Bonus: The Magician Once Again Descends Upon the Tower

“...Don’t mock me.”

The boy muttered with quiet venom.

No—he was too young to even be called a “young man.” Towering close to two meters tall, with unnaturally red hair like someone had dumped a bucket of paint over his head. His ears were pierced all over, and every one of his fingers wore gaudy rings so heavy they looked like brass knuckles. All of this distorted his appearance, but in truth, he was only fourteen years old.

—Stiyl Magnus.

One of the top ten combatants within Necessarius, the Church of Necessary Evil. And right now, he was feeling an age-appropriate fury.

The cause of his anger was the very letter he now crushed in his hand.

“That woman...”

Everything about her got under his skin.

She had trampled on Stiyl’s pride, told Index the painful truth, and then dragged her into the very incident Stiyl and his allies were meant to resolve.

If things had taken a turn for the worse, there would’ve been no hesitation.

Had she flaunted her actions with a smug attitude, their relationship would have been clearly defined from that point on.

But in reality, the situation had dramatically improved. His relationship with Index had noticeably gotten better. She even sent the occasional letter now. Their exchanges were still a bit stiff, but with time, they might eventually return to how things used to be—or even if not exactly the same, he could at least stand at her side again.

And despite that, she never once boasted about it. In fact, she had calmly accepted even Stiyl’s bitter grumblings, as though they were only natural. If she had any normal sense of pride, she’d be furious at such ingratitude.

That’s why Stiyl Magnus hated Reicia Blackguard.

He despised her for doing so much for him, and yet being so oblivious to the gratitude he tried—awkwardly—to express.

No, expecting her to notice his contrarian behavior was admittedly too much. But still, Stiyl had been grateful. He found her absolutely insufferable, but he respected her enough to acknowledge what she’d done.

And yet.

“Dissociative identity disorder? She’s disappearing now?”

It irritated him. That crafty trick of asking people to go easy on the remaining personality, like she assumed she was still hated. That complete lack of trust in him.

And then, topping it all off, that blissfully idiotic mind of hers that still went out of its way to express gratitude even in that letter.

Everything about her grated on his nerves. His patience had finally run out.

“Don’t screw with me. You think I’m just going to let you get away with that smug little exit?”

Chapter 3: I Won’t Let You Get Away With That (N)ever_Give_Up.
Bonus: The Magician Once Again Descends Upon the Tower

Now, Stiyl stood atop a high-rise in Academy City.

As always, the view of the city from here was clear and wide.

“...You really didn’t need to come too.”

Stiyl spat out the words.

“Frankly, this is overkill.”

“There are things I won’t compromise on either.”

“Good grief. The entire magical community’s going to panic if they hear a Saint was dispatched just to track a single soul.”

“...Preparations were made, weren’t they?”

“I just hate being in debt to that damned fox.”

Stiyl shrugged in resignation. Standing beside him was a tall woman of East Asian descent.

She had long black hair tied into a ponytail behind her head—a striking beauty. Her white T-shirt was oddly cinched at the waist, revealing her stomach, and her jeans were cut to expose one thigh.

That asymmetrical woman—Saint Kanzaki Kaori—was another who’d received a letter and reached her breaking point, just like Stiyl.

Although, in her case, it wasn’t righteous anger that moved her so much as a simple desire tied to the meaning of her own name.

“Now, what do we do?”

Before them stood a group of girls in summer sweaters. Had Stiyl and Kaori been more familiar with the scientific side, they’d have recognized them as wearing the uniforms of Tokiwadai Middle School. The group was gathered near a hospital in District 7.

But that wasn’t all. Standing near them was that spiky-haired boy, along with the girl in white—a certain nun. If you asked Stiyl, that boy was as useless as they came unless there was some great evil to punch, but at a glance, he seemed to be handling things decently.

Elsewhere on the hospital rooftop, there were two more girls in summer sweaters with light brown hair.

According to the investigation they’d done on their way here, researchers from some institute had started circling around Reicia as well. A quick background check suggested they were involved in her ability development program.

And most astonishing of all—at the center of the first group of girls, there she was.

Reicia Blackguard, blonde hair and blue eyes, unmistakable.

That do-gooder had apparently become someone not even her core personality could bring itself to let go of.

“...It almost feels like there’s no place left for us to step in.”

“No kidding.”

Stiyl muttered, displeased—but despite that, there was a smile at the corner of his lips.

