Editing Magika No Kenshi To Shoukan Maou:Volume 4 Chapter 2

“If it's alright with you, how about you stop being Kaguya’s lover and come to my place?”

“What do you mean a joke? I’m serious you know, he is the benefactor that put down a sworn enemy of mine. There's no way I can't feel overwhelmed with emotion in my heart from that.”

“Miyabi-san! …Miyabi-san and Shinobu-san don’t seem to have any interest towards something like the seat of Chief Student Council president, yet why are you here?”

“True, I’m not interested at all. I think it's fine even if this kind of academy ceased to function. It’s impossible to not feel a cold hate in this heart. Even the case about us not fighting anyone to this day is in order for us to not get endorsed to be something like student council president imprudently.”

“We were just scouted you know? The one who is announcing their candidacy is the older gentleman of these two brothers.”

The ones who appeared were male students of the Sword Division with solid build. With angular faces and crew cut hair, they made a really obstinate face. Were they twins too, both of them were also the splitting image of each other.

“We will reform this academy that give maximum priority to the Magic Division in the truest meaning! By us brothers!!”

“Takasugi Shūsui-senpai and Takasugi Harunari-senpai. Which is which brother, even this one couldn’t spot the difference. …They are terribly radical [anti-Magic Division] advocates. It’s fine to say that they are already political activists even as students.”

“Even Kohaku was a fairly radical anti-Magic Division student right? You even moved your plan to the next stage.”

“What I advocated was only something worthless if you compared it with these two! It’s like every day that they'd come to the student council room bringing their outrageous letters of opinion…more than half of this one’s anxiety is their fault…!”

Kohaku directed resentful eyes toward those two brothers. If she said that much, then they might be that extreme.

As if they were responding to Kohaku’s stare, both of them made a tight fist and shouted their opinions even though no one asked them.

“The Magica Stigma’s tyranny can't be allowed any more than this! For the sake of the country’s existence, it is necessary to bring Magica Stigma thoroughly under control! Not as humans, but as weapons!”

“Listen well! The most important thing for a modern nation is the complete separation between the <people> and the <military>! So that nothing but the country could carry out war, nothing but the country could wield the military power! Therefore soldiers have to be segregated from the general public, it is unacceptable for weapons to not be controlled and placed where the hand of ordinary persons couldn’t reach them!”

“Soldiers and weapons are only permitted to wield their power for the sake of the country! This rule makes the difference between crime and war! This is the greatest principle that makes the distinction between a primitive community and a modern nation! Don't you understand!?”

“During the old era, military power was namely science! The members of the nation worked hard to invent resources, due to their hard work the scientific military power was reinforced, and like that the weapons they created could be handled by anyone! The fence between the soldiers with weapon mastery and the general public was erased! Consequently the government and the citizens could easily control military power! However right now is different!”

“Summoning Magic cannot be handled by anyone other than the Magica Stigma! That risk should be considered more carefully by the government! When all the Magica Stigma rebel and bring forth a coup d’état, the government won’t have any means to resist! Even when they are bombed by nuclear weapons, these are the people who are able to laugh in the center of the blast like it was nothing!”

“Therefore, we will see to it that the treatment of Magica Stigma as [emotionless weapons] is carried out as thoroughly as possible without exception! The Magica Stigma have to be imprisoned in quarantine facilities and dyed completely with ideology education, all their blood relatives restrained as hostages! Like this, the new form of the military force in this present era can be regulated!”

“Turn your eyes beyond the sea! Foreign countries throw away their status as a modern country, reduced to a religious country! By giving the Magica Stigma favorable treatment, our country too is in the process of committing the same folly! The correction of direction that is finally being done now is still lukewarm! Too lukewarm I say! We are going to become the Chief Student Council of this academy and change this society little by little! The symbol of the Knight Academy has the power to achieve that much!”

They didn’t have any human trust at all toward the Magica Stigma, consequently they weren’t going to treat Magica Stigma as human, if it was not like that then the nation wouldn’t hold true―in short it was an irrational argument like that.

“Even if you say that they follow that doctrine of real strength however much, I don’t think even the Sword Division will have thoughts that extreme though…”

Towards Kaguya-senpai’s apprehension, Kohaku shook her head with a stiff expression.

“Even though you too are Magica Stigma, you're supporting their views?”

“The miserable [victims] of the Japanese government's [Magica Stigma absolutism] are us. Rather it’s fine even if something like this country is toppled over completely right from its roots. We as elves have the right to wish for that. Isn’t that right, Hiakari-san.”

Miyabi-senpai slid her sights toward Koyuki who was an elf like her.

