Magika No Kenshi To Shoukan Maou:Volume 5 Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Outbreak of War

Part 1

{Currently it is something only in name but not in reality, but based on the most humane world order that existed in the former era, <International Law>, we proclaim the independence of Western Japan right here!}

The morning of the next day, the one who proclaimed such a thing on TV was―the man once called Board Chairman in this academy, Takasugi Takayoshi. The footage looked like a bad joke.

At his side an image of Kaya making a peace sign toward the camera was projected on the screen.

That Board Chairman Takasugi was right there…and there was no doubt that Hayashi Shizuka was included in their forces.

Loki, Nyarlatoteph, Hayashi Shizuka…it was the worst trio!

{We are forming a new government in Western Japan now under our control, levying taxes on the people of the occupied areas to cover the expenses, and in compensation for that we promise the same social welfare the people enjoyed until now. Also, as long as there is no intervention or act of hostility for war, we promise there will be no harm done to the general public.}

He clearly said the word war.

{We proclaim right here. A true country that deified not Solomon's 72 Pillars, but the legitimate gods of Japan…this is the founding of <Yamato>! The divine protection of the gods of Japan lie with us!!}

The early morning before they went to school, everyone was gathering in the living room of the Witch’s Manor. They were watching the news report while having breakfast. Everyone’s face looked like they hadn’t slept very well.

“…When Board Chairman Takasugi's trail was followed, we knew that he went in the direction of western Japan. Not only Board Chairman Takasugi, the influential politicians of Kenshitou were also together with him. Their goal, was this.”

Headmaster Amasaki said with a loathsome face. The politicians' simultaneous migration. Most likely they were politicians under the patronage of China. Furthermore, for some reason, it seemed that illegal Magica Stigma whose bodies sheltered the Divas of Japanese Mythology were also added in their forces.

{Aside from Nyarlako, I'm also quickly gathering other strong allies after all.}

Kaya said as much. So the ones that she called 'strong allies' were the Japanese Mythology's Divas.

“What in the world is going on here?”

With a glare, Headmaster Amasaki’s gaze moved on Kazuha-senpai.

“Eerrr, I am, anything…” Kazuha-senpai looked down coweringly.

{Kazuha didn’t know anything you know? I didn’t tell her after all.}

At her side, the avatar of Futsunushi no Kami who was a Diva of Japanese Mythology floated.

{It’s just that a few days before this, my communication with the other Divas of the Japanese Mythology was cut off.}

“Break in communication…your link with the Territory is cut off?”

Kaguya-senpai asked.

{Right, the story will go faster if you already understand the concept of Territory. Those guys are most likely, in the process of becoming Wild Gods .}

“Wild Gods?” All present there returned a question after hearing a word that they weren’t familiar with.

{The Divas of Japanese Mythology don’t really ask for people to be faithful to them. It’s because we are not a monotheistic Mythology. However when they are not being cared for they grow restless. That is Wild God Transformation.}

…Kazuha-senpai built an altar at the abandoned clubroom where she properly conversed and played with Futsunushi no Kami. Mikohime ―that was Kazuha-senpai’s other name but, that title was not just for show.

{To fulfill her own dream of entering the Sword Division and fulfilling her duty as a shrine maiden at the same time, Kazuha installed an altar at the abandoned clubroom as you know. What a good natured girl. Hayashizaki Kazuki, taking this girl as a wife will surely be excellent.}

“What are you saying, Bakanushi no Kami!”

Kazuha-senpai’s face became bright red with indignation. Her positivity level had gone up to 70 with Kazuki following her around. Futsunushi no Kami was “GUWAHHAHHA!” laughing heartily.

“What are you guwahhahha-ing for! Why didn’t you tell us before that they were transforming into Wild Gods!!”

Headmaster Amasaki's temper blew up with force that almost burst the blood vessels of his head.

“But even if before you heard about how they were going through Wild God Transformation, this kind of situation is really unexpected right?”

In order to cover for Futsunushi no Kami, Leme materialized at Kazuki’s side.

“…So you also knew about this beforehand.”

When Kazuki asked her bitterly, Leme nodded “yeah” without showing any guilt. Kazuki spontaneously stretched those dark-skinned soft cheeks of hers *biroon* with both his hands. “Stooopp~!”

{Besides the gods of Japanese Mythology don’t directly interfere with each other. Even with the other guys transforming into Wild Gods, I have no right to sooth them or become their intermediary.}

That was what Futsunushi no Kami said. If it was a Mythology with such a disposition, then it couldn’t be helped.

“So the Divas of Japanese Mythology who are going wild for some reason, are going along with Kenshitou, that’s it huh.”

Their attempt to control the Knight Academy, the assassination attempt on Kazuki, their aim was not just limited to those things.

Surely because they failed on those matters, they joined hands with Kaya and moved onto this fearsome second phase. An armed revolt by touting the Japanese Mythology as their banner―it surely had the persuasive power to pull the people into their cause.

It shook the Japanese islands to the core. The residents of the occupied western Japan too, there was no doubt that they didn’t necessarily react negatively regarding the founding of nation of Yamato. There was persuasiveness in the existence called Japanese Mythology.

{…Regarding Yamato being founded in western Japan, when the government suspended the supply of electricity to the region they demonstrated a countermeasure. This decision garnered large backlash from the residents of western Japan.}

Hearing the words from the news reporter, all who are present fell quiet.

The electricity supply of Japan in this current era was provided by the large scale sunlight heat power reactorAlchimedes System constructed in the human-made islandmegafloat that was located on the southern tip of Japan’s territorial waters. Its production capacity was extremely large, furthermore the recharging of the etherlite rechargeable batteries that would never deteriorate no matter how many times it was recharged was performed in that place. The batteries from the whole country were transported there and redistributed after the recharging to each household, realizing safe, and moreover, clean power at a cheap price.

The government proclaimed that they wouldn’t circulate the rechargeable batteries to western Japan. So that Japan would still be okay even if the megafloat met with enemy attack, the thermal energy reactors and nuclear energy reactors from the previous era were left in reserve throughout the whole country as spare recharging facilities, but with that, western Japan would be able to use those facilities too.

With this, the breakdown between east and west Japan had become unavoidable.

“…Yamato had already began creating a military boundary line that separated the islands into parts from western Japan that they occupied. The circulation of trade between east Japan and west Japan has also been suspended, the people coming and going between the two regions was also becoming impossible

The freeway and railroad system that were the cornerstones of distribution were blockaded, the local streets were also being destroyed one by one. It was completely like the Berlin wall that divided East and West Germany or, the north 38th parallel between South Korea and North Korea.

“Toyama・Gifu・Aichi, those three prefectures had fallen. And then Niigata – Nagano – Shizuoka that are bordering those areas had become Japan’s current western border. In order for these prefectures to avoid further entanglement with Yamato’s invasion, the ordinary citizens’ evacuation is being hastened. The current situation is generally like that.”

Headmaster Amasaki who had connections with the government informed the situation to Kazuki and party.

“What is the Knight Academy going to do from now on? …No, rather than saying the Knight Academy’s response, what is the Knight Order planning to do?”

The one who had the say in this situation was not Kazuki or even Headmaster Amasaki, but the Knight Order.

“Regarding that matter…the classes for this morning are cancelled. There is someone that wants to meet you guys. After that we are going to open an extraordinary general student meeting.”

“Someone who wants to meet us…?”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“It's been a long time huhh―, this manor too✩”

“It’s really a relief that nothing changed here . …It looks like even without me here the cleaning is done thoroughly.”

The two people who appeared shortly at the entrance of the Witch’s Manor murmured with deep feelings.

“Kanon-senpai, Akane-senpai…”

Kaguya-senpai, who came to greet them had an expression dyed with surprise. Both their bodies were wrapped with the crisp white uniform of the Knight Order and they were donning a mantle that showed their status as officer cadets. For Kaguya-senpai to look up to them as senpai, in another words these people are….

“Yahoo―i, Kaguyan, long time no see! The idol of the Witch's Manor Koudzuki Kanon has returned home―✩”

The small statured woman of this group of two hugged Kaguya-senpai who greeted them at the entrance with lively vigor.

“You look healthy don’t you, Kaguya. Aren’t you becoming too lively when we were not here?”

At the side, the other woman who looked adult-like said so.

“Tha, that kind of thing is not true you know…. Stop it―, senpai.”

Kaguya-senpai showed a stiff smiling face. When the two separated themselves from Kaguya-senpai, they looked around the living room of the Witch’s Manor in nostalgia and then their eyes stopped at Kazuki who was looking at the situation from a distance.

“And, this boy is the rumored Chief Student Council President right? A male that entered the Magic Division, and then in one month is already reigning as the Chief Student Council President that is connecting the Magic Division and the Sword Division. When I heard about it I thought whether if it was a joke or not.”

“But however something like a Chief Student Council President is still too naïve! …This top of the highest grade third year Kanon is so to speak…a super student council president here―✩”

“A former student council president though.” The adult-like woman entered her tsukkomi there sharply.

“Nay, this Kanon-sama is a retired number super idol student council president for sure―✩”

“…It’s fine already, so stop blocking the entrance, sit quickly! This trash!”

Liz Liza-sensei made her appearance from behind and then she kicked the butt of the small statured woman swiftly.

It looks like Liz Liza-sensei was the one who lead these two here.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“Well then, I’ll introduce myself once more. I was the vice student council president until last year, Yagumo Akane. Currently as a third year, I was training until yesterday at the Knight Order in Aichi regiment of Chubu jurisdiction division. …Our pitiful battle was completely relayed from the helicopter, now we are the most disgraced regiment in Japan as you can see.”

The part of the great senior talked while releasing a powerless deep sigh in the living room.

“Don’t beat yourself with that Yagumo, Chubu jurisdiction was not the only one who retreated.”

Liz Liza-sensei encouraged her from the side.

“It’s lucky that the helicopter fell in the middle there! Because after that, the battle became a truly one sided disaster…. But the media crews that were on board the heli were able to escape✩”

The other great senpai talked with a lively smiling face.

Both of them were in the actual location of that battle…so they took flight and escaped here.

“And then I’m the one who was the student council president until last year, Koudzuki Kanon! I’m the same like Akane and was interning in Aichi regiment, the Ultra Super Deluxe former student council president! So you are the Chief Student Council President, Hayashizaki Kazuki?”

This senpai also looked very bright in her behavior, though fatigue was coloring her expression.

“Yes, I’m Hayashizaki Kazuki who was appointed as the Chief Student Council President. But I’m still a first year so…both of you are the senpai of my senpai aren’t you, Koudzuki-sempai and Yagumo-senpai.”

“You can call me Akane-senpai. It’s puzzling if you are the only one who called me Yagumo when all the other children call me Akane. I want us unified. In exchange I will also call you Kazuki.”

Yagumo-senpai revised as Akane-senpai talked with a cool tone. He couldn’t feel any shyness or the like from her about men and women calling each other by their given names. It was a tone that only cared about the inefficiency of the information that entered her ear.

“It’s also okay to call me Kanon-senpai! You and I are a comrades of the Witch’s Manor after all! …But Chief Student Council President…a special post that didn’t exist in our time…gununu…”

Even though at first Kanon-senpai directed a smiling face at Kazuki, immediately her eyes sharpened into a glare.

“…I am invincible from east to west to south to north and to the center – the super former student council president, don’t you forget it!!”

“Kanon, stop making up an incomprehensible title in antagonism. You are being a child like this.”

“I, I’m not a child! The one who said someone else a child is the child herself!”

“Senpai, have some tea.”

Hikaru-senpai shared cups of tea on top of the tray she brought in turn starting from Kanon-senpai.

“How nostalgic. Hikaru can't do any other chores but, only in brewing black tea are you strictly disciplined like this.”

“Right now Kazuki and the others are also skilled in making black tea though. But it has been a long time so I want to brew some.”

“Fufufu, so that’s it. You said a cute thing didn’t you, prince. …Yes, it’s really delicious.”

For the first time Akane-senpai made a broad smile and showed a relaxed face.

Kazuki spontaneously stared at her face from the side while drinking his tea. Long slit eyes and slender bridge of the nose. The black tea suited the intellectual and cool atmosphere of her profile.

