Type-Moon, Does a Small Cheat Count as a Cheat?

Darkness was driven away by light, radiance spreading all around.

Just as the laws of nature decreed, every corner of the dark space was filled with scattered, surging light—spreading, rippling, sparing no effort in devouring everything.

There was no doubt that this equally dazzling might had been formed from starlight.

It was the power bestowed by the mana of the greatest foundation that was being born. It should have been called destruction; this attack was neither purification nor forced ascension to heaven, but a means of sending the Jackalmen back to the world they had originally come from.

The evidence lay before Shiyali's eyes. Although the struggle for control of the library's authority had not yet reached its final result, Novia and Divine Body Osiris had already withdrawn together from that mentally damaging battlefield.

And there was Divine Body Osiris's expressionless body lying on the ground, falling apart.

"The Age of Gods has ended. From now on, humanity no longer needs the immense power of the Age of Gods."

He smiled proudly.

"Still, that isn't entirely correct. It was never truly unnecessary, was it? As long as threats to peace and tranquility remain, it will occasionally still be needed—just like now."

"Oh, and one more thing. I think that, no matter what, restraints and such are fine. Since the choice is your own, as long as you do not regret it or suffer because of it, that is enough."

Novia swung both hands downward, and red blood dripped from his arms onto the ground. As he watched the blood continue to pour out, had his expression changed at all?

Shiyali could not tell, because there was not the slightest change on the silver-haired youth's face.

He merely continued walking forward, allowing blood to drip along the way.

Just as the dark miasma finally began to recede from sight, Novia stood outside the sarcophagus and reached out, utterly crushing the disintegrating Divine Body.

"Novia!"

Shiyali ran up to him.

"The contract is complete... Shiyali."

Then, as though every last bit of strength had left his body, his knees buckled and he collapsed unconscious on the spot.

The Atlas Institute Director: The Troublesome Daughter Finally Has Hope

The air in Alexandria carried traces of sand and dust, while the central plaza teemed with bustling crowds.

All of that changed with the arrival of a silver-haired youth. The atmosphere immediately became lively, and passersby who saw him stopped in groups of two or three, gathering around until they gradually formed a semicircle centered on him.

What was with this atmosphere...

"Everyone, please do not crowd around. It could cause trouble."

The 'youth's' words were highly effective. No one said anything further, and they all dispersed, though the atmosphere had already become animated.

Besides, I do not have the right to be treated like this.

With that thought, 'Novia' began a strategic retreat, gradually widening the distance between herself and the crowd. Unlike usual, she seemed intent on leaving.

Novia could attract these ordinary people so easily with words alone... In barely more than ten days, he had turned this place into an entirely different space.

Shiyali, who had used magecraft to disguise herself as Novia, quietly glanced back at the crowd in the plaza.

It had been five days since they left the Submarine Alexandria Library. Since Novia had yet to awaken, Shiyali had decided to wait until he woke before reporting to the Atlas Institute that they had found its forgotten lost item.

She also recalled that Novia would stroll around Alexandria almost every day. To avoid causing him trouble, she had come out disguised as him.

Thus, these past few days had mostly been experiences she wanted to forget. Although she had observed this before, personally experiencing it felt completely different.

It differed greatly from memories obtained through Aether Lines. In circumstances like this, she somehow felt as if she had been close to others for longer.

It was a pure warmth that came from people, entirely unlike the scorching climate.

In short, it was lively, permeated by a thick atmosphere of joy.

"This is food. Please accept it, my lord."

Pulled from her thoughts, Shiyali looked at the woman before her. She vaguely remembered her—this was the mother of that little boy from five days ago.

"...All right."

Shiyali placed the handmade food in her palm. Since the woman kept watching her, she could only carefully take a small bite.

"I am sorry, my lord. My child and I spent several days making this. It might not suit your tastes..."

Indeed, it did not look appetizing at all, and its taste was extremely ordinary—too ordinary. Yet when she saw the woman's travel-worn appearance, she understood that she had come a long way and endured much hardship to bring this simple item before her.

"No, it is delicious. Truly delicious. I like it very much."

That was how Shiyali replied. She could not come up with anything more clever to say, but she still felt that her meaning had surely been conveyed.

Was learning magecraft meant to escape becoming ordinary, or to help these ordinary people?

She did not know. She only knew that research existed to prevent the end of the world.

The current Atlas Institute Director had once told Shiyali, "You are a transparent vessel that extracts the memories of others. You cannot perceive the ugliness of memories, nor can you resist the impulse to keep extracting them. You have walked through life like this step by step until now. Although you are undoubtedly the next Director, I am somewhat worried about your future."

