Magika No Kenshi To Shoukan Maou:Volume 7

Novel Illustrations

These are the novel illustrations that were included in Magika No Kenshi To Shoukan Maou Volume 7

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  Cover and color illustrations
  

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Chapter 1 – Last ChanceTransient War Fire

―This strategy has become a battle for the sake of swordsmen.

Before the [urban war] began, Akane said those words and raised the morale of the swordsmen who were apt to feel menial and made the mood of the Magika Stigma who apt to act haughty tense.

Yokkaichi city that bordered the Aichi Prefecture functioned as the entrance to Mie prefecture and were boasted as <Alchemy Industry City> with the biggest population inside the prefecture. The large scale workshops that were lined in a row there gathering the trashscrap material from throughout Japan. The scrap materials were recycled using alchemy and re-manufactured as new products and then those were circulated once more throughout Japan. As the central part of sustainabilityenvironment durability for the current era Japan, this city was a metropolis that never slept, operating day and night.

When Japan’s Knight Order invaded the territory of Yamato from Nagoya to Mie prefecture, Yamato’s defensive army intercepted them in this industrial city. ―It was the raising of the curtain for an [urban war].

First, Japan’s Knight Order sieged the city where Yamato’s army was waiting in ambush. And then following the command of Akane who was the commander, that ring of siege was narrowed little by little.

“…Looks like these guys don't intend to forcibly bring this battle into a field battle like in Sekigahara.”

In the encampment far behind the front line of the battle, Kanon who was, like Akane, a commander, started such conversation to Akane. Different from a field battle where the field of vision was great, obstructed by the architectural structure of lined up buildings, they couldn’t take a look at the situation at the front lines from here.

During the [Magic War・Sekigahara], Yamato burned down private houses and fields of crops, turning it into a wasteland of rubble and met the advance of Japan, bringing the battle into a head-on collision without any petty tricks.

Kanon thought anxiously whether they would be doing the same thing again.

“After that, they met with large opposition from the people of west Japan haven't they?”

Akane answered mixed with a deep sigh.

“Until now Yamato made use of the pretext that [they obtained the divine protection from Japanese Mythology] as their flag to get the support from the people. However that pretense had been exposed. Right now Yamato’s foundation as a country had already become really tattered. They would not take such forceful strategy anymore.”

―With Kazuki’s success in his infiltration mission to Ise Imperial Shrine, the majority of Japanese Mythology’s Divas had returned to their senses from their Wild God state and withdrew their cooperation from Yamato.

Japanese Divas’ that were still cooperating with Yamato were only Divas from the [Izumo Faction]. There were two types of Japanese Diva, those who had their roots from Wakoku and those who had their roots from Izumo.

Yamato’s bluff that claimed [We are exactly the rightful ruler of Japanese archipelago that have obtained the divine protection of Japanese Mythology] had been exposed as a big fat lie due to Kazuki’s conspicuous service.

Surely right now the soldiers of Yamato were completely agitated as to what they really should believe in and fight for.

―The reality was, after that battle, the refugees from Yamato to Japan kept increasing day by day.

Right now, Yamato’s provisional government was being cornered both from the inside and outside.

“…If they burned down houses and fields like that, of course the rebuilding would be really difficult. As expected in war there is really nothing satisfactory huh.”

Even Kanon who had a bottomless cheerful personality became gloomy when she recalled the scene of the devastated wasteland.

Even in the case where alchemy was developed in this current era, rebuilding that wasteland of rubbles into what it was like before is not a simple matter. …Things like the town’s history and the people’s memories, there were things that by no means could be recovered just like how it originally was.

{There are none of Loki’s troops in the enemy’s camp! Those who use Summoning Magic are only a few Shrine Maidens and the reinforcement troops from China!}

Akane’s wireless device in her ear transmitted the voice of the swordsmen at the front line.

It seemed that Loki and the other illegal magicians withdrew their hands from Yamato.

It was a situation that Kazuki had informed her before, where he predicted that the situation might develop like that. When Kazuki infiltrated Ise Imperial Shrine, he caused friction between Loki and Aisu Ikousai who was an upper echelon of Kenshitou.

Loki betrayed his promise with Ikousai and the relation between the two became something impossible to restore.

From the previous battle, Yamato lost two of their important trump cards that were [Shrine Maidens] and [illegal magicians] simultaneously.

However they couldn’t let their guard down ― because of some unknown developments, Yamato received reinforcement from China.

“But that war where there is nothing satisfactory will soon see a ceasefire.”

Akane murmured with a distressed voice. By no mean was that fact something one could be happy about.

Because of China’s appearance―this war would soon end.

When China intervened in an internal conflict of Japan archipelago, the other Magic Advanced Countries also became unable to just stay quiet. They judged that this battle was [something dangerous that might destroy the balance of the world], and forcefully brought the war into a ceasefire. Right now, investigation teams and envoys should be dispatched to come to Japan.

That prediction brought impatience to the side of Japan. That by no means was something delightful.

“…We cannot welcome the ceasefire just like this.”

Akane’s eyes glinted. Therefore, [this strategy] was carried out with lightning speed. Before the ceasefire happened, they had to steal back as much as possible from Yamato.