She had a similar atmosphere to Hikaru-senpai, but rather than calling her a prince she felt more like a [beautiful onee-sama ].

“Pikarun doesn't get it!? My taste is for a lot of jam and honey to be mixed you know!”

Kanon-senpai was demanding while banging her palm *bam bam* on top of the table.

“Yes of course. Here is a specially made Russian tea .”

“Yahoo yahoo! This is the symbol of Pikaru in the tea time of the Witch’s Manor✩ When I was in the Knight Order I didn’t want to be made a fool of by the other senior knights so I drank black coffee. But I really don’t understand the thinking of those guys that keep on drinking such a bitter and smelly liquid.”

“Everyone noticed that you forced yourself drinking it you know? It comes out in Kanon’s expression after all.”

“Eh!? You lie, every time I drank it everyone were praising me ‘Kanon is so mature―’ right!?”

“They were making fun of you with that you know.”

Akane-senpai said it bluntly and coldly while drinking her tea.

“Eh…lies…ugyaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

While screaming, Kanon-senpai ‘BATA―N!’ collapsed on the table face down.

“…To, to be thought of like that by them. I don’t want to face those guys anymore…”

Kanon-senpai’s big and round eyes became teary-eyed, with a glance she looked at Koyuki.

“…Koyukin is really small just like usual huh―. You are more childish than even me. Fufun .”

Now that she mentioned it Koyuki had been coming and going to the manor since before she enrolled. She should be acquainted with these senpai.

“Kanon-senpai also hasn’t really changed that much have you? Just because you received a shock, please don’t vent your anger on me who is two years your junior.”

Koyuki counterattacked with cold scornful eyes. Kanon-senpai was “Mukii―! This impyertinent Koyukin kid―!!” and kicked around her feet under the table.

“…First year and apprentice of the Witch's Manor, I’m Amasaki Mio.”

With uncharacteristic meekness, Mio introduced herself while shrinking into herself.

“Sword Division second year, Hayashizaki Kanae. I am the president of the Sword Division.” “Sword Division first year, Hikita Kohaku, vice president.”

“Errr…for some reason I’m here in this place, Tsukahara Kazuha of the Sword Division second year, just a commoner.”

Kanae and Kazuha-senpai were second years, but it seemed they were not really acquainted with these two great senpai.

“Fufufu.” When all the members had finished their self-introductions, Akane-senpai suddenly leaked out a chuckle.

“According to the rumors floating around, I heard that the Chief Student Council President is popular with everyone. I wonder if everyone in this place is madly in love already? But if you’re not careful, the contraception nowadays is not as perfect as in the past after all.”

“Wha!? Co, contraception or any…” Kazuki spontaneously hitched his breath.

In the present era Japanese people, most of the young population awakened as magicians. Thereupon their magic power would be unconsciously invoked when they were doing an action that was filled with strong emotions, and accidents where it became a total hindrance to contraception had occurred repeatedly. The fact was that the power of love completely destroyed the undesired wall of contraception.

From such reasons the current era females put even more importance to their chastity compared to the previous era. Kazuki too had to have the awareness of self-control all the more because of this.

“…If I am to have a child with Kazuki, then it doesn’t really…”

Mio murmured vacantly with a boiling red face. In an instant, the Witch’s Manor became as silent as a graveyard.

“…Fufun, no matter how much popular you said this guy is, surely Kaguyan and Pikarun still liked this charismatic retired number, Kanon-chan far more, right✩”

With a broad grin Kanon-senpai directed a smile to Kaguya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai.

“”I like Kazuki better♡”” Kaguya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai matched their voices and gave instant answers.

“You heartless bunch―!!” With ‘BATA―N’ Kanon-senpai collapsed.

Ehem, Akane-senpai cleared her throat.

“Well then, let’s moderate the digression of the talk and move on soon to the main problem.”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“To start, I want to inform you all of the current situation. First with the fall of the Knight Order in Chubu jurisdiction, Toyama・Gifu・Aichi, the three prefectures are occupied and Eastern Japan and Western Japan are now divided into two parts. The line that is drawn in the area that bordered these three prefectures is the military boundary line―in other words the substantial national border.”

Akane-senpai spread out a map on top of the table, and then she traced the line she mentioned with her long finger smoothly.

“It looks like Yamato is going to invade even further from now on toward Niigata – Nagano – Shizuoka. To prepare for that Eastern Japan’s battle strength have to be concentrated to the front lines. However that action has become a difficult thing to do. Even now, illegal magicians are rampaging in many aresa of Eastern Japan. Even though we managed to suppress them, our hands became completely full because of that.

“Loki’s troops are concealing themselves in Eastern Japan and in order to obstruct us from concentrating our battle strength they are sporadically taking guerilla action, is that the gist of it?” Kazuki inquired.

“Right, like that. They are working together systematically. Yamato declared that they won’t lay their hands on the general public, but we think these guerilla fighters are planning to feign ignorance as if it’s unrelated to them.”

“That’s why we can’t ignore them. Concentrating our whole battle strength of Eastern Japan to the front lines…is something we cannot do. The guerilla fighters understand that and they are running around doing hit-and-run attacks.”

Taking the general public as hostages, the Knight Orders became unable to mobilize the entirety of their fighting strength.

“On the other hand if you ask our current status, then we are a remnant of a defeated army. In the fight last night, the jurisdiction division commander was also captured as a prisoner of war. Kanon then led everyone to escape to here as the temporary leader.”

Akane-senpai explained the situation briskly, but doubt was surfacing on Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai’s face clearly.

The student council’s staff of the Knight Academy was treated as officer cadets in the Knight Order.

Be that as it may, strictly speaking they were still nothing more than students, even with the jurisdiction division's commander captured, normally it would be impossible for someone in that position to take the leader position.

“…It’s a story that sounds like a joke, however putting aside the top brass, Kanon is excessively well liked by the average senior knights. Maybe because they were saved from a pinch by Kanon’s cheerfulness, everyone is saying to make Kanon the leader. In the first place we are just a division of the army’s remnant with no order at all.”

“I’m beat―, it’s really troublesome to be this popular―✩”

“…She was also elected as the student council president at that time with that rhythm.”

Kaguya-senpai murmured. Kanon-senpai pulled her surroundings with a mascot-like unifying power and then Akane-senpai solidified their position on the practical business side. He could picture it instantly and Kazuki nodded in understanding.

“We are added in the defense of Nigata – Nagano – Shizuoka and we have to counterattack and recapture Chubu jurisdiction when we see a chance. However the battle strength of the defense army on the front lines is insufficient with only us as support. It would still take time for the other areas to suppress the guerrillas before they could send reinforcements…. With that we took along one part of our comrades and came to this academy without sleep.”

“Without sleep…that’s why Kanon-senpai is more anno…high-tensioned than usual.”

Kaguya-senpai fixed what she almost said in a deliberate manner. “Kaguyan youu―” Kanon-senpai made a fuss.

“It’s just a joke, thank you for your hard work.”

“Hmph, I’m not happy at all even if you suddenly change your attitude like that okayy✩”

When Kaguya-senpai easily changed her attitude suddenly, Kanon-senpai grinned brightly in a happy way.

“Akane-senpai, thank you for your hard work.” Hikaru-senpai thanked Akane-senpai with a sincere expression.

“Fufufu, thank you. …So because of that reason, here is the main topic. We want to make a request for a Quest to the Knight Academy to help us. We want to receive the favor of the elite Magica Stigma and swordsmen of the Knight Academy led by the Chief Student Council President Hayashizaki Kazuki to be added to our forces.”

In short what Headmaster Amasaki said before about opening an extraordinary general student meeting was for the purpose of preparing applications of the participants for this quest on a large-scale.

The students of the Knight Academy had also been experiencing real battle in the form of Quests until now, but the request this time was obviously in a different dimension than the usual Knight Order [assistance] until now.

They are asking for the students to participate in a [war] where even the real knights themselves had no experience.

Currently the Knight Order was in a pressing crisis to the degree that they had to issue this request.

“It might be difficult for students who are still halfway through the curriculum to take disciplined tactical action. However it’s fortunate that a Chief Student Council President that united the Magic Division and the Sword Division was born with this kind of timing. If it’s you then you should be able to collect this academy into one unified group right?”

Akane-senpai directed a challenging smile Kazuki’s way. It looked like Headmaster Amasaki had already acknowledged this request.

There was no need for any worry, right now Kaya and former Board Chairman Takasugi were enemies that need to be defeated. The ideal that they crowed around was just something fake. That ghastly fake was going to swallow the people and [encroach] this country…..

“Of course we will cooperate. I too think that we can’t stay like this.”

“That’s good, it looks like a gallant person has been selected as the Chief Student Council President.”

Akane-senpai whose expression was colored with exhaustion smiled cheerfully to Kazuki.

“However don’t make a misunderstanding, Chief Student Council President! Until the end the leader is this Charismatic Super Former Student Council President, the Koudzuki Kanon✩”

Kanon-senpai faced Kazuki and winked while making a side peace sign.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Kazuki stood in front of the mic and looked down from the stage on the students of the whole school who lined up in a row inside the auditorium.

The sight was just like the sight of a few days ago. However right now, the meaning of this meeting had changed drastically since before.

“I think, everyone has already heard what happened in western Japan yesterday. It is thought that the invasion of Yamato is still continuing, but because of the guerilla war that the illegal magicians conducted repeatedly in many areas, the Knight Order is unable to concentrate their battle strength for the sake of a counterattack. Accordingly, the Knight Order issued a request directed for the high ranked students of our Knight Academy in the form of a Quest for participation in this war.”

Even though he was in the middle of speaking, the students were making a stir.

“This is similar to a normal quest where it depends on the sole discretion of the students, by no means is this is a forced conscription to be a soldier. And it has become something that is followed with scale, difficulty and danger of a different degree compared to the usual quest. Nevertheless we are pressed by circumstance for applicants to form an independent corps on a scale that is only possible for this Knight Academy. Perhaps you are still in a panic from this sudden development and your heart is still not prepared, but the training that we piled up day after day until now is supposed to be for the purpose of standing against this kind of difficulty. Those people who are not merely panicking, but also finding a spark of heated desire inside themselves wishing to challenge this difficulty, please volunteer for this quest without fail.”

Heated applause was occurring provoked by those words. Then he passed the stage to Headmaster Amasaki.

Headmaster Amasaki explained the conditions and rewards for volunteering.

Conditions ― to prevent students who didn’t have sufficient strength and experience to become volunteer soldiers, application was limited only for students within of a certain rank and quest accomplishments.

Let alone the first year students of the Magic Division who had experience participating in Quests, even the number of students who had finally succeeded in contracting with their Diva and could not even chant level 1 magic was not few.

Rewards ― the usual Quest was purely for the sake of rank up evaluations, but if the quest this time achieved success then the Knight Order itself would record their notable effort.

In another words this was not for the sake of rank up evaluations but for the sake of their future career evaluations.

After Kazuki awakened their passion, Headmaster Amasaki’s explanation awakened the calm prudence in the auditorium.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“The list of the volunteers is complete.”

Saying so, Yumeno-san handed over the print-out. The data consolidation was performed by the newspaper committee members. Seeing their dedication even in something that was not included in their original work, Kazuki returned a word of thanks.

“Thank you, was it difficult?”

The cramped student council room had been transformed into operation headquarters. Everyone was gathering here.

“Not at all…approximately 150 people were signing up, so if everyone cooperated than it’s only to that extent.”

Kazuki looked at the data briefly. The proportion between the Magica Stigma and swordsmen were around 1:2. In the first place the number of students in the Sword Division was a lot higher, that ratio was more or less the ratio of students between the divisions.

150 people―it was a fair number to form an independent corps that could move freely.

The battle force of the Knight Order, that is the <Knight> was roughly numbered around 2400 people in total. With the number of students that graduated from the Knight Academy totalling 300 people in one year, because the active duty period of the Knight was from 18-25 years old where they would enter the peak of their magic power after 8 years, the number became like this every year.

Those 2400 people were assigned at eight jurisdiction zones that were Hokkaido – Tohoku – Kantoukoushin’etsu – Chubu – Kinki – Chugoku – Shikoku – Kyuushuu. There was difference in numbers according to the jurisdiction zone, but there were around 300 personnel in one jurisdiction zone. This was the <Division>.

