"Well... as long as it doesn't become a burden, I'll turn a blind eye," Tatsuya replied.
Had he still been a mere Guardian of the Yotsuba, he would have pushed himself regardless of the cost. Tatsuya couldn't help but let out a bitter smile at the fact that something resembling a "weakness" had actually crossed his lips. Sensing his thoughts, Kana offered a gentle smile of her own.
"If Shizuku is there, Mizunami might feel more at ease. Is that alright with you, Mizunami?"
"Yes. Miyuki-sama specifically asked me to keep a close eye on you, Tatsuya-sama."
"..."
I have no intention of doing anything reckless, Tatsuya thought, but he knew "reckless" was a subjective term. Given that his personal threshold for danger was infamously high, he felt a silent sigh forming at Miyuki's overprotective instructions.
The briefing for the memorial service concluded without a hitch. Before anyone could voice a single objection, Yugen made a "condolence gift" of 100 million yen from his personal assets. He followed this by proposing that the Head Abbot of the Tendai Sect from Mount Hiei be invited to conduct the service.
After that, the other participants were silenced. It was what some might call a "power play" or "slapping them with a wad of cash," but Yugen had decided it was more efficient to demonstrate the Japanese magic community's commitment to mourning the dead equally before any petty demands could be made.
Afterward, Yugen and Miyuki retreated to a nearby café to rest.
"That truly was over quickly," Miyuki remarked.
"The other side knows who we are. If they said something out of line and we withdrew our support, they'd only face public scorn. If we want to show that the magic community treats non-magicians as equals in death, this was the most straightforward method."
Magic was a gift granted to so few, and even among those with the talent, only a fraction could truly bloom. It was impossible to completely erase the fear non-magicians felt toward magic. The only solution was to control the existence of magic under the rule of law and order.
The fact that the betrayal of certain "Left Blood" soldiers hadn't been made public was part of a cover-up to prevent fueling the flames of anti-magic sentiment.
"The real problem is what happens after we get through tomorrow's party," Yugen said.
"...You believe this is only the beginning, Yugen-san?"
"I'm not wrong. I don't think those people will give up that easily."
In the original timeline, the operation to infiltrate the Yotsuba with Australian magicians had failed. In this world, rather than being handed over to the National Defense Forces, they were to be arrested as criminals by the Police Ministry and subsequently deported back to Australia.
This was a move to prevent Major General Saeki from using them to establish personal contact with the UK and eventually seeking to legally bind Tatsuya's power. Since the incident two years ago, Yugen did not trust Saeki. Now that Kudou Retsu had lost his practical influence, there was a high probability her ambitions would only grow.
She might even be plotting to use those achievements to wedge herself into the "Council of Elders." If she could prove she could control Strategic-Class Magicians, the members of the Council would find her impossible to ignore.
Of course, Yugen had already decided he would never let that happen.
"We managed to eliminate Gu Jie before things got out of hand, but the embers of anti-magic sentiment are still smoldering. There's no telling when they'll flare up again. Besides, the people 'across the sea' have already realized who Tatsuya and I really are."
Raymond Clark—the self-proclaimed "First Sage"—as well as the "Seven Sages" and the "Thirteen Apostles," the existing systems of the world, would undoubtedly stand in their way. The military brass might even try to use the "Seventh Plague" or "Alcatraz" incidents as a pretext to cast them out.
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