is all this?"


    "I''ve seen this before aru." Ku said. "On my brother''s playstation."


    "It''s a golem." Yue said awestruck.


    "L-Like the golem of Prague?" Nodoka asked.


    "What are you guys talking about?" Asuna demanded.


    "According to legend," Yue explained, "it''s a man of clay brought to life by a word of truth written on it''s forehead. Though I don''t see any writing, so maybe that description isn''t totally accurate."


    "And what the heck is something like that doing under the school?!" The red head shouted.


    "I always knew this school was weird, but isn''t this too much?" Makie said.


    The golem looked back and forth between Mero and the others, as if deciding which was the bigger threat. The others hadn''t made any move towards the door, so the golem turned it''s attention towards Mero.


    "Makie-san, get Mero-san away from there." Yue ordered.


    "Sure thing, Yue-chan!" She said whipping out her ribbon. The fabric wrapped around Mero''s waist, but just before she pulled it taught, the golem moved to intercept her.


    "Hey, what do you think you''re doing?!" Asuna cried, and without thinking she ran up and tackled the stone warrior''s chest. Despite his massive weight, the attack actually caused him to wobble a bit. Asuna winced and clutched her shoulder. Unfortunately the stone man was not hindered and grabbed her in his colossal hand as Makie pulled Mero in with her ribbon and caught her in her arms.


    "Are you okay Mero-chan?"


    "Y-Yes." She said dumbfounded.


    "There''s no way that''s true, you''re covered in wounds!" Nodoka exclaimed.


    "Ahhh!" Asuna cried as the monster squeezed her in his grip.


    "I''m coming Asuna!" Ku said as she rushed in.


    She crouched right underneath it, and kicked upward. The sole of her foot hit the giant''s wrist, and cracked it, forcing him to release Asuna. As soon as she was free Makie''s ribbon caught her and pulled her to safety.


    "Good work, Makie-san." Yue said. "Okay, now that our people are safe, our priority is to escape. Ku see if you can distract it."


    "No!" Mero protested. "The magic book is behind that door. If you don''t want this entire mission to be in vain, we haveto defeat that golem!" Yue gave her a look, then turned back to the battle. The leader of the chinese martial arts club was trading blows with the giant. Despite striking the stone with her bare fists and elbows she didn''t seem to be injuring herself.


    "How''s it looking Ku?" Yue called.


    "I don''t know, he''s pretty tough aru." She parried an attack by the golem and lunged forward with her own punch. "Mati Bung Chuen!"


    The punch exploded in the creature''s abdomen, and it''s massive body went sailing across the room. Mero was awestruck. Weather she was aware of it or not, that level of ki control was incredible.


    "Your attacks are strong aru." Ku said. "But you''re too slow!" She charged forward to deliver the final blow. The golem sat up and glared at her with it''s single glowing eye. Kaede seemed to notice something that she didn''t.


    "Wait Ku!"


    As she approached the enemy his eye glowed brightly, and a beam of light projected from it. Ku''s eyes widened as she realized her mistake. Kaede jerked her arm back, pulling on a thin wire, and the giant shurriken in the ground behind the golem flew toward her. The weapon connected with it''s back diverting the bean just enough for Ku to jump out of the way.


    "Ngth! I was careless aru." She said cradling her left arm. It was burned where the beam grazed it. Kaede stepped in front of her.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Stand back Ku."


    She positioned the shurriken around her body, and dashed toward the enemy with the blade pointed forward.


    "Don''t be a fool." Mero thought. "A frontal attack is useless."


    The sentinel fired another beam of energy. Kaede dove straight in and was enveloped in purple light.


    "Kaede!" Asuna cried.


    The sound had barely left her throat when the ninja girl appeared in mid air above the golem, with a knife in each hand.


    "An afterimage?" Mero realized. Kaede descended on the enemy and slashed across it''s back. It staggered quite a bit, but didn''t fall. Kaede examined her knives, which were chipped and cracked.


    "I may have underestimated this brute."


    The golem swung his hand through her body, as he did her form flickered and disappeared. Her actual body appeared in front of it again. She held up her hand with her index and middle finger extended as she concentrated her ki.


    "It looks like I''ll have to get serious De Gozaru."


    Her body blurred and flickered until there were four identical copies of her standing side by side.


    "More afterimages?" Mero wondered. "No, those are actual dopplegangers. What kind of technique is this?"


    The four Kaedes ran around their enemy, easily avoiding his attacks and slashing at his joints. Eventually the behemoth fell to his knees. With his movement restricted he began blasting at her with his laser beam. She jumped and dodged, but the blasts shook the whole room and reduced the walls to rubble.


    "Ngth." Yue shielded her eyes from the debris. "You''ve got to disable that beam weapon before he brings down the whole island!"


    Kaede threw her daggers at the creature''s eye, but the blades bounced harmlessly off the stone.


    "No good, De Gozaru?"


    "Leave it to me aru!"


    Ku ran back into the battle. The golem tried to counter her with a punch, but she casually leaped leaped over it. She was eye level with the monster as it prepared to fire again.


    "Not this time aru!"


    Ku pressed her palm to it''s arm to support herself, and kicked him square in the face. The stone that made up his face cracked and splintered. Purple energy sparked all around him.


    "The mana is leaking out." Mero realized.


    The creature''s body spasmed, causing Ku to lose her balance and fall to the floor.


    "Gah!" She landed hard on her injured arm. The golem raised his fist. Before he brought it down Makie''s ribbon tied around it.


    "Leave Ku-chan alone!"


    The pink haired girl wasn''t strong enough to actually stop the attack, but she did slow it down long enough for Kaede to get into position and throw her shurriken. The giant razor edged disk flew through the air and cut clean through the wrist Ku had cracked earlier. More light sparked from the opening in his arm where his hand used to be.


    "Thanks Kaede aru."


    "It''s become too unstable!" Mero warned. "We have to do something!"


    "The river." Yue said. "We can drown it. Guys you have to drag it into the river somehow!"


    "Understood, Yue-donno." Kaede and her three dopplegangers surrounded the target. They each threw a chain and ensnared the golem. All the cracks in it''s body glowed intensely. The four Kaede''s leaped toward the water, but even with the four of them they struggled to pull the dense stone behind them.


    "Would you. Just. Go. Down!" Asuna shouted.


    She threw her body at the creature and kicked out with both her legs, pushing it back. Kaede was then able to drag it all the way to the edge where he rooted his feet and grasped the floor with his remaining hand. The golem''s entire body glowed. It seemed to be charging up one final attack.


    "Let''s finish it Asuna!" Ku said. They both ran up to it an punched simultaneously."Pao Chuan!" [cannon fist] Shouted Ku as she attacked.


    "Take this!" Asuna cried as her knuckles bit into the stone.


    Together they managed to dislodge it from the riverbank, and Kaede pulled it the rest of the way into the water. As soon as the giant disappeared under it''s surface there was a huge explosion, spraying water and dirt across the room.


    Mero was speechless. The enemy she had been struggling with, albeit in her weakened state, was defeated by these middle school girls.


    "Is it . . . dead?" Asuna asked nervously.


    "It was never alive." Mero confirmed. "Think of it as a doll, animated by magic and programed to stop any intruders here."


    "How do you know that?"


    ". . ."


    "She''s right." Yue said. "In the stories, golems were used for all sorts of jobs and once the word of truth was erased from their forehead they turn back into ordinary clay.


    "Wow, you really know you''re stuff Yue-chan." Asuna said impressed.


    "The more pressing issue," Mero continued. "Is how to get past this door."


    "I assume it''s sealed by some kind of magic." Yue said. "Mero-san, you got here ahead of us, did you see or hear anything that could help?"


    "It mentioned a challenge." She said.


    "A challenge?" Yue approached the tablet. "The door would probably have opened if we answered these, but now that the golem has been destroyed will it still work?"


    "Why should we have to answer aru? We should just break down the door!" Ku ran up the the door and punched it as hard as she could.


    Once again the door merely glowed and repulsed the attack.


    "Owie!" She cried rubbing her hand.


    "Looks like it won''t be so easy De Gozaru." Kaede observed.


    "Let me give it a try." Asuna said walking up to the entrance.


    Mero was reminded just how stupid Asuna was. Despite being told that it was sealed by magic, and having just seen her classmate fail to do the same, why would she think she''d be able to break through?


    "Hiyah!" Asuna kicked the door. Like before it glowed brightly, but this time the light stopped abruptly and the door flew off it''s hinges.


    "Asuna did it aru?" Ku said slightly confused.


    "Impressive De Gozaru." Kaede nodded.


    Mero was utterly speechless. She was able to break a multilayered ward with pure physical strength? Inconceivable! Even a skilled mage would take a considerable amount of time to disable that, and she just kicked it. Was Asuna even a mage? No, even if she was, there was no sign of the spell actually breaking. It was just there one second and gone the next. What was going on here?


    "Hey, Mero-chan!" Makie called. "What are you spacing out for? Our goal is right in front of us!"


    "That''s right." Yue said. "The magic book should be right through here." She gave a wry smile. "Let''s go claim it

 Period 8: Escape from Library Island

    Period 8: Escape from Library Island


    The group stood before the open doorway and stared into the gloom. Their objective was finally within reach. For the baka rangers that objective was academic security, for Mero Averruncus it was her whole purpose in coming to this world.


    "I will go in first." She said. "In fact, you all should stay here."


    "I don''t think that''s a good Idea." Yue said. "You''re wounded pretty badly. Kaede should take the vanguard."


    Damn! Once again she cursed herself for not performing a healing spell on herself before the others arrived, now it was too late. She had No logical reason to reject Yue''s suggestion. Her wounds did hurt though. Perhaps given the circumstances this was the best option.


    "Very well." The white haired girl said as she fell in line behind the others.


    As the party walked down the dark corridor, Mero found herself drawn to Asuna.


    "Asuna-san, how did you manage to break down that door?"


    "How?" She scratched her head. "I don''t know I just kicked it."


    "Yes, but your attack actually managed to get through while Ku Fei-san''s did not."


    "I really don''t know what to tell you. I guess I just got lucky?"


    She considered saying more, but decided against it.


    "Yes that must be it."


    The hallway gave way to a large rectangular room. In contrast to the rest of the island, this place resembled a traditional library. Solid brick walls filled with rows and rows of ordinary bookshelves, with another doorway on the opposite side. The average person may have wondered how the furnishings could look so new, but to Mero it was obvious; this room was preserved by magic. Every wall was soaked in mana. This room had been in close proximity to powerful magic for a very long time.


    "Is this it?" Makie asked.


    "Which one is the magic book aru?" Ku said.


    "Are we going to have to check all of these?" Asuna groaned.


    The girls wandered around the room pulling random books off shelves.


    "I can''t read any of this!" Makie complained.


    "This isn''t japanese aru." Ku added.


    Mero opened a book. It was written in latin like most magic texts, and listed some complex incantations. This was a spell book! She picked up another. This one was a history book detailing the war in the magic world. Another book talked about the strengths and weaknesses of various magical creatures. Where were they? Could this be dean Konoemon''s personal library? She wondered. If that was the case maybe she could learn something useful here. Or perhaps it would be better to destroy it completely and deal a blow to the Kantou magic association. Either way she couldn''t leave this library empty handed.


    "It looks like all these books are in latin." Yue said examining a spell book.


    "Whaaaa- so then coming here was all for nothing?" Makie cried.


    "It''s no use if we can''t even read these." Nodoka said.


    "Wait, Mero can read latin." Asuna remembered.


    All eyes turned to her.


    "I-Is it true Mero-chan?" Makie asked. "Can you really read this stuff?"


    This wasn''t good. She shouldn''t have let it slip that she knew latin. Now she had no reason not to translate for them. What''s more she needed their help to transport all the books. She couldn''t very well say ''help me gather all these books, but don''t take any of them for yourselves.''


    "For now let''s try to pack up as many books as we can." She said. "We''ll see about translating or whatever else after."


    Now that it had come to this, it seemed her only option was to have the baka rangers help her, then steal the books back from them later. They busied themselves loading as many books as they could into a pair of duffel bags they had brought with them. When she was certain she wouldn''t be noticed, Mero snuck off to a corner of the library. Despite all the magical energy in the area, she sill wasn''t convinced it was the place of power she was searching for. This place had clearly been affected by great magic, but it wasn''t the source of it. If she had to guess there was probably a natural mana spring somewhere above them, she just had to locate it. Down here she was far away from the eyes of any enemy mages. She closed her eyes and chanted a spell. She reached out with her senses, following the trail of mana. It went up, out of the library and through the bedrock. Further, further, and . . . there. The edges of her mouth turned up in a smile. She found it.


    Her celebration was immediately cut short, as the whole library lit up. A stone slab slid down from the ceiling to block each exit. The entire room began to hum, and glowing runes appeared on the walls.


    "What''s going on?!" Asuna cried.


    "Is it another trap?" Nodoka worried.


    No, examining the books didn''t seem to set off any traps. Was this triggered by her spell?


    "Tch, I was careless."


    A magic circle appeared on the floor in front of each bookcase and glowed brightly.


    "A summoning spell?" She wondered aloud.


    A golem, identical to the one they''d just fought emerged from each circle. There were at least a dozen of them. The nearest giant turned to Mero and swung it''s sword. She ducked under it and rolled away. Around the room the baka rangers were avoiding attacks from the other golems.


    "What happened aru?" Said Ku dodging a blow from the golem in front of her.


    "It doesn''t look like they''re going to let us leave without a fight De Gozaro." Kaede pulled four long blades from her uniform and fit them together to form her shurriken.


    "But we could barely take on one of these things!" Asuna exclaimed. "How are we going to get out of this?!" A golem swiped at her. She jumped up and kicked it in the head. It fired a laser that just barely missed her, and hit her skirt, setting it on fire.


    "Wah, wah, wah!" Asuna ran in circles waving her behind trying to put out the flame. She eventually succeeded and the fire died. In it''s place was a hole revealing her white bear print panties.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "I hate these things!"


    "Kyaaa!" Nodoka screamed as a golem reached for her duffel.


    "No!" Mero ran to intercept it, but the golem in front of her swung it''s sword down. She sidestepped and the blade was embedded in the floor. The golem punched with his free hand.


    "Deflexio." [wind shield]


    She conjured an invisible wall between them, and though it absorbed most of the blow''s impact it did not stop it. She held up both her hands to block the massive punch, but with her reduced strength and her injuries it was all she could do to hold back the giant.


    "Guh, ugh!"


    This wasn''t working. She shifted her weight, rotating her body in a tight circle and sending the giant fist slamming into the floor beside her. The golem, now on it''s hands and knees before it''s foe, bean charging it''s laser beam. Mero spread her arms out and grabbed the side of it''s head, then performing another circular motion she slammed it''s face into the ground. The beam went off, causing an explosion that knocked her across the room.


    "Hey, what was that aru?" Ku Fei said looking her way. "Tai Chi? Ba gua?"


    Mero ignored her. She turned back to Yue and Nodoka. The golem had already seized the first bag. Yue slung the remaining duffel over her shoulder and took Nodoka by the hand.


    "Let''s run Nodoka."


    The two ran down the aisle, until their path was blocked by another stone giant.


    "You will not be leaving with that." It said before raising it''s weapon. Before it brought it down, four daggers stabbed into it''s exposed chest. The golem didn''t even slow down, but then paper tags attached to each dagger smoldered and exploded. Kaede jumped in front of the two girls.


    "It''s time to go, Yue-donno, Nodoka-donno."


    "B-But we''re trapped in here." Nodoka worried.


    "Stand clear." The ninja girl said before rushing in. She stabbed at the giant''s face. When it tried to grab her, she kicked off it''s body and jumped away, towards the end of the room. The golem fired it''s mana beam. She dodged, and it blew a hole in the the exit door.


    "We have an escape route." Yue said. "Let''s go everyone!"


    Mero was hesitant to leave the library so soon, but this was a battle they were not likely to win. Ku kicked the debris out of the doorway and they all fled. The floor opened into a larger area that connected to adjacent hallways and staircases.


    "Which way do we go?!" Asuna cried.


    "Give me a minute to check the map." Yue said.


    Bam! One of the golem''s beams blasted the ground right next to them.


    "Damn it! We''ll just have to pick at random." Asuna got ready to jump into the nearest corridor.


    "Wait!" Mero said. When she cast her locator spell, she got a vague sense of the area along the trail of mana. She couldn''t tell much, but she did know there was a tunnel leading to the surface somewhere in this area. "Come this way." She pointed to the doorway on the opposite side of the room.


    "How do you know?"


    ". . ."


    Asuna locked eyes with her and made a decision. "Alright let''s go!"


    They ran toward it, and the enemies rushed to block their path. Asuna kicked one drawing it''s attention, while Nodoka and Yue slid between it''s legs and ran through the door. The others followed, then Ku turned back and lunged at the pursuing golem.


    "Sotenshu!" [Dual knock over palm!]


    She struck the magic giant with both her palms, sending it flying into the enemies behind it. The girls escaped as the constructs stumbled over each other trying to right themselves. Once they were through the doorway Kaede threw an exploding dagger above the frame, sealing the entrance with rubble.


    The chamber was a large cylinder, stretching up for what looked like miles. A spiral staircase ran along the wall up the length of the tunnel.


    "Will this take us to the surface?" Yue wondered.


    "It''s so long." Nodoka said. "How long will it take to climb this?"


    "We don''t have a choice." Asuna said grimly.


    The girls began running up the massive staircase. They were only a few stories up when they heard a loud crash. The golems had entered the tunnel. Despite their size they caught up surprisingly quickly.


    "You will return what you have stolen." One of them said bearing down on Yue.