Below that jurisdiction zone division, a <regiment> was placed in each prefecture. This regiment was mostly in the scale of below 100 people. And below that regiment existed the smallest unit of <platoon> where it consisted of several people each.

…A military force of 2400 people strong on the whole, if it was compared with the military in the era where there was no magic it was a really small scale force. To start with the reason of this was first because humans who could use Summoning Magic were limited, and also because only a select few of elite swordsmen were chosen. The quality was far more important than a mere number.

And then the second reason that was raised was because there was no other branch of the army except the two categories of Magica Stigma and swordsman. The modern weapons that need colossal resources to be transported and consumed while fighting didn’t exist anymore. The supplies needed at most were only food and water to suffice. Even those supplies, if the grass was changed to become edible or dirty water was changed into drinkable water using alchemy to procure supplies locally, there were many ways to compensate.

Everything was fine as long as the combat force itself arrived, personnel needed for weapons repair and supply was obsolete.

…Such things, even Kazuki had learned that much in class.

Manufacturing weapons for the people’s general mobilization and conscripting a great number of civilians as soldiers, and yet most of those personnel were driven into maintenance control of weapons rather actual fighting, brandishing those fossilized weapons and conducting <all-out war> like the time of World Wars. If the current era was compared to the past, this compactness felt like they returned to the ancient times of their ancestors. No, in fact, they really had returned to the time of their ancestors.

Deciding the outcome of battle not by weapon but by heroes―like the wars in the era of mythology.

“Is Yumeno-san volunteering too?” Inside the list, Kazuki found the girl’s name too.

“Yes…it’s a little scary but, I’m worried.”

“What you mean by worried is, by any chance…”

“My parents' home is in Kyoto." From Kazuki’s side, Kohaku too leaked out an empathic voice to Yumeno-san.

“…This one too is from Kyuushuu. It’s too far and the situation there is the hardest to grasp. As expected it makes one feel a little worried.”

Regardless of how dangerous this quest was, a lot of the students’ reason to gather and volunteer was also because of this. The Knight Academy gathered students from the whole country after all―what would happen to western Japan, many of the students’ hearts were crushed with feelings of anxiety.

“Yosh, the volunteers have been gathered with this.”

Kanon-senpai and Akane-senpai came along to the student council room.

Behind them several females wearing the Knight Order uniform were also following along in succession.

One person among them was, “Never thought I’d be coming back to the Knight Academy in this shape” and laughed ironically.

“From among the people that escaped together with us, the third years that were in the middle of training also want to come together. Because everyone said that they want to come back to the Knight Academy after so long. Though let’s omit the introductions.”

“Ee―, that’s really mean Akanee―! Even though I also want to become acquainted with Chief President-san!”

After one person raised their voice, the other third years started to make a ruckus ‘kya kya’.

“Awe―some! There really is a male wearing the uniform of the Magic Division!” “He really looks better than those swordsmen of the Knight Order!” “So unfair Otonashi Kaguya! It should be more effective if you are the one that is in the field so switch with me!”

Kazuki faltered from the impolite gazes of the girls. Seeing that they immediately “He's shyy―!” and such voices were raised. They were two years older than him so they felt like an older lady to him for the most part and it made him feel timid.

“Fufufu, a timid Kazuki is so cute. It makes me want to hug him and break his neck…”

Mixed with the high pitched voices of the third year girls…he could hear a voice that said strange words in a deep voice.

“Eh?” Thinking it was strange he directed his gaze at the direction of the voice. There at the end of the line of the third years who were wearing white knight order uniforms, three women wearing black Einherjar uniforms were secretly coming along. The third years just now noticing them were “Eh, no way, what is this person saying…” and got startled.

“Who, who are you…” Kanon-senpai asked timidly with eyes as if she was seeing a degenerate.

“Fufufu, I am…Beatrix-chan!”

“…Hey, why is the captain recently so crazy about adding ‘chan’ to her own name?”

“She learned that in Japan a cute girl had ‘chan’ added after their name…it seems she is planning to appeal as a cute girl like this.”

Behind Beatrix, Damian and Eleonora were exchanging conversation in secret.

“Cute girl? Couldn’t the captain be mistaken for a wild gorilla…”

“FUNN!” Beatrix visited a lariat on Damian, that small statured body was blown away to the end of the hall. …Kazuki was not looking at that pleasant exchange.

“Beatrix, why are you here…”

“I heard that you are forming a unit to attack the revolting western Japan see. Because of that, we who have no ties of obligation the most and can move freely are the one that get dispatched the most. And also…Loki is in western Japan right? He is also most likely there.

“We are not hearing about any of this though?” Akane-senpai questioned Beatrix in detail with a sullen expression.

“We're going on ahead and coming here where the movement speed will be faster, rather than waiting for those slow procedures of the Knight Order to get finished. Fufufu, though there is also my wanting to see Kazuki’s shocked face that made me hurry here.”

“Don’t take every single one of your actions with the purpose of making me shocked. It really did surprise me you know.”

In front of Kazuki’s eye, a magic vision that could only be seen by Kazuki floated.

Beatrix―72 Damian―27 Eleonora―22

…Positivity level. It was temporary, but it was a display of proof that they were becoming comrades that were going to fight together with the King of Solomon. There was also a case like this where Kaya’s positivity level appeared temporarily in his vision.

…However 72. This was already a positivity level where he could use her magic up to level 2.

“I think they can be trusted, Akane-senpai. Loki, who is included in Yamato’s forces is also a sworn enemy for them after all. I have no doubt that they will become an important war potential.”

“Is that so? Well, if you say so.”

“Fuu―nn…well, isn’t it fine if they are strong? So then what are we going to do after this? Akane?”

Kanon-senpai looked back at Yagumo-senpai and tilted her head.

“We will organize these 150 volunteers as a <Knight Academy regiment>. First we are going to form platoons with the high ranked students as the platoon captain.”

Pushing out her face from Yumeno-san’s side, Akane-senpai peered into Yumeno-san’s PC screen.

“Let’s make 15 platoons of ten people. Otonashi Kaguya, Hoshikaze Hikaru, Hayashizaki Kanae, and Hikita Kohaku, these four people will establish four or five platoons each as company commanders. Above these four people, Hayashizaki Kazuki will stand as the regimental commander.”

“I see, and then even higher than him is me right✩”

An orderly organization chart rose to the fore in Kazuki’s head. With organization then the order of communication would also become smoother.

“The Einherjar too, they will follow Hayashizaki Kazuki as one platoon.”

“Kazuki’s subordinate? Just as I wished!” Beatrix gave a broad smile happily.

“Kaguya, Kanae-san, choose highly ranked and powerful students that have leadership quality from inside this list as platoon captains and form the platoons. As soon as the formation is complete, we are going to head to Shizuoka garrison. Because we left behind the 200 strong soldiers that escaped together with us there.”

What she meant by garrison was the location where the soldiers were stationed. The word ‘base’ fitted Kazuki’s image more, but the word ‘base’ indicated a place that was equipped with particular modern facilities of the navy, the air force and the like. In regards to that, the force that the army was using didn’t need any special facility and had a mobile position, that was why it was called a garrison. In the era where the magicians became the main force of war, a fixed base was mostly unneeded and garrisons basically became the main position of the army.

“200 people…is it?”

From the military force of 1200 people in western Japan, only a sixth of that force was able to escape to eastern Japan.

Looking at Kazuki whose thoughts came out in his expression, Akane-senpai looked down as if feeling responsibility in this.

“With Chubu jurisdiction captured at the foremost, the archipelago was divided into parts completely. Because of that, the knights that were fighting even further west than Chubu jurisdiction were unable to escape to eastern Japan. If only we could hold out more, we would be able to make a path of retreat, however…”

“However it’s not like the remaining 1000 people were all captured as prisoners of war. Even if they couldn’t escape to eastern Japan, they went into hiding in towns and became resistance groups that still continue to fight even now. There should be many knights that are like that there! The ones who are commencing guerilla war is not only the enemy!!”

Kanon-senpai talked with a bright voice to raise hope. Hearing that Akane-senpai raised her face.

“Most likely there are still some sporadic fighting continuing even now in western Japan, the enemy too cannot concentrate their battle strength. If not for that then Shizuoka would likely have fallen already.”

The illegal magicians that were being guerilla fighters in eastern Japan, the resistance activities of the scattered knights in western Japan. The shape of the war had becomee whesuch that the two sides mutually obstructed the opponent from concentrating their battle strength with some difficulty.

“The remnant soldiers and the Knight Academy regiment...so to speak, the <Kanon independent brigade> 350 strong in total, this is how much battle strength we can gather from eastern Japan…that total amount will become the battle strength for our counterattack, we…”

After talking until that far with commanding voice, Akane-senpai’s head nodded off. The senpai who was peering at the PC screen from the side just like that collapsed down on top of Yumeno-san powerlessly.

“Akane! Are you okay!?” Kanon-senpai supported that body in panic.

“…Sorry, I’m okay. I only feel a little lightheaded…”

“Everyone is working nonstop without eating and drinking, but because you burdened yourself as if it’s only your fault…. Sorry, Knight Academy’s people, in any event we are going to depart after taking just a little rest in the academy. Really just for a little.”

Kazuki suddenly looked at the clock. Just at the right moment, it was already time for a lunch break.

“Then…Kanon-senpai! I’m going to make some meals that will make you energetic!”

Kanon-senpai stared in wonder. “That…isn't the job of the Chief Student Council President right?”

Part 2

Without any sound or vibration, a frame with a streamlined shape that emitted blue light left behind the scenery outside the window.

Using the new metal born from alchemy, <Mythril>, abundantly, the <Magic Light Train> ran by receiving the assistance of Psychokinesis. Because of how rare mythril was even now, this train was never operated except when it was operated privately during trials by the staff.

But the rare mythril was prioritized to be circulated for the Knight Order, so a [magic light train for military use] covered the whole country from Hokkaido to Kyushu. War roads for military use were spread out running parallel with the civilian Shinkansen . It could transport the knights to major cities throughout the whole country with a capacity easily surpassing 1000 people.

There was also criticism on the military’s monopoly of mythril, but an efficient transportation method was essential for the Knight Order that was few in number to deal with all the incidents throughout the country of Japan.

The total of 150 Knight Academy students led by Kanon-senpai also settled themselves comfortably and headed to Shizuoka garrison. There was no noise, no need to decelerate the speed in curves, using the special characteristic of magic light trains to always run at it top speed, even the distance between Tokyo to Shizuoka wouldn’t take more than one hour.

“We will arrive at Shizuoka soon after this. Let’s have a soak at Atsumi’s hot springs―✩”

Kanon-senpai raised a cheer, they had arrived at Shizuoka before they even realized it.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The Knight Order’s garrison at Shizuoka was a building that was once called Shizuoka prefectural police headquarters that had been expanded and remodeled. Once they disembarked from the military train, the building was located within immediate walking distance from the station.

After passing through a bombastic entrance made from stone, they were greeted with splendid buildings that were equipped with transmission towers and the like lining up, but in contrast with that splendour, they couldn’t feel any human presences in the area.

“Right now this place has been completely deserted. The main force of Shizuoka regiment had moved to the western prefectural border…In other words, the area close to the military demarcation line with Yamato. There they had already set up a temporary front line garrison and transferred there. It’s for the sake of defense. It’s just that we have to follow a track to reach there, so we are going to travel by bus from here.”

Akane-senpai explained briskly while leading Kazuki and the others to the destination. Cars and buses for military use were lined up in a huge parking lot. If it was in the old era then this place would be used to deploy tanks or armored vehicles without a doubt, but against magicians, the shells of tanks and armor of armored cars were nothing more than a pointless waste of expenses.

Vehicles were not a method of battle but merely a means of transportation for knights.

Because of that reason these military use cars and buses that were lining up here had almost no difference with the passenger vehicle of civilians.

“Cars are well used to assist us in dealing with incidents within the prefecture, but it’s the first time for me to use the bus.”

Akane-senpai whispered. It means that a big incident that is needed to collect and transport a lot of knights had never happened until now.

