Unlimited Ambition

At midnight, after a long day, I went to the embassy where I was staying. But I wasn't greeted with a friendly face. Index even complained, pointing to the evening news on TV, saying I'd gone out for a nice meal without her knowledge and hadn't even brought her some back.

"I actually trusted you, Wright, and I only ate half a meal at lunch," Index complained to me. I couldn't say anything, I could only smile wryly.

Just then, the girl next to me, whom I didn't know very well, suddenly handed me a... well, a towel?

How is this going?

Well, at times like this, saying thank you is fine: "Thank you... Miss Itsuki?"

"It's nothing, Your Highness, it's a pleasure that you remember my name," the girl said, then ran to the side and started chatting with other ordinary-looking people of East Asian descent.

Is that Amakusa-style group? They're here too... I hadn't really noticed them before.

I looked at Kanzaki with some confusion, hoping she would give me an explanation. Unexpectedly, Kanzaki didn't even glance at me, seemingly hesitating about something.

Whatever, I'm already exhausted today. Can I just rest a little? Tomorrow I have a meeting with the Italian Deputy Prime Minister. The day after that is with the Foreign Minister, the day after that with the Army Minister, the day after that with the Navy Minister, and the day after that with the convenience store…

In short, my schedule is packed. I won't have a moment's free for at least a week. And thinking about it, these guys are nothing but useless puppets. The real masterminds, the Vatican, haven't even shown their faces yet. I'm getting a headache.

How about we instruct the knights who infiltrated Jerusalem to cause some minor damage? How about completely collapsing the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Or perhaps causing Pompeii to erupt again? Sounds pretty good.

well.

By the third day, I was utterly fed up with the pointless meetings with Italian government officials and had made up my mind that if the Roman Catholic Church didn't intervene, I would sink the entire Apennine Peninsula—finally, intelligence came through.

The Adriatic Queen's Fleet? Those medieval relics should be gathering dust in a corner of a warehouse, shouldn't they? How could anyone possibly use such junk in battle?!

However, to be fair, the Roman Catholic Church, such a corrupt and decadent organization, is indeed a perfect match for these old relics. They actually even brought out the Queen of Adria!

At a time like this, what other ideas do I have besides laughing hysterically?

Because that magical artifact was specifically designed for Constantinople—a super artifact crafted by the Roman Catholic Church at great expense during the zenith of Jerusalem's union with the Eastern Roman Empire centuries ago. It was a super treasure capable of destroying the entire city of Constantinople, plus the Jerusalem king being crowned there, in a single attack!

"They have no intention of negotiating at all! It's a scam! The entire Roman Catholic Church is full of liars!! War?! Fine! Who's afraid of who?! Get me a secret telegram from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs! Tell them to write up the declaration of war by tomorrow! Release it to the world the day after tomorrow!!!"

After a burst of laughter, I announced the general mobilization order. At the same time, I punched the stunned Italian diplomat who was about to invite me to dinner. Then, I led my entourage outside in a frenzy.

"Don't get separated! Extra Chapter Individuals, Orianna, Kanzaki, you guys take care of Index and Last Order! The rest of you, remember to protect yourselves!"

I absolutely can't stay here any longer. God knows when a bomb might fall.

Just then, those familiar faces appeared. I remembered their faces, and although their clothes were a little revealing, it didn't matter at all.

Sisters Lucia and Angelina, belonging to the Roman Catholic Agnes's Guard, are running towards us at an incredible speed. They're moving as if they're fleeing for their lives…

Wait a minute.

Those two guys seem to be genuinely running for their lives! The ones behind them in white hooded cloaks appear to be from one of the assassin organizations under the Roman Catholic Church. I can't quite remember their names. Since they're not cute girls, there's no need to worry about them.

"What's going on?!" Seeing Angelina, the little nun I met last time, suddenly rush over, I caught her and then, ignoring the angry glares from the other girls, asked this question.

"Please, you must save us!" the chubby little girl pleaded with me, her eyes brimming with tears, a plea that could easily evoke a protective instinct in anyone.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright." I pinched the little girl's cheek, feeling the other girls' anger almost materializing. I retreated slightly—or rather, ran forward. Then, I drew my sword and, with exceptional flair, knocked unconscious the Roman Catholic pursuers.

Afterwards, the fleeing group grew larger again. Only after we had run all the way to a dock in the suburbs did I order a stop and catch my breath.

……towel?

However, the timing is quite right this time.

"Thank you, Wuhe."

Moreover, he can now call out the girl's name without any hesitation.

"Really good, the towel-passing strategy is effective." Several Amakusa-style members whispered among themselves. Meanwhile, the so-called papal proxy, Uncle Kenmiya Saiji, nodded slowly with his eyes closed in satisfaction. Then, Kanzaki's voice, filled with intense anger, rang out.

"Build, Palace, Fast, Character... Explain to me what this is all about?!" The intense spiritual pressure caused Kanzaki's hair to flutter, making her look as cute as a demon from hell.

