―――A "hard-luck worker" (Kurou-nin).
By definition, the word refers to "a person who shoulders hardship for the sake of others," but in any world, such people inevitably emerge to a greater or lesser degree. It is far from rare for those accumulated hardships to explode and turn their fangs back on the cause. However, in a bar with a quiet, hideaway atmosphere located in Washington, D.C., the East Coast of the USNA (United States of North America), a young man with platinum blonde hair and jade-green eyes was lost in thought while swirling a glass in his hand.
Perhaps unable to stand watching him suffer in silence, a young bartender carefully polishing a wine glass called out to him.
"Jay, you're barely touching your drink."
"...Can you blame me, Master? Day after day, paperwork keeps piling up to the point where I can hardly go home. I only chose a civil service job because I wanted a stable income."
The young man called "Jay," who was venting his grievances to the bartender, was actually named Gerald Balance. On the surface, he identified himself as a staff officer attached to the USNA Joint Chiefs of Staff, seconded from the USNA Department of Defense. In reality, however, he was an agent of the National Security Agency (NSA) who was constantly flying around both domestically and internationally.
Normally, this was not a position for someone with little seniority. Yet, despite possessing power rivaling the Stellar-class Stars, Gerald was a man who had steadfastly refused to become a military magician. When a military relative of his pulled strings to select him for the post, his life of shouldering endless hardships was effectively sealed.
"I'm grateful to my aunt, but I hate fighting. Still, everyone around me keeps pushing that I should become a soldier just because I have power. I honestly wonder why I was cursed with this kind of strength in the first place."
"..."
"Sorry. Just talking to myself."
"Don't worry about it. We're in the same boat."
Gerald and the bartender were childhood friends, and the bartender also possessed high potential as a magician, even if he fell slightly short of Gerald. Precisely because of that, he had witnessed the agony of the man before him better than anyone else.
It would be a lie to say he had no hesitation about not walking the path of a magician. However, in this country, civil applications for magic were practically non-existent, connecting magic almost directly to military power. Even so, neither of them wanted their hard-earned magic to go to waste, so they trained together for self-defense.
"...By the way, El, have you heard the rumor?"
"A rumor? I've heard a few through my old man, but which one do you mean?"
"The rumor regarding Japan's Strategic-Class Magic."
"Ah, that one..."
The bar where the young bartender called "El"—otherwise known as Eldred Ballard—worked doubled as an information hub known only to those in the know. Since there were more than a few customers who tried to use force or threats, Eldred's father, the owner of the bar, possessed a body so robust that people claimed "even bullets couldn't kill him."
As his son and successor, Eldred had also trained rigorously. In terms of sheer defensive power, he was gradually surpassing his father, though he had yet to win a direct spar against him.
"I've caught wind that the military brass still hasn't given up... In the worst-case scenario, I suspect another desertion incident might occur. This time, it wouldn't surprise me if it happens on the scale of an entire Stars squad."
"Can't this country ever drop its obsession with staying on top? You'd think taking a load off would give everyone some breathing room."
"That's wishful thinking, Jay. As long as the New Soviet Union exists, we can't afford to show a weak stance... And because of that, my mother died."
"El..."
Eldred's parents were both military personnel. His mother and father had formerly belonged to the Stars, but during an expedition in the Bering Sea eight years ago, his mother never returned. His father, who had accompanied her on that same expedition, barely made it back alive, but lost all purpose in remaining with the Stars and resigned from the military.
The details of that battle were classified as military secrets and never disclosed. However, after using every connection at his disposal, Eldred discovered that they had engaged in combat with New Soviet magicians. When he confronted his father with the information, his father remained silent without denying it, giving Eldred all the confirmation he needed.
Because he knew the truth behind his mother's death, Eldred understood Gerald's character better than anyone. Thus, he chose the path of succeeding his father to peacefully run the bar while making a living as an information broker.
"Sorry. Blaming you doesn't accomplish anything."
"Don't mind it. As someone who always gets his complaints heard, I ought to pay my tab anyway... Though I don't know if it serves as a good tip, there is one thing on my mind."
"What is it?"
"Well, lately it seems people from NASA and the North American Magic Association have been frequenting the Pentagon. From what little I've overheard, they're apparently blabbering about deploying magicians into space."
Under current technological limits, space science had regressed compared to the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This was the direct result of technological resources being drained into the development of magic engineering due to the World War.
"Magicians in space... For anti-magician movements, isn't that prime fuel to drive magicians out of society? To think officials from government agencies and the Magic Association were talking about that... I seriously question their sanity."
"I doubted my own ears at first, too. But they seem dead serious. Their goal is almost certainly to strip away Japan's Strategic-Class Magic."
"...Those fools act like they want to resurrect the nightmare of Pearl Harbor."
Listening to Gerald's analysis, Eldred spat out the harsh words bitterly. Having a passion for reading history, he knew the historical context where America's high-handed demands during World War II had forced Japan to enter the war.
Precisely because they knew Japan's underlying strength better than anyone, the former United States stripped away its power and spirit. Since what they were doing now was more than enough to invite retaliation, Eldred's cold reaction was entirely natural.
"That's harsh, El."
"I'm just stating facts. Besides, judging from the paper published by that country's 'Taurus Silver,' they probably either want to get their hands on the 'Stellar Reactor' or plan to destroy it... This country can't stay on top forever."
If national prestige were determined solely by land size, historically prestigious nations like Britain would be looked down upon as small states. Being able to swallow neighboring countries merely signaled military strength, but that strength did not necessarily align with economic power.
Originally, North America was nothing more than a new nation that broke away from European colonies like Britain. Considering how ruthlessly they drove out the indigenous peoples, their current harassment of Japan was nothing short of inflicting the same humiliation their own ancestors suffered onto someone else.
"If that plan actually kicks off, even non-military personnel like us might get dragged into the collateral... Jay. I don't know which idiot dreamed this up, but the mastermind is definitely someone who wields influence over this country's military."
"I sensed as much and sent a warning to my aunt. Honestly, with the New Soviet Union starting fights all over the place, they just have to pull this unnecessary stunt... If the mastermind were right in front of me, I'd punch them square in the face, even if it meant quitting my job."
The day after chatting with his childhood friend, Gerald headed toward his office at the Pentagon, making no effort to hide his exasperated expression. Just as he thought he was in for another day of tedious paperwork, he heard a knock on the wall and turned around. Standing there was his superior.
"Good morning, Jay."
"Good morning, Section Chief... More paperwork?"
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