There was a driver that had been already on standby at the driver seat. The driver was not a specialist in magic battles but seemed to belong to the rear support unit. He was a little older compared to the usual knight. Magic power declined at the peak of 20 years old. The knight who had reached a certain age and even more didn’t manage to get promoted to management class would be reassigned to the rear support unit like this.

Kazuki and the others were pushed inside the rustic military bus that was painted in olive drab color traditional since the time of the Self Defense Force until they were packed tightly. They couldn’t possibly wish for a comfortable ride like the train that they had just ridden before this. This uncomfortable ride really made them feel the [sense of the actual scene] of the Knight Order’s work. The number of words the students spoke started to lessen naturally.

Divided separately into four buses, Kazuki and the others headed to the military boundary line.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“Oh my, Kazuki. How pleasant it is to be able ride with you. I can’t help but feel a destined throbbing in my chest.”

Inside the bus that was packed tight like a crowded train, Miyabi-senpai was there at a distance where their bodies could easily touch each other.

“…Looks like the men of the Sword Division were provided with an exclusive bus for men and got crammed there, but you could ride in this bus couldn’t you? Fufuu, so this is the benefit of being a swordsman of the Magic Division.”

“There was a different bus for that? They were saying that it’s okay to just ride this bus and I was pushed inside from the back.”

“There are only girls that will welcome to get jam packed together with you here you know?”

“…That’s not true. I don’t welcome you here.”

A quiet voice came from beside Miyabi-senpai. It was Shinobu-senpai.

“So Miyabi-senpai and Shinobu-senpai also volunteered.”

“For the moment, we believe that we are quite powerful even among the upperclassman. It’s not like there is some laudable feeling inside me that wants to fight for the world and for the people. Fufufu.”

After chuckling refreshingly, she added one more thing. “Moreover, our hometown is also under occupation.”

So Miyabi-senpai was also from west Japan.

Miyabi-senpai had a past where she was persecuted by her surroundings because she became an elf. Miyabi-senpai and others who were in the generation of [the first elves] should have been oppressed even more severely than Koyuki.

Such a senpai talking about her feelings of her hometown…was surely the proof that she had overcome her past and let bygones be bygones. Even though her words of [for the world and for the people] were mixed with a joking tone, he could also feel the nobility in it.

“It’s fine even if that kind of place got totally destroyed.”

But Shinobu-senpai murmured such words vacantly.

“Don’t say such things like it’s okay for something to get completely destroyed Shinobu. With the passing of time, the feeling of ourselves and our surroundings will also change and we might be able to think that maybe we could just let it go, isn’t that so? If something got destroyed then that’s the end of it you know?”

In fact, the discrimination against elves was thinning as the years went by. It was because of the conjecture from telepathy scan that the elf’s mind structure was no different at all from normal humans, and also elves that became knight cadets capitalizing in their excellent traits in magic power or becoming famous as young alchemists had begun to appear here and there.

The product of human experiments―such a truth still hadn’t been made public to society yet, but a part of the politicians that knew the truth influenced the mass media, and indirectly began to form the public opinion to protect the human rights of these elves. From now on their situation would surely gradually become better in time.

Although she was not the person concerned herself, Shinobu-senpai also had a past that deserved her resentment. It seemed that resentment didn’t simply fade however….

“…There is nothing that's changed. Whether it's the surrounding bunch, or my own feelings…”

Shinobu-senpai rejected all change. Even the fact that Miyabi-senpai transformed into an elf had not been recognized by her. Inside Shinobu-senpai’s eyes, it seemed she was seeing Miyabi-senpai with black hair.

Denying reality―even in the case where the truth was really obvious, if accepting that truth caused a great uneasiness then that person would reject accepting that truth, it was that kind of mental state.

“You said that nothing changed. Don’t you feel a locked up feeling that choked your breath from that unchanged situation?”

“!” Against Kazuki’s question, Shinobu-senpai’s expression tightened rigidly with hollowness somewhere in it, then she glared at Kazuki. From the side, Miyabi-senpai embraced Shinobu-senpai’s face in her arms.

“…Kazuki, thank you. This child even now should be feeling it still. Also for a person to think of us and talk this much, in these ten odd years you are the first…”

“…Nee-sama, please don’t say such irresponsible things! This kind of guy is nothing!!”

Shinobu-senpai separated herself from Miyabi-senpai’s hand and tried to take distance from Kazuki. However she crashed against other students inside the cramped bus making “Wait” troubled voice coming at her.

“…If it wasn't for Nee-sama participating then I had no intention of volunteering for this kind of Quest either. To get stuffed inside like this.

“Please be patient.” Miyabi-senpai attempted to soothe Shinobu-senpai and embraced her head once more.

From there she moved her gaze outside the window.

“I’m looking forward to this. To fight as a knight, as a hero, like that.”

The early afternoon sunlight coming from outside was reflected at Miyabi-senpai’s moist red eyes in a glisten.

“…If I make a notable service in this Quest, then this me who is an elf, will be thanked by everyone…such a thing might also happen, don’t you think so?”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Kazuki also looked outside the window. West Shizuoka―according to the signboard that they just passed they were approaching the area around Hamamatsu city. However the grave-like silence that was really unnatural didn’t show any sign of people.

Akane-senpai, who was standing beside the driver seat opened her mouth.

“The residents in the vicinity of the military boundary line have already been evacuated. This area has been emptied. Because we won’t know what kind of damage will happen if the other side invaded and it turned into a defensive battle.”

These urban areas might transform into a battlefield, it made Kazuki ponder once more. How much damage would come out in the coming battle? Even the public houses and the like might get toppled like dominos from offensive magic.

If Yamato really came invading, they would surely march to the garrison aiming for the Knight Order there. Exterminating the knights – making them retreat with their defensive ability lost, all for the sake of completing the occupation.

Where should the knights meet the enemy? Should they have unfolded the border war at the military boundary line, or should they hole up in the garrison and bring the battle into a siege battle, or else to reduce the damage to the surroundings should they lure the enemy skillfully outside the urban areas?

In this magic war where everything was still an unknown, tactics that could be called [established tactics] didn’t exist.

Suddenly the bus stepped on the emergency brake, the jam packed students staggered and pitched forward as if to fall.

When he peeked at the front glass far at the front wondering if something happened, four or five men and women carrying large baggage on their shoulders were walking this way from the opposite side of the road that was supposed to be empty from people.

Kanon-senpai disembarked from the bus and walked approaching those people and said a few words.

After senpai nodded with ‘uh-huh” listening to the people she returned. Then she explained the circumstances to the students.

“…Looks like people that got delayed in evacuating. Surely they have a lingering attachment to their city and homes and didn’t leave until the last minute. Even if they rebuild their homes again, the memories can't be recovered after all…”

Thanks to alchemy, construction costs for houses, buildings, roads and the like could be cut far cheaper than in the previous era. Actually, with Kazuki’s fight against Loki and the final match of the battle election, the fountain plaza had been destroyed twice, however he had witnessed how it was immediately repaired to be just like it was before being destroyed.

However, people who couldn’t feel good even though the broken things were restored as it was brand new existed in great numbers in society.

After seeing off those men and women passing through beside the bus, they departed once more.

―After that, for a while similar occurrences happened a few more times. When they had advanced just for a little, they would immediately encounter some people that were in the middle of evacuation. Just like the first encounter Kanon-senpai would get down from the bus and listen to their story one by one, but gradually the bus kept advancing forward without stopping even when they encountered more people without confirming each and every one of the refugees.

“…There are quite a lot aren’t there, these people that are late in evacuating.”

While pressing close to Kazuki more than she needed to inside the bus that was packed in like a can of sardines, Miyabi-senpai whispered in his ear. Certainly there was a lot. Even though the people who were evacuating didn’t necessarily need to use this road, they kept running into almost dozens of people here and there already.

“…Kazuki-oniisan!” Suddenly he heard a panicked voice, Lotte pushed her way through the jam packed bus and ran to Kazuki’s way. “What is it?” Kazuki embraced the girl.

“…It was the people who were evacuating just before, but it was from inside the bus so I can't really perceive it clearly and I don’t have much confidence in it desu but…”

Lotte prefaced her talk that she didn’t really have any confidence in what she was going to say, but as if she had conviction in the feelings that she harbored, anxiety and trepidation came to the surface in her expression.

“Those people from before…harbored hostility toward this bus desu.”

―Lotte was a prodigy in telepathy. Even without exchanging words, the girl could perceive the emotion of the people around her. …Hostility, she said? The refugees? Was it from how they had to evacuate so they harbored dissatisfaction toward the Knight Order? That was stupid.

…Then were they enemies? Were they secretly passing through the border and coming to this side for the sake of taking guerilla action inside eastern Japan? No, for dozens of sleeper agents to pass through the same route should be inconceivable.

Their aim was…to take the rear of the bus.

“Kanon-senpai! The refugees just now…!” Kazuki who became aware tried to call out in a loud voice but,

―Even earlier than him, Akane-senpai yelled some words in high emergency.

“Kanon! Magic power reaction from the front!! …Offensive magic is coming!!”

Kazuki whose attention was taken by his talk with Lotte noticed it too late. Magic power sprang forth from further ahead in the road, it swelled out as if rupturing―magic was invoked!

Several fire balls and rocks came flying from the road ahead. One moment, the front window of the bus looked like a screen of a shooting game. However they couldn’t evade like in a game. The fireball impacted the front side of the bus, the bursting heat and shockwave fused the glass and armor. Right there many rocks were launched one after another, easily penetrating inside.

“The driver’s protection-!!” Kanon-senpai yelled.

A fire ball struck the inside of the bus with explosive force, the bus was blown up and pulverized.

Inside the exploded remains of the smashed apart bus, countless blue lights of the students were shining. Just from having their vehicles blown up and getting thrown outside wouldn’t cause any damage to magicians who were protected by defensive magic power.

But, they fell into chaos―the students who were thrown onto the street couldn’t grasp the situation at all. They looked around restlessly in confusion while being enveloped in blue light inside the flame and smoke. And then from behind, of all things that could happen the following buses sent the students flying. Those buses were also bombarded with offensive magic from the front and went through the same fate as the first.

“Form the Heaven and Earth Formation!” Akane-senpai yelled with a desperate voice.

However the movements of the panicked students were sluggish.

Furthermore angry roars and footsteps of a charge that was as if an earthquake was happening came from further ahead.

What came was several dozens of <swordmen>. Young people with common clothing like shirts and parkas were charging this way holding Japanese katana in hand―Yamato’s army!

“Sword Division unit! Follow me!!” Kanae immediately reacted, she charged the enemy while yelling. “It’s okay not to think of anything, anyway just come with me!!”

Hearing that voice, the students of the Sword Division finally recovered from their confusion. A simple principle―remembering that it was fine to just follow the Sword Division’s strongest student council president blindly, they chased after her back.

Swordsmen and swordsmen clashed against each other. The sound of blades clashing informed the start of the engagement.

Yamato’s swordsmen were merely ordinary people with slightly stronger magic power that got incited by the politicians. When compared with the students of the Sword Division, they could even be said to be a disorderly mob.

However the enemy’s rear guard―Yamato’s Magica Stigma launched offensive magic one after another, the Sword Division students were blown away without even any time to bring the fight into a match of swords.

The Magica Stigma of Yamato chanted their Summoning Magic while being possessed by their Divas.

The chanting time of this <Possession SummoningDrive> was short.

The students of the Magic Division had to support the swordsmen of the Sword Division.

Akane-senpai yelled her commands to the Magic Division students who were still in a state of chaos.

“The students of the Magic Division come forward, chant defensive magic and low level magic to restrain the enemy!”

They had to come forward for the sake of confirming the enemy's figure by sight so they could invoke the Summoning Magic. If they didn’t settle the enemy into their <magic perception range> then the Summoning Magic couldn’t be chanted.

Summoning Magic that was borrowing the power of Divas need the [recognition] of the Diva by showing [ what their strength would be used for] by transmitting that intent in the shape of a spell. Only by earning that [recognition] could the Summoning Magic be invoked. For that sake, first the Magica Stigma needed to perceive the enemy’s existence clearly, and then they had to transmit the will to defeat that enemy to the Diva.

They had to catch the figure of the enemy. The students of the Magic Division advanced through the road that was still smoldering with smoke attempting to ascertain the enemy while being protected by the frontline swordsmen.