{Contact with the enemy! Commencing battle!}

The wireless device informed Akane of the opening of hostilities right at that time.

Akane’s heart tightened, she felt a strong nervousness through her mind and body.

Yamato already wouldn’t take anymore forcible strategy like in Sekigahara. However….

“For the current Yamato an urban warfare cannot be necessarily said as something disadvantageous. In urban warfare, the small number of elite’s true power comes in effect.”

The <Emperor’s Personal Corps> of Chukadou that appeared as Yamato’s reinforcement, although they were small in number but each one of them possessed an overwhelming fighting power. Akane herself still had raw memories of terror from when she was cornered by the two great Divas of <Kan’u> and <Son Goku>.

In an urban warfare where the battlefield was divided due to the countless buildings and streets, the commander wouldn’t be able to perfectly grasp the condition of the battlefield no matter what she did. She had to leave the decision making to each of the units out there.

That was also a factor of anxiety. Not to mention that right now in this battlefield Lotte was not flying in the sky.

“But you also cannot assert that the side of Japan is at a disadvantage right-☆ Haven’t we analyzed it like that?”

Kanon brightened up her voice in order to cheer up Akane. It was also just like what Kanon said.

First, in an urban warfare that was the specialty of the Chinese army, their horsemanship was also sealed.

Moreover, the line of sight would be obstructed in an urban warfare, making them unable to detect the presence of the enemy beforehand. When it was like that then when the enemy’s unit suddenly appears right in front of them, it would immediately become a close-quarter combat. In that situation the Magika Stigmas who needed chanting time couldn’t display their power.

In exchange the swordsmen took the main role of battle here. If it was about the strength of the swordsman, then Japan’s side was overwhelmingly greater.

“Akane, don’t blow your fuse already okay~. Before this you were also like that… when everything goes as planned Akane is absurdly strong but when something unexpected happens you are immediately at your wits' end! In order to make it okay even if something unexpected happen, prepare yourself fully beforehand okay~☆ “

“If you can stop panicking just by being prepared then it wouldn’t be this hard. Regarding things that cannot be predicted by all my preparations, won’t my logic have failed first? In that case I’m absolutely going to blow my fuse.”

“You declared such thing that defiantly!? We-well, when Akane is at your wits’ end then that’s my turn to shine though!!”

“That’s just a joke, thanks for cheering me up though.”

“D-don’t mention it for something so normal okay!☆ “

Hearing Akane’s words, Kanon fidgeted her small body back and forth.

“…It’s going to be fine though if that child displays a strength just as Kazuki anticipated.”

Akane neglected the fidgeting Kanon and murmured while thinking about the battle at the front lines.

A unit of several people ran on top of the asphalt road.

Kazuha who ran at the head felt something strange in their path and stopped running.

Those who followed her from behind, Kanae, Kaguya, Hikaru, Kohaku, and Torazou mimicked her and stopped running.

It was a unit that gathered the students that excelled in close-quarter combat even inside the Knight Academy.

The one who was elected by Akane as the leader was Kazuha.

Having the dubious stares of her comrades directed at her from having stopped so suddenly, Kazuha whispered.

“…The shadow of the building over there, I think there are enemies hiding in ambush.”

Kazuha pointed at the large scale workshop far ahead the road, around a few tens meters separated from them.

“How could you know that?” Kaguya’s eyes opened wide.

“I generated vibrations using general magic since a while ago, I ran while letting fly ultrasonic waves ahead of the road. I perceive the rebound of the sound waves using Perception Reinforcement MagicExtra Sense. If you do that then somehow you can know when there is a disturbance of sound waves from something moving in the shadow of a building…”

Kazuha answered even while being bashful to the Student Council President of the Magic Division.

“That, I-I’m strong in general magic after all so recently I’ve been practicing various things.”

Echo Location―a bat uses the echo of ultrasonic waves to be able to fly freely even inside darkness, what Kazuha did was imitating something like that using general magic.

“Haa?” Raising a disarrayed voice like that, Torazou was making a dumbfounded expression.

“I get the theory but, I really don’t get it…what kind of skill is that…”

“Got it, let’s approach while being prepared to be able to immediately counterattack.”

When Kaguya nodded, Kazuha released a breath of relief.

Kanae and Kohaku changed into the lead vanguard and advanced while being alert.

After that sure enough, the swordsmen of Yamato leaped out from the building cover just as Kazuha predicted.

Kanae and Kohaku composedly dodged that first wave and counterattacked.

After that Torazou and Kazuha added their attacks.

Kaguya used a defensive magic that reflected pain and made her opponent swordsman that slashed at her forfeit their will to fight.

Hikaru was preparing to summon [Maimur] but―far before she could complete her chant, the small skirmish had been resolved.

The enemy platoon that ambushed them collapsed with confused expression as if saying that they didn’t know what had happened.

“Just as expected from Mikohime-sa…Kazuha-senpai!”

Kohaku directed eyes of respect at Kazuha and cheered at her.

At the side, Kaguya was looking down with a quiet expression.

“…Certainly it’s amazing. A practical application of general magic in real battle like this is…. Perhaps I’m too easy-going relying so much in only Summoning Magic like this.”

