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1Volume 27, Chapter 1
2July 1, 2097, late evening.
3This evening was unlike the last few days – it was clear, and you could see the
4stars. It looked like this year's wet season might end earlier than usual. Such thoughts
5overtook Minami, who opened the window of her hospital room and looked at the
6night sky.
710 minutes ago, this chamber was filled with the voices of young
8women. Although Minami is a “young woman” herself, she is not usually as
9verbose. The atmosphere of live communication in her room was created as two high
10school students from her school - Miyuki and Erika - came to her to visit.
11After Minami's hospitalization, Miyuki received her daily visit without missing
12a single day. While Minami was delighted that her mistress spent time with her every
13day, she tried to argue against inconveniencing Miyuki, but Miyuki did not listen to
14her. Minami was able to come to terms with Miyuki’s visits by assuring herself that
15Miyuki was only recognizing her loyalty. Minami was also glad that Miyuki was
16worried about her. Like Minami, Miyuki was involved in the incident which caused
17Minami to be hospitalized. Because of this, Minami did not consider Miyuki visiting
18as completely unusual. But the visit of Erika befuddled Minami. From an objective
19point of view, Minami and Erika were not close – they rarely contacted each other.
20They did not work together in the school council, as with Honoka, and they did not
21often meet face to face, as with Shizuku, who often came to the student council
22room. AND they did not have Senpai-Kohai relations in club activity, as with Leo.
23Erika and Minami were only seen together when Erika walked home with Miyuki and
24Minami, where they rarely even talked. Most of their exchanges happened when
25stopped at a café located on the way to the station.
26Because of this, Minami guessed that Erika was probably a temporary
27replacement for the Miyuki’s “bodyguard” - yesterday, Tatsuya had told Minami, “I
28can’t come tomorrow night”. He did not explain the reason, but it meant he act
29separately from Miyuki. Obviously, he had some very important thing. Minami does
30not need to know the details of Tatsuya’s work, but it concerned her from the point of
31view that if the hospital was attacked, Tatsuya could not instantly come to the
32rescue. However, Minami did not blame Tatsuya for this, from the very beginning,
33Minami was not in the position in which she must be protected. On the contrary, as
34Miyuki’s guardian, she was supposed to protect Miyuki. Perhaps Tatsuya, worrying
35that he could not accompany Miyuki himself, sent Erika as his replacement? Minami
36quickly rejected this thought in her mind. The hospital was guarded by subordinate
37magicians of the Yotsuba. Tatsuya would not have sent a classmate to do the job of
38these magicians. Minami felt ashamed of her previous thoughts, even though these
39thoughts were quite close to the truth.
40The bustle taking place in Miyuki’s room was not simple entertainment – it
41looked more like a study meeting, where Miyuki explained strange concepts from the
42textbook to Erika. Tomorrow, final exams for the first semester would begin at first
43high, so Erika and Miyuki were undoubtedly preparing for them. As Minami thought
44about this, she frowned. She was scheduled to be released from the hospital on July
459 th , and her last exam would take place on July 6 th . Given her circumstances, she
46would get a separate opportunity to take her exams. Minami was not worried about
47failing her exams – even if she got a zero due to omission of the exams, it would not
48hurt her, as Minami only attended first high to act as the guardian of Miyuki. It was
49simply the phrase “additional exams” that caused her gloom.
50Minami waved her head slightly. She tried to think about something positive
51before her thoughts got bogged down in a swamp.
52“I don’t want you dead! But I don’t want to take away your magic either! Please
53become a Parasite like me!”
54Minami remembered the words Minoru had shouted that time. Not just his words, but
55she reproduced his desperate voice as well, so it sounded like she was hearing it right
56now. At that time, Minoru was serious. Minami felt his words were sincere. She
57instinctively felt that Minoru became a Parasite only for the sake of saving Minami.
58“Why he?” she mumbled. The night carried this question unrequited off to nowhere,
59though she repeated it every evening, starting from that day.
60No one could possibly give Minami an answer. But even knowing this, she
61could not stop asking.
62“Why did he go so far for me?”
63Minami spent just 3 days with Minoru. Moreover, their meeting a few days ago had
64been after more than six months without seeing each other. During that time, they did
65not talk even once.
66Although it happened 8 months ago and lasted just 3 days, Minami
67remembered Minoru well. She remembered the time she spent with a guy of the same
68age, possessing beauty as if it is out of this world. She simply could not forget such
69blindingly bright events, this representative of the opposite sex with beauty
70comparable to even Miyuki.
71His appearance was imprinted in her mind, even though Miyuki was in the
72same space at that time. However, Minoru, as a member of the opposite sex, had a
73much stronger impression on her. Not only she, but any girl of the same age would
74never forget time spent with such a handsome guy as Minoru, because like Miyuki, he
75was an exception of exceptions – Minami mentally convinced herself of this. It was
76not pretense of self-deception, either – she seriously thought so, at least in the surface
77part of her consciousness. Therefore, it was a mystery to Minami – though it was
78normal for Minami to remember Minoru, why would someone as ordinary as her
79become special for Minoru? Undoubtedly, Minami was not ordinary, but in her mind,
80she could not even begin compare to Minoru.
81She was not such a beautiful girl as to make a strong impression on the
82opposite sex. She had too ordinary of an appearance. One could say that she was
83“pretty cute if you looked closely,” but she did not go to any comparison with Minoru.
84The only thing that came to her mind was that she could stay in the far corner of his
85memory as a supplement to Miyuki.
86“I first met Minoru-sama on Saturday evening, October 6 last year. In the main house
87of the Kudou family…”
88Minami was surprised that she remembered the date and even estimate time of day.
89However, she quickly decided that remembering the date was not that surprising, as
90meeting Minoru was quite a shocking event. And “shocking” in this case is not a
91figurative expression; when Minami first say Minoru’s face, she genuinely
92experienced a shock and her heart trembled. This was not a simple surprise. If it were
93only amazement, she would not have been speechless at that moment. Minoru was
94the owner of shocking beauty, but if it were only beauty… after all, Minami
95contacted daily with the owner of a beauty comparable to Minoru.
96“The shock at that moment was not so simple that it can be attributed only to one kind
97of emotion…”, Minami muttered mentally. Yes, it was not only surprise.
98“If there was something else, then what?” she asked herself. But Minami had no
99answer to this question. Minami was not able to tell what her emotions were at that
100moment. She did not understand what feelings she experienced then.
101"... then we met again the next day…,” Minami thought.
102Starting from the Katsuragi road in Nara, they visited the Kasihara temple, a mound
103Ishibutai, Mount Amenokagu, and Nara Park. Their goal was to find Zhou Gongjin,
104the magician of ancient magic from the continent, as well as traditionalists - a group
105of Japanese magicians opposed to the Ten Master Clans. Though they were not alone
106– Tatsuya and Miyuki were with them – the casual observer may have seen it as a
107double date… No, Minami quickly waved this thought out of her head. Although
108Tatsuya and Miyuki looked like a flirting couple, Minami and Minoru should not have
109looked like a pair. Minami thought back to what happened during those 3 days. At one
110point, Minami traveled with Minoru for a two-seater robo-scooter… there was also a
111moment in Nara Park where Tatsuya and Miyuki broke away from them, leaving
112Minami and Minoru walking shoulder to shoulder.
113“Further! Next was…!” Minami remembered how she almost stepped on a mine and
114forced herself to rewind her memories.
115Her next meeting with Minoru was two week later… Saturday, October 20… she not
116only remembered the day of the week, but the exact date. And during this re-meeting,
117she could not utter a single word, despite the fact that it was no longer their first-time
118meeting. She could not even look him in the eye. The Senpais from First High, who
119came with them, were clearly surprised, so her behavior was not noticed. But if she
120was only with Tatsuya and Miyuki, her behavior would seem very strange. They
121visited Oohara, Kinkakuji temple, and Kiyomizu-dera temple. Like 2 weeks ago, they
122were looking for clues about the whereabouts of Zhou Gongjin, so it would not be a
123lie to say that the walk looked like an inspection. Perhaps this was because unlike
124searches in Nara, they did not encounter the enemy. However, while operating
125separately from Minami’s group, Erika and the other Senpai were attacked by
126magicians using ancient magic who supported Zhou Gongjin.
127 Of course, Minami’s group wasn’t just hanging around the neighborhood.
128They discovered the base of some traditionalists, hidden on the way to the Kiyomizu-
129dera temple, and got a clue about Zhou Gongjin’s whereabouts. However, this was the
130achievement of only Tatsuya. Miyuki and Minoru can be written as his assistants, and
131Minami herself was just their attendant.
132"The Yuba-nabe in that restaurant was delicious..." thought Minami as she
133unconsciously drove away the thoughts of her worthlessness. Still, Minami was
134discouraged by the fact that the she first though about food. "Am I such a glutton?”.
135Minami stopped playing memories and bashfully hid her face in the hands that had
136already recovered from the loss of motor function. Her hands made a little more than
137two laps before Minami resumed viewing her memories.
138“The next day, Minoru-sama suddenly fell sick….”
139She was surprised that Minoru’s condition suddenly deteriorated. She had
140heard a little about his weak constitution, but she was not as motivated to take care of
141him because until the previous day he had not shown any sign of weakness. But as
142soon as her surprise passed, she was overwhelmed by her sense of duty. Though she
143was a maid, and not a nurse, care was included in her duties. As a result, she insisted
144on staying and taking care of Minoru. Thinking back on it, she realized that this
145feeling was mostly caused by the realization that in the previous days, she was
146useless. To get rid of the unpleasant feeling, she did the duty she felt most
147comfortable doing. But despite her enthusiasm, she could only sit and watch the
148sleeping Minoru. So, she sat staring at Minoru, and when he pointed this out, she
149burned with embarrassment. But when Minoru fell back asleep, until his condition
150deteriorated further, she sat next to him in a relaxed atmosphere.
151Now, mulling over the events of that time again, something felt off to her. For
152the two weeks before this, Minami had experienced a feeling of nervous overwork,
153causing her anxiousness when visiting the hot springs with Miyuki. Though the
154circumstances were different, when she was alone with Miyuki of the same gender,
155she should have been more relaxed than when she was with Minoru, rather than the
156other way around. Being a beautiful first-class magician, he also had a gentle
157temperament and did not brag about his strength. Beautiful appearance, gentle nature,
158wisdom and courage… Kudou Minoru was a young guy who could not fail to be
159noticed by any girl of his age. So, Minami was surprised as to how she was so
160carefree. Although she was exceedingly nervous the day before, that day she was
161completely calm and did not catch her breath.
162Had she gotten used to him in just 1 day? But Minami did not think that this
163was the only thing. Maybe it was a sense of maid duty? But in this case, she would
164have been even more nervous. Minami tried to remember more of how she thought
165and felt at the time. Sitting next to Minoru’s bed, she…
166“No… that wasn’t true… I was for from relaxed…”
167As she once again looked at the memories of that day, Minami remembered
168that her feelings then were very unstable. When Minoru had pointed out that she was
169staring, Minami had burned with shame. When Minoru fell asleep, she felt at ease
170sitting next to his bed. But at the same time, she came up with a similar question.
171"... why could I feel at ease next to a guy your age?"
172Minami finally realized the feelings she felt.
173"I feel the same to Minoru-sama as he is to me ..."
174The feeling Minami first felt was "similarities".
175"That means...? So, I caught the attention of Minoru myself…"
176Finding this feeling in herself, Minami stiffened and blushed. From the very
177beginning, her modesty had a different meaning. How had she forgotten this?
178"Because soon Minoru-sama's condition suddenly deteriorated."
179Minami was so shocked by this that she forgot about her own feelings, and about his
180embarrassment. At the time, she could only think about how to ease the suffering
181Minoru. She was so nervous that she forgot her own thoughts.
182"Maybe Minoru-sama too ...?"
183She thought that Minoru probably also had similar feelings. Probably, Minoru,
184remembering the feeling of similarity from that time, and wanted to take care of
185Minami like she took care of him.
186"But why then ...?"
187Minami thought she could understand Minoru's behavior if he experienced similar
188feelings. But if you think in this direction, you return to the original question. She did
189not see herself as “special” in Minoru’s ideas.
190“Why did Minoru go so far in trying to cure her that he even dropped his
191humanity…?”
192However much Minami pondered this question, she could not find the answer.
193â—Š â—Š â—Š
194When Miyuki left the hospital where Minami lay, it was already past 9 pm. The
195usual visiting time ends at 20:00, so you could say that she was given a concession
196and was allowed to stay until they turned off the lights.
197Tatsuya, who attacked the transport plane of the American army to prevent the
198invasion of new Parasites, had already completed his mission and returned home. His
199message, "Do you want me to take you?", was the main reason that Miyuki finally
200completed her hospital visit. If she continued to stay there, Tatsuya would come for
201her no matter what she answered him.
202"Onii-sama must be tired after his mission, so I can't allow him to be loaded even
203more," thought Miyuki.
204However, it was already late in the evening, so Miyuki did not go home alone on an
205unmanned taxi. Instead she asked Yuuka - “Yuuka-san, I'm sorry for such a request.”
206“Everything is good. I, too, was about to go home,” she responded.
207As this conversation states, Tsukuba Yuuka – heiress to the head of the Tsukuba
208family, the lateral branch of the Yotsuba family - acted as a chauffeur (or more
209accurately, her Guardian, Ozaki Chiho) for Miyuki. Yuuka was a graduate student at
210the University of Magic. She had completed her studies in March of this year, and
211now continues to work in a university Lab as she did the year before. Though Yuuka’s
212skill in the rare mental interference magic played a large part in her early acceptance
213into the lab, it certainly helped that the Yotsuba family contributed materials to the
214lab, so the professor accepted her with a special courtesy.
215When Miyuki and Yuuka arrived at the high-rise building Miyuki had moved
216into it in May, they parked in the underground parking and Miyuki, Yuuka, and
217Yuuka’s Guardian, Ozaki Chiho all got out. Chiho and Yuuka had also moved into
218this building about one month after Miyuki. This building was built to be the
219headquarters of the Yotsuba family in Tokyo, so the heirs chosen by the heads of the
220side branches moved here as directed by the head of the primary family, Yotsuba
221Maya. Shibata Katsushige, selected to be the next head of the Shibata side branch of
222the family, also plans on moving to this building once the Ministry of Defense
223finishes its checking procedure, and his new home will pass all necessary internal
224checks.
225“Thank you very much,” said Miyuki.
226Miyuki stepped out of the car and bowed slightly to Yuuka and Chiho. Chiho nodded
227silently in response, and Yuuka smiled politely and responded.
228“It's my pleasure. How about dinner together next time?”
229“Yes, we will definitely do this if our schedules coincide,” Miyuki answered.
230After their exchange, Miyuki and Yuuka with Chiho split up in the elevator corridor.
231Miyuki entered alone in a special elevator that goes directly to the top floors. When
232the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Miyuki saw Tatsuya open the door to the
233hallway, waiting for her.
234“Welcome back,” he said.
235“...I'm back.”
236Miyuki was touched by this as Tatsuya exited the room to meet her. When she
237entered the hallway, she relaxed her tense face. From the entrance, they went straight
238into the living room, but only Tatsuya sat down. Miyuki put her handbag on the sofa
239and went to the kitchen. Instead of relaxing after coming home, she went to make a
240drink for Tatsuya. Miyuki showed no signs of fatigue, and in her usual caring
241manner, placed a cup of freshly brewed coffee in front of Tatsuya. After she did this,
242she sat on sofa opposite of Tatsuya, too shy to sit next to him because she was
243wearing an apron. Tatsuya, for his part, behaved differently than usual. Taking his
244cup, he stood up and went to Miyuki's side. Miyuki looked at him in confusion, but
245quickly turned to look at her cup. She showed an embarrassed smile of both shame
246and joy. Confused at her
247emotions, she quickly removed this careless (at least, she thought it was careless)
248smile, Miyuki made a firmer face and looked at Tatsuya again.
249“Onii-sama, you did a good job today.”
250Miyuki did not ask if Tatsuya completed his mission with success or failure, though
251not because she blindly believed in Tatsuya’s unconditional victory. Miyuki did not
252doubt Tatsuya’s victory and his success on missions, but it was natural for her to think
253that, regardless of success or failure, her statement should give at least temporary
254peace of mind to her beloved older brother.
255“Miyuki, you also worked well. How are things with Minami?”
256“If you look at the ability to perform ordinary everyday action, she looks completely
257fine,” answered Miyuki.
258“I see. Yesterday, she, it seems, still experienced some inconvenience.”
259“Yes. Now nothing of this is noticeable,” Miyuki responded, becoming calmer as they
260conversed.
261Tatsuya nodded with relief on his face. Miyuki took a shallow breath. Tatsuya noticed
262this, noticing she was still a little tense. Tatsuya realized that she was collecting to say,
263“Minoru-kun never showed up.” Tatsuya was not surprised by this.
264“He only recently fought with Fumiya and His Excellency Kudou. Injuries will
265disappear due to the Parasite's healing ability, but accumulated fatigue will remain.”
266Tatsuya said this to ease Miyuki’s stress.
267It was a concern that Minoru could appear in any moment to pick Minami, but
268Tatsuya’s words erased signs of tension from Miyuki's face.
269“Besides killing his excellency, Minoru made it very difficult for himself to move. Up
270to this point, he had only performed against the Ten Main Clans, which was good for
271him. But now the self-defense forces will join the search,” continued Tatsuya.
272“Self-defense forces?” Miyuki questioned.
273“Even after retirement, His Excellency had a very strong influence inside the self-
274defense forces. He lost some of his reputation due to the incident with the parasitic
275dolls last year, but some of the military sympathizes with his Excellency. Faith and
276dedication that took shape over a long period of time cannot be extinguished so
277easily after one incident.” Tatsuya explained this to Miyuki, further easing her worry.
278The development of parasitic dolls was reckless, but from the view of the
279army, its concept was not wrong. The use of monsters threatening humans was risky,
280but examples like Pixie prove that coexistence with parasitic dolls is possible. At least
281for Tatsuya, it was a fact. Still, the Parasites are dangerous. They have a similar threat
282level to a carrier of a lethal, uncurable, infectious. Tatsuya's hostility towards Minoru
283was because of his attempts to infect Minami with a Parasite.
