Taking a moment to catch his breath, Yugen returned to his room in the Kagurazaka main estate—the Head's office. He lay back directly onto the tatami mats and closed his eyelids, focusing his concentration on simulating his future moves inside his mind.
(Jiid Heigu—Gu Jie's movements remain unconfirmed at this moment. Only one container was transported from Yokosuka, and so far, there are no signs of the Jiangshi magic activating.)
Honestly speaking, since he possessed the knowledge of how to break the Jiangshi (Corpse) magic thanks to Zhou Gongjin's memories, it was possible to stop Gu Jie before he detonated the puppets in the city if Yugen put his mind to it. As a last resort, he certainly had to consider using Tenyo Shoran (Divine Sun Illumination).
At the very least, he needed to make Gu Jie believe that everything was going according to plan until he left Hakone. The day after the Selection Conference, Gu Jie would release a statement through the media. Yugen planned to counter that immediately with an emergency government press conference, condemning Gu Jie's bomb plot as "an extremely malicious act of terrorism threatening the lives of our citizens."
However, he was bothered by why, in the original story, Gu Jie hadn't targeted the Ten Master Clans Selection Conference while it was in session. Or rather, if he had involved them and sacrificed a member of the eighteen assistant houses, it would have established a legitimate reason for the Master Clans Conference to retaliate. Gu Jie wanted to socially obliterate the Ten Master Clans; to stage that effectively, he targeted only them. And he did so using a bomb plot, a method easily perceived as an indiscriminate attack.
Since there were no signs of him targeting the Yotsuba main house directly, it was safe to assume that even with Hlidskjalf, he hadn't been able to pinpoint the location of the Yotsuba headquarters.
(However... is a reason for revenge something that can be forgotten so easily?)
Zhou Gongjin was an exception because he was too unique, but if Gu Jie had any patriotism, his hatred should have been directed not just at the Yotsuba who destroyed his organization, but at the Great Asian Alliance as well. Despite this, Gu Jie's spear of vengeance was pointed solely at the Yotsuba family.
Furthermore, Gu Jie defected to North America around 2054—when he was about 54 or 55 years old. The Yotsuba revenge tragedy happened 8 to 9 years after that. Effectively, this means he began harboring this vengeful desire against the Yotsuba when he was 62 or 63. If it were a grudge accumulated from his youth, it would be understandable, but for a man of that age, it seemed too late to develop such a singular drive for revenge.
Rather, when Yugen considered if there was a magic capable of enduring a time lag of nearly ten years, one possibility from the fiction of his previous life came to mind.
It was the concept of stabilizing an "Enhanced Human"—someone whose body and mind had been radically sharpened by drugs and conditioning. To stabilize them, one would not only apply mental synchronization but also use a block word—a "keyword" most closely related to the subject—to isolate their human memories, creating a soldier faithful only to orders.
If, when Gu Jie defected to North America, the person who aided him had programmed him to harbor revenge conditional on keywords like "Kunlun Fang Institute," "Dahan," and "Yotsuba," then the inconsistencies would largely make sense.
Looking at Zhou Gongjin's knowledge, starting from the moment the news of the Yotsuba's revenge spread worldwide, Gu Jie built a network using refugees from the Great Asian Alliance and infiltrated the underground to amass power for his vengeance.
In other words, unless someone viewed the Yotsuba as a threat back in 2054, they wouldn't have thought to use Gu Jie. Furthermore, Gu Jie was an exile who had lost the power struggle within the Kunlun Fang Institute. The mastermind behind this scheme had utilized Gu Jie's regret and bitterness toward the Institute.
If that is the case, it is highly probable that the kidnapping of Maya, which triggered the Yotsuba's revenge, was orchestrated to activate the "wedge" of vengeance buried within Gu Jie. The fact that the Senate (Genro-in) was actively involved should be seen as a move to ensure this outcome.
(If there was someone who considered them a threat at that time... it would be an Ancient Magician, the Four Elders of the Senate, or... Kudou Retsu.)
In the original story, Retsu showed many signs of caring for Tatsuya and Miyuki (mainly Tatsuya's strength), and he had once served as a magic tutor for Maya and Miya. Therefore, it is natural to assume he was acquainted with the former head of the Yotsuba family, Yotsuba Genzo.
