3rei!! The Land of Dead Bookshelves II

We've finally made it to the next kingdom. You're about to arrive at...

I think it's the Land of Dead Bookshelves. The two jewels keep showing this direction.

Hmm... I'm not seeing any signs of life. I guess the area lives up to its name.

It's so quiet. It's not like the other lands we've been to.

It's empty, but unlike the neutral zones, there's a sternness to it.

Senpai, Illya, look. There's a huge black wall over there...

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That appears to be a completely different area next to the Land of Dead Bookshelves.

It worries me that that I can't get any readings from beyond the wall.

That's strange. It feels deliberate, doesn't it?

Could there really be a magical girl in a place like this?

EEEEK!!

A-A ghost!?

Get back!

Have you never seen a ghost-type enemy before, Illya?

Aah... M-Mash...(Cling)

It's okay. Leave it to me.

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What should we do, Master? Please give me your orders.

Roger. We'll circle around it and watch for other enemies.

I don't deny that! So what?!

So we'll avoid combat then? Roger. It doesn't seem like it wants to hurt us.

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It left without doing anything. It seems to have headed for the black wall.

Looks like it was just wandering...

Whew. That was scary.

But thanks, Mash. For not hurting the ghost.

Illya...

No, thank Senpai instead of me. Hehe.

Are you worried about that ghost?

Yeah. It was really scary... but it also seemed kind of sad.

We're almost to the center of the ruins. There's still nobody here.

It's so quiet it almost hurts your ears. It would be a good place to read a book, though.

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The link with Chaldea is still stable. But there are no reactions around you.

The guiding light of the jewels disappeared, too. What do we do?

I know!

I'll fly a little and look down from above!

I see. That's a good idea. This is a tiny land, and I don't think there are any flying creatures.

It's okay then? Alright, off I go!

Right!

Illya's flying is so graceful. So wonderful, she's like flower petals dancing in the sky.

...

Um, the way you're looking up is kind of awkward. It's like how Ruby looks at me.

Please go ahead, Illya. I'll shield you from Senpai's gaze.

Okay!

Senpai, do I need to help you calm down a bit?

Well, I'm actually jealous of the way she can fly, too.

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Oh? You need to speak to me in private?

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I... in the Chaldea control room...?

I'm surprised. I didn't realize something so strange had happened.

While it's true that my memories from the time I visited the control room up until our Rayshift jump are hazy...

I didn't really worry about it. Was I swept up in the aura of this strange world...

...Or did something change within me, somehow?

Eeek! D-Don't pull me!

That's Illya's voice!

Senpai, enemies are coming through the walls of the buildings! There's so many!

These ghosts are clearly attacking!

Right! Let's hurry!

Right! Huh!? Fou??

Senpai, we need to have a talk later!

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T-They're strong! Why are these monsters so strong!?

More incoming!

Wait. That building was empty earlier, but someone...

What's all this commotion?

I'm shocked that a magical girl would still visit a land that's drained of all its magical energy.

Are you this land's magical girl!? The Land of Dead Bookshelves?

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Yes. ...One of them.

Oh, I see. I'm sorry. The others gave you a rather brutal welcome.

Are you hurt? Do you need healing?

No. They were very powerful, but fortunately we weren't badly injured.

Did you just say "the others"?

That's right, newcomer.

This is the graveyard of magical girls. All the ghosts in these ruins were once magical girls.

I'm just a gravekeeper. And a librarian. I'm not a queen, and I haven't been a magical girl for a long time.

Magical girl... g-ghosts!? Ahhhh!

Ghosts don't need names, do they? But it would be difficult to talk without a name. Hmm...

Helena. You can call me Helena.

You're Missus... I mean, Lady Blavatsky?

Oh, you know me. I shall not deny it if you call me by that name.

I believe my mental state more closely resembles my von Hahn years, though.

Well, feel free to just call me Helena.

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But I don't plan on being your friend. Please keep that in mind.

Okay, Magical Girl Helena, then. Doctor Romani? Is she...?

Don't worry, Illya. Also, I'm quite happy to know you remembered my name and title.

Yeah, she's not a ghost.

Like the other magical girls you've met, she has a Spirit Origin response similar to a Servant's.

Of course, she's alive. Was she camouflaging her life signs...?

What are these magical energy waves?

The man in that image... Could it be... A leyline directly linked to a parallel world?

So that's it. She found a foothold out to the outside world.

Wait, what does that mean? Don't just satisfy your own curiosity!

"She"? Do you mean Medb!?

Do you know something, Helena!? She took away my frie...

Wait. This is not the best place to talk. Come to my library.

And undo your transformations. It's better that way.

U-Um, Illya can, but I'm not a magical girl...

But if that last fight was just an accident, I'd like to say that we are not here to fight you. I'll disarm temporarily.

Is that alright, Master?

Okay. Come, Illya, let's accept her invitation.

M-Master...? C-Could you stop that already...

Fine... Here we go, okay!?

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