Volume 10, Chapter 9

This chapter is updated by wuxiaworld.eu

It had gotten weaker.

It originally didn’t belong to this world, nor did it come to this world of its own free will.

It possessed the intrinsic quality that was naturally drawn by strong pushion wave motions.

Euphoria, despair, hatred, and hope.

Practically on the level of prayer, the cravings for pushion wave motions drew it through the momentary fluctuation in the “barrier” from the immaterial world to a physical one.

Thanks to the shock from passing through the barrier, it had split into twelve portions and dwelt inside the humans who beckoned them over.

In order to survive, it was forced to continuously ingest pushions. So long as it existed, there would be an endless stream of pushions leaking away.

However, in this physical world, it was unable to gather pushions independently. Without merging with a physical form that was capable of gathering pushions, there was no way to obtain any more.

After repeatedly using its power while still in its basic form, much of its energy reserves gathered since arriving in this physical world had been lost. On top of this, after being immersed in a high pressure stream of psions, the portion that enabled it to invade the physical dimension had largely been shorn away. With it, much of the psions were gone as well. In order to survive, pushions were absolutely vital, but with insufficient psions, interfering with the physical world will become difficult.

Its actual body was not capable of high level cognitive thinking. Given that it was the result of the magnified reflections of its hosts’ suppressed impulses, it was nothing more than a monster. There was only enough cognition within that body to plot survival. Even so, even its limited cognition was aware that in its currently enfeebled state, passing through the barrier of consciousness to obtain a new host was highly difficult.

It needed a place to rest. A location that was meaningless, save for its large congregation of pushions.

For example, blood that had just been separated from a living body.

For example, a mindless doll granted a humanoid form to obtain pushions.

It avoided the moving humans and finally located a receptacle for rest in one of the storage rooms located near the edge of First High’s campus.

◊ ◊ ◊

The next morning after the seven of them combined to beat back the Parasite – and not destroying it.

“Good morning, Tatsuya-kun.”

“Good morning, Mizuki, Mikihiko. ……Is Erika still like that?”

In his classroom, Tatsuya ran across a certain female friend who was sitting at her seat with both arms propping up her face and fuming.

“Good morning, Tatsuya. ……She’s still like that. Pretty much just sulking.”

“I am not sulking!”

Next to where Mikihiko was chuckling wryly and nodding his head, Erika scoffed and returned to her “sour position”.

Of course, there was a reason behind why she was adopting such an easily understood position.

During lunch break yesterday, after the vampire transformed into its information body form and the subsequent desperate struggle, they finally beat back the enemy. Afterwards, despite the overwhelming 6-to-1 advantage over Lina, Tatsuya let her go without attempting to subdue her.

Herein lay the reason why Erika was sulking. She believed that Lina was working alongside the vampires. Behind all this, Erika had no way of retaliating against the Parasite once it took on the form of an information body. This was simply a matter of someone being adept at handling certain opponents and not others and certainly not something to be ashamed about, except Erika seemed to think otherwise. She furiously argued her case when Tatsuya was about to let Lina go, to the point that she even swung her blade at Lina. –That was probably her temper talking. In the end, Erika never really planned on actually connecting with the hit, but she quieted down after Mikihiko held both of her arms back from behind. (Yet, she laid a full blown beat down on Mikihiko for what she termed sexual harassment due to him latching onto her from behind.)

Still, this did not signify that Erika accepted this result, and her displeasure was on full display ever since yesterday after lunch. “Erika, it’s about time for you to let go.”

Despite Tatsuya directly striking up a conversation with her, she still kept her back to him.

“I believe I clarified this yesterday, right? At that time, the welcoming party had already arrived.”

The words were intentionally vague after taking into account of eavesdroppers, but the “welcoming party” referred to the reinforcements that Lina had summoned.

“Just yesterday’s situation was enough of a ruckus already. Anything more than that could not possibly be kept from the students. In the worst case scenario, we might even had a panic on our hands.”

--Speaking of which, the person pulling overtime keeping everything under wraps was Mayumi and not Tatsuya.

“I get all that……”

Such things were within Erika’s understanding, but she still maintained her sulky mutterings while keeping her back to Tatsuya.

“In addition, we needed to compromise for the sake of the employees from Maximillian Devices.”

--Furthermore, the one who created a situation that necessitated that compromise was Tatsuya while the one who actually brokered the mediation was Lina (well, her subordinates at any rate).

“I never said that Lina is completely innocent, but there was no need to paint her as completely black at the time. If Lina is truly guilty, then we will plan accordingly. I will hold nothing back when the time comes.”

Tatsuya spoke in his usual tone, but the danger lingering behind his words caused Erika to turn her head.

“……Can you win?”

Erika wasn’t aware that the crimson haired Magician with the golden pupils was actually Lina. Still, based on their back and forth struggle with the Parasite yesterday, she instinctively judged that Lina was no run of the mill opponent.

“Victory and defeat are a matter of luck. Furthermore, there’s no proof that Lina will begin the offensive.”

“But you’re not going to hold back.” “Naturally.”

