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----- "Index (Index)."
Her official name is---- "Forbidden Book Index (Index_Librorum_Prohibitorum)."
No matter how you looked at her, this seemingly ordinary young girl with an alias was far more than just a regular nun.
Index was a Magic user affiliated with the United Kingdom Puritan faction.
This was one of the three major factions of the old Christianity in the United Kingdom.
In the sixteenth century, the King of the United Kingdom, aiming to resist the Roman Catholic Church, established an independent Christianity system within his own country and made it the national religion of the United Kingdom.
That was the United Kingdom Puritan Church.
Today, the United Kingdom Puritan Church had nearly become a Magic force controlling the actual decision-making power of the country.
This church was particularly advanced in the culture and techniques of hunting Strega (Witches), interrogating heretics, and carrying out religious trials against those who used Magic.
To handle these affairs, the United Kingdom Puritan Church had created an organization specialized in dealing with incidents involving Magic users.
----- "The Necessary Evil Church."
Also known as the 0th Parish.
Everyone belonging to the Necessary Evil Church under the 0th Parish were all Magic users.
Index was one of them.
However, Index could not use Magic.
Because, as a Magic user, her most important function was not combat but recording Magic knowledge.
As mentioned earlier, Magic users did not merely possess a single ability like an Ability user; their methods were limitless, and countering them required corresponding strategies.
Index had been born for precisely this purpose.
If one knew all the Magic in the world, it would be equivalent to knowing the countermeasures against every single Magic.
Thus, to oppose Magic users, the Necessary Evil Church first needed to study Magic and devise winning strategies.
From this arose a grand idea: to create a library recording all the Magic knowledge in the world.
And Index happened to possess a unique constitution.
She was immune to the mind/energetic corruption caused by the Magic Path books and had Perfect Memory Ability, allowing her to memorize everything she saw flawlessly.
With this ability, under the guidance of the United Kingdom Puritan Church, Index traveled to every place in the world that housed the original Magic Path books.
Not just any Magic Path books, but the originals.
With her Perfect Memory Ability and immunity to the books' corrupting effects, Index ultimately recorded the knowledge contained in all of the original Magic Path books.
A total of 103,000 original Magic Path books were now stored in her mind.
This was the origin of the "Forbidden Book Index."
As these memories surfaced in her mind, Fang Li continued to watch Index devouring her meal.
Inwardly, he couldn't help but chuckle.
(I spent an entire year just collecting eight original Magic Path books, and this girl casually memorized 103,000?)
The Forbidden Book Index was born to counter the world's Magic and to oppose Magic users.
For a Magic user, such an existence was both a threat and an object of desire.
After all, obtaining Index would be equivalent to gaining all the Magic in the world.
In that sense, it was no wonder Magic users were keeping an eye on her.
Only…
(Only, as a walking library of all Magic knowledge, this girl would attract not just Magic users coveting the knowledge in her mind…)
Fang Li's thoughts carried a certain wistful admiration.
The fundamental reason Index became the Forbidden Book Index was to neutralize all Magic, thereby countering any Magic users who could potentially become enemies.
Fang Li, however, could achieve the same result without the knowledge of 103,000 original Magic Path books.
--- "Mystic Eyes of Death Perception."
These were eyes capable of killing all Magic indiscriminately.
Fang Li had naturally possessed this pair of eyes ever since entering the Main God's Dimension.
Yet, to achieve the same outcome, Index had to record the knowledge of 103,000 original Magic Path books, risking corruption from the books themselves, while also being watched by countless people.
How could Fang Li not marvel at that?
(Although, in terms of mere "recording," I really have no ground to say anything.)
After all, Fang Li's possession of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception was also because countless threads of death were recorded deep within his soul.
In other words, if Index was the Forbidden Book Index, then Fang Li was the Death Index.
The outcomes caused by the two Indexes were the same: both could resolve all Magic.
The difference was that for Index, this outcome was the very purpose of her existence, whereas for Fang Li, it was just one among many.
(That I, like this, and you, like that, meet on a day like this, in such a place, under such circumstances, could this also be fate?)
Fang Li thought silently.
----- "......"
Perhaps sensing Fang Li's silence, Index gradually slowed her movements, swallowing the food in her mouth.
Then, she spoke to Fang Li.
"Are you alright?"
Her voice was filled with concern.
Fang Li looked at Index. Index lowered her eyes slightly, her voice heavy with apology.
"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."
It seemed Index believed Fang Li's silence was due to unhappiness.
"I'm truly sorry for letting you encounter dangerous Magic users and be caught up in such perilous situations," She said apologetically, smiling softly. "Don't worry, I won't trouble you anymore."
Those words implied a farewell.
Clearly, to avoid dragging Fang Li into her conflicts again, Index intended to part ways.
But she had no idea just how stirring her smile was as she said it.
It was a look that felt as though it could vanish at any moment, both sorrowful and ethereal, fleetingly delicate.
(Sigh…)
Fang Li sighed again, though he had lost count of how many times.
He felt as though the chances for him to sigh were steadily increasing.
He was conscious of this.
Yet Sylvia once found this phenomenon delightful, saying so:
"That's because you're becoming gentler."
------"Gentle."
It was something entirely unbefitting of Fang Li.
But…
(Occasional gentleness isn't so bad…)
With that thought, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Fang Li's lips. He reached out and absentmindedly ruffled Index's hair.
"Ah…"
Index let out a surprised sound.
Fang Li merely responded with a simple line:
"Finish eating quickly, I'll take you home."
The words were extremely concise, yet they left Index completely stunned.
(End Of This Chapter)