Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament

Volume 4, Sub.33

Kihara Kagun met Marian Slingeneyer three years prior. At the time, World War III had yet to happen, so of course the category of Gremlin did not yet exist as it was created by the war.

In a way, Kihara Kagun may have been closer to Marian Slingeneyer than just a Gremlin magician.

“Well, I had known him for a long time like Mjölnir. I knew that he would not eat raw shellfish.”

At the time, Marian had not been creating the weapons of the gods. She had been trying to improve the tools of the Dvergr. Just like the steam engine caused the industrial revolution and explosively changed the level of war, she hoped the improvement of their tools would let the world know about the power and techniques of the Dvergr that were on the verge of extinction.

She searched for the skilled people she needed for her goal and the one she chose was the wandering Kihara Kagun.

And as a result...

“I do not understand how these techniques work and therefore I cannot work up any personal interest in them. But from what I can see, you have already perfected a golden ratio as far as equipment goes. I could add in the Kihara that I know, but that would only lower the purity.”

That was what Kihara Kagun had said.

But then, gently pointing out the mistaken objective someone had dedicated their life to was a certain type of talent. Especially when it was to a failure like Marian Slingeneyer. In that way, Kihara Kagun’s previous occupation may have been visible.

Marian Slingeneyer directly taught Kihara Kagun very little.

Just by having the existence of magic proven to him, Kihara Kagun then put together spells and the means of refining magic power almost entirely on his own.

Marian Slingeneyer gave the following complaint to Mjölnir.

“He’s not worth teaching. There are tons of things I could teach him, but when I teach him even one thing according to the textbook, it becomes something else within him. In the end, having him learn things on his own is the only way. All I can do is correct things. I guess you could say I can’t give him the power to fire a missile, but I can correct the trajectory of a falling bomb with its tail. ...Ha ha. I think he infected me with those science analogies.”

When they joined Gremlin, Kihara Kagun’s contributions were primarily as a heretical researcher of the science side rather than as a magician. Whenever Gremlin magicians used scientific technology, Kihara Kagun’s knowledge was at the base of it. Most likely, his knowledge would remain after his death and function as a major power within Gremlin.

In the end, Kihara Kagun had been unable to escape even after leaving Academy City.

He had left Academy City in search of some new power, but how powerful a magician was he?

If you had asked Marian Slingeneyer, her evaluation of him would have been as follows.

“He may be strong, but he’s completely useless.”

For one thing, he wished for his own destruction. He developed his spells for the sake of not winning, not losing, but carrying out the perfect tie against his one mortal enemy. Even within Gremlin which was made up of many twisted magicians, no one made use of the methods he came up with. They were too dangerous to touch. That was how everyone viewed them.

In truth, Marian Slingeneyer had intentionally drawn Kihara Kagun into Gremlin.

He had been necessary not as a magician but as a scientist and she had thought that would put an end to his reckless (that was the only way she could view it) desire for revenge.

But it did not work.

Kihara Kagun had indeed become very busy as one of the few science oriented cores of Gremlin, but in his spare time he still improved his spells, learned from the techniques of the other magicians, and further intensified his already dangerous magic.

Most likely, he would have carried out his revenge no matter what.

Even if he was looking at a cute baby bird, he would likely have been thinking about how he could use it to carry out his revenge.

Seeing that, Marian Slingeneyer changed her tactics. His revenge would not be stopped. So she would support him with everything she had and make him overwhelmingly strong. She strengthened him so that he could return safely even if he carried out his reckless revenge. That way, she could change the result of the revenge he was planning.

She had thought that would suffice.

She had thought she could save her comrade from his delusions of revenge.

“If your revenge is over and you’ve survived and have nothing left, you can come back to me.”

Marian Slingeneyer had constantly said that as if it was a joke.

However, it was not a joke at all.

Kihara Kagun had always given a vague smile in response but he had never once nodded.

He had already made up his mind.

She had changed nothing.

She had not saved him.

In the end, Marian Slingeneyer had only been able to watch her comrade head off to his death.

Kihara Kagun had carried out his revenge that brought an end to everything that had caused that incident, including himself.

As such, she would do the same.

Even if it had no meaning.

Even if it would save no one there.

Marian Slingeneyer bared her fangs at everything that had led to that man’s death, including herself.