Kanae too was looking down in self-reflection.

“General magic, is it…. I too am getting too caught up in just sword skill and magic sword. While being self-conscious of my small build and powerless handicaps, to be this blind is really hard to forgive…”

Kanae’s expression turned grim in the blink of an eye from her fury for herself. Kazuha was scared off from that look of Kanae.

“Co-compared to you two, someone like me is just a half-baked small person that is Jack of all trades and master of none in the end!”

Kazuha’s face blushed red and she waved her hand left and right repeatedly.

These two were said to be the strongest in the Magic Division and the Sword Division respectively. For her who was a poor student to be stared at by these two like this was totally unbelievable.

“Kaguya, right now you are thinking that you want to fight Kazuha-san and defeat her right?”

Hikaru was poking at Kaguya’s side from the flank. Kaguya shook her neck in panic even while being startled.

“The-there is no way I’m thinking about such thing at my comrade!”

Kaguya was raised while receiving suggestion from her father that she [had to be the strongest], she had climbed as far as the Student Council President by systemically challenging a duel to all students that looked strong in the Knight Academy.

Thanks to Kazuki she was liberated from that [suggestion to be the strongest] that seemed like a curse, but even so a long time habit that had become a second nature couldn’t be removed that easily. Witnessing a strength that didn’t exist in herself provoked a reaction from her.

“Rather than that let’s just move forward quickly!”

When Kazuha concluded the topic like that, Kaguya stopped the idle talk and inspected the collapsed swordsmen.

“…The Magika Stigmas from China are not mixed among them, just a platoon of swordsmen. This is a hit isn’t it? Akane-senpai said that to the end this advance is only a [diversion]. What we are doing is only buying time. If we meet the extremityMagika Stigmas of China, don’t overdo it too much and just escape.”

All present nodded altogether. The toughness of the reinforcement from China had been beaten into their body.

Kaguya-senpai looked up to the sky. It was a very dim sky that fast approaching evening.

“If we can just buy more time, then for the rest Otouto-kun should be able to make the plan succeed for us…”

In the sky that she looked up, blue magic power light left a trail behind like the cloud of airplane and flew far away.

While Kazuki was leaving behind a trail of magic light power, he traversed the sky together with Lotte.

They were steadily getting far away from the battlefield and went even further in from Mie prefecture, flying into Nara prefecture.

The soldiers of Yamato too soon noticed Kazuki and Lotte in the air, but the attack magic that were fired by the few Shrine Maidens were immediately left behind by the acceleration of [Deep Striker].

Using the battle on the surface as a decoy, they did airspace incursion with just the two of them.

Kazuki and Lotte were the two who could fly in the sky the fastest among Japan’s Knight Order. Surely even among the people of Yamato there was no one that was able to reach their speed―they wanted to believe that.

The attack objective of the two was <Isonokami Shrine> in Nara prefecture.

―Among the refugees from Yamato, there was also the higher-ups of Yamato’s military authorities, the top brass mixed inside.

From that person, an information that couldn’t be overlooked such as [Sacred Treasures are gathered in Isonokami Shrine and it was turned into an armory] was conveyed to the Knight Order.

According to that refugee’s story, the shrines in each region of Japan were defiled due to Yamato’s scheme but Isonokami Shrine was the only exception that was still safe. Why was Isonokami Shrine the only one safe―that informant didn’t know the reason but the answer unexpectedly came out from among Kazuki’s friends.

{Ah, over there was the shrine that deified me.}

It was the Diva that contracted with Kazuha, Futsunushi no Kami.

Futsunushi no Kami was the Diva that was deified in Isonokami Shrine. But when Kazuha-senpai became enrolled into the Knight Academy’s Sword Division, he was also changing his residence to Tokyo together with Kazuha-senpai.

Isonokami Shrine that was left behind and became empty after the Shrine Maiden Kazuha-senpai and Futsunushi no Kami were not there anymore became worthless for Yamato to bother to reach their hand because there was no target that they could turn into a Wild God.

That was the reason that place was safe.

Not only that―from what Futsunushi no Kami said, Isonokami Shrine had the role as an [armory] in Japanese Mythology.

When Sacred Treasures were made as an [offering] there, the Sacred Treasure would be filled with magic power which amplified its supernatural power.

According to the information from the refugee, it seemed Yamato transferred and gathered the Sacred Treasures they had in custody inside their territory to Isonokami Shrine.

Because the Sacred Treasures that were discovered in Japan were stored in custody shared between Kantou and Kansai, Yamato had already possessed a considerable amount of Sacred Treasures. Then they were amplifying the power of those in Isonokami Shrine.

This meant that this was the trump card that Yamato kept hidden until now, their last resort.

“…Why have those Sacred Treasures never been used in the battle until now?”

Lotte who was flying at Kazuki’s side leaked out a questioning voice.

“Perhaps it is not a trump card against Japan, but they intend to use it as a trump card against Loki and his group? Ikousai and her group didn’t trust Loki. While Loki and his group are still their comrades they are going to make use of their power conveniently while trying to hide their own trump card.”

Before that trump card could be used―they were going to assault the place and plunder it. Sacred Treasures Pillaging Operation.

