Vol 1 Chapter 5 (1/2)
Majnun of Lunacy
Against the dark night sky, the pale full moon shone clearly
It was eleven o’clock…still one hour before the designated tiravely silent With all the lights out, it was absolutely dark
”How strange”
It was the first thing out of Jin’sat the school
Sierra had gone ho should happen, the fluttery dress would have been a probles that were easier tostreet clothes For fear of ghosts, Sierra was clinging to Jin’s back
He was a bit troubled as he could feel her slender body against his back, but if he were to point it out, he could just see her saying, ”How can you think about such things now?! You lech! Pervert! Commoner!” Actually, he felt like he could practically hear her voice However, he kept silently telling hinore it
Still clinging to him, Sierra asked
”What’s strange?”
”Even if it’s the uards patrolling the halls And you should be able to see the beah the s, but…”
When he placed a hand against the bars of the school gate, it opened easily Surprised, Jin retracted his hand
”It’s open”
”Because so us?”
With a gulp, Sierra sed While reates Sierra held onto his hand and ti behind him As expected, it made it hard for him to walk, and Jin told her as much
”Hey, don’t cling to my arm”
”I-I’!”
”Well then, you’re curling your fingers and holding on tight, right? I can't walk like this, so let go”
Jin tried to shake Sierra loose froripped his arainst Jin’s stiff ar his heart race
”Sorry, but all I’ onto you!”
”Ah, geez, it’s really hard to move!”
As the two argued back and forth, the gate closed with a bang behind them Startled, they turned around; however, they found no one there They tried pushi+ng the gate open, but it wouldn’t budge
”…I figured soht happen, but it seems like we’ve been trapped”
They heard a deep laugh co even closer to Jin With the clearly shi+ning ure could be seen Long hair fluttering in the wind, the long slender figure was standing motionless It was Konoe Ukyou Jin squinted his eyes in disbelief
”The dor?”
Actually, he hadn’t been present during dinner The staff residents, Yuuya, and a nuh it was past curfew, Jin remembered Uykou was still dressed in his uniform
”Just as I surirl who can’t do anything alone…I just knew you wouldn’t come alone”
As he spoke clearly froh
”Ah, the lamp! Then, you’re the one who called me earlier!”
From behind Jin’s back, Sierra pointed at Ukyou atop the roof
”You, I’ve forgotten your name…but, I’ it’s okay for the student president to go around stealing things?!”
”Dor of this?!”
Jin also spoke fervently Ukyou just smiled coolly
”By ht, come up here If you can make it, I’ll return the lamp, but if you don’t…”
”You’ll ht?”
Sierra scowled up at Ukyou with a determined look in her eyes
”No way! Just you wait, we’re going to drag you to the edge and drop you off the side of the roof!”
”You’re suddenly energetic, huh Are you over your fear of ghosts as well?”
While hiding behind his back, Sierra declared in response to Jin's interjection,
”Of course you’re the one going, commoner”
”I’ turn of events You still plan on s for you?”
”Naturally Right now, I haven’t been called out fro Actually, I’ive orders, you’re the type to follow them”
”You know, I get the feeling you sidestepped the question rather cleverly just now”
”Whatever, just go!”
”You dare to ignore uts”
Ukyou suddenly snapped his fingers Just then, a mob of rounds High schoolers and h h school division Taken aback, Jin and Sierra looked at the mass of people nervously
”W-What’s with them?”
The guys froear, were standing like a wall in front of the out from within the helmets were completely unfocused
”Si…Sierra…Zadou…So cute…So…cute…”
Shuffling like zombies, they had their ar towards Sierra Sierra was creeped out and clung tight to Jin’s back Regardless of how selfish Sierra was, as a man, there was only one acceptable course of action he could take A bit reluctantly, Jin spread out his arms and stood to meet them As Sierra watched him, she started to blush
”Ghrahh~!”
Suddenly, those giants roared like wild-beasts and tackled Jin Hit by those nearly two e Jin was bloay
”Wahh~!”
”Kyaah~! Commoner!”
Crying out as she watched Jin get tossed aside, Sierra tried to rush to his side However, the guys cahting over her Sierra angrily fought back, but her opponents were too much With her slender fele, she simply couldn't break free
”What is wrong with you all?! Let o, you insolent wretches!”