Tatsuya’s tone was too placid, but that only served to highlight his utter sincerity. As for the listeners around them, Mikihiko had already shrank back while Mizuki was clearly cowed. Yet, Tatsuya’s display sat perfectly well with Erika, allowing her to completely revert to her usual mood.

◊ ◊ ◊

Meanwhile, Lina was tasting the bitter dregs of discomfort for the first time in her life after calling in sick from school.

In terms of humiliation, the full body search she had to undergo prior to her meeting with the President over tea, there was nothing more than being humiliating towards women. However, in terms of discomfort, her current hearing at the USNA embassy more than rivaled that experience.

“……Still, given your status as Sirius of Stars, the fact that you didn’t even resist against high school students and allowed them to take the suspect is……”

She wanted to retort that Michaela Honda self-destructed instead of being taken, but Lina understood that the investigator wasn’t referring to that as the issue so she could only meekly bow her head.

“In addition, I believe the suspect was the technician who lived next door. You didn’t notice anything after living together for almost a month?”

This time, Lina really wanted to scream her objection. Weren’t you the ones who arranged for that “suspect” to accompany me as a technician because I’m not suited for undercover work? –Not that this was something she could say aloud, so owing to this reason, Lina’s stress level was only rising and not dropping.

Immediately afterward, the chatter continued with their irritating words. No matter how talented she was as a Magician, Lina was only a teenage Major. There were many in the USNA military who were jealous of Lina for her youth, and this was especially the case among officers who possessed no combat experience. Right now, the men in front of her (why wasn’t there a single female investigator) were exemplary models of officers “who have never been under fire”.

Lina was cognizant of the fact that getting enraged over this was pointless (at least that was her perspective), so she just let the irksome words fly by her, until,

“Speaking of which, has the major undergone a full physical examination? You’ve made contact with the infected on multiple occasions, correct? There is an immediate need to verify if there are any bite marks. If you have not, please do so here immediately.”

This preposterous statement coupled with insane logic that was practically sexual harassment left Lina flabbergasted. Likewise, the enemy was only called a “vampire” out of convenience, but no victims had actually been bitten. Lina was in complete disbelief that they sitting there in all their arrogance without even reading the report, but before all that – Do these filthy bastards what me to strip right here and right now!?

“That is more than a little discourteous to the Major, I believe.”

The only reason she was able to pull back from the brink of an explosion was because reinforcements arrived in the nick of time. Thanks to this, Lina was able to hold onto her reputation as “a youthful individual who was able to keep her cool and think ahead” – except this was not just a simple label.

“Colonel Barans?”

There was more than a couple individuals who wanted to shout down the woman who barged into this meeting – on some level at least – but upon realizing who she was, none of these heroes was brave enough to stick their neck out.

She was Colonel Virginia Barans. While one might mistake her for someone within Stars based on that title, it was actually her real name. Just a few days ago, she should have bid farewell to the last few days in the thirties, but her valiant, older sister-like appearance belied the fact that she was in her forties.

Yet, the terrifying part was not because of her rank or youthful appearance. In terms of rank, half of the officers present had experience serving at a hearing before.

The committee members (to put it nicely) treated her with deference due to her title.

USNA Joint Chiefs of Staff Intelligence Division, Internal Affairs, First Deputy Director.

After the Canadian military was assimilated and reorganized, she became number two of the department established to monitor both those in uniform and black ops. That was the Colonel Barans’s task.

Given the nature of this mission, it was wholly unsurprising for her to be present. Actually, it was odder for her not to be present in the very beginning given the stakes. –Based on her position and duties, it was simply impossible for the committee members investigating the Japan incident to be unaware of her presence.

Once she suddenly stepped in, reprimanding her was frankly impossible. “With all due respect, permission to speak freely?”

The colonel locked her gaze onto the committee members sitting at the highest row as she spoke her request, and only her literal words were assiduous.

“Ah, uh. Granted.”

“Thank you very much. In regards to exactly why I was excluded from this meeting, I will get to the bottom of this at some other opportunity.”

Colonel Barans didn’t even spare a single glance at the petrified expressions on the committee members’ faces as she turned her eyes on Lina.

“This time, the mission given to Major Sirius was ill suited for both her talents and duties, so I am of the belief that it is completely inadequate to place all of the mission’s failure on her shoulders.”

Small whisperings began to permeate the room. Colonel Barans wasn’t invited because the committee members feared they would have to tread softly around like someone like her who was fluent in military law and command. Still others believed that she would support Lina simply because she too was also a woman.

Still, Colonel Barans’s direct approach in covering for Lina took everyone by surprise.

“Regardless of responsibility, the fact that someone holding the title of the Stars’ High Commander falling short of someone else in magical combat is worthy of further investigation. After all, “Sirius” represents the strongest Magician within our army.”

Lina tightly clasped her hands. What Colonel Barans pointed out resonated with her more than anyone else.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Lina’s teeth could be heard grinding against one another.

“Naturally, Major Sirius would love to avenge herself. Wouldn’t she, Major?”

