Aozaki Aoko Case File [202] 

Credits:Deadpool2695!

Unlike Arcueid's experience of entering the Sea of Stars legitimately through her status as a True Ancestor, Aoko's experience with interdimensional teleportation was rather... peculiar.

Countless indescribable, strange lights and shadows flashed before her eyes. If she had to describe it in her own words, it felt as though she were falling out of her original world.

As Aoko felt the teleportation process nearing completion, she suddenly had the distinct sensation of someone kicking her in the rear, causing her trajectory in the time-space corridor to shift slightly.

Aoko was enraged by this sneak attack. She immediately turned around to see who was responsible, but there was nothing there—mainly because the dimension she was currently in didn't have concepts like front or back. Whoever had ambushed her had long since vanished.

Aoko quickly tried to cast a spell to stabilize the time-space state, but since she was already close to completing the teleportation, she had no choice but to let the process finish and decide what to do afterward.

—Scene Transition—

After a burst of bright light, Aoko found herself in an unfamiliar place.

And why was she so sure of that? Because she was currently falling thousands of meters toward the ground. The sky here lacked the vividly exaggerated colors she had seen in the Sea of Stars, and below her stretched a vast, dense forest as far as the eye could see.

Considering the environmental parameters, Aoko opted for the safest spell in her arsenal. She quickly cast a spell of flight to stop her fall.

Hovering in the air, Aoko frowned and surveyed her surroundings. In the distance, she could make out what looked like a cluster of buildings that might be a town. However, it didn't seem wise to approach recklessly without understanding the situation, so she decided to investigate further before making any decisions.

She cast an invisibility spell to conceal herself, then lowered her flight altitude, flying just above the treetops. From this vantage point, she began observing the forest below.

While flying, she noticed some birds. They seemed no different from the ordinary birds she was familiar with, and other animals also roughly resembled Earth creatures. Could her teleportation have somehow landed her in an unknown part of Earth?

Aoko silently flew through the air. Judging by the position of the sun, it was likely mid-morning local time. She planned to calibrate her mechanical wristwatch at noon to confirm whether this world still followed a 24-hour cycle.

After about ten minutes of flight, Aoko suddenly heard a loud commotion. It sounded like human voices—both male and female—but the language they spoke was entirely unfamiliar to her.

What kind of language is that? It sounds strange...

Curious, Aoko flew toward the source of the noise. When she reached a clearing in the forest, she saw the ones making the noise—humans, indeed.

Around twenty to thirty individuals, dressed in what looked like low-quality medieval European armor, were armed with swords or axes. They had encircled a girl who seemed to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, treating her like a major threat.

The girl had long, orange-red hair, a black cloak, loose robes cinched with a wide leather belt, long pants, and boots. A headband was tied around her forehead, and her shoulders were covered with shoulder guards that appeared to be made from some kind of animal shell.

Most notably, her clothing was embroidered with intricate symbols in silver thread, exuding magical effects that Aoko wasn't entirely familiar with. It seemed to form some kind of protective barrier.

There was no doubt about it—this young girl was a mage.

Though Aoko couldn't judge the girl's strength, being surrounded by so many people suggested she might have a hard time escaping unscathed.

Well then, let's give her a hand!

Aoko made a quick decision. Just as the girl was chanting a spell, Aoko struck without warning. Numerous spindles materialized around Aoko, spinning rapidly before unleashing a relentless barrage of magic missiles.

The sudden turn of events startled the young mage. Aoko's magic missiles obliterated the bandits, leaving a gruesome scene in their wake. Though the girl herself wasn't harmed, being abruptly thrust into such a bloody spectacle caused her to retch and gag.

Aoko's attack dispelled her invisibility spell, revealing her figure in midair. She slowly descended to the ground.

The young mage was immediately on guard upon seeing Aoko. However, she didn't appear particularly frightened, likely confident in her abilities. It seemed her earlier reaction was purely due to the overwhelming stench of blood.

Aoko casually waved her hand, summoning a breeze to disperse the smell. Smiling, she stopped about four or five meters away from the girl and looked at her.

The orange-haired girl stared warily at Aoko, maintaining a spellcasting stance with her hands. After observing Aoko for a moment, she spoke in that unknown language.

"One moment, please," Aoko replied in English, assuming the girl might understand it due to her appearance. However, not expecting much, she immediately cast a spell of eloquence on herself. "Can you understand me now?"

The orange-haired mage was visibly surprised as Aoko's incomprehensible words transformed into something she could understand. She quickly realized this must be some sort of magic effect cast by the young woman before her—and that the woman likely bore no hostility.

"Who are you?" the girl asked warily. "And why are you looking for me?"

"You can call me Aoko Aozaki," Aoko introduced herself with a smile. "Aozaki is my family name. I'm a traveling mage from a faraway land. As for why I'm here, well, I just happened to see a bunch of bandits surrounding a kid and decided to intervene."

The girl's eyelid twitched slightly at the word "kid," seemingly displeased. Could it be that in this seemingly medieval, magical world, people were considered adults at fourteen or fifteen?

"My name is Lina Inverse," Lina introduced herself. "I'm a traveling sorceress—similar to what you said. And I'm not a kid!"

Aoko tilted her head in confusion. "Well then, Lina Inverse, little miss, how old are you? Could it be that you just have a baby face—?"

Before Lina could explain that, despite her youth, she was a high-ranking sorceress certified by the Magic Guild and not some novice off the street, a tall figure with long blond hair suddenly appeared.

"That's enough!" the blond man shouted righteously, brandishing a longsword. "You cruel bandit! You've slaughtered so many people—even targeting a young girl! I, Gourry Gabriev, will bring you to justice today!"

Without waiting for an explanation, he lunged at Aoko with his sword. But just as the blade was about to touch her, Aoko's body turned into a puff of smoke and reappeared behind him. She gently tapped his back with her wooden staff.

"Fulgur (Lightning Claw)!"

"Zap!!!!!!!"

With a short incantation, Aoko electrocuted the blond man, sending him face-first into the ground. His hair smoked, and his body occasionally twitched.

Aoko poked him with her staff. He seemed alive—quite sturdy, actually—though perhaps not too bright.

"What are you, exactly?" Lina suddenly asked, her tone serious, as if Aoko had done something she shouldn't have. "How are you able to use spatial teleportation magic? Are you a demon?"

"What demon?" Aoko replied, confused. "What's so strange about being able to use teleportation magic?"

PS: Lina Inverse came from Slayer/KanzakaDex