”ZadouCute ZadouLove!”
The guys swarmed all over her
”Kyaahh~!”
Sierra's cry ed up as they piled on top of her It looked as if they were in thehis head in pain after that terrible blow, Jin picked himself up and desperately rushed over
”Hey, what do you think you’re doing?! Get away from Zadou!”
He could hear Sierra pitiful cry from beneath all the bodies In order to save her, Jin pushed and pulled as hard as he could to reely built Jin stood no chance against such large guys The hed
”It’s futile Those guys don’t have a shred of sanity left”
”What do you mean?”
”They’ve been driven mad by the moon Their restraints have been lifted, and their true desires manifest Discretion, sympathy, kindness, all that has vanishedNow, only such human instincts as jealousy and hatred drive theirl, but tied down by the fetters of reason, they never allowed thes I have cut them free from their chains”
In addition to the ht Jin scowled
”Did you use hypnotis?”
”It's the light of the moonI already told you that, didn’t I?”
”I didn’t understand a single word out of your mouth!”
Jin took hold of a tonbosoil that had been left in a corner of the grounds and started whacking the pile of guys on their backs, but it had absolutely no effect on them
”Like I said, it's futile Those guys are madly in love with Sierra Zadou Their stifled hearts have been set freeThey won't be stopped by so so minor”
”Why would you want to do this to Zadou? You like Zadou too, right? So are you just going to let those guys have her?”
”Like…you say? Huys, but…Hmph”
Ukyou laughed derisively Unable to understand what he was saying, Jin was confused Sierra's cries were growing fainter What was happening to her under thereJin couldn't help but worry, sticking the handle of the tonbo into a gap between the giants' backs and atte to pry them off However, before he'd even made an inch of headway, the handle broke He couldn't even hear Sierra's cry any beyond bad
Just then, there came a sharp yell
”Close your eyes! Here I go~~!”
Before he could determine what it was, Jin was compelled by the power of the voice and closed his eyes instinctively
”Bsh~~!”
There was a violent spraying noise
”Gwahh~!”
Shrieking howlishly, the beasts who had been covering Sierra rolled about clutching their faces Sierra eround, she was hacking and coughing Jin quickly took her into his arms
”Are you alright, Zadou?! Did they do anything to you?!”
”Reeks”
”Eh?”
”It reeks of sweat! When was the last ti to suffocate!”
”That's all you're co about, the smell?”
Jin was dumbfounded but relieved It seeo first, it beca the other, and so not a single one of them had been able to secure the prized Sierra for hier, Sierra shouted at Jin
”Saying ”that's all”, what's with that attitude! You should hurry up and save me sooner”
”Acting like that after being rescued, you must be quite the cheeky one, huh”
The one saying that as she approached was none other than Alf Carrying fire extinguishers under her ar behind her back, she even had some smaller ones holstered to her belt Full of surprise, Sierra stared at her with huge eyes
”Y-You'rethat girl from the curry shop!”
”Nowadays, you don't call it that! It's a Persian restaurant, not a curry shop!”
Alf snapped sharply at Sierra With extinguisher cheround, writhing about in horrendous pain Alf pointed at the school and vigorously declared,
”Co back that lamp!”
”Yeah! Good luck, commoner!”
As if she weren't involved, Sierra ordered like always, pushi+ng Jin roughly froht fall Alf grabbed Sierra firmly by the arm
”You're co too You have to help your Master, you know!”
”Wha-? I-It's not like this co!”
Sierra retorted on reflex With a hint of suspicion, Jin asked Alf,
”How do you know about that? It couldn't be that you're also”
”Don't be ridiculous If I was your eneone to all this trouble to save you?”
Alf smacked hi orders, her manual dexterity was as quick as ever On top of the roof, Ukyou's face scrunched up spitefully
”Guhthat girl is!”
Soon, evenAst them was Himuro Keita
”That guy, he's the first year who didn't give uys who didn't come back were over hereThen, maybe Yuuya is here as well?”
Siiants from earlier, every one of these students also had Sierra in their sights
”OohZa-ZadouSuper cute”
”These guys too, huh! What's going on here?!”