“Of course!”

At Lina’s affirmative answer, the colonel’s eyes drifted over to the other men at the bench.

“I propose that Major Sirius continue with her present mission. At the same time, I also request that her local support be upgraded to the highest level.”

“Strictly speaking, what are you referring to in regards to the highest level of support?”

One of the committee members spoke up to the colonel, to which Colonel Barans replied with a dauntless smile.

“In the name of investigating the officers stationed locally, I will also be transferred to Tokyo.”

This time, the ruckus lasted for quite a while without disappearing.

“Furthermore, after contacting the director, we have obtained clearance to deploy “Brionac”.”

The ruckus turned into uproar. “Colonel, is this true?”

Lina’s expression could only be described as “disbelief”. “Indeed.”

The colonel smiled warmly in regards to the question that might have been seen as overstepping one’s rank before adding one more sentence.

“I brought it with me.”

After stepping out of the meeting room, Lina found Silvia waiting for her.

“Silvie, where have you been? Up until now I have been in serious predicaments lately.”

Lina hadn’t seen Silvia for the better part of an entire day. After returning home safely from First High yesterday, for some reason she couldn’t find Silvia either at home or their secret meeting place.

Thanks to the stress from the hearing, Lina’s tone was a little petulant. Even so, this was well within the boundaries of a joke for close friends, and the typical Silvia would have just laughed it off. However, Silvia wore a sincere expression as she accepted Lina’s reprimand and straightened her posture before a strange “I’m terribly sorry” to Lina.

“Eh, Silvie? Just stop. I’m not being serious.”

“I know Lina wasn’t being serious. Still, I must apologize to you.”

Realizing that this conversation was entering serious territory, Lina frowned.

“If I could find out Michaela’s real identity sooner, Lina wouldn't have been forced into such a tough spot.”

Saying that this wasn’t the case would be pushing it too far. Yesterday, she had been completely cut off in a ring of enemies. Lina was quite aware of this, so she was unable to deny the truth of those words.

“During this incident, I have failed to fulfill my duties as your support. For that, I am sincerely sorry, High Commander.”

“What’s with this, Silvie? This is like saying goodbye—“ “High Commander.”

Lina’s words were curtailed by Silvia, who was no longer referring to her by name.

“I have received orders from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to return home. Last night’s investigation determined that there is the possibility of infestation, so I will be returning home for intense examination.”

“That’s impossible! The mutations aren’t even being caused by pathogens! How can medicine tell the difference if there’s no sign of infestation prior of mutation!”

“That is precisely the reason why this is necessary, Major.” “Colonel!?”

A voice came from behind them as if scolding Lina for getting caught up in her emotions, whose owner was none other than Colonel Barans, who had just extracted Lina from her predicament (?).

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to overhear you.”

“No, after all, it was we who were standing here talking.” “Is that so?”

Colonel Barans smiled gently at Lina’s nervous reply before adopting a more serious expression as she answered Lina’s earlier question.

“In regards to Lieutenant Mercury’s treatment, it is just as Major Sirius said earlier: there is no method of detecting the mutation prior to its occurrence. In other words, there is no way to tell if the lieutenant has been infected.”

“Then I too!”

“Exactly. Nor is there any guarantee that the major is unscathed. However, in the event that the major turns her fangs against the military, the military’s losses will be incalculable. Thus, the major cannot return home until deemed to be free of infection.”

Lina’s face went pale. In essence, she had been exiled until they could determine if she was infested by a Parasite. That much she understood. In other words, Colonel Barans was allowing Lina to continue her mission with this in mind.

“On the other hand, in the event that Lieutenant Mercury turns into a vampire and betrays the military, there is the possibility of our forces’ classified intelligence leaking to foreign nations after taking the lieutenant’s talents into consideration. Thus, the lieutenant must return home as soon as possible.”

This also made sense. Though her emotions rebelled against the notion, her perspective as a soldier was unable to deny the truth of those words.

“In light of this, I have arranged for someone else to provide you with support.”

“No, there is no need.”

Colonel Barans’s suggestion was necessary, but did contain a hint of goodwill. Nonetheless, Lina rejected her offer.

“Anyone cohabitating with me would run the risk of infestation. Fortunately, Japanese apartments are well equipped enough that living alone wouldn’t be a burden.”

“Really? If that is your wish, then I will make the arrangements.” “Thank you.”

The two of them saluted Colonel Barans as she left before Silvia turned a wry smile towards Lina.

“High Commander.”

“Silvie, drop the formal talk. Just call me Lina like you usually do.”

“……Affirmative. Lina, I’m a little worried at leaving such a sleepyhead like you behind when I return home.”

“That’s rude! Also, the only time I ever overslept was yesterday!”

Faced with that fuming face, Silvia responded with a smile that was free of any tears.

“There’s no way Lina would be infested. Our Sirius is not so weak that she can be taken over by that monster.”

“—That’s a given. I will never bow to the Parasite. Next time we meet, I will definitely burn it to ashes.”

