For Lina, being summoned to the embassy felt like an affront. Guided by Colonel Balance, she entered the reception room where Balance sat on a sofa. Military hierarchy kept Lina standing.
"Major, sit."
"Y-Yes, excuse me."
Balance, noting Lina's unease, understood her feelings inwardly.
The USNA deemed Japan's strategic magics—'Great Bomb' and 'Shining Buster'—maximum threats to its hegemony. That alone was critical, but letting a fugitive escape and having a parasite "infected" among dispatched members was catastrophic.
The embassy sought to hold Lina accountable, but Balance intended to dismiss it entirely. The situation exceeded USNA's modern magic authority, risking global condemnation.
"Major, you're braced for a reprimand, but I'm dismissing it. The President agrees."
"The President!? I-I'm sorry..."
"No need to apologize. My visit reflects His Excellency's will."
Chiding Lina's shock, Balance explained her purpose: a special envoy dispatched under USNA government mandate. Lina couldn't hide her surprise.
"Ask away, Major, no need to hold back."
"With respect... shouldn't a bureaucrat handle this?"
"You're right, normally. But you know their situation isn't favorable."
Despite USNA's crackdowns on "No-Head Dragon" and "Blanche," East Coast anti-magic movements intensified. Investigations stalled, but Balance continued without dwelling.
"Given that, keeping you or Polaris here long could backfire. His Excellency chose swift resolution. I brought 'Brionac' and 'Levatein.'"
"To neutralize strategic magician candidates?"
"He forbade it, but that's the public stance (probably doting on his granddaughter)."
Such actions would condemn Stars and USNA. Neutralizing elusive parasites with those weapons was dubious. Balance grasped why the President authorized them: they're mere modern magic armaments.
"Not the goal, then?" Lina asked.
"His Excellency's intent, yes. But Pentagon and brass demand results worthy of 'Sirius' and 'Polaris.' He'll have to bear the pain."
Strategic magician searches were top priority. Balance, as envoy, was tasked with auditing local military misconduct. She understood USNA's dire position but cursed her middle-management role, needing evidence to appease brass despite the President's ban.
Lina, sensing this, gave a wry smile.
"Sorry, Colonel, for me and Celia..."
"It's fine. But reports say Yuto Kagurazaka is formidable."
"His near-invisibility to satellites made me think ghost," Lina said.
"Normal reaction, Major."
Even USNA's cutting-edge satellites barely detected him unless he allowed it—ninja-level stealth. Balance agreed with Lina's assessment.
Celia's combat-incapacitation by him marked him as worthy of "world's strongest."
"Against him, Celia's 'Levatein' wouldn't win. Sorry, little sister."
"She'd try for a hit, like you after losing to Tatsuya Shiba, no?"
"Of course, but..."
Lina hesitated. In her fight with Tatsuya, his psion shield withstood her best, rivaling Juumonji's 'Phalanx.' His unclear magic and physical immunity left her unsure if 'Brionac' could win.
Balance noticed adolescent emotions in Lina's words but avoided probing, fearing overzealous obedience might provoke her.
"Once ready, prioritize securing 'Mass-Energy Conversion Magic' or 'Shining Buster' users or formulas. Inform Polaris."
"Yes, ma'am. What about Warrant Officer Mercury?"
"Logically, return her home, but since infection status is unclear, brass decided she stays."
In other words, Japan's power or personnel losses were acceptable. Balance inwardly cursed the brass. Despite alliance, the school incident drew protests to USNA's government and embassy. Lina bore their frustration, but Balance saw her and Celia as deterrents if infection persisted.
◇ ◇ ◇
Early February 2096
Dire news arrived from overseas, timed as if anticipating Japan's morning—unnervingly deliberate.
"This is... what Yugen told us, right?" Miyuki asked.
"Embellished, but yes," Yugen replied.
The micro black hole experiment, summoning parasites, and possessed magicians' damage were facts. But the news, framed as military leaks, was exaggerated, steering toward anti-magic sentiment, claiming magic tied to national power was harmful.
Only a few could access such secrets. Yugen used 'Yata no Kagami' to bypass top-tier security, implying the leaker wielded similar tools.
"Might need to ask Lina or Celia... USNA needs to hold out. Non-magicians dominate, so it's inevitable," Yugen said.
"Harsh, Yugen," Tatsuya noted.
"Calling themselves modern magic's pinnacle comes with responsibility."
Politicians catering to non-magician majorities made sense, but fostering anti-magic sentiment risked nuclear arms races. Anti-magician weapons by non-magicians could spark new conflicts.
Power breeds responsibility, especially with magic and military intertwined—civil and military affairs inseparable since magic's systematization.
"Tatsuya, I told Miyuki about Kamikai, but spring's incidents tie to Yotsuba—your grandfather, their former head, and my grandpa."
"Aunt's incident? So the mastermind's their remnant?" Tatsuya asked.
"Broadly, yes. The disciple-executor is Zhou Gongjin—Three Kingdoms-esque name, his real one. He's aiding the fugitive."
Tatsuya and Miyuki knew little of the incident that scarred Yotsuba's and Saegusa's heads. Yugen found Gouza's detailed remorseful memoir, revealing a hidden letter behind a frame.
"Sounds troublesome. No elimination?" Tatsuya asked.
"Not now. USNA's mess would worsen. His master's a Seven Sages member."
Shuuji, Yume, and Shizuku in USNA were ordered to cut anti-magic "Humanism" funding, including "eliminating" radical leaders—unavoidable in anti-magician combat, especially since Zhou had military ties.
"Seven Sages... Edward or Raymond Clark?" Miyuki asked.
"Correct. USNA's clueless, but seven operators access Echelon's backdoor. Mother was one; I destroyed her terminal."
"You'd exploit it," Tatsuya said.
"Tatsuya, 'Frizskal' logs all searches. No need to tip them off."
Yugen erased it to hide his moves. He didn't mention Maya's terminal, but Tatsuya likely suspected.
"I know from my network. Can't share details, even with you."
"Got it."
"No probing?"
"Don't want trouble. If Miyuki's at risk, different story, but you know boundaries."
Tatsuya's guardian role and protagonist nature made trouble "predictable, unavoidable."
Everyone craves peace, but human greed disrupts it. Compromise has limits—excess breeds conflict.
"Honestly, don't want Miyuki forced, but she's stubborn like someone," Yugen said.
"That's a boomerang, Yugen," Tatsuya shot back.
"Brother! I'm not that stubborn!" Miyuki protested.
Yugen saw his words would rebound if pressed, so he dodged with vague phrasing.
-------------------------------
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