When they confirmed whether the refugees' words were the truth or not with magical interrogation, Regiment Commander Yamagata immediately drafted this operation. Not even a week had passed after the battle at Sekigahara when this plan had progressed and was now being carried out. It was exactly a lightning fast and prompt decision.

That Commander Yamagata and the top brass of the Knight Order were being impatient, Kazuki too clearly understood it. With the ceasefire between Japan and Yamato that they would soon welcome, it was not something that one could feel delight for Japan’s government.

It was because Japan was the one who had their territory completely stolen due to this civil war. To completely enter the ceasefire with Yamato’s provisional government still not defeated like this could be said that it only meant a defeat in reality. The humans at the top of the Knight Order and the government would surely get asked by the mass media and the populace to take responsibility for this.

Even if they couldn’t avoid a ceasefire, at the very least they had to obtain some kind of achievement, if not―this forcible operation was decided promptly from such severe thought like that.

If they could enter the ceasefire with Yamato in the state of having lost their trump card, then they could grasp the initiative from this side in the discussion after the ceasefire.

They might even be able to drag out some concession and capitulation from Yamato….

This was their last chance before entering the ceasefire.

“…I get it that this is our last chance but… to be made to go along with this sloppy strategy for the sake of those big shots evading responsibility just doesn’t make me feel any enthusiasm.”

Kazuki unintentionally spoke to himself.

Actually Kazuki thought of this as a sloppy strategy.

Making the Knight Order’s attack to Yokkaichi a diversion and attack the Isonokami Shrine from the sky. Because there was no other magician that could fly in the same speed like them, the assault members were only the two, Kazuki and Lotte.

Yamato most likely concentrated all their battle strength to defend Yokkaichi which was an important base for them. But in the unlikely event that there was a powerful defense squad placed in Isonokami Shrine, there was nothing they could do with just the two of them.

He thought that Yamato right now didn’t have that much allowance to spare such manpower but….

Akane-senpai said [if there are defense squad then abandon the operation and escape] to him.

The commander of Yamato that saw Kazuki and Lotte went flying somewhere might guess their aim and divided the battle strength in Yokkaichi and directed them to be their pursuer. If it became like that then a time limit would be attached to the operation. Before their pursuer caught up, they had to quickly finish pillaging the Sacred Treasures.

It was no good if there was a defensive squad positioned in their destination and it was also no good if their pursuer caught up.

A difficult operation.

At any rate Kazuki thought inside his heart [This again]. Just three days before this, he was made to infiltrate the enemy territory only with Kazuha-senpai. When he thought that was the end of it now he was told to infiltrate the enemy territory with Lotte.

{Rather than calling you King, you are more fitting to be called a handyman.} Leme communicated with Kazuki using an amazed voice inside his head.

Kazuki too was amazed. …To depend completely on a mere student like this, is this country going to be okay?

“As for me I’m fine with this desu, Kazuki-oniisan.”

As if seeing through the worry inside Kazuki’s heart, Lotte said that.

“Rather than such thing this is a flying rendezvous with just the two us desu, Kazuki-oniisan♪”

Lotte turned her smiling face to Kazuki as if in order to calm down Kazuki’s feeling.

If something happened, at the very least he had to protect her to the very end….

Kazuki looked behind him while flying through the sky. They had left the battlefield of Yokkaichi really far behind them.

The scenery below them had completely changed from the town into a vast expanse of mother nature. They were clearing the [Suzuka mountain range] that grew many greenery at this early summer in a straight line from the side. It was a rugged mountains that was highly famous from the historical event of <Iga’s Pass> of the Tokugawa's. Inside the mountain the isolated city of Iga was visible.

The end of the mountain range was visible in their path. The aviation picture of Isonokami Shrine that was located in the border between the mountain and the city had been beaten into their head before the operation, they were locating the shrine while recalling the picture inside their head.

There it was. It was an important shrine with a long history, but its size was unexpectedly small.

Kazuki and Lotte didn’t slow down for even a bit and swooped down as if they were sucked.

The several swordsmen in the shrine’s ground noticed Kazuki and Lotte approaching and raised their voice.

“They really come!” “Stop them!” “How!?”

They were the shrine’s guards. It seemed they were notified about Kazuki and Lotte’s assault from Yokkaichi.

The soldiers’ reactions were really lacking in resolve and training. Just as expected all the proper soldiers were invested in the defensive battle of Yokkaichi.

Even the chickens that were strutting around the ground briskly sprang up and left the place in great panic.

Kazuki and Lotte matched their voice and cast the same magic simultaneously.

“”I reached my hand to the height of Babel becoming the supreme ruler! In accordance with my life o lightning, praise the reckless courage of human race! Blitzkrieg””

Blue magic power light materialized, then assault spears with height that reached even twice the stature of a person were equipped in their dominant hands.

Sub-arms stretched out from the [Deep Strikers], so they could withstand the impact they fixed their arms in place.

If their opponent were only several swordsmen who didn’t have the support of Magika Stigma, then this was simple.