“You’re right. So you better wrap up this mission and return home, High Commander.”

Seeing the laughter bubbling in Silvia’s eyes as she saluted, Lina confidently replied back in the affirmative.

◊ ◊ ◊

For appearance’s sake, Kuroba Mitsugu had arrived in Yokohama on business, though he was currently viewing the telephone ring in his hotel room with deep suspicion. He had not informed his business partner of his lodgings because wireless phones could reach him anywhere, hence why there was no need to tell the other side which hotel he was at. For the same reason, his kin wouldn’t be calling him either. If this was related to his ulterior task, all the more reason that they shouldn’t be using the hotel phone.

“Hello, it’s me.”

Yet, he felt no need to pretend that he was absent. When using a phone that relied strictly on vocal communication, he picked up the phone without delivering his own name just in case.

“Mitsugu, do you have time right now?”

The instant he heard the voice coming across the phone, Mitsugu ‘s back involuntarily tightened in anxiety.

“Maya-sama…… Of course, that’s not a problem at all.”

He possessed enough self-control to ensure that his voice did not waver before the head of the Yotsuba Family, though that should be expected head of the family’s side branch responsible for the Yotsuba intelligence network. For Mitsugu, Maya counted as an older cousin. His mother was the younger sister of head of the Yotsuba Family two generations ago and his son was one of the candidates for the next head of house. In the strictest sense, the Yotsuba Family had no semblance of direct lineage, but based on the normal application, Mitsugu was as close to a “direct line” as one could get. Yet, it was precisely because his bloodline was closer related that Mitsugu knew how terrifying Maya could be.

The enigma behind why Maya used the hotel’s phone to call him was immediately solved. Like FLT, this hotel was one of the dummy corporations that was controlled by the Yotsuba Family in the background. The secret room that Mitsugu was currently using was only accessible to those affiliated with the Yotsuba Family. In all actuality, Mitsugu considered it a failure on his part that he didn’t immediately realize the call originated from the household.

Not that he said anything, of course.

“Is there an emergency? If so, please give me your orders.”

“Hey, Mitsugu …… Could you please change that overly dramatic speech pattern of yours?”

“Ho, my beautiful itoko-sama. Calling this overdramatizing certainly pains my heart. I have always spoken with utter sincerity.”

Over the phone, Maya could be heard sighing in exasperation. This terrifying cousin of his unexpectedly liked to play along with other’s jokes. Under normal circumstances, speaking any more would result in a retort for sure. Thanks to this interaction, Mitsugu had completely composed himself. Still, this may also have been his cousin’s ploy, though Mitsugu knew that thinking too deeply on this did him no favors whatsoever.

“Then let’s cut to the chase…… Mitsugu, have you finished identifying the Parasites’ hosts?”

Mitsugu was self-conscious of the fact that his face stiffened. Without any preamble, this was his true task, Mitsugu’s original mission. Mitsugu was cognizant of this, which was why he wasn’t lazing about and reported all he knew.

“There are a total of 12 of them. Four were eliminated by the Americans, one was done in yesterday by Miyuki-chan and Tatsuya-kun, so there are 7 left. I have also identified their current location.” “Efficient as always. Just as expected of you, Mitsugu.”

“No, the Saegusa and Chiba Families were very industrious in drawing their attention. This saved me from baiting them out.”

“How humble of you.”

Mitsugu didn’t deny this. His earlier words were humble just as Maya said. Oiriginally, the remaining 7 targets were only located last night, so this was “barely passing”.

“In reality, the client asked us to hasten this morning. They said that it was unacceptable for the monsters that are contaminating Tokyo to raise any more havoc.”

“How stringent. But Tokyo isn’t within the Yotsuba Family’s responsibility.”

The tightening around Mitsugu’s face wasn’t just an act. Thanks to the aforementioned reason, moving pawns in Tokyo required additional hassle.

“They’re probably also getting pressure from elsewhere. Well, given this case, let’s finish this.”

“Finish, meaning?”

Mitsugu inquired in a solemn tone. If he misinterpreted her words, he was going to pull in an unimaginable amount of overtime.

“Eradicate all the hosts.”

Maya’s voice was particularly decisive. There was no sense that she was suppressing any emotion or being intentionally cold. The head of the Yotsuba Family spoke in a voice that was – if this is the right way to describe it – perfectly normal.

“Not subjugate, correct?” “Indeed. Annihilate them all.”

“But if the hosts die now, the Parasite will fly off to seek other hosts. More time would be required to identify the new host……”

“That’s not a problem. I’m more interested in how does the Parasite detach after the host dies? How far can they move as information bodies? How long does it take the fully assimilate within a new host? And how much time is needed before they can move again?”

“Would you like me to report in after I observe this?”

“I believe this will be valuable data. Can you do this?”

Mitsugu still held the phone and, even though it was voice only, bowed deeply.

“As you command.”

“Check back in with me after destroying them.” “Please give me until the day after tomorrow.” “That will be fine. Then, that will be all.” Mitsugu once more affirmed his orders and hung up.

