Following Elite's closed case should've been a moment of respite. Ruena and Mary were kept from knowing what occurred two days prior, that of Hyde's inner truths boiling out and spilling over. They, the Band of Detectives, were paid in money and name for solving a mystery that was a mystery to even themselves, when Midare randomly rewarded them for their efforts. And the nickname Band of Detectives was rewarded from Lambda, given due to Hyde's carrying case. From the two girls' perspective, they had done nothing. From the two boys' perspective, they had done enough. Rewards weren't enough to lift Hyde out of an exaggerated despair.
Hoka sought to visit him after class. Sliding open the door to his classroom, eyes laid on Mary and Dakota surrounding his desk, and Hyde died faced down as if a murder had occurred. He had been like this yesterday too. Today his depression amplified to a level where Mary and Dakota took notice, and when asking Hoka, she had to explain through a series of gestures. First she puffed her cheeks, then frantically waved her hands in the air, then a weeping motion with fists, and ended with her ultimately giving up trying to communicate through charade.
"So that's what happened." Dakota said and stroked his chin, surprising Hoka that he understood her message.
"Yamiko is never going to forgive me…" Hyde bemoaned. Without context, the notion of Yamiko ever harboring animosity for someone, especially him, seemed far-fetched. She was the reason they managed to get into the agency, extending a hand whereas Midare did not. As distant as the Boss was, at the end of Hyde's tribunal she offered a pat on the back remarking that he did good.
"There's no reason to give up now!" Mary exclaimed before wrapping her arms around Hyde and pulling him out of his seat. He weighed as much as a stuffed pillow, for Mary at least. She didn't find him heavy to carry even when he was limp as a slug. "Get up Hyde!" She whined in a voice he ired completely. Such an annoying tone was enough to pull him out of sulking, only for him to hunch over like a punch to the gut.
Then with a crescendo he rose, "I'm in despair! The misunderstanding between Yamiko and I has left me in despair!"
And quite crazed as well, "There! He's back to normal." Mary said. Her view of normal was definitely different from what Dakota considered.
"There is no normal while I'm like this now. I can only view things from a cynical point of view." Hyde said, his eyes drifting over to Hoka and her pink hair, but in his perspective, "My entire world has turned grey."
"Like… a noir film." Dakota said in reply. "Like a black and white film about a hard boiled detective—Hyde, do you feel hard boiled?"
"I feel hardly boiled."
That's when Hoka jabbed his side causing him to flinch. He was loose and soft as a boiled egg if that's what her older peers were referring to. And if he meant a cynicism only a sleuth could find then she would add, showing him a newspaper with Lloyd and Kamui pictured on the front page only for him to snatch it out of her hands.
"What? This is unfair!" Hyde said loudly. The situation was even worse than he expected. They should've been there, not them. Sure exposing the culprit who embezzled money was a big feat but small compared to preventing the spread of magic among criminal gangs, just one occurrence Hyde barely got a foot in. He yearned for more but the glories went to the Blue Corps.
Midare probably had a case that would finally utilize their abilities; Ruena remarked while seated at her desk. Hyde couldn't only exchange a baffled glare. "You're oddly optimistic…"
She stood up in reply, "It isn't everyday Midare praises us for our work."
Hyde crossed his arms. "But you didn't do anything that day…" Recalling the memory caused him to shudder.
Mary's phone rang with an ominous ding jingle. Taking her flip phone and eyeing the notification on front, she said, "Oh, a message from Lan." Drawing instant dread out of Dakota and Hyde.
"Don't answer it!" Dakota screamed, but his warning was too late.
From Lan,
"Bring your lazy asses over here now!! ＼(｀0´)／"
"Eh?!" Mary blinked. There must've been some kind of mistake, or someone must've texted the wrong number and coincidentally had the same name.
"Pandora's box has been opened."
"You're in on this too, Ruena?!" Mary freaked.