    Kaede''s shurriken hit it''s head causing it to stumble. Then Makie tripped it with her ribbon. The earthen warrior lost it''s footing, and plummeted into the abyss. The girls kept running, dodging swords and beams from the golems. Ku dropped one off the staircase with a kick. Kaede''s clones tackled another sending it over as well.


    "Haa, haa, I can''t run anymore." Nodoka panted.


    They slowed down, and a golem wrapped it''s hand around the bag. Yue grasped the other end firmly and pulled with all her might. Nodoka helped her, but they were clearly not going to win the struggle.


    "No!" Mero rushed toward them. After all the trouble they had gone through to get that she was not going to give it up that easily!


    RIIIIIP


    The flimsy canvas tore, and the two girls were flung backward, scattering the contents of the bag. Yue fell hard. Her head hit a step and she fell unconscience, still clutching the torn cloth in her hands.


    "Yue, Yue!" Nodoka cried, desperately shaking her friend. The giant was off balance, and stumbled. Kaede leapt into action and knocked it over the edge. She put her hands together and produced two clones. One picked up Yue in her arms, the other carried Nodoka on her back. They all resumed their climb, leaving Mero behind. When the bag ripped a single book landed on the step directly in front of her. It was thin with golden runes on the cover. It was probably the only thing she would be able to physically recover from library island. Quickly, before anyone could see, she slipped the book into her jacket. It was something at least.


    She caught up to the others just in time to see Asuna backhanded into the wall by one of the golems. She was dazed and defenseless as it approached her. Makie Kaede and Ku were all occupied with their own enemies. Was Asuna going to die? Mero couldn''t decide if she should intervene. Of course it would be good to eliminate a potential threat, but Asuna wasn''t a mage or ki user, surely she didn''t need to die. And then there was that incident with the door. If she did posses some kind of unique power maybe it would be better to get rid of her now. Or maybe she could find a way to use it to her benifit. The golem was bearing down on her. She had to make a decision now.


    "Acceleret!" [Accelerate]


    She sprinted forward and tackled the monster with enough force to topple it.


    "Ah!" She felt her shoulder pop, then she and the golem fell over the edge. Could she survive the drop? There was no way her thin magic barrier would be able to protect her completely. She couldn''t move her right arm anymore. Was she going to die?


    "You are such . . . "


    "Huh?"


    "An idiot!" Asuna reached over the edge and grabbed her by the wrist. "Guh!" The weight of the other girl pulled her down and pinned her to the staircase. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"


    "Did you just call me an idiot Asuna-san?"


    "Shut up! You''re so annoying, even when you''re saving me! What''s the point if you die too idiot?!"


    "Ah . . ." She opened her mouth, but there was nothing she could say that would explain her actions.


    "Grrr . . . aaah . . . " Asuna grunted and slowly pulled her back onto the ledge. "Let''s all escape together." Mero looked at her.


    "Okay."


    "Can you stand?" She tried and her legs buckled.


    "Go on without me. I''ll recover in a moment."


    "Geez, what did I just say?!" She picked her up, princess style, and ran. Mero rested her head against Asuna''s chest. She could have just healed herself and ran on her own, yet there she was sitting in Asuna''s embrace like a sheltered child.


    Once they made it about half way up the tunnel, they came to a large circular platform, suspended in the middle of the spiral staircase.


    "Wait, stop!" Mero said noticing a magic circle carved into the middle of the platform. "Put me down."


    Asuna did so, and Mero kneeled to examine the circle. She guessed it was designed to travel up and down the length of the tunnel like an elevator.


    "What are you doing?!" Asuna cried. "They''re coming!"


    Kaede set down Yue and Nodoka beside her, then turned to face the approaching enemies.


    "Why are they still chasing us?" Nodoka said. "We lost all the books!"


    "If you''re going to try something Mero-donno." Kaede said. "Now is the time." Ku Asuna and Makie gathered around her at the edge of the platform.


    If she activated the elevator they could escape almost immediately, but then she would risk exposing her magic. If she didn''t they would soon be overrun by golems. If she unsealed her powers she could easily defeat them of course, but if she revealed her identity to her classmates, she would be forced to kill them.


    "Here they come aru!" Ku said readying her stance


    "Excitant!" [Activate] Mero slammed her left hand into the magic circle and activated the spell.


    "Wha . . . wha?" Yue''s eyes fluttered open just as the symbols lit up and the platform accelerated upward. The girls huddled together as the staircase rushed past them, leaving the golems and library island behind.


    X


    "Man, library island was terrible aru!" Ku exclaimed.


    "Haha, I thought it was fun." Makie said.


    It was already morning when they reached the surface. They emerged from a tunnel behind the dorm.


    "Even after all that we didn''t even get the magic book." Asuna groaned.


    Mero put a hand to her breast, but said nothing.


    "At least we got out safely." Yue sighed. She fiddled with the torn cloth she''d been carrying, and her fingers closed around something hard. She gasped. "This-"


    "What is it Yue-san?" Mero leaned in closely.


    "It -" She hesitated. "N-Nothing, Mero-san. I''m just tired. Let''s all get some rest."


    "What on earth happened to you girls!"


    They turned to see Negi running toward the group of battered and bruised students.


    "Well," Asuna said. "It''s a long story . . . "

 Period 9: A Little bit of Courage

    Period 9: A little bit of courage


    <div>


    <div>


    "What?!" Negi shouted. "You went to a magical dungeon?!"


    "Well," Asuna said, "Technically it was a library."


    After their adventure the baka rangers had returned to their rooms where Asuna recounted the story to their teacher.


    "Asuna-san, how could you even consider doing something so dangerous?!"


    "What! You''re the one who''s been acting weird! Working us so hard so hard without telling us why, and saying something bad was going to happen if we don''t get out of last place. Of course we''d do something like this!"


    "Whaaa- I-I didn''t . . . I''m sorry. You''re right. I shouldn''t have pressured you like that. The truth is, this is also the final exam for me as a teacher. If 2-A can pull out of last place I will be recognized as an official teacher."


    "What? You- " She banged her fist on the top of his head. "Baka Negi! That"s super important! Why didn''t you tell us?" Negi twisted his fingers nervously.


    "B-But, this is my problem, I can''t involve all of you-"


    "Don''t be stupid!" She snapped. "You may be a brat, but that doesn''t mean we want you to go away!"


    "Thank you for that Asuna-san. But even so I don''t think you should be using something like a magic book. You can''t rely on magic to solve your problems all the time."


    "What are you talking about, you''re a mage aren''t you? What''s the point of magic if you don''t use it?"


    "Back home uncle used to tell me this: ''Our magic is not omnipotent. A little bit of courage is the real magic.''"


    "Gah, fine!" She threw up her hands. "All I have to do is study right?"


    "Asuna-san?"


    "If you''re working this hard to become a teacher it''s the least I can do. I won''t let you quit so easily!"


    "Thank you Asuna-san."


    X


    "Good morning class." Negi said starting homeroom.


    "Morning Sensei!"


    "Um, before we start today''s lesson I think I owe all of you an apology." He took a deep breath. "I haven''t been totally honest with you. If 2-A can moves out of the last ranking in the final exams, I will become an official teacher."


    The girls gasped in shock.


    "Wait so then what if we fail?" Haruna asked.


    "Will Negi-kun be fired?" Konoka wondered.


    "What?!" Ayaka cried out. "This is the first I''m hearing about this! Sensei how could you neglect to tell us something so important?!"


    "Yeah Negi-kun," Makie said. "Why didn''t you tell us?!"


    "I didn''t want to cause any of you to worry, this is my own personal problem after all."


    "D-Don''t say that Sensei!" Nodoka cried. "This is our fault in the first place!"


    "Thank you Nodoka-san, but this is because of my own shortcomings and inexpeirence. I just tried to push you all as hard as I could, and that isn''t fair. I''m still in training to be a teacher, just like you I''m here to learn. So . . . why don''t we start over? There are three more days until the test, let''s try our best together!"


    "Yes Sensei!" Everyone cheered.


    X


    Deep beneath the school, a magic circle activated in library island. It glowed brightly, and two men stepped out of the light. Konoe Konemon, and Takamichi T. Takahata looked around the room and saw nothing but wreckage. The library was nearly destroyed; bookcases were on the floor, the walls had been blasted to rubble, and most concerning, there were torn scraps of clothing all over the room. There had obviously been a struggle here.


    "Well, this doesn''t look good does it?" Konoemon said.


    "No it doesn''t." Takahata said before lighting a cigarette.


    "The obvious questions are ''who did this'' and ''why''." The dean began walking through the ruins.


    "Did you change the enchantment on the golems?" Takahata asked. "I thought they weren''t able to attack on their own."


    "They weren''t." The old man stroked his beard. "The parameters of the spell were that they would would only engage in combat once they were directly attacked." He picked up a piece of stone that was once part of a golem. "What''s more they were designed to only respond with an appropriate level of force. If they fought this hard and were still defeated . . . the intruder must have been quite powerful."Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "We would know if the school''s barrier had been breached," Takahata said. "This must have been someone on campus."


    "Are you suggesting it was a teacher or a student? Because I really don''t want to believe that." Takahata took a long puff of smoke from his cigarette.


    "This isn''t good." He said.


    "No it isn''t." Konoemon agreed.


    X


    "See Asuna-san?" Negi said after class. "In this situation you conjugate the verb like this."


    "Uh, I guess . . . " She replied.


    Negi hadn''t required her to stay after class again, but after their talk that morning, she agreed to an additional study session in their room. They were just starting to make progress when they heard a knock at the door. Konoka answered it, revealing Mero standing in the doorway.


    "Hi Mero-chan!" She said happily.


    "Good evening." Mero said bowing her head


    "Come on in, I''ll put on some tea. How do you like it Mero-chan?"


    "Cream and sugar." She decided. Konoka headed to the kitchenette to prepare the tea, and Asuna looked up at her guest.


    "Mero, what are you doing here?"


    "Yes well, I know how much you struggle with english. I''ve seen your marks and frankly it''s incredible how bad they are. Even today your results didn''t seem to improve much. It''s actually a bit concerning.


    "Mmmmn." Asuna frowned. "Yeah, yeah, I know I''m an idiot! Baka red right?"


    "C-Calm down Asuna-san," Negi said. "Your scores are steadily geting better." He turned to Mero. "Asuna-san really is trying her best."


    "I know. That''s why I came to help her study."


    "Eh?" Asuna blinked in surprise.


    "That''s wonderful Mero-san!" Negi exclaimed. "I''m so glad to see my students getting along!"


    "Y-Yeah. Thanks." Asuna said awkwardly.


    "Why don''t you show me what you''re working on?" She took a seat between them.


    The three began studying. It became clear that while she had a good grasp of the material, Mero was not very good at explaining it. Even after reiterating the information Asuna failed to grasp it.


    "What about this are you not getting?" She sighed.


    "Of course I wouldn''t understand if you just give me the same explanation over and over! Idiot!" Mero paused at that.


    "Somehow I really don''t want to be called an idiot by you Asuna-san."


    "S-Shut up! Idiot!"


    Then the door swung open and in stepped the rest of the baka rangers and the library expedition club.


    "What''s going in here?" Makie said.


    "Hey looks like you guys have already started!" Haruna said.


    "What''s everyone doing here?" Negi asked.


    "Go on Nodoka." Yue said nudging her friend forward.


    "W-Well," Nodoka spoke up. "We want to support sensei if we can. So . . . please let us study with you!"


    "Nodoka-san, everyone . . ." Negi was completely awed. "Alright, let''s give it our best!"


    X


    For the next three days the study sessions continued. Negi and Nodoka were vital in teaching and conveying information to the baka rangers. Slowly their scores began to improve. Mero wanted to investigate the magic power she''d located as quickly as possible, but she couldn''t do that if she was spending so much time with the others. She considered removing herself from the group, but decided against it. There would be plenty of time to complete the mission after the exam, and during the break she would have free regin of the campus.


    However, during the night after Yuna had fallen asleep she was able to examine the book she had taken from library island. It seemed to be an index of magical information. While her own magical knowledge was not lacking, it contained a lot of useful information about earth, such as known magical associations, certain magic artifacts, and the locations of the planet''s ley lines. It even had an active connection to the mahou-net, giving her access to a whole network of data. Most intriguing to her was an article about something called the World Tree. A large number of ley lines converged on it, and judging by it''s position on the map it seemed to be the same location she had sensed in the library.


    "This is it!" She declared out loud.


    "Huh! Whazzat?" Yuna bolted upright in her bunk. "What Mero-chan?" She said rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What''s going on?"


    "Nothing!" She shouted slamming the book shut.


    "Huh? What are you reading in the middle of the night?" She asked.


    "Nothing! Yuna-san don''t look over here!" She hastily tried to hide the book behind her.


    "Why-wait are you . . .?" Her face went red as she came to a conclusion. "Um, never mind. I''m going back to sleep, just um, be sure to clean up when you''re done okay?" Yuna lied down and pulled the covers over her head.


    Mero wasn''t sure why she had left her alone, but it seemed her secret was safe for now.


    X


    Finally the day of the test arrived. After all their hours of studying the baka rangers had actually managed to get their grades up to passing levels. The only remaining question was weather it was enough to get them out of last place.


    "Everyone," Negi said. "I-I''m sorry about library island. You shouldn''t feel like you have to put yourselves in danger for my sake. But you''ve managed to improve so much even without the magic book. This week you''ve made incredible progress in such a short amount of time. What I''m trying to say is I''m proud of you. Whatever happens I''m honored to have been your teacher."


    "Don''t worry sensei!" Nodoka cried. "We''ll do our best, we won''t let sensei get fired!"


    "Y-Yeah we''ll manage somehow!" Makie chimed in.


    "Leave the rest to us, De Gozaru." Kaede said.


    "We got this Negi." Asuna said confidently. "All we need is that little bit of courage right?"


    "I don''t particularly mind either way," Mero said. "But I''m sure we''ll pass."


    "What are you saying Mero-chan?" Makie said. "You were the one helping us study."


    "No that was-"


    Just then the test administrator noticed them lingering in the hallway.


    "Hey you six! Hurry up and take your seats!" He shouted.


    Asuna gave her teacher a thumbs up and they disappeared into the classroom.


    The next morning all the second years had gathered in the auditorium for the results. The air was thick with tension. Everyone in 2-A was uncharacteristically quiet. Negi had his hands clasped in silent prayer. Mero turned to Asuna who was trembling with anticipation.


    "Asuna-san," She said. "You are an idiot."


    "Geh!" Asuna nearly fell over in surprise. "What the hell is that for all of a sudden?!"


    "But you studied very hard." Mero continued. "All week you''ve pushed yourself and your efforts have yielded impressive results. So don''t worry. Everything will be fine."


    "Heh, thanks Mero-chan." She smiled. "I really needed that."


    "Well then it''s time to unveil the class grades!" The announcer said. "In first place . . . second year class 2-A!"


    "Eh!" Negi jumped back in surprise. "W-We''re number one?!"


    "Alright!" Everyone cheered.


    "Sensei!" Nodoka ran up to him so quickly they nearly crashed. "C-Congratulations!"


    "N-No." Negi stammered. "This is thanks to all of your hard work."


    "I-um, I look forward to having you teach again next term sensei!"


    "Yes congratulations Negi-kun." Konoemon said strolling toward them.


    "Eh, principal?" Negi exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"


    "I just wanted to see the class rankings. Good job getting first place, it seems all your hard work has paid off."


    "Thank you principal!"


    "Your final test was to see if you could act like a teacher when it really counts, and I''d say you''ve proved yourself. Let me be the first to welcome you as a official teacher of Mahora, Negi sensei."


    "Heh, good for you Negi." Asuna smirked.


    It looked like Negi Springfeild would be staying on as a teaher for the foreseeable future. Mero gave him a hard look.


    "Congratulations sensei."

 Period 10: Baka White

    Period 10: Baka White


    "Good morning Mero-chan." Konoemon said as the mysterious girl walked into his office.


    "You wanted to see me principal sensei?" She said.


    "Yes. Please have a seat." After a moment of hesitation, Mero pulled out the chair and sat.


    "I won''t keep you long." He said. "I''m sure you''ll want to get to the closing ceremony."


    "Not particularly." She said flatly.


    "Oh, okay then. How are you adjusting to Mahora so far? I know it must be difficult transferring in right before the end of the term. Is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable here?"


    "No."


    Konoemon scratched his head. This conversation was not going the way he had hoped.


    "Well, I don''t wan''t to take up any more of your time. Just one more question before you go. Have you ever heard of library island?"


    "Yes. I explored that island last week."


    "What?!" Konoemon jumped up in shock.


    In hindsight it may not have been a good idea to reveal to the leader of the Kanto magic association that she had broken into his library. She made the same mistake when she told Asuna she knew latin. If this mission was going to be successful she would have to be more clever with her deceptions.


    "You mean to tell me you actually managed to get in and out of library island all by yourself?!"


    "No."


    "What . . ?"


    "I have never heard of library island."


    "Huh . . . O . . . kay" Konoemon was at a loss. She clearly just admitted she broke into the library. She immediately denied it, but it was technically a confession . . . right? Either way he didn''t have any actual proof.


    "Am I free to go now?"


    "Er, yes of course."


    "Well," He said to himself after she left. "What are we going to do about this?"


    X


    The closing ceremony was fairly short. Konoemon gave a speech and officially introduced Negi as the newest teacher to the school, then they were all released for spring break.


    "Ahh finally!" Sakurako said stretching her arms above her head. "Spring break is here!"


    "Lot''s of stuff happened this semester." Konoka said. "Negi-kun became our new teacher, Mero-chan transferred in, and we even managed to score first place in the finals."