Kazuki and Lotte directed the tips of the assault spear to the swordsmen and keeping their momentum without slowing down―

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

Screams were reverberating. *DON!!* Along with such sound of impact, the gravels of the grounds and the soil below it danced up and a big hole was opened on the surface. The swordsmen of Yamato were blown away to the other side of the cloud of dust, then they crashed into the wall of the shrine office that was right there and fainted.

Kazuki and Lotte who landed dispelled their weapons and looked around restlessly to confirm their surroundings.

They were just right in the middle of the Isonokami Shrine’s grounds.

In their left side there was a large shrine archway, in front of them was the shrine office, and in their right side was a stone stair that continued to the main shrine.

As for human presence…was these guys the only one here? As expected, putting several numbers of worthless soldiers like this as guard was their limit, it seemed that Yamato didn’t have the allowance to post a genuine defense squad here.

Then…they could do this!

“Kazuki-oniisan, it’s in the main shrine right desu!?”

Lotte confirmed the operation’s objective to Kazuki. Kazuki silently nodded and start running up the stone stair in the right side.

When they examined the map of Isonokami Shrine, they had narrowed down the places that looked fitting to be used to store the Sacred Treasures into two, those were the [ritual tool warehouse] and the [main shrine]. Between those two places, if their objective was not merely keeping the Sacred Treasures but to gather power into the Sacred Treasures, then surely the main shrine that should be called as the central part of this shrine was the most likely choice.

Due to the hanging lanterns that were hung down here and there, the gloomy grounds in the evening was faintly illuminated. Kazuki and Lotte rushed up the stone stairs while being filled with the atmosphere of mysterious profundity and finally arrived at a vermilion tower gate that continued to the main shrine.

―In front of the gate, there was a person’s shadow waiting for them.

Even inside the faint darkness, she was clearly reflected in their eyes thanks to how standing out that vibrant kimono she wore.

“…Aisu Ikousai!!”

Kazuki yelled. Inside the faint darkness that was illuminated by hanging lanterns was a glamorous figure in a kimono. With the background of a historical shrine’s tower gate, that standing figure spontaneously became a picture that looked so bewitching.

“I was waiting for you, Hayashizaki Kazuki…for the sake of resolving this fate between you and I.”

Beside Ikousai, there was a woman of Yamato wearing Shrine Maiden’s clothes accompanying her. Yamato’s Shrine Maiden―a Drive Magika Stigma whose body even now was possessed by a Wild God of Izumo side.

For Aisu Ikousai of all people to be posted into an underling work like being the guard of Isonokami Shrine for no reason at all shouldn’t be something impossible. She was waiting here in ambush with the conviction that Kazuki would come.

An ambush. Something cold ran through his spine. This operation had been leaked to the other side.

…Might this be the work of the spy inside the Knight Order?

…No, was I the one that got sniffed out by the spy? Kazuki harbored a dark belief.

Commander Yamagata and Akane-senpai communicated this operation as nothing more than [Yokkaichi’s Recapture Operation] to the higher ups. Only the minimum air battle strength that were Kazuki and Lotte were sent to Isonokami Shrine without informing anyone.

Those who knew about Kazuki’s attack to Isonokami Shrine were only Commander Yamagata and Akane-senpai and Kanon-senpai, and then his companions of the Witch’s Mansion.

Even so for this operation to be still leaked out, in short…the source of the information leak was themselves.

Until now the spies of Yamato penetrated the Knight Order’s chain of command and then they leaked the flow of information there into Yamato secretly. If they worked like that then the operation this time shouldn’t get leaked.

However from how the battle went until now, even the spies had surely noticed that Kazuki and his group were moving independently from the Knight Order’s chain of command. Having noticed that Kazuki was always there in the center of the operations that outwitted Yamato, there was no mistake that the spies had then secretly snooped around Kazuki’s action.

Kazuki had the confidence in his own senses’ sharpness. However at the time when they drafted this operation in a rush and then while making preparation with Lotte hurriedly, during all that mess he had no confidence that he was able to detect some kind of magic or listening device around him with certainty.

They got him. His side’s spy countermeasure had been backfired completely.

With this it was just doing the same thing repeatedly. Just as he thought, it was fundamentally necessary to eradicate the spies.

“…Destined opponent. Kazuki-oniisan, are you actually an intimate friend with that woman desu?”

Lotte who lined up at Kazuki’s side looked upward at him wonderingly.

“There was no way that’s possible right, she is a sworn enemy that cannot be allowed to live under the same sky that I have to absolutely defeat.”

“Don’t say that so contemptibly. For you to be like that even though I was really looking forward to the rematch with you that I set the stage of our decisive battle like this.”

Ikousai’s mouth distorted faintly and she reached her hand to the katana on her waist.

Kazuki too vigilantly reached his hand to the katana on his waist, both of them sounded the clinking sound from the mouth of their sheath at the same time.

Lotte compared alternately the two that were heightening the feeling of tension.

“Rather than a pure hostility, a more different emotion is whirling between you two…actually you two get along well right desu?”

“Wrong, she is the worst enemy.”

“Calling me the worst really hurt here, my worthy rival.”

Kazuki earnestly glared while Ikousai was floating a faint smile. That composure of hers was ominous. There was something.

“For Kazuki-oniisan to disagree with the other person’s feeling like this is really rare desu.”