”It's the Daemon of Adultery, Majnun”
Licking her lips, Alf pulled out a fresh extinguisher Adultery, put in relatively hard-and-fast ter an illicit relationshi+p Sierra shi+vered and asked for clarification
”Whatwhat is a 'Daemon of Adultery'?”
”Actually, I was sure that Jin was Majnun at first because of the way he ss are different if he's a 'key' though”
”What do you mean by 'key'?”
”The 'key' to sealing and releasing the Genie of the Lamp”
Just then, the students rushed theain fired the extinguisher
”Save the questions for later, let's go get back the lamp now!”
Alf led the way, taking the other two into the building Looking down upon them from the rooftop, Ukyou slowly drew the sword in his hand fro to pale
”The Sha a unionWell, I still have minions left within the school And even in the one in a million case that they somehow ets his hands on the Shamshi+rhe still lacks the necessary power”
The silver blade glinted coldly in the ht
Jin and the others headed up towards the rooftop The school interior ar with students as well, and more continued to come down the stairs one after another The three continued to take theuishers
”I don't get any of this!”
Panting because the extinguisher was heavy, Sierra took the time to shout in annoyance
”What the heck happened to all these guys? And you, just who in the world are you?”
”Just as you've been born into the family of Genies of the Lamp, I'm part of the family of Genies of the Shamshi+r”
”Shamshi+r?”
Suddenly, Yuuya cli onto Alf's back
”Wah!”
Alf kept upright by quickly clutched onto the railing, but because Yuuya had clung to her, her sling holster had broken and a fire extinguisher fell down the stairs
”Yuuya! I knew it, you're being controlled too!”
”ZadouCuteWant kiss!”
Yuuya leapt at Sierra and knocked her down Eht his lips closer and closer Flailing away at Yuuya's head, Sierra tried to escape as if her life depended on it
”Stop it, you insolent wretch!”
”ZadouFluffySoftSo nice~”
Yuuya was rubbing his face into Sierra's chest Blushi+ng furiously, she tried to force Yuuya away, grabbing his head with both hands and pushi+ng with all her ht However, as frail as she was, she was no match for him
”Noo~, pervert! Someone save me!”
”Yuuya, come to your senses!”
Taking a hold of Yuuya's shoulder, Jin pulled hiiants fro heavier than a guitar was almost too easy an opponent When Jin, as used toruins and the like, exerted his full strength; Yuuya was sent flying and his back hit the wall
”You okay, Zadou?”
Jin stood to protect Sierra behind hiuys and Yuuya, Sierra's nicely coled while her pretty clothes were speckled with dirt and even torn here and there On the verge of tears, she was gripping her shi+rt that had the buttons ripped off,sure to keep herself covered
Though he had been momentarily stunned by the crash with the wall, Yuuya's face quickly twisted with hatred as he laid eyes upon Jin, baring his fangs and nails as he switched targets and moved in to attack Jin
”Uwah~!”
Jin was knocked down Of course, the intention this tiet but to slice open Jin's windpipe with his sharp nails Jin grabbed both of Yuuya's wrists and desperately tried to stop him
”YuYuuya? Why would you attackour dorm room with all those books?”
”It's Majnun's doing The love this boy has for the girl has turned into jealousy”
Hearing what Alf said, Jin stared at Yuuya in disbelief His eyes were glowing red”
”You h to want to kill me?
”It's because Majnun takes the darker aspects of the human heart and amplifies them several-fold, you see,”
Alf said before grabbing Yuuya's hair fro him off of Jin
”Ugah?!”
While still on the ground, Jin sto him any time to defend himself
”Sorry, Yuuya!”
”Gyah!”
Yuuya gave a beast-like cry as he flew backwards and fell down the stairs Alf sly satisfied while Sierra stared wide-eyed at Jin
”Y-You're rather strongfor a commoner at least”
”As long as it's one-on-one, I guess”
Jin looked down at Yuuya who lay prone at the base of the stairs
”Hey Alf, will these guys re controlled?”
”No, Majnun'speople pushes their minds to the depths of their psyche, so it's si Why do you ask?”