284The military, which knew the circumstances, should be able to treat the
285parasitic dolls and the parasites separately. Military officers are not prone to act
286without thinking. However, the average soldier does not know the detailed
287information about the incident and does not know the reason for the loss of
288confidence in Kudou Retsu. Quite many people think that Kudou Retsu was a victim
289in the internal struggle for influence within the forces of self-defense. A platoon of
290strike infantry belonging to the first division of the self-defense forces - also known
291as the “Swordsman” detachment - was almost in full force (according to the most
292modest estimates) sympathizing with Kudou Retsu.
293“Does Onii-sama think it will be difficult for Minoru-kun to invade the metropolitan
294area again?” Miyuki asked.
295“If it were not for the circumstances, then it would be really difficult for him. But,
296unfortunately, now....” Normally, the SDF would want to respond to the threat of
297Minoru after his killing of Kudou Retsu. However, Tatsuya was aware of the clash of
298the Great Asian Alliance and the New Soviet Union, which is of a higher priority to
299the SDF.
300“Onii-sama suggests that something concrete is going to happen? And should we
301remain vigilant?”
302Miyuki hesitated for a while as she waited for Tatsuya to finish his statement, but
303Tatsuya did not dare continue his words. But in the end, she could not help asking.
304Because it was related to the safety not only of Minami, but of the whole family.
305“The military clash between the Great Asian Alliance and the New Soviet Union. If
306there are any major changes in the position of the parties, the self-defense forces will
307turn their eyes to the north.”
308Even Tatsuya could understand the feelings that Miyuki had put into her question. He
309stopped talking evasively.
310“And Minoru-kun will use this chaos to get in?” Miyuki continued her questioning.
311“I think that the probability of this is quite high. More specifically, he will do it
312immediately after the defeat of the Great Asian Alliance. It seems to me that this will
313be the most opportune moment.”
314Tatsuya looked at Miyuki in the eye. But Miyuki thought that Tatsuya’s eyes were
315looking straight ahead.
316â—Š â—Š â—Š
317As in the past, students of the National Academy of Defense lived in a
318dormitory. However, students undergoing training as a magician officer were not
319required to follow this tradition. The fourth-year student Chiba Naotsugu studied at
320his home, and the sophomore Watanabe Mari rented an apartment near the Academy.
321Despite being past 9 in the evening, however, these two were not in Naotsugu's house
322or in Mari’s apartment, and instead were sitting in one of the rooms for briefing the
323forces of the Asaka base of national defense. About 40 officers and soldiers were
324present in the room. Thirty of them were from a platoon of assault infantry, also
325known as the "Swordsmen" detachment, and the rest were commanders and junior
326officers from the first division of reconnaissance, supply, maintenance, and
327communications units. Naotsugu and Mari participated in this meeting as potential
328members of the strike infantry platoon.
329“This is not only our own business.”
330From the podium spoke the commander of the “Swordsmen” detachment. This
331meeting was organized by him, although it was scheduled by officers of higher status.
332This was clear from the content of his speech - the meeting began with the detachment
333commander stating the cause of death of Kudou Retsu as murder, with his grandson
334Kudou Minoru being the killer. This caused a slight uproar, and after the noise of
335various voices subsided, he suggested that the shock platoon of the assault infantry
336organize the capture of Minoru.
337“The searching and arresting of criminals is the responsibility of the police - not a job
338for the army. However, there is a high probability that Kudou Minoru acts in collusion
339with foreign agents. The country affiliated with the agents has not been established, so
340this mission should be viewed as preventive measures against possible sabotage,
341instead of the searching and arresting of criminals.”
342This time there was no uproar. All those present had strained faces, and they stared at
343the commander, without even making the sounds of rustling clothes.
344“But even if we didn’t have such an excuse, we cannot ignore Kudou Minoru, who
345raised his hand to His Excellency — his own grandfather!”
346The voice of the commander, who was previously restrained, suddenly became
347emotional.
348“The criminal Kudou Minoru is infected with a Parasite. This information came from
349a reliable source.”
350In the ensuing silence in which everyone held their breath, it was quiet enough to
351hear someone swallowing saliva. A platoon of strike infantry had advanced to capture
352the first Parasites in February of last year. Several soldiers looked at Naotsugu, sitting
353in the back row, because they remembered the moment in which he stood against the
354platoon with his sister, Chiba Erika.
355- “The enemy of his excellency is a demon who is the enemy of all people.”
356- “We have two reasons not to ignore Kudou Minoru. That's what I think!”
357- “That's right!"
358At this point, a chorus of voices spoke up in support of the searching and capture of
359Kudou Minoru - and not only members of the shock infantry platoon.
360“We will request cooperation from the public security department, as well as from all
361divisions of the central region and the Kansai region. A platoon of strike infantry will
362be wait in a state of readiness at the East Fuji training ground, and Kudou Minoru will
363rush there when he finds shelter. Depart from this base the day after tomorrow at 9:00.
364That's all.” Naotsugu and Mari rose and saluted the commander, along with members
365of the squad with drawn swords.
366â—Š â—Š â—Š
367Tatsuya and Miyuki lived by themselves once again. There was no longer a
368third pair of eyes watching them and shackling their actions. They were siblings, but
369cousins officially, as well as bride and groom. Although the groom was appointed by
370the Yotsuba, Miyuki truly loved Tatsuya. And though Tatsuya said he only viewed
371Miyuki as a younger sister, he had practically no sense of morality because of the
372experiment to create an artificial magic calculation area. Because of this, if Miyuki
373seriously wished for it, Tatsuya would not refuse her. Tatsuya would even agree to go
374to bed with her in the literal sense. Miyuki should have been only happy about that,
375and she had no reason to fear making a mistake, as right now they slept in separate
376bedrooms. Though she had no reason to fear refusal, Miyuki did not dare ask Tatsuya
377to sleep in the same bedroom (not to even mention the same bed). Obviously, she
378feared emotions would get out of control, but she also abstained because of the state
379Minami was in.
380Because Minami had protected her, Minami overheated her magic calculation
381area. It was clearly not even remotely Miyuki’s fault; even Tatsuya was more to
382blame for being the target of attack. Still, Minami was in the hospital as a result of
383protecting Miyuki. This was an undeniable fact, and therefore not a situation in which
384Miyuki felt right having fun carefree. Though Minami would not want her to feel this
385way, Miyuki felt guilty about trying to immerse herself in happiness while Minami
386was recovering. These thoughts served as an effective “brake” for Miyuki’s lust, so
387Miyuki went to bed alone in her room. She sat on the bed and turned off the light with
388a voice command, recalling a recent conversation with Tatsuya. Minoru was forced
389into a difficult position, but he still would not give up on Minami; or so Tatsuya said,
390but Miyuki held the same opinion. Minoru seemed to be truly in love with Minami.
391Miyuki did not know Tatsuya’s opinion of this, but at least Miyuki felt this way. From
392her own experience, she saw love in his actions. However, she could not understand
393why this love existed. Miyuki realized her own feelings because of the dramatic
394events in Okinawa 5 years ago. Her obsession with Tatsuya seemed normal to her,
395given the situation. But what happened with Minoru? No "special incident" happened
396between Minami and Minoru. Unless, did something happen on the day Minami was
397left to look after Minoru? On the day when Minoru's condition suddenly deteriorated,
398Minami called Tatsuya him what to do. Minami could not do anything to improve his
399condition or alleviate his suffering except for stay close to him.
400"But for Minoru-kun, this could be something special."
401Events that are not significant to others could be unforgettable for him. Perhaps
402Minami gave Minoru valuable memories which he could not forget, memories which
403no one else knows. But Miyuki did not have any of these memories, and she did not
404see any clues she could use to speculate. However, no matter what Minoru’s
405intentions, he cannot be allowed to do whatever he wants. There was no doubt that
406the Minoru only wanted the treatment of Minami, but his method for this requires her
407to sacrifice her humanity. The life of the individual named “Sakurai Minami” can be
408saved. However, the woman named Sakurai Minami would cease to exist. It was
409unclear how much of her consciousness would remain after transformation. Would it
410be possible to say that she did not die? Or would it be that that as a person, she would
411be dead. Would only a ghost of her former self be left? Miyuki couldn't accept the
412risk. Never.
413"But... What does Minami-chan think about it?"
414Tatsuya claimed that if her magic was sealed, her life would not be in danger. Miyuki
415believed this. But what does Minami think? After all, this is her life. You can’t force
416Minami to have the same absolute faith in Tatsuya’s words. Miyuki would never
417doubt Tatsuya, but it was impossible and wrong to force this same thinking on other
418people.
419Minami had already agreed with Tatsuya’s treatment of “giving up magic.”
420However, in the depths of her soul, perhaps she thinks: “I don’t want to lose my
421magic.”
422“You have no right to take away the magic from Minami,” Minoru had said that time.
423Even Miyuki would not deny that she felt a sense of agreement with the words of
424Minoru. For a magician, magic is essentially their arms and legs. There exists no one
425who, knowing that they will die if they do not cut off the hand, is not disturbed.
426Perhaps the true feelings of Minami coincide with Minoru: instead of choosing to
427lose magic, she could choose to become a Parasite.
428"What will happen if Minami-chan wants to do this ...?" worried Miyuki.
429Miyuki shook her head, and long hair rolled over her shoulders to cover her face as
430Miyuki convinced herself that this would not happen. Losing one’s limbs is scary…
431terrifying, even. But losing one's heart is even worse. To value one’s humanity over
432one’s magic - isn't that the same thing as changing one's heart for one hand? Such a
433choice. One would only make that decision if they would receive something
434comparable to the heart as well...
435"What if Minami values Minoru-kun as such an object...?"
436Miyuki thought about what she would do if Minoru and Minami were swapped for
437Tatsuya and herself.
438"To abandon my humanity and follow Onii-sama… that would be my choice." Miyuki
439answered without hesitation.
440Miyuki could not answer how Minami felt because she did not know how much
441Minami valued Minoru-kun.
442There are no girls who would not be captivated by Minoru’s appearance. Even
443Miyuki was unconsciously captivated by his beauty at first. If her heart had not been
444full of Tatsuya, then she might have even a vague sense of falling in love. Love is not
445built on appearances. Miyuki did not know if it was the same with men, but she felt
446that at least girls are not so simple about this. If Tatsuya did not exist, she still would
447not have chosen her beloved by appearance, and Minami was probably the same in
448that sense. Miyuki did not deny the possibility of “love at first sight,” but she believed
449that this was not just a crush on appearance. Miyuki felt it that if it was anything, it
450was a crush on the impression of the person, conveyed along with the appearance, but
451showing the inner sides of the person.
452Minami did not had enough time to get to know Minoru’s character in detail,
453but Minami also showed no behavior hinting towards love at first sight. After the last
454time they split up in Kyoto, Minami never spoke about Minoru; at least not around
455Miyuki. Though Minami is not talkative, she is not very good at keeping secrets. Even
456when she tries to put on a poker face, it is easy to understand that something is wrong.
457When Minami reacted to Miyuki and Tatsuya's excessive flirting, they only pretended
458to not notice. Up until the meeting the other day, Minami did not show any interest in
459Minoru in front of Miyuki or Tatsuya. It was not clear how exactly Minami felt, but
460she at least was not consciously in love with Minoru.
461"But if she noticed those feelings that she had not realized until now? What if these
462were feelings that were similar to mine for Onii-sama...?"
463Maybe she was overthinking it, but perhaps there is a future in which Minami chooses
464Minoru.
465Volume 27, Chapter 2
466Local time: July 1, 17:00. In Japan’s time, it is July 2, 8:00
467Major Noah Capella, the fifth unit’s commander, returned to Stars’s base in the
468suburbs of Roswell, New Mexico, USNA.
469“Horse's Head successfully delivered to the Hawaiian base with Major Canopus and
470two others.”
471“Good job. You may be dismissed.” Colonel Paul Walker, the base commander,
472thanked and dismissed the chapel. However, the chapel remained standing in front of
473the table.
474“Major, did you want to ask something?” Walker invited the chapel to speak.
475Capella’s behavior clearly indicated that he had some questions.
476“Colonel. In my humble opinion, the ‘Illegal MAP’ should not be released. Colonel,
477did you forget how much damage was done when they were out of control?”
478Illegal MAP - Illegal Mystic Assassin Platoon - was a detachment of magicians
479specializing in murder missions that were not able to be made public. It consisted of
480three platoons: "Charcoal Sack", "Cone Nebula" and "Horse's Head". As they
481specialize in killing, they had extremely high abilities in combat against people, but as
482Capella said, this detachment had significant problems with insubordination. This was
483made worse because this detachment did not act in the regular composition of the
484troops, and Stars repeatedly had to make an effort to eliminate the consequences from
485the Illegal MAP’s activities.
486The "Hidden Arctic War", in which the “Tuman Bomba” killed the previous
487Sirius, pushed the Illegal MAP to their full extent in combat against a similar squad of
488the New Soviet Union. Though they did their job effectively, Stars lost quite a bit – in
489addition to losing Sirius, Stars also lost a numerous members of the Star class. After
490they completed post-war processes with the New Soviet Union, command sent the
491personnel in the Illegal MAP to Midway Prison. That was seven years ago, but their
492ability to perform tasks is undeniable.
493“I would not call excessive slaughter the correct execution of the task,” the Chapel
494finished.
495Walker sighed, not willing to back down. Walker outranked Capella – as a
496colonel, he was higher than a major - but Capella was older and had the benefit of a
497longer army career, so Walker could not chase away the Chapel (the most senior
498member of the Star Class of Stars) without an explanation. Had Walker been infected
499with a Parasite, he would not have been disturbed in doing this, but he was still a man
500- among the members of the Star class, still less than one-third of the personnel were
501Parasites. Most of Stars’s personnel, including Walker, only had a minor effect on
502their consciousness. The Parasites played off of the fear of the unofficial Japanese
503Strategic Class Magician (Tatsuya, in other words) to make them accept the Parasites
504and cooperate with their activities.
505Still, the rest of the USNA army had not yet fallen under the control of the
506Parasites. Currently, the Department of Defense was divided into two main camps:
507one for the destruction of Tatsuya, and one for the use of his force in the USNA global
508strategy. Only the first of these two factions overlooked the control of the Parasites in
509Stars.
510In these circumstances, Walker could not ignore the feelings of Capella.
511“Under usual circumstances, it would not be a good idea to release the Illegal MAP,
512but the enemy is not so simple as to fall to usual tactics. It will be impossible to
513achieve the goal without going beyond the reasonable,” Walker responded to
514Capella’s arguments.
515“Still, why use Horse’s Head?” Capella questioned.
516Walker did not answer. Given their ranks, he was not obliged to answer Major
517Capella, but Walker didn’t want to give the answer “no comment”.
518“Is their target Major Angie Sirius?”
519“It is not.” Walker responded reflexively to Capella's assumption.
520“The target is the Japanese Strategic Class Magician, Shiba Tatsuya.” Though he still
521had some indecision, Walker answered the question.
522The chapel was not as close to Lina as Canopus was, and he was neutral about this
523rebellion. Capella was a typical military man - not good or evil, only showing
524dissatisfaction with acts such as killing the military, violating military laws, and
525hurting friendly soldiers, so though he technically remained neutral, he did not
526approve of the insurgency organized by Arcturus and the other Parasites. His feelings
527were only suppressed by his military discipline - to not wreak havoc during these
528times, Capella stuck to a neutral position. To keep Capella neutral, Walker avoided
529creating additional factors for the Chapel.
530“In addition, they will act as if they received this job from the Chinese mafia. After
531the operation starts, all communications towards us will be destroyed. The Horse’s
532Head consists of people from East and Central Asia, so they have an Asian
533appearance. The detachment was originally intended for subversive activities in
534Eastern Siberia and the Great Asian Alliance, so it is made up of magicians with a
535suitable appearance. From an appearance perspective, their cover of agents of the
536Chinese mafia is quite suitable.”
537However, Capella believed that this was not such an effective disguise. If captured by
538magicians, there is the possibility of interrogation using external systemic magic
539systems of mind reading or puppet control.
540“I understand you. But who will take care of them if they get out of control?” Capella
541asked.
542Capella did not express his views on the risks behind capture, assuming that the plan
543accounted for this. Instead, he focused on a more significant issue: insubordination of
544the unit.
545“This question is still under consideration.”
546Walker finally fell back on an ambiguous answer, causing Capella to narrow his eyes.
547His face expressed the feeling of “I am so fed up with this.”
548“...No more questions?”
549Walker understood that his answer could not be called an answer, so he did not
550condemn Capella’s behavior, instead hinting that he would not answer further
551questions.
552“No, Colonel.” Capella took the hint.
553“Then you are dismissed, Major.”
554Chapel obediently left the office of the base commander. While seeing him off, there
555was an unknowable irritation of Walker’s own.
556â—Š â—Š â—Š
557Regular exams began today at First High, but Tatsuya immediately left after
558accompanying Miyuki to school. After the reveal of his identity as the “Silver” half of
559the famous CAD engineer “Taurus Silver”, Tatsuya was exempted from school tests
560and exams, and he didn’t have a habit of doing things that he didn’t have to do. His
561opinion on this coincided with the opinion of the majority, so nobody held it against
562him for not attending exams.
563At the moment, Tatsuya was in one of the rooms of a research building on
564Miyaki Island trying to develop new magic using the Chain Casting technique. The
565building on Miyaki Island was positioned as a new FLT research center, but it could
566also be considered the FLT laboratory. Still, he would have preferred to transfer this
567development to the FLT lab that he worked at previously, but he continued here
568because he was afraid to leave Lina unattended for a long time. Tatsuya did not doubt
569Lina, confident that she was not a saboteur in Japan under the cover of
570“escaping from her own country”. Tatsuya trusted Lina, to an extent, and knew that
571she was completely unsuitable for that type of deceitful penetration mission.
572Therefore, it was not a lack of trust that made Tatsuya want to stay around Lina, but
573rather that he felt she could do something stupid out of boredom or some other cause.
574She was not a small child, so she had at least some idea of common sense, but Tatsuya
575was not completely confident in this aspect of Lina.
576Tatsuya had arrived on this island at 9:30 by flying not on his car, but a small
577VTOL operated by Hyogo. Immediately after his arrival, he retired in his person
578laboratory.
579Current time: 11:50.
580“Is it time to have lunch?”
581Tatsuya thought this as he left the lab.
582“Tatsuya!”
583Lina called out to him in the corridor of the research building.
584“Lina, do you need something?”
585“Are you going to lunch now? May I join you?” Lina asked Tatsuya.
586The building in Lina lived in was towards the west of the island, and this research
587building was to the east. Miyaki Island was a small island with only 2 kilometers
588between these points, but it was still a surprise for Tatsuya to see Lina here.