"Quick, close it!" Hyde said, and Mary slammed the phone shut, only for it to ding with a jiggle again. Opening the phone with a snap, the message read—
From Lan,
"Useless! You can't hide from me. I know you're there."
"A stalker?!" Mary frantically looked around.
"No, worse. The serially online Lan has been awakened…" Dakota said.
Another message was sent, and Mary read aloud, "I bet you're screaming right now because your personality trope calls for it. Try speaking in a low tone for once." and she could feel a tear edging the corner of her eye. "That's so mean!"
"She's a demon online and a maid in real life. There was no telling what those crafty fingers could do until it was too late." Hyde monologued, but lost the rest of the script he had thought up. "Who would've thought her true colors were this. She can see through us like a coloring book!"
A lightbulb flicked on in Hoka's head and she snagged Hyde's phone. Using the messenger, she typed out not something to send, but something he could read. "This is only a fraction of her persona." She'd turn the phone screen towards him.
"Only half?!" Hyde exclaimed.
"This isn't good Hyde." Dakota sweated.
"Are we going to ignore that Hoka found a way to speak with us?" Mary had interjected, but her concerns fell on deaf ears.
If this was only half of Lan's power then two questions had to be asked. The first was how a shy timid maid was far more judgmental than the law, and the second was what her true power looked like. Furthermore, how did Hoka come by this knowledge in the first place?
"Because she taught me. You should be able to deduce the mystery, or are you a bunch of defectives?"
Despite the rudely direct message, Hoka hid her bashful face behind a sleeve. The last word stung. She changed and for the worst.
Or was it that she had been like this all along, and in her friendship with Lan, they had found commonalities with the sides of personality they hid. A person hiding who they truly were should've been wrong, Hyde was punished for it on multiple occasions even though his facade wasn't born out of malice. Being true was difficult, honesty was easier said than done and while Hyde's fears stemmed from his amnesia, Lan's anxieties could have returned from childhood traumas. Though she was still a child in some aspects, her authority over the Band of Detectives meant Midare saw her for something or that she had done something that couldn't be replicated.
Done with school grounds, they packed up to leave. Hyde tried to leave smoothly and coolly but Hoka tackled him once he reached the doorway, knocking him down a peg before his ego took over.
Without a club the detectives were known as the going home club by outside peers. The band club's leader was absent ever since, well, who knows? Mary never encountered the enigmatic student in charge and was left to pick up the pieces which she failed. Regardless Hyde still carried his free guitar case, and Ruena mimicked his approach vying for the same attention he garnered. She opted for an off-grey to stand out against his black case, but the niche of fake guitarist had already been claimed. The only person who inquired was Cheri, who was confused at the prospect.
Lan's instructions took them outside the city, a section Hyde hated. The neighborhood of houses smushed together was a sight for sore eyes and sore feet traversing uneven terrain roads. A bike ride didn't mitigate that soreness since they rode for so long. An avenue of homes led up and another led down, how older folk and students rushing to catch the train dealt with this was beyond the detective. The library they found looked like the only lavish building next to its contemporaries, a shop that wasn't going to last long as a chalkboard that would display sales now read "Closing Soon".
Thankfully the avenue here was flat. The bike he rode with Hoka was practically tossed away getting off, and the first thing Hyde did was lunge for Lan attempting to strangle her, but Hoka's grip on his jacket held him back. Naturally the shy maid yelped and hid behind Midare to use as a shield, a facade of shyness though she knew what her fingers had done.
"It's all a misunderstanding!" Lan cried.
"She can't be trusted alive!" Hyde didn't believe her for even a second. Misusing misunderstanding trying to trick him. No matter how hard he pushed himself, he couldn't budge from being held back. "How are you so strong?!" This wasn't the only time Hoka managed to control his entire mass. If that was her magical power then it made sense why Soap wanted it for himself.
Lan pressed her finger together putting on the most sorry look ever conceived. "I w-was worried you were stuck in a traffic jam and wouldn't arrive on time. I said those things s-so you could hurry before Midare was left in this cold."