    "Let''s have an end of year party to celebrate!" Makie suggested.


    "Yeah that''s a great idea!" Yuna agreed.


    "Negi-kun, have you ever done Sakura viewing?" Makie asked Negi.


    "Oh you mean japanese cherry blossoms right?" Negi said. "No I haven''t. I think they''re in season now right?


    "Then it''s settled!" She shouted. "Let''s have a sakura viewing topping the year party!"


    "Yeah!" Her classmates cheered.


    "You''re coming right Mero-chan?" Yuna said.


    "No." She said. "Sorry, but I have something to do today."


    "Come on!" Yuna exclaimed. "It''s spring break, what could you possibly have to do? Just hang out with us!"


    "Mero-san," Nodoka said quietly. "You traveled with us to library island, and helped us study for the final. You contributed to this day just as much as any of us. Won''t you come and celebrate with us?"


    ". . . " She seemed to consider it for a moment.


    "Hey Mero-chan," Makie said. "It''s not just the view, we''ll bring snacks too." She flinched just a little.


    "Snacks? Like anmitsu?" She asked.


    "Sure! We can make some mochi, and taiyaki too!"


    "Well, I suppose I can join you for a short while." She mumbled.


    "Ha ha, if you want to get Mero-chan to go somewhere, all you need to do is bribe her with sweets." Makie chuckled.


    "Makie-san what exactly do you mean by that?"


    "Don''t mind it Mero-chan! Right now let''s party!"


    That afternoon most of 2-A had gathered under a sakura tree on a hill overlooking the campus. The cherry blossoms had already began to bloom. A gentle breeze carried the pink petals up into the sky, where they shimmered in the sunlight.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "It''s so beautiful!" Negi breathed.


    "Heh, I knew you would say that." Asuna said.


    "What is this?" Mero asked holding up a sweet bun.


    "Hm? It''s manju" Yuna answered.


    "Manju? I see." She said before biting into it and filling her mouth with sweet bean paste. "Mmmm."


    "Hey Mero-chan why don''t take a look over here?" Makie said gesturing to the horizon.


    Reluctantly she looked up from her food out to the sakura trees. It reminded her of the view from the grave keeper''s palace in the magic world. Sitting on the hill above the massive city-like campus was akin to standing over the ruins of the destroyed capital of Vespertatia, only in this case the city was full of warmth and life.


    "It''s beautiful isn''t it?"


    "Yes." She said softly.


    "What''s with that serious look?" Yuna said. "This is supposed to be a party!" She slapped her on the back. Mero jumped up and instinctively raised her hands. She had to physically stop herself from attacking the other girl. The result looked more like she just flailed and fell over clumsily. The two girls just stared at each other awkwardly. A moment passed and Yuna burst out laughing. Mero slowly sat back down.


    "Don''t . . . do that."


    "Come on loosen up a bit!" Yuna said chugging her drink. "We''re all here to have fun!"


    "Actually," Makie said, "I think she just came for the food." Mero glared at her.


    "Don''t be like that Mero-chan. After all we''ve been through we''re close enough to joke around with each other. You''re practically a baka ranger yourself!"


    ". . . What?"


    "That''s a good point." Konoka said. "She has been spending a lot of time with the rangers hasn''t she?"


    "So would that make her baka white then?" Haruna wondered.


    "Oooh, I like that!" Yuna said.


    "Somehow that kinda fits." Asuna said turning to Mero. "''Baka White''"


    "Don''t call me that." Mero said wrinkling her forehead.


    "Now that I think about it, even though she''s really smart she can act surprisingly silly at times." Makie said. Asuna was trying her hardest not to laugh. A muscle above Mero''s eye twitched involuntarily.


    "Were only kidding Mero-chan." Makie reached out a hand to pat her on the shoulder, but Mero grabbed her wrist and held it like a vice.


    "Hey don''t be so rough." She winced, and tried to pull her hand back. She couldn''t break Mero''s grip and lost her balance. She latched on to the other girl for support and pulled her down with her. They both tumbled down the hill landing in a tangled heap.


    "Hey are you guys okay?" Asuna called.


    "Ugh, yeah." Makie replied. She had collapsed on top of Mero, and when she tried to push herself up with her hands she felt something soft under her palm.


    "Ah." A soft voice moaned. Makie looked down and went bright red when she saw her hand cupped around Mero''s left breast.


    "S-Sorry Mero-chan." Her classmate made a face that might have been anger or annoyance. "It''s surprisingly soft." Makie said involuntarily giving her breast a another squeeze."


    "Mnnth."


    Their other classmates reached the base of the hill just as Mero launched the pink haired girl into the air.


    "Uwaaa!" Makie tumbled through the air before landing in a summersault and rolling to safety. "What was that for Mero-chan?!"


    "Wow. Mero-san is quite strong isn''t she?" Negi observed.


    "Yeah you could say that." Asuna said scratching her cheek.


    "Oooo, that was a great throw aru!" Ku shouted. "Come on, Mero let''s have a match!" She raised her hands in a kung fu stance.


    "No." She answered bluntly, but it was too late. Ku ran up to her and threw a punch. At such a close range it sailed straight through her magic barrier and hit her square in the jaw. Ku froze in place.


    "Oops . . . " Clearly she hadn''t been expecting to actually hit her. "Uh sorry Mer-Gwaah!" Before she could finish Mero thrust her open palm into her skull. "Ha ha, thats more like it aru!" She laughed happily exchanging blows with her classmate.


    "Ten meal tickets on Mero!" Yuna Shouted.


    "Twenty on Ku!" Makie shouted back!"


    "No, please girls you mustn''t fight!" Negi pleaded.


    "Rather than ''fighting'' this seems more like a playground scuffle." Said Asuna.


    "R-Really? He wondered.


    Give it your all baka white! I''ve got fifteen meal tickets riding on you!" Haruna cried.


    "I told you not to call me tha- gah!" Distracted by her new nickname, Mero took another blow to the face.


    X


    "Ugh." Mero sighed after the party. "These fools are exhausting." She opened her book as she walked down the street. She had been reading up on the world tree, and what she discovered confirmed her suspisions. Veins of magical energy intersected and pooled together in that spot. Probably for centuries. If she could access it she would have a direct line to the Earth''s mana supply. Once she entered the plaza she immediately spotted the tree. It was massive, easily towering over the surrounding buildings. There was no way an ordinary tree could grow that large without magic. In hindsight, she should have started her search here in the first place. She put her hand to the tree trunk and concentrated. "Yes." She felt the mana tingling her fingertips, spreading out into the tree and reaching down into the earth. All she had to do was prepare the right spells, and everything would be ready for their final operation in six months. But wait, something was wrong. She could sense the mana yes, but why was it so weak? Energy from all over the planet was flowing to this point. It should be overwhelming, but she barely felt anything. She began to panic. This couldn''t be right, she had to be missing something! She frantically ran around the tree searching for the power.


    "Oh, this is where you went Mero."


    She turned toward the voice, and was approached by two of her classmates; the twins Fuka and Fumika Narutaki. If not for the fact that Fumika had her hair tied up in buns and Fuka had her''s in pig tails, she doubted she would be able to tell them apart.


    "Narutatki-sans, sorry to be rude but please leave. I am very busy right now."


    "Busy?" Fuka snickered mischievously. "Could it be you know about the legend of the world tree?"


    "Onee-chan don''t tease her." Fumika scolded her older sister.


    "Legend?" That caught her attention. "Please tell me!"


    "Acording to legend," Fuka explained. "Anyone who confesses their love under the world tree will have their wish granted!"


    "Haaa . . . ?" Mero tilted her head in disbelief. "But what about the magic?!"


    "Yeah, some people say it''s magic, but no one really knows."


    "Onee-chan, that only applies during the cultural festival."


    "Huh, what do you mean?"


    "Oh, I guess you wouldn''t know about it. There''s a big culture festival in July. On the third day of the festival the tree glows, and that''s when your wishes come true."


    "It glows?"


    "Yeah, something about luminescent moss I think."


    Mero didn''t believe that for a second. Maybe the magic power took time to accumulate. It would explain the glowing, and that amount of magic could certainly respond to strong desires.


    "I see . . ." She stroked her chin.


    "So, who are you planning on confessing to?" Fuka chuckled.


    "Huh?"


    "C''mon, don''t deny it. The only reason people come here is because they''re in love!"


    "Onee-chan you''re being rude!" Fumika said. Her older sister ignored her.


    "So who''s the lucky boy huh?"


    "There really isn''t one." She answered.


    "Oh, it''s a girl then?" She snickered.


    "The two of you have given me a lot to think about. Now if you don''t mind I''d like to be alone for a while."


    "Yeah sure. Sorry for intruding. Come on onee-chan." Fumika said pushing her sister down the path.


    Mero spent the rest of the afternoon casting empathetic spells to link her to the world tree. She bound herself to it so she could sense any fluctuations or increases in it''s magic. Of course it was still as low as it had been when she first checked, but if what the Narutaki''s had said was true that should change just in time for the eternal garden to activate. She had to contact cosmo entelechaia. It seems her job as still not over

 Period 11: Research and Relaxation

    Period 11: Research and Relaxation


    "It''s done." Mero said as she put down her pen. It may have taken most of the morning, but she finally succeeded in transcribing the communication spell from her scroll into the magic index she''d taken from library island. While the scroll had to be sealed away and carried a certain level of risk whenever she used it, the index had an active connection to the mahou-net that was already transmitting through the school''s magic barrier, so it should be virtually undetectable. Yuna was still asleep, now was the time to contact cosmo entelechaia. She activated the spell and the magic circle on the page displayed the image of the grave keeper''s palace.


    "Averruncus." Dynamis'' voice said as he appeared on the page. "What is your current status? Have you completed the mission objective?"


    "Dynamis?" She raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing there, where is the master?"`


    "The Life maker is preparing the altar. You may speak with me. What is the problem?"


    "I may? Do not mistake your place Dynamis. You may be the general of cosmo entelechaia, but you are not the life maker." Mero raised her voice slightly.


    "And neither are you." He answered, without losing his temper. "Our master will be sequestered in the inner chamber for the next several days, and we all have our assignments. So have you completed the mission objective?" He repeated.


    "I''ve located the target." She said reluctantly. "However, there''s been a complication." She explained the issue with the world tree, and that they would likely not have enough mana to power the rewrite until right before the operation began.


    "I see . . ." Dynamis stroked his chin. "I will relay this to the master, though there may not be anything we can do about it."


    "Yes, do that." She said. "And general . . . . you''d do well to respect my station."


    "Goodbye."


    X


    "Okay," Yue said. "Next paragraph." She was sitting at her desk in her room, surrounded by textbooks and furiously taking notes. Open at the center of the table was a thick book filled with latin inscriptions.


    "Yue?" The door creaked open and Nodoka appeared in the doorway. "Are you in here? We haven''t seen you all- what are you doing?"


    "Nodoka!" Her friend jumped up and pulled her into the room. "What are you doing here? Did anyone follow you?" After making sure the hallway was empty she shut the door.


    "I just came to see how you were doing. What is all this?"


    Her eyes darted back and forth. She was clearly hesitant to share the information, but Nodoka was her best friend. She picked up the book from her desk and handed it to her.


    "Look at this." Nodoka flipped through the book, running her fingers over the foreign words and geometric symbols.


    "Where did you get this?"


    "From library island."


    "What?! But how-"


    "I managed to salvage this one." Yue said. "It was in the piece of the duffel bag I held on to."


    "T-That''s amazing!" Nodoka cried. "What does it say? Is it the magic book?!" Yue shook her head.


    "I don''t know. It''s in lain just like the others. I''ve been woking to translate it." She waved her hand toward all the language books scattered on her desk. "The most I''ve been able to piece together is some vague references to energy and spirits and elements."


    "So that''s what you''ve been doing all the time." She nodded. "But Mero-san can read latin. We can just ask her."


    "No!" She said immediately. "We should keep this a secret for now, especially from Mero-san."


    "But why?"


    "Don''t you find it strange? That entire time in library island, she seemed to know much more than she was letting on. Like with the golem, and there was that incident in the stairwell."


    "Yue, what are you saying?"


    "I-I don''t know exactly. I still don''t know how we were able to escape. I was just coming to, and I saw this light."Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Yeah, I saw it too. Whatever it was, it saved us."


    "But at that moment I saw Mero-san. It looked like she was . . ." Yue shook her head. "Either way until we know what this is, we should keep it between us."


    "Alright." Nodoka agreed. "I''ll help you, after all it could be fun." She smiled. "What have you got so far?"


    "Not much." Yue sighed. "I got all these books on modern latin, but they''re only giving me bits and pieces. I think this may actually be a form of classical latin, but I can''t be sure."


    "I guess this might be too much for an amateur." Nodoka said. "It''s not like either of us are language experts."


    "Yeah," Yue''s face suddenly lit up. "But we know someone who is."


    X


    "Don''t be so nervous." Yue said as her friend fidgeted in the hallway next to her.


    "B-But-" Nodoka stammered.


    "Relax we''re only asking our teacher for a bit of advice." She said as she knocked on the door. "No need to get so worked up." A moment later Konoka opened up the door and welcomed the guests.


    "Oh, Yue and Nodoka, come on in!"


    "Sorry for intruding." Nodoka said before entering.


    "Ah Nodoka-san and Yue-san." Negi greeted them as they walked in. "What a pleasant surprise!"


    "Good morning sensei. Uh s-sorry to bother you during break." Nodoka said.


    "Not at all!" He smiled. "You could never be a bother Nodoka-san." She went completely red. "What can I do for you?" Yue stepped forward and reached into her bag.


    "We were hoping you could help us with something." Just as she was went to pull out the book, they all heard another knock at the door. Konoka answered it again and Mero walked in.


    "Hello- oh." She looked around. "I apologize, Am I interrupting?"


    ". . . No." Yue said before removing her hand from her bag.


    "What brings you here Mero-san?" Negi asked.


    "Nothing in particular." She answered. "I just wanted to talk to Asuna-san."


    "Asuna? That might be difficult right now." Konoka said.


    "Why? Where is she?" Konoka and Negi looked at each other, then they both pointed at the bunk bed simultaneously.


    "There."


    "She''s still sleeping?" Nodoka said. "It''s almost noon."


    "Wake up Asuna, we have guests." Konoka gently shook her roommate.


    "Huh? What time is it?" Asuna began rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.


    "You shouldn''t sleep all day just because it spring break." Yue said.


    "Give me a break Yue-chan." She groaned. "I was already up early this morning for my paper route."


    "Paper route?" Mero wondered.


    "Asuna-san, Asuna-san!" Nodoka pointed frantically trying to warn her of something.


    "Huh what is it?" She looked down and realized her pajamas had apparently popped open in her sleep, baring her naked breasts for her audience. "Kyaa!" She quickly crossed her arms over her chest, and Negi averted her eyes while she became decent again. Mero looked at her own chest, then back at Asuna.


    I suppose it would be inconvenient to have such large breasts. She thought.


    "Alright I''m up now!" Asuna said finally hopping down from the bed. "But I''m not doing anything until I get some breakfast."


    "Okay, I''ll whip something up." Konoka tied an apron around her waist, before turing to her visitors. "Have you guys eaten yet?" Soon the six of them were gathered around the small room sharing a home cooked meal.


    "Konoka-san''s home cooking is delicious as always." Negi said.


    "Oh, Negi-kun!" She blushed.


    "Indeed." Mero said taking a bite of her omelet. "These are exquisite."


    "So hey, what did you want to talk about anyway?" Asuna turned to Mero.


    "It''s about what happened in library island." Asuna blushed at the memory of carying the girl in her arms.


    "Oh, uh that? Uh d-don''t mention it. We don''t have to talk about it." She stammered.


    "No, you were truly amazing back then." Asuna somehow managed to blush even more.


    "Eh? What''s going on?" Konoka asked. "Did something happen in library island?"


    "Nothing at al!" She cried. Negi''s smile melted away.


    "I still don''t like that you all went there. If something happened to any of you I don''t know what I would have done."


    "Sensei . . ." Nodoka met his gaze.


    "We weren''t in any danger." Mero said confidently. "I had the whole situation under control."


    "Really?" Asuna teased. "It looked like you were in a pretty bad spot before the rest of us showed up."


    "Hmph." Mero frowned. "I would have been fine. I seem to recall you needing my help in the stairwell."


    "Grr, you mean right before I had to save your butt from-" Her retort was cut off by a sudden fit of laugher from Nodoka.


    "What are you laughing at Nodoka-san?" Mero asked.


    "Im sorry Mero-san." She wiped her eyes and composed herself. "I just couldn''t help thinking, ''wow these two are really great friends''." Both girls looked at each other and blinked.


    "What are you talking about?" They said simultaneously.


    "Nothing." Nodoka giggled.


    X


    "Well that was a waste of time." Yue said as she returned to her room. In the end they had just spent the entire afternoon talking. It wasn''t a bad way to spend the day, at the very least Nodoka seemed to be getting along with Negi sensei, so perhaps it wasn''t a total waste, but she never got to discuss the book with him. She was still hesitant to let Mero know about it. She was definitely hiding something, and until Yue knew what, she couldn''t completely trust her. That evening she went back to work translating the book. She worked through the night, checking and double checking her facts. In the end it was clear to her what she had. She still had a lot of work to do before she could decipher all the contents accurately, and it would be almost impossible to verify it''s authenticity, but she couldn''t deny it longer. This was a spell book.


    X


    "Aurgh! This is no good at all!" Yuna cried.


    "What''s wrong Yuna-san?" Mero asked.