The Director had been mostly right, and Shiyali thought so as well. Her previous observation of Novia had merely been an attempt to obtain his memories through Aether Lines at an appropriate time. Her ability was rational; there was no reason to doubt it.

But there was one point he had gotten wrong. There could absolutely be no problem with her future. There could not possibly be one. She could not find any reason for such a thing.

The candidate for the next Director had always thought so.

"Congratulations. You finally woke up after five days."

The girl who had returned to the Alexandria Lighthouse dispelled her disguise. Her purple hair swayed in the sea breeze.

Novia, who had awakened at some point, looked at her. In his Mediterranean-blue crystal eyes were reflected the clear sky and the girl before him.

"Thank you for taking care of me these past few days."

"It was nothing. Although our temporary contract was established to conquer the Alexandria Library, your contribution was greater than mine, so taking care of you was only natural."

Shiyali spoke expressionlessly. Her purple braid swayed in the wind against the backdrop of the lighthouse, but the way it moved made it seem almost geometric.

"Now that you have awakened, I will contact the Atlas Institute and recover the Submarine Alexandria Library. As for your contribution, aside from the matter of Divine Body Osiris, I will report everything else truthfully."

"You are only contacting them now? I thought you would have done so as soon as we came out. Why did you have to wait for me to wake up?"

Novia asked in confusion. He had thought that, during the five days that had passed, Shiyali would have already reported the information to the Atlas Institute.

"Once a contract is established, we are allies. Though it was temporary, I still had the duty to prioritize your life. Besides, I have already taken control of the Alexandria Library's system, so it cannot run away." A few seconds after saying that, Shiyali suddenly furrowed her cute brows. "Please rest assured, I did not use Aether Lines on you while you were unconscious. I did not extract your knowledge."

"All right. Thank you."

"Mm."

After that, neither of them continued speaking, and silence settled in.

Novia listened to the sound of the tide drawing near and receding, watched the rhythm of the waves rising and falling, and saw distant upright masts swaying in the dazzling Mediterranean sea breeze.

Then he heard Shiyali speaking with someone from the Atlas Institute. It seemed to be a relative.

"Director, I have already written the details in the report. You can read it yourself. There is no need to waste so many resources on long-distance communication; the losses are too severe."

The girl spoke coldly.

"Heh, it is merely a Pharaoh's ruin. Never mind that—tell me properly, how should we handle someone who went off on her own for more than half a year without reporting to the Institute even once a month, against the Institute's rules? Tell me."

"I have already been granted the status and authority of an instructor! In any case, whether I acted on my own has nothing to do with you. Even if you are my adoptive father, you have no right to interfere like this."

"Mm..."

Watching the girl suddenly stop acting like a machine, Novia nodded. Even if she was a mage, this was what made her seem approachable like a normal person.

Seeing the silver-haired youth's expression, Shiyali seemed to realize that she had lost control of her emotions. She coughed, then continued.

"My apologies. This ruin was not the ruin of Pharaoh Cleopatra, our original target, but the Submarine Alexandria Library jointly created long ago by an Atlas branch institute and Pharaoh Ptolemy. A mage and I conquered it together. The detailed information has already been written in the report."

"Wait!" The Director seemed to have heard an extraordinary word and hurriedly shouted, "Are you saying that you did not take this place down alone? You formed a contract with someone else through normal interaction, without using Aether Lines?!"

"Yes."

Though she had no idea why the Director was so excited, Shiyali answered seriously.

"Good, good, good! Excellent! Bring that person to the Atlas Institute quickly. I want to meet the person who has given our Institute such great help!"

The Old Director of the Atlas Institute, Keeper of Back Doors

The Atlas Institute was an alchemist organization that had existed since before the Common Era, located at the foot of the Atlas Mountains in Egypt.

"Welcome, Lord Novia, from Anatolia Province of the Roman Empire."

At its center lay a space nearly the size of a city. Though it was underground, it even possessed an artificial sky.

From Novia's observations of the surroundings, this truly was an institute. Everything people needed for daily life was available.

A few days ago, after hearing the Director's words, Novia thought it over and returned with Shiyali, who needed to report the situation.

It had to be said that without dedicated guidance, Novia would have gotten trapped here long ago. After all, there were only two branching paths when going downward, but three when heading back.

That was only normal. Compared to outsiders entering, the Atlas Institute feared insiders leaving even more. The things created here absolutely could not be taken outside. This was the Atlas Institute's great principle, unless one possessed a contract document.

In a sense, Novia could take pride in having properly entered this place, jokingly called a "living hell" with no connection to the outside world, where supposedly not even light could slip out.