589Obviously, “having lunch together” was an occasion to discuss some business and not
590just a leisurely time.
591“I do not mind, but will this take much time?”
592Tatsuya did not want to spend too much time discussing business, as he needed the
593time to not only develop new magic using Chain Casting, but also master the magic of
594sealing Parasites.
595“If you don’t have much time, let’s hurry,” Lina responded.
596Lina was not bothered by the indifferent tone of Tatsuya. She simply turned and
597walked towards the dining room.
598Miyaki Island’s logistics were still at the preparatory stage, so there was not a
599very wide variety of goods on the island. So far, delivery has only been arranged for
600vital items to allow comfortable living. Despite this, the food seemed delicious. The
601dishes in the local canteen, though not reaching the level of nicer restaurants, were at
602least on par with home cooking. Due to the lack of other pleasures, the food seemed
603all the better, so the food was overall quite enjoyable.
604The research building had already been commissioned, so there were several
605other researchers. In order to not particularly distinguish themselves with the presence
606of a personal butler, Tatsuya asked Hyogo to go separately from them while he went
607to lunch with Lina. While they were having coffee, Lina started to talk about the main
608topic.
609“Tatsuya, I want to tell you something.”
610“Is it a long story?” Tatsuya asked.
611Lina shook her head negatively in response to Tatsuya’s question.
612“Tell me briefly.”
613Tatsuya put his coffee cup on the table and looked at Lina. Lina regarded this as
614agreement, and after a short “thank you”, she began her story.
615“As I told you, an uprising took place at the headquarters of Stars, and I was able to
616escape with Ben’s help.”
617“By Ben, do you mean Major Benjamin Canopus?” Tatsuya requested this
618clarification.
619“Yes,” Lina responded.
620“But as far as I know, Second Lieutenant Ralph Hardy Mirfak accompanied you to the
621airport, and the path of retreat to Japan was organized by Colonel Virginia Balance,”
622Tatsuya stated.
623“That’s right. But it was Ben who asked the Colonel for help, and it was he who
624created the opportunity for escape.”
625Tatsuya realized that Lina felt obligated to Major Canopus.
626“So, what’s next?” Tatsuya asked.
627“I think after I escaped, Ben probably surrendered,” Lina continued. “His ability is
628enough to run away, breaking through any entourage, but he is not the kind of person
629who runs alone, leaving the rest.”
630“In my opinion, he could have suppressed a rebellion if he used all his strength.”
631Tatsuya stated his opinion.
632At this, Lina opened her eyes and stared at Tatsuya, but there was not the slightest
633sign of a smile on his face.
634“He is not the kind of person who will direct a sword to a friend,” Lina stated.
635“I do not think that Parasites can be considered comrades, but this is a different
636question. Okay, so what’s next?” Tatsuya asked.
637“Ben has personal connections beyond just Stars in the Pentagon and State
638Department. Parasites should not have executed him. Most likely, he was sent to a
639military prison. He has probably already been taken to the site,” Lina continued.
640“But is there a prison capable of deterring a magician of First Star class?” Tatsuya
641asked. “Even if you restrict him from using CADs, he can still use magic. Unless there
642is a magic sealing technique for practical use?”
643“There should not be such at technology, I didn’t hear anything like that from Abby,”
644Lina said.
645“Is Abby the developer of the Brionac magical weapon?” Tatsuya asked.
646“Yes, that’s right. Chief Engineer of Stars, Dr. Abigail Stewart,” Lina responded
647“She has no military rank?”
648Tatsuya, surprised that Lina revealed the full name of the developer of the Brionac,
649instantly asked another question far from the main topic. Still, Lina giving the name of
650Dr. Stewart was not negligence, and rather gave it as a demonstration of not hiding
651anything...probably.
652“In that case, where is Major Canopus now?”
653Tatsuya, who realized that his words had turned the conversation away from the main
654question, returned to the main topic himself before Lina also turned off the main road.
655“I think he most likely went to Midway Prison,” Lina responded.
656“That is, even if he escapes from the prison itself, there will be only the sea around,”
657Tatsuya clarified.
658“This prison was apparently built with just such a concept. Even a magician of our
659own level would not be able to escape through 100 km of water without any devices.”
660“So, what is next? What do you want from me, talking about the prisoner on the
661island of Midway, Major Canopus?” Tatsuya finally asked the main question.
662Lina’s face tightened at this question.
663“...The fact that Ben was sent to Midway Prison is not random speculation. Ben once
664said that if they ever decided to get rid of him for political reasons, he would bargain
665to go to Midway Prison. I was going to do it too,” Lina stated.
666“This is quite a radical measure....”
667“Ben said that the struggle for power is meaningless, and there is only justice when
668you win. No matter how right you are, how wrong your opponent is… in the end, the
669loser can only submit to the strong. But as long as this is not an absolute defeat, as
670long as there are opportunities for making deals, one cannot give up. Even if it seems
671that one has lost, that defeat is already inevitable, then lose with the maximum benefit
672for oneself. Ben constantly reminded me of that.”
673“That point is not only relevant in the struggle for power. Often, that principle is used
674to end a war. Major Canopus is excellent not only as a combat magician, he is also a
675soldier, well versed in strategy.” Tatsuya complimented Canopus.
676“He is a graduate of the USNA Military Academy.” Lina stated this fact.
677“I see,” Tatsuya responded.
678“So, he became a military magician by chance?” – thoughts such as this passed
679through Tatsuya’s head.
680Tatsuya and Canopus had not met in the past. Tatsuya’s memory of Canopus
681only had an unpleasant memory of failure when Canopus had sunk the ship carrying
682Gu Jie right before his eyes, destroying the body with the magic Molecular Divider.
683After this incident, Tatsuya started to see Canopus as a person who could become a
684hindrance in the future and required special attention, but he was only able to access a
685file containing surface details, so the knowledge Tatsuya had of the man amounted to
686his age of 40 years old. If he had not serve in the army since his adolescence, then he
687had only joined the military after the end of World War III, entering West Point just
688after the war ended. Using magicians as ordinary combat soldiers (at least as ordinary
689as one could be while possessing magic) was quite natural, and magician officers were
690rarer at that time, so if a magician wanted to join the military, then regardless of their
691intellectual abilities, they would not be able to enroll in an elite educational institution
692training officers. Because of this, it is quite likely that the qualities inherent in the
693combat magician were discovered during the training at West Point or after graduation
694from there.
695These were Tatsuya’s thoughts about Canopus. If Tatsuya’s assumptions were
696correct, then Major Canopus was originally likely to become a high-ranking officer
697who managed the armies and plots the war. However, because he was a magician, he
698was forced to follow the path of a combat magician and get his hands dirty with the
699work of eliminating terrorists, and now even attack his comrades captured by the
700Parasites… this could explain why Major Canopus still thought of the Parasites as
701comrades and didn’t suppress the Parasite rebellion himself. Tatsuya felt that Major
702Canopus likely had to often restrain his emotions about himself and his situation.
703“Tatsuya?” Lina gently prodded. While he was thinking, Tatsuya was oddly silent.
704“Oh, yes, sorry.”
705Tatsuya realized that his mind had been dominated by thinking about another person
706that wasn’t Miyuki. Tatsuya could not help but grin as he thought that he would not be
707able to live normally if he was able to sympathize with the lives of everyone else.
708“In short, can you argue without doubt that Major Canopus is definitely on Midway
709Island?” Tatsuya asked.
710“Yes. Ben should have been able to negotiate this. It’s hard to escape from Midway
711Island, but it’s also hard to send a killer there,” Lina responded.
712“But can other prisoners attack him?” Tatsuya speculated.
713“The probability of this, of course, is not zero, but... everything there is arranged
714specifically. I only saw the prison cells through a picture from a security camera, but I
715saw enough to understand that all the prison cells are solitary and soundproof. Food
716delivery and dish collection are fully automated. Cells are equipped with a toilet and a
717shower. They are released solitarily to go to the gym or for a walk. There are
718essentially no interactions between prisoners,” Lina explained.
719“To prevent collusion between prisoners?” Tatsuya correctly made this assumption.
720“Yes. Ben said that this was also done because valuable combat magicians would not
721be wasted in prison.”
722This was not only because the magicians hold value in combat, but also because it
723would be incredibly hard to stop powerful combat magicians. Brainwashing would be
724preferred as a last resort, even if it could lower combat ability.
725“Though in prison, it seems that they live well enough,” Tatsuya said. “Probably to
726not lower the combat potential of the magicians. So it’s like this...” Tatsuya began.
727Tatsuya talked about it as if it were completely normal, but Lina’s face expressed
728concern. She felt emotional shock as she realized once again that magicians are only
729seen as weapons.
730“So, Lina wants me to pull Major Canopus out of Midway?”
731Tatsuya did not ask this seriously. He did not think Lina would make such a bold
732request.
733“...Yes.”
734When Tatsuya saw Lina nod, he doubted his vision and hearing.
735“...Are you serious?” he asked.
736“I understand that this is an audacious request. But what is happening now in the
737States cannot be called an ordinary conflict. Even protected in Midway Prison as he is,
738we do not know what lengths the parasites will go to. Murder is definitely possible. In
739the worst case, Ben could even become infected with a Parasite.”
740Tatsuya could not ignore the possibility of Canopus being infected with a Parasite. If
741the request was only for Tatsuya to save Canopus in order to make him an ally,
742Tatsuya would definitely refuse. Canopus would only become an ally temporarily, and
743would go back to being an enemy again once the Parasite infection was dealt with
744again. It makes no sense, then, to penetrate the military prison to kidnap Canopus
745from there. However, Tatsuya had to consider that Canopus could become a Parasite.
746Tatsuya had already seen Canopus’s abilities. One time was enough to evaluate his
747skills.
748“There is not enough benefit covering the risks,” Tatsuya responded.
749The conclusion voiced by Tatsuya was no different from his reflections.
750“To eliminate the risk of Canopus becoming a Parasite, it would be much easier to
751blow up the prison on Midway Island with my “Material Burst”. With a pretext of “It
752was to stop the Parasite epidemic”, it would be possible to avoid criticism from the
753international community.”
754“Wait! If you announce something like this, the States will...! If it becomes known
755that the USNA is doing nothing to stop the Parasites, trust in the USNA will plummet.
756It could cause internal strife and even disintegration of the state...” Lina pleaded.
757“But if your country is planning to use the power of Parasites, then the threat of the
758parasites must be announced.” Tatsuya’s words were not a simple threat.
759“...If there is a benefit for you, would you agree?” Lina asked Tatsuya with a
760persistent and intense facial expression.
761“…Yes. I also do not want to resort to such an approach as the explosion of the whole
762island. Generating that much heat could have a negative impact on the global
763climate.”
764Lina felt a chill run down her back as she saw Tatsuya say this with a serious face. A
765single magic capable of harming the global climate… she knew that his words were
766not an exaggeration. The tension Lina felt showed on her face.
767“I will become an ally of Tatsuya,” Lina said.
768Tatsuya did not understand what Lina was trying to say. He looked at her with doubt
769in his eyes.
770“If I return to Stars, then I will stop any hostile activity towards Tatsuya.” Lina
771collected her thoughts and gave her answer under Tatsuya’s keen gaze.
772“I don’t think that you will be able to solve this issue only on your own,” Lina said.
773“If you don’t listen to my opinion, I will leave the army and get Japanese citizenship. I
774am the daughter of Shogun Kudou's niece, so I meet the requirements for
775naturalization.”
776“In your case, citizenship can be obtained without kinship, but will the USNA allow
777you to do this?” Tatsuya asked.
778“It does not matter whether the army agrees or not. I’ve already ran from the military
779this time. By the time they could do anything, I would already be applying for
780demobilization and escaped from the States.”
781“Do you think it will be that easy?” Tatsuya wondered, but did not voice this doubt
782out loud so as not to destroy Lina’s determination.
783For Tatsuya, this benefit was enough for him to justify the risk. When this is
784over, and Lina returns to USNA before escaping from there again, the Yotsuba would
785undoubtedly become the receiving party again - inside Japan, there would not be
786anyone other than the Yotsuba who would be prepared to act aggressively against the
787USNA.
788Lina is currently regarded as a guest, but if she escapes to Japan again and
789becomes a citizen, then she could be used as a fighting force. Not only this, this
790fighting strength would not belong to the Yotsuba, but would rather be the personal
791strength of Tatsuya. Lina had said: "I will become an ally of Tatsuya," and Tatsuya
792did not intend to her to Maya.
793“I understood. I cannot promise that it will be quick, but I will work on developing a
794rescue plan for Major Canopus.”
795“Really!? Thank you, Tatsuya!” Lina enthusiastically jumped up with a radiant face,
796leaning over the table.
797If there was no such table between them, she would have hugged him tightly.
798“By the way, Lina.”
799“What?” Lina asked.
800“The granddaughter of a brother or sister is called a great-niece. It is not accurate to
801say, ‘the daughter of His Excellency Kudou’s niece’. You should instead say ‘the
802great-niece of His Excellency Kudou’. It will be useful to remember this when you
803introduce yourself to someone.”
804Lina's face immediately became sad. Tatsuya had accidentally spoiled her mood, or
805was it on purpose? In any case, he, in his own words, "broke the flag."
806â—Š â—Š â—Š
807Classes ended just after noon during exam week in the national High Schools
808of Magic, but when Tatsuya returned to school, it was already 15 o'clock. The
809members of the student council were not required to stay, but the responsible female
810students of the student council stayed after in the student council room to prepare for
811exams.
812“Shiina.”
813“Y-yes!?”
814The freshman, with headphones hidden in aerial curly dark brown hair, responded to
815Tatsuya’s voice. Her name was Mitsuya Shiina, and she was the youngest daughter in
816the Mitsuya family of the Ten Main Clans. She saw Tatsuya walk into the student
817council room, but she did not expect him to talk to her. When Tatsuya called out to
818Shiina, her voice was higher pitched in response than usual.
819“I have a case in which I would like to hear the opinion of either your father, Mitsuya
820Gen-dono, or his eldest son Motoharu-dono. Could you ask them if they have time to
821talk with me?” Tatsuya asked.
822“Um, I mean, do you want to meet and talk to dad?”
823Shiina quivered slightly while saying this.
824“Yes.”
825“Shiba-senpai, what do you want to talk about with Shii-chan's father?” Unable to
826look at the bewildered Shiina, Izumi intervened in the conversation.
827“I want to know about the activities of the American army.”
828Tatsuya did not ignore this interference from Izumi. He answered her honestly rather
829than inventing an excuse.
830“American army?” Honoka exclaimed from next to Izumi, surprised.
831Miyuki told her in a whisper: “People from the Mitsuya family have detailed
832information about abroad military affairs.”
833Izumi, being a part of the Ten Master Clans herself, already knew this. Tatsuya
834wanting to ask about the American army from the head of the Mitsuya family was
835quite reasonable, in her opinion.
836“Shiba-senpai! I'll ask dad about his work schedule!”
837Shiina hurriedly gave this answer to Tatsuya because she understood Izumi’s feelings.
838Because of her intervention, Izumi did not have to apologize. However, Izumi didn’t
839know which was worse: apologizing to Tatsuya or being protected by Shiina.
840“Izumi-chan. Come on, let's see the tasks that will be on the practical exam.” Miyuki
841saw Izumi thinking and quickly moved on from the topic.
842“Uh? Miyuki-senpai, are you sure?” Izumi responded.
843“It's okay. I am well versed in the system of vibrations.”
844“I agree! Okay, I’m counting on you!”
845Miyuki left the student council room, taking Izumi with her, whose face expressed
846intense excitement. "I have good support," thought Tatsuya.
847â—Š â—Š â—Š
848After seeing Miyuki disappear into the building used for practical exercises,
849Tatsuya went to the training forest.
850“I'm sorry to distract you during the exams,” Tatsuya apologized to Mikihiko.
851“What are you saying? This is much more important than exams.”
852Tatsuya had sincerely apologized, but Mikihiko responded with a smile, as if he took
853it for a bad joke. He did not really laugh, but just smiled slightly, as if he had no
854alternative facial expressions – it was the kind of person he was.
855“Besides, I'm not one of those who cram everything last night.”
856“Wow”, thought Tatsuya. If Mikihiko said it seriously, then he deserves praise, even
857if he just pretends everything is in order.
858“I’ll rely on you, then,” Tatsuya replied.
859"In any case, let's go home early today," thought Tatsuya, and then gave Mikihiko a
860signal to start training.
861Mikihiko created an independent informational body (a “spirit”), and Tatsuya
862quickly sent Psions to flow around the out of control mass, “swallowing” the Psion
863mass. On the third day of training, Tatsuya found that this method was much more
864effective than spreading a Psion cloud around the target and then compressing it.
865Mikihiko had helped to train Tatsuya even on the Sunday before the exams, so
866today was the sixth day of training. So far, Tatsuya had managed to find that instead
867of sending psionic streams from six directions with the same pressure, it is more
868efficient to send psionic streams from four directions while installing flaps above and
869below it to keep the Psion mass from escaping. All Tatsuya had left to do was master
870the technique compressing the Psions.
871The shape of the spirit was not a cube, but rather a ball. From the view of
872efficiency, it was necessary to not only compress, but to apply pressure around the
873sphere equally in the shape of a sphere. To not just “squeeze” it, but to make a mold
874around it and apply pressure on every side at once.
875It was not necessary to compress the sphere all at once. It was fine to make
876many smaller compressions to get a small, solidified sphere.
877“...Tatsuya, this...” Mikihiko exclaimed, not really knowing what to say
878“... It worked?” Tatsuya asked.
87950 cm in front of Tatsuya hung a ball of high-density Psions. It was so stable that it
880seemed almost real. Tatsuya carefully extended his hand and grabbed the psionic
881sphere. The intangible psionic mass reacted as if it were solid, but it was not reacting
882with Tatsuya physically – rather with Tatsuya’s psionic field, which follows the shape
883of his physical body. There was no sign that it would collapse, even if it was grabbed
884even more.
885“This is the Sealing Sphere, non-systematic magic for capturing Parasites with just a
886spell!” Mikihiko said delightedly.
887The spirit was sealed by “technique”, without using help from amulets, dolls, or
888similar material tools. This magical technique gave Mikihiko a strange feeling.
889Tatsuya released the psionic sphere from his hand, controlling his own psionic field so
890as not to interfere with the sphere’s structure. Tatsuya and Mikihiko remained now
891watching the psionic mass, which had become a pseudo-solid body until it self-
892destructed after 7 minutes.