And then they were [sighting] the illegal magicians of Yamato. Their bodies were dressed uniformly with Japanese style Magic Dresses and they were accompanied with what seemed to be the avatars of Japanese Mythology’s Divas at their side.

The students of the Magic Division were also starting their chanting all at once.

“Burnt to ashes of all you touch…O scorching heat of rejection without any place to depend on! Self Burning!”

“First we start from hardening our defense right? …Mirror O mirror, lop off the gaze of the unsightly people and their craving hand! Mirror Shield of Moon CircleMoon Ring – Mirror Field!!”

“Hmph. …Thy wing bestowed by Belphegor, O <ice pillar of flame>! Cover and hide us, become the contradicting wall of irrationality! Cross Conflict!!”

Kazuki, also Miyabi-senpai and Shinobu-senpai attached defensive magic on the swordsmen.

“Dancing wing's scattered sparks. Lingering wind of spiral, become a life gouging bullet! Flap and shoot! Barrett!!”

“O nihility of ancient times, become a freezing deep sigh that resides in the vacuum of this chest. To the flowing absolute silence, freeze and be silent…Glacier Wind!!”

“O gryphon crossing over the ocean, cause the wind of the north pole with wings that well up the overturning rough wave…Northern Wave!”

Mio and Koyuki, also a great number of students invoked their attack magic with great urgency.

Defense and offense of magic had started. The enemies’ offensive magic were blocked by this side’s defensive magic, this side’s offensive magic blew away the enemies’ swordsman sporadically. Caught by the raging waves of magic, the swordsmen were tossed about.

…This was inefficient. Kazuki noticed. Conflicting elemental magic like ice and flame were launched at the same time without any prior thought and interfered with each other, weakening its power.

It might be good to divide the platoons of Magica Stigma in accordance with each element of magic that they used.

“Third years are to prepare high level magic! We are going to catch the whole herd in one throw!!”

Akane-senpai took command of the battle, the third years were being protected at the very back and began their chanting.

Looking at that situation, Kazuki was “This is bad” and remembered.

“Akane-senpai! The rear is dangerous, the refugees from before might not actually be refugees!!”

“…What did you say!?” Akane-senpai directed an uncomprehending expression at him.

When Kazuki yelled, it was the same time with the sounds of angry yells and charging footsteps from behind.

When he turned around―from the back too, swordsmen of Yamato in casual clothing holding Japanese katana were approaching with the momentum of surging waves. It was the people that they saw off from inside the bus passing through them. They pretended to be refugees and hid Japanese katana inside their baggage, and then after choosing the best timing they turned back―for the sake of taking the back of the Heaven and Earth Formation.

…The third years who were completely defenseless in the middle of chanting were aimed. Akane-senpai went pale.

“Sword Division students, go back to the rear too! From the back as well, enemies are…!!”

But the swordsmen were also in the middle of fighting the enemies right in front of their eyes while being exposed to offensive magic, they couldn’t possibly do such a thing like turning their back. Besides, to only pick one portion of the best swordsmen in a hurry to be allocated as rear guard in a good balance, executing such detailed orders without any prior planning was impossible.

Whether they heard Akane-senpai’s instructions or not, not even one of the swordsmen was moving in reaction of that command.

The one who reacted in place of that was Kazuki.

“Beatrix, come with me!”

Not as a swordsman but as a magic swordsman, he would swing his sword. At the same time, [he called on a comrade he could rely on].

“Kazuki, add [chan] when you are calling my name! Fuhahahaha…I will have a good fight, welcoming a good death, and hope to participate in even more battles in the heavens! Divine protection of blood color in my eye! Berserk!!”

“It’s a melee, just bring it on zee! …We act in accordance of Hodur’s wish, entrust the exaltation of battle in our body too! The blood and fat running in my sword the wartime fire of fury!! Stories Flame!”

“I have to engage in a close quarters battle too? …O billowing stormy sea, envelop my hand and become the whip that lashed at small thing! Undulating Sea SnakeFlöte Schlange!!”

Each one of the Einherjar who had close-range combat specialization went along behind Kazuki.

“I reach my hand to the height of Babel and become the suppressor! In accordance with my life O lightning, praise the foolhardiness of the human race! Blitzkrieg!!”

“O unrivaled master, perform once more from beyond the dream! Along with the flame of transformation, liberate the locked memory inside the silver mirror right here!! Kenki Tensei!!”

Lotte too equipped her electromagnetic lance and followed after Kazuki, Kazuha-senpai summoned the phantom of swordsmen, “Kanamaki Jisai, Yoshioka Kenbou, Miyamoto Munisai, go!” she directed him toward the enemy.

“Just a mob of swordsmen, I’m going to test just how much resolve you all have in challenging us…”

Kaguya-senpai too, she plunged alone into the crowd of the swordsmen.

“…No hesitation even when thy curse also wounds me…shared pain is my great joy! Cry and scream in the mirror's reflection! Suicide Black!”

Kaguya-senpai’s figure was covered with black haze. The swordsmen of Yamato swung down their katana all at once at Kaguya-senpai―the screams from the reflected agony reverberated.

“O the god of death’s whispering voice tired of waiting for the visitor, resound widely and deeply, dye the dream with agony! Resound O evil sound of sadism! Ultra Violence!!”

Kaguya-senpai made the evil voice of Ultra Violence resound. The swordsmen of Yamato were writhing around and lost their will to fight. He didn’t know for what purpose these guys were added to Yamato's forces, but they didn’t have any of the needed determination that could make them fight with Kaguya-senpai.

The close-range combat capability of Kazuki and the others pushed back the disorderly mob of swordsmen. The worst damage of having the rear that was in the middle of chanting getting interrupted was averted, the third years breathed a sigh of relief and they got carried by a calm atmosphere.

The students had completely recovered from the mayhem and began to make a comeback in the midst of the battle.

However…was it fine like this.

The leading actor who was the first to protect the third years, Kazuki harbored an out of place feeling inside his heart.

Performing an ambush at Kanon's independent brigade, who were made up of the students of the Knight Academy when they were going to link up at Shizuoka as added reinforcements, and then the surprise attack by posing as refugees and circling to their back...That pincer tactics.

This tactic, it was impossible to be realized without the enemy inferring beforehand that today Kanon-senpai would pass through this road at exactly this time. Moreover this enemy force passed through the military boundary line that was supposed to be currently guarded by the Knight Order and easily invaded like this.

[However he thought about it, this was a surprise attack that should not have happened.]

“…Earth Lava FlowFire Stone Flood!”

Large scale enemy offensive magic―the asphalt of the road was developing extensive cracks, from there lava was bursting out. It rained down incessantly on the whole formation of students.

On top of that magic's destructive power, the traces of magic power waves in made Kazuki gasp in realization.

…He had some experience with this magic power. The [Earth Snake] that was together with Kaya, this magic power owner was that man who was contracted with Midgardsomr. Loki’s gang was also added in this enemy force.

Defensive magic reduced the force of the lava flow and the students also endured with Resist. Even when the swordsmen fell down they immediately stood back up and slashed at the enemies, the Magica Stigma maintained their concentration and continued chanting.

“Heart Disorder Heaven DanceShinran Tenbu!”

Ame no Uzume―the avatar of Japanese Mythology’s entertainment god that was clad in bright crimson garment floated in the middle of the battlefield, then she started to dance with a twirl. The Sword Division students in the frontline that witnessed it wobbled, their sanity disappeared from their eyes, and they began attacking each other.

“If it's that kind of attack then it’s exactly the chance I've been waiting for! …I become the shrine maiden of the sword. Rock cleaved, root torn, sin severed, that spirit sword of crushing evil right now in this hand! Draw sword, Futsu no Mitama!!”

Kazuha-senpai brandished the sword of crushing evil, returning the sanity of the swordsmen who lost their minds one after another.

“O goddess that arrives in the future accepting the abuse of people…change that darkness into deadly poison, vomit it all around! Slander the foolishness of these people!! Poison Argument!!”

In reverse Mibu-senpai scattered bubbles of nerve poison and dulled the movements of the enemy swordsmen.

“Way to go, when you all calmed down properly, this side’s magic skill and support power is much greater compared to the enemy!”

Kanon-senpai raised her voice and inspired everyone.

“We've also finished with our chanting here! Brace yourselves right now!!”

The third years that were protected and covered by Kazuki and the others were finally finishing with their chanting of high level magic successively. Finally the power of Magic Division’s highest school grade was made apparent―,

“Come on Akane! Match your breath, we are going to make a big haul for sure-!!”

“Right, Kanon!” Both of them lined up their shoulders and nodded to one another.

Kanon-senpai altered her clothes into a Magic Dress that emitted a clear bluish-white light.

At her side, an avatar of a beautiful angel burning in blue flame was floating.

Kanon-senpai's contracted Diva was―<Belial>. She was a god of Phoenicia similar with Baal, but she was an existence that was altered into the worst fallen angel by Christianity.

“O angel covered with wounds waving the blue flag of rebellion…under the justification of [worthlessness] liberate that looked down upon silent anger! Blue Lotus that Descend from HeavenEmission Flare!!”

When Kanon-senpai commanded Belial, several streaks of blue light poured down from heaven like lightning. That light spread out through the battlefield like an overflowing flood.

There were bluish-white flames. The flame changed color because of its high heat from red to blue and from blue to white―that heat's intensity possessing [blue color] rivaled the energy possessed by the stars in space.

The blue flame representing Belial’s fury spread out in the battlefield burning down the arrogant people. With force that even Kanon-senpai herself couldn’t hold back, friend and ally, everything in the battlefield was going to be swallowed….

―Akane-senpai too finished her chanting at the same time.

Akane-senpai was clad in a Magic Dress that was similar with traditional garmentsheath dress of Egypt’s attire. At her side, with the face of an owl, the body of a wolf and snake for a tail; the figure of a devil with atypical appearance was floating.

Akane-senpai’s contracted Diva was―<Amon>. <Amon> of Egyptian Mythology likewise had its figure degraded into a devil for being a pagan god.

“To all phenomenon of heaven, riding the wind bursting out from those wings…O wind of god, wash away the foundation of the world and rule it as I see fit! Divinity Elements TideRizomata Mastery!!”

Terrific wind burst out in Akane-senpai’s surroundings. When Akane-senpai moved her hand like a conductor giving commands, that wind was controlled in accordance with her desires, it was heading to Yamato’s forces and swept over them.

Every element that existed―flame and water and lightning brought forth by magic on this battlefield was swallowed by that wind and were flowing away inside it.

The wind of the god of atmosphere Amon put all energy under its rule and became a tidal current of power.

Even the raging mad blue flame that Kanon-senpai released, just before it swallowed and dragged even allies inside it, was entwined with Akane-senpai’s divine wind. That divine wind rotated violently forming a sphere, pressing together the blue flame until it turned into something like a line of light inside the small sphere.

That light of fire was compressed even further until it was the size of a grain of light like a shining star in the night sky. ―Condensing heat above 20000°C, an ultra density flame. He already couldn’t understand how much energy it currently possessed.

―When Akane-senpai waved her hand once more, the grain of light became a line of lightleyline and danced in the middle of the enemy formation. The enemy swordsmen and magicians that were touched by that line immediately collapsed. The extraordinary heat took away all their magic power in an instant. With delicate direction Akane-senpai was running the line of light from one enemy to the next driving them to just before an instant death.

Kanon-senpai produced an energy so enormous that even she couldn’t control, while Akane-senpai amplified, controlled it precisely and distributed it to the enemies―it was a combination that really demonstrated both of their personalities just as it was. With a silence as if a sparkler was losing its light, the blue dot of energy burned away all its flame. On the battlefield, dozens of enemies were lying down in unconsciousness.

Quality was far more important than quantity in magic…this was a sight that really impressed that truth once more into him. Just two Magica Stigma had consigned dozens of enemies into oblivion in one attack.

It was a destructive enough power that brought about a complete change in the battle situation. …As expected from third years. For the first time Kazuki really felt aware of that fact. And then the third years were not only these two.

The ten other third years that Kanon-senpai brought along also finished the chanting of their high level magic all at once right at this time. The battle was over with this―everyone was able to be convinced of that.