◊ ◊ ◊

He gathered the psions into his palm and tightly clasped them.

This was what he always envisioned when using “Gram Demolition”.

During the usual Gram Demolition, the clasped psions struck towards the deploying Activation Sequence or the Magic Sequence that was in the process of altering some phenomenon. Yet right now, what Tatsuya desired was not a skill that could accurately target the information body acting upon the material world, but a technique that could snipe the information body immersed in the Idea.

Essentially, a method that could directly attack the actual body of the Parasite that dwelt in the Idea’s tides. He tightened his grasp.

His arm was not thrust forward.

It was more of a hassle to apply movement to fulfill the directional requirement. Trajectory and flight path do not exist within the Idea, existence within the Idea depended solely upon his definition.

Once the isolated information body set as the target –[seemed like some sort of shikigami]– congregated, Tatsuya released the block of psions into the Idea.

In the material world, multiple objects were not able to exist in the same location at once.

However, the Idea had no such restriction. Nor did that restriction apply to any information body that existed within the Idea. Released towards the isolated information body that served as a “target” the compressed block of psions that Tatsuya released dissipated without achieving any noticeable effect.

“Huh……”

Off to one side, Miyuki was worriedly taking note of Tatsuya’s gritted teeth and dismayed expression, whereas Yakumo, who served as the enabler for this training session, struck up a conversation in his usual flighty manner.

“As we surmised, even you’re in for a rough outing. Meh, this is a technique that is beyond certain people no matter how hard they work towards it.”

In response to those irresponsible words, Miyuki directed a venomous glare at him while her killing intent sharpened.

Yakumo would not be Yakumo if he batted an eyelid. Still, careful scrutiny would reveal cold sweat gathered around his forehead.

“After all, it’s only been three days since he started working on an attack that can be used in the Idea, so I thought that there simply wasn’t enough time to get acclimated to it yet.”

Miyuki’s withering glare never lessened despite Yakumo’s frantic attempts to explain himself.

“Master, let’s try this again please.”

However, the moment Tatsuya requested to continue the training session, the focal point of Miyuki’s attention once more gathered onto her brother.

--It had been a full week since the day after the vampire invaded the school campus and the ensuing pyric outcome without victory. On the second day, Tatsuya had reached out to Yakumo regarding training, and today was the seventh day.

Contrary to Yakumo’s words, Tatsuya was once again reminded of the difference raw talent made in the past two or three days.

Normal Magicians would consider being able to hit a target in the Idea with psion bullets within three days to be a huge step forward. However, Tatsuya was originally capable of identifying information bodies floating in the Idea. Compared to normal practitioners, he carried a huge advantage even before training began. In spite of that, the fact that even now he still wasn’t able to affect the target with psion bullets did not merit high praise.

“Well, acclimation can only be judged by success. Techniques are something that you might not be capable of today, but suddenly are able to accomplish tomorrow.”

As if picking up on Tatsuya’s harsh self-critique, Yakumo offered a few comforting words.

“Yet, the fact of the matter is that right now isn’t the time to wait for “someday”.”

Naturally, this wasn’t going to conclude on a few words of comfort.

“In your case, you already know where to aim, I think another way to approach this would be creating an altogether different attack method.”

Hearing this, Tatsuya let a bitter smirk slip by despite knowing that it was indecorous.

“It’s not that easy to develop new magic out of the blue. Though I admit that progress is rather lackluster, I think you are rating me too highly.”

“Really? While you do possess a side that is lacking in talent, in terms of technique modification and innovation you belong in a league of your own. I certainly don’t think that devaluing your own potential is a wise course of action.”

“That’s perfectly right, Onii-sama!”

Though Tatsuya was not overly enthused, this time it was Miyuki’s turn to become animated.

“Only Onii-sama is able to create something that other people don’t even dare to dream about!”

……Scratch becoming animated, this was a full blown declaration. In

Miyuki’s case, this wasn’t even speculation on her part.

“Pardon me, but I don’t think these paths are mutually exclusive. The use of Gram Demolition to attack directly can be one strategy and new magic development can proceed at the same time, right?”

If this was anyone other than Miyuki, Tatsuya would immediately reject it with something like “don’t say something so unreasonable”, or a joke like “you want me to die of exhaustion?”

But this was Miyuki, and before those eyes that far exceeded expectation and bordered upon pure faith, it was utterly impossible for Tatsuya to respond with words like “can’t be done” or “implausible”.

◊ ◊ ◊

Tatsuya and Miyuki weren’t the only ones looking forward to a rematch. Erika, Mikihiko, Mayumi and Katsuto were all preparing for the next conflict – not just this solitary battle, but to combat the threat that the vampires posed. After they began their preparations, bad news came across the Pacific in late January of 2096.

“Onii-sama, this is……!”

The Shiba siblings heard the news over the television as they sat down for breakfast. Tatsuya was struck speechless that the broadcast seemed to be timed precisely for the morning in Japan.

“……Is this the same thing we heard from Shizuku……?”

“……Looks like the watered down version.”