    "Everything! It''s spring break, our long awaited vacation! No, it''s the springtime of our youth!"


    "What does that mean?"


    "It means we should be out living our lives, taking the world by storm! Not cooped up inside a dorm room reading manga and eating snacks all day!" Mero looked confused.


    "But you did stay in the dorm room and eat snacks all day."


    "Exactly! Don''t you feel your youth is being wasted?"


    "No." She answered immediately.


    "Of course you do!" She jumped to her feet. "Well no more! Tomorrow were going full speed ahead into our precious youth!"


    Mero sighed. This mission just kept getting more ridiculous.

 Period 12: The Springtime of Youth!

    Period 12: The Springtime of Youth!


    <div>


    "Yuna-san?" Mero called out. She looked over to the empty bunk and scratched her head. "How odd." So far her roommate had slept in every day of their break, but this morning she was already gone. She waved away the thought. It was time for business. She made a magic circle, and checked her connection to the world tree. Just like before it barely had any mana. She sighed. She would have to do more research. She reached over to the desk for her magic index, but found it wasn''t there. "Strange." She said to herself. "I was certain I left it here." After thoroughly searching the room, she could only come to one conclusion; Yuna must have taken it. "Argth." These girls were taxing her patience more every day.


    Mero walked down the hallway. She had to retrieve her index, but she had no idea where Yuna was.


    "Gyaa, where are they?!" shouted a familiar voice from an open door at the end of the hall.


    "Asuna-san?" Mero said, peering into the doorway. The room was completely disheveled, clothes and books were scattered across the floor. Both Negi and Konoka were pressed against the wall while Asuna had crawled under the bed reaching for something. "Are you looking for something?"


    "Oh hey, Mero-chan." Konoka said


    "Good morning." She replied. "Is something wrong?"


    "Well," Konoka started. "It looks like she lost her bells."


    "Bells?" Mero said tilting her head.


    "Damnit!" Asuna tossed a pair of panties over her shoulder, which hit Mero square in the face. "I can''t find them!" Asuna finally pulled her upper body out from under the bed and stood up. Her long red hair fell open around her like a curtain. It was the first time Mero had seen her without her pigtails. "Where are- huh when did you get here?" She said noticing Mero for the first time.


    "Asuna-san, your hair . . . "


    "I know!" She cried. "My ribbons . . . my ribbons are gone!"


    "So something of yours has gone missing as well?"


    "Huh?" Asuna blinked.


    "Have you lost something too Mero-san?" Negi asked.


    "Yes, a very important book of mine." Asuna jumped up.


    "Someone''s been stealing from us?!"


    "Don''t you think you''re jumping to conclusions Asuna-san?" Negi asked. She ignored him.


    "That bastard''s gonna pay for this!"


    "Are you all right Asuna-san?" Said Mero.


    "Come on Mero, we''ve gotta find this guy!"


    "Wait wh-" Before she could protest Asuna grabbed her by the wrist and ran out of the room. A moment later a voice came over the P.A. system.


    "Good morning Mahora middle school dorm!"


    "Is that Yuna''s voice?" Asuna realized.


    "I''m sure by now many of you have noticed some of your belongings have gone missing." She continued.


    "I knew it." Mero said.


    "If you want them back please come to the courtyard immediately.


    X


    A few minutes later Mero and Asuna along with dozens of their dorm mates gathered in the courtyard. Yuna and Asakura were standing on the balcony looking over the crowd.


    "Glad you all came!" Yuna said. "I''m your host Akashi Yuna!" She was met with a series of boos and angry shouts from the audience. "Now I''m sure you''re wondering what happened to all your stuff."


    "You stole my lucky bra!" Someone shouted.


    "Where''s my manga collection?!" Another girl said.


    "And my bike!" said another.


    "Relax guys. You''ll get all your stuff back no problem, if you can find them first."


    "Yuna . . . " Asuna was shaking with anger. "If you don''t give back my ribbons right now-"


    "C''mon guys don''t be like that. Where''s your adventurous spirit? This is the springtime of our youth!"


    The response from the crowd was not positive. Asakura stepped forward and took the mike.


    "Well you heard her!" She announced. "The rules are simple. Your belongings are scattered all over campus. We''ve prepared maps for all of you." She gestured to a desk stacked with papers. "All you have to do to claim the item is find it first, but be careful there are some surprises mixed in there too. However if two of you find an item at the same time, you''re going to have to battle it out!"


    "This is so stupid!" Someone called out.


    "Why should we have to fight each other just to get our own stuff?" Someone else shouted.


    "Now I know some of you may feel that way." Asakura said. "But trust me, there''s some pretty intersting things hidden here. Stuff that your classmates might really want to get their hands on." Several girls fidgeted uncomfortably. "So if you don''t want to lose your precious treasures, I suggest you find them quickly."


    Everyone scrambled up to the table to grab a map. Yuna snatched the mike back from Asakura, and pulled out an air gun.


    "Alright everyone, let''s start this thing off right!" She raised the gun into the air. "On your marks, get set, GO!" BANG!


    X


    "Damn, Yuna." Asuna grumbled. "When I get my hands on her. . . Asakura too!" She and Mero were walking along the outside of the dorm. Mero peered over Asuna''s shoulder at the map. There were Xs all over it indicating the missing items, but none of them were labeled. There was no way to tell which "X" her book was hidden under. They had no choice but to check every one. This game was clearly designed to bring the participants into conflict with each other. They were getting close to the first location, but Mero didn''t see anything that could be her spell book. There were no other students around, so maybe they couldn''t find it either. Or worse, maybe they already had.


    "There." Asuna pointed.


    "Where?" She looked up. "I don''t see anything."


    "Come on!" She jogged over to the corner of the building, and Mero began to follow when she realized something. Why was she following Asuna? Whatever they found, they would end up fighting over. If they wanted their things back they should''ve split up.


    "Over here. See?" Asuna was pointing at a brick just above the ground with an X carved into it. She nudged it with her foot and it wobbled. "Look''s like there''s something in here."


    "You managed to spot that from so far away?"


    "I guess I have good eyes." She knelt down and removed the brick. "Let''s see what we got." She reached into the open space and pulled out a small piece of paper. She unfolded it, expecting to find some directions or instructions, instead there was a crude drawing of Yuna with her tongue sticking out, above the words ''try again''. Asuna crumpled the paper in her fist. "Yuna . . ." She growled.


    "She did say there would be surprises." Mero said. "This scavenger hunt may be more difficult than we thought."


    "Come on, let''s get to the next one!"


    "Wait." Mero held up her hand. "Why are we going together?"


    "Huh? What do you mean? Obviously we have a better chance if we team up right?" Mero took a deep breath. How stupid could she get?


    "If we stay together, we''ll only end up fighting each other. If we want to get our things back we should seperate." Asuna blinked.


    "Do you want to steal my ribbons?"


    "What? Of course not."


    "And I don''t care about your book either. We don''t need to fight each other, let''s just work together and find our stuff."


    "O-Okay." This girl was incredibly trusting.


    "Alright let''s go!" The redhead charged forward and Mero trailed behind her.


    "Asuna-san, why is it so important you get those ribbons back?" She asked. "Wouldn''t it be easier to buy a new pair?" Asuna stopped.


    "Yeah it would, but these are special. It was the first present Takahata sensei gave me." Mero rolled her eyes.


    "Is that all? Why do you like him so much anyway?" Anger flashed across Asuna''s face, but quickly dissipated.


    "I owe him everything. My parents are dead, I have no family, I don''t even have any memories from before I came to Mahora."


    ". . ." Mero listened in silence. They continued walking.


    "The principal and Takahata sensei took me in. They''re basically the only family I have. They took care of all my tuition fees, and even let me live here for free. That''s why I''m working my paper route, so I can pay them back at least a little. They were there for me when I had no one I could depend on." She shook her head. "I don''t know why I''m telling you this. You''re not an orphan are you?" She thought about that.


    "No." She may not have been born like a normal human, but she wasn''t an unwanted orphan either. She had a purpose.


    "Then you probably don''t understand." Asuna said. "Whatever, let''s just keep going."


    The next spot on the map was in their classroom. The "X" was scrawled on one of the floorboards, and when the pried it up they found a small rectangular box. Mero half shoved Asuna out of the way and snatched the prize. Her spell book had to be in here. She opened up the box and found . . . a stack of manga. She picked up one in disbelief.


    "What is this?" She said flipping through the comic. "This man is naked and, wait what is he doing?"


    "Whoa, I think that''s enough of that!" Asuna went red as she snatched the manga from her.


    "What''s the matter?" Mero tilted her head. "Is there something special about that book?"


    "D-Don''t worry about it!" Asuna said, turning even redder. "You don''t need to learn about this stuff!" She began to lower the items back into the floorboards. "We should just leave this here, and go to the next spot." Mero stopped her.


    "No we should take it with us."


    "Huh? Mero-chan, could it be you''re into this kind of thing?"


    "What are you talking about? If we happen to run into the owner of these books they will be a valuable bargaining tool."


    "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."


    "You need those hair ornaments back, right?" Asuna could''ve sworn she saw the beginings of a smile on her face. She couldn''t help but smile back.


    "Right!"


    As they walked out of the classroom with their prize, Haruna came around the corner.


    "Ah, I see you found my doujinshi." She said, noticing the manga under Asuna''s arm. "I''m gonna need those back now. "You drew these paru? That explains so much." Asuna said, as she started to hand her the manga, when Mero stepped in front of her.


    "Sorry Haruna-san, but I think we''ll be holding onto these for the time being. If it''s important, you can have them back once this game is over." Haruna sighed.


    "I figured you might say something like that. Lucky for me I brought some friends." Just then a dozen more girls spilled out into the hall. "I don''t believe you''ve been properly introduced to the manga club." One girl stepped forward and offered them a harsh glare.


    "I''m sorry, but I can''t allow you to leave here with our precious work."


    "P-Please give back our drafts!" Another member pleaded.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "Hey wait," Asuna put up her arms defensively. "We weren''t really trying to-" Then all at once all the members pulled out pens, markers, and various art supplies, brandishing them as threateningly as they possibly could. Asuna swallowed hard.


    "Get him guys!" Haruna shouted, and the entire club surged forward. Mero raised her hand to prepare a spell, but once again Asuna grabbed her by the arm and ran down the hallway.


    "What are you doing Asuna-san? Where are you taking us?"


    "Let''s just run." She said. "We can''t take them all on at once!"


    "Yes we ca-"


    "Hey is that Asuna?" They heard someone else say.


    "Yeah, and the transfer student." Another girl noticed them.


    "What are they running for? Did they find something?"


    "Let''s go after them!"


    "Crap!" Asuna skidded to a stop as a second crowd came toward them from the other end of the hall. "We''re trapped!"


    "No, we''re not." Mero said turning to the open window beside them. A moment later both girls tumbled out of the building and fell through the air. Mero put out her hand to- wait, what was she going to do? They were on the fourth floor. She couldn''t fly, she could use a spell to break her fall, but Asuna was with her. She hadn''t thought this through at all! Then, without hesitation Asuna simply wrapped an arm around Mero''s waist and kicked off against the wall. The two launched away from the building. As they were plummeting toward the ground Asuna reached out with her free hand and grabbed a tree branch to stop their fall.


    "Phew!" She exhaled. "That could''ve been bad. Hold on." She began to rock back and forth, and dropped them back onto the grass. "You okay Mero?"


    "Yes." She said looking up at her classmate who had just jumped from a from a four story window, and while in free fall managed to grab a branch and swing them both to safety. "You have good instincts Asuna-san."


    "What are you saying? Come on let''s-hey look!" Asuna was pointing at her feet. Mero looked down. She was standing on an "X" carved into the dirt. The two began to dig up their prize. As she sifted through the dirt Mero grasped onto something hard.


    "What is this?" She pulled out a pair of long ridged objects wrapped in a black cloth. She unwrapped the cloth revealing two identical chinease broad swords. She turned over the swords in her hands. The craftsmanship was exquisite, with a wicked sharp edge and taoist symbols carved into the hilt.


    "Whoa," Asuna said staring at the weapons. "Someone brought real swords to school?"


    "Ah, you found my tao swords aru!"


    "Huh?" Asuna and Mero turned to see Ku Fei bounding up to them.


    "Ku-chan?" Asuna exclaimed. "These swords are yours?"


    "That''s right aru. My master gave them to me when I left China. I won''t be giving them up so easily." Ku raised her hands and one knee. "Which one of you is coming aru?"


    "W-Wait Ku, we''re not going to fight you." Asuna said.


    "It''s the rules aru!" Ku said holding her stance.


    "Come on give her back her swords." Asuna reached for the weapons. Ku sighed.


    "No one''s going to fight? And I was thinking you''d make a good match too. How disappointing aruyo."


    Did this girl just imply that she was stronger than her? Mero''s eyebrow twitched with anger.


    "She''s right." She stabbed both swords into the ground behind her. "According to the rules, we have to fight to claim our items."


    "B-But-" Asuna stammered. Ku grinned.


    "Here I come aru!" Ku rushed in and punched. Mero deflected it and swung her arm at Ku, who blocked the attack. The two girls went back and forth, exchanging attack and defense.


    "Come on guys, this is stupid!" Asuna said trying to force herself between them.


    "Hey there she is!"


    "Crap!" Asuna said as she saw the crowd catching up to her. They chased her away, leaving Mero and Ku to their duel. Mero attacked again, Ku diverted her arm with both hands, and pulled her arm out of the way. Then in the same motion she dropped her other arm under her guard and swung her elbow into Mero''s ribs.


    "Guh!" A counter? I couldn''t react in time! Ku released her and she fell backward.


    "Get up Aru." Ku returned to her neutral stance. "The fight isn''t over yet."


    "Grrr" she growled in frustration. As she pushed herself up, her hand brushed against one of the swords on the ground. She looked down at the weapons. She was done being humiliated by this little girl. She picked up the swords and charged.


    "Hey, weapons are against the rules aru!" Ku protested as she dodged the blade.


    "Shut up!" Mero swung the swords furiously.


    "Alright then, aruyo." Ku reached into her clothes and produced a long sash. She held it between her hands, and used the cloth to push aside the blades and deflect her attacks.


    "What is this?!"


    "A cloth spear aru!" She widened her stance and held up her "spear".


    "What kind of-"


    "Hiya!" She flung the end of the sash, Mero tried to block but the cloth arced around the sword and wrapped around her forearms. It pulled taut and bound her arms together, forcing her to drop the swords. "Caught you aru!" Ku pulled her in and prepared to counter attack.


    frigirans exarmatio [freezing disarmament] Mero opened her hand and an icy wind blew. The sash along with Ku''s uniform and underwear, froze and shattered. Oh no, I accidently used magic! The naked chinese girl stumbled back in surprise. Have I been exposed?!


    "What a weird wind aru. Achoo! It''s freezing aru! What happened to my clothes?" She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. "Oh well aru. Let''s get back to the fight!" Mero blinked. Seriously? Was she really that dense? Ku threw up her hands again, completely ignoring her nudity.


    "Stoooooop!" A familiar voice shouted. The two girls turned to see Yuna running toward them waving a red handkerchief. "Stop Ku-chan red card! You can''t fight naked, there are kids reading this!" She looked at her baffled.


    "What are you talking about aru?"


    "Yuna-san!" Mero shouted.


    "Whoops, time to go." She said as she took off running, with her roommate right behind her.


    X


    "Phew." Asuna sighed. "Looks like I finally lost them." She stood up from her hiding spot behind a tree and dusted herself off. "But I got separated from Mero too. What do I do now?" She began wandering around again trying to follow the map, when she heard Asakura''s voice over the P.A.


    "It seems more than half of the prizes have already been found! If you don''t want your treasures to be lost forever, you better hurry!"


    "Crap!" She jogged around the corner and encountered another one of her classmates, Chao Lingchen.


    "Chao?"


    "Ni hao!" [Hello] Said the chinese girl smiling. "Looks like the contest is winding down ne."


    "Yeah. Did you lose something too?" She asked.


    "Ha ha, of course not ne." Chao laughed. "Someone like me who has sold their sold to science, could never form attachments to material possessions yo."


    "So why are you here then?" She shrugged.


    "It seems like fun ne."


    "Er, right . . ." Asuna said nervously. Chao was a little strange. She would occasionally visit her restaurant stand, but she never really spent much time with her.


    "What do you have there ne?"


    "Huh?" Chao was pointing to the stack of manga tucked under her arm. "Oh, I forgot I was carrying this. It''s just some doujinshi that paru drew." She said holding them up.


    "Looks interesting yo. Would you be willing to trade for this?" She pulled out a thin book covered in foreign symbols.


    "What is this?" Asuna said taking the book.


    "I don''t know ne. I just found it over there. I can''t read it at all yo."


    "And you''re just going to give it to me?"


    "Don''t you want it?"


    "Mero did say she lost a book, I wonder if this could be it. It looks almost like the ones from library island. . . "


    X


    "Ow, ow, ow!" Yuna squealed as Mero pinned her against a wall. "Ah, my arm, my arm is breaking!"


    "I would like my book back, Yuna-san." The white haired girl whispered.


    "Don''t you think you''re taking this a little too seriously?" Yuna said. "I mean all this for por- ow!" She jumped as Mero twisted her arm. "Okay, okay! I give! Just let me go okay?" Mero released her from the pin, but kept a tight hold on her wrist.


    "Where is it?"


    "Relax, I''ve got it right here." Yuna started to did through her bag, and smiled when she found what she was looking for. "Take this!" Then without warning she pulled her hand out of her bag and shoved something into Mero''s mouth


    "Gupth!" She froze. A cold shiver ran though her body. W-What is this?! Something was melting in her mouth. Sticky syrup dripped down her throat, it was . . . sweet! She sucked down the sugary treat, until her lips closed around a thin piece of wood.


