The library was completely silent.
Normally, aside from staff, there should have been numerous guards stationed around the clock, yet not a single soul could be seen now.
Most likely, they had all been captured.
To subdue so many magicians, these intruders had clearly come prepared.
Mahiro hid in the shadows behind the entrance counter, spreading his consciousness through the perception-type magic "Spirit Eyes" to scout the defensive forces on the first floor.
Seven in total.
Four of them were fully armed, hiding behind pillars.
On the second-floor corridor was a lookout student, while three more were inside the special reading room at the far end.
During his reconnaissance, he noticed each of them wore a brass ring with a gemstone embedded at the top...
"Sunstone?"
Sunstone was an extremely limited military resource, only produced in high-altitude regions where ancient civilizations once flourished.
And sunstone had only one purpose.
To emit interference waves that disrupted calculations, hindering the activation sequences of magic.
For a magician like Mahiro, who could directly read activation sequences, it was merely an annoying noise.
But for the school's guards and teachers, it obstructed their ability to cast spells—which was why these terrorists had managed to overpower them.
"Whatever. Picking them off one by one would be too troublesome. Might as well take them all out at once."
Withdrawing his consciousness, Mahiro abandoned the idea of using "Mist Dispersion."
As intense psions were released, the first floor of the library was instantly bathed in a radiant glow of magical energy.
Then, thick white mist formed from frigid nitrogen surged forth, spreading and creeping across the entire floor.
The snow-white fog swirled into vortices, leaving frost in its wake wherever it passed.
It was as if liquid nitrogen had been spilled across the ground!
By the time the stationed terrorists noticed, it was already too late.
"W-what the hell is this?!"
They had never seen magic like this before!
There was no time to evade—they couldn't even take a single step.
Their frozen feet could no longer support movement, whether forward or backward.
The bone-chilling white mist gradually coiled around their torsos, seeping deep into their bodies.
It wasn't just their flesh—it felt as though even their souls were freezing over.
In an instant, they had all turned into ice sculptures!
The entire first floor of the library had transformed into a silent, crimson hell!
"Whoa, that's some exaggerated magic. Could this be the vibration deceleration-type wide-area spell—'Domain of Ice Mist'?"
"Hey, Yotsuba-kun, is there any magic you can't use?"
Erika, who was also peeking out from behind the counter with half her head exposed, chattered excitedly, voicing her astonishment between puffs of white breath.
The Magic Bullet Shooter, the secret technique of the Sargusa family, and now the display of vibration-type magic—none of them are below Grade A.
"Erika-chan, this is just the tip of the iceberg that my Mahiro-nii has shown."
Miyuki smiled as she answered on behalf of Mahiro.
As a member of the Yotsuba family, she was well aware of just how outrageous her brother was.
He could perfectly replicate any magic he had seen, including strategic-level magic, and so far he had learned at least a hundred types!
This encompassed the four major systems and eight categories, even including non-system and system-external magic.
"Alright, let's save the conversation for later."
Mahiro interrupted the dialogue between the two.
They had come here on their own accord.
On the way, he had encountered Erika, who was entangled with enemies, and then he happened to run into the Shiba siblings just as he arrived at the library's main entrance.
"There are still a few enemies in the special reading room upstairs, so I'll go up myself…"
"Eh? Mahiro-nii is going up by himself?"
Miyuki exclaimed in surprise, "Let me accompany you, even though I know I might not be of much help, it's still better than facing them alone…"
"Alright, Miyuki, you and Tatsuya can help me guard the library entrance. That would be the biggest help for me."
Mahiro reached out and stroked the girl's long hair, and Miyuki immediately quieted down.
Although there was a hint of insincerity in his words, having reached this point, Miyuki could only nod in agreement.
"Well then, Erika, if any hidden enemies come down from upstairs, I'll leave it to you."
"Hidden enemies?"
Erika looked at him with a strange expression, playfully elbowing him a few times.
"Could it be Mibu-senpai? You really are something—so gentle, huh~"
"Well, it's not really gentleness. After all, it's a matter of fulfilling a request."
He hadn't forgotten Mayumi's instructions before leaving, nor the request from that perverted teacher who had been tailing the students.
"Physical persuasion should be fine, right?"
"Of course."
"Hehe, then I'll take on this job~"
Erika accepted the task as if she were singing.
Meanwhile, Mahiro had quietly ascended the stairs.
Perhaps it was because the guards on the first floor had fallen too quickly, not even having time to make a sound, the members of the kendo club stationed in the second-floor corridor had not noticed anything unusual.
He took them down on the spot and tossed them aside.
At the end of the corridor ahead, behind the tightly closed door, was the special reading room of First High School.
There, various precious magical formula composition materials and experimental data were recorded.
Although it couldn't compare to the records of the Magic Association headquarters or the storage capacity of the Magic University, even so, for a small organization like [Blanche], it was undoubtedly invaluable.
"Opening the door is too troublesome; I'll just break it down."
Facing the heavy metal door that was as thick as a vault, he slowly raised his hand.
...
...
...
Inside the special reading room.
Sayaka gazed with mixed emotions at the operation unfolding before her eyes.
The confidential documents contained the most advanced research data on magic in this country, accessible only through this terminal within the school.
Her comrade—a member of [Blanche]—was hacking into the system.
But.
'What exactly am I doing?'
Stealing the key, becoming an accomplice to hackers... Was this truly what she wanted?
Her goal was to abolish the discrimination caused by magic... She knew full well that the disparity created by magical abilities wasn't an issue that could be resolved within the school alone.
But why did they need the most advanced magical research data?
While making the results of magical studies public might be the first step toward eliminating discrimination...
What was the point of revealing magical theories to those who couldn't use magic?
It was like a battle between the left and right brain.
One side argued it was meaningless, while the other insisted there must be beneficial research hidden away for ordinary people...
Like reasons forcibly fed to convince herself, leading her to this conclusion.
Yet no matter how much she repeated it in her mind, she couldn't truly accept it.
Countless doubts swirled within her like unsolved riddles.
But they weren't unsolvable.
It was just that all the answers pointed to the one she least wanted to acknowledge—the same answer Mahiro had once given her.
The world was never fair.
Once again, she was lost in uncertainty.
Until the door of the special reading room was violently forced open.
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