"Um... Your Highness, please let me explain—Wuhe is a huge fan of His Highness the Crown Prince—and everyone supports him—hey! When did you guys all disappear so far away?!"

After speaking for a while, Kenmiya suddenly realized he was completely isolated and helpless. Cold sweat poured down his back. He tried to retreat to safety, but Kanzaki punched him to the ground, and then the harem members all joined in, punching and kicking the poor Kenmiya.

...Just pretend you didn't see it.

“Speaking of which, Wuhe, you’re really gentle.” I turned my back to the murder scene and said this to Wuhe.

"It's nothing, Your Highness, you flatter me..." Wuhe lowered her head shyly. But if you looked closely, you could see that she was smiling.

"Now, can you explain to me what happened?" I turned around and looked at the two nuns from Agnes's unit who looked travel-worn and had suffered a lot.

"Because of the previous failure, Agnes's unit has been disbanded. All members have been assigned to the Queen's fleet, led by Piageo Pusoni." This time it was Lucia who spoke; her serious face made her quite suitable for an explanation.

"And what about Agnes?" I asked. To be honest, I was a little concerned about this girl.

“I was just about to talk about her,” Lucia said irritably. “Ever since the last mission failed, Agnes has somehow become suspicious of the actions of the Roman Catholic Church. That’s one of the reasons she was severely punished.”

"Severe punishment?" Seeing my shifty eyes, Rukia could tell without me even guessing that I wasn't thinking anything good.

“It’s used as material for activating the Limit Cross!” Rukia said. “This time, the Roman Catholic Church has mobilized the Queen of the Adriatic Sea to destroy Academy City. However, although the Queen of the Adriatic Sea is incredibly powerful, she is only targeting the war machine of Constantinople. Therefore, the Limit Cross must be activated first to remove this constraint. And to activate the Limit Cross, a magician with powerful talent like Agnes is required.”

Rukia explained it to me like this. I was somewhat concerned about it.

"Huh? Wasn't it to destroy Constantinople?"

“How could that be?! Constantinople’s status isn’t that great now. It’s just the capital of the Anatolian province. Destroying it at the risk of war with the state church of Jerusalem would be a complete loss,” Lucia said irritably.

"Then why Academy City?" I asked.

"You're asking me? Who should I ask?" Rukia rolled her eyes.

I stroked my chin, thinking it would probably be a few more years before I grew a beard: "Yeah, you're right. I really shouldn't have asked you about this. Because there's a more suitable person over there... Kamijou! Stop hiding, aren't you going to come and say hello to your teacher?!"

I shouted this into the alley next to me. The boy hiding in it shuddered and got goosebumps.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Super Battleships

Kamijou hesitated for a second, his past life flashing before his eyes like a revolving lantern. Then, he took a deep breath and, with a fearless revolutionary spirit, took a firm step—only to retreat later.

"What should I do, what should I do?! My Italian self-guided trip! I knew I couldn't possibly have such good luck. I just wanted to find a quiet place to spend some time alone with Yuriko, but I never expected to run into him."

Sure enough, I've always been plagued by bad luck, hehehehe... Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it... Nothing good ever happens when I run into him. I'm still young, I don't want to die so soon, Yuriko still needs me to take care of her..."

Of course, the reality is quite different from what Kamijou thought. On the contrary, Kamijou, who is incredibly unlucky, often needs Yuriko's financial support to survive.

"Touma, calm down." At this crucial moment, Yuriko was the only reliable one. She patted Touma on the shoulder and said, "Step behind me."

Kamijou burst into tears: "Ah, does that mean I, a man, have to rely on Yuriko to protect me?"

Immediately afterwards, Kamijou developed an extremely pessimistic and world-weary mindset.

"Are you two ever going to stop? Come out here right now, I have important things to discuss with you." I was getting a little impatient.

Then, a young couple appeared in front of us, hand in hand.

“This… there are two men…” Oriana whispered to Kanzaki next to her.

“…No, look closely at that white-haired man’s neck, he doesn’t seem to have an Adam’s apple,” Kanzaki replied softly.

By the way, lately, girls seem to have formed two distinct camps based on their looks and figures. One camp consists of flat-chested girls and lolis, represented by characters like Misaka Sisters, Index, Last Order, and Sasha.

There are also characters like Oriana, Kanzaki, Kihara Awaki, Orsola, and the side stories featuring Saten Ruiko—a loli/otome/mature axis. This sparked a fierce battle that had an impact on me no less significant than a world war.

"What the hell are you up to?" Yuriko asked, her tone quite unfriendly.

Come to think of it, this child shouldn't have any bad impression of me. After all, I'm the one who influenced him and led him to abandon evil and do good.

"Stay away from Touma! With me here, you won't get hurt!"

Oh, I see... I think I understand now.

