As Yugen and Mototsugu remained in the conference room deep in discussion, a helicopter took off from the roof of the Yokohama Bay Hills Tower—the Kanto branch of the Japan Magic Association. It banked west-northwest, carrying Gouki Ichijou and his son, Masaki.
"Masaki."
"Yes, Father."
The tone of Gouki's voice shifted instantly. Masaki recognized it not as a father speaking to a son, but as the Head of the Ichijou Clan addressing his successor. He adjusted his posture, offering a formal response.
"I am going to relay the Master Clan Conference's policy regarding this terrorist threat. However, you should know that the nature of this operation differs significantly from our previous ones."
"In what way, sir?"
"Following the enactment of the Special Measures Act, the Ten Master Clans have been tasked by the two 'Guardian' houses to track and apprehend the mastermind. The overall commander is Lord Kagurazaka, with Lord Kamizumi serving as his deputy. Both are the current heads of their houses—kin to the Mitsuya family—and they will be overseeing the entire operation."
Masaki's expression stiffened. He had heard snippets of the conference proceedings from Gouki before, but the two names mentioned now were the current leaders of their respective clans. For Masaki, Yugen—the head of the Kagurazaka family—represented a rival with whom he shared a complicated history.
"Tomorrow, a joint statement condemning the terrorism will be released by the Ten Master Clans, the Japan Magic Association, the Japanese Government, and the Kamizaka Group—who manage the hotel where the conference was held. Lord Juumonji will head the actual search party. Are we clear so far, Masaki?"
"…Y-Yes. And what role will the Ichijou family play?"
"The other heads of the Ten Master Clans will focus on preventing further attacks. As for you, Masaki, you have been assigned to serve under Lord Juumonji in the pursuit of the terrorists."
Gouki noted the tension in his son's face and guessed it was the result of Yugen's shadow looming over him. He intentionally omitted the fact that Yugen himself had been the one to select Masaki for the pursuit team. It was a small mercy born of a father's concern.
This omission seemed to work. Masaki took the assignment as a badge of honor, his eyes lighting up with a spark of excitement. His motivation was transparent: he saw this as the perfect opportunity to prove his worth to Miyuki.
"You will likely have to take a leave of absence from school for a while," Gouki continued. "I know that may be difficult for a student, but this is a matter of extreme urgency. Prepare yourself."
"I understand."
Masaki was fond of his school life and, in truth, didn't want to miss classes. However, he believed the responsibilities of the Ten Master Clans outweighed personal preference. He offered no objection.
"The search party will also include Tatsuya Shiba of the Yotsuba and Touya Mutsuzuka of the Rokuzuka. You will be working alongside them under Lord Juumonji. Show them what an Ichijou can do."
"I will."
On one side was the invincible engineer who had dominated the Nine Schools Competition and the future of the Yotsuba. On the other was the successor of the Rokuzuka, a man with the strength to crush Masaki's close friend Shinkuro in a direct confrontation. Masaki convinced himself that if he could outshine both of them, Miyuki would finally have a reason to look his way.
The fact that this optimistic delusion was shared only by the father and son remained a mercy better left unsaid.
Back at Celia's house in Tokyo, Lina shed the mask of "Angie Sirius" and deactivated her Parade camouflage. After changing into casual clothes, she headed to the living room, where she ran into Silvia.
"Welcome back, Lina. You look tired."
"I'm home, Silvie. It's been a while since I could cut loose without having to worry about breaking everything. I feel refreshed."
"I suppose you have others to thank for that, don't you?"
"Ugh… I know, I know…"
Yugen's extraordinary barrier techniques were something even the USNA had yet to replicate. If the military found out he possessed magic that could drastically reduce collateral damage, they would likely flock to him to "request" instruction. However, after hearing from Celia about the USNA's espionage attempts at the National Magic Medical University, Lina just wanted to stay out of it. She fell silent at Silvia's remark and gratefully accepted a cup of coffee.
"Where is Celia? Didn't she come back with you?"
"She had a meeting at the Japan Magic Association branch, so I came back ahead of her. By the way, Silvie, how is the media reporting on the attack?"
"…It's surprisingly calm compared to how things would be in the States."
Due to the recently enacted anti-terrorism laws, the dissemination of unverified or suspicious information was strictly prohibited to prevent copycat crimes until an official announcement was made by the government and the National Police Agency. While some decried this as state-controlled media, the protests remained a minority.
In the USNA, the media acted as proxies for the two major political parties, engaging in constant mudslinging—a cycle that hadn't changed even after the Third World War. If anything, the rise of Humanism had only intensified the vitriol.
During last year's presidential election, a suicide bombing had occurred near the headquarters of a media outlet recently acquired by the Kamizaka Group. (The outlet was a rarity in the USNA, maintaining a neutral stance that drew high ratings from both sides). The mastermind was captured the very next day with irrefutable evidence. The arrest was so swift that rumors swirled about congressional involvement.
"I see… It just occurred to me, though: why did the Humanists shift their focus toward the New Soviet Union border? You'd think they'd find easier targets in places like the anarchy of the African continent."
"Regarding that, Colonel Balance mentioned some intel suggesting it's related to 'The Return of the Demon King Rudel'—the mysterious magician who was active in the New Soviet Union for a time."
The "Return of Rudel"—a shadowy figure who systematically dismantled the New Soviet Army with surgical precision. The New Soviets were overjoyed when he vanished at the start of the year, but the vacuum was immediately filled by a surge of Humanist terrorist activity.
"Ah, that…" Lina sighed. "Honestly, having lived through the [Parasite] incident, I can't laugh off the idea of a legend like Rudel coming back as just a fairy tale."
Rudel's presence had undoubtedly drawn the Humanists to the New Soviet Union, but there was a deeper, religious layer to their movement. Humanism was essentially a distorted heresy of Christianity. They took the core tenet of "Love" and twisted it, claiming that magicians were sub-human and therefore had no right to receive that love.
-------------------------------
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!"