    "Ha, ha!" Yuna cried out triumphantly. "You underestimated me, but know your weakness!" As the popsicle disappeared, she recovered from her daze. She looked down at her empty hands and gasped. In her confusion she''d released Yuna!


    "I was actually saving that popsicle for later, but oh well, sacrifices have to be made I guess." She gave a smile and a wink. "Ciao!" She darted away and Mero ran after her. She ran into the gym storage room, and stopped in front of a large bin filled with basket balls. A large grin spread across her face. "Mero-chi!" She sang as the white haired girl appeared in the doorway. "Catch!" Mero jumped to the side as a basketball flew right past her.


    "Yuna-san, what do you think you''re-" Bonk! The basketball she''d just dodged bounded off the wall behind her and hit the back of the head.


    "Take that, my trademark backboard shot!" Mero tried to advance but Yuna kept assaulting her with basketballs. She ducked under one ball, and when it bounced off the wall she dodged it again. Then another ball came at her from one side, then the other. Don''t get cocky she thought. Once I know you''re ricocheting your attacks I can dodge them easily! A ball bounded off the floor, and nearly hit her in the chin. She hoped into the air as another ball passed between her legs. While she was still in the air a basketball flew straight toward her face. I can''t dodge! Did she anticipate this?! She caught the ball in her hand and stopped it just inches from her face. No matter. This much isn''t enough to get me. Because she was holding it so close to her face she couldn''t see the ball coming right behind it, which it the first ball and pushed it into her face.


    "Enough!" She raised the ball over her head and prepared to counterattack, but when she looked around the room, Yuna was already gone. "Grrrrr. . . " Mero growled, and squeezed the basketball until a loud pop could be heard and the air slowly hissed out. She ran out after her and immediately crashed into Misora. As she fell she dropped something: two long ribbons with a pair of bells attached to the end.


    "Ow. Where are you going in such a hurry?" She said getting back to her feet.


    "Misora-san, please let me see that for a moment."


    "Huh? This? I found them a little while ago, but hair ribbons aren''t really my style. I got my sneakers back so I''m good."


    "Just let me see it." She said reaching out for the bells, as Misora casually moved them out of her reach. "Misora-san?"


    "He, he," She smiled mischievously. "If you want em . . . come and get em!" With that she turned and bolted down the road at breakneck speed.


    "Get back here!" She shouted as she chased after her. She''s fast! Much faster than she was in gym class. She watched as the distance between them slowly began to increase. She won''t notice if I use magic just a little right? Acceleret! [Accelerate] Immediately she began to close the gap. Misora looked back and saw Mero gaining on her.


    "Gah, how''d you get that fast?! Oh well, now that it''s come to this . . ." She pulled her arm back and threw the bells as far as she could. "Go long!" Mero didn''t miss her chance, she jumped over Misora and snatched the ribbon out of the air. "Got it." Once she landed she inspected the item in her hands. "These are definitely Asuna''s hair decorations. Wait, where is Asuna?" She looked around, but she had already lost track of her. Then she heard Yuna''s voice on the P.A. system again.


    "Only a few items are left! This is your last chance everybody!"


    "Wait," She thought out loud. "If she''s able to make announcements like that, then there are only a few places she could be." She turned to Misora. "How do I get to the announcement room?"


    X


    "Ha, ha! this is going even better than I hoped!" Yuna laughed as she reclined in her chair.


    "Really?" Asakura said. "From where I''m standing it looks like you were in a pretty big pinch just now." Yuna waved her away.


    "Details, details! You can''t expect to succeed without a little bit of risk. This is the springtime of youth!


    "Okay," Asakura sighed. "But what are you gonna do now? Everyone''s about ready to strangle you right now."


    "Oh, they''ll get over it!" Yuna snorted. "If we didn''t do this we would have wasted our entire break! We can''t end our precious schooldays without doing anything exciting, that would just be too sad. Sure they might be a little miffed right now, but I''m sure one day they''ll look back on this memory and smile."


    "So, you really think we''ll forgive you?"


    "Of course! Why wouldn''t-"


    "Um, Yuna?" Asakura said tapping her friend on the shoulder. "That wasn''t me." Yuna froze in place. Very slowly she turned around, and there was Asuna, standing in the doorway cracking her knuckles.


    "Hey Yuna." She said. "Come on, let''s have a chat."


    "Eeep!" Yuna burst out of the announcement room with Asuna hot on her heels.


    "Give it up Yuna!" Asuna shouted. "You know you can''t outrun me!" Yuna turned around around and pulled out two water guns. She shot a stream of water, which Asuna dodged easily, but as she jumped to the side another blast hit her in the face. "Ah! Damn it Yuna!" Asuna swore as she tried to wipe the water out of her eyes. "When I catch you I - gah!" She gagged as Yuna shot another blast directly into her mouth, before charging down the hall. She pushed past Mero, running in the opposite direction.


    "What? Yuna-san, where are you-"


    "Don''t let her get away!" Asuna shouted, and the two of them chased her outside. They were gaining on her. She was running toward another building across the yard, but there were no open doors or windows on the first floor. They had her! As she approached the building she pulled out her cellphone.


    "Makie! Are you there?! Time for our emergency exit plan, NOW!" She screamed into the phone. "Yeah, yeah, meal tickets, trading cards, whatever you want, just DO IT!" She reached the wall and Asuna lunged for her. "Too late Asuna." She raised her arm and a long ribbon wrapped around her wrist, and pulled her upward. Makie was standing on an ledge a few stories above, reeling in Yuna with her ribbon. This was a problem. There was no easy way to get up there without magic, and if they went through the building, she''d be long gone by the time they got there."Sorry, better luck next-" Asuna simply crouched down, and launched herself into the air. "Seriously?!"


    "You''re not getting away that easily!" Asuna came up right under her and swiped at her legs. Yuna raised her knees and moved out of reach just as gravity reasserted itself and pulled Asuna back toward the earth.


    "Damnit!"


    "Asuna-san!"


    "Hm?" She had just ben to fall when Mero shot up right next to her and grabbed her wrist. The two locked eyes for a moment. Asuna nodded and Mero swung her up to toward the ledge. Meanwhile Yuna scrambled onto the building and exhaled.


    "Phew, that was a close one!" BAM!  Asuna landed on the roof right behind her. "Oh, come on!" Asuna confidently strode forward, and Yuna ran toward the corner of the roof, and picked up a fire hose mounted on the wall. "Get back!" She said pointing the nozzle. Asuna hesitated for a moment, then smirked and continued walking. Yuna turned on the hose, and a jet of pressurized water shot towards her. Before the blast hit, Mero jumped in front of her and held out her hand. When the stream hit her palm the water dispersed and parted around them.


    "Mero?"


    "I can hold it back." She said. "Go."


    Asuna leaped out of the veil of water, and landed a flying kick right in Yuna''s face. She immediately crumpled to the floor. Asuna turned towards Makie, who held up her hands in surrender.


    "J-Just wait a minute Asuna!"


    "Hey, let me borrow that."


    X


    When Yuna came to, her head was throbbing. She tried to rub her temples, but she couldn''t move her hands. She couldn''t stand up either. She looked herself over, her wrists and ankles were tied together with Makie''s ribbon.


    "Makie, what are you- oh . . . " When she looked up Mero and Asuna were standing over her wearing very intimidating scowls. "Uh-oh." Makie was standing off to the side holding her hands together in a ''I''m sorry'' gesture.


    "I think you have somethings that belong to us." Asuna said calmly.


    "Uh, well I do''t actually have your stuff, I hid them in the dorm."


    "Take us there." Asuna growled.


    "Uh, about that . . ."


    "What?"


    "Well I don''t mind showing you, but well someone else has probably found it by now. And there''s no way to know who . . . " Asuna began to shake violently. "Wait, wait, wait!" Yuna cried. "I know you''re mad, but you gotta admit it was fun right? Just a little? It may have cost you your trademark bells but surely bonding with your precious classmates is more important, right?" Asuna pulled back her fist. "Kyaaaa! I''m sorry!"


    "Wait a moment Asuna-san." Mero interrupted. "These are yours aren''t they?" She held out the ribbons she''d taken from Misora.


    "Yes!" Her face lit up as she snatched the hair ornaments. "My bells! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" She was jumping up and down and shaking the other girl.


    "It''s nothing." Mero said pushing her away.


    "Hey, see everything worked out in the end." Yuna said. "Now if you could just untie me."


    "Not just yet." Mero said. "I still need my spell- er, my textbook back."


    "Oh, I almost forgot." Asuna said. "Is this the book you were looking for?" She handed her the mysterious book, and Mero eagerly flipped through it.


    "Yes, this is it. Thank you, Asuna-san."


    "Heh, heh, no problem!" She said tying her hair back up.


    "Good for you. Now if you''ll just excuse me." Yuna slowly began inching herself towards the exit.


    "Not so fast." Asuna said grabbing her by her collar. "You''re going to make sure everything you stole gets back to their owners."


    "Come on!" She whined. "That''ll take forever!" Asuna glared at her. "I mean, of course I will."


    "Hmpth, it''s the least you could do," Mero said. "Considering all the trouble you put us through."


    "Well, we got our stuff back, so I guess it wasn''t that bad." Asuna said. Mero looked at her sideways.


    "What?"


    "It was kinda fun."


    "It was a foolish waste of time."


    "Really?" Yuna asked. "You seemed pretty happy eating that popsicle." Heat rose in Mero''s cheeks.


    "S-Shut up!" She shouted. Asuna chuckled.


    "I guess days like these aren''t so bad once in a while."

 Period 13: Vampire

    Period 13: Vampire


    "Good morning class!" Negi said to class 3-A. Congratulations on becoming third years. I am now your official teacher. I will be teaching here until March of next year. Let''s all do our best together!"


    "Yes Negi-sensei!" Most of his students replied eagerly. "Please take care of us this year too!" Mero sighed. If Negi Springfeild was really going teach here all year that would only make things more complicated for her. Maybe it would have been better to just let him get fired after all.


    "Oh yes," Negi said. "Shizuna-sensei said that the physical exams were today. So um, please get ready."


    "Get ready?" Mero asked. "How exactly does one prepare for a physical examination?" Negi turned bright red.


    "Uh, well, that is to say. . ." He stammered.


    "Out with it Sensei."


    "G-Get naked!"


    "Kya, Negi-kun''s ecchi!" The other girls teased.


    "J-Just get ready!" He said as he ran out of the room.


    "This is completely unnecessary." Mero said as she started to undress. I just had my bust measured a few days ago."


    "Don''t say that Mero-chi," Yuna said. "You never know maybe you gained an extra millimeter or two."


    "Impossible." She answered.


    "Why don''t we find out?" Haruna snickered, as she snuck up behind her and slid her hands under Mero''s bra."


    "Kya!" She shrieked in surprise.


    "What''s with that incredibly sweet-sounding moan, Mero-chi?" Haruna said giving her breasts a good squeeze.


    "Mnth!" Mero grunted and a moment later Haruna''s back slammed into the ground.


    "Ha, ha! You''re always so sensitive Mero-chi!" Haruna just laughed it off and climbed back to her feet. "Hey, where''s Makie-chan?" She said looking around the room.


    "Heh, heh, maybe she wanted to skip the physical because she''s so flat chested." Fuuka snickered.


    "Or maybe the vampire got her." Everyone turned to Kakizaki.


    "Vampire?" Asuna asked. "What are you talking about Kakizaki?" The cheerleader dropped her voice and made sinister gestures with her hands.


    "According to the rumors, when the moon is full in the dead of night on sakura lane, it appears. . . a blood sucking vampire!"


    "Yaaaa!" Nodoka and the Narutaki twins shuddered in fear.


    "Come on," Asuna sighed. "Don''t tell me you actually believe that."


    "No, it''s true." Kakizaki insisted. "A friend of mine from class B was actually attacked by that vampire."


    "That''s obviously a lie."Asuna said. "How could something like that exist in Japan?"


    "Asuna-san is right." Mero said. "It is astronomically unlikely that she was attacked by a vampire."


    "Thank you. At least someone is talking sense."


    "There aren''t any vampires in Japan."


    "Eh?"


    "Strigoi, or vampires as they are commonly known in the modern day, very rarely visit the human world, and almost all reports have come from western Europe in the eighteenth century. The most notable cases from eastern Europe come from Greece, Romani, and Albania. There have been virtually no confirmed vampire sightings in Japan."


    ". . ." All her classmates were staring at her with blank looks on their faces.


    "What?"


    "Did you get that from a fantasy novel or something Mero-chan?" Yuna asked.


    "Fantasy? Everything I said is true."


    "Yeah, yeah, of course!" Yuna smiled and patted her on the head.


    "Mrk! Stop that." She growled.


    "Ha, ha, are you an expert on vampires now, Mero Averruncus?" The question came from a little girl in the corner of the room.


    "E-Eva-chan?" Asuna gasped.


    "But Eva never talks to anyone." Sakurako said.


    "Hmpth!" Mero confidently strode over her. "I know enough, Evangeline McDowell."


    "Oh, I''m sure you do." Evangeline chuckled. "I''m only concerned for your safety. After all smart aleck little brats like you are the ones vampires love most."


    "No they aren''t." Mero rolled her eyes. Vampires don''t feed based on personality type."


    "D-Does she not care that she just got called a brat?" Asuna whispered.


    "No, I don''t think she noticed." Yuna whispered back. Evangeline and Mero continued their argument.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "I''m only concerned for my classmate."


    "Your concern is unnecessary." Mero scoffed. "I''m not afraid of vampires. After all I''m- "She paused when she noticed everyone listening to their conversation. "Never mind. It has nothing to do with you."


    "No," Evangeline insisted. "What were you going to say? What are you Mero Averruncus?"


    ". . ."


    Just then Ako burst into the room.


    "Everyone, come quick!" She cried. "It''s Makie."


    <strong style="font-weight: bold">X


    In a few moments, the girls had all gathered in the infirmary, where Makie lay unconscious on the bed.


    "So she just collapsed from anemia?" Ako asked.


    "It seems so." Shizuna sensei said. "She was found sleeping in sakura lane."


    "Yesterday was really hot, so she probably just got a heat stroke or something." Konoka suggested.


    <em style="font-style: italic">No Mero thought. <em style="font-style: italic">This is something else She pushed past her classmates and knelt down over Makie. <em style="font-style: italic">It''s very weak, but I can definitely feel magic energy. How is this possible? Is there another mage hiding in this school besides me? If that''s true, I can''t let them do as they please.


    "Mero-chan?" Konoka asked. "Is something wrong?"


    "Not at all." She replied. "Konoka-san, can I ask you something''


    "Sure. What''s up?"


    "Where is sakura lane?"


    <strong style="font-weight: bold">X


    That night Nodoka was on her way back to her dorm after her shift at library island. It was a cold night and most students had already gone home for the day, so the streets were deserted.


    "Come to think of it," She said out loud, "Isn''t this were Makie collapsed?" She looked around. "There''s no way what Misa said is true right? About the v-vampire?" A cold wind rustled through the trees, and dark shadows danced around the street lights. She shallowed hard.


    "M-Maybe I should go a little faster. J-Just in case."


    "Miyazaki Nodoka."


    "Kyaah!" She shrieked. Standing on a lamppost looking down at her was a shadowy figure in long dark robes and a tall pointy witch''s hat.


    "Sorry," The figure said, "But I''ll be taking some of that blood of yours."


    "Iyaaaaah!" She immediately turned to run, but the witch waved her hand.


    "I can''t have you running away. Aer et aqua, facti nebula illis somnum brevem." [Air and water, create a fog to make them sleep for a short while.] A thick mist rolled in around Nodoka "Nebula hypnotica." [Mist of sleep]


    As Nodoka inhaled the vapor, her muscles relaxed and her eyelids grew heavy. She fell to the ground unconscious, and her attacker descended on her. She peeled back her lips, revealing a pair of needle-like fangs.


    "Such sweet-smelling blood." She pulled down Nodoka''s collar exposing her bare neck. She was about to sink her fangs into her when they were interrupted by a shout.


    "Emittam, vinctus aquarious!" [release, binder of water!]


    "Heh, guess I was a bit too late." She said right before a torrent of water blasted toward them, and wrapped around the vampire like a tight cord, binding her arms and legs. Mero came barreling down the road, stopping in front of her captive.


    "I never would have believed a vampire would appear at this school, but sure enough here you are."


    "Very well done, Mero Averruncus." She said. Her hat fell to the ground, revealing the smirking face of Evangeline.


    "Evangeline Mcdowell, so you''re the vampire?"


    "And what about you?" She chuckled. "You seem to hiding a substantial amount of magic ability yourself."


    "That is none of your concern, but I have some questions for you." Mero said. "First why are you attacking the students here?"


    "Oh, and I thought you knew about vampires. Surely you know what happens when we take blood from humans."


    Of course. Vampires can use the blood they''ve ingested to increase their magical power. Moreover, there was a full moon out tonight, vampires are creatures of the night, so the moonlight would boost her power even more.


    "You''re gathering power here." She concluded. "Are you planning to attack the Kanto magic association? What is your goal?"


    "Ha, ha, ha!" Evangeline threw back her head and laughed heartily. "Attack the magic association? Sorry to disappoint you, but I don''t have any grand ambitions like that. I just want to escape this god forsaken school."


    "Escape?" Come to think of it the school''s magic barrier should repel any malevolent spirit or demon. She shouldn''t even be able to enter the school grounds. Maybe that same barrier was keeping her trapped here? "Whatever your plans are, I can''t have you attacking the students. If I detected you, the teachers will too. If they increase surveillance it''ll be a problem for me."


