While Yugen had secured a pact regarding Strategic-Class Magic with the USNA government via Colonel Virginia Balance, the USNA military had yet to give up on seizing this country's strategic magic. It would be one thing if they understood how foolish that was, but the soldiers of this world were plagued by too many ambitious men. They wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice others for a promotion, failing to understand the most basic consequences of their actions.
It wasn't just the USNA; the UK and the New Soviet Union couldn't be trusted either. Especially after the clash of Strategic-Class Magic with Bezobrazov—he would surely be looking for a chance to eliminate them under the guise of revenge.
"Then, what will you do?" Miyuki asked.
"...I think I'll pull Australia over to our side. Much like how Matthew Perry led the Black Ships to force this isolationist country to open its doors in the past."
Yugen would force a choice upon Australia while minimizing his own risks. Would they continue to be treated as an enemy state, in the same boat as the Great Asian Alliance? Or would they prefer to get even with the UK, the country that had sold them out?
Either way, having been involved in sabotage, they wouldn't be allowed to remain neutral. And Australia possessed something that could create a benefit the UK could not offer.
"On a related note, there was one strange report. Two individuals by the names of 'Jasmine Jackson' and 'James Jackson' are attending the party. When I looked into it, their invitations came from the British Embassy."
The Saika Shin-jima completion party was strictly invitation-only; Tatsuya and Miyuki had issued invitations under the name of Yuto Kanzaka, a director of the Kanzaka Group. It was originally intended for domestic guests, but since the heads of state from the SSA and France were attending, the USNA and British Embassies had sniffed it out and requested slots for their own guests.
The former was based on clear reasons related to the Curtis family, but the latter's reason was "Special Envoys from the International Magic Association Headquarters." The UK seemed determined to pick a fight with the Association, despite having no business on the stage. Or perhaps, in this case, the blame lay solely with William MacLeod.
"Miyuki. Tell Tatsuya to plant a 'Gatekeeper' on Captain Jasmine Williams. But tell him to let it be known as my magic."
"...Is that wise?"
"The enemy likely already has data on my mock battle with Juumonji-senpai anyway."
His goal was to make them underestimate Tatsuya's combat strength while drawing all the "aggro" toward himself. Miyuki understood that Yugen could suppress an opponent without even using magic, so she accepted the proposal. They would likely try to seal Tatsuya's Material Burst or Yugen's own Starlight Breaker, but countermeasures for that were already in place.
"Besides, even if we neutralize them, we won't knock them out. I need them to be our messengers—and our hostages."
"...I'm sorry, Yugen-san. Exactly what are you planning?"
"If I had to put a name to it... let's call it the 'Operation to Boldly Increase Allies.'"
It was no surprise Miyuki couldn't wrap her head around it. This operation was designed to use Australia's power to trigger a "global realignment of forces." To achieve that, it was vital to sever Australia from the UK.
However, even after the "severing," he wanted Australia to maintain its relationship with the UK. He intended for them to act as a "double agent." Including their relationship with the Great Asian Alliance, they would be a triple agent. But since their sovereign state was the pioneer of "Triple-Tongued Diplomacy," Yugen felt they should be able to handle that much stress.
"If this succeeds, we can involve nations ranging from most of Africa to the Arab Union, the Indo-Persian Federation, the Southeast Asian Alliance, Australia, and the South American Federation... That's all I can say for now."
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"