“But none of them are magicians. Even if you’ve got the wisdom of 103,000 grimoires, it’s useless if no one knows how to wield it. Don’t you agree?”

"———Indeed."

Nodding in agreement, the two of them set off.

Fortis931, to prove why the name they bear is synonymous with strength.
Salvare000, to offer a hand to those beyond salvation.

After all, their magic was always meant to protect.

"Most likely."

While toying with a rune in his hand, Stiyl spoke.

"It’ll be impossible for the science side alone to save her. Of course, the fact that they haven't fallen into despair means they'll be able to get somewhere. …But even then, they’ll be missing pieces before it’s over."

That was the clear conclusion of a professional magician—one far more versed in the soul than the science side ever could be.

In truth, the issue wasn't just a case of dissociative identity disorder, but rather one of spiritual possession. Even if he hadn't completely deduced that, Stiyl's instincts were right on target.

"…But on the other hand, we can’t share our technical knowledge with them."

A politically inevitable conclusion.

No matter how much the two of them personally wanted to save her, the magic and science sides were fundamentally enemies. If technical data were leaked, their respective organizations would have no choice but to react aggressively. Even if they did succeed in saving her, she and her surroundings would be plunged into yet another crisis.

In short, although magic-side techniques were needed, those techniques couldn’t be shared with anyone from the science side—except Reicia and Kamijou. From this, several operational constraints emerged.

"First, no large-scale ritual magic."

For instance, rune magic. Filling a room wall-to-wall with runes would be no better than advertising the existence of magic. Any such spells would have to be cast well away from the group of girls, and even then, only under strict concealment.

That said, it wasn’t a fatal issue. After all, they had the knowledge of 103,000 grimoires on their side. While their professional input might be valuable, their most important role here was simply the ability to use magic.

"And second, we’ll need a messenger."

After all, their objective was to save her. If they went sneaking around themselves, the risk of being spotted and mistaken for enemies was real. To avoid any such tragic misunderstandings, they needed someone else to act as an intermediary.

But that’s where the real problem lay.

"…Using Reicia Blackguard as a messenger would be difficult."

"Yeah."

For starters, she was surrounded at the center of a group of girls. Without even having her phone number, there was no way to contact her directly. That left them with only one option.

"Good grief. Annoying as it is, we’ll have to approach him again."

"…That boy always ends up getting dragged into things, doesn’t he?"

"Surely you don’t think he even recognizes this sort of thing as a burden, Kanzaki?"

"This is about my sense of pride."

Stiyl smirked, and Kanzaki responded with a wry smile. Then, fixing her eyes on the spiky-haired boy, she leapt from the rooftop of the skyscraper.

Using Nanasen, she tore through the air, gradually decelerating as she fell. And as she descended, a thought crossed Kanzaki's mind.

Stiyl may have phrased it mockingly, but with that plan, it was essentially an admission.

That he trusted the goodness of Kamijou Touma.

…Honestly, what a hopelessly stubborn boy.

“…Well then, Kanzaki has taken care of the Messenger problem. That means my job is… to protect everyone, I suppose.”

Originally, that responsibility should’ve fallen to Kanzaki. After all, she’s a Saint. The "nuclear weapon-level" designation comes not just from raw power in single combat, but from her ability to scale that power freely and bring any battle to an end, no matter the context. That monstrous versatility is what earns her such a title.

And yet, despite knowing this, Stiyl had entrusted the Messenger to her.

“It's a rare chance to spend some time with that girl, after all.”

Choosing something other than the optimal solution because of sentiment—that might make Stiyl an irrational person. But that’s exactly what a magician is. That’s what it means to be a magician.

After all, as the very embodiment of irrationality, it’s precisely when he acts on such irrational motives that he becomes strongest.

“For now…”

Stiyl had already sensed the signs of a fight brewing near Reicia.

Was it a scientist?

It seemed they were already engaged in battle with someone else—a white-haired, red-eyed boy. But if they were just an ordinary scientist, they’d be at a severe disadvantage against a magician.

True, both sides excelled in different domains. But while Stiyl didn’t fully understand scientific principles, he at least recognized them. Scientists, on the other hand, had no understanding whatsoever of magical laws.

That alone gave Stiyl an overwhelming advantage.

Even if dozens came at him at once, wiping them out would be a simple task.

But even if his opponents were magicians, it wouldn’t have made a difference. His resolve wouldn’t waver.

He was Fortis931—a name that exists to prove why he is the strongest.

Its meaning:

“I will protect that girl’s world. No matter what.”