After finally finding his voice, Tatsuya replied back in a bitter tone.

The contents of the broadcast was publicized by an anonymous whistleblower within a government organization.

The news was as follows:

--On October 31st of last year, the USNA government ordered the army’s Magicians to develop a countermeasure to the secret weapon the Japanese military wielded on the southern part of the Korean peninsula. Magicians at the Dallas National Accelerator Lab ignored experts’ warnings and used the particle accelerator to summon demons.

The Magicians wanted to form pacts with the demons to counter the Japanese super weapon.

Unfortunately for them, the binding process failed and they were possessed. The vampires responsible for the civilian disturbances starting late last year were actually military Magicians possessed by these demons. The military will take responsibility for the loss of human life from three perspectives.

First, the failure to prevent the Magicians from engaging in hazardous and reckless experiments.

Second, they forcibly initiated the experiment and still failed, despite knowing the inherently high risks involved.

Third, while there is a high chance that consciousness was lost, but the fact remains that Magicians attached to the military harmed civilians.

The bottom line was that this unfortunate turnout was the direct result of the military’s failure to corral its Magicians. Shouldn’t we seriously reevaluate whether magic, a supernatural force that, albeit powerful, has the potential to go rogue at any minute is truly in line with the country’s best interests—

“What an interesting way of packaging the message……”

“Then, is this!?”

“The real purpose was to discriminate against Magicians.”

Tatsuya’s bitter voice that responded to Miyuki’s tight expression gave a feeling that was more dazed than worrisome.

“The gist is similar to the “Humanists”, but…… Since the overwhelming majority of people cannot use magic, it’s not even worth the time to consider which side the media is going to take. Compared to that, the news source is far more important.”

Tatsuya initially reached his hand towards to the phone, but halted that motion in the middle.

Who was he going to call……? Among the numerous candidates, for some reason a face that belonged to an opponent who wasn’t necessarily a companion crossed Miyuki’s mind.

◊ ◊ ◊

The sudden news exploded out of nowhere – though it may be more apt to call this a scandal – and Lina literally had a headache pounding in her head.

Her direct thoughts on the matter told her that now wasn’t the time to attend school, but a combat asset like her that was 100% focused in that direction couldn’t help quiet things down even if she stayed. Plus, there were her orders to “go about like usual” from Colonel Barans herself.

There was no way she could disobey a direct order from a superior officer.

Nursing her aching head, Lina arrived at the station that said “To First High”. Next, there was only a single path leading to the school gates. At least, that was how it should have been.

“Good morning, Lina.”

Seeing the silhouette that suddenly blocked the path before her, Lina forgot her headache and immediately turned to flee like a rabbit.

“What’s with you all of a sudden, trying to run away when you see someone……?”

“Ah, ha ha ha……”

Lina’s tactical retreat ended in failure within three small steps. That was because Miyuki was standing guard at the ticket booth.

Pressed into a corner by her smiling classmate, Lina could only plaster a smile on her face and try to muddle through. –Not that there was any point to this.

“Ah, forget it. No, it’s actually not a good thing, but there’s no point in being tardy for this. I have something I need to ask you, so let’s chat while we’re walking.”

“……What do you want to know?”

Wariness on full alert, Lina still obediently followed along because she was in a position where causing a commotion was out of the question. Despite their brief time together, Tatsuya knew she wasn’t renowned for her patience and cut right to the chase.

“Did you catch the news this morning?” “……I saw it, though not because I wanted to.”

In response to Tatsuya’s inquiry, Lina replied in seemingly genuine discomfort.

“Which of the parts are true?”

Lina had an obligation to answer Tatsuya’s questions as honestly as she could.

However, Lina was in the mood for some serious ranting. Thankfully, her conversation partner already knew everything about her so there was no need for any secrecy as she began her tirade.

“All the key parts are lies!”

In the end, she managed to lower her volume, but the tone was quite animated.

“They only laid down the truth on the surface, and it gets worse! It’s a perfect example of information control!”

“As expected, its propaganda.”

Despite understanding the literal meaning of Tatsuya’s words, Lina tilted her head slightly.

“What, what do you mean by as expected? Propaganda?”

“No, it’s just a simple deduction on my part. So, only the basics of the matter are true?”

“……Yes!”

The part she didn’t want pointed out was now laid out in the open. Forgetting her confusion from a few seconds ago, Lina replied in frustration.

“Still, information like this should naturally get the classified treatment. I believe that it would be difficult for people on the outside to investigate.”

“……It’s probably the “Seven Sages”.”

“Seven Sages? Not the Seven Sages of Greece, are they?”

“An organization called the Seven Sages whose identities are unknown.” Hearing Lina’s words, Tatsuya was caught by surprise.

“You guys don’t know the identities of an organization within USNA borders? Is such a thing possible?”

“It is! Not that I want to admit it!”

Lina’s expression clearly advocated the truth of her words.

“The organization’s name, Seven Sages, was also supplied from their side and, no matter how hard we try, we haven’t found any hint about them. The only detail we can somewhat confirm is that there are seven people holding the title of Sage in their leadership.”