893During these 7 minutes, the “spirit” that was imprisoned inside did not show
894any activity. Over the next two hours, Tatsuya continued to practice, having several
895successful and unsuccessful attempts. Only approximately 30% of his attempts were
896successful, but in the last 10 minutes, he made 4 successful attempts in a row.
897“Mikihiko, let's finish today. I shouldn’t strain you further.”
898“I’m all right, or at least I would like to say that, but.... Unfortunately, unlike you,
899Tatsuya, I have reached my limit today.” Mikihiko smiled, even though he was
900breathing heavily. “However, you are already close to the goal.”
901“Yes. Thanks to you, Mikihiko.”
902“Happy to help, but to be able to use it in real combat, you need to increase the
903success rate unfortunately.” Mikihiko maintained his smile despite his exhaustion.
904“Sorry, but could you help me tomorrow too?” Tatsuya asked.
905“Of course.”
906Trying to smile wider, Mikihiko nodded. His smile expressed a sense of satisfaction
907as he was able to help his friend through these “workouts”.
908â—Š â—Š â—Š
909Tuesday evening, July 2.
910In the mansion of the Saegusa family, Kasumi and Izumi diligently prepared for their
911exams. The detachment duty for intercepting Minoru was still going on today, but
912school was a priority for these two, so they were released from their work. In addition
913to these two, Mayumi also remained on standby tonight, so she was able to receive an
914unexpected guest.
915“Mari ...!? You're here so suddenly - what happened?” Mayumi exclaimed.
916“I want to chat about something. Am I distracting you?” Mari replied.
917“No, you’re not a distraction… come in!”
918Mayumi pulled the unusually polite Mari inside the mansion and led Mari to her
919room. She prepared drinks herself as she ordered the mansion’s servants not to enter
920the room in order to guarantee the privacy of their conversation. Mayumi’s room was
921Western styled, with only a desk, bed, and low table. Mayumi put their tea cups on the
922table, brought cushions from the corner of the room, and sat opposite of Mari.
923“You should have called and informed me that you were coming! You're lucky I’m
924even home right now! If you had come last night, you would not have caught me.” For
925Mayumi, this was a chatter between friends, and her words did not carry that much
926meaning.
927“Busy fishing for Kudo Minoru?” Mari asked.
928But she caught her breath when she heard something completely unexpected from
929Mari.
930“How do you know about Minoru-kun...?” Mayumi wondered.
931“I knew that the Top Ten Clans were drawn into it. Is Juumonji involved as well?”
932"So it was a suggestive question?" Mayumi thought and looked at Mari, frowning.
933However, Mari had not intended to trap Mayumi. She had only voiced her hunch as a
934prelude to the topic she was going to raise.
935“In truth, now I am also connected to the prosecution of Kudo Minoru,” Mari
936explained.
937“Uh, you? But why?” Mayumi asked.
938“A pursuit team was formed from the main squad of a first division strike infantry
939platoon. I was ordered to join this operation as a participant,” Mari said.
940“But you are still a student...” Mayumi muttered.
941“The meaning of the term ‘student’ is different from at the University of Magic. You
942should know that students of the Academy of Defense become soldiers at the time of
943admission.”
944There was no irony in Mari’s voice. And she did not look dissatisfied with the fact
945that she was sent on a mission.
946“A squad of shock infantry, you say...? From the "Swordsmen" detachment? The
947squad of melee magicians formed from passionate admirers of Elder Kudou?”
948Mayumi asked for clarification.
949“Yes, it is this squad. If you know this much, this conversation will be short. A
950platoon of strike infantry is acting to avenge the Elder. Though I think using the army
951for an act of personal malice is bad, as far as I have heard, Kudou Minoru cannot be
952ignored,” Mari explained.
953“Revenge...? So Minoru-kun killed the Elder...?” Mayumi was in awe.
954“This is reliable information,” Mari stated.
955“It can’t be...” Mayumi could not hide her shock.
956Mari was slowly sipping her iced tea, waiting for Mayumi to calm down.
957“The self-defense forces have deployed a search network just West of Hakone, so we
958most likely will not see each other working, but I thought that just in case, I should
959warn you so that your family would not get confused if we happened to meet.” After
960Mayumi’s complexion returned to normal, Mari said the main thing she wanted to
961say.
962“...Be careful, Mari. Minoru-kun is very strong,” Mayumi warned.
963“He was able to defeat the Elder. I understand that I am not a rival to him in one-on-
964one combat. I'm not going to attack recklessly.”
965Mari responded to the anxious Mayumi while making a face that showed she had no
966desire to rush into battle. Looking at her, Mayumi thought: "she is not at all what she
967was in her First High years."
968Volume 27, Chapter 3
969Though Edward Clark faced some obstacles while working on Project Dione, it
970continued to progress. The rate at which it progressed was accelerating, too: Clark no
971longer worked on the project alone, and at the moment, a group of independent
972scientists from the US National Science Agency were conducting simulations on the
973delivery of ice masses from Jupiter to Venus. Once these simulations were completed,
974the data would be used to create the necessary sequences of magic that take into
975account all possible factors.
976The research staff of the National Science Agency currently were giving
977priority to providing water and lowering the temperature of Venus with a large
978amount of ice blocks being placed on Venus, and they planned on dealing with the
979problem of splitting up the atmosphere another time. Edward Clark did not object to
980these policies.
981He didn't care.
982The terraforming of Venus was only a formal goal. The real goal of the Project
983Dione was the expulsion of Shiba Tatsuya from Earth out of fear of his magic that
984converted mass directly into energy. And from this point of view, Project Dione had
985already failed.
986The magical thermonuclear reactor power plant project, designed by Shiba
987Tatsuya, was steadily moving towards its implementation. Being a key figure in this
988project, Shiba Tatsuya had an excuse for not participating in the Dione Project.
989The concept of such an installation is not new: first, build a large-scale power
990plant. Using the electricity produced, extract hydrogen from ocean water while
991extracting useful minerals purifying them from harmful substances. Using ordinary
992technology, this plan was unprofitable, but the use of the Star Reactor - a
993thermonuclear reactor using gravity control magic – makes it profitable. Edward Clark
994couldn't find a way to deny this.
995The need for the Project Dione, with the official purpose of preparing for a
996shortage of living space as population increased, is still there, but it was now
997impossible to insist that Shiba Tatsuya must join the project. The star reactor was not
998necessary for the promotion of the Project Dione. Employees of the NSA calculated
999that the power required to carry out the mission in Jupiter’s orbit can be generated by
1000solar energy. On the other hand, the Shiba Tatsuya plant project is based on the
1001construction of the Star Reactor. Star reactor plants can provide much more energy
1002than other types of power plants. Because of this, many senators already felt that
1003Tatsuya’s “experiment” should not be hindered. If Edward Clark continued to insist
1004that Tatsuya must participate, the world could guess the true purpose of Project Dione.
1005Edward Clark knew that if world figured out the true purpose of Project Dione,
1006then it could never be achieved. There were always journalists trying to reveal the
1007truth, regardless of the consequences. There was also the possibility that conclusions
1008formed on the guesswork people who cannot be called full-fledged journalists would
1009reveal the truth. Still, even in the current situation, Edward Clark did not give up on
1010Project Dione. Searching for a clue that could turn the situation around, he was now
1011looking through the information collected Hliðskjálf.
1012He had not returned home for more than ten days, and he had not met with his
1013son in more than half a month. Because of this, Clark did not yet know that Raymond
1014had become a Parasite (though this was probably more negligence on his own part).
1015Clark had given his permission for Raymond to go to Japan through a text message,
1016but other than this, he did not know Raymond’s situation.
1017Clark once again entered into the sea of information contained in Hliðskjálf
1018today. Using the original terminal had its benefit, as well: unlike the terminals
1019scattered around the world, the original supercomputer could analyze and process data
1020in addition to accessing it. Using an AI helper, Clark was looking for a way to change
1021the situation, but could not find a suitable plan.
1022Finally, at about 15 o’clock, as he was beginning to succumb to fatigue, he was
1023distracted by a call.
1024“Dr. Clark, how are you?”
1025Igor Bezobrazov appeared on the display, whoe he had not been able to contact for a
1026long time.
1027“Dr. Bezobrazov, long time no see. Honestly, things are not going very well with me.”
1028“I see, but this is not my fault.”
1029Clark could barely restrain the urge to swear in response, but Bezobrazov did not
1030seem to care about this reaction.
1031“I failed - this is a fact, but the initial reason is that the project of the plant with the
1032Star Reactor could not be stopped by political means.” Bezobrazov opted not to take
1033blame for his failure to kill Tatsuya using his Strategic Class magic, “Tuman Bomba”
1034“In your position, doctor, it was inevitable.”
1035It was unnecessary to quarrel now. Still, Clark’s voice contained some barb to it that
1036he could not quite remove.
1037“I appreciate your understanding. In my position, I could not let Shiba Tatsuya go.”
1038Bezobrazov chose to ignore the barb in Clark’s voice, rather focusing on his intent as
1039he also realized the necessity of cooperation in their circumstances.
1040“But now the situation has become even worse!” Clark exclaimed.
1041However, Bezobrazov’s response, in which there as not even a hint of self-reflection,
1042caused an explosion of anger in Clark.
1043“Killing Shiba Tatsuya. Wonderful plan! Nothing can be done that he failed. Just the
1044enemy was stronger.”
1045Bezobrazov on the screen made a displeased face, but Clark had expected this.
1046“But thanks to your hostile actions, the peaceful nature of Project Dione is now in
1047doubt,” Clark continued.
1048“Was there any reason to pretend to be a peaceful project?” Bezobrazov asked.
1049“Huh?” Clark replied, confused.
1050Even after seeing the anger evident on Clark’s face, Bezobrazov kept his cynic tone.
1051“The purpose of Project Dione is the elimination of the Strategic Class Magician
1052Shiba Tatsuya. If this goal is achieved, the development of Venus will not matter.”
1053Clark had nothing he could object to in this statement. Bezobrazov had accurately
1054stated the purpose of Project Dione.
1055“Then, Doctor, do you have any ideas?”
1056Clark's question was from despair.
1057“I don’t know if you can call it much of an “idea”, but I do have a one-sentence
1058offer,” Bezobrazov responded.
1059Bezobrazov’s answer surprised Clark, as he did not expect Bezobrazov to have
1060anything specific.
1061“I'm listening to you.”
1062Even though Clark only asked this to gain time, he still desired to find a way out of
1063the current impasse.
1064“The current conflict was launched unilaterally by the Great Asian Alliance, but
1065tomorrow it is planned to end this war with the victory of our country.” Bezobrazov
1066stated this with confidence.
1067“Doctor, will you be using Tuman Bomba?” Clark asked.
1068“I am.”
1069The view that the war would be over by the singular use of Strategic Class Magic
1070seemed naïve at first glance. However, the Great Asian Alliance launched this war
1071under the assumption that of the absence of Bezobrazov. Clark understood that if
1072Tuman Bomba was used, the Great Asian Alliance would quickly end the war.
1073The Great Asian Alliance initially invaded the Primorsky Territory of the New Soviet
1074Union, and finding that there was not a counterattack with Tuman Bomba, continued
1075their attack. Because of this, if they were to receive a powerful blow by the
1076Bezobrazov’s Strategic Class Magic, their morale would be broken and the war would
1077be unable to be continued. Since the armies of the New Soviet Union and the Great
1078Asian Alliance were approximately equal, the loss of morale of the Great Asian
1079Alliance’s army would be fatal. Thus, the Great Asian Alliance would soon opt out of
1080the war and the victory of the New Soviet Union would be assured. At least, this was
1081the reasoning of Clark and Bezobrazov.
1082“After this victory, our country will go south into the Sea of Japan.”
1083“Are you planning an invasion of Japan!?” Clark exclaimed.
1084“Justification has not yet been invented, but don’t worry. We’re not going to land on
1085Honshu because it will not be an invasion operation aimed towards getting new
1086territories.”
1087“......”
1088Clark was amazed that Bezobrazov was seriously considering invading Japan.
1089“You seem to understand. True, it will be a deceptive maneuver. I assume you know
1090where the construction of the Star Reactor plant is taking place?” Bezobrazov
1091confirmed.
1092“On a volcanic island called "Miyaki Island", located 180 kilometers south of Tokyo.”
1093“Correct. This island is located on the opposite side of the Sea of Japan where our
1094army will move south.” Bezobrazov stated.
1095“That is, you suggest we sabotage the plant during your advance to the south?” Clark
1096asked.
1097“It is possible, isn’t it? If the plants become the target of terrorists, what do you think
1098the investors will think? They will have no choice but to cancel the construction of the
1099Star Reactor plant, and Shiba Tatsuya will lose the pretext for refusing to participate
1100in Project Dione.”
1101Clark could not give an immediate response to the proposal Bezobrazov. Under most
1102circumstances, this was a disastrous plan that should be immediately rejected. If it was
1103revealed that the USNA was behind the sabotage of the plant, their credibility would
1104fall below the baseboard, and the risk of being revealed was relatively high. It was
1105possible to hide the elimination of 1 or 2 people, but to hide the destruction of an
1106entire plant? But for Clark, suffering from a sense of hopelessness, Bezobrazov’s
1107proposal seemed like the only way to get out of the current impasse. Bezobrazov's
1108plan tempted Clark like the sweet whisper of the devil.
1109“…When is the navy of your country advancing?” Clark finally asked.
1110“If everything goes smoothly, then in five days - July 8th.”
1111“Five days....”
1112“I'll be in time,” Clark thought. Preparation time was not an impassable obstacle in
1113his mind.
1114“Okay. I understand,” Clark responded.
1115“I thought you would agree.”
1116Bezobrazov smiled contentedly.
1117On the other side of the call, Clark shivered at the coldness of the smile shown by the
1118doctor.
1119â—Š â—Š â—Š
1120July 4, 2097, Thursday. The seventh day of the war between the Great Asian Alliance
1121and the New Soviet Union.
1122Major events pertaining to the New Soviet Union’s position in the war
1123happened during the morning. To start, the army finished redeploying its forces to the
1124East to the Siberian region of the New Soviet Union, and the armored forces
1125responsible for defending the region south of Khabarovsk began to move south.
1126While this was happening, the naval forces of the Primorsky Territory,
1127previously holding the Great Asian Alliance’s army back in the vicinity of Ussuriysk,
1128began to retreat towards the Muravyov-Amursky peninsula.
1129In doing this, the New Soviet Union aimed to capture the invading army with
1130the help East Siberian District and Primorsky Territory forces. This gave the Great
1131Asian Alliance two options:
1132The first was to concentrate troops on the western coast of Lake Khanka in order to
1133strengthen control over that territory.
1134The second was to chase the Primorsky Territory’s forces retreating to the south and
1135capture Vladivostok before the arrival of the East Siberian District’s army. If they
1136successfully seized Vladivostok, they would no longer have to worry that their Naval
1137forces heading to the north might be attacked from the side. This would allow the
1138army of the Northeast region and the army of the Korean Autonomous Okrug to
1139occupy the west side of Lake Khanka (from the Great Asian Alliance’s perspective,
1140return to) Primorsky Krai.
1141The Great Asian Alliance chose the second option.
1142The Great Asian Alliance began pursuing the retreating army. However, the
1143time spent making this decision combined with the difference in the speed of military
1144equipment, so the distance between the armies continued to increase.
1145As the distance between the 2 countries’ armies exceeded 20 kilometers, a dramatic
1146turning point came in the war.
1147Suddenly, the fog surrounding the Great Asian Alliance grew thicker.
1148For a short period of time, the fog covered the military equipment and vehicles
1149carrying about 6,000 soldiers.
1150“Retreat!” shouted the commander, trusting his instincts that sensed danger.
1151“Remove the fog!”
1152The staff officer who ordered this knew the true nature of this white veil, and quickly
1153called out to the squad of magicians. But this officer’s quick realization, their reaction
1154was too late.
1155No, it would be more accurate to say that their opponent - Bezobrazov - was too fast.
1156The white darkness created by the thick fog was filled with magic sequences in
1157an instant, and there was a blast of explosive gas covering the super-wide region. It
1158was a gas mixture made from splitting the molecular bonds of water - one part oxygen
1159and two parts hydrogen. The temperature of this mixture can reach 3000 degrees when
1160burned - quite close to the temperature at the epicenter of a nuclear explosion.
1161However, unlike nuclear bombs, which concentrate the emission of heat at a single
1162point, this explosion generated heat over an area of several hectares to several tens of
1163square kilometers. In addition to this, the initial form of this Mist-bomb attack (a form
1164in which attention is not even drawn to the enemy’s magic defense) differs from fuel-
1165spray bombs because it places all of the attack targets within the activation area inside
1166the explosion’s epicenter.
1167Rather than kill the enemy units directly with the heat produced by the
1168explosion, this attack sends high pressure shockwaves below the explosion,
1169annihilating everything in its path - and its maximum strike radius was comparable to
1170a multiple warhead nuclear missile.
1171July 4, 2097, 8:55 local time. Japanese time: 7:55.
1172One attack destroyed more than 70% of the invading forces of the Great Asian
1173Alliance.
1174â—Š â—Š â—Š
1175The study hours of every National High School of Magic – from First High to
1176Ninth High - were the same, with the first class starting at 8:00. Schools only differed
1177in the presence of a morning gathering/short class before the first lesson.
1178At First High, there were no morning meetings or class hours before school, so
1179students only arrived at the beginning first lesson. Third High, on the other hand, had
1180made a habit of holding morning meetings in which the teachers explained current
1181events to the students. However, these meetings were only available to the "special
1182courses", equivalent to the first course of First High to which instructor were assigned.
1183Though today was the third day of exam week, the morning meeting was still held.
1184Ichijou Masaki and his classmates were waiting in their seats for 10 minutes
1185before class. The teacher, however, came into the classroom with only 1 minute
1186before to spare. He was a 50 year old man with a strong build, and this teacher was
1187not one to achieve the respect of students by being friendly towards them, but one
1188who relied on their clear leadership qualities to command them.
1189At 7:55, as the teacher was relaying some of his experience, powerful magic waves
1190suddenly flowed through the classroom. Masaki almost jumped as he felt the strong
1191waves of magic. He was not the only one to have this reaction as several students in
1192this classroom actually rose from their seats.
1193The teacher did not reproach them for this behavior.
1194“The morning meeting is canceled. All wait in their places,” the teacher said with a
1195stern face as he gestured to the students who had stood up. After this, he left the
1196classroom.