Lotte tilted her head.

“O furious honored god descending down from sky, bring forth and build unprecedented uproar right here! Thy august name is <Susanoo no Mikoto>! Reside in my body, rage following your violent emotion!!”

Magic power like a storm seethed out and Ikousai’s appearance transformed into her Magic Dress due to the Astrum ConnectionAccess. Fitting for the contractor of Susanoo, a wild jet black costume like the sky in the middle of storm. Only the katana attached in her waist was not broken down into Origin ParticlePrima Materia and retained its shape.

Kazuki noticed the out of place feeling. Ikousai was wearing two katanas on her waist.

When he encountered her in Ise Imperial Shrine she was supposed to only wear one katana.

The Shrine Maiden beside Ikousai was also shining with blue magic power light from flowing power to the Wild God inside her own body. The two enemies finished putting in order their battle preparation.

“You only brought one person along with you? You really have insufficient manpower right now don’t you? Have you also exiled Loki and his battle strength?”

“I know that you are coming with only two people. Where is the need of coming here bringing a lot of force? …Hmph, Loki and his guys are reassigned as the guard of our capital city. No matter how bad she is, that girl is also one of the top that rule Yamato. If they are to just suddenly get exiled, the soldiers will get agitated then. But that girl will not trespass the holy battlefield between you and me for the second time!”

Hearing that unexpected reply, Kazuki felt a freezing chill.

For Loki to not get exiled even though they had conflicted with each other until that far, that was the same as saying that the influence of Kaya inside Yamato was just that great.

But of all things for Kaya and her group to be retained in the capital of Yamato―if Kazuki and Lotte defeated Ikousai in battle, what would happen after that…!

“Are you sane leaving alone the illegal magicians to take care the center of your country while you yourself are coming out to the battlefield!? If you guys get done in by us, Yamato is going to get taken over by the illegal magicians isn’t it!?”

“Do you still have any composure left to worry about that! I won’t suffer a defeat for the second time against you! We have obtained the cooperation of Chukadou. With the [Power of Usurpation] of Susanoo, your King’s Authority, and then someday the King’s Authority of China’s King too, I’m going to plunder them all!”

This girl…is she not thinking about anything else other than plundering power from somebody!?

For her everybody around her might be nothing else other than objects to be used.

“Lotte, please take care of the Shrine Maiden over there. The other side perhaps is also intending to do the same thing.”

“Roger desu.” Lotte nodded.

If it was with Lotte’s chanting speed then there wouldn’t be that much of a difference even against a Drive Magician as her opponent.

Ikousai didn’t even pay a glance to Lotte, she turned to Kazuki and lightly kicked the ground.

“What is dedicated here, is a scattering flower dance like a storm! O honored god that call the storm, please grant thy breath on the back of I who dance under the heaven! Fujin Kenbu!!”

A fierce tailwind blew on Ikousai’s back. This magic generated freely a favorable wind that adhered to the movement of oneself, a reinforcement magic that accelerated every single movement taken by the body.

With a terrific speed that was in contrast with her light movement, Ikousai stepped into the range. Ikousai drew the katana on her waist.

Right now she was not using [Aoiro Yasha] was surely because she was cautious against having her breath run out in a protracted battle.

On the other side Kazuki was―right now he was already unable to use Beatrix’s strengthening magic.

It was because the Einherjar had completely cancelled their stance of cooperation with Japan.

He had to use a different method to compete with Ikousai.

“O flow of atmosphere, converge in this body, become the storm that reject the resented person! The eye of typhoon is exactly my throne! Storm Fort!”

Kazuki burst out wind around his own surrounding. His body was enveloped with a tornado.

And then he directed the wind at Ikousai, offsetting Ikousai’s tailwind.

…If he couldn’t strengthen himself, then he would contest her using obstruction.

“Mhh-!?”

Just when she was about to unsheathe her sword in an Iai draw she was bathed by severe wind from the opposite direction, making Ikousai’s swordsmanship become disarrayed. Kazuki leisurely dodged that attack of hers.

…The distance was slightly different compared to their confrontation before.

Looking at the blade that hit the empty air in front him, Kazuki noticed that fact.

She didn’t change the distance with her specialty [Shiraba Kagerou].

…Ikousai was using a different sword from the one that she used in Ise Imperial Shrine. For a swordsman to use a different katana and not the specialized katana that he was used to handle, there must be a considerable reason behind it.

Kazuki returned back an Iai draw at Ikousai. Facing that horizontal flash of counterattack, Ikousai forcefully bent backward even while that action broke her posture. Ikousai’s leg pitched backward. Kazuki didn’t let that chance escape and stepped inside her range trying to drive another attack. But―,

“Tenrou Kaidan!”

Ikousai crashed an impact of Psychokinesis diagonally on her wavering back, and forcefully circled to Kazuki’s side. It was a high speed movement that was absolutely impossible using only living flesh body, moving from an unnatural stance to an inconceivable direction. From there a severe thrust was unleashed to Kazuki.

But Kazuki Foresighted the magic power and was able to react.

He smoothly dodged his body from the thrust and slashed back in return.

Blue magic power light shone. Ikousai’s body staggered from the impact of the smashed magic power.