So, where was the connection between the Yotsuba of the Fourth Lab and the Kudou of the Ninth Lab? When Yugen considered this, the most likely link was Abe Yasuyo, the mother of Maya and Miya.
In this world, Yasuyo was from a branch of the Tsuchimikado family. (The Kagurazaka family had parted ways with the Abe and Kamo lineage families during the Edo period, but upon the establishment of the Meiji government, they were recognized by the Meiji Emperor as a direct lineage of the Abe and Kamo clans.) Yasuyo's mother was a Kagurazaka—specifically, the aunt of Senhime. (Senhime's uncle's son was Genzo, meaning Genzo and Yasuyo married as second cousins). And Yasuyo's paternal cousin was Kudou Retsu's wife. In short, Kudou Retsu and Yotsuba Genzo were cousins-in-law through the Tsuchimikado family.
In the Ancient City Insurrection arc of the original story, after Tatsuya and his group fought the 'Traditionalists' in Arashiyama, they were relentlessly interrogated by a police officer who was an Ancient Magician of the Onmyodo lineage. On the other hand, the fact that the Tsuchimikado family (Onmyodo lineage) cooperated with the Ninth Lab in modernizing Ancient Magic suggested a blood relationship between the Kudou family (or the house of "Nine") and the Tsuchimikado. In this world, that speculation was proven as a blood tie.
Returning to the topic, Yugen had actually questioned Retsu about this during their meeting.
Retsu had confessed everything, spewing out his regrets.
At that time, he was not only consulted by Elder Todo and Elder Kashiwa of the Senate but was also persistently asked about elements that could be the Yotsuba's weakness. In doing so, Retsu apparently revealed not only the existence of Maya and Miya but also their unique magics—Maya's Meteor Line and Miya's Mental Structure Interference.
Fearing that these qualities would be passed on to future generations, the Elders forced Retsu to make Saegusa Kouichi and Yotsuba Maya attend the Magicraft Children exchange meeting in Taipei. In exchange, they offered Retsu a bait: they would recommend him as the leader of the chaotic magician society under the Ten Master Clans system that Senhime and Gozo were advancing at the time.
Retsu added that until he told Yugen, only three people knew this fact: Retsu himself, Elder Todo, and Elder Kashiwa.
Retsu, desiring power, won a gamble with poor odds and gained that power. However, Retsu envied Genzo, a Yotsuba magician who possessed specific, unique magic from birth. Without him realizing it, that envy transformed into hatred and jealousy, and in the end, he "sold" them. Seeking power was a mindset typical of the Ten Master Clans, but what he did was far more cruel than the Saegusa family's attempts to oust the Yotsuba.
Honestly, it was surprising that neither Gozo nor even Senhime had found out until now.
This was partly Yugen's speculation, but perhaps the internal feud within the Kudou family created a rift between the Kudou and Kagurazaka families, leading Senhime to steer toward ignoring them, foreseeing the Kudou's decline. Furthermore, because Elder Todo's "Yotsuba Killing" served as a smokescreen, it's highly likely even Senhime didn't notice the truth.
The incident with her own family was so massive that she likely couldn't read as far as Retsu's involvement. Also, seeing as Elder Todo died without revealing Retsu's name, perhaps there was a desire to keep the dark underbelly of the Master Clans Conference's establishment hidden. Since he was already deceased, the truth of that remains unknown.
Therefore, Yugen intended to have Retsu play the role of ending the system of the twenty-eight clans, of which he had been the figurehead, as a means of settling all accounts. Regardless of the circumstances, Yugen acknowledged his merit in working for the country for many years. However, the sins of stealing Maya's happiness, tormenting Miya, troubling Gozo, and killing the Yotsuba, including Genzo, could not be erased. The sin of nurturing a faction that tried to shake the nation's system would be paid for by demonstrating his attitude—including the demotion of the Kudou family from the Ten Master Clans.
It was unclear how many more years Retsu would live, and even if he avoided the death he met in the original story, he could still lose his life in an unforeseen event. Including contingencies, Yugen intended to settle everything by the spring of this year.
(...First, capture Gu Jie. Even if he dies, the information history of the magic cast upon him will never disappear.)
Securing Gu Jie, dead or alive, was the top priority. Even if his corpse was destroyed, as long as the final location was known, it was possible to restore and resuscitate him using Tenyo Shoran. The use of Tenyo Shoran on Zhou Gongjin the other day had been partly to test this. Hopefully, the "wedge" implanted in him didn't have a trigger to cause death, but Yugen planned to act with the precaution of blocking it with a Heavenly Immortal Barrier before removing it.