The third year seniors directed their Targeting at the enemy formation and ended their chanting―at that moment, an unlikely voice could be heard.

“Target change!”

It was a voice he had heard somewhere. The inside of Kazuki’s head became pure white, his memory flipped over to the past. Where he had heard this voice was…when he was going on a date with Hikaru-senpai. That time when he was attacked by the students of the Magic Division that were brainwashed. The voice of Hayashi Shizuka.

This voice was when Hayashi Shizuka [gave out the command to the humans she had brainwashed].

Why was this voice, right here at this time and place….

When he turned his eyes to the direction of the voice, inside the crowd of Yamato’s magicians―Hayashi Shizuka was there. When her eyes met Kazuki, The face of the girl that looked like a noh mask warped in a broad grin. An expression of triumph, ridiculing Kazuki.

The next instant, an abnormality occurred in the magic power waves of the third years that were going to activate their magic.

Assaulted by a premonition of unknown terror, Kazuki directed his sight at the faces of the third years.

The expression of the third years made a complete change into that of expressionless and soulless wax statues. Emotion fell out from their eyes, their mouths that were in the middle of chanting spells became half-opened.

Completely like the students that attacked Kazuki at the public park, a blank face.

Post-hypnotism―as if when a fixed requirement was triggered that their minds were suddenly converted into a brainwashed condition.

The third years who were forming a rank of troops horizontally facing the enemy force changed their formation even though no one was commanding it. The five people in the right wing faced Kazuki in a twirl, the five people in the left wing faced Kanon-senpai’s way in a twirl. And then the target of the magic that was on the verge of invocation―were overwritten to target Kazuki and Kanon-senpai.

A movement that was twisted forcibly by a third party’s will. Kazuki couldn’t Foresight such movement. With a delay that was really unlike Kazuki, he understood the situation. The third years' offensive magic was on the scale of level 7-8, five of them at once were taking aim at him. Both evasion and defense wouldn’t make it in time.

“Wh, why…!?” Kanon-senpai too was just the same as him.

The girls were brainwashed without anyone noticing it. When…?

“O rage of the bottom of the earth…release the prohibition right here, reduce to ashes the arrogance on the earth with the ardour of ancient times…Lava Flow EruptionVolcanic Geyser.”

“Time is circling, drawing a circle, the history is repeated inevitably, awaken the once forgotten era…leave behind everything inside the dream, to the era of glaciers…Absolute Ice WorldIce Age.”

“O unyelling sage Dantalion’s infinite power of words…change the wisdom of eternity into blade, gouge out deeply the depth of the heart, burn and crumble the reason with that interdiction…Last WordLast Word.”

“Lethargy is changed into degeneration before long, tears are finally changed into blood, reverberating screams will surely change into ascending souls in the end…O Laruvaseed of malicelurking in the back of the world, wolf down the living souls…Festival of NightmareCurse Stream.”

“O beast where heaven’s most important seven stars are residing in that body, descend down to this land while shaking down the earth, gulp down the stagnating people with that large jaw…Saturn’s Great CrocodileChronos Crocodile.”

Enormous lava was, sublime freezing air was, thought waves that would destroy the mind were, vengeful ghosts that would eat his soul were and a fierce beast of the underworld were all approaching Kazuki at once.

A clear premonition of death froze his brain. Resist…no, to use general magic for things like reducing the might of five different kinds of magic at the same time was impossible with the skills that he had. They got him!

“…DANGER!” At that time, there was only one person who could react against Kazuki’s predicament.

A surprise attack that couldn’t be reacted with Foresight. What could react against such attacks was only the strengthening of reflexes nerves. [Berserk]―The magician that was able to do that, there was only one person in this place.

In front of Kazuki’s eyes―a large powerful back of a female was forcing her way through in front of him.

“BEATRIX!!” Kazuki spontaneously yelled to that back.

“I told you, add ‘chan’ on…GUU!!” All the magic hit the girl right from the front. From the body of the girl, defensive magic power was shining with light as if all the magic power that she had was exploding.

You can really joke about adding ‘chan’ in this kind of situation!!?

Not ae to sustain her Access, Beatrix’s appearance transformed back to her black Einherjar uniform. She collapsed into Kazuki’s chest.

…The damage didn’t penetrate to her flesh. Kazuki confirmed that fact in a panic.

“Beatrix, why are you, for me…”

“Why, you ask…. That’s because love is an irrational thing, right…”

While saying words that sounded like a joke, Beatrix slumped inside Kazuki’s arm and fainted after losing her strength. Magic intoxication―even though there was no damage to her body, her mind was burdened radically. Could she wake up if it kept like this, how long it would take until she opened her eyes again, he didn’t know at all.

“Che, I missed the chance to kill him.” From afar, the sound of Hayashi Shizuka clicking her tongue rang out. “Give him the finishing blow!”

The third years that had blank faces directed their aim at the two people who became defenseless with magic intoxication and wounds.

“Everyone…are you all sane!?” Akane-senpai rebuked her comrades’ action.

“Captain…shitt! What are we going to do!?”

“We are Ægir’s, grant me the terror of the unknown depth of the ocean! The stormy seas that toy with the small people, to me…Himinglæva!”

Eleonora produced a wall of ocean to defend Beatrix and Kanon-senpai. These two people right now would get a fatal wound even if they only got hit with just one attack.

“Draw sword, Futsu no Mitama!!”

Kazuha-senpai who sensed the situation dashed near from the back and slashed at the third years.

The sanity of the third years returned with one slash of evil crushing. “Eh…huh, I, what am I…?” Being surprised and stunned, in an unbelievable situation―they looked down at their leader who was laying on the ground.

Disturbance ran through all the knight regiment members. The swordsmen who had been holding out for a long time to become the shield of the Magica Stigma directed eyes of despair toward the scene where their leader got defeated by friendly fire inside their own formation.

“Keep it up and crush them! Go!!” He could hear Hayashi Shizuka raising a piercing cry.

“Otouto-kun, get a hold of yourself! Akane-senpai too!”

Kaguya-senpai scolded Kazuki who was still dumbfounded. Akane-senpai who was still holding up Kanon-senpai with her head hanging down also lifted her face. They went on resuming the battle.

“I’m sorry, Eleonora-san.”

Giving his gratitude to Eleonora who was protecting them, Kazuki laid Beatrix down.

“…Land Escape!”

In front of Kazuki’s eyes, the ground split all of a sudden. From that crack the illegal magician―[Earth Snake]’s figure was leaping out. His hand was holding a sword made of rock in reverse grip. “…Di, die!” With inarticulate speaking tone, he aimed at Beatrix who was in a state of magic intoxication.

He passed through Eleonora’s wall of sea by digging underground like a mole.

“UOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” Kazuki roared in order to clear away his shock and drew his katana.

The rock sword Earth Snake used in his surprise attack was repelled with his Iai draw.

The instant their blades touched, Kazuki redirected the opponent’s power using <Instant Positioning>, breaking Earth Snake's posture.

“…O Divine Protection of military men, double the Megin whirling in my body! The will of god spurring me to infinite battle, in this body! …Megingjord!”

What Kazuki immediately chanted was Beatrix’s magic.

Doubling the physical strength of his whole body, his second returning slash swung downward with twice the destructive power on Earth Snake.

“GUGAA!” Raising a scream Earth Snake rolled on the ground. “Guge…Land…” Realizing his failure in the assassination, he tried to escape using magic for going underground. “Esca…”

“…O divine protection of mermaid, stop the steps of the hateful enemy, please hasten the steps of the chosen person…. O ice blade, run! Moves in the Field!”

Koyuki’s cool and clear voice reverberated, then the ground froze. The Earth Snake who was leaping to the ground face first crashed severely on the surface that had been frozen over with ice. Koyuki plundered his right of rule of the ground.

Koyuki launched a flying kick with feet clad in boots of ice blade toward Earth Snake rolling on the ground. Keeping her pace she stepped on him with complex footwork and minced him. Having an ice dance performed on top of his own body, Earth Snake opened his eyes wide in fear and fainted. “…Kazuki, are you okay?”

“Thank you, I’m fine already. …I can fight. We have to defeat that girl. If we don’t defeat Hayashi Shizuka from the very beginning then anybody else…I have a hunch that it would become very grave later on.”

Inside Kazuki’s head, that premonition completely filled him. There were emotions inside him that were really close with hatred and repugnance. However surpassing such individualistic emotions, a terrifying premonition welled up inside him.

“Retreat! Retreaat―!”

However contrary to Kazuki’s thought, that kind of voice was starting to appear from inside the enemy forces.

The enemy army simultaneously began to move in withdrawal. While receiving covering fire from the illegal magicians the enemy swordsmen turned their backs, like a retreating wave they were drawing back from this place.

In no time at all the figures of the enemies were no longer visible.

Why are those guys retreating―he soon understood why they were doing so.

From the other side of the road he could hear the sounds of engines, knights who were riding on military vehicles were rushing here one after another. The Knight Orders at the military boundary line’s garrison noticed the disturbance and finally came here. The enemy army noticed the reinforcements one beat faster and before they became the ones who met with a pincer attack this time, they retreated in a hurry.

However the sensation of having finally repelled the enemy couldn’t be felt for even a bit inside Kazuki and the others.

Part 3

When the Knight Order that was rushing here grasped the situation that befell Kazuki and the others, they immediately made contact with the garrison and called a new military bus here. Taking a ride in that bus, Kazuki and the others headed to the garrison once more.

They gathered and transported the students who fell into magic intoxication in the battle and also the enemy soldiers who also fell into magic intoxicated and arrested on the spot.

The temporary garrison that was built for the sake of security in the military boundary line was located a very short distance from where they were attacked. By the time all the students arrived, the sun had already sunk into the horizon.

The temporary garrison was originally the hotel and public facilities that were located in the prefectural border and were confiscated to be used only for the knights to reside there. There was no special facility or the like at all here.

Though having said that, it was not like there was any surplus in the number of rooms available, so the room allocation became arranged for two people per room.

However, without even confirming who the partner he would be rooming with was, Kazuki headed to Akane-senpai’s room.

“Hayashizaki Kazuki…I have something to talk with you about.”

The moment he came out to the hall, Eleonora and Damian were waiting for Kazuki.

“Beatrix is…?” Kazuki inquired hesitantly.

“Captain is still unconscious and hasn’t opened her eyes.” Eleonora answered back with a cold voice.

“In this incident, because we were made to follow the sloppy tactics of Japan's Knight Order, serious damage had been inflicted to the Einherjar. That’s what I’m thinking.”

“…What did you say?”

“Don’t you think that this incident is enough reason to discontinue the stance of cooperation between Japan's Knight Order and Einherjar for Loki’s subjugation? We are going to wash our hands from this incident.”

“Wa, just wait a second there!? I haven’ heard anythin’ about this at alll!?”

Damian cut in from the side.

“You said you have something you want to talk about with Hayashizaki Kazuki so I thought 'what the hell this is about'…this didna make sense at all doncha’ agree!? This incident happen ‘cause Capt’n Beatrix just stuck her nose where it didna belong on her own, we haven’ even defeated Loki yet! If it had become like this then we shoulda’ take revenge for cap’n with our own hand, that’s the spirit of an admirable Einherjar right!? I said taking revenge but cap’n still haven’ died yet though!”

“Damian…this war is a losing battle. Right now Japan's Knight Order is exactly a ship made of mud . [To allow that kind of surprise attack] to happen, they have no chance in this war. We should disembark from this sinking ship even a second faster.”

Allowing that kind of surprise attack to happen…, sinking ship…, Kazuki too had the exact same feeling to what Eleonora was saying. Unconsciously, bitterness colored Kazuki’s expression. Eleonora, looking at Kazuki's expression “…So you understand the situation” having said that her expression became a little sympathetic.

“Wait wait wait! Whether or not there is any chance to win, that shoulda be thought later on after we beat up the enemy right―!” Damian spoke out an outrageous sentence. “There are enemies we’ve reason to defeat right in front of us yet we just run away, for Einherjar that is something absolutely unforgivablee―, if it’s cap’n Beatrix that’s what she woulda say ze!!”

“…Do you think you can fight with that kind of muscle brain thinking…!”