"I understand." Said Mary before she snapped back to the truer reality. "Wait a second—that was a bold lie!"
"This situation between us is a bold misunderstanding!" Lan cried.
"Okay everyone…" Midare waved her hand to get everyone to settle their emotions, causing
Hyde's rage to collapse his arms falling limp by his side. Lan used this time to swiftly escape past and took Hoka's arm, her job merely to gather the detectives for Midare. Hyde wouldn't see it, but behind his back she flashed a wicked smirk before escorting Hoka back to the cafe.
"Agh, that girl…" Hyde muttered. Turning back to the Boss, he eyed her new attire consisting of a white blouse with frilled sleeves and a dark waisted skirt. A fur scarf wrapped her neck, it was expensive for sure considering she carried more white bags with the bouquet's name front and center. There was a lot going on at once.
"What's the deal here? I see a truck over there, and a couple of boxes. Couldn't you have waited until night to rob a closing store?"
"It's not a robbery." Midare spun around. "The owner of this place has passed away. He dedicated his time to building this library and eventually developed a fascination with magic. Eventually in this neighborhood, it became the biggest library hosting magic tomes without a license."
"The biggest?" Ruena raised a brow.
"There are likely more self owned libraries that fly under the WMA's radar."
"I'm guessing we're on orders from them?" Dakota questioned and Midare nodded subtly in response. She would gesture to follow her inside the small store. The walls were books, all books leading to the front counter where there were more books underneath. The doorway behind hosted a break room with a rocking chair, and other furniture for an aging man. A stack of books were laid for the newspaper girl to sit on, and her focus was so enthralled with the tome that their footsteps fell on deaf ears. She helped with the decoding process but there were a lot of books to go through.
Midare faced both detectives, "The girl helping us is named Yuriri. Lemon says she's the future Duke of a country Reanne desires control over. He says she has a good eye for magic."
"Is that right..?" Hyde added this to another one of the outlandish plots his life cruised in. In response to hearing Midare's explanation, she lifted her tome slightly to cover her face. Didn't seem like she wanted to talk during this mission.
"Her parents are dead, so Lemon brought her here to give her a better life away from something she was born into unfairly. She's taken a liking to Japan. Yamiko plans to take her in and give her a home under her wing. But…" Her voice trailed off remembering what Lemon said to her in private.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"If Reanne ever lets power go to her head, can I trust you to save the day?"
It was strange that he perceived them as heroes and their work equally as such. The implications were there, Midare wasn't a fool to the outcomes Lemon desired. She would shake her head, a platter full of people willing to work under her was a headache.
"Lemme guess, we gotta babysit her too?"
"No." Midare replied. "You've become a better detective. There are things you should know that no one else will."
A smirk lifted Hyde. "Hear that Ruena? I'm getting a promotion soon." He playfully nudged.
Ruena tapped her chin. "Promoted into a super detective..?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Mary spat, raining on his one man parade.
"You're not being promoted anytime soon. You'll be needing this, however." Midare held up the bags. Placing four on the floor, she unveiled their gifts from her shopping ventures. Hyde received a brown trenchcoat that gave him the look of a lead detective. It didn't seem to match well but that didn't bother him. Ruena and Mary both received scarves matching their casual attire. Ruena holding one that was a sea blue affixed with lines that formed crosses if wrapped properly. Mary's scarf pattern contained half stripes that gave the arrangement of piano keys. Lastly Dakota was quick putting on his warm brown poncho with white lines patterning the edges.
With a new look ordered, the novice detectives felt like they could take on anything! But the mundanity of sorting through books was a challenge tougher than battle.
"Be careful. I was warned this library is haunted." Midare said. It was hard to take seriously or laugh if this was her attempt to lighten the mood.