“Thy fury is the joy of the war shrine maiden. Answer the kagura of soul summoning burst out the storm of outcry, divide the cloud and please descend here…spirits and demons in this body! Super Strength InvitationChouriki Shourai!!”

But while receiving damage, the girl accomplished her spell.

A magic that further strengthened her. Ikousai’s Body Strength Reinforcement MagicEnchant Aura was doubled.

Treating her broken posture as not a big deal, she sent a counterattack at Kazuki with her reinforced speed and power.

From a thrust the blade was reversed and became a flash of a slash. Kazuki gave up evading and concentrated the wind of [Storm Fort] in one spot and attempted to kill the momentum of Ikousai’s attack.

However even after receiving that wind, Ikousai’s severe attack didn’t feel like it slowed down for even a little bit.

A severe attack tore apart Kazuki’s defensive magic power.

“Kuh…lightning fall on my body and I obtain lightning thought god speed…wake up the sleeping lion! Ride Lightning!!”

Kazuki too even while receiving damage finished chanting a reinforcement magic.

Ikousai and also Kazuki accelerated their movement together.

This time too the curtain for offense and defense in supernatural speed that was absolutely impossible for average swordsman was opened.

The previous match was won by Kazuki, but who knew how the result would turn out this time. ―Before, Ikousai’s lack of experience in [battle against opponent that was above herself] was exposed and she fell behind Kazuki.

But due to how he couldn’t use Beatrix’s strengthening magic, this time Kazuki’s speed and power were both inferior. He couldn’t not recognize the inferiority of his spec.

However he believed that he had gotten used to this girl’s swordsmanship from their fight before.

He saw through her speed and parried her strength like a willow branch. With that ardor, Kazuki crossed swords with Ikousai, the state of the battle then were brought into a sword locking contest.

―At that time Ikousai’s katana suddenly emitted a blue magic power light.

“Curse this body, <Muramasa>! Battou Kaikon―Muramasa of HazeOboro no Muramasa!!”

…That’s, Sacred Treasure!?

Kazuki’s katana slipped through Ikousai’s katana unhindered.

Not only did his blade slip through Ikousai’s blade, it even slipped through Ikousai’s body that was in its way. There was no resistance felt from his blade. Even her presence gone. As if Ikousai had completely became a ghost.

Possibly her solid body was turned completely into a vapor by that Sacred Treasure.

“Is that the Sacred Treasure that was dedicated in Isonokami Shrine!?”

Ikousai slipped through Kazuki like a ghost and moved into his back. And then at Kazuki’s back, Ikousai’s presence and existence was realized back into how she was before.

Without even any time to turn back, he was slashed from his back.

The powerful attack that broke through the wind armor of [Storm Fort] blew Kazuki away in a pitching forward posture.

Kazuki rolled forward in order to escape from his opponent’s distance.

But Ikousai mercilessly filled the distance and assaulted him in her pursuit.

…What he needed to put in order was not only his stance, but also the inside of his head.

What was happening right now? Was Ikousai turning into a ghost?

No, it was hard to imagine a magic phenomenon that turned one’s own body into a ghost.

Haze―Ikousai changed her body into an existence that somewhat ambiguous without a definite shape.

The Ikousai right now was just resistant against a mere physical attack.

“Burn to ash everything you touch…the scorching heat of rejection without any place to go! Self Burning!”

With an immediate judgment, Kazuki enveloped himself in an armor of flame. He mixed together the wind of [Storm Fort] that he chanted before with the flame. The wind brought oxygen to the flame and amplified its power.

The intensely raging flame wind was concentrated into the blade by Kazuki using Psychokinesis.

Like this he could inflict damage―no matter how powerful of a Sacred Treasure it may be, it shouldn’t be something so great that could manifest a grand magic that vanished the holder’s existence itself.

Even though she didn’t possess a fixed shape and slipped through him, that didn’t mean that there was no existence there.

She existed. So there was no reason why she couldn’t be burned.

Ikousai went “Hou!” and leaked out a voice of admiration.

Kazuki swung a single horizontal flash of blade just when he was turning back to Ikousai behind him.

“…But unfortunately your movement is slow! Aoiro Yasha!!”

Ikousai’s movement sped up even further, Kazuki’s counterattack just hit an empty air.

[Aoiro Yasha] ―It was Ikousai’s secret technique that temporarily augmented her own explosive power by manipulating her own blood flow with Psychokinesis. It was a double edged blade that would cause a backlash to her body when she used it continuously for a long time, but Ikousai saw through a critical point of the battle here. Without even leaving afterimage behind, Ikousai circled to Kazuki’s blind spot.

There was too much difference in their physical ability…!

Kazuki just barely reacted against the attack from his blind spot using his Foresight of the magic power, he blocked the blade.

From there the situation was brought into a sword locking contest. Kazuki felt relieved. In a sword locking contest it became a contest of reading each other’s movement. If it was with this blade clad in flame, she couldn’t escape like before by slipping through him.

…That relief vanished in an instant. Kazuki noticed that Ikousai’s katana which was entangling with his katana in front his eyes had become a different thing than before before he realized.

That’s right, Ikousai brought two katana here different from before.