“Sages…… Quite the literal definition of the term.”

“Which is why I said we don’t know who they are!”

“Hold on, Lina. Please do not direct your anger at Onii-sama.” “What, I……”

Not knowing whether she should comment on Miyuki’s selective blindness or her inability to read the atmosphere, Lina was on the verge of exploding with something like “What did you say!” or “Are you saying I’m in the wrong here!?” However, after taking a few deep breaths, she managed to avoid any eye-popping behavior.

“……You lose if you pay too much attention, Angelina, and that’s just

Miyuki being strange like usual. There’s no end to this if you take the bro- con declarations from the bro-con sister to heart. Don’t pay attention to bro-con weirdo, bro-con weirdo, bro-con weirdo……”

The manta she chanted to herself in order to calm down fortunately remained unheard and thus free of reprimand.

“Lina?”

“Eh? Sorry, what’s up?”

“In regards to the Seven Sages, is there any chance that they are Humanists?”

After listening to Tatsuya’s words, Lina thought about it as she walked before shaking her head.

“Although I cannot guarantee this, that’s probably impossible. Based on their previous history, Seven Sages is not an organization that lends itself to ideology or fanaticism.”

“Setting aside fanaticism for the moment, is it possible for an organization to be free of ideology?”

“……That’s a poor way of putting it on my part. There’s no prevailing line of thinking for them. Based on our investigation, they seem more like people who delight in the instance of criminal activity. Burning passion towards one particular line of thinking doesn’t fit their image. More importantly, the Seven Sages have assisted us in the past, though that appears largely one-sided.”

And that was when the name Seven Sages became known, Lina added to her explanation. Tatsuya nodded in understanding and thought, it’s true that this does not fit the profile of Humanists.

“Lastly, one more thing.”

Though there was still a stretch until the school gates, Tatsuya had already made the declaration that this interrogation was drawing to a close.

“……What?”

Hearing his voice becoming more serious than it was before, Lina’s response was guarded.

“Was drawing Parasites from another world the intended result?” “No.”

Lina’s reply absolutely rejected Tatsuya’s query.

“If you’re actually being serious with that question, I’m going to get angry, Tatsuya.”

Now that they mention it, Lina was already furious. It’s just that her ire wasn’t pointed at Tatsuya earlier.

“I have already executed 3 of the “Infected”. If this is someone’s plan all along, there’s no way I will forgive him.”

◊ ◊ ◊

DDwas white male who was approximately 45 years of age and had a typical appearance of brown hair and eyes. His original name was Donald Douglas, but no one called him “Mr. Douglas”. Putting it nicely, it would be a term of endearment, and putting it bluntly, that’s because there was no respect involved. Ever since his childhood, everyone from coworkers to roommates have referred to him as “DD” and assumed he was a plain old human being without any positives or negatives.

Three months ago, DD was a dorm manager in Dallas. He had graduated with honors from a technical college. A few missteps (in his personal opinion) along the way had robbed him of a satisfying job, so he switched jobs quite a few times prior to his marriage.

DDwas deeply unhappy with his line of work. Despite being a laborer, he held a fairly high position of responsibility in his company, and his compensation certainly wasn’t hurting his lifestyle. His income was about average for those who lived in the urban areas of America. Taking into account the Central American territories within the USNA as a whole, he may even exceed the average in some places. Nonetheless, he still believed that he deserved a better job.

In spite of this, he set aside his ambition and placed family first after getting married. Though not blessed with children, their married life was one of happiness. He was a model husband for his wife, but perhaps his self-restraint was too strong. If only he had been a little more honest with himself, he may not have been tempted by the devil that day.

The day of the miniature black hole experiment, he had been responsible for inspecting the electric distributor along the outer wall that was linked to the particle accelerator as he gazed longingly at the massive experimental device. The unfulfilled ambition sealed away in his heart became pure desire that suffused his heart. Still, that should have only been a momentary lapse. After finishing his task, DD mastered himself and returned home to be a good husband. –If a Parasite hadn’t possessed him, that is.

That day, he became a vampire. As a latent practitioner, the moment he fully assimilated with the Parasite, his own ability – Hypnosis Force awakened. Using this power, he convinced his wife that they were going to Japan of their own free will.

DD’s hypnotic power wasn’t that strong. He was unable to force people to do irregular things that lay outside such as their convictions, deeply held sense of values, or religious beliefs. The spell he cast over his wife only hinted that “they were going to Japan on a business trip”.

Still, within acceptable boundaries of common sense and logic, he could still forcibly convince others of unnatural commands. For example, it was easy for him to allow the real estate agents to believe that they had gathered the necessary documentation and there was no need to go through all the paperwork. Thanks to this power, he secured lodgings for his companions who have not been dispatched by the USNA (including himself). Using common sense like “it’s impossible for demons to exist”,

DDmanipulated eyewitness memories and hid his companions’ movements.