Ultimately, they would detain Gu Jie and transport him to the USNA via the "National Defense Force." This would utilize the agreement based on the Japan-US Alliance, allowing joint use of designated bases within allied nations. Since the USNA military could use them, the National Defense Force naturally had the qualification to exercise this right.
And for that escort, he intended to use the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion, and incidentally, have Major Benjamin Canopus tag along.
Gozo also agreed with Yugen's plan. His statement that he would "strike" Gu Jie was closer to saying, "Let me get one punch in." It was merely an iron-fisted punishment for abandoning the deterrent role; had Gu Jie remained as a survivor of the Kunlun Fang Institute, those incidents might not have occurred.
Yugen had thought Gozo intended to kill him, but when he heard the reason—"If I do that, I cannot thrust those who adored Gu Jie into the depths of despair"—he felt he was hearing a request to legally obliterate the USNA underground. Senhime had formally requested something similar, but Gozo, after stating his reasons, declared he would accompany the escort.
If, by any chance, someone tried to shoot down that plane, Gozo had boasted he would "storm the Department of Defense and shove Gu Jie down their throats," so Yugen wasn't worried about Gozo's life. Rather, he was anxious that the USNA mainland might be thrown into chaos by the damage caused by a "lightning strike." It depended on who was used from the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion, but in Kazama's case, he would likely be dragged along on Gozo's reckless ride. Even Canopus might throw in the towel, realizing he couldn't stop Gozo.
He is more intellectual than the father of a certain fighting manga protagonist, but once he becomes hostile, the damage is guaranteed to swing off the charts to a ridiculous level.
After all, the brute force technique he used to forcibly straighten the Statue of Liberty with a palm strike after it nearly toppled from a bomb terror attack during his stay... Yugen believed that no one in the world other than Gozo could have done that. (Because of that, his location was exposed, leading to a summons from the President's office and a meeting at the White House).
Incidentally, he apparently left the palm print from that strike without fixing it, and it has seemingly become a new tourist attraction as the handprint of a hero.
Honestly, Yugen wanted to ask someone.
If there is a means to defeat a person who makes even fiction throw in the towel—like "Hans-Ulrich Rudel reincarnated with martial arts, authority, and cheat-level magic"—please teach him.
As for Yugen himself? He didn't want to make an enemy of an existence that was like a certain nationally popular action manga hero who flies at the speed of sound. It would be nothing but trouble. Honestly, in the sense that such an existence was on his side, Yugen felt he might have been blessed with incredible luck.
Is it just Yugen, or does anyone else feel that if Gozo were transported to a fantasy world, the Demon God would fly over at the start and prostrate himself, begging, "Please, just spare my life"?
The Master Clans Conference.
For high school students, it was merely something that might occasionally spark a quarrel, but for the adults involved, it was a serious arena of struggle where lives were on the line. Participants gathered one after another at the round table in the rented conference room of the Kamisaka Group hotel, the venue for the Master Clans Conference.
A man with the appearance of a "man of the sea," his body dyed copper by sunburn and wearing a rough sweater, sat in his seat. This was Ichijou Gouki, Head of the Ichijou family, which monitors and defends the Hokuriku and San'in regions. He had just turned 42, lived in Kanazawa (formerly Ishikawa Prefecture), and was outwardly the president of a seabed resource mining company.
A mature woman in elegant Japanese attire with her hair pinned up was Futatsugi Mai, Head of the Futatsugi family, which monitors and defends the Hanshin and Sanyou regions. Living in Ashiya (formerly Hyogo Prefecture), she was 55 years old, the second oldest participant after the Kudou representative. Her public profession was as a major shareholder in multiple chemical and food industries.
A man with a small but sturdy build, wearing a jacket over a polo shirt in a rough style, was Mitsuya Gen, Head of the Mitsuya family, responsible for foreign intelligence gathering including international affairs. A resident of Atsugi (formerly Kanagawa Prefecture), age 53. His public profession was an international small arms broker (since he couldn't call himself a broker, he was officially a trader specializing in weapons procurement for the Ministry of Defense).