1197As he listened to the whispering voices of his classmates, Masaki pressed his lips
1198tightly.
1199"The epicenter of the psionic waves was in the north... no, the north-north-west? The
1200fluctuations were strong, but the epicenter was quite far away..."
1201Masaki only felt that this had happened “far away”, but he automatically linked this
1202incident with the conflict occurring between the New Soviet Union and the Great
1203Asian Alliance.
1204At the training terminal, he opened a section of the world map around the Sea of
1205Japan. The training terminals at Third High had access to all sorts of geopolitical data,
1206including data on military use of magic.
1207"More than 800 kilometers away, but still containing so much power... Is this Tuman
1208Bomba...?"
1209Masaki shuddered as he realized the true power of magic causing the psionic waves,
1210thinking that this was the real power of the Mist-bomb.
1211In reality, however, Masaki had underestimated the true power of Bezobrazov’s
1212Strategic Class Magic: Bezobrazov had carefully controlled the power of the
1213explosion, and only a fraction of the true power was used.
1214â—Š â—Š â—Š
1215The Third High students were not the only ones who caught the residual
1216psionic waves “Tuman Bomba”. The large-scale oscillations produced disturbed the
1217magicians all over Japan. Tatsuya felt them as he was returning home from First High
1218before using his Elemental Sight to investigate.
1219"...The area covered by the explosions is about 3 square kilometers, and they extended
1220about 20 meters upwards. The goal should have been the destruction of ground
1221troops."
1222The area of the explosions this time had been expanded to destroy more of the
1223military vehicles of the Great Asian Alliance, which were spread over a large area.
1224"The density of the magic sequences were low, but many explosions occurred
1225simultaneously over vast area. There will be significant damage to their own country.
1226Is this some kind of scorched earth tactics?" Tatsuya wondered.
1227This was not the original meaning of the phrase, but they destroyed the enemy
1228army at a cost of their own land. The government must be confident in the
1229understanding of the people to use a tactic such as this. Still, the tactic was extremely
1230effective. 150-200 tanks were destroyed in addition to the military equipment and
1231infantry vehicles following, so the number of enemy soldiers killed should have been
1232between 5 and 10 thousand people.
1233"This is slightly different than what I expected, but the winner of this war was
1234predetermined."
1235Even Tatsuya could not have imagined that the New Soviet Union - or more
1236accurately, Bezobrazov - would perform such a self-destructive counterattack. Still,
1237this ruthlessness would only add to the psychological shock that Bezobrazov was still
1238alive and well, so the Great Asian Alliance would almost certainly be unable to
1239continue.
1240Tatsuya laid his head on the headrest of the car in the electric train and closed his eyes
1241to focus.
1242"... It was a complete rout. The Great Asian Alliance will not be able to conduct
1243military operations abroad for some time." Tatsuya concluded. "Now, if the New
1244Soviet Union sends the Far Eastern fleet, they will not worry about an attack from the
1245rear. I don’t know what excuse they’ll come up with, but... it must be that the fleet has
1246already been mobilized.”
1247“There is no more time to spare.”
1248Tatsuya said this out loud. He was developing new Strategic Class magic based
1249on the Chain Casting of Tuman Bomba to prepare to stop the advance of the New
1250Soviet Union fleet. Now Tatsuya realized he had to hurry with its completion. Tatsuya
1251only had to wait a couple more minutes before arriving at the station closest to his
1252home. However, even this slight loss of time now stressed Tatsuya.
1253â—Š â—Š â—Š
1254At the time of Tuman Bomba’s activation, Liu Li Lei had not moved forward
1255with the rest of the troops, staying behind in the rear. The plan was for the infantry
1256following the tanks and transport workers to unite with the main forces after defeating
1257the enemy. In compliance with this plan, the officer commanding Liu’s escort squad
1258daringly decided to head north to occupy Vozdvizhenka airfield knowing that the
1259army of the New Soviet Union was moving south from Khabarovsk. This plan saved
1260Liu Li Lei from the Mist-bomb.
1261After the activation of Tuman Bomba, the officer commanding Liu’s escort unit
1262contacted headquarters ordered the unit to evacuate back to the territory of the Great
1263Asian Alliance. Given the situation with the invading army was practically destroyed,
1264this proposition was natural. However, the command Great Asian Alliance’s military
1265ordered Liu Li Lei and her escort detachment to remain in their current position.
1266Though the New Soviet Union had to know their location, they did not attack or
1267surround the group Liu was hiding in.
1268â—Š â—Š â—Š
1269Tatsuya canceled both the trip to Miyaki Island and his training session for "Sealing
1270Sphere" with Mikihiko. Having notified Mikihiko of this, he retired in the morning to
1271the laboratory located in the basement of the building where he lived.
1272His research data for the new Strategic Class magic was with him on a flash drive that
1273he updated daily. Because of this habit, he was able to continue work on the new
1274magic in the basement of his home without delay.
1275The most surprising part of this was that he did not escort Miyuki. Of course,
1276regardless of Tatsuya’s presence, an escort always followed her at some distance, and
1277Tatsuya always watched her with his Elemental Sight. Nevertheless, it was an
1278exceptional case in which he allowed Miyuki to remain alone.
1279But in this case, Tatsuya felt that all of his time had to be spent designing the new
1280Strategic Class magic.
1281He finished the basic design of the magic before dinner, but he did not have the
1282activation sequence for the magic ready quite then. All he had was a blueprint
1283describing the systems of the magic. After spending another day working, Tatsuya
1284would have an activation sequence prepared for use, but he stopped at this stage for a
1285reason.
1286"It would be best to entrust the completion of the activation sequence to an engineer
1287close to the magician, who will be using it."
1288Because of this idea, he sent the project’s data to the First Laboratory, now known as
1289the Kanazawa Institute of Natural and Magical Sciences, specifying the recipient and
1290user of the magic.
1291â—Šâ—Š â—Š
1292After killing Kudou Retsu three days ago, Minoru hid in his hideout at the
1293Kobe shelter. When he finally met up again with Raymond and Regulus, it was
1294already evening of the day Tuman Bomba destroyed the Great Asian Alliance’s army.
1295“Minoru, are you feeling better now?” Regulus inquired restrainedly. Minoru had
1296locked himself away for the past few days under the pretense that he “felt bad”.
1297“Almost everything is in order,” Minoru responded.
1298What Minoru meant by “feeling bad” was not a deterioration of his physical
1299condition, as might have happened before his conversion into a parasite, but rather
1300guilt of killing his grandfather. Minoru just wanted to be left alone, so Regulus acted
1301reserved just in case.
1302“I see.”
1303As Minoru talked, Regulus got the feeling that Minoru was… different, somehow
1304from the way he was when they first met.
1305...It was like he was longer a man. He looked more like a Parasite.
1306That was the impression Regulus got as he looked at Minoru. Though he did not
1307voice the thought, it was still conveyed to Minoru. However, Minoru acted as if he
1308did not notice.
1309“Did you two also felt the magic this morning?” Minoru asked.
1310“Yeah. It was Tuman Bomba, right?” Raymond joined the conversation at this point.
1311“I am not sure yet, but I believe the USNA will make a move off of this. I cannot
1312confirm yet with the country, but I will relay the information as I find out,” Regulus
1313stated.
1314Raymond only nodded with interest, but Regulus, as an elite soldier, thought about
1315how this event would affect their actions.
1316“The Pentagon definitely has more detailed information than Stars. If you receive any
1317instructions from America, give priority to them over our current goal. However,
1318Jack, could you help me with something for now?” Minoru asked
1319“Now?” clarified Regulus, not quite understanding
1320The rainy season was not over yet. There was no rain today, but the sky was overcast
1321so it was already dark outside. “Now” was the best time for doing an activity
1322undetected. Even so, Regulus still thought that right “now” might not be the best time
1323to start doing something.
1324“We’ll be back before midnight,” Minoru assured.
1325“...Alright. I will go with you.”
1326In the summer, the time difference between New Mexico and Japan is 15 hours.
1327At midnight, Japanese time, at Stars headquarters it would be 9 am. If everything
1328worked as Minoru claimed, it would be unlikely for instructions from America to
1329appear during their attack, and even if orders do come, Stars’s fourth squad that had
1330penetrated into Yokosuka would inform them about it later. Regulus was aware that
1331the three members of fourth squad - Vega, Speke and Deneb – had successfully
1332penetrated the base of Yokosuka as well as that Arcturus had failed his penetration
1333and was sealed in the process. It was not only he who knew this, either. Both
1334Raymond and Minoru also knew this “shared” information through the telepathic
1335network of Parasites.
1336“May I go too? I do not want to be alone,” Raymond asked.
1337After Regulus had agreed, Raymond intervened in the conversation once more,
1338making a disgruntled face.
1339“You do understand that this will be a secret penetration mission, right? Raymond, I
1340don’t believe that suits you,” Minoru said.
1341However, Raymond objected, saying “It’s not a problem,” in response.
1342“Minoru. Though Raymond lacks experience, he has potential. I'll cover at difficult
1343times, so let's bring him as well.”
1344Seeing that Raymond was starting to boil, Regulus intervened in their
1345conversation so that the matter did not come to an argument. Still, while he defended
1346Raymond, he acknowledged that Minoru was right, so he offered to cover for him if
1347necessary.
1348Upon hearing Regulus’ arguments, Raymond stopped complaining.
1349“Well, if Jack says so...”
1350Minoru also decided to yield, so they accepted the compromise.
1351They drove a car on the highway as they moved towards their destination. After
1352driving for an hour, they arrived at their destination.
1353“Here we are, I suppose.”
1354“The main house of the Kudou family. My house.”
1355Minoru responded to Raymond's hunch himself. In order to avoid detection, they
1356stopped the car some distance from the Kudou house.
1357Kudou. It's sad to have to sneak around his own home... Minoru came out of the car
1358with a bitter smile. Regulus and Raymond followed him.
1359“My family should know by now that I have become a parasite, so nothing can be
1360done,” Minoru said.
1361Shrugging, he headed for the back entrance to the house. Regulus and Raymond
1362exchanged glances, then followed. Near the corner of the fence, Minoru stopped and
1363looked at them.
1364“From here on, take care to not emit psionic waves,” Minoru warned.
1365“Got it.”
1366“Okay.”
1367Satisfied with their answers, Minoru went on. Both Regulus and Raymond had
1368noticed Minoru used magic several times while they were walking, but neither of
1369them understood what he had been doing. They walked right behind Minoru followed
1370him inside the hedge fence. Once inside, they entered an imperceptible passage
1371hidden by the fence.
1372Suddenly, they were in front of a small door made in an old style. Minoru felt his
1373breath catch.
1374“Now you may use magic,” Minoru informed his companions, turning around. “Please
1375neutralize the people on the 2nd and 3rd floors. I would prefer you not kill them.”
1376“Affirmative.”
1377Hearing Regulus's answer, Minoru nodded and opened the door. None of them took of
1378their shoes, but that was quite natural given the circumstances.
1379“I'm so excited!”
1380“Just don't be silly, Raymond,” Regulus warned.
1381Glancing at his partners for this expedition, Minoru headed to the first floor dining
1382room. “This is about the time that my family would be dining…” Minoru thought.
1383Perhaps his two older sisters also came from their husbands' houses to attend the
1384funeral of their grandfather.
1385"Though the funeral should be on Sunday in 2 weeks...."
1386While locked up in his room, Minoru hadn’t been wasting his time – he was
1387collecting information. When he found out the plans for the funeral of his
1388grandfather, he was shocked at his lack of emotions before he convinced himself that
1389his emotions were simply paralyzed. He was unable to recognize the possibility that
1390his mindset had become that of a Parasite, because in his mind, he was still himself.
1391This was the premise of Minoru’s actions. If this were to prove false, he would no
1392longer have any justification for his actions.
1393Suddenly Minoru, sensing a sudden nausea, put his hand to his mouth. He took
1394this as evidence that he had finally realized the death of Ojii-sama, but… “the sadness
1395is already completely gone," Minoru realized, telling himself. He had automatically
1396distracted himself from his thought that his mindset might be becoming that of a
1397Parasite. Perhaps this was a self-defense mechanism.
1398The Kudou family’s mansion was extensive. To get from the back door to the dining
1399room, one had to go through many corridors and rooms, but Minoru had grown up in
1400this house. He knew the corridors by heart and was able to reach the dining room
1401unnoticed without getting lost.
1402Minoru instinctively reached out to knock on the door, but he realized what he was
1403doing and stopped himself, smiling bitterly. He remembered that he was an “intruder",
1404and shaking his head, he lowered his hand to the handle and opened the door.
1405“Who is this!? ...Minoru?”
1406This was the reaction of his second oldest brother who sat closest to the door. He
1407acted surprised, but this was likely because he had his back to the door when Minoru
1408entered. However, the main reason for his panic was that Minoru had ceased to hide
1409the signs of the Parasite’s presence.
1410“Minoru...!”
1411The eldest brother reacted a bit differently, but there he was similarly surprised: he
1412jumped up so sharply that his chair fell. However, his surprise did not hinder his
1413reaction as he pulled out his CAD and started activation sequence.
1414The magic he started was called Luna Strike. Automatically accounting for the fact
1415that they are in a small room, he started a Mental-Interference magic.
1416Kudou Haruaki, the eldest son of the Kudo family, was best at the external systematic
1417magic of mental-interference of the Four Systems and Eight types of modern magic.
1418Haruaki should not have been mistaken for attempting a basic attacking spell of
1419mental-interference magic, “Luna Strike”. However, even with his experience, he
1420failed to activate even this magic.
1421“Haruaki’s moon strike was canceled...?”
1422The eldest daughter of the Kudou family, Kudou Byakka, muttered this in a surprised
1423voice. Haruaki was experienced with this type of magic, so his Luna Strike activation
1424was very quick. None of his siblings would have been able to prevent the activation of
1425Haruaki’s magic.
1426“Why did you come?”
1427Kudou Shino, Minoru’s “mother”, asked Minoru this with a calm face and a calm
1428voice.
1429“Father has not returned home yet?” Ignoring Shino’s question, Minoru asked his
1430own.
1431“Makoto-sama said he was late due to factory inspection.”
1432Shino was more than 12 years younger than Makoto, so she always spoke like this –
1433not just in front of Minoru.
1434“At the factory?” Minoru continued his questions.
1435Although Minoru asked again with a doubt in his voice, he immediately rethought his
1436question, remembering that the Kudou family had invested in many military
1437enterprises – there was nothing strange with him inspecting a factory.
1438“Would you tell me where this factory is located?”
1439“Yes, of course.”
1440Sino instantly agreed, and gave him the address of a place located on the outskirts of
1441the Ikoma city – the same city in which this mansion resided.
1442“If you have business with Makoto-sama, then you should have said so from the
1443beginning. If you had, Haruaki and the others would not be in such an inappropriate
1444condition right now.”
1445Thus, she scolded them for such a cold reception of Minoru. Minoru was not shocked
1446by her attitude.
1447“Kaa-san 1 , I have no more questions for you.”
1448Shino and his siblings Asuka and Byakka all frowned at this. Though the impoliteness
1449of his phrase essentially saying “I don’t need you anymore” also provoked discontent,
1450they also had a vague feeling that his saying of “Kaa-san” had a meaning different
1451than “mother”. However, neither the eldest nor the second daughter had time to
1452comprehend it.
1453“…but I want my brothers and sisters to become my strength,” Minoru continued.
1454“What do you mean?”
1455Asuka, the second daughter, asked this in an aggressive tone. However, her anxious
1456face made it obvious that she was only pretending to be strong.
1457“Become my subordinates. Oh yes, I don’t mean that I want to become the head of the
1458Kudou family - this will only be temporary until I reach my goal. However, I realized
1459that I am not a match for the Saegusa, Juumonji, and Yotsuba families, so I request
1460your assistance to achieve my goals.”
1461“Do you want us to betray families in the same position as us, the Ten Main Clans!?”
1462shouted Soushi, the second son.
1463“What do you mean, Soushi-niisan? The Kudou family is no longer a member the Ten
1464Master Clans,” Minoru retorted.
1465“…”
1466Soushi didn’t have any way to respond to Minoru’s parry, so he fell silent.
1467“Even if we are not a part of the Ten Master clans, we will not submit to a monster!
1468Especially if it is you, the killer of Ojii-sama,”, yelled the Haruaki. The willpower of
1469the next head of the Kudou family was clearly strong. He once again tried to activate
1470magic towards Minoru.
1471“Urgh...!”
14721 Minoru’s words in the original kanji imply that he knows the truth about his origins:
1473that his mother was not his real mother and his parents were siblings
1474Before he could activate his magic sequence, he grabbed his chest and bent over in
1475pain. Minoru had activated a mental-interference magic causing pain with
1476overwhelming speed.
1477“Please stop useless resistance,” Minoru said in an indifferent tone, looking at
1478Haruaki. “I understand that as a former representatives of the Ten Master Clans, you
1479cannot kneel before a demon. That is why I do not wish to take the place of the head
1480of the family and do not plan to ask for public cooperation. It is for you to secretly
1481lend me strength in such a way that the Ten Master Clans are unaware of it.”
1482Minoru gave an innocent smile, like a child – containing no hidden meaning or
1483flattery – while also giving the smile of a monarch – an uncaring smile that does not
1484care about the feelings of others.
1485Minoru’s words were not answered. Haruaki did not know what to say, both
1486daughters and the second son were intimidated by their difference in power. His
1487"official" mother showed no fear on her face, but she pressed her lips together and
1488turned away from Minoru's gaze.
1489“I understand that you cannot agree to my request without the permission of my
1490father. I'll talk to him first, so please wait here,” Minoru told them.
1491As soon as he completed his speech, Minoru activated mental interference
1492magic forcibly putting them to sleep. His "mother”, sisters, and brothers each fell
1493from their chairs as if all of their strength had been taken from their bodies. Still, this
1494could be called the better outcome as if they had fallen onto the table, their faces
1495would have been covered in food.
1496Minoru had not limited his magic’s activation range to his family members. All
1497of the servants and workers who were on the first floor fell asleep at the same time,
1498and though some of them were injured as they fell asleep while working, Minoru
1499found all the injured and applied healing magic to them. Once he was finished,
1500Minoru met Regulus and Raymond in the hall leading to the main entrance.
1501“Minoru.”
1502When Regulus came down the stairs and called Minoru, he stopped and looked up at
1503him.
1504“Have you finished?” Minoru asked.
1505“Yes, they are all sleeping. Three were able to provide some resistance, but in the end
1506we managed to put them to sleep without killing them.”