However, starting one week ago, his companions in the hotbed of activity began to lose their hosts one by one and necessitated a change. In order to help his companions dodge the physical examinations, he interfered with the USNA personnel’s memory to transfer them to the back of the line and used that time to contact his companions who fled the country ahead of the military to Japan to help them coordinate lodgings and the next hideout.

After taking care of the luggage in the apartment, DD contacted his companions.

(Preparations for the move have been completed.)

DDdirected this comment towards the inner part of his consciousness and received a mental confirmation. Even with a practitioner skilled in reading minds present, the only thing that could be heard was probably the sound of a bee flapping its wings. This wasn’t even a question of language because DD was the only one communicating in a human language. Parasites communicated mentally, so there was no need for words. In the first place, they were similar to having one central consciousness. There was no need for everyone to consider the next step. With the companions responsible for cognitive thinking temporarily without a host right now,

DDwas the primary consciousness – the one responsible for human thinking.

(Then let’s set off tomorrow morning. Please take heed not to draw attention to yourselves.)

(…………)

(It’s already really late at night. Moving now would only increase the risk.)

The thoughts that came back were three in the affirmative, two in disagreement, and another that was a death cry.

“What’s going on!?”

DDcouldn’t help but leap to his feet and use his real voice to shout. His “voice” traveled through the link between his eyebrows so that every one of his companions could hear him.

Yet, what came back was a stream of death cries. Almost at the same time, his companions’ links were also disappearing.

By the time the fourth person cried out, DD felt a deep worry pervade his heart.

He frantically searched his own chest.

Near the heart area, a small black needle-like object was stuck there. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be some sort of pin worn on the chest. The tip of the pin penetrated the clothing but drew no blood.

Rather than considering why he had been pierced by such an object, DD reflexively tried to pull it out.

Yet, his hand was no longer obeying his thoughts. The moment after DD consciously realized he had been pierced, his entire body was overcome with pain that broke his ability to think clearly.

The pain pierced his heart and his physical body forever suspended that function.

His cause of death was shock. The coroner’s report would probably read “heart attack due to irregular shock”.

Up until the end, DD was wholly unaware of the dark silhouette standing before him.

“Two seconds…… It’s quite difficult to match Oji-sama.”

Picking up the fallen pin from the floor, Kuroba Mitsugu mocked himself with his murmurs.

The magic Mitsugu used to bury the vampires was of his own devising. Bearing the tasteless name “Poisoned Bees” that he applied himself, it was a sensory interference spell that increased the target’s pain perception infinitely until death. In this regard, if the target was someone who had a high pain threshold and was able to employ Counter Magic before the shock led to death then the spell would unravel, and there wasn’t any effect on opponents who could cut off their pain sensors. In terms of killing power, this paled in comparison to the “Reaper’s Blade” created by his uncle, Yotsuba Genzou, the head of the Yotsuba Family two generations ago. The mutters that leaked out of his mouth showed that Mitsugu was aware of this himself.

Still, it was premature to say that “Poisoned Bees” was magically inferior to “Reaper’s Blade”. The greatest advantage to “Poisoned Bees” was its ability to finish an opponent with the tiny prick of a pin. On the other hand, “Reaper’s Blade” required personal delivery to ensure death, leaving behind wounds on a corpse and blood splatter everywhere. In comparison, “Poisoned Bees” would only leave behind a nondescript wound that would be hard to link as the cause of death. When faced with a victim of “Poisoned Bees”, the initial assumption would be poison, then maybe death by suffocation, but the corpse would leave behind no evidence to support either hypothesis. For assassination purposes, “Poisoned Bees” was superb magic.

Another asset to “Poisoned Bees” was that this magic wasn’t restricted to Mitsugu alone. Unlike most sensory interference magic, “Poisoned Bees” had an Activation Sequence that wasn’t caster specific with a well streamlined process. In short, even Magicians other than Mitsugu were capable of using this magic. Naturally, this would require a degree of acclimation, but now all of the Kuroba agents employed “Poisoned Bees” as their trump card.

Hearing someone call out to him from behind, Mitsugu slowly turned around. His posture with one hand holding onto the formal hat on his head was obviously the byproduct of reading too many novels (in his subordinates’ opinion). Still, he seemed perfectly at ease while acting in character.

“Execution complete.” “Casualties?” “None.”

Mistugu nodded in satisfaction at his subordinate’s words. These were opponents that had greatly troubled the USNA’s pursuit squads. He could be forgiven if he scored his subordinates a mite highly.

“This order came from the head of house. Don’t be lax while chasing the information bodies that fled the hosts. There’s nothing we can do about it if we lose them in the end, but they still need to be hounded to the best of our ability.”

His subordinate gave off a peculiar expression after Mistugu gave his orders. Should his naïve speech be categorized as being too lax or simply not strict enough with his subordinates? It was difficult to conciliate this image with his calm orders of mass assassinations or cold demeanor to decisively sacrifice his agents.

Kuroba Mitsugu was a hard man to understand.

With multiple masks in place, there was no way to catch his real side.

For that matter, it was very much in question whether he even had a “real side”.

The longer one worked alongside him, the greater this impression deepened.

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