A beautiful woman wearing a formal wine-red dress was Yotsuba Maya, Head of the Yotsuba family, which monitors and defends the Chubu and Tokai regions. Though she looked no older than her early thirties, her actual age was 47. She was the only one among the Ten Master Clans with no public profession, and her current address was undisclosed.
A man with well-ordered features but a "plain" appearance among the participants—looking like an unsophisticated businessman—was Itsuwa Isami, Head of the Itsuwa family. Residing in Uwajima (formerly Ehime Prefecture), age 49. His public profession was an executive of a shipping company, though he was effectively the owner.
A glamorous woman in a pantsuit with straight chestnut hair was Mutsuzuka Atsuko, Head of the Mutsuzuka family, which monitors and defends the Tohoku region. Residing in Sendai (formerly Miyagi Prefecture), she was the youngest of the current Ten Master Clans at 29. Her public profession was the de facto owner of a geothermal power plant drilling company.
A somewhat old-fashioned figure reminiscent of an elite businessman from the late 20th century (1980s-90s) was Saegusa Kouichi, Head of the Saegusa family, which monitors and defends the Kanto region. A resident of Tokyo, age 48. His trademark was the lightly tinted glasses he never removed, even indoors. His public profession was venture capital management.
A man in a suit without a tie, with his hair parted in a spiky seven-three split, was Yatsushiro Raizo, Head of the Yatsushiro family, which monitors and defends the Kyushu region (excluding Tsushima and Okinawa). 31 years old, living in Fukuoka (formerly Fukuoka Prefecture). Outwardly, he was a university lecturer and a major shareholder in multiple telecommunications companies.
A white-haired gentleman dashingly wearing a foreign brand three-piece suit was Kudou Makoto, Head of the Kudou family, which monitors and defends the Kyoto, Nara, Shiga, and Kii (Wakayama) areas. Residing in Ikoma (formerly Nara Prefecture), age 64. His public profession involved being a shareholder, investor, and creditor for various military industry companies.
A man with a shaved head wearing a haori and hakama was Jumonji Kazuki, Head of the Jumonji family, which monitors and defends the Kanto region alongside the Saegusa family. Residing in Tokyo, age 44. His public profession was the owner of a civil engineering and construction company with the National Defense Force as a major client.
These were the Heads of the current Ten Master Clans. Notably, among the participants here, only the Jumonji family was accompanied by Katsuto, Kazuki's eldest son who had temporarily served as acting head.
Once all the Heads were seated, the door closed. The youngest present, Katsuto, took on that role.
"Lord Jumonji, although you returned at last year's Master Clans Conference, why have you brought Lord Katsuto with you today?"
The first to speak was Makoto, the oldest participant present.
The Ten Master Clans are fundamentally equal, but the meeting cannot proceed without a facilitator. Therefore, an unwritten rule had been established that the eldest would take the lead (since Kudou Retsu had served as chairman in Master Clans Conferences prior to 2089, this custom had taken root).
At last spring's conference (concerning the Adjusted Magicians of the Southern Shield Island), the Heads, including Makoto, had rejoiced at Kazuki's return after two years. Makoto's inquiry about Katsuto's presence was born of suspicion: "Is there a health reason?"
"Regarding that, I have an announcement to make to everyone."
In response to Makoto's words, Kazuki stood up. In the Master Clans Conference, where speaking while seated was the standard, his behavior alone signaled to the other participants that he was about to announce something grave. They watched him, waiting for his words.
"It is sudden, but I, Jumonji Kazuki, shall yield the seat of the Head of the Jumonji family to my son, Katsuto, who stands beside me. Consequently, I would like to ask everyone here to serve as witnesses to the succession of the family leadership."
"That is... quite sudden again."
While none of the participants engaged in idle chatter, Makoto spoke for the group, voicing his honest feelings. With an expression that seemed to say "It's no wonder you'd say that," Kazuki continued.
"Previously, I suffered from an illness that diminished my magic power. Because of that, I temporarily entrusted this place to Katsuto as Acting Head. That illness has been successfully cured. To dispel everyone's anxiety, I will explain: this was a condition specific to the Jumonji family, so I assert that it is not something ordinary magicians, including yourselves, will contract."
Since Kazuki added a supplementary explanation anticipating the questions regarding his condition, Kouichi, who had looked ready to ask something, seemed satisfied. Meanwhile, Gouki asked Kazuki the most pressing question.
"If Lord Jumonji says so, I will believe those words... However, if you have regained your power as a magician, I would like to hear the reason why you say you are yielding the position of Head to Lord Katsuto."