1507“Excellent.”
1508Minoru nodded with a smile.
1509“By the way, I assume you asked us to put them to sleep and not to kill them because
1510you want to use them somehow?” Raymond asked curiously as he came down after
1511Regulus.
1512“I’m not looking for help from the servants of the main house, but rather from
1513subordinates working outside the main family. However, since relatives and friends
1514may be here, I would rather not make myself their enemy,” Minoru explained.
1515“Hmmm... Still, after killing Shogun Kudou, isn't it is a bit late to worry about that?”
1516“Raymond!” Regulus reprimanded.
1517Raymond sucked in his neck when Regulus chided him, raising his voice. “Minoru,
1518that, well...”
1519“Jack, don't worry about it.”
1520With a soothing tone, Minoru answered in a hurry to give an excuse for Raymond.
1521“I killed my grandfather - that is a fact. However, there are also many people who
1522pledged allegiance to my father and not to my grandfather. These are the people I plan
1523to ask for help.”
1524“Heh...”
1525Raymond’s answer had not contained any sign of having contemplated his words.
1526This might have been why Minoru was not angry.
1527“Let’s go to where my father is now. Please follow me,” Minoru said as he left
1528through the main entrance without waiting for an answer.
1529â—Šâ—Š â—Š
1530The Kanazawa Institute of Natural and Magical Sciences (formerly the First
1531Laboratory of the Development of Magic Abilities) had a dormitory with single rooms
1532for researchers. Kichijouji Shinkuro, a student of the Third School of the National
1533University of Magic, also worked as a researcher at the institute and lived in the
1534afore-mentioned dormitory.
1535Third High, like First High, was in the middle of their examination week.
1536However, Kichijouji did not need to spend much time preparing for exams, so he only
1537planned to spend about two hours preparing for the next exam and spent the rest of the
1538time on research. As he had discovered a Cardinal Code, he was free to spend his time
1539and the budget of the institute to work to complete the theory of the Cardinal codes,
1540but his work was not limited to research on Cardinal Codes. Magic science had not yet
1541reached a stage of development to have specialized sections, and leading researchers
1542often put forward new hypotheses on a variety of different magical topics.
1543Kichijouji practically lived in the laboratories of the first institute, and recently
1544the boundaries between his work time and personal time had began to blur even
1545further. Even today, he returned to his laboratory after dinner and turned on his
1546terminal, intending to continue his research. His plans were halted, however, as he
1547discovered a message on his terminal. Outside messages were tested for security, so if
1548it had reached his terminal, it was safe.
1549“From Shiba Tatsuya...?”
1550Kichijouji opened his eyes wide after seeing the name of the sender. He knew
1551the message would concern theory of magic because it was sent to the institute, but
1552Kichijouji and Tatsuya had no previous relationship in the form of exchanging
1553research. They hadn’t exchanged personal messages, either, so there was no precedent
1554for this message. This message was completely unexpected for Kichijouji, but he
1555began to read it with the thought, “what did he send me?”
1556“...What...!?” he exclaimed.
1557He accelerated the speed at which he was reading, but before he finished reading the
1558message, he opened the attached file. The contents of the message were so shocking
1559that he wanted to confirm it as soon as possible.
1560“....”
1561The file contained a blueprint of an activation sequence. The message
1562contained a description of how the activation sequence would build the magic
1563sequence: it described in detail what base magic to use in creating a working magic
1564sequence in addition to describing what modules to include in the activation sequence.
1565Kichijouji’s eye caught an unknown module in the picture while skimming over it.
1566“Chain Casting?”
1567Kichijouji had never heard of such a technology before.
1568“The technology on which Tuman Bomba is based...Is that true?" Kichijouji thought.
1569He still did not understand why Shiba Tatsuya provided him with such secret
1570information.
1571He re-read the module entries, confirming that this was not an intricate joke.
1572“…The required ability to calculate this magic is too high. Even I couldn’t handle it.”
1573After reading the description of the Chain Casting module a few times,
1574Kichijouji noticed this problem. When compared to the average magician, Kichijouji
1575had a much higher ability to handle magic, but even with his abilities, Chain Casting
1576was too much to be calculated. Chain Casting was a technology that allowed one to
1577perform large-scale magic by copying small sequences of magic in a chain. However,
1578the amount of information caused from the "secondary" sequences of magic was quite
1579simply, huge. In order to reduce the total amount of calculations required, the size of
1580each magic sequence was compressed to the maximum, but even with this in mind,
1581this was an impossible task for one magician to cope with.
1582“You can reduce the load on the magician by processing all of the variables to a high-
1583performance connected to a CAD. But even doing this, Goki-san would probably not
1584be able to handle it. But Masaki could succeed.”
1585Kichijouji stopped as he heard his own voice.
1586"Will this be used by Masaki?"
1587He thought this without speaking it out loud.
1588"...If you reorganize the activation sequence by specifying the desired size, would
1589Masaki be able to use it?"
1590Kichijouji reread the basis of the project again before he understood the true meaning
1591behind the planned magic.
1592"It can’t be..." Kichijouji thought. “Is this the basic idea behind ‘Break’, a wide scale
1593magic applied to the water surface with the help of the Chain Casting!?”
1594Kichijouji read through the last lines of the text, which he had not reached earlier.
1595They read:
1596"Kichijouji and Ichijou, I wish you luck."
1597â—Šâ—Š â—Š
1598As he arrived at the address he received from his foster mother, Minoru
1599frowned at the building. As far as he knew, this factory produced androids, the
1600production of which used the latest nanotechnology. They quickly entered through the
1601main entrance by using Golden Electronic Silkworms without bothering to conceal
1602themselves.
1603As they expected, the “guards” soon appeared. They consisted of female-model
1604androids – they were the so-called combat gynoids. Moving cleverly and quickly,
1605these gynoids started to attack Minoru, but Raymond's psychokinesis pushed the
1606robot soldiers back.
1607“Oh? They are sturdy?” Raymond said, surprised that his attack had not done much.
1608Raymond had applied psychokinesis with the intend to crush the gynoids.
1609However, the mechanical bodies of the gynoids did not break, and gradually pushed
1610forward against the psychokinesis. Suddenly, sparks flew as the gynoids experienced
1611electric shock – caused by Regulus’ magic. The gynoids froze and fell to the floor.
1612“These robo-soldiers are quite effective. The strength of their enclosures is
1613astounding.”
1614Regulus expressed his impressions of the gynoids as a soldier himself. However,
1615Minoru’s was not focused on the performance of the machines, but on a different
1616thought: "Are these dummies for making parasite dolls...?"
1617“Come on. Let’s not waste time.”
1618Minoru kept his suspicions to himself, and Regulus and Raymond hurried on. Minoru
1619left them and searched for his father, eventually finding him on the production line.
1620“I thought you would be in the control room,” Makoto said.
1621Minoru did not respond to these words. Makoto may have had a desire to talk, but the
1622crowd of people that had closed in on them made this impossible.
1623“Could you let go of your guard? I'm not going to cause trouble if you don’t attack
1624me. You don’t need to worry about the factory.”
1625A group of workers hiding behind the most recently produced robots (non-
1626humanoid robots) showed relief on their faces when they heard the words of Minoru.
1627One person was in a shirt with trousers, but the rest were in work overalls. These were
1628clearly employees of this factory. In contrast to the attire of the workers, the men in
1629front of Minoru in dark suits - not suitable for wearing at the height of summer – and
1630rather than relief, there expressions grew more tense. Everyone there was on their toes
1631due to the intense atmosphere – even a slight sudden action could cause them to
1632attack.
1633“Leave us.”
1634Kudou Makoto finally spoke, requesting privacy. After a bit of hesitating, the crowd
1635of bodyguards finally parted.
1636“We have not seen each other for a while now, father.”
1637Minoru showed no signs of timidity towards his elder, but this was obviously due to
1638their vast difference in strength. Still, given their relationship, this could be perceived
1639as unnatural.
1640“I thought you would come much earlier,” Makoto responded.
1641Makoto should probably have shown a bit of guilt, but his expression was neutral.
1642“I originally thought that you were a defective product, but it turns out that you were
1643just unfinished. Still, I didn’t expect you to become complete by becoming a
1644monster.”
1645Minoru did not get angry or cry from Makoto’s harsh words, and instead he smiled
1646coldly.
1647“Thank you for showing your true feelings. Thanks to this, now I, too, may not feel
1648guilty,” Minoru said.
1649“I didn’t think that monsters would have emotions like guilt,” Makoto mused.
1650“There’s a theory that the true body of the Parasite arises from activities originating in
1651the minds of people. If its true, then it’s not surprising that we have human emotions,”
1652Minoru explained.
1653“That’s if its correct.”
1654Makoto’s aggressive behavior didn’t change Minoru’s attitude much, but
1655Minoru lost the desire to continue this empty conversation with his father and got to
1656the main point.
1657“This factory is making dummies for parasite dolls, isn’t it?”
1658“Did you come to ask about this?” Makoto avoided Minoru’s question.
1659“How many such dolls are in stock? Though, I guess you can not answer. Hey, you,
1660over there, answer me.”
1661Minoru interrupted Makoto and turned to the man in the shirt.
1662“W-we have 24 fully completed dummies, and 12 completed by more than 50%.”
1663“In total, 2 times more than ready ones with a transplanted parasite? Father, I thought
1664you abandoned plans to sell them to the SDF,” Minoru commented.
1665“Why should I have stopped? There were no problems with the dolls themselves my
1666predecessor simply chose the wrong way to check them.”
1667By “predecessor," he meant Kudo Retsu. Minoru also agreed with the utility of
1668parasitic dolls, but Minoru grow colder at Makoto’s words reprimanding Retsu.
1669Minoru silently condemned his father for his words.
1670“In that case, I ask the Kudou family to obey my orders regarding both completed and
1671unfinished dolls.”
1672Minoru’s voice held a lot of pressure now that he had gotten colder.
1673“Alright,” Makoto said.
1674Minoru felt that Makoto had responded too easily, and wondered if Makoto had
1675actually processed his demand.
1676“Head-sama, are you sure!?”
1677His bodyguards showed the natural reaction to Makoto’s agreement.
1678“Resistance is useless,” Makoto answered them in a lifeless tone. It was slightly
1679different than the indifferent way he usually spoke. “Minoru is the finished product of
1680the “ninth” magicians. He defeated the Patriarch, so now Minoru is the most powerful
1681magician in the Kudou family. It’s natural that for us to obey him,” Makoto finished.
1682Neither his voice nor his face expressed any discontent, and when Makoto said
1683“finished product”, his voice had a feeling of satisfaction rather than discontent.
1684Makoto was proud of what his son had become.
1685â—Š â—Š â—Š
1686While Minoru was at the factory gaining the obedience of the Kudou family,
1687Tatsuya and Miyuki were eating a late dinner.
1688“Sorry about today.”
1689Tatsuya suddenly apologized without any preliminary words.
1690“Onii-sama... I have no idea what you're talking about."
1691Miyuki rolled her eyes as she asked what was going on.
1692“Today you had to return from school alone.”
1693“Oh, that’s are you talking about...”
1694Miyuki had been slightly stressed from the misunderstanding, worried that her brother
1695was apologizing in advance for some job he had to do.
1696“I know that Onii-sama is worried, but Onii-sama is no longer my Guardian, and the
1697bodyguards do a fine job.”
1698“Even though you say you don’t need it, I can’t help but worry,” Tatsuya said.
1699“R-really? Thank you…”
1700Miyuki blushed, looked away, and whispered: "Onii-sama is so dishonest."
1701Tatsuya heard these words, but opted to ignore them. He was not sadistic enough to
1702give Miyuki the stress it would take to explain herself. At this point, there
1703conversation paused until they finished dinner, removed their dishes from the table,
1704and sat across from each other drinking from coffee cups.
1705“May I ask what Onii-sama did today?”
1706Miyuki started with this question. She believed that Tatsuya should not have
1707apologized, but also was interested in what her fiancé was doing.
1708“...Of course.”
1709Tatsuya hesitated momentarily, but nodded after a short delay. He had not originally
1710planned to discuss it, but decided that there was no reason to keep this a secret from
1711Miyuki.
1712“It is possible that the New Soviet Union, now victorious over Great Asian Alliance,
1713will go south across the Sea of Japan.”
1714“New Soviet Union plans to start a war with Japan!?” Miyuki exclaimed.
1715“I doubt that they would suddenly declare war, but they can make up another reason
1716to send a fleet. For example, to seize "war criminals" who allegedly fled to Japan after
1717the end of the conflict,” Tatsuya explained.
1718“Is it possible that the Japanese government would accept soldiers who have escaped
1719from the Great Asian Alliance?”
1720“In this situation, any justification will do. As for the purpose of the New Soviet
1721Union, I have several guesses, but whatever it is, we must be prepared for a real
1722invasion.”
1723“Will you act the same way as you did during the Yokohama incident?”
1724“I won’t be able to ignore it. One of the conditions for His Excellency Todo to
1725provide support for the ESCAPES project was the formation of a force holding back
1726the military ambitions of other countries. However, unlike the Yokohama incident,
1727this will not end just by using Material Burst once.
1728“…Why?”
1729“Unlike the Great Asian Alliance that time, the New Soviet Union is aware of the
1730existence of an explosion from the direct conversion of matter to energy. If they resort
1731to military action, they will have to have taken countermeasures to ensure that cities
1732and bases are not destroyed,” Tatsuya answered.
1733“But I think that there is no way for the New Soviet Union to defend against Onii-
1734sama’s magic...” Miyuki said.
1735“It is impossible to say for sure that there is no magical means of protection against
1736the explosion of matter, but there is also a way to prevent me from carrying out an
1737attack without applying magical counteraction.”
1738“How is this possible?” Miyuki asked.
1739“For example, they could declare Vladivostok to be ‘unprotected’.”
1740“What would this do?”
1741“By declaring a city ‘unprotected’, they are claiming that military facilities adjacent to
1742it will not stop an attack on it. The existence of military objects makes them a military
1743force, but if the military port of Vladivostok is attacked with Material Burst, the city
1744will also be damaged. The magic is too dense to be used to attack a dense area. We
1745won’t be able to use Material Burst if we don’t want to become a criminal country
1746known for ignoring international martial law,” Tatsuya explained.
1747“I think that’s a bit suspicious…” Miyuki responded.
1748“Indeed, it would be quite questionable. However, even if we know it to be a hoax, if
1749they make the claim officially, we would have to respect it.”
1750Miyuki did not even try to hide the fact that she couldn’t accept this, but the rule was
1751the rule, no matter how ridiculous. Excuses in international politics excuses could be
1752said to have an “attacking force” greater than nuclear weapons.
1753“There are also ways to prevent the use of the Blast of Matter against naval forces. By
1754preparing a fleet of refugees and keeping them at a distance such that stray bullets
1755from conventional weapons would not be able to reach the fleet, the fleet would be
1756safe from ordinary military fights, but I would not be able to use an explosion great
1757enough to destroy the fleet without damaging the fleet of refugees.
1758“…All problems due to too much destructive power. Couldn’t you regulate the power
1759appropriately?” Miyuki asked.”
1760“The destructive power is too difficult to regulate, and Material Burst is not a magic
1761that can be practiced so easily. This is the greatest weakness of Material Burst: it is a
1762weapon effective only for annihilating the enemy and not fighting with finesse.
1763Because of this, a different method of interception is needed if the New Soviet Union
1764chooses to attack.”
1765“…So this is why Onii-sama has been developing new magic?”
1766Miyuki asked this with shining eyes, with no trace of her previously gloomy face.
1767Tatsuya slightly smiled at this transformation, then nodded with a serious face.
1768“The basic blueprint has already been completed, and I left further work to those who
1769will be using this magic,” Tatsuya answered.
1770“Onii-sama will not use this magic?” Miyuki said, surprised.
1771“I can’t use any magic except Decomposition and Recovery.” Tatsuya smiled.
1772“...I apologize.” Miyuki had momentarily forgotten about Tatsuya’s weaknesses as a
1773magician.
1774“It’s okay.”
1775Tatsuya, with his smile seeming to say, “don't worry,” had still not told Miyuki
1776about the basis of the new Strategic class magic using Chain Casting. He had only told
1777this to Kichijouji in order to use Masaki. However, if one were to think only about
1778fitness...
1779The system of Chain Casting was also suitable for Miyuki.
1780â—Š â—Š â—Š
1781The command system of Stars required orders for operations to be transmitted
1782from the headquarters in the Pentagon directly to the commander in chief. However,
1783due to the absence of the commander-in-chief, the order was instead delivered to the
1784base commander.
1785Local time: July 4, 10:00. Japanese time: July 5, 01:00. Colonel Walker, the base
1786commander, was speechless when he saw the order.
1787“I can understand the sabotage of the Star Reactor plant, but...”
1788The order contained a strategic plan that was written some time ago in order to
1789eliminate the threat of the Strategic-class magician Shiba Tatsuya. The first part of the
1790plan consisted of destroying the Star Reactor plant, followed by using international
1791pressure to force him to take part in Project Dione. Though less reliable a direct
1792method such as the murder of Shiba Tatsuya, the level of risk of the operation
1793significantly lower in comparison so the command gave the go-ahead to the plan. The
1794actual implementation had been canceled due to the reappearance of the Parasites, but
1795the plan was still considered to be a reliable way to deal with Shiba Tatsuya so it was
1796now being taken off the shelf. It was somewhat expected for the plan to be tried now
1797that the matter with the Parasites had become somewhat stable, but still…
1798“We’re supposed to accomplish this during a diversion maneuver by the Far Eastern
1799fleet of the New Soviet Union...?”
1800Walker was well aware that the USNA and NSU were collaborating on the Dione
1801project, but he couldn’t fathom the idea that cooperation in military operations was in
1802the realm of possibility. For the soldiers who had fought the NSU on the battlefield,
1803this outcome was especially unthinkable.
1804“I guess one should not dwell on the past...”
1805However, Walker could not completely convince himself of this. Even high ranking
1806officers could not help but be affected by their emotions on this topic, so the feelings
1807must be especially intense for the soldiers who had risked their lives on the battlefield.
1808Walker was worried about having to choose candidates for this operation.
1809“I need to be careful with the choice of candidates, but… no, it’s too late now.”
1810The stars had already teams to Japan, and it would be too much to recall the current
1811teams and send new ones to replace them. Regulus and Vega's squad had successfully
1812penetrated Japan, so from this point on, there was no possibility for changes in the
1813roster. People from another unit would be sent for support, but Walker was not
1814involved in this. As he went through this chain of thought, Walker remembered
1815something.