    "Is that so? Sounds like you have some pretty grand plans for this school." Evangeline snickered. "So what will you do with me?"


    "That will depend on my master."


    "So you have a master? That is interesting." She smiled.


    "What is so funny?


    "Well, I''ve thought this ever since I''ve first laid eyes on you, but you''re not at all human are you?"


    "Mrk." Mero shrunk back. How did she know? Her cover should have been perfect. If she could guess her true nature at a glance than this girl was more dangerous than she gave her credit for. "I''ll have you sleep for a while. Just be patient while I prepare the sealing spell."


    "Sorry I don''t feel like getting sealed tonight." Evangeline twisted against her bonds, producing a small glass container from her cloak, filled with a dark purple liquid, and flung it into the air. "Frigirans exarmatio!" [Freezing disarmament] The bottle exploded in a torrent of cold air and ice shards.


    "A catalyst potion?" Mero raised her arm to defend herself as the ice shredded her sleeve. The rope of water around Evangeline froze and shattered. "How did you break out so easily?"


    "Don''t feel bad." Evangeline shrugged. "That was a pretty good spell. But it had far too little magic to hold me for any length of time."


    She was right. Without her full abilities, facing a vampire who had been storing up blood, under a full moon, the odds were not in her favor.


    "Emittam!" [release] seventeen spheres of water appeared floating in the air around her. Evangeline pulled out three more vials of potion, and held them between her fingers.


    "That''s the spirit, Mero Averruncus! Show me what you can do!"

 Period 14: Showdown on Sakura Lane

    Period 14: Showdown on Sakura Lane!


    Negi and Asuna were almost home. They had parted ways with Nodoka earlier at the library, but Negi was starting to get visibly nervous. He shifted uncomfortably and kept looking over his shoulder in the direction they had come.


    "What''s the matter Negi? You''re worried about Honya-chan aren''t you?" Asuna said. "You like her don''t you?" Negi blushed.


    "It''s not like that!" He protested. "It''s just, it''s so dark out, and Makie-san already collapsed . . . I''m her teacher after all."


    "I know, I''m only teasing." Asuna smiled. "Honestly, I''m getting a bit worried myself."


    "Asuna-san, weren''t you the one saying that the rumor was fake?"


    "Yeah, I know, but it won''t hurt to walk her home, right?"


    "Right!"


    X


    "Sagitta magica, series aquarius!" [Magic arrows, series of water] Mero''s projectiles flew toward her opponent. Evangeline just smirked and tossed her potions. The liquid exploded against the projectiles, and the attack dissipated into a thick cloud of steam.


    Damn! She blocked it completely. But wait, something isn''t right.


    Before she could attack again, another bottle of potion, sailed through the vapor.


    "Nivis Casus!" [Avalanche] The bottle exploded in a violent shower of ice and snow.


    "Ngth." Mero grit her teeth as she blocked it. This much power from a potion? And why is she even using catalyst potions in the first place? Catalyst potions were generally inefficient in combat. Their power is fixed, and they can only cast the specific spell used in its creation. Additionally, they take a considerable amount of time and skill to make. The only real advantages they offer is that they can be activated instantly and for almost no magical energy. But she should have plenty of magic power if she''s been feeding on blood. Was she just underestimating her, or was she trying to conserve magic for some reason? "Series aquarius!" [Series of water] She jumped out of the mist and fired another volley of arrows. Evangeline flew into the air dodging in and out of the arrows. "What?" She can fly without a staff or a broom? Wait no, that isn''t it. It''s her cape, that isn''t just fabric, it''s her casting focus. This is bad, if she decides to fly away, I won''t be able to catch her. I''ve got to get rid of it. "Convergentia!" [Converge!] All the projectiles changed direction and concentrated their fire on Evangeline.


    "Hmpth, not bad." The vampire pivoted in the air. Her cape fanned out around her and deflected all the arrows. "Try this on for size." She flew directly above Mero and dropped another potion. "Laculatio grandinis!" [Hailstone Spears] The liquid poured out and froze, forming three long thin icicles.


    "Paries aquarius!" [Water wall] She raised her hand above her head. Clear water gathered around her palm and formed a protective dome around her. The shield deformed as the icicles hit it. Most of their momentum had been arrested on contact with the spell, but they slowly tunneled into the barrier, stretching the water like rubber. The points were mere inches from Mero''s face when they finally stopped completely.


    "Oh? I must admit I am impressed." Evangeline smiled. "Non-incanted spells and a water wall that can block my spears. You''re not half bad. But if you specialize in water magic, I''m a bad match for you. Glacio!" [Freeze] Ice emanated from the point of each spear and spread across Mero''s shield. In seconds the dome froze completely and shattered.


    "Enough of this!" All the ice shards flew away as an invisible aura of magic energy flared up around her. She raised her hand and chanted. "Vishu tal li sugal vangeit! Venient spiritus aquar-Ah!" [Come spirits of wa-] Just as she was getting ready to cast her spell, a bright light emanated from her right arm, and a series of black rings set with ancient Greek letters appeared on her skin. Then all at once the light disappeared, and Mero dropped to one knee. She caught her breath as the markings slowly faded away.


    "Well that''s interesting." Evangeline stared curiously at Mero''s arm. "That''s a powerful seal you''ve got on you. Did someone trap you here too? No, you mentioned before that you were trying to avoid being detected didn''t you? That means you''re either a spy or a saboteur."You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "Grr." Mero frowned. She had her completely figured out. At this rate her entire mission could be over in a single night."Evocatio Undine!" [Evocation of Undines] She waved her hand and three ghostly women, clad in transparent blue armor and wielding spears appeared floating behind her. "Tch!" Only three? I guess this is the best I can do with my current power. The spirits surged forward. Evangeline flew upward to dodge their spears and the undines flew after her.


    "Reflectio!" [Reflection] Evangeline put up a barrier, and two of the spirits charged straight into it. The third flew up above her and brought down her spear. Evangeline spun around and covered herself with her cloak. "Kuh!" The spearhead stabbed into her abdomen, and she plummeted toward the pavement. She flailed around in free-fall, as the undines closed in on her. "Tch!" She clicked her teeth and threw up three more potions. They exploded like grenades and the spirits disappeared in a shower of ice and snow. Before she could completely recover Mero came up right beneath her, preparing to launch another spell. She reacted just in time to fling another potion at her.


    "Frigirans exarmatio!" [Freezing disarmament] they both shouted simultaneously. The two spells collided, and freezing water vapor sprayed everywhere. All the cloth attached to their bodies froze and shattered, and the two naked girls collapsed onto the sidewalk.


    "Ow. . ." Evangeline, said rubbing her head. "That was quite a nasty spill." Ignoring the throbbing in her own head, Mero quickly got to her feet and stood over her opponent."


    "Don''t move." She pointed her hand at her, which was glowing with magical energy.


    "I''m sorry," Evangeline snickered. "But it''s hard to take you seriously if you say lines like that when you''re buck naked." She ignored her.


    "Surrender. You''ve lost your cloak and your catalyst potions. You cannot escape and you cannot defend yourself."


    "What makes you so sure?"


    "I''m no fool." She said. "You''ve used catalyst potions to cast all of your spells. Whether you refuse to use your full power or are unable to, you''ve lost your primary weapon. And without your cape, you cannot fly away." She held up her hand to show the ring she was wearing. "I still have my casting focus. This fight is my victory."


    "Heh, heh, guess you''re smarter than you look."


    "Nodoka-saaaan!" It was Negi''s voice. Judging his volume, he was very close, and getting closer.


    "Honya-chan! Are you out here?" Asuna this time. Mero bit her lip. At the rate they were going they would reach them any second now.


    "Looks like we''re about to have company." Evangeline said. "I imagine that would be pretty bad for you. There''s no way to explain this situation." A bead of sweat rolled down Mero''s face.


    "Nodoka-saaaan!"


    "What will you do Mero Averruncus?"


    X


    "Nodoka-san!" Negi cried as he ran up to the girl laying on the ground. He held her by the shoulders and shook her gently. "Are you alright Nodoka-san?"


    "Hmm. . ." She slowly opened her eyes. "Negi sensei?" She said sleepily. After a moment her head cleared, and she realized what was happening. "N-N-Negi sensei?!" Her face flushed crimson and she trembled nervously.


    "What happened Honya-chan?" Asuna said kneeling down next to her. "Why were you passed out on the ground?"


    "I''m not sure." She admitted. "I remember being scared and then. . . I don''t know. But. . ." She turned to Negi, who was getting red in the face himself. "But you came to save me right, Negi sensei?" He swallowed hard.


    "O-Of course!"


    "Okay, lovebirds," Asuna said. "If Honya-chan''s okay, I think it''s time we head home.


    "L-L-Lovebirds?!" Nodoka stammered.


    "You''ve got it wrong, Asuna-san!" Negi protested.


    "Sure, sure." She waved away the statement."


    From a nearby rooftop, Mero and Evangeline watched as the trio walked away.


    "None of them seem to have noticed us." Evangeline said. "I guess both our secrets are safe for now." Mero glared at her.


    "From them maybe, but not each other."


    "Ha, ha, too true." She agreed.


    "You''re coming with me." She said firmly.


    "You''re right. I''d really rather not fight you without my potions, but I''m not quite out of tricks yet." Just then a shadowy figure leapt onto the roof. She stepped into the light, and standing between the two naked girls was another one of their classmates, Karakuri Chachamaru.


    "You had an accomplice? No matter, I''ll just freeze the both of you. Visju Tal Li Sjutal Vangeit." Before she could finish her spell Chachamaru dashed forward and thrust her palm into Mero''s stomach with an inhuman amount of force.


    "Guh!" Mero flew backwards and slammed into the roof. She clutched her stomach and gasped for air. A fighter? Is she her partner? Before she could get up Chachamaru was already standing over her. Mero launched a punch at her, Chachamaru caught it easily and twisted her wrist. "Guaaah!"


    "Fu, fu, fu. I wouldn''t get into a fist fight with Chachamaru if I were you. You''ll only get hurt." Mero took another swing at her, and Chachamaru simply jumped back and rejoined her mistresses'' side. "Let''s call tonight a draw. I have nothing to gain from taking you down here. Don''t worry I won''t reveal you to anyone, after all I don''t want to make too much noise in this school either."


    "You''re a fool if you think I''ll just let the two of you walk away." Evangeline smirked.


    "Do it Chachamaru."


    "Yes master." She scooped her up in her arms, and a pair of metal panels opened up on her back. Mero jumped up and sprinted toward them. She had no idea what they were about to do, but she couldn''t let them get away. Jets of flame shot out from Chachamaru''s feet and the openings in her back. She shot up into the air carrying her master with her. What kind of spell was that? She didn''t sense any mana, so there was no way to track them. Mero grit her teeth and watched helplessly as the two disappeared into the night sky.

 Period 15: The Dark Evangel

    Period 15: The Dark Evangel


    It was well past curfew when a stark-naked Mero snuck back into her dorm room. Yuna was laying on her bed playing a game, when she heard the window opening.


    "Welcome baaaa -" The second she looked up from her game she saw her roommate climbing through the window without a stich of clothing on her. Yuna instantly dropped her head to the mattress and pretended to be asleep. She had been somewhat surprised that she had stayed out so late, but it''s not like it was that uncommon to break curfew. But why in the world was she naked?! What had she been doing?! No, she couldn''t think about it. I didn''t see anything. Nope nothing at all. She thought to herself, squeezing her eyes shut as tight as she could. Meanwhile, Mero furiously stomped around the room.


    "I can''t believe this! I''ve never been so humiliated in my life! This indignity will not stand! I swear in the name of the creator she will pay! I can''t just stand around here while she''s doing lord knows what. I''ve got to go after her." She reached for the doorknob, but before she could even turn it Yuna leaped across the room and grabbed her by the arm.


    "Whoa, whoa, where do you think you''re going?!"


    "Yuna-san," Mero said in a low voice. "Excuse my rudeness, but you will unhand me this instant."


    "Uh, sorry" She said letting her go. "But you can''t go at right now, you''re naked!" Mero rolled her eyes.


    "Fine, I will get dressed first, but then I''m leaving."


    "No, no that''s not the problem, well it''s not the only problem. If you sneak out right now, you''re gonna get caught by Nitta sensei. You''ll just get us all in trouble!" Mero frowned. "Come on whatever it is, I''m sure it can wait till morning right?" She sighed.


    "Fine, tomorrow then."


    X


    The next day in class Mero''s face seemed to be set in a permanent scowl. Evangeline was absent. Right this second, she was probably in the dean''s office telling Konoemon all about her, while she was stuck in class. She stared at the clock and tapped her foot impatiently for the entire lecture. She was emitting so much negative energy it was impossible not to notice. As soon as the bell rang, she headed straight for the door.


    "Hey, Mero," Yuna called after her."


    "What?" She snapped angrily.


    "Er uh, never mind."'' She said retreating.


    "What''s up with her?" Asuna asked.


    "No idea." Yuna shrugged. "She snuck out last night, and when she came back . . ." She blushed at the memory. "Uh, well whatever it is, I think she probably wants to be alone right now."


    "Sure . . ."


    Mero marched to Konoemon''s office and threw open the door. The old man sitting behind the desk looked up at his guest.


    "Ah, Mero-chan. What can I do for-"


    "Where is she?" She demanded.


    "What?" Konoemon asked confused.


    "What did she tell you?"


    "Who?"


    "Evangeline!"


    "I don''t know, I haven''t seen her all-" She didn''t wait for him to finish before storming off. She had to find Evangeline. She didn''t bother going to her remaining classes, she spent the rest of the morning searching the school.


    "My my, where are you going in such a hurry?" Someone said from behind her. She turned around. It was Evangeline, and Chachamaru was right behind her.


    "Where were you today?" Mero growled.


    "I was sleeping." She said casually.


    "What?"


    "Don''t believe me? I used up a bit too much magic last night, so I was napping on the roof."


    ". . ." Mero glared at her suspiciously.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "I haven''t told anyone your secret. I always keep my word. Besides I can''t expose you without exposing myself. It''ll be mutually assured destruction."


    "Or," Mero said raising an arm. "I could eliminate you here and now."


    "Oh, you want to pick up where we left off last night? Are you sure about that? It''s true I can''t use magic right now, but I doubt you could defeat Chachamaru with your power sealed away."


    "Urk!" Her hand unconsciously drifted to the seal on her arm.


    "I thought as much. And even if you could, the old man would definitely notice. So the two of us are stuck with each other."


    "Are you telling me to just stand by and let you do whatever you please?"


    "Relax. Just like I told you last night, my only goal is to escape from here. Frankly I don''t really care what you do, as long as you don''t interfere with me." Mero clenched her fist.


    "And you expect me to trust you?"


    "Ha, ha, hell no. Only a fool would trust stranger at their word. But moving against one another in this situation would be even more foolish. Don''t worry, I won''t be able to do anything until the next full moon anyway. But for now, I think I''d like to take another nap. Come on Chachamaru." They walked straight past her, while Mero stood there shaking with anger.


    X


    Who is Evangeline McDowell? She had no idea, but she had already guessed at her origins. She was at a complete disadvantage. Something she intended to correct. Yuna was still in class, so Mero locked herself in her room and sealed the door with magic, just like she''d done on her first day. She pulled out her magic index and connected to the mahou-net. The words on the page were almost irrelevant. There was some information physically printed into the book, but most important were the magic circles that connected to the vast network of information, that was the mahou-net. Maintained and updated twenty-four seven by countless minor spirits and familiars, it was by far the largest database of magical knowledge.


    "Evangeline A. K. McDowell." She said out loud. Immediately a dozen different mana screens appeared hovering above the book. Little transparent boxes filled with pictures and big blocks of text in response to her search. She bit her lip. She had been hoping to find something, but there was absolutely no way there would be this much information on any average vampire. She began reading. "Evangelina Athanasia Ecaterina Macdovell, also known as the dark gospel, or dark evangel, the undying mage, the puppet master. . ." She scrolled down. "The visitation of woe, the disciple of discord, the queen of calamity- argth!" She swiped her hand and dispelled the screen. "Useless!" Most of the articles were vague at best. She kept swiping through windows, until she found one that told her something that actually seemed relevant.


    "Believed to have been born in the eastern kingdom of France in the late 14th century, Evangeline A. K. McDowell is widely considered the most powerful high daylight walking vampire of the modern era." A high daylight walker? So she wasn''t just an ordinary vampire. "There is little confirmed information about her early life, but she matches the description of several young girls executed under suspicion of witchcraft in the middle ages. In the following decades almost all the reported vampire attacks throughout Europe are credited to her. Her power continued to grow over the next century. She is considered by many to be the most powerful dark mage who has ever lived." Mero immediately closed the window. The life maker was the greatest dark mage who ever lived. Or ever will. If they didn''t even know that, then the article clearly couldn''t be trusted. She pulled up a new article from a different source.


    "In the mid 16th century, Megalomesembria issued her a bounty of six million drachma. Her bounty was frozen in 1988, after her battle with Nagi Springfeild." She tensed a little as she read the name. "She has never been seen since. While there is much speculation about her current whereabouts, Nagi Springfeild has refused to speak on the matter. Her last known location was Kantou Japan." I suppose Nagi sealed her in the school. She continued reading through the articles. In addition to dark and ice magic, she was apparently also a master of doll magic, but there was nothing about her ever taking a partner. In fact, based on everything she read, it seemed like Evangeline always worked alone, and she could find no information on Karakuri Chachamaru. She had amassed quite the reputation as a world class criminal in both the magic world and earth and had become something of a ''boogeyman'' in the magic community. One image depicted Evangeline facing an entire fleet of Megalomesembrian soldiers. Mero tapped it with her finger, and the image enlarged and began to move. The soldiers blasted her with projectile magic. All the blasts ricocheted harmlessly off her magic barrier. She smiled wickedly, before gunning them down with hundreds of hailstone spears. Mero watched as an Aegis battleship entered the fray. She laughed manically as she avoided all the enormous ship''s attacks. Then with one massive spell she froze the entire battlefield, including the ship and all the soldiers. The clip ended, and Mero closed all the windows. She had seen enough. It was time to tell the life maker.