”I'ht've kicked him a bit too hard, so it could've put a strain on our friendshi+p”
”Taking advantage of the desires that are dormant within people's hearts, Majnunjealousy into those who are in love and the urge to loot into those who are poor, he creates criminals and starts wars If he isn't stopped, this toill fall into anarchy”
Alf glared up at the top of the stairs Fro their way up The sound suddenly reminded Jin of their situation
”They're coo up!”
”W-Wait I-I always come to school by car, so my endurance is kind of”
After rushi+ng up the stairs, Sierra's legs were quickly beco stiff
”It's just a bit further, hang in there!”
Jin grabbed Sierra's ar up the stairs While blushi+ng at the strength of Jin's hands as he tugged her forcefully along, Sierra nevertheless got angry
”D-Don't touch me so familiarly, commoner!”
”This isn't the tis!”
Acting as the rear guard, Alf continued to blast the onco the
The school had three floors Nearly up three floors, Jin and the others were only a few steps away fro for them descended upon them
”Gaahh!”
They ielding shi+nai Alf took the uisher from her belt and sprayed them in the face
”dauishers”
The staff residents were taken care of, but the students who had recovered were co up the stairs behind them
”Let's just hurry and go up!”
Jin rushed up the stairs towards the roof Sierra and Alf followed after him
On the rooftop, Ukyou sensed their approach and calmly turned around With a thud, the iron door that led from the stairs to the roof slammed open
”So you made it”
Ukyou gave a devilish s behind Jin's back, while Alf closed the door and bolted it shut The students chasing the eerily
”Dorm head! Just what in the world are you up to?”
Jin yelled sharply, but then Alf interjected
”He's not the dorm head He's Majnun”
”You said the sa earlier, but what does that mean?”
”A Daemon From the Ark of the CovenantHe's one of of the Daemons of the Ark
”You know, you're as confusing as a computer manual”
”Basically, this guy has been possessed and lost his sanity”
”So even a sensible guy like the dorm head can be possessed so easily?”
Hearing that, Ukyouno, the Daely
”This man, sensible? Rather than sensible, I'd say he's a lump of vanity, cowardice, and inferiority coirl, yet he valued his pride and was too afraid of becostock if rejected to say it clearly, but on the other hand, while other iven up on her as a prize beyond their reach and never confessed, he had the confidence that he would be accepted by herHe gave her a love letter, but it was throithout even being read”
”How cruel I can't believe how self-important you are, Zadou”
”I guess you reap what you sow, huh”
Being accused simultaneously by both Jin and Alf, Sierra hastily objected,
”I wouldn't do that sort of thing! I'm quite sure that I maintain proper appearances, after all!”
”What a frank declaration”
Jin remembered back to the first day when Sierra had come to his room that Yuuya had said ”The dorm head's been in a bad mood recently, so you better prepare for the worst” Ukyou must have been in a bad mood because he had been rejected by Sierra
ButSierra, who really did one and throay a love letter, Jin thought So, couldn't it be Ukyou e for no reason? Just to make sure, Jin asked the Daemon
”When you say love letter, exactly what did he give her?”
”Following old customs of the nobles froether with a tree branch, he placed it into her shoe rack It was a tachibana branch, to make it easy to understand who it was from based on the scent”
”A tachibana branch?”
Hearing that, Sierra realized A bit shocked, she covered her mouth
”So then, the caterpillar that I thought was left by someone who hated me was actually?”
”Ahh, I get it Tachibana is a citrus plant after all, so there ht?”
”No one would nor that it was throay!”
”Yeah, reallyit fits with his tastes, but I don't think such a thing would be generally well known”
”A man so madly in love such as this one would not pay attention to such things Not to mention that to this day, he has never dated a woman and never had even much interest before”
Ukyouor rather, Majnun as inhabiting Ukyou pointed at himself and smiled coldly
”With his pride crushed, his love turned to vengefulness and jealousy Such weakness of the heart made it so very easy for me to invade”
”By pridedo youhis letter? But it's not like I actually rejected hi!”
”He was in love, but in the end, he lost his composure He was convinced that his entire existence had been refuted, and so his hts of how to hts of how to get the lamp, and thus obtain you as well”
”It's impossible toyour tiht love is fake!”