"Director, greetings. May you remain in good health."

At this moment, the silver-haired youth was alone with the Atlas Institute Director.

In theory, the Atlas Institute was made up of mages with poor Magic Circuits, yet the Director gave Novia a feeling no less imposing than Divine Body Osiris had. That made sense. Someone who led an organization that endlessly repeated the destruction and creation of weapons could not possibly be ordinary.

"There is no need for formalities." The Director's gaze first fell on Novia, then shifted to the book placed nearby. "I am grateful for the help you gave Shiyali. To be honest, what kind of person do you think she is?"

"My understanding of her can be divided into two stages. The first is that she is a good person, but not human."

Before such an old man, Novia believed it was far better to be sincere than to conceal things beneath superficial gentleness. Besides, the Director surely understood this better than Novia did.

"You are quite right about that."

At first, Novia had thought Shiyali was a complete rationalist, someone who believed that "the results derived from calculation are everything." Her solemn and logical thinking was actually based on information obtained by using alchemical Aether Lines to pierce into the brains of others. She had always acted according to the behavior patterns of an average human, treating that information as common sense within human society.

She would do broadly defined good, and she would never do broadly defined evil. Though she subconsciously knew she was abnormal, she had never faced it directly.

That was also why the Director worried about her future. Shiyali could too easily go to extremes. Her common sense was merely information plundered through Aether Lines, and if it were exposed under certain circumstances, the consequences could be enormous.

"The second stage is that she is a good person who is beginning to face the essence of things."

"That is also correct." The Director turned the pages of the book with aged fingers. "It is precisely because you can bring about change in her that I am grateful to you."

Otherwise, would you have been able to enter this place, brat? You made a complete mess of the Submarine Alexandria Library, and even had Shiyali lie for you.

Though his face remained expressionless, the Director clicked his tongue inwardly. With Hermes Trismegistus present, concealing things from him was practically impossible.

Still, while he regretted the destruction of the Osiris Divine Body, he also felt a hint of appreciation for Novia, who had rejected such immense power. Though Novia was not from the Atlas Institute and believed in God, the Director admired his disdain for external power!

The Divine Body had plenty of problems, but it was enough to allow a mage family to endure for more than a thousand years. Even after the end of the Age of Gods, it could briefly grant the incomplete power of a god.

Novia had actually considered at first whether he should use Osiris's Divine Body to pretend to be a god. Then he remembered that he was publicly posing as a Christian. Using the power of an Egyptian god might not have been quite right, but he could have explained it away by saying something like, "The Ten Plagues defeated him and turned him into fermented bean curd."

But once he saw that Osiris's Divine Body had developed an independent consciousness, he abandoned the idea. He did not want some crisis to arise for no reason because of him. If Divine Body Osiris had not been so eager to seize control of the library's system that he sent his soul inside, Novia and Shiyali could never have dealt with him so easily.

"Oh, right. As a reward for finding our Institute's lost item, I will permit you to use Hermes Trismegistus once." The Director then rose and walked toward a room filled with deep shadows stretching in every direction. "Sigh, I am getting old. How did I forget where I put that bottle? There is a drop of water inside that heals bodily injuries. Strange. I will go look for it. Go ahead and use it. Once you are done, something will guide you out."

"This..."

Just as the silver-haired youth was about to say something, the Director vanished in a flash, leaving only the bottle on the table.

Director, I will never forget your kindness for the rest of my life.

Novia casually pocketed it and headed straight for Hermes Trismegistus. This was the Atlas Institute's greatest recording medium, collecting, distinguishing, and recording countless pieces of information from across the Earth. So long as one entered a question, one could receive an answer.

"Acting on the Director's authority once. Confirmation successful. Please ask."

"O bird that flies through the underworld, answer my question—"

All at once, Novia did not know what he wanted to ask. He stood there blankly for more than ten minutes, hesitating as though he were deciding what to eat for lunch.

In the end, the silver-haired youth sighed, smiled, and asked Hermes Trismegistus a question. He also used the Director's authority to leave a sentence alongside that question.

"Then, until we meet again."

After calling out to the empty plaza, Novia left the Atlas Institute without hesitation and prepared to return to Rome.

"He really only asked one question? Isn't that far too honest? Are all believers like this?" The old Director looked at the record, both pleased and somewhat dissatisfied. "Let me see what question this brat asked..."

Yet a single glance left the Director completely speechless, because the question was—

May I ask, who is Novia?

Honestly, the old Director had never seen anyone waste such an opportunity so extravagantly. To use it on such an irrelevant matter, he could not help sighing again and again.