    X


    "So, does this vampire have a name?" The life maker asked.


    "Her name is Evangeline McDowell Master." Mero answered. "Please allow me to-"


    "Evangeline? Evangelina Ecaterina Macdovell? Are you sure?"


    "Yes Master." The lifemaker''s shoulder''s shook, then she threw back her head and let loose a long hearty laugh. "Uh, Master?" Mero raised an eyebrow.


    "Truly?" Her master said between howls. "So she truly- and you mean to say, all this time she was- ha, ha, oh Evangelina! And Nagi? Oh this is too much!"


    "Master please, this is serious! What are we going to do?" The mage of the beginning finally composed herself.


    "You needn''t concern yourself with Evangelina. Just let her be for now." Had she misheard her? Impossible her hearing was perfect.


    "But-but master, what do you mean by that?"


    "Exactly as I said. Evangelina won''t bother us." She said waving away the question.


    "But how can you be sure?"


    "According to what you''ve told me, her magic is sealed now, correct?" She couldn''t believe what she was hearing.


    "B-But even so, that''s no guarantee-"


    "Averruncus!" Mero immediately stiffened up at her master''s voice. "I said it''s fine. Don''t distract yourself with anything unnecessary. Just complete your mission, and everything will be fine.


    "Yes Master."

 Period 16: Doll

    Period 16: Doll


    As predicted Evangeline and Chachamaru were absent again, to Mero''s great frustration. They were probably planning her demise at that very moment. But for some reason her master had forbidden her to confront them. Why? Wasn''t it an obvious risk to let them act freely? Furthermore, did they know each other? She was only ordered not to interfere after she mentioned her name. What was really going on here? No! She shook her head. It wasn''t her place to question. Only to obey. The Lifemaker''s orders were absolute. The most absolute law in this world. Even if she didn''t understand it. But it still didn''t quell the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knit her eyebrows, ground her teeth tapped her feet, and created an invisible bubble around her, that none of her classmates dare step into.


    "Is Evangeline-san out sick again?" Negi frowned.


    Of course she isn''t sick you fool. Mero thought. She''s a vampire


    "She''s missed two days in a row." Negi continued. "At this rate she''ll be in trouble when exams roll around. Does anyone want to volunteer to share their notes with her tonight?" Almost the entire class groaned collectively. "Huh, what''s the matter?"


    "Why should we have to?" Yuna complained. "It''s too much of a hassle!"


    "Yeah, give us a break Negi-kun!" Makie said.


    "You all should be ashamed of yourselves!" Ayaka shouted. "Even though Negi-sensei asking you a favor!"


    "I don''t understand. What''s so troublesome about sharing notes?" Negi asked.


    "Ah, I guess you wouldn''t know, Negi-kun." Konoka said. "But Eva-chan doesn''t actually live in the dorms."


    "What?"


    What?!


    "Yeah. I don''t know the reason behind it, but she actually lives in a little cabin waaaaaay out on the edge of campus."


    "In the middle of nowhere." Asuna added. "No one''s going to go so far out of their way just to-"


    "I''ll do it." They turned to see Mero raising her hand.


    "A-Are you sure, Mero-san?" Negi asked. She nodded. "Alright, then I''ll also make up some worksheets for her."


    X


    "What am I doing?" Mero sighed out loud as she walked through the forest. She had been ordered not to confront Evangeline, so why did she volunteer to deliver her schoolwork? What was she going to do when she saw her? She wasn''t entirely sure, but she had to at least find out what she was up to. She wasn''t disobeying her orders. She wouldn''t engage or fight her, just observe. She would report whatever she learned, and then get new orders.


    After wandering the forest following the crude map her classmates had drawn her, she eventually came upon a small log cabin. Mero was extremely hesitant to approach. Not because it was heavily defended, in fact Mero couldn''t detect any defenses at all. There were no magic barriers, no traps of any kind, not even a single familiar guarding the perimeter. As far as she could tell, it was nothing more than an ordinary house. Even the most arrogant mage would set up some basic protections on their home, much less a high daylight walker. Was she really that foolish, or was this some kind of trap? She approached the cottage slowly and cautiously. She pushed on the door and found it was unlocked. She walked in prepared to fire off a spell at a moment''s notice. The interior was furnished plainly, with a table, chairs, and a fireplace in the corner. Almost every available space was filled by a stuffed animal, doll, or puppet.


    "OOO, a visitor!" Mero whipped around towards the unfamiliar voice, but she seemed to be alone. Well, alone save for all the toys.


    She glanced around the room nervously. It probably made sense for a puppet master to decorate their home with dolls, but it still felt like she was surrounded by enemies.


    "Hey, hey, over here!" The voice said. She scanned the room but couldn''t identify the speaker. "This way, this way!" It seemed to be coming from a pile of dolls in the corner. Was she walking into a trap? She still couldn''t sense anything, so she slowly walked toward it. "Closer, closer, almost there. . ." The voice urged her on, until a dark shape leaped out at her and latched onto her face, blocking her vision.


    "Gyaah!" Mero reacted immediately, shooting out jets of water from her hands. Unfortunately, her spells did nothing to dislodge her new friend.


    "Ahhhh . . ." The voice said. "Such sweet mana."


    "Get off of me!" Mero growled. She grabbed at her opponent and tried to shake them off. She stumbled through the cabin blindly until she tripped over a piece of furniture. The fall seemed to loosen the grip of whatever was holding her, and she was finally able to pull it off her face. It was a small doll. It had short green hair and was dressed in a simple black dress with a blue tie. It was probably meant to resemble a small girl. It might have been convincing if it hadn''t been for her large lidless eyes, the metal fins on either side of head, and the pair of bat wings protruding from her back.


    "Hey! C''mon don''t be stingy!" The doll whined.


    "What are you?" Mero asked.


    "I''m Chacha-zero. You can just call me Zero." She chirped. "Can I have some more mana please? I''m starving over here."


    "A magic doll? Are you Evangeline''s familiar?" As she examined the doll, it pulled free from her grasp and flew and flew toward her again. Mero instinctively jumped back and swatted it out of the air. It hit the wall on the opposite end of the room and crumpled to the ground.


    "Hey, what was that for?" The puppet complained. She expected it to fly back up and try again, but it remained face down on the floor with its limbs awkwardly folded under it. Was it damaged? She walked over to it, and as soon as her magic barrier touched her, the mana flowed into her body and she sprang back to life.


    "I see", Mero said. "You aren''t damaged, you''re mana deprived."


    "Master''s powers are sealed, so I''m always starving." She complained. "But just being inside your barrier is giving me enough energy to move around, see?" She made a show of waving he arms and tapping her feet.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "If this was meant to be a trap, it''s not a very effective one." Mero said poking her in the head.


    "How rude." The doll said. If she had cheeks, she would''ve puffed them out.


    "Master, are you awake? I''ve made you some porridge." A voice called out, and Chachamaru walked into carrying a steaming bowl. Mero turned towards her, and while she was distracted the doll flew up and landed on top of her head.


    "Get off of me!" She shouted and pulled on her wings, but Chacha-zero held tightly to her hair.


    "Ah, please excuse my older sister." Chachamaru said bowing. Then she looked to Chacha-zero. "Zero behave yourself. You''re making trouble for our guest."


    "Oh, come on!" She whined. "It''s not like she''ll lose anything." Mero seemed to completely forget about the doll sitting on her head and ran up to Chachamaru.


    "You!"


    "Welcome." She said bowing again. Her tone disarmed her slightly.


    "Whatever you''re plotting it won''t work." Mero spat. You may have gotten the upper hand the other night, but I won''t make the same mistake again!" Chachamaru stared at her blankly.


    "I think you''re misunderstanding something." She said. "We aren''t plotting anything. Master is ill." Mero scoffed.


    "Don''t lie to me. I''m sure you''re already-"


    "Oh, is that the schoolwork from today?" Chachamaru said noticing the papers that were now laying on the floor. Mero looked down and suddenly remembered what she came here for in the first place.


    "Uh, no this isn''t what it looks-"


    "Supplementary make up lesson for Evangeline-san.''" Chachamaru said reading off the worksheet. "Thank you very much. I will be sure she gets it."


    "Don''t ignore me!" Mero shouted. "We are enemies. I didn''t come here to-"


    "Please have a seat." Chachamaru said tying an apron around her waist. "I''ll prepare some tea and cake." Mero flushed pink, and she turned to face the other way.


    "V-Very well. If you insist, then I can indulge you, just this once. After all, I haven''t been ordered to eliminate you just yet."


    "Wow," Chachazero said from on top her head. "You''re not very honest, are you?"


    "Shut up!" She cried. "And get off my head already!"


    "Quit being so stingy!" The doll complained. "You won''t lose anything. I''m only sucking on the excess mana coming off your barrier." She was right. Since Chacha-zero attached herself to her, Mero had lost less than one percent of her active mana supply. She dropped onto the sofa.


    "For your sake, this had better not be an elaborate trap." A few minutes later, Chachamaru returned with the tea and cake. After taking a sip, Mero had to stifle her reaction. "This . . . is actually quite good."


    "Please take your time and enjoy it. Onee-sama please get off of Mero-san''s head once your magic is restored."


    "Okay!" She said happily.


    "Onee-sama?" Mero repeated. "Are you saying you two are sisters?"


    "Yes," Chachamaru answered. "My sister and I are magic dolls created to assist and support master.


    "You . . . are?" For Chachazero that was obvious, but she couldn''t sense any magic from Chachamaru.


    "Yes."


    "Then how are you able to move? I thought Evangeline wasn''t able to supply you with magic."


    "That is correct." She explained. "I am a special case. I only require a minimal amount of magic. My movement is powered by electrical servos."


    "Electrical . . . what?"


    "Servos. I am what you would call a robot." That was a term Mero had never heard before, but she wasn''t about to admit that to Chachamaru.


    "A ''robot'' huh?" Mero chided. "So you aren''t even a proper familiar. Your master must be a third rate mage If she can''t even manage that."


    "On the contrary, I am the most advanced humanoid construct, that magic and science is capable of producing. My body is a combination of mechanical engineering and modern mage craft. My chassis is fully customizable with capacity for upgrades, and my systems are fully equipped with anything and everything my master could need."


    ". . ." Mero could barely understand her. Instead of answering she looked away and sipped her tea.


    "Isn''t the same true for you?" Mero nearly choked on her tea after hearing Chachamaru''s question.


    "Excuse me?"


    "My biometric scan of you from the other night confirms it." A beam of light shot out of one of Chachamaru''s eyes, projecting a 3D image of Mero''s naked body. Alongside it were various sets of measurements indicating her height, weight, bust, and various other details. "You are not a normal human." She continued. "Although the exact process is unknown, my data suggests you are a type of high performance homunculus, created through some form of alchemy. Effectively, an autonomous magical drone. Even if the methods differ, you and I are distinctly similar existences."


    "Enough!" Mero jumped up from the couch shouting. "We are nothing alike!" Chacha-zero slid off of Mero''s head and landed on the floor.


    "Hey what was that for?" Chachamaru tilted her head.


    "How?"


    "What?"


    "How are we dissimilar? According to the data-"


    "Shut up!" She cried. "We just are!" The two girls started at each other in silence.


    "Ha, ha, what''s this? Two dolls arguing about being dolls? What kind of bad joke is this?" Mero looked up, and found Evangeline sitting on the banister looking down at them. She was wearing a set of pink pajamas, and her face was flushed, but she was still sporting the same confident grin she had the other night. "You sure have some guts girl, walking into the lair of a high class mage all by yourself."


    "Master, you should be in bed." Chachamaru said. Evangeline ignored her.


    "So you want to settle things here and now?" She pulled out a potion. "I don''t mind going at it one more time. But don''t expect . . . me to . . . hold . . . b-" Her eyes glazed over and she slipped off the banister, landing right into Mero''s arms.


    "What are you playing at?" Mero stared dumbfounded at the unconscious Evangeline. Her breathing was labored, and her face was beaded with sweat. She felt her forehead, and she was burning up. "This is an intense fever."


    "Yes." Chachamaru said. "Master has the flu. She is also allergic to pollen."


    "I thought she was a high daylight walker. Isn''t she the dark evangel?"


    "Without magic, Master is just an ordinary girl." Chachamaru explained. "Please, let her rest in the bedroom upstairs."


    "A-Alright." Replied a very confused Mero. She followed the robot, and carried her master upstairs. She laid Evangeline onto her bed, while Chachamaru wiped her sweat and put a cool cloth on her forehead.


    "I''m going to meet a colleague at a university hospital to obtain some effective medicine." Chachamaru said. "Would you please look after her until I return?"


    "Me?!" Mero gasped.


    "Yes."


    "Listen, I am not your ally. I came here to-" Wait what did she come there? She couldn''t attack them, so what was she doing?


    "Mero-san?"


    "What is the matter with you?" She cried. "I''m practically a stranger to you. Are you telling me you actually trust me to watch over your sick master?"


    "Yes." She answered. "I have judged you to be dependable." Mero''s cheeks flushed, and she turned away.


    "Fine." She relented. "Do what you want. It''s not like I have anything else to do anyway, so I guess I''ll stick around."


    "I shall return as soon as I can." Chachamaru said with a bow as she left the room.


    "What are these people thinking?" She looked down at Evangeline, wheezing and trembling like a leaf. Even with her current power it would be easy to crush her throat. Mero raised her hand, gathering magic in her palm.


    You needn''t concern yourself with Evangelina. Just let her be for now. Her master''s words echoed in her head.


    "Damn it!" She flung her hand to the side, and a chair across the room blew apart.


    "Urgh!" Mero flinched. Did that wake her up? No Evangeline was still sleeping, but now she was tossing and turning and mumbling under her breath.


    "Is she dreaming?" She wondered. She shook her head. No, it didn''t matter. She wasn''t allowed to interfere anyway. She turned to leave. There was no point in her being there. This whole thing had been a waste of time.


    "N-No. . . Stop. . . Don''t. . ." Evangeline muttered. Mero turned back around. You needn''t concern yourself with Evangelina. But that didn''t mean she couldn''t investigate a little, right? Whatever she was dreaming about could prove vital to their operation. Just let her be for now. Alright. She wouldn''t physically do anything to her. If everything went as it should, Evangeline shouldn''t even be aware of her presence, but it would be foolish not to seize this chance. She took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn''t regret what she was about to do.


    "Visju Tal Li Sjutal Vangeit. Nympha somni regina Maeve, portam aperiens ad se me allieiat." [Maeve, queen of the dream spirits, open the door unto her dream.] Light gathered in her hands as she chanted, and then her world was bathed in white.

 Period 17: Birth of the Dark Gospel

    Period 17: Birth of the Dark Gospel


    Mero blinked. The dream was still solidifying around her. She looked down at herself, she was no longer in her physical body. The magic had transported her consciences into Evangeline''s dream. Her spirit body was naked and half-transparent. Attached to the top of her head was a ghostly tendril of energy that stretched up high above and disappeared into the void. This was the tether to her real body. She had no mass or weight; she was a ghost, floating through the void.


    "An odd sensation. . ." She had been capable of performing this spell ever since she first awoke in the grave keeper''s palace, but she''d never actually done it before. She adjusted to the weightlessness as the world finished materializing. She was in the room of a medieval castle. Sitting on a bed beneath her was Evangeline, or at least she assumed it was, but this girl was very different from the Evangeline she knew. She was wearing a frilly European style dress, in contrast to the dark vampire robes she had worn the other night. But most surprising was her face. Instead of the smug conceited grin she usually wore, the smile on her face now was honest, and full of innocence and happiness.


    "This isn''t just a dream is it?" Mero said to herself. "It''s a memory." For just a second Evangeline''s eyes flicked upward towards the ceiling. Before she could identify whatever, she was looking for, someone else entered the room.


    "Mommy!" Evangeline bounded up to the woman and tackled her into a hug. The woman shared Evangeline''s long blonde hair, but when Mero drifted closer to get a look at her face, her features were blurred and indistinct. "That''s odd. Maybe Evangeline doesn''t remember her face?"


    "Are you still awake?" The woman said. "Shouldn''t you be asleep by now?" Evangeline shook her head.


    "Of course not! There''s no way I would be able to sleep."


    "Are you scared?" Evangeline''s smile disappeared and she drew away from the woman.


    "I-I was really nervous but. . ." The young Evangeline clenched her fist and shook her head. "But I believe in Mommy. So, I''m not scared!"


    "Good girl." The woman stroked her hair gently. "You''re such a good girl Evangelina. Don''t worry, everything will be alright. But right now, you need to rest. "After all, you have a big day tomorrow." Evangeline''s smile returned in full force.


    "Yes, Mommy!"


    The scene started to dissolve. The bedroom disappeared, replaced by another room of the castle. Evangeline was sitting on the floor wearing a nightgown stained with blood. She looked down at herself, at the viscous red liquid that covered her, and began trembling. For just a moment, Mero thought she saw a pair of bloody fangs, peeking out from behind her lips.