The retreat into magic sigils and text they could barely understand was all a headache. The most managed was a single stack of boxes. There were a lot of books within said boxes and surprisingly Ruena was the one to crack first, accidentally flipping two pages instead of one, and going back to reread what her memory missed. Yuriri flipped a page in sync with Hyde tossing a book into a box. Mary flipped several pages. Midare turned a page in sync with Ruena going to pull a book from the shelf, but both were at opposite walls and the slip of the leather cover deafened the connection. The silence was obnoxious.
"Just a bit more…" Hyde gave up and fell on his side, even though there was a lot more ahead. This was going to take all day, especially since Yuriri was the only one that could accurately translate the text. If not the title then the first few paragraphs would give away what the tomes taught—that of magic to crush pebbles into salt. Tossed into the useless pile.
Mary pulled him up by the arm. "Don't leave me to read!"
"I'm the only one reading anything in the first place!" Yuriri exclaimed. "And this is another worthless spell. What were those old farts thinking back in the day..?"
They shared a collective sigh towards their predicament. A small rant allowed them to get back to work but it deafened the click of when Ruena pulled the book and the shelf flipped, taking her for a ride on the other side. The thick walls made her descending screaming impossible to hear.
"A TRAP DOOOOooooooorrrr!!"
Plunging into an endless abyss of darkness, she felt a sense of hopelessness engulf her. There seemed to be no spell within her repertoire that could rescue her from this predicament. And even if there were, did she possess the skill to execute it and prevent her imminent demise? As she tumbled downward, a book tumbled alongside her, perhaps holding the solution. With a desperate flail, she managed to snatch it from the air. Upon her touch, the book emitted a brilliant white glow.
Miraculously, her descent began to decelerate, the rushing winds fading away. Slowly, a checkered tiled floor materialized beneath her feet, and pieces of the same flat ground rose to form the walls of the structure into which she was plummeting. Was it a dungeon? A palace? A prison? In a realm surpassing Earth, any of these could be the correct answer. Looking down, she found the book that saved her fall had withered, its pages thinned out as if it was dumped into an ocean.
Inverted lanterns dangled from a shadowy ceiling, casting a bluish glow across the area, while the walls delineated a path forward with branching corridors. Ruena had the option to turn left or right, but pressing on seemed the most direct route to return to reality. "Hello?" Ruena called out during her sprint but it was futile to find an answer in a place she didn't understand. Emotions weren't laced with fear but confusion and spite that she had to be the one in this position. Must've been bad luck rearing its head since she was largely uninvolved prior. In the distance, the faint sound of scraping metal echoed—a sign that the environment was shifting to meet her presence, yet ultimately leading nowhere.
"Cheri could probably spell herself out of here… But I don't need her magic. If I can solve this puzzle on my own…"
"Is anyone here?" She called out once more, but received no response. Undeterred, she pressed on and found herself at the foot of a staircase leading upward. Eagerly, she ascended the steps, only to be met with a surprising sight upon reaching the second floor: Dakota engaged in a battle against two levitating books, both emanating a dark aura. Without hesitation, Ruena joined Dakota's side.
"What's going on? What is this place?"
"If I knew then I wouldn't be lost like you." Dakota replied. "I tried taking a book from the shelf and the whole thing flipped on me. Fell in here and came across these two things. They look hostile."
"Is this what Midare meant by the library being haunted? A couple of books don't scare me!" Ruena said, swiping her arm across with confidence. She let the guitar case's single strap slip off her shoulder then kneeled to unzip a red bladed sword she was given to use for future battles.
Dakota pulled a pistol from his pocket. An antique colt revolver the twin maids gave to match his aesthetic. The firearm was rusted around the chamber but the maids cleaned it enough so it could be used.
Ruena tightly gripped the handle of her sword and sprinted to deliver a hard downwards slash to the first most book. A bullet left a hole in the second book and finishing the battle, Ruena spun to sweep the pages clean rendering it unreadable as the dark aura faded and the strange book fell.
The sword was heavy to wield in one hand. Taking that into account, she hoisted the sword over her shoulder to carry. "Something feels wrong cutting books like that."
"Can you sense their magic?"
"No…" Ruena paused then shook her head. "Nevermind. Let's keep searching."