“Hayashizaki Kazuki. As I thought, you are an interesting child. To do something like embracing an elf to this point, it makes me also want to try to be tamed just like this.”

When they passed by in front of Kazuki and the others on their way, they opened their eyes wide and glared at Kazuki.

Kazuki informed such toward the eyes of the two who were glaring at him.

“We will surely teach you how powerless that sword of yours, which lack ideology, is!”

Kanae whispered with a sigh. The Takasugi brothers’ face became bright red and their appearance filled with fury but, without saying anything back they sat behind the Ryuutaki sisters.

“With this there are four teams. It’s not like we can't have a tournament with this number but, this is still very lonely isn’t it? I wonder if even more will come?”

Hoshikaze-senpai turned back towards the entrance of the auditorium while shading her eyes with her hand on her forehead and playing the fool.

“Kaichou-sama is overly serious after all, she surely remembered something like the names of all the students―, anekii―”

“You know, something like memorizing all of your names….I remember how many times I had given all of you a warning. You people are problem children after all.”

It had been one and a half months since he entered the academy, the strictness of this national academy could be understood quickly from his experiences. This academy was raising the knights who would become the cornerstone of the country’s defense after all, so something like allowing the students to backtalk couldn’t be allowed.

“It’s not like they are delinquents who play hooky in class, or picking fights or committing crimes inside the school, but…these girls are not participating at all in duels or quests. They are students who are non-cooperative with the school’s activities. The tall person is Mibu Akira-san, the short person is Asamiya Anna-san.”

“It’s just that we just want to pass our time in normal high school activities zee. We have no obligation to do any quests, isn’t that rightt―. It’s so tiresome― you know―. Don’t you dare look at us like we're rotten apples just because we're not participating in something like that―”

There was no obligation for duels or quests―that was because there was still strong opposition from society for students of the Knight Academy to be forced into real battle.

If a student graduated from the Knight Academy when they still had a low-rank, it would have a major effect toward their career promotion as a knight. Even so if the student himself didn’t mind and rejected quests and duels, even the academy itself couldn’t do anything strict.

“In the Knight Academy, even if you didn’t have any aspiration to become a knight, but as long as an <enigma> appeared on you, you don’t have any right of refusal and you are forced to enroll, so…these kinds of students also come out as a result. Even so I want them to live their school life positively, that’s why sometimes I called them, but…”

Once, I too had experienced enrolling into this academy reluctantly.

That was why he couldn’t act as if he could be overly careless.

“It’s just, to that extent every one of these girls has low ranks but, their real strength is still unknown.”

For the Ryuutaki sisters, because they frequently raised results in quests, they were still known as powerful people. But in regards to that, it seemed Mibu-senpai and her group, their real strength was completely unknown.

“Err, those students at the rear, are all of them also delinquents?”

“The swordsmen of the Sword Division that are gathering there, rather than saying that I know them as powerful people, it feels like they are quite a plain group aren't they? There is no rank-system in the Sword Division though, so I don’t really know their strength either.”

Because of the restriction that the students of the Sword Division couldn’t challenge the quest without being together with a student of Magic Division, the rank system was not created.

Different with the Magic Division who was filled with just female students, male and females were mixing in the Sword Division. When he was surveying the crowd that were wearing the uniforms of the Sword Division, suddenly, Kazuki sensed a strong gaze being poured on him.

This person was…. No, more precisely this person’s body build, and the impression of her muscle’s composition…. However she pretended not to notice how her eyes met with Kazuki and averted her eyes with a pretending face. Rather if she did something like that, that was, well, she was really surprised wasn’t she?

“Ehem. Ladies and gentlemen of the chosen trash, the explanation of the battle election is going to be carried out. Take a seat, refrain from unintelligent idle talk and dig out the hole in your ears.”

“The first round will be held on Wednesday in the third week of May, the second round is on Friday of the same week, with the weekend in between the semifinals would be on Monday in the week after that, and then the finals will be conducted that Wednesday. The pace is three matches in a week, you got that? After that is the student’s general meeting. Starting from next month, the Knight Academy is going to move under the new Chief Student Council President.”

Kazuki who specialized in kenjutsu despite being in the Magic Division, Kazuha-senpai who could summon Futsunushi no Kami despite being in the Sword Division, and then Kohaku who owned seven pieces of Sacred Treasures and was able to use them all skillfully without restriction…this team was assembled around irregular existences only. When the situation developed where Mio was the only one who could exhibit her real power like this, whether they could still win against the senpais' teams in the end was…

“In that case, the anticipated lottery is going to be carried out next. Stand up you trash!”