    "What. . . what happened?" Mero wondered. She looked towards the other side of the room. Her eyes couldn''t focus on what she saw. The image was incredibly fuzzy, and it hurt her eyes to look at it directly. The only thing she could make out clearly was the pool of blood. She began to feel nauseous. But how was that possible? She wasn''t even physically there. Was she experiencing Evangeline''s feelings? She watched as Evangeline took rapid shuddering breaths.


    "W-What. . . why. . ?" Tears streamed down her face, as her eyes darted frantically around the room. "Mommy? Mommy, where are you?!" Her gaze finally landed on the figure crumpled in front of her. She inhaled sharply and her pupils dilated. Then she doubled over and retched onto the floor. Mero''s head was pounding. If she''d been in her body, she would surely be vomiting right alongside her. "Waa! Waaaah!" When she finally stopped convulsing, she simply hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed to herself.


    ". . ."


    The dream shifted again. The castle was gone, now she was hovering above a dirt road. Evangeline was running as fast as her bare feet could carry her. She was wearing the same dress, now covered in dirt and grime. In one hand was half a loaf of bread, and in the other a doll, that Mero recognized as Chacha-zero. But this Chacha-zero wasn''t a familiar or a golem, just an ordinary doll. Voices shouted after her in the distance.


    "After her!"


    "Her? But she''s just a little girl?"


    "That''s no girl, that''s a witch!"


    "I know her, she''s that street performer girl."


    "Don''t let her appearance fool you. She may look like a little girl, but she''s a demon. A demon!"


    "Then we have to do something don''t we?"


    "If we don''t take care of her somehow, we''ll all pay the price."


    "We have to defend our village!"


    There were no people to connect the voices to. She''d probably heard things like that ever since she''d left that castle. Evangeline turned a corner and finally stopped running. She sat down in a secluded alley and practically inhaled her bread. Once her food was gone, she stared off into the distance. . . in the direction of Mero. It was almost as if she could see her. But that was impossible. A moment later Evangeline laid her head down and drifted off to sleep. The scenery changed around her. Evangeline remained balled up on the floor, but her surroundings shifted from back alleys, to caves to old ruins. She wasn''t sure how much time was passing, but it seemed like months or years were just blurring together. And of course, Evangeline herself showed no visible signs of aging. When the dream finally settled, she was collapsed in a wasteland, surrounded by discarded weapons, covered in dried blood and dressed in nothing but a tattered cloak. She started to get up, but apparently decided against it, and just threw herself back onto the floor, staring at nothing. She laid there for an unknown amount of time, until she was approached by a tall heavy-set woman, in an expensive dress and feathered hat.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Well, what do we have here?" She said. "One of us?"


    "Please," Evangeline said weakly. "Please. . . kill me." The woman narrowed her eyes at her.


    "Little one, do you understand what you ask?"


    "Please. . . I beg you . . . kill me." She insisted. The woman sighed.


    "Fine, I suppose I''ll take you with me." She hoisted Evangeline over her shoulder and walked off with her.


    The next transition was so sudden Mero barely registered it. They were now in another castle, but this one was far more extravagant than the one they''d started in, with stained glass windows decorating the walls, ice sculptures in every corner. In the center of the hall was Evangeline, but this wasn''t the same little girl. She had the body of young woman, dressed in a gown of black silk. Her expression was dull and lifeless, almost corpse-like. Yet she radiated power. This was no longer just Evangeline; this was the dark Evangel. The eerie silence was broken instantly when a swordswoman came crashing through the window.


    "You''re mine! Demon queen!" The assassin cried as she flew across the room. Evangeline barely acknowledged her existence as her sword came down on her neck. She raised her arm and the swordswoman''s entire torso froze solid. She ran her through with her sword as her body shattered. Evangeline''s head hit the floor, along with the two halves of the assassin''s body.


    "I did it . . . I cut you." The dying woman breathed. "The blade is poisoned. You will suffer for ten years." Tears swelled up in her eyes. "My brother. . . is avenged. . ." Then she was gone. Evangeline strode over to where her head landed, and carefully placed it back onto her neck.


    "Urp!" She immediately began coughing up blood. "A ten-year poison is it? I see." She looked down at the body of her attacker. "You''re so young, and you used her life for revenge? I pray that your next life at least. . . will be full of peace and joy."


    ". . ." Mero was at a loss. This was not the dark Evangel she had read about. She was convinced that she was out to destroy their entire plan. Now, she wasn''t so sure.


    "Well, I suppose you''re next?" Mero wondered who she was talking to. The swordswoman was already dead, and there was no one else there. Then she turned and looked directly at Mero.


    "You, hiding up there. Are you going to come out?"


    "What?!" Impossible! She was only there as a mental projection, and the Evangeline in front of her was only a part of her dream. There should be no way to detect her.


    "Are you going to stay up there all day?" Hesitantly, Mero drifted down so that she was eye level with Evangeline.


    "Can you really see me?" She asked. Evangeline paused for a few moments. I assume you''re wondering if I can see you. Well, I can''t exactly see you. But I can certainly sense a spell when it''s this close." She looked around. "In fact, it feels like your spell is all around us. But despite being caught you haven''t attacked or retreated yet. So I''m assuming you aren''t physically here. But I definitely feel a presence. That narrows it down to only a few spells." She made a magic circle, then a spell book rose out of it and floated in front of her. "Let''s see. . ." The book''s pages flipped through on their own until it reached the appropriate citation. "Iuxta ostium ad somnium." [Close the door to the dream]


    Mero''s entire form glowed white. Her body solidified, gravity pulled her down, and she crumpled onto the floor.


    "W-What?!" She touched the top of her head. Her tether was gone. She was completely cut off from her physical body. She wrapped her arms around herself. She felt naked and vulnerable.


    "That''s better." Evangeline said. "Now we can have a proper conversation."


    "How did you do that?" A faint smile traced Evangeline''s lips.


    "Well, I do know a thing or two about magic. I didn''t study with the witch of rift for nothing." As she talked, she sounded more and more like the version of herself that Mero knew. "So, who are you little one? Based on your appearance, I don''t think you''re here to kill me."


    ". . ."


    "Alright. Then maybe you can explain why you were revealed with a dream sharing spell." Mero couldn''t keep silent at that.


    "So you aren''t the real Evangeline then? You''re part of the dream itself right?"


    "Dream? Am I sleeping now? But- wait, you entered through ''the door to dream'' right? Then that can only mean . . ." Her voice trailed off. "Ngth!" She put her hand to her head and squeezed her eyes shut. All around them the castle dissolved into whiteness, and the two girls were floating in an empty void. And Evangeline was a girl again, in the same juvenile body Mero had dueled two nights before. Was she waking up?


    "Evangeline?" The vampire looked up with a smirk.


    "Mero Averruncus. You followed me even here? Heh, cheeky brat."


    "You remember me. So you must be the real Evangeline.",


    "Yes. You went and stirred up my memories, of course I would notice. It looks like my conscience mind wandered in here." She looked around at the empty white space. "Let''s move somewhere a bit more comfortable." She snapped her fingers, and they were transported to the suspension bridge on the border of Mahora academy. "Much better."


    "How are you able to use magic?" Mero demanded. "The school''s barrier is still active. Moreover this is a dream." Evangeline scoffed.


    "You really don''t understand anything about magic do you? It''s because this is a dream. This is a mental world. The state of our physical bodies has no bearing here. Of course, that means we can use magic without restrictions."


    "Interesting." She held out her hand and formed a magic circle. "So, I can take you out right here?"


    "Go right ahead." She said crossing her arms over her chest. There was several seconds of silence.


    "Are you mad?" Mero said finally.


    "Like I said, I don''t think you came all the way here to kill me. Since you went through all the trouble to get me alone, let''s have a chat Mero Averruncus."

 Period 18: Evangel and Averruncus

    Period 18: Evangel and Averruncus


    A magic circle appeared at Mero''s feet, and her uniform materialized on her body.


    "It seems you weren''t lying; we can use magic here." She said examining her clothes. Evangeline grinned.


    "Of course. I don''t lie." She waved her hand. "Evocem vos". [Come forth] A magic circle appeared on the floor and out of it, emerged a bottle of red wine and a pair of glasses.


    "What are you doing?" Mero asked.


    "What does it look like? I''m having a drink." She said pouring herself a glass. "You''re welcome to it of course. Actually, are you even old enough to drink?" She shrugged. "Well, this is just an illusion anyway." She said folding her legs under her.


    Swish


    An arrow of water shot through the air and shattered the bottle. Evangeline frowned.


    "Illusion or not, there''s no need to waste good wine."


    "Enough of this nonsense. What do you want with me?" Mero snapped.


    "Ha, me?" Evangeline scoffed. "You''re the one who invaded my dream."


    "So that was real then? It wasn''t just an illusion you conjured to fool me?"


    Evangeline stiffened uncomfortably, and her teasing smile vanished.


    "You''re just a regular peeping Tom aren''t you?" She said swiveling her wine. "But yes, that was real. At least as far as I can remember."


    Mero was silent for a moment before responding.


    "You, who are you really?" Mero asked. "The mahou-net calls you a villain, but the girl I just saw was-


    "Was what?" Evangeline cut her off. "Innocent? A victim? Does that mean I can''t be a villain? Don''t worry, there is plenty of blood on my hands."


    Mero couldn''t help but notice she wasn''t smiling. She didn''t understand facial expressions very well, but even she could tell this was very odd for Evangeline.


    "B-But why are you at Mahora?"


    "Infernus Scholasticus." [School Hell]


    "That silly curse?" Mero wondered. Infernus Scholasticus was a simple spell designed to force truants to attend school. It binds the victim to a school and prevents them from moving a certain distance away from it. Ordinarily a vampire as powerful as Evangeline should have no problem breaking it, but Mahora has multiple layers of protective wards and barriers around it. That must be it. The barriers that stop enemies from entering, were also suppressing her magic. "I see, so that''s what you meant, when you said you wanted to escape. Nagi Springfield sealed you here, didn''t he?"


    "What about you?" Evangeline said, taking a sip of wine. "Why did you come to this school?"


    ". . ."


    Evangeline shrugged.


    "I suppose you aren''t under any obligation to tell me. I was only making conversation. Of course I''m not obligated to answer any of your questions either."


    "The world tree." Mero said softly.


    "Oh. I admit I didn''t really expect you to tell me. So, the world tree huh? I should have known it was something like that. I assume you want to use it as a weapon, or maybe you''re trying to access the other founts of magic around the world?"


    ". . ."


    "Sorry, sorry, Its your turn to ask a question now isn''t it? But to be honest with you, I don''t have much more to tell. In fact you saw my memories." She forced a smile. "You are now in possession of information almost no one else in the world has. Consider yourself lucky brat. I''d usually kill anyone who tried to get that intimate with me."


    "But why are you trying to escape in the first place? What are you going to do once you have all your powers back?"


    "The very first thing I''ll do," Evangeline said, "is get some gelato."


    Mero blinked. What was that, some sort of magical artifact? She''d never heard of it. Perhaps it was the name of an ancient demon god soldier she was trying to resurrect. But the name didn''t appear anywhere in her data bank.


    "Gel. . .?"


    "Oh, could it be you don''t know it? It''s a frozen dessert from Italy. I''ve been craving it for a few years now."


    ". . . What?"If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Did you know there''s not a single store on campus that sells it? I asked the old man several times, but he said there was no room in the budget to add a whole new store just because I asked."


    ". . ." Mero just listened dumbstruck as Evangeline talked.


    "And after I''ve done that, who knows?"


    "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" Mero scoffed. "You''re the dark Evangel, an evil witch who''s feared in the entire magic world."


    "I won''t deny that." She swallowed some more of her wine. "Look here''s one thing you need to understand about us ''evil'' mages. We''re not all out to take over the world, or wipe out humanity. I just want to be left alone. I only do what I feel like doing, nothing more, nothing less."


    "You said you didn''t care what I did."


    "And I meant it. I couldn''t care less what happens to this school. Although I admit, you have piqued my curiosity. I''ve never seen a doll as well made as you."


    Mero bit her lip.


    "As I thought, you are the worst kind of person, Evangeline McDowell."


    "Oh, I''m sorry. Did I hit a nerve? I promise I meant it as a compliment."


    "I thought that maybe we could come to some sort of understanding. But you care only for yourself. Someone like that could never join our cause."


    "Is that so?" Evangeline said narrowing her eyes. "And what cause is that?"


    "We will save the world." She answered confidently.


    "Now I''m even more curious." Evangeline chuckled. "Though I doubt you would tell me even if I asked."


    "I cannot allow a dangerous unknown variable like you continue to do whatever you wish."


    "I figured you would say something like that." Evangeline sighed. "But I wonder, can you even make that decision? In fact, does your master even know that you''re here?"


    "Mrk." Mero shrank back.


    "Ha, ha, I thought so. Did your master calibrate you at all? Well, that''s fine too. Dolls that are too obedient are just boring."


    "Shut up!" Mero shouted. "And don''t call me that!"


    "Why does that word set you off so much? What''s wrong with being a doll?"


    "I am NOT a doll!" Mero roared.


    "Again, I meant it as a compliment. Compared to humans, dolls are much more honest and-"


    "Graaaah!" Mero thrust her hand forward and shot out a stream of high pressure water. Evangeline made no attempt to dodge as the spell closed in on her.


    Bssssh!


    There was an impact and the water sprayed across the bridge. When the mist dissipated, Evangeline hadn''t moved at all. She was just sitting there surrounded by the violet light of her magic barrier, which had strengthened and become visible in response to the attack. With the immediate danger past the light began to fade.


    "I take it we''re done talking then?" She sighed. "Oh well I suppose some light exercise is good once in a while." She drained her glass and stood up.


    "Are you mocking me?" Mero started to gather magical power into her hand. "I''ll make you regret it."


    "Oooh, scary scary. Maybe I''ll get a little serious then." Evangeline raised her hand, a whole wall of magic circles appeared in the air behind her, and a giant spear of ice emerged from each one. They were each about ten feet long, with sharp points and barbs along their length.


    Mero looked up at the array of spears pointed at her, and scoffed.


    "Am I supposed to be intimidated?"


    "Laculatio Grandinis." [Hailstone spears] Evangeline flicked her wrist and the projectiles rained down on her opponent. The spears shattered the pavement sending up waves of dirt and concrete. A moment later, Mero soared out of the dust cloud completely unharmed.


    It''s true, that power was far greater than the other night. Her magic really has been restored. She started to gain altitude, and flew in a wide arc. But the fool doesn''t realize that the same goes for me.


    "Vishu tal li shujal vangeit," Two streams of water rose from the lake and wrapped around her hands. She angled her body downwards, trying to aim for Evangeline''s back, but she was already gone.


    "Wha-"


    Before she could even finish that thought, the vampire came up right beside her and swung at her. Mero dropped backwards as Evangeline''s nails passed about a half an inch above her face.


    "Good job dodging that." Evangeline snickered as she thrust her other hand into her neck.


    "Gah!"


    With her fingers wrapped tightly around Mero''s throat, she dove toward the ground. She slammed her into the pavement with a resounding crash. Evangeline raised her arm, and her fingernails extended into sharp claws. Mero gasped as Evangeline put her hand through her stomach.


    "Oops, maybe that was a little too much?" Mero''s body dissolved into water. "A decoy?" Before she could pull her hand back, the water rose up and enveloped her.


    "Vinctum de aqua!" [Prison of water] Mero cried after emerging from a puddle behind her.


    The liquid formed into a semi-solid cube around her, and pressed on her body from all sides.


    Heh, heh, she really got me good. Evangeline thought to herself. I can''t move a single finger. However. . .


    "Contere!" [Crush] Mero clapped her hands together, and squeezed her opponent tighter and tighter. "There''s no way she can escape that. Now I just need to find a way to transport her. No, before I have to escape this dream world."


    A huge dark figure rose out of the shadows behind Mero. She jumped out of the way, just as a giant wooden fist slammed into the ground. When she turned around she was staring at a giant wooden puppet. It was vaguely humanoid, but it had no facial features, and three arms on either side, which were now clenched into fists and poised to attack her.


    "A wood golem?" She said dodging in and out of its attacks. "Evangeline must be controlling it, but where did it come from?" She looked down at the dark shadows swirling around its feet. "Shadow teleportation? She managed such an advanced spell in this situation?"


    She jumped into the air to avoid one of the giants punches, but it reached out with its free hand and grabbed her by the ankle.


    "Damn!"


    She was pulled down to the pavement, and assaulted by a vicious flurry of punches. The blows were not heavy enough to damage her, they barely hurt, but she was pinned down and couldn''t escape the grasp of the puppet.


    Then, one of the puppet''s arms unhinged at the elbow. The arm became the barrel of a cannon, as magic power gathered inside it.


    "Vinctum de aqua!" [Prison of water]


    The water released Evangeline and flew towards her golem, trapping it in its own liquid prison.


    "Contere!" [Crush]


    The water prison shrank,, and squeezed the puppet until its body shattered.


    "My, my, you certainly play rough don''t you?" Said Evangeline walking up behind her. "Didn''t anyone ever teach you to take better care of your toys?"


    "Toys?!"


    "That''s right. Let me introduce you to some more of my cute little dollies."


    She waved her hand and dozens of new puppets emerged from the shadows. These dolls were all human sized. They were nearly identical to Chachamaru, and all dressed in French maid outfits.


    "Don''t think your puppets will be enough to protect you. Evocatio undine!" [Evocation of Undines]


    Dozens of water spirits appeared behind her. Each dressed in armor and wielding a spear.


    "Ku, ku, I knew you wouldn''t disappoint me." Evangeline chuckled. This is starting to get fun. Come on, let''s play a little longer, Mero Averuncus!"