On the flip side, Hyde finished the battle by stabbing a book and pinning it to the ground. Leaving his sword embedded, he knelt down to read the text, which was now upside down. Adjusting his position, he switched around to gain a better understanding of its contents.
The book turned out to be an autobiography, with this particular chapter situated in the midst of its climax. It chronicled the author's frustrations with the institute, recounting how his research had been repeatedly rejected due to quality issues that failed to meet the standard. Moreover, it depicted how his theories were dismissed as absurd, despite the fact that the book he discovered in a cave provided evidence to advance magical research. That was as much as Hyde could discern before the pages began to thin to mere threads, and withdrawing his sword caused the pages to dissolve entirely.
"What did you see?" Midare said from his rear.
"It's just more of the same," Hyde responded, crossing his arms as he turned to face Midare and Mary. Together, they had uncovered the mechanism that led to this area when Mary pulled a book and narrowly avoided capture. Yuriri had been instructed to remain behind while they delved deeper to investigate, as Dakota and Ruena had suddenly vanished into thin air.
"I hope they're okay…" Mary murmured quietly.
Ignoring her concern, Midare stepped forward. "We're close to the center. Let's get this over with."
"How can you tell?" Hyde raised a brow.
"I sense immense magic emitting from ahead."
"Can you sense where Dakota and Ruena are?" Mary questioned.
Midare bluntly replied, "Their magic is too weak to follow."
To which Hyde only shrugged. The answer was expected, they hadn't trained at all. Though The Boss would add, "This experience here will thankfully change that." definitely alluding to something special the center foe at in store for them.
They continued traveling the sterile halls letting Midare decide which halls to turn into, avoiding battling stray books all to end this illusion quickly. Hyde had his fill during the initial introduction to this area and without blood, battles were a dull victory.
Hallways converged into a central plaza where the tile pattern changed to one seen in a bathroom. Dotted diamonds lining the circular area, and in the center was a black book encased in an energy bubble emitting purple sparks. The wind whipped around wildly, as if the book itself were a tornado.
Hyde shielded his face with his arm. "I never seen a magic tome do that before. What was being experimented on here?"
Even though the sparks extended overhead, even going as far nearly striking where Mary stood, Midare didn't flinch an inch. "This is what happens when you uncover a grimoire, and don't properly exorcize the trapped contained within it."
"A demonic book?!" Mary screamed.
Hyde furrowed a brow. "What kind of person makes this thing?"
"Demonic books aren't real." Midare answered, folding her arms calmly. "Old magicians that dabble in dark magic commonly try to prolong their life span by putting their magic into tomes. When Lambda and I first encountered a grimoire, she compared it to uploading your consciousness into a computer, then letting someone else discover said computer. As you can see, it's dangerous to let any person get their hands on magic tomes…"
Lightning crackled between her and Hyde, but while he leapt to avoid the lingering sparks, the magic dissipated near The Boss' presence. "T-this guy seems pissed..!" Hyde stammered.
Just in time, Dakota and Ruena stumbled into the plaza, their faces reflecting utter surprise at the sight of the grimoire and its immense power. With the group assembled, Midare raised an arm. "His power is rather weak. If I had to guess, the owner of this library exchanged something for knowledge that's likely outdated. Hyde, are you ready?"
"Uhm… No?" Hyde straightened himself against the heavy winds then bent his knees slightly for a battle stance. "Okay, now I am. Ruena, Dakota! Once Midare dispels that barrier we rush, okay?"
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Ruena cried, confused by the terrible strategy.
Midare collapsed her hand into a fist and the bubble vanished in an instant. No time to think or question the intricacies of why or how—the band dogpiled onto the floating book striking it with blade, the butt of the revolver, fists, kicks, anything to get the book to drop dead on the floor. However, a sudden burst of energy sent them flying backward, crashing onto their backs.