1816“...At the beginning of last month, the sabotage at the Star Reactor plant was
1817entrusted to Arcturus and Vega…would Captain Arcturus be able to return to this
1818mission despite being seriously wounded immediately after entering Japan?”
1819â—Š â—Š â—Š
1820July 5, early morning.
1821Two women wearing an American Army uniform entered Yokosuka Naval
1822Base. A USNA aircraft carrier was currently in the base’s port, so most officers and
1823soldiers of the American army did not attract much attention. These two women, on
1824the other hand, were noticeable because they both looked as if they had come off the
1825covers of fashion magazines.
1826One was a typical "urban beauty" with short, brown hair and brown eyes. Her
1827demeanor gave off an atmosphere that made her look stylish even in her short-sleeved
1828training t-shirt.
1829The other was a charming beauty with a Scandinavian appearance: long, silver hair
1830and deep blue eyes. She also had big breasts, which, only covered by a tank top,
1831offered a significant distraction to the young male soldiers.
1832“Ahhh… the heat...”
1833Fanning her chest with her hand, Leila Deneb (the Scandinavian beauty) groaned as
1834she completed the training. It was not just jogging: it was a tougher training that
1835combined sprints, jumps, squats, and stretches.
1836“Ah…Japan…didn’t expect…so hot...” Leila mumbled as she tried to get her point
1837across.
1838“The high temperature and humidity are caused by the tropical ocean air mass typical
1839for this time of year.” As she swept the sweat from her forehead, Charlotte Vega (the
1840city beauty) responded articulately to the broken complaints of Leila.
1841“Now I understand why First Lieutenant Spica did not want to go out...” Leila had
1842recovered her breath somewhat as she listened to Vega speak, and was now able to
1843make sentences.
1844These three women, when including Lieutenant Spica, mentioned by Leila,
1845were a squad of Stars currently infiltrating Japan. All three had been turned into
1846Parasites before going to Japan, and even though they had been turned transformed
1847against their will without any warning, after the assimilation was completed, they did
1848not show any dissatisfaction with their situation. Their discontent at the moment was
1849primarily because they still had to succumb to the heat despite having ceased to be
1850human.
1851“‘Independence’ is back,” Leila observed.
1852On the way back to their hostel, they saw outlines of the aircraft carrier that had
1853penetrated Japan. This was the sixth generation of the Independence aircraft carriers –
1854war veterans whose construction had begun even before World War III. The original
1855blueprints required the ship to be equipped with a nuclear reactor, but since the
1856installation of nuclear reactors on warships had been banned during the war, it had to
1857be replaced with a hydrogen turbine engine.
1858“I hope for good news,” Vega responded.
1859Independence left the port at night to train the night departure and new arrivals, but
1860behind this front was also a hidden goal: to obtain secret information and instructions
1861that could not be transmitted by radio.
1862“I want to quickly find out where the traitor girl is hiding.”
1863In an annoyed voice, Leila continued following Vega. The "traitor girl" she mentioned
1864was Lina.
1865“They would not send the message if they did not find her,” Vega stated.
1866They had managed to find out that Lina was not hidden by the Japanese
1867government, but by some other organization. However, they were no closer to finding
1868Lina as the Japanese government claimed to not know the location this “other
1869organization” was hiding her. Despite this, Vega and Leila believed that the Japanese
1870army had to know the location of the “traitor” Sirius, and if they increased the
1871pressure on them, they would eventually confess. In any case, they would probably
1872loosen up if they destroyed a couple “suspicious” objects.
1873Vega had never been a soldier who did cared much about political gain, but she
1874was also not a soldier who seriously thought about performing terrorist activities.
1875However, once she became a Parasite, her mindset changed much more noticeable
1876than that of the other members of the Stars.
1877â—Š â—Š â—Š
1878July 5, 2097, 8:00.
1879Regulus received an order from the headquarters of the Stars through the telepathic
1880network of Parasites while returning to Kobe shelter. An aircraft carrier lying in the
1881western part of the Pacific Ocean first received this order by telegram, and with the
1882help of a fighter jet, sent it to the “Independence” aircraft carrier stopped in the port of
1883Yokosuka. After that, Vega transmitted the order to Regulus through the Parasite
1884collective consciousness. Since the information had been transmitted this way, the
1885information was also transmitted to Raymond and Minoru.
1886“What do you think?” Regulus asked Minoru in a physical voice.
1887Although Minoru was a Parasite, he still retained his human individuality. Minoru
1888could freely gain access to the collective consciousness of the Parasites, but Regulus,
1889Raymond, and the other Parasites in Stars were unable to access Minoru’s thoughts.
1890“The Star Headquarters’ order coincides with the distracting tactics I wanted to ask
1891you about, Jack. I would like you to join in the sabotage of the Star Reactor,” Minoru
1892answered
1893“During that time, will you take that girl?” Raymond asked instead of Regulus this
1894time.
1895“Exactly. Raymond, do you want to come with me?” Minoru asked
1896“No, I should help Jack.”
1897Minoru did not object to this distribution of roles.
1898“Even if you didn’t say anything, I was still going to follow orders from headquarters,
1899but...” Regulus started.
1900“Does something bother you?”
1901After a direct question to Minoru, Regulus overcame his indecision.
1902“Before that, I would like to confirm the current status of Commander Arcturus, and,
1903if possible, free it from sealing.”
1904Arcturus had been sealed by a Japanese magician of ancient magic immediately after
1905arriving at Zama base and had remained in the transport plane since his arrival.
1906Regulus felt it.
1907“Okay. Let's go and take a look at the state of Commander Arcturus,” Minoru
1908responded.
1909Minoru could have denied Regulus's this, but instead he agreed to help.
1910“Should we go to Tokyo when the fleet of the New Soviet Union starts moving south,
1911then?” Raymond asked.
1912Raymond's suggestion was entirely appropriate, but Minoru shook his head with a
1913smile.
1914“If the situation develops in accordance with the strategy of the Stars, then neither the
1915Ten Master Clans nor the self-defense forces will be able to check everyone who
1916comes from the West.”
1917Minoru's voice was filled with confidence in their freedom of action.
1918Volume 27, Chapter 4
1919Japanese time: July 5, 9:00.
1920The government of the Great Asian Alliance met with the New Soviet Union to
1921establish a truce. An hour after that, the government of the New Soviet Union
1922presented the terms of the truce. These conditions included the extradition of war
1923criminals.
1924Japanese time: July 5, 10:20. Local time: 11:20.
1925Liu Li Lei was hiding in Vozdvizhenka, located north of Vladivostok and Ussuriysk,
1926and was summoned to the commander of the escort unit.
1927“The New Soviet Union demanded my extradition?”
1928In a strained voice, Liu Li Lei asked Lin, the commander of the escort detachment,
1929confirmed whether she would be considered a war criminal.
1930“Right. The list of war criminals given by the New Soviet Union included the name of
1931Second-Lieutenant Liu. This is reliable information,” Lin confirmed.
1932Liu’s escort consisted entirely of women, and the squad’s commander was no
1933exception to this. Lin was more than 10 years older than Liu, but she had the same
1934rank of Second-Lieutenant. However, Liu also had a special rank "school-officer 1 ",
1935used exclusively within the army of the Great Asian Alliance. This was a
1936countermeasure made to avoid frontline commanders having the ability to give willful
1937orders to Liu just because they are higher in rank. The rank made sure Liu did not
1938submit to higher officers in accordance with the usual rank system, instead reporting
1939directly to high command. This also meant that School-Officer Liu had a status
1940immediately following the top command, so she was higher in status than the
1941commander of the escort unit, Second Lieutenant Lin. The rank was comparable to
1942Tatsuya’s rank of “Special Lieutenant”.
1943“War criminals...”
19441 The title of Liu is written as “school” + “junior officer” in the original kanji. Though
1945the result sounds silly, I used a more literal translation to try to keep accuracy. The
1946Russian translation used the translation of “special lieutenant”, and the wiki translates
1947this as “captain”.
1948Liu Li Lei bit her lip. Despite her shock, she understood why. She knew that when
1949using Strategic class magic, just as when using weapons of mass destruction, many
1950civilians are killed. By being the victor, the magician can avoid their crimes, but if
1951they lose… in the best case, the perpetrators would simply be sent to execution for
1952having committed war crimes.
1953Commander Lin took Liu’s right arm with both hands in an attempt to cheer her up.
1954“School-Officer Liu, let's run away.”
1955“Commander Lin?” Liu asked, not quite comprehending.
1956“You shouldn’t be forced to submit to the court of the winner because you obeyed
1957order.”
1958“But if I run away, there will be no truce...”
1959“You shouldn’t think about such things,” Lin comforted.
1960“But when the Motherland is in such a difficult situation...”
1961“Special Lieutenant Liu... No, Xiao 2 -Liu...”
19622 For those unaware, Xiao (小) is fairly common in Chinese nicknames. It means
1963“little” and often conveys affection. As stated below, it can be compared to the
1964Japanese honorific “-chan” (although I would consider the meaning to be kept in the
1965literal translation).
1966The tone of commander Lin's voice changed from the tone of a higher officer to the
1967tone of an adult talking to a child. “Xiao-Liu” can be compared to “Liu-chan” in
1968meaning.
1969“You do not need to think about something that. Xiao-Liu, you're still a child.”
1970“...I'm not a child. I am an adult magician,” Liu protested slightly.
1971“No. You are only fourteen years old. If the Motherland protects you, you must repay
1972your debt to the Motherland. But if the Motherland chooses to sacrifice you, then need
1973not obey. Xiao-Liu, you must live.”
1974“But…” Liu was still reluctant to abandon her home country.
1975“Then think about this: If School-Officer Liu is executed, then our Homeland will
1976again lack a Strategic Class magician.”
1977Commander Lin returned the officer's tone and continued trying to convince Liu Li
1978Lei, who could not decide on this. In actuality, the Great Asian Alliance had 6
1979unofficial Strategic Class magicians, but this was an extremely well-kept secret of the
1980Great Asian Alliance about which Junior Lieutenant Lin was not informed. However,
1981each of the other six had significant flaws in their magic, and they would not be used
1982until a crisis occurred calling into question the survival of the nation. Other than Liu
1983Li Lei, there were no other Strategic Class magicians suitable for permanent use, so at
1984least in this sense, the assertion of Second Lieutenant Lin about the absence of a
1985Strategic Class magician was not wrong.
1986“If you run away now and get the mark of a traitor, in the future you would become a
1987great asset to the Motherland.”
1988“Yes...” Liu was finally beginning to be convinced.
1989Give everything up for the Motherland, including your reputation. The role of “tragic
1990heroine” touched the Liu’s heartstrings.
1991“I think you are right, commander.”
1992“You decided? Thank god…”
1993Seeing the excessive emotion of Commander Lin, Liu felt her reliance on this woman
1994in her heart.
1995“I will immediately prepare for the escape! I will definitely deliver Special Lieutenant
1996Liu to a safe place,” Lin claimed.
1997“I’m relying on you. Also, please call me "Xiao-Liu". I’m refusing my status as a
1998soldier of the Great Asian Alliance and fleeing the country.”
1999“Then you call me Lin-jiejie 3 . Wait here a little, Xiao-Liu.”
2000Second Lieutenant Lin's voice became friendly again as she winked at Liu and left the
2001room. Liu Li Lei, with embarrassment on her face, focused her gaze. The escort of Liu
2002Li Lei was hiding at the civil airfield in Vozdvizhenka. Fortunately, there was a
2003private plane capable of traveling up to 2000km as well as a tank of fuel large enough
2004to fully fuel the plane.
2005“Hurry up with the preparation for departure! Have you finished refueling!?” Second
2006Lieutenant Lin turned to her subordinates working in the hangar.
2007“We’ll finish about five minutes!”
2008“All aircraft indicators are normal!”
2009“Runway check is complete! Everything is clear!”
2010They had begun aircraft maintenance the previous night under the assumption that
2011they would be forced to run. It was obvious to them that they should leave the small
2012jet plane with its larger radius of flight. In addition, the jet would fly faster and would
2013not as easily give away the passengers.
2014Junior Lieutenant Lin went to the control room after she checked her subordinates’
2015work. She was the only one there at the moment, and she sat down in front of the
2016communication device and turned it on.
2017“Govorit Gospozha Tayga. Pozhaluysta, otvet'te.”
2018Her full statement translated to mean “This is Ms. Taiga. Answer, please.” The word
2019“Gospozha” corresponded to the English title "Ms.", and "Tayga" corresponds to
2020“Taiga”, or a coniferous forest 4 in the sub-arctic zone. “Gospozha Tayga” was the
2021codename of Junior Lieutenant Lin, and it carried the word “tiger” pronounced in
2022“tayga” - a military symbol of the Great Asian Alliance.
20233 The Russian translation had this as Lin-chie and put Lin-neesan in parentheses. Since
2024“chie” is not any pinyin in Chinese, I’m assuming it was intended to be “jiejie” (姐姐)
2025or older sister based on the context and reference of Lin-neesan.
20264 The hanzi (Chinese pronunciation of kanji, 汉字) for Lin is 林, meaning forest
2027“Govorit Snezhnyy Baran. Dolozhite o tekushchey situatsii.”
2028This translated to “This the Snow Sheep. Report on the current situation.”
2029“Ubezhdeniye Lyu Liley proshlo uspeshno. Teper', kak iyezhat' do etogo.
2030planirovalos', my otpravimsya v Yaponiyu.”
2031“Prinyato. Voyska iz Khabarovska pribudut v Vozdvizhenka meneye chem cherez
2032chas. Uspeyte sbezhat' do etogo.”
2033“Govorit Tayga, vas ponyala.”
2034Their conversation continued in Russian. Their exchange was as follows:
2035“Liu Li Lei was successful persuaded. Now, as planned, we will go to Japan.”
2036“Affirmative. The troops from Khabarovsk will arrive in Vozdvizhenka in less than
2037a.n hour. Hurry up to escape before they arrive.”
2038“Taiga speaking, understood.”
2039Second Lieutenant Lin was an agent who had switched sides from the Great Asian
2040Alliance to the New Soviet Union, and she had presumably been speaking with a
2041member of the New Soviet Union.
2042Before noon, a small jet took off from Vozdvizhenka airfield heading South.
2043Even though the conflict was still officially going on, as the truce had not yet been
2044established, the army of the New Soviet Union only reacted when the plane flew east
2045of Vladivostok. Pursuit fighters were raised, but the chase stopped as soon as the
2046plane entered international airspace. Though the Japanese army caught these
2047maneuvers on its radar, they were only interpreted as reluctance of the New Soviet
2048Union to provoke Japan and America while the conflict with the Great Asian Alliance
2049was still going on, so no one really thought about it.
2050The small jet was allowed to continue its flight over the Sea of Japan unhindered.
2051Once it entered Japanese airspace, Japanese Air Force fighter jets were sent to
2052intercept it, and it landed on the Komatsu base in the former Ishikawa prefecture.
2053â—Š â—Š â—Š
2054Edward Clark was at his private office in the California branch of the National
2055Science Agency. He somewhat ignored his work schedule, and had been staying in
2056this room overnight for quite some time.
2057Local time: July 4, 22:00 (Japanese time: July 5, 14:00). As Clark continued his work
2058at his terminal, an encrypted message arrived in his mail despite the time close to
2059midnight.
2060“…As planned.”
2061After reading the message, deep wrinkles appeared on Clark's forehead.
2062“Liu Li Lei was allowed to flee the country, giving the Russian fleet their pretext to
2063go South? It’s a rather crude strategy, but this isn’t the time to be clever…”
2064His unconscious mumbling was the result of mental shock. The reasoning
2065behind the invasion of the Great Asian Alliance had been unfounded. They had begun
2066the invasion based on inaccurate information and wishful thinking. It was a foregone
2067conclusion that as soon as Bezobrazov used Tuman Bomba, the war would be over.
2068However, while the original conclusion was widely known, Bezobrazov’s predictions
2069had been exactly what happened: there was not the slightest difference between his
2070plan and actual events.
2071"With such intelligence and ability, why did he fail...?"
2072He couldn’t help but shudder at the idea that Bezobrazov, with all the power he
2073possessed in being able to toy with the Great Asian Alliance as if they were a child
2074combined with his immense magical abilities, was still unable to kill Shiba Tatsuya.
2075Was it luck?
2076Or was the strength of Shiba Tatsuya just even higher?
2077Covering his eyes with his index finger and thumb, Clark shook his head. He
2078had no time to think about unnecessary things. Bezobrazov had only passed his
2079information to Clark, and now Clark needed to report to various authorities that the
2080strategy had advanced to the next stage.
2081"It's early morning in London..."
2082The destinations for information to be sent also existed outside the country.
2083Clark decided that because of the time difference on the other side, the information
2084should be conveyed by message rather than a phone call.
2085Given that it was late evening in California, he decided that local calls should also be
2086avoided, so he did the same as Bezobrazov.
2087â—Š â—Š â—Š
2088Tatsuya arrived home after 5:00 PM and saw that he had a message from over
208917 hours ago. The message read, "There is one urgent matter. Please write when you
2090are available for video," and one touch of the screen later, he sent a response. Almost
2091immediately after that, the phone in the living room rang out.
2092Stopping Miyuki as she walked towards the videophone, Tatsuya got up from
2093the couch to answer it himself. As he looked at the second display of the console, he
2094made sure that the encryption was set to the highest possible level and pressed a
2095button to establish a connection.
2096“Tatsuya, I'm sorry to disturb you during your home holiday.”
2097The face of Kazama on the display expressed sincere apologies.
2098“It’s alright if the case is urgent,” Tatsuya reassured him. “So, what happened?”
2099“Liu Li Lei, the apostle of the Great Asian Alliance, fled to our country.
2100“How could that ever happen?” Tatsuya asked.
2101“This morning, the Great Asian Alliance proposed a truce to the New Soviet Union.”
2102“A sensible solution.”
2103“Shortly after the proposal, the New Soviet Union responded that it would agree to an
2104armistice subject to certain conditions,” Kazama stated.
2105“That is, it was not a requirement of unconditional surrender?”
2106“As far as we can judge at the moment, no.”