...This girl, before he realized it she had already changed Sacred Treasure!?

“Raise your howl, <Kotetsu>! Battou Kaikon―Tiger and Lion Picture Folding ScreenShishi Ko Zuhyoubu!!”

From the Sacred Treasure of Ikousai that was entangling with his blade, when he thought that a vision of [tiger] was emerging out from it, suddenly it materialized and howled while leaping at Kazuki’s throat.

“Kuh, this guy!” Kazuki tried to shake off the tiger with a kick clad in flame.

But the magic tiger didn’t fear the flame and came biting at Kazuki with a determined ferocity.

“Tenrou Kaidan!!”

In the middle of that, Ikousai’s voice and *PAAN!* sound like something was bounced rang out.

Ikousai’s body instantly flew to Kazuki’s blind spot using a jump by means of Psychokinesis.

“Hahaha! Just try it if you can really Foresight this!!”

There is no way that he can. Kazuki’s attention was stolen by the tiger.

Kazuki completely lost sight of Ikousai’s movement.

“Polishing the black steel of heaven o Totsuka no Tsurugi…release the flash that gouge the storm! This is the Orochi no Aramasa…the descend of tearing limb from limb, Ame no Habakiri!!”

Susanoo’s Sacred Treasure was created in Ikousai’s hand and it was swung down on Kazuki from behind.

Kazuki was slashed eight times.

Ame no Habakiri―it produced eight streaks of slashes with one swing multiple time, a Sacred Treasure that tore apart the enemy under one attack. Its damage was eight times the normal in one attack.

Kazuki received that damage from outside his consciousness where his Resist was thin.

It was a heavy damage. While Kazuki was blown away forward, he kept rolling in order to try to escape from Ikousai. However that was not allowed and the tiger too came attacking at Kazuki.

Kazuki wrestled with the large body of the tiger and his body’s movement was sealed. His head became pure white. …This is bad, the spell he was in the middle of chanting is going to disperse from his impatience. Calm down.

The tiger bit at Kazuki’s neck and his defensive magic power scattered.

Kazuki stubbornly preserved his cool and he thrust back his katana into the tiger’s torso in a simultaneous strike with each other.

The beast that was formed from magic power scattered around blue magic power light and vanished.

From the other side of the dancing apart magic power light―Ikousai was stepping in closer to him.

Without even giving him any time to breathe she was going to swing down Ame no Habakiri at Kazuki.

But that action was just as expected, if it was a swordsman then anyone would surely do such an action.

“O the ruler of flame’s calling voice, liberate the fury of the earth’s bottom! Open the gate of my rampart right here…tower in the heaven and earth, partition the impurity! Fire Wall!!”

Almost at the same time with the tiger’s termination, Kazuki invoked the magic from the chant that he just barely maintained.

“Muu-!?”

Ikousai foresighted the outbreak of the magic power and put a sudden brake to her step-in before taking a step back.

A magic circle spread out on the surface, a high and thick wall of flame spouted out as if to separate the two of them.

It was Phoenix’s magic that was invoked aiming for a surprise attack.

Even how Ikousai didn’t fall into the trap and brake herself just moments before the trap activated, was according to his assumption.

That was because the first time Kazuki faced this magic from Mio, that was exactly what he did.

Right at that timing, Kazuki gathered all the remaing power of wind from [Storm Fort] that enclosed his body and blew it all to the flame wall in one go.

The wind cannon crashed into the wall of flame. Ikousai, who stepped back in the location with just a paper thin difference from the wall of flame was swallowed by the leaning forward flame. Blue defensive magic power light shone inside the flame.

…It was a small attack, but it was a single repayment from the state where he kept getting done in just now.

In that moment Kazuki finally put his standing stance in order and recovered some distance back.

He took a single breath.

“…You still have some more trick remaining as a magician huh.”

Ikousai whispered after the flame wall was extinguished.

Those words of hers were as if she was saying that the conclusion between them as swordsman had been reached.

He was the victor when they battled each other in Ise Imperial Shrine before, but originally their true strength were even with each other. The line between victor and loser was drawn from the slight difference in experience. If the opponent had just a little extra in her, the situation would be reversed.

The Sacred Treasure of Isonokami Shrine….

“Certainly you won’t say that this is cowardly. Even I don’t have the intention of losing against you the second time. I left behind my beloved katana and choose these two pieces…for the sake of surpassing you bastard, this is my best where I have exhausted myself.”

The sword technique with the appliance of general magic, the strongest class Summoning Magic of Japanese Mythology, and then the strengthened Sacred Treasures.

The current Aisu Ikousai had everything. And then more than that she didn’t have even a single fragment of negligence.

Strong.

In regards to that, Kazuki didn’t expect that he would have his rematch with Aisu Ikousai here.

He absolutely didn’t feel any longing for Beatrix. But even so, if he could use the magic that girl used, if his bond with her was still remaining…. Such conception flashed through his head.

After getting back to square one like this, what was he going to do next? Inside Kazuki’s head there was no plan appearing that could break this deadlock.

“Kazuki-oniisan, are you okay desu!?”

Suddenly Lotte’s voice reached him from outside the fight with Ikousai where he focused his mind to the