The open book, riddled with holes and crinkled pages, transformed into a translucent figure. Its face took the form of the book, while its body was composed of pure energy, with lightning coursing through it like veins, representing the echoes of a past returning to haunt the future. Though its head resembled a book with empty pages awaiting inscription, it spoke with a resonant, aged voice, "Half-mortals tainted with dragon's blood…"
"Traitors of humanity, I see it. I rescued my existence from a dying fate and come to see the future is hand in hand with the very savages that tried to run the world extinct. If it's a battle you desire, be warned that my magic has left no man unscathed."
From behind, Midare seized both ends of the book and forcefully slammed it shut, abruptly bringing the battle to a close. The ethereal body dissipated into thin air and Midare was left with a grimoire she casually tossed up and caught.
Hyde groaned, sitting up to rub his head. "What was his speech all about?"
Midare pondered for a moment, then replied, "It's nothing important. You should be able to deduce it."
Ruena scrambled to get on all fours. "How did you end the battle that quickly? He was strong, I could sense it!" She drooled in awe.
Midare raised a finger. "But did you sense what element he was?" The answer was written all over her face. The Boss let out a sigh, "You still have a lot of learning to do. He was an arcane wizard. That element is the combination of fire, wind, and thunder. Despite being relatively powerful, Non magic is still unaffected by it. No matter how strong the spell, non magic can render it null."
Then what explained the lack of books on it? Why weren't the magicians they faced vying for non magic to completely outwit their competition, the WMA, if the organization had magicians of its own. Sure everyone may have been born with a predetermined element but given how far the world progressed from the origin of magic, shouldn't there have been ways to circumvent human genetics? Questions Hyde wanted to ask, but his eyelids fell heavy. Before he knew it, he woke up back in the small library, unfortunately the last one awakened in the empty shop.
"Seriously… no one bothered to wake me up?" Hyde exclaimed as he scrambled to his feet and rushed outside, where the group stood, observing the sky transition from afternoon blue to an intermingling yellow hue.
Hyde joined the line up beside Midare, planting a hand on his hip. He opened his mouth but she interrupted, "Did you enjoy your field trip?"
Dakota brows knotted. "Did you plan all of this out?" A hint of frustration laced his tone.
"I had a vague idea of what might occur when I took on the case. I thought it would be a beneficial learning experience for all of you. So, did you learn anything?"
Hyde specifically remembered a spell that changed the taste of fruits to other fruits. Other than that, he was just along for the ride.
Mary sighed. "I barely read any of the sigils and texts at all. It was too hard to decipher."
"Someone's gonna fail the magic exam."
"That's a thing!?" Hyde and Mary exclaimed at the same time.
Yuriri giggled. "Do you just fall for anything people tell you? Julius was right about you."
"Ok, for the record I did learn. Magic seals, mana conduits, sensing magic…" Just to name a few of the things He picked up on. Magic seals allowed a magician to prevent another from casting through overlapping their set wavelength. The theory goes that on contact, a person can transfer their mana if they're around similar wavelengths. Using that method, an adept could transfer his mana to a novice and since the novice hadn't trained to that level he couldn't use that energy given to him for a temporary amount of time, completely preventing him from casting magic. Such a technique was hard to pull off, but would prove useful for their future battles in close quarters.
"I think I'm getting better at sensing magic." Ruena raised a hand. She eyed the grimoire in Midare's hand, still emitting sparse magic from its pages. "What will you do with that, Midare?"
She raised the black book close to her face. "Mary has the highest capacity for magic. I'm going to teach you the last few spells that his book has before burning it."
"Eh?! But what if he escapes again?"
Midare closed her eyes. "I placed several magic draining seals on this grimoire when I touched it. It's impossible. Hm… If by some miracle he frees himself again, he'll die in an instant."
"Wow…"
"What a powerful magician you are, Boss." Dakota added.
She looked bothered by the compliment but refrained from saying anything. There was still a lot of work ahead. As the sun set, the band picked their bikes letting Midare handle the talk and the rest of bureaucracy that came with finishing a mission.