2107The Great Asian Alliance was already facing political instability because of discontent
2108with the humiliating truce with Japan after the Yokohama incident. This time, they
2109were officially defeated, so national reserves would have to be spent on the
2110suppression of the opposition and separatist groups advocating for independence of
2111their regions. This process would weaken the Great Asian Alliance, so disintegration
2112of the state was no longer impossible. Because of this, if New Soviet Union now
2113started to pressure the Great Asian Alliance, the Great Asian Alliance would become
2114more united in response to the external threat. In other words, the Great Asian
2115Alliance faced internal strife in peace but could find unity in response to a common
2116hardship. Understanding this, the government decided it would be less costly to move
2117South now instead of waiting for the NSU to relinquish their control.
2118Both Tatsuya and the NSU agreed with this line of thought.
2119“One of the conditions imposed by the New Soviet Union was the issuance of war
2120criminals,” Kazama continued.
2121“They are probably going to hold a demonstration of retribution. It seems that the
2122name of Liu Li Lei was included in this list of war criminals,” Tatsuya speculated.
2123Ignoring Tatsuya’s cynical remark, Kazama signaled to return to the main topic.
2124“Is that why she ran away?” Tatsuya asked.
2125“So it seems,” Kazama answered.
2126“Have more soldiers escaped with her?”
2127“Yes. It seems that they served as an escort detachment Liu Lili.”
2128“Her escort unit? That’s a bit suspicious…” Tatsuya responded.
2129If a Strategic class magician betrays their country and goes to the enemy, there is a
2130significant upset their military forces. Because of this, militaries strictly control their
2131Strategic class magicians - an escort assigned to a strategic class magician would not
2132just be protecting the magician; they would be observing the magician in order to
2133prevent escape as well.
2134“The commanding officer claimed that this was done in order to preserve the Great
2135Asian Alliance’s Strategic Class Magician for the future.”
2136“Their excuse seems reasonable,” Tatsuya said. “Still, our self-defense forces need to
2137be wary of the fact that they could also be agents pretending to run away from their
2138country.”
2139“No, you're right. We need to be alert, but regardless of whether their escape was real
2140or not, because we accepted them, their circumstances are being heard. That brings us
2141to the main point. Could was assist the help of a certain special officer?” Kazama
2142asked.
2143“Well, I can cope with torture, but there will be no particular benefit in bringing me in
2144for the interrogation...”
2145Kazama looked at Tatsuya from the videophone screen with such a look as if he was
2146trying to understand the true meaning of his words.
2147“We are not asking for help with an interrogation,” Kazama eventually responded.
2148In the end, Kazama took Tatsuya’s words about torture as a joke and continued on.
2149“Special officer. Am I correct in that you have a technique to seal a magician’s
2150magic?”
2151“Do you mean ‘Gatekeeper’?” Tatsuya asked.
2152“Would you be able to seal Thunderclap Tower with your magic?” Kazama answered
2153Tatsuya’s question with a question.
2154“Can’t you take away her CAD? That is a much simpler way to prevent her magic.”
2155“It seems that Liu Li Lei does not have a CAD,” Kazama responded.
2156“…Do you mean that she does not use a CAD at all?”
2157“According to the commander of the escort squad, Liu Li Lei specializes in two types
2158of magic: Thunderclap Tower and blocking electromagnetic waves. She does not need
2159a CAD for these magic, but in exchange she cannot use any other magic,” Kazama
2160explained.
2161“She specializes in two types of magic…” Tatsuya felt a sense of sympathy for this
2162magician, who, like Tatsuya, could only naturally use two types of magic. However,
2163he wasn’t sure if it was a coincidence or natural limit: perhaps when using magic
2164without the help of devices, two types is the limit?
2165“The base commander, concerned that Liu Li Lei cannot be prevented from
2166unleashing her magic, asked for help from Her Excellency Saeki who he knew had a
2167Strategic class magician as a subordinate.”
2168Tatsuya was not actually subordinate to Saeki. He was a Special Officer who was only
2169under the command of Saeki during hostilities, but Kazama was aware of this so
2170Tatsuya did not bring it up.
2171“Which base it Liu Li Lei detained at?” Tatsuya asked.
2172“Base Komatsu,” Kazama answered.
2173“Would it be possible to transport her closer?”
2174“It will be difficult. We cannot bring a Strategic class magician to a metropolitan area
2175when we are still unsure of their hostilities.”
2176“Understood. I apologize, but it will be difficult for me to help you,” Tatsuya gave his
2177answer.
2178“Do you mean you can't leave Tokyo?” Kazama asked.
2179“If I leave Tokyo, there is a chance that the Parasites who penetrated Japan will
2180attack. I can't leave Tokyo for long.”
2181“Regardless, the potential threat of Liu Lili also can not be ignored,” Kazama said.
2182“If Liu Li Lie is at Komatsu base, why don't you ask the Ichijou family for their
2183cooperation?”
2184“Will Ichijou-dono be able to prevent the use of the Thunderclap Tower?” Kazama
2185asked.
2186The First Laboratory studied the effects of magical exposure on the human body, or in
2187other words, magic causing a direct impact on the body. The magic should also be
2188suitable for neutralizing the body in a way that will not come off as suspicious,”
2189Tatsuya said.
2190“Do you mean to use Rupture should Liu Li Lei become a threat? If we, without
2191reliable evidence, use lethal magic on a refugee, it would cause a wave of criticism
2192both here and abroad.”
2193Kazama’s main knowledge of the Ichijou family’s magic was Rupture, a magic
2194capable of evaporating all liquids in an object. He assumed Tatsuya intended to use in
2195a worst-case scenario in order to kill Liu.
2196“From what I know, the wife of the current head of the Ichijou family came from the
2197Isshiki family. The Isshiki family specializes in mental-interference magic and
2198manipulating electrical currents in the nervous system. This is the perfect magic for
2199neutralizing without killing. The Ichijou family may be known for Rupture, but both
2200Ms. Ichijou and her daughter have inherited the magic of the Isshiki family. The
2201eldest son, Ichijou Masaki, could also have the ability but may be currently hiding it,”
2202Tatsuya explained.
2203“Then, wouldn't it be simpler to contact the Isshiki family directly?” Kazama asked.
2204“The Isshiki family will find it difficult to cope with an emergency.”
2205By "emergency", Tatsuya did not mean a preventive neutralization of Liu Li Lei but
2206the possibility that Liu showed serious hostility and needed to be killed. Also, even if
2207Liu Li Lei really had escaped, she was still a magician brought up in the Great Asian
2208Alliance. If she felt that harming Japan was in her nation’s national interests, she
2209would likely do so without hesitation. However, Kazama understood Tatsuya’s
2210wording and did not need an explanation.
2211“The Ichijou family is also the closest to the Komatsu base... alright. I will tell the
2212commander of this base that Her Excellency Saeki recommends contacting the Ichijou
2213family.”
2214“I am sorry for not being able to offer my own help,” Tatsuya apologized.
2215“No, it is only expected as we have not offered our assistance in the case with the
2216Parasites. Our team is currently fully occupied with the opposition of the New Soviet
2217Union, and I am very sorry that we are unable to assist in the matter with the
2218Parasites.”
2219“Nothing can be done, given the situation.”
2220“Thank you for saying so. Your recommendation for the Ichijou family is more than
2221enough help,” Kazama said.
2222“Thank you.”
2223Tatsuya saluted, looking at the screen. Kazama did the same, after which the screen of
2224the videophone went black.
2225â—Š â—Š â—Š
2226Current time: 8 pm
2227One of the rooms in the hostel on the Higashi-Fuji training grounds was "East Fuji."
2228Chiba Naotsugu was a fourth-year student of the special department of martial arts at
2229the National Academy of Defense. Despite still being a student, he held the rank of
2230Second Lieutenant. Watanabe Mari, a second-year student of the same department,
2231was visiting, and she temporarily held the rank of Sergeant.
2232“Shu, take a break,” Mari said.
2233“I will. Thank you, Mari.”
2234They were in a long, narrow room with a bed, locker, and simple writing desk.
2235The room was too small to hold a kitchen, and the iced coffee currently on the table
2236had been purchased in the vending machine located in the corridor. Mari wished to
2237treat her lover with a homemade drink rather than a cheap one from a vending
2238machine, but she was not able to think about such luxuries during an operation. As for
2239Naotsugu, as a man, even a drink from the vending machine tasted special when
2240brought by his lover. Naotsugu drank all the coffee looking pleased.
2241Mari sat down on the bed with her own drink in her hands. She felt bit of shame as she
2242sat on the bed Naotsugu used every night, but she had no other place to sit down as
2243the room was too small
2244“Shu. You’re working too hard...”
2245“I have never been good at paperwork,” Naotsugu said with a bitter smile. Mari had
2246an anxious look, but he still asked, “Mari, do you want to help me?”
2247“Xu, you know that I don't know much about such things.”
2248“Haha, really.”
2249In order not to upset Mari who turned away confused, Naotsugu turned back to his
2250work and started typing on his keyboard.
2251“It takes more time when there is nothing to write.”
2252Suddenly, as if he felt his eyes on his back, Naotsugu turned back toward Mari
2253without taking his eyes off the display. His "hard work" was to compile a report daily.
2254He would have felt more confident if he had done it each day, but there was a system
2255of duties in place splitting the work between the unit. Today, the third day after
2256departure, Naotsugu's turn to write it came for the first time. He could have asked
2257what the others had written, but there had been only 2 reports prior to this one, so it
2258would not have been enough for him to understand what he should write.
2259Usually, the lines could be filled with something like a description of training
2260or of constructing the fortifications, but as Naotsugu said, today’s report was difficult
2261because it was completely waiting at the ready. They were not assigned to the search
2262as it was the responsibility of other departments, so their current task was to wait,
2263combat ready, for some kind of clue to appear. However, as a consequence of this,
2264Naotsugu had no events to write about.
2265“It looks like the information resources of the self-defense forces are engaged with the
2266activity of the New Soviet Union.”
2267At Mari’s question, Naotsugu turned around completely to facer her.
2268“It seems that way. Even though it is already the third day, there is still no
2269information,” Naotsugu said.
2270“Maybe I shouldn't say this, but wouldn’t it be better for us to regroup and return to
2271Tokyo, since that girl Sakurai Minami, Kudou Minoru’s ultimate goal, is located
2272there?
2273After Mari’s question, Naotsugu almost laughed involuntarily. He managed to restrain
2274himself, but it was still noticeable in his face.
2275“…What's so funny?” Mari said with a slightly bashful face.
2276“It’s nothing, sorry. Sakurai Minami is only 3 years younger than you, isn't she? Why
2277did you call her ‘girl’?”
2278“Because there was no other suitable expression!” Mari exclaimed, indignant.
2279“Yeah, I guess. Yes, the goal of Kudou Minoru is the abduction of that girl.”
2280Marie pursed her lips in disgust. She was not very good at using female “tactics” to
2281negotiate - in other words, she did not know how to sulk, grumble, or cry to bargain
2282selfishly.
2283“I agree with your idea, Mari. However, our squad has to stay here for some reason
2284unrelated to the original goal.”
2285Another reason different from the original goal to capture Kudou Minoru…
2286“The invasion of the New Soviet Union...?” Mari speculated.
2287She made a serious face at this. She had suggested a possibility to be taken seriously.
2288“We will be needed if a sudden landing occurs,” Naotsugu said in response to Marie’s
2289speculation.
2290â—Š â—Š â—Š
2291Saturday, July 6th. Ichijou Masaki was called by his father Goki after finishing his
2292final exam and returning home.
2293Without even having dinner, Masaki went to his father’s office. Akane, one of his
2294younger sisters – a second-year student in middle school, was also there.
2295There were two sofas facing each other in his father’s study, and Goki was currently
2296sitting opposite Akane. Masaki sat down at the other end of the triple sofa that Akane
2297was sitting on.
2298“Lunch is coming soon, so I will be brief.”
2299Hearing Goki’s words, Akane's brow furrowed slightly. Masaki didn’t really care, but
2300Akane didn’t like her father’s rough manner of speaking. However, Goki ignored his
2301daughter’s reaction – he had probably gotten used to it.
2302“Liu Li Lei, the official Strategic class magician of the Great Asian Alliance, fled to
2303Japan.
2304“Liu Li Lei of the Thirteen Apostles?”
2305Masaki asked a useless question out of surprise.
2306“Yes.”
2307Despite delaying the conversation, Goki was not annoyed. He couldn’t believe the
2308news either when he first heard it.
2309“At the moment, hidden in Komatsu base.”
2310“Have the self-defense forces asked you for something related to this?” Masaki asked.
2311“It’s good that you figured it out so quickly, but their appeal does not concern you.
2312Rather, they want Akane,” Goki answered.
2313“Me?!”
2314Akane had been listening to her father and brother’s conversation as if it was not her
2315business, but the surprise at Goki’s statement caused her to inadvertently let out this
2316exclamation.
2317“To be precise, they require a magician from the Ichijou family with the ability to use
2318Nerve Disturbance.”
2319"Nerve Disturbance" was officially called "Nerve electrical current
2320disturbance," or "Nerve impulse jammer," and it was the trump card of the Isshiki
2321family of the 28 houses. This magic disrupted the five senses and paralyzed the
2322recipient’s muscles by interfering with nerve impulses. Masaki's mother, Ichijou
2323Midori, although from the Isshiki family, was not able to use Nervous Disorder as a
2324representative of the lateral branch, but due to some genetic accident, Akane ended up
2325suitable for the magic even though some members of the direct hereditary line of the
2326Isshiki family could not even use it.
2327“F-for what!?”
2328Akane had no experience in affairs with the self-defense forces, and her cry was from
2329the heart.
2330“Liu Li Lie’s escape was somewhat suspicious,” Goki answered.
2331“Is there a chance that the escape was a cover?” Masaki asked.
2332“Yes.”
2333Goki nodded in response to Masaki’s question.
2334“Thunderclap Tower deals significant damage to electrical equipment. If she uses it to
2335sabotage the base’s facilities, the air defense network may be paralyzed,” Goki
2336continued.
2337“Is there no countermeasure against electromagnetic radiation to protect electronic
2338equipment?”
2339Goki shook his head in response to his son’s obvious question.
2340“Any countermeasure we prepare can be overcome by a load exceeding its strength.
2341We do not know the maximum power of Thunderclap Tower, but we don’t want to
2342experience it.”
2343“So we use Nerve Disturbance to paralyze her if we are suspicious of her actions?”
2344Masaki asked.
2345Goki answered with a nod.
2346“We can’t carry out a deadly attack from suspicions alone. Killing a refugee taken
2347under our care will worsen international relations, and it will be too late to neutralize
2348her after the activation of magic. Liu Li Lie apparently doesn’t use a CAD, so if we
2349lose our guard for even a moment, we could get hit by her Strategic Class magic.
2350“…I understand why we can’t use Rupture, but why not turn to the Isshiki family?”
2351Though some members of the Ichijou family could use Nerve Disturbance, anyone
2352knowledgeable about the internal affairs of the former First Laboratory knew that it
2353was the Isshiki family’s magic. The military was undoubtably aware of this.
2354“Y-yes! I’m still just a Junior-High student!” Akane shouted.
2355Akane's complaint was valid. She may have been able to use magic suitable to the
2356situation, but her age and lack of experience made it unlikely that she would be able to
2357understand the situation in the first place.
2358Goki hesitated for a second after the protest of his eldest daughter because he
2359too did not want the self-defense forces to impose their work on his fourteen-year-old
2360daughter. However, he quickly changed his appearance from that of a father to that of
2361the head of one of the Ten Master Clans.
2362“The Isshiki family is not strong enough.”
2363“…!? She does have a suitability with Nerve Disturbance, but ...”
2364When Masaki referred to his sister with “she” instead of her name, she puffed out her
2365cheeks, but did not complain because she understood he was speaking in her defense.
2366“My strength will not be stronger then a member of the Isshiki family, right?” Akane
2367added.
2368“That’s not the point.”
2369Goki replied in a serious tone and shook his head. Neither Masaki nor Akane had
2370expected this answer and waited for Goki’s follow up.
2371“They might not be planning to go about it secretively, and if Liu Li Lei goes to
2372deadly measures, they will not be able to stop it. The magic of their family is too short
2373range, and they do not have the combat prowess otherwise to go up against a Strategic
2374Class magician,” Goki explained.
2375Both Masaki and Akane understood what Goki meant. In order for the magic of
2376the Isshiki family to work, the magician needs to get within a few meters of the target.
2377If Liu was secretly planning an attack, in order to neutralize it, the caster of Nerve
2378Disturbance needed to be near Liu. However, if Liu was prepared to kill the caster, the
2379Isshiki magicians would not be able to resist. In this case, the short range of Nerve
2380Disturbance becomes a weakness.
2381“Because of this, Masaki, I also called you.”
2382“...Will I go along with Akane?” Masaki asked.
2383“Yes. In an emergency, you must protect Akane.” Goki did not say the words, “and
2384kill Liu Li Lei,” but they understood.
2385Instead of replying, Masaki looked at Akane. Seeing this motion out of her peripheral
2386vision, Akane turned to meet his gaze.
2387“Akane, despite what father says, you can refuse,” Masaki told her.
2388Akane opened her eyes wide and then turned away sharply.
2389“No… I will do it.” Akane replied, trying to act confident but still facing away from
2390Masaki and Goki. “And I don't need Nii-san's protection… but the help of Nii-san
2391would be useful if I have to deal the final blow...”
2392Masaki was speechless at the determination of his younger sister. He had always
2393thought of her as an ordinary girl despite her talents, so her answer caught him off
2394guard.
2395“Akane has answered. Masaki, what will you do?” Goki asked.
2396“I will accompany her of course.”
2397Masaki answered Goki without any delay. Masaki thought it was an incredibly dumb
2398question: “Is it possible to do so badly as to force your younger sister to face danger
2399all alone?”
2400“Okay. I will tell the self-defense forces that we agree.”
2401Goki nodded in satisfaction.
2402“By the way, would it not be safer for us to keep Liu Li Lie at our house instead of
2403going to Komatsu base?”
2404To get rid of the current atmosphere, Masaki proposed an idea.
2405“Why do you think so?”
2406Without bothering to conceal his surprise, Goki questioned Masaki’s proposal.
2407“Well, if you take her away from the base, the risk of an attack on the base will be
2408lower and it separates her from the soldiers with which she fled.”
2409“Ah. Liu Li Lie is only 14 years old; the same as Akane. If you remove her from the
2410adults making the decisions, she would be less likely to do a suicidal sabotage...”
2411Goki murmured to himself in a tone that made it seemed as if this was not a response
2412to Masaki.
2413“I will propose this to the self-defense forces,” Goki said with a contented smile.