Chapter 247: Chapter 247: The Hundred Thousand and Three Grimoires (Second Update)
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"Go get something to eat!"
Leaving the Hound Troop's base, George strolled through the bustling streets of Academy City and casually entered an underground food court.
Although his body had already reached the point where he wouldn't die even if he didn't eat, going without food for too long still made him feel uncomfortable.
So, unless he was particularly busy, he maintained a habit of eating three meals a day.
He randomly chose a noodle shop, ordered a bowl of ramen, and had just eaten halfway through when a crisp, youthful voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Hello, everyone. I am a Judgment officer speaking to you via telepathy. There's no need to panic.
A terrorist has infiltrated the underground mall. The defensive barriers will soon be deployed to seal off the area. Please evacuate immediately!"
"A terrorist? Everyone, let's go!"
As soon as the announcement rang out in their minds, the shop owner and customers quickly packed up their things and left. Seeing this, George had no choice but to put down his chopsticks and follow the crowd out of the shop.
Situations like this occasionally occurred in Academy City—it wasn't as peaceful and utopian as its outward image suggested.
Sometimes, external forces coveted Academy City's technology and research, sneaking in only to be discovered, triggering violent conflicts.
Other times, arrogant and greedy espers, unaware of their own limitations, turned to crime, engaging in robbery, assault, or even murder.
And then there were cases like the Misaka Sisters experiment—where various research labs conducted cruel experiments on espers, leading to subjects going berserk.
George wasn't particularly interested in any of this.
For now, he just wanted to spend two more months in Academy City, advancing his esper level to Level 5 before leaving to study magic in major churches around the world.
Level 5 was the pinnacle of what Academy City—and humanity—could achieve with esper abilities. Reaching Level 6 meant stepping into the realm of the divine, and he didn't believe Academy City had the means to make that leap.
The Judgment officer who had just used telepathy to warn everyone belonged to one of the two major organizations responsible for maintaining order in Academy City.
There were no police in Academy City. Instead, law enforcement and crime suppression were handled by two groups: Anti-Skill and Judgment.
Anti-Skill consisted mainly of ordinary people, but they were equipped with the world's most advanced weaponry, including rare exoskeleton armor.
Judgment, on the other hand, was composed entirely of espers—students selected from various schools, with each school forming its own branch.
Misaka Mikoto's slightly perverse roommate, Shirai Kuroko, was a Level 4 esper with teleportation abilities and one of Judgment's officers.
"Huh? Is that... magic?"
As George followed the crowd evacuating, he suddenly noticed an eye emerging from the wall to his right. The eye scanned the fleeing people before shifting its gaze elsewhere, as if searching for something.
Despite coming from a different world, magic still had certain recognizable traits, which led George to conclude that this eye was a magical construct rather than an esper ability.
"A magician has actually entered Academy City?"
Intrigued, George immediately cast an invisibility spell and began tailing the eye, eager to uncover the magician's intentions.
As he followed it, the eye eventually stopped in front of three students—one male and two females.
"Hahaha! Finally found you!"
Upon spotting the students, the eye let out a crazed, almost manic laugh.
Judging by the voice, the magician behind this spell was likely a woman, though her tone carried a slightly androgynous quality.
"A golem made of earth was forcibly replaced by a guardian angel from Britain."
The youngest of the three—a girl dressed in what resembled a white nun's habit—stared blankly at the floating eye, her expression momentarily robotic as she explained the situation in a monotone voice.
Once she finished speaking, she returned to her normal, childlike demeanor.
The male student in the white shirt, upon hearing her explanation, wore a look of shock on his face.
"Could it be that the terrorist the Judgment officer mentioned is actually a magician?!"
"It seems these people aren't ordinary either."
George's interest grew even stronger.
The small girl, who looked like an elementary school student, clearly had extensive knowledge of magic—she recognized the eye-based spell at a glance.
And the boy was also aware of the existence of magicians.
"Well then, let the banquet begin! Cry your hearts out in this burial chamber of rotting earth and stone!"
As the female magician's voice echoed once more, the entire underground mall trembled, and all the lights suddenly went out, plunging the area into darkness.
Then, the boy and the girl started arguing.
"Index, take Kazakiri and hide somewhere safe."
"Touma, you should be the one taking Kazakiri to safety.
Since the enemy is a magician, I should be the one to fight."
"You're so small and frail. How are you supposed to fight? You can't even actively use magic!
Let me handle this. My right hand can nullify all magic and esper abilities!"
"Touma, you're a complete amateur when it comes to magic. I may not be able to use magic myself, but I have 103,000 grimoires stored in my mind—I know every magic spell in the world.
With my knowledge, I can find a way to break the enemy's spells."
"What if this magician is here specifically for your grimoires?!"
Listening to their argument, George was completely stunned.
These two weren't just extraordinary—they were beyond comprehension.
One had a right hand that could erase all magic and esper abilities, while the other had every magic spell in the world recorded in her mind.
Why bother searching for churches to study magic? If he could get his hands on the grimoires in this girl's mind, wouldn't he be able to learn all the magic of this world?
This was a treasure trove beyond imagination!
If George's eyes could literally shine, the entire underground mall would have been illuminated in an instant.
Just as he was contemplating how to acquire the 103,000 grimoires from the girl, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed nearby.
"They're here too."
"There are voices—someone hasn't evacuated yet."
Shirai Kuroko and Misaka Mikoto, both wearing armbands of the Judgment organization, appeared in front of the group.
Upon seeing the boy, Misaka Mikoto's face showed a hint of surprise.
"So it's you!"
"You… Oh, yeah, it's me."
Kamijou Touma's face briefly showed confusion when he saw Misaka Mikoto, but he quickly pretended to recognize her, nodding in acknowledgment.
Due to losing part of his memory while saving Index some time ago, he naturally couldn't remember people he had met during that period.
Since this girl with the Judgment officer seemed to know him, she was probably someone he had encountered back then.
(End of Chapter)