“Hyahhaa―! It’s lottery zee―!” Mibu-senpai thrust up both her fists and yelled.

“What will we get, what will we get, anekii―!” Asamiya-senpai too followed her with a loud voice.

Hoshikaze-senpai got the fifth match in the first round. If she was going to fight against Kazuki, they wouldn’t get the chance until the finals.

When the teams of the Witch’s Manor were done being called up, next was Mibu Akira-senpai who was called to the top of the stage.

If by some chance Kazuki defeated Kaguya-senpai, there was a chance he would face against Miyabi-senpai and her group in the semifinals.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“Hayashizaki-kun, I have something to discuss, is it alright?”

After the two were looking at each other,

“Please, feel free”

“N, no please you can go first”

They became polite and started pushing their turn to each other.

With how net communication and foreign trade with countries overseas came to an end, the {{furigana|galapagosization|development unique to Japan}}<ref>This is an original word coined by businesses in Japan. Once the cell phone market in Japan was closed from foreign products. Japanese companies developed their own cell phones specialized for Japanese people. It was even more advanced even compared to the cell phones outside of Japan, but because it was too specialized it became useless for foreign markets because it couldn't be used outside of Japan and if you didn’t understand the Japanese language. Also because it was too advanced and the cell phone competitors from outside Japan were forbidden from entry, the price became very high from the small scale mass production and high profit. If you compared the Japanese cell phone with foreign cell phone who had the same level of technology, you would find that the foreign cell phone is far cheaper. Thus when the Japanese market was finally opened for the foreign cell phones, the Japanese cell phone cannot even compete and was driven almost to extinction. Very similar with what happened to the ecosystem in the Galapagos island, thus the word galapagosization.</ref> was happening again with cell phones. Under the new domestic platform, various enterprises and workshops were manufacturing and selling a great variety of models as they pleased.

Kazuki’s favorite model was not the so-called {{furigana|smartphone|multi-purpose device}}, but the {{furigana|garakee|fixed button style device}}<ref>Traditional Japanese cell phone, one of those “Galapagos” cell phones.</ref> that only stressed the telephone call and mailing function. A household account book application was installed in it, an item that was really housewife-like.

“Hoshikaze-senpai, Kazuha-senpai, I have a little errand to run.”

“Understood. It’s fine, it’s fine. Then lend me your time around tonight at the Witch’s Manor, ‘ka―y!”

I wonder how much she saved the me who was just enrolling into this academy at that time with her kind and amiable personality. There was also the awkward situation where he fought Kaguya-senpai, but he felt really happy that he could get back his connection with her once more.

“You're late, you up-and-coming trash and top class trash!”

“I really missed getting insulted like this by Liz Liza-senseii-. Liz Liza-sensei was the one in charge of me last year you know? She was a teacher that behaved with frightening looks and treating everyone with contempt because of her concern over her tiny body, but the truth is that she is a kind, cute and reliable teacher and I love her♡”

“Even I know Liz Liza-sensei is a kind teacher you know? I have received help from her on several occasions.”

“Isn’t that a really sound argument?”

“That’s right isn’t it, that’s a sound argument isn’t it?”

Though his remark about [other students who could care less], as expected it was really thoughtless wasn’t it?

“Muu, so there was such an intention, to make me the foil…”

Kazuki faced the teachers again while poking Kaguya-senpai’s inflated cheeks repeatedly.

“The new Board Chairman Takasugi at first made the proposal to just make the winner of the tournament as the Chief Student Council President. We were objecting against that point and in the end it was shaped so voting will also be held after the tournament. Surely it is a good thing for all the students to be granted a chance. However this Knight Academy is not a normal academy. A strange conspiracy must not be allowed behind the cover of sound arguments. It will be trouble if this important agency for the country is misappropriated like Headmaster Otonashi once did. …Ah, sorry.”

Kaguya-senpai felt completely despondent because her father was bad mouthed, Headmaster Amasaki glossed it over in a fluster.

Until now the Knight Academy under the guidance of former Headmaster Otonashi gave preferential treatment toward the Magica Stigma, that action made its influence even into current society and the setting up of the Knight Order.

Headmaster Amasaki too had a tune of trying to appropriate the Knight Academy, however…if the aim of Headmaster Takasugi was to ride the current’s momentum of recent public opinion and stir it toward the direction of [Magica Stigma’s human rights deprivation], it was a really terrible thing.