As Sierra declared while pointing her finger accusingly, Jin muttered to her
”Isn't that basically what I said to your father before?”
”S-Shut up! It's a co!”
”We're not talking about copyright infringement here, you know”
”He can no longer tell the difference between real love and false loveThis is ht that drives the heart into lunacy, the power of Majnun”
”You're really the worst So, that's how you Dae humans, huh”
Alf faced Ukyou and taunted hier for him to come
”Get out of that boy! I' to eat you!”
”Eat?So then, were you really not trying to eat me before?”
”My family line treats Daemons as a pri the power of the Genie of the Lamp, I have to hunt and eat Deamons, not only to level up, but also to avoid starvation This attribute is also passed on to the next generation, so rather than porridge, I've been weaned on soht here by my parents”
”Exactly howdo you eat them?”
”Well, it's not with sugar and soy sauce, that's for sure Why don't you try saying ”Abracadabra”?”
Just then, Ukyou brandished his sword
”As if I'd let you! Al-Kamar!”
The blade reflected the e, then flying from the tip, it shot towards the crescent
”Look out!”
Jin and the others ducked behind the structure housing the staircase they had co the door with a tumultuous crash, the bluish white crescent crashed into the iron door, bending it inward The deflected blade slipped past the obstruction and ran into the concrete railing that surrounded the rooftop The railing broke and frag
”Kyahh!”
Sierra covered her head instinctively while Jin i her back
”Are you alright?”
”Y-Yeah”
The determined look in Jin's eyesat Ukyou fro, Alf spoke to Jin
”Rather than do it hi Daemon who possesses people's hearts andeaten by e combat For now, just hurry up and say Abracadabra”
”I don't want to say any more dumb incantations like 'Chichinpuipui' or 'Abracadabra'!”
”How rude! Abracadabra is the name of one of the old Gods of Mesopotamian society, and Chichinpuipui is derived from Chijinbuyuu It's not like it's all just nonsense or so”
”Chijinbuyuu?”
”Wisdoe The four traits valued in a ruler”
”The ic lamp is from the Middle East, isn't it? So ould it have a japanese incantation?”
Sierra asked with a bit of doubt Mindful of Ukyou's movements, Alf replied somewhat impatiently
”Rather than japanese, it's derived from Chinese characters The Confucian Virtues of benevolence, justice, courtesy, and wisdom appear in the analects of Confucius, you know? So well, Chijinbuyuu goes along the saic lamp was in China, after all”
”Isn't it an Arabian story though?”
”Have you never read Arabian Nights? Aladdin's story takes place in China, and the ic lamp was buried in China too”
”I'm too influenced by the animated version, so I can only think of it as a Middle Eastern story”
”For three thousand years fro the Silk Road until it reached China In that ti from Arabian to Chinese”
”I seeThen, frohts ritten, it took another thousand years to reach japan, right? Maybe the same holds true for Solomon's treasure as well?”
Jin murmured, then Alf nodded
”It's likely A thousand years ago, the treasure was brought to ChinaAlso, the Clavicle of Solomon must have come with the lamp The Clavicle of Solomon is necessary to seal the Daemons after all”
”Ahh, I get it So there's a book for controlling Daemons?”
”That's not it It's not a book, it's”
Alf tried to say so crescent came at Jin and the others The three of the down As the crescent rapidly sliced into the wall, Alf yelled
”He's just striking out blindly, but he'll hit us eventually! Hurry up and say the incantation!”
”At the very least, can't it be a somewhat cooler incantation”
”Now's not the ti, you cheeky coet it, but just do as she says, that's an order!”
The irabbed him by the collar and shook him Jin replied as his head practically rattled
”J-Just why are you even giving orders anyway! Fine, whatever, Abracadabra!”
At his limit, Jin had shouted Ukyou furrowed his brow
”damn!”
As he watched Alf glow silver and shrink thinner and thinner, a silver sword appeared and dropped to the ground Surprised, Jin peered about
”A-Alf? Where'd you go?”
”You really are quite dense, aren't you? I'ht here!”
An echoing voice could be heard froh that he could even wield it with one hand Unable to understand exactly as going on, Jin was in a state of shock