“Are you and Ægir cowards!? You won’t get to aim for Valhalla like that!”

“…Understood. If you say that much, then you and Hodur just do as you like.”

Eleonora turned on her heel and went to leave from the other side of the corridor.

“…Our bad. Even though Erii is like that but that ‘cause she really like cap’n. …Next, when you are gonna sortie out just give the call only to me.”

Damian too left behind such words before she went to leave from the other side of the hall.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“How unlucky for you huh! You might be planning to be alone with Akane just the two of you by going to Akane’s room, but I’m already awake✩”

When he entered Akane-senpai’s room, Kanon-senpai's bright voice greeted Kazuki.

This room was shared between Akane-senpai and Kanon-senpai. Kanon-senpai who had fell into magic intoxication had already woken up. She directed a smiling face to Kazuki while still laying on her bed.

“…At that moment, I still had my Rizomata Mastery barely activated, so I could redirect the energy of the offensive magic going toward Kanon slightly. However, Beatrix Baumgard had gotten completely hit…”

The expression of Akane-senpai who was standing beside the bed was dark as if she was ashamed of the damage that came out.

“Well, I exposed an unsightly figure there…this is by no means a lost battle okay✩ We got some damage on our side, but we had also managed to capture several of the enemies on the other side see✩…That’s why cheer up, Akane.”

Kanon-senpai who pretended bravado with cheerful act encouraged Akane-senpai.

“So then Hayashizaki Kazuki…what do you think about what had just happened?” With a serious face, Kanon-senpai looked back at Kazuki. “Because there is something you understand so you came here right?”

Kazuki conveyed the matter regarding Hayashi Shizuka and her ability as far as he knows to the two of them.

―Her contracted Diva was Joka.

The greatest trait of that Diva was to strengthen and resurrect allies, granting such powerful Divine Protection freely.

However Yamato’s forces were not resurrected at the battle this time. …Most likely because the number of people was too many, or possibly the effect couldn’t be demonstrated except for underlings and servants that directly obeyed Hayashi Shizuka herself. It means that Hayashi Shizuka was nothing more than a guest and her nature of relationship with Yamato’s soldiers was too thin.

And then one more trait of hers was brainwashing power. She could manipulate the hearts of humans that had fallen into magic intoxication.

Kanon-senpai and Akane-senpai made a face of understanding.

“…In other words, everyone aside from us…the other third years fell into magic intoxication in battle at that time when Nagoya surrendered and then they were brainwashed there. After that they linked up with us as the remnant of the defeated army…”

There was no doubt that the seed of calamity was planted in Kanon-senpai and the others at that time.

Post hypnotism―in order to make them change into a brainwashed state when they heard the voice of Hayashi Shizuka, a suggestion was implanted into the third years.

“How pathetic!” Akane-senpai raised a loud voice with her head still hanging low and she hit the wall with her fist. “Just because they are comrades we know by sight…we didn’t suspect at all those girls who were just escaping from the enemy’s occupied territory! Even though we might have noticed it if only we cautiously used Telepathy!!”

"Akane, don’t say something unreasonable. We didn’t know about this brainwashing beforehand, so suspecting them or anything is just absurd talk. We only thought of wanting to increase our battle strength even for just a little with everyone. Also, for the moment I am the leader that was decided by everyone. Don’t burden yourself with the responsibility alone.”

Even after listening to Kanon-senpai’s words, Akane-senpai was still “Kuu…!” let out a pained sound. Akane-senpai’s personality might be of those who tend to drive themselves into a corner.

However this was not a circumstance where he could give her some peace of mind.

“…What we should be anxious of is not only about the matter of the brainwashed third years.”

Kazuki said with a heavy feeling. Rather, the matter just now was already a solved problem. Thanks to Kazuha-senpai, all the third years had been released from the brainwashed state.

“An even graver problem is how the enemy sensed all of our actions and movements and then ambushed us in our own territory. Those guys passed through the military boundary line, inferred our location and then assaulted us. …They have been doing whatever they pleased far too much.”

If this kind of situation continues, saying it clearly, this war wouldn’t even be a fight for the enemy.

“…!” Akane-senpai’s face lost even more color when she raised her face. Looks like she fret over her failure in not doubting her comrades too much that she didn’t think of that at all.

“The knights in this garrison, they are doing security in order to not let the people of Yamato come and go as they pleases aren’t they?” Kazuki inquired for the moment. Kanon-senpai nodded with a bob. It was obvious.

“In other words there is a traitor here.”

“That, you mean someone was brainwashed by Joka to become a spy!?”

“No, the brainwashed state by Joka is not a perfect technique that can deceive the surrounding people that are close to you. The brainwashed human looked unnatural with how their emotions became diluted, so it’s definitely impossible to do a spy’s work or something like that over a long period of time.”

Joka’s brainwashing was not flawless. It was only manipulating a really small part of the heart in a really short period.

“Without any influence of brainwashing, there were already traitors of Kenshitou inside the Knight Order and the government of this country right from the start. And then there is Chūkadou as Kenshitou’s backer.”

“Chūkadou, you said…?”

The trouble that happened in the Knight Academy’s battle election was not something known by Kanon-senpai and Akane-senpai who were nothing more than the lowest member of the Knight Order. Kazuki explained the circumstances of the incident where assassins from China came attacking Kazuki and how the former Board Chairman Takasugi tried to take over the academy to the two senpai.

“As for how we are gathering in Shizuoka…the enemy might be able to predict that even without any information just from the point of how we are going to try to recover Nagoya, which is an important transport position. But for the enemy to completely know about when we're going to finally arrive and what road we're taking…it’s just like what you said, there is a traitor that was inserted in a fairly high position in the top brass of the Knight Order isn’t there? If it had become like this then they will be perfectly waiting in ambush for this side’s offensive. From now on they will be preparing surprise attacks each time we are going out for any kind of action…like this we cannot move thoughtlessly.”

Akane-senpai hung her head down with a faint-hearted expression.

“The best aspect of superiority for the offensive side is how they could choose the location of fighting you know? Originally, the defensive side has to divide all their battle strength between the three points of Toyama・Gifu・Aichi because they don’t know where we are going to attack. However if they obtained the information of where we are going to attack ahead of time from the traitor, they can concentrate their battle strength in one place and wait for us in the targeted place. In other words it’s the same as if the number of enemies has tripled. For information to become leaked is something like that.”

It was something Kazuki hadn’t learned in class, but he nodded. It was something obvious if he thought of it carefully, but it was something that made him think ‘I see’ when it was said to him…the basis of <tactical theory>.

“With this our plan to counterattack when seeing a change is discontinued. We absolutely cannot move to counterattack. If we don’t wait patiently until we have collected the battle strength of eastern Japan as much as possible…I have to inform the regiment commander…”

Regimental commander―if this talk was forwarded to the commander of Shizuoka regiment, next it would go through to the division commander of Kanto Koushin’etsu division, and then from there it would reach the top brass of the Knight Order for sure.

…With that transmission mechanism, this information would surely also reach Yamato's spies.

In panic, Kazuki restrained Akane-senpai who was even now trying to make contact with her cell phone.

“Please wait, if senpai reported that then it will also inform the opponent of how [we had noticed the traitor], it would alert them.”

“That is true but, there is no reason we can just leave this alone right? If we don’t take defensive action…”

“No, I think it’s a mistake for us to even enter defensive action.”

Akane-senpai asked “Eh?” back to Kazuki who was talking stubbornly. Kanon-senpai too had her eyes opened wide and was staring at him. Surely that was because they never thought that a junior of theirs would be objecting this straight forwardly against them.

“We should sortie out to attack them immediately tonight. In order to not let the traitor leak out the information to the enemy, the surprise attack must be conducted with only the members of the Knight Academy.”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

A silence that was doubting Kazuki’s words flowed for a while.

“…And the basis for your idea to immediately sortie out in offense?” Akane-senpai inquired in a harsh tone of voice.

“Because if it keeps like this then it would become more disadvantageous the longer the battle goes on. This whole day, I kept thinking on my own about in what way we should fight in this battle called a [magic war] but…”

“How should we fight in a magic war, is it?”

This magic war that the human race hasn’t experienced personally still doesn’t have any tried and tested tactics.

That was why the people concerned must figure it out for themselves and started thinking from scratch.

“In this magic war, the power of humans is everything. Even if all the territory of the country is occupied from the battle’s damage, even if the economy shifted completely toward one side, it still doesn’t mean defeat. Shaving off the military force is everything.”

In the wars of the previous era, the power of a country had direct relationship with their military power. For the sake of advancing the battle in a more advantageous position they performed weapons research, mass production, managing maintenanc...they had to invest in all of that. An all out war where the battle was supported by the nation’s everything. If the national power tilted in one way then the victory was decided.

But this war between Japan and Yamato was different. The military power was decided only by the quality and quantity of the swordsmen and Magica Stigma. When it was like this the victory condition became [whether the opponent’s army was annihilated or not].

Even if there was only one person standing, even if the foundation called a country was lost, if only they still had the will to fight then they could still continue to fight. Though at that stage it would become closer to guerilla warfare or terrorism rather than a war.

“Certainly it’s just like what you said…. This is not an all-out war, but an extermination war.” Akane-senpai nodded.

“However, why has that become the reason to hurry in attacking?”

“…There are Divas called Loki and Nyarlatoteph in Yamato’s camp. When the power of Joka is added there, I have this feeling that a frightening result will occur from that combination. Though it would be great if this is just a needless anxiety.”

Loki・Nyarlatoteph・Hayashi Shizuka…it was the worst trio that made him want to cover his eyes. Their extreme personalities scattered out a terrible atmosphere. He had already felt sick just from remembering each of their faces.

“Nyarlatoteph?” Kanon-senpai and Akane-senpai asked back.

Nyarlatoteph’s existence was also something that hadn’t become openly known by the society at large.

Kazuki who had arrived at a different thinking from the two senpai was because in the first place he had far more information than these two.

“For the sake of finding proof of my suspicion, there is something I want to confirm from the prisoners that were caught from the battle this time. I cannot meet with the prisoners just by myself so…can I ask for senpai’s mediation to arrange an interview with the prisoners?”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

There was a wine cellar built underground in this hotel that was confiscated to be the garrison. That place which had no entrance except for one spot was the most suitable to be turned into a dungeon as long as security was performed there. The prisoners were attached with Limiters for illegal magicians and thrown inside that place.

There was binding on them but many of them were still suffering from magic intoxication.

Akane-senpai left behind Kanon-senpai who was still in convalescence in their room and led Kazuki to the dungeon.

Kazuki stopped at Lotte’s room in the middle of the way and asked her to accompany him.

“Thanks for your hard work.” Akane-senpai greeted the young man who had the shift of guarding the dungeon.

That knight who was greeted had his expression colored in shock and happiness when he saw Kazuki.

“Hayashizaki Kazuki! Isn’t this Hayashizaki Kazuki! …Long time no see! I heard the story already from Amasaki-sensei. Right now hasn’t something great happened to you in the academy, huh Chief Student Council President!”

After Kazuki got taken aback for an instant, he finally remembered late of the other party’s name and face.

“…Kondou-san! Thank you very much for that time. If I didn’t have the Sacred Treasure that was entrusted from Kondou-san, it would really have become very dangerous there. Because of that I was found innocent in the end.”

“Aa, for you to be cleared from all misunderstanding was also thanks to the influence of Amasaki-sensei right?”

Kondou Hajime―he was the knight that got involved at that time when Kazuki was attacked by Beatrix in the Quest that he challenged together with Lotte. After that, for the sake of Kazuki who was challenging Beatrix, he lent [Raikiri] to Kazuki without concern for himself. However, why was he here…?

“Your face is wondering why I’m here. Even though you remember my name and face, it’s impossible to remember until my self-introduction too huh. Remember, my title is <Police Knight> attached to <Chubu Jurisdiction Division>, Kondou Hajime.”

“You said Chubu Jurisdiction…does that mean that Kondou-san was in the battle of that time!?”

“Aa, I fought at Nagoya, I escaped with Akane-chan there and Kanon-chan. …But for you to come here, how reassuring. I know very well how strong you are after all!”

“So Kondou-san and Kazuki are acquaintances?” Akane-senpai inquired with her eyes wide opened.