"This is something I have been considering for some time... If I were to state the reason simply: I have judged that the time has come for me to step down as Head as a means of making atonement to 'him'."
Some tilted their heads or looked thoughtful at Kazuki's mention of "him," but other participants soon noticed Kazuki's gaze was directed at Gen. From that sequence alone, it was obvious who "he" referred to.
"Lord Mitsuya. Although he has already left the Mitsuya registry, it is a fact that I have committed numerous discourtesies against the Mitsuya family, including Lord Mitsuya's son—Lord Kagurazaka. Ordinarily, this is something I should apologize for in front of the person himself, and I was prepared to face the wrath of Lord Kamiizumi. It is not a problem that can be settled with an apology, but I am truly sorry."
"Lord Jumonji... please raise your head. regarding that matter, I recognize it as a problem already resolved. I have also received a message from Lord Kagurazaka stating, 'Since Lord Katsuto has also apologized, I do not mind it.'"
Realizing that Kazuki had in mind the "re-education" incident by the Toyama family and the matters regarding Riri, Gen spoke to Kazuki, including the words he had been entrusted with by Yugen beforehand. However, Gen immediately realized that Kazuki's resolve was firm.
"I am grateful for the magnanimity of Lord Mitsuya and Lord Kagurazaka, but I have keenly felt that mere words of apology would end as lip service and affect the dignity of the Jumonji Head. Therefore, although he is not yet of age, I wish to entrust the future of the Jumonji to Katsuto. Everyone, what say you?"
Including Yugen, he did not want his atonement for the disrespect toward the Mitsuya family to be mere talk. To demonstrate this in form, Kazuki announced he wanted to pass the Jumonji leadership to Katsuto.
"I believe matters of the Jumonji family should be decided within the family, but I do not mind. I shall gladly serve as a witness to the succession to Lord Katsuto."
"I know Lord Katsuto's character well through my younger brother, and he served magnificently as Acting Head for a time, so I have no objection either."
Following Maya's approval, Atsuko raised her voice. Atsuko had always admired Maya, and since she was acquainted with Katsuto not only through the conference but also through her brother Toya, she agreed based on his track record.
"It is regrettable, but if Lord Jumonji has decided so, there is no reason to hold you back. I will gladly witness the succession of the Jumonji to Lord Katsuto."
"...I also have no intention of complaining about another family's succession. I welcome Lord Katsuto's inauguration as Head. I expect Lord Kazuki to contribute to the magic world in a different form."
Given the earlier apology, Gen actively showed his approval, and Kouichi, after thinking for a moment, also turned to the supporting side.
Following the support of the powerful Yotsuba, Mitsuya, and Saegusa families, the heads of the other families also offered words of appreciation to Kazuki and welcomed Katsuto's inauguration.
"Then, Lord Katsuto. As the new Head of the Jumonji family, please take your seat."
With Makoto's words, Katsuto's succession to the Jumonji was recognized by the other Ten Master Clans.
Kazuki did not voice it, but Yugen's ascension to the Head of the Kagurazaka family heavily influenced this succession. The implication of a person who was still 16—turning 17 this February—becoming the Head of a major Ancient Magic house was something even Kazuki, the Jumonji Head, could not ignore.
Things that had been forgiven when Yugen was merely a relative of Kamiizumi Gozo and a direct descendant of the Mitsuya family were suddenly no longer permissible once he became the next Head of the Kagurazaka family—and confirmed when he assumed the title.
Even if Yugen himself forgave it, if the matter came to light, it would affect the dignity of one of the corners of the Ten Master Clans. Kazuki stepped down to take responsibility for his past disrespect, passing the family leadership to Katsuto.
Needless to say, when Yugen heard about it later, he muttered with slight exasperation, "If he had that much resolve, surely he could have faced his own womanizing problems."
Author's Note:
The part involving Retsu is an original setting, but I wrote it thinking it wouldn't be strange for him to harbor such feelings.
We finally entered the Master Clans Conference. The Jumonji succession, which was due to "loss of Kazuki's magic skills" in the original story, has taken the form of Kazuki retiring to apologize for his disrespect toward the Mitsuya, Kagurazaka, and Kamiizumi families, declaring the succession to Katsuto.
In a sense, this is also a pressure case against the Saegusa and Kudou families.
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