Similar behavior to Kuroko. Because he considers himself a pervert, he thinks the whole world is perverted. But don't worry: "I'm not interested in Kamijou-kun—or rather, I'm not interested in men. Does that put you at ease?"

"What nonsense are you spouting, you bastard?!"

Immediately following me was Accelerator's full-force attack, the number one Level 5 in Academy City. The space between us was instantly distorted, its speed surpassing that of light, and its destructive power enough to create a hole in the Earth. To ordinary people, it was invisible, comparable to a forbidden magic spell—no, it surpassed ordinary forbidden magic spells, even reaching the level of a divine magic spell—but unfortunately, I deflected it.

A total of 666 layers of top-level refractive barriers were forcibly compressed into a light film less than one nanometer thick. It was then placed on my right hand, distorting time at a speed that humans could never achieve. Before that attack hit me, it blocked it, deflected it, rose into the sky, created a hole in the ozone layer, and then flew into the vast universe...

"You bastard..." Seeing that her sure-kill move had been blocked, Yuriko was filled with shock and anger, and couldn't help but recall her crushing defeat at my hands last time. Back then, she had become more wary of me and no longer acted rashly.

"Alright." I clapped my hands. "Now, can we have a proper talk? You two both heard Rukia explaining the situation, right? Don't deny it. I'm quite confident in this regard."

Kamijou nodded awkwardly, then chuckled twice, tacitly agreeing. Yuriko, on the other hand, merely snorted coldly, though that didn't exactly mean she denied it.

"So, what are your plans?" I continued, while secretly thinking: Given that young man Ayano is a kind-hearted person and has quite a few friends in Academy City, he definitely won't ignore this situation.

It seems Accelerator has his eye on Kamijou. Buy one get one free, no doubt. Hmm, although I could handle that antique all by myself, who would refuse a couple more cannon fodder?

"Of course, we'll help." Although he doubted my motives, the kind-hearted Kamijou nodded repeatedly and agreed.

"...There's no other way, so we'll have to team up with you for now," Yuriko said, looking quite annoyed.

But at this moment, a slightly discordant voice emerged: "Is this really a good idea?"

Sasha suddenly spoke up, her cold-blooded demeanor quite endearing, befitting the battle nun who annihilated the White Book: "Before this, we mistakenly believed the Roman Catholic Church was targeting us, which is why we reactivated the Queen of the Adriatic. At that time, declaring war on them was indeed reasonable. But now it has been proven that it was just a misunderstanding. So, what reason do we have to offend the Roman Catholic Church for the sake of a completely unrelated Academy City?"

Is that so? I pretended to be deep in thought.

Honestly, if things were that simple, I wouldn't have gotten involved. Although I've made up my mind to ally with Aleister, the only allies I'm forming are "Aleister" and "Aivas."

I will not underestimate either of them. If the Queen of the Adriatic succeeds, Academy City will be severely weakened, even if it isn't destroyed. Then, by forming an alliance with her, I can gain the upper hand—the Queen of the Adriatic is no match for this monster.

It's a pity that I have too many bonds in Academy City: Mikoto, Kuroko, Akisa, and if you include Haru, that makes four.

In a way, this is essentially handing hostages over to Aleister. Tch.

Therefore, Academy City must be rescued.

"...What's going on?!" Rukia on the other end couldn't take it anymore. Seeing that I hadn't reacted for a while, she thought I had given up on the matter: "If you don't want to get involved, then leave! Angelina and I can manage on our own—"

"How could that be?" I interrupted her with a laugh, then lifted her hat and ruffled her hair. "I'm not the kind of guy who would be unmoved by a cute girl's pleas." (Kid, you really dare to say that. But is it really okay to openly flirt with girls in front of so many women in your harem?)

"At times like these, it's time for our Amakusa-style secret submarines to make their appearance!" declared Kenmiya Saiji, who had somehow resurrected.

"No need," I refused him directly.

"Huh?" Kenji seemed surprised. "But, but the way to the Queen's fleet from here is all by water. And wouldn't we be discovered if we took a boat?"

"Who told you we had to go by water?" I rolled my eyes. Then, as I finished speaking, a massive ship, resembling a medieval sailing warship, descended from the sky, its hull entirely golden, as if cast from gold.

"This, this ship?!" Those outside the magic faction were mostly just wide-eyed with surprise. Several superpowered individuals were still wondering if the ship was equipped with some kind of anti-gravity device. The magic-based mages, however, wore serious expressions. Then, they all turned to Index, the most "knowledgeable" one.

"...The Argo?! The legendary Argo, the strongest warship with the Golden Fleece sails, capable of freely soaring through the skies?!" Index rarely showed off her skills. To be honest, since breaking the seal, her progress in magic hadn't been particularly rapid. However, with 103,000 volumes of magical tomes as her foundation, her knowledge of magic was incredibly vast.

A few days ago, I painstakingly brought back the Book of Law and Osora. But before I could even try to trick Osora into saying anything, Index just scoffed and told me that this way of interpreting it was wrong.