“That’s right, various things happened. Akane-chan, this guy is a really awesome junior you know. …Oops, you have some business with the prisoners right? If it’s Akane-chan and Kazuki then I don’t need to worry, just go through here.”

Kondou-san opened the dungeon for them, then Kazuki, together with Lotte, searched for the one person they came here for among the restrained prisoners―they approached [Earth Snake].

“Lotte…can you do something like confirming his mental state with Telepathy? There is no equipment for Telepathy scans here after all, so to make up for it, can you?”

“What is it that I need to confirm desu?”

“Confirm whether he is still Possessed by a Diva or not inside his mind.”

“!?” Akane-senpai’s expression froze in place.

“…Divas that are attempting to take over the flesh of humans won’t part with the host body that they occupied that easily you know? It should be like that. Because in order to erode the ego of their host up to this point should take a long time for the Diva.”

Akane-senpai said. Some Divas that held hostility towards humans whispered sweet words about how they would grant power and then possess the human. After that they would encroach into the host’s mind slowly in their attempt to take over the host .

To do that they needed a long time. Even when Loki stole Kaya’s body, also when Nyarlatoteph stole the body of former Headmaster Otonashi, both of them needed many long years to succeed.

Once those Divas parted with the host body, the eroded mind would go back to how it once was and their hard work until that point would come to completely nothing. That was why even in the case that their host got arrested, nevertheless they shouldn’t part with that body so easily―originally speaking.

Lotte went along with what Kazuki said and reached out a line of blue light to Earth Snake. Through this link of magic power Lotte was searching around in Earth Snake's mind. Only after a moment Lotte expressed her conclusion.

“It’s empty. There is no Diva inside him.”

Just as he expected it really was like that. That was surely why Earth Snake fought in a suicidal way like that.

“That’s absurd! Then there is no meaning at all in taking this guy prisoner!!”

“Midgardsormr, who possessed this guy, had already possessed a different human and he is going to return to the front line soon. When I said that it will be disadvantageous for us when this war becomes a protracted battle, this is the reason why.”

Magica Stigmas of the Knight Order and the Knight Academy summoned the power of Solomon's 72 Pillars by means of their Contract with the Pillars. But for the illegal Magicians of Yamato, every one of them used power by means of Possessed Summoning.

The knights and the students of the Knight Academy were defeated until they fell into magic intoxication, became the prisoners of Yamato, if in the worst case they were killed, this was an obvious fact but there was no replacement for them.

Then in regards to that, the illegal magicians of Yamato could keep coming back endlessly as long as they had a new host.

“For Divas to possess the human’s body should take a fairly long time. At the very least it would take one year. Then, it would be fine if we just make sure to end the fight before that process got finished.”

“Perhaps it won’t even take one year. There are Loki, Nyarlatoteph and Joka in the enemy camp.”

They couldn’t continue the story even more than this in this kind of place. Kazuki proposed to leave the wine cellar. [There may be someone listening in on their conversation, they needed to constantly pay attention.]

They said goodbye to Kondou-san and after accompanying Lotte back to her room, they returned to Akane-senpai and Kanon-senpai’s room. Kazuki explained the happenings in the wine cellar.

“Loki, Nyarlatoteph and Joka, [each of them has their own approach] in driving humans mad that they specialized in. The crazier the host’s mind becomes, the easier it would become for the Diva to encroach.”

Joka had the power of falsification. She overwrote a part of human’s mind, and with that she could stuff a small madness inside.

Nyarlatoteph entered through a weak spot and small madness of the heart. From there he could drive a person into insanity all at once. He made use of former Headmaster Otonashi’s guilt in repeating human experiments and destroyed the headmaster’s mind. There was also the time when he entered through Koyuki’s emotion of self-denial and took over her body right on the spot.

And then for Loki’s method of taking over a human’s heart, he could boast that he himself had a thorough knowledge of it.

If those threes' abilities were used in turn like a baton relay―Joka planting madness inside the mind, and then Nyarlatoteph using that madness as a foothold to corner the person into insanity in one go, finally Loki would make his Diva comrades to possess the person…they could manufacture illegal magicians in an efficient way like a factory producing canned food.

“If those guys combined their power, they could prepare human hosts in no time at all. This was why Midgardsormr could abandon the body of Earth Snake that easily.”

Lotte’s Telepathy had given credibility to Kazuki’s suspicion.

“We have to destroy this [illegal magicians reproduction cycle] without any delay. If we don’t then there is no chance of victory for us in this annihilation battle. And then I also think that tonight is the best chance to bring down Hayashi Shizuka. For the sake of manipulating the third years she brainwashed, Hayashi Shizuka participated in the battle this time. But I don’t think that she will participate anymore in the battles that come attacking us from now on.”

If it was Kazuki in Kaya’s place, then he would order such a thing for sure. He wouldn’t want to expose the important key of his tactics like Hayashi Shizuka to brave danger as much as possible, that was how it should be. Then Hayashi Shizuka would seclude herself in Yamato’s base.

When this side persisted in non-aggressive defense, they would eternally lose the chance to defeat Hayashi Shizuka.

Akane-senpai looked at Kazuki with eyes that seemed to say [I can’t believe it].

“…How are you able to predict anything and everything like that?”

“Whether it’s Loki, Nyarlatoteph or Joka too, I have fought them before. That’s all.”

“…That kind of experience is really abnormal. [You stand in the center of these incidents too much.] Despite how you are supposed to be just a student of the Knight Academy…”

That was…. Most likely that was because he is a <BasilleusKing>.

When Beatrix collapsed, for some reason Kazuki thought like that once more. I must be able to take action that is more befitting for a King.

“If right now we don’t let out our courage and move out for an offensive, if we enter defensive action, then that’s just what the enemy wants. I am an amateur in regards to war tactics but…as a swordsman facing the opponent, on top of constantly observing the opponent, [I must not do as the enemy expected] is something that I think is really important.”

Whether in a match or a game, pushing factors of uncertainty to your opponent was what is called tactics.

“If we sortie out in offense using the Knight Order, it will be reported to the top brass of the Knight Order and we have to get their approval, isn’t that right? For the lowest level of an organization to take action arbitrarily like attacking the enemy is absolutely unpermitted.”

“…Of course. Moving the soldiers as one pleases and conducting sorties can't be done. …The cause of concern is that if somewhere in the chain of command, the attack plan will be leaked through the traitor.”

“Yes. If we are attacking, we have to attack without allowing the plan to get leaked at all costs. That’s why tonight, we have to make a surprise attack using the students of the Knight Academy. If we move using only the students of the Knight Academy, we don’t need to follow the intentions of the Knight Order’s top brass. The highest authority in the Knight Academy is Headmaster Amasaki after all.”

There was no room for the traitor to come inside the simple chain of command of Kazuki and Headmaster Amasaki.

Tonight, if it had been decided that the Knight Order would not take any action until they had finished gathering the battle strength of eastern Japan, that condition would be conveyed to Yamato through the traitor. That negligence would enable the independent corps of the Knight Academy to make a surprise attack.

If this tactic succeeded, then pressure that [the traitor’s information was not omnipotent] could be conveyed to Yamato. Like that, the information from the traitor wouldn’t be able to be used effectively by Yamato.

It was vital to make the enemy feel confused.

He was an amateur in regards to war tactics, but if he perceived this battle as [a duel between him and Hayashi Shizuka], he naturally understood the moves that he should take. Kazuki had confidence in his own thought and stared at Akane-senpai directly. Akane-senpai looked down weakly from the pressure of that gaze.

“Even so, I cannot approve of a surprise attack by the students alone. It’s too dangerous to march into enemy territory from under their very nose. The rule of three times offensive power…it’s said that three times the battle strength of the enemy’s defense is needed to attack their encampment. According to Sun Tzu, we need ten times the battle strength of the defending side when making a siege against a castle don’t you know?”

Certainly there might be a theory like that.

However―a war where magic was used was something the human race hadn’t experienced personally yet. There was no tactic or the like that had been established and proven already, they had to puzzle it out by themselves from the ground up.

Kazuki thought back of that instant where the bus was destroyed in his first real battle.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily the case that the offensive side is in disadvantage compared to the defensive side.”

When Kazuki talked with that confident tone, Akane-senpai was “Eh?” and opened her eyes wide.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

…When Kazuki explained his idea, Akane-senpai wordlessly looked down.

“Let’s believe this guy, Akane. This is the junior that Kaguya is cherishing so much. Surely this guy is not just an ordinary person.”

Kanon-senpai interjected from the side.

“…That might be so.” Akane-senpai made an ambiguous reply.

“Akane. Usually I’m just constantly relying on you but, it’s fine for you too to learn to rely more on others. And then Hayashizaki Kazuki-! I recognized you but…don’t misunderstand! Until the very end you are…only getting recognized as nothing more than the right hand of this retired number Legendary Student Council President, Koudzuki・Fantastic・Kanon, okayy✩”

And then with a ‘kirarin ✩’, she winked at Kazuki.

[It’s no good if you don’t get the recognition from these two too you know, My King.]

Leme made her speech inside his mind.

Akane-senpai was “Fuu” and released a breath as if deciding in her heart. And then she talked promptly.

“Oh well. I’ll go along with your thinking. …Let’s put the arrangements in order. We won’t sortie together with you in this surprise attack, but we will give you our utmost cooperation with regards to the preparations. What we first need is, to inform the students about the situation…and then the method to break out from this hotel and also maybe wireless communication.”

Part 4

“…What’s with you, calling out someone like me.”

Before moving out to implement the plan for real, Kazuki wanted to talk with Kazuha-senpai and called her out to the hall.

“There's a little something I want to give to senpai…though it’s not really that significant.”

“Give me something?”

Kazuki suddenly presented a handmade bouquet created from the small flowers piling up in the hills and fields.

Suddenly presented with that gift, Kazuha-senpai was “Hahee!?” and let out a strange voice.

“This is because when we moved by bus and I looked outside the window, I saw beautiful flowers blooming on the hills.”

“Yo, you especially picked them up for me…?”

“Yes. The atmosphere had become bloodthirsty from the battle and the attack. I was wondering whether I could soften the atmosphere a little and when I realized it, I had dashed to gather this.”

Kazuki was out of breath and talked while sweat was showing on his forehead. Although there was Enchant Aura, making a round trip to the mountain that he noticed from inside the bus and back at this busy time was not easy.

“Are you an idiot doing something like that in this kind of situation!? Something like flowers…for someone like me…”

Kazuha-senpai’s face reddened and looked the other way with a huff.

“I’m sorry, is this a bother for senpai?”

“It’s a bother-! Even if I receive flowers in this kind of place, I don’t have anything like a flower vase, it’s just too pitiful for the flowers if it was plucked and then withered away!!”

“Is, is that so…” So the flowers are a failure, thinking that, Kazuki became despondent.

“…But to think of me when you looked at flowers and wanting to give them to me, even though you're tired after the fighting you went out of your way to collect them as a present for me….”

Kazuha-senpai hugged the flower bouquet tightly on her chest and then a large heart mark come flying.

“Kazuha-senpai, actually after this…”

Kazuki spoke frankly about his plan for launching a surprise attack on the enemy by the students of the Knight Academy after this.

Kazuha-senpai gulped after hearing the importance of the fact that was just disclosed for her. Kazuki said to the bewildered girl.

“That’s why if the plan goes well, please go on a date with me for the reward.”

Kazuha-senpai became taken aback with all strength leaving her body.

“What’s with that, when I thought that you were going to talk about a serious matter you suddenly asked for a reward!?”

“Because, if there is a reward waiting then I’ll be able to work even harder.”

“So you said that if you can go on a date with me then…you will be able to work harder?”

Kazuha-senpai asked Kazuki with an exhausted red face, as if she was utterly amazed by Kazuki’s approach. Her defense had been pushed back to the limit already. Kazuki nodded repeatedly with great enthusiasm.

“Correct. I want to go on a date with senpai and do romantic things.”

Kazuha-senpai kept averting her face without facing Kazuki.

However a heart mark came flying once more, then she talked with a reluctant appearance.

“…Okay. But, only if you make a great achievement and this plan is a success, only after that.”

Translator's Notes and References

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