“It’s not an exaggeration. Just like I, and Headmaster Otonashi in the past, people who are unable to stomach the existence of [the King of Magica Stigma] also exist. If I had to say more…to make an example from the old world, you are like a new weapon that is in the process of development. A nuclear weapon, something like that. The other Magic Advanced Countries that had sniffed around about you through their spies, there might be such an existence of foreign countries like that who supported Board Chairman Takasugi. What I mean by suspicious is including the matter until that far. You, is there nothing suspicious that happened around you?”

“If we talk about suspicious matters, before this, there is only that attack from a strange person that stopped my heart.”

“Ah, no, before this, I was attacked by a suspicious woman wearing black completely from head to toe, my heart got stopped, then I got resuscitated by Mio.”

Because there was the case that the students of the Knight Academy had been acting as agents of the Knight Order through doing their job in the form of quests, the deployment of knights in the surrounding areas of the Knight Academy was thin. They were foisting the lack of manpower onto the academy.

…Kazuki was attacked on the rare day he was going out, that was why that assassin must be someone who was connected with the academy. Headmaster Amasaki had that kind of conjecture. Kazuki too also had some clue.

However if that was the case, putting aside the objective of the assault on Kazuki, what seemed to be the objective in attacking other students? All of the student victims managed to escape safely. What kind of foul happenings might be lurking inside these performances? Was that assassin really so incompetent?

“The battle election proposal due to the newly coming board chairman, the students with unknown strength that suddenly show willingness and announced their candidacy, the assassin that assaulted Hayashizaki Kazuki, the assault incident of three students…there are too many strange things happening at once. All of these might be connected by a single thread.”

“Obviously I know. He is a man with deep connections to a political organization called <{{furigana|Kenshitou|Will of the Sword Party}}>. This Kenshitou is opposed to the preferential treatment of the Magica Stigma, they extended their influence by riding the decline of the Stigmata Absolutism faction and are rapidly making their advocacy more extreme.”

The advocacy that the Takasugi brothers spewed out before was also perfectly in line with Kenshitou’s policy.

“We know what they are looking for in this battle election. But to go as far as attempting to assassinate Hayashizaki Kazuki…I doubt they are going that far for the battle election. The one that gained the most from killing Hayashizaki Kazuki are foreign countries. Kenshitou might have a black connection with another Magic Advanced Country. But it’s not simple to understand something like this even if we investigate their background.”

Hearing Kazuki’s words, the three people that were hanging their heads down spontaneously raised their heads with shocked faces.

The country that was once called the People’s Republic of China, due to the arrival of this age of magic they encountered the object of their faith in the ancient times, the immortal mountain sage of <Taoism>, the structure of their government changed from <communism> to <Taoism doctrine>, even the name of their country was replaced with Chūkadou.

However the teachings of Taoism became their political principle, even as a religious country their government was dyed with a powerful <Sinocentrism>, that China was the center of the world and that all countries should be unified into China, such ideology was held as the religion that they were faithful to. They were said to be the most dangerous among the Magic Advanced Countries.

Beatrix said something about an unreasonable country, where it wouldn’t be strange for that country to send an assassin for Kazuki.

“From the olden days Japan is said to be a [spy heaven], but…. There are a lot of Kenshitou’s politicians that have the personal support of China, are you telling me those guys are the ones that caused this chain of events?”

“This present state of affairs probably can be said to have started with the defeat of Nyarlatoteph and how the political influence of former Headmaster Otonashi and his faction was falling. We might have opened Pandora’s Box.”

Liz Liza-sensei spoke with a complicated expression.

The former Headmaster Otonashi and his faction regarded the Stigmata as something absolute and even performed human experimentation for the sake of creating even stronger Magica Stigma, but...at the same time they might also have become a deterrent against China. They were also included among those who led diplomacy and the country’s defense until now.

“It would be great if all of this was just needless anxiety. There are also a lot of parts that are just speculation. ...However if the situation is really like what we are thinking, no matter what happens you three must win through anyone in your way. Preventing the assassination of Hayashizaki Kazuki, protecting the seat of the Chief Student Council President, those are the current absolute objectives.”

At this late hour, Kazuki finally felt that he was dragged into the middle of an affair so big that he couldn’t even imagine it.

Right now, Kazuki’s stigmata was starting to gain even greater power and meaning, from what it was before.

The time was already evening. While returning home to the Witch’s Manor, Kaguya-senpai said with concern.

“Just because I have a special power, it’s fine to not get worked up even if I do something unreasonable you know―That’s the kind of face that you seem to make, as I thought, Otouto-kun is still too early to become something like a student council president. You still have some ways to go, so I will protect Otouto-kun.”

“…Geez! Again with that cool, cute appearance! Just because you had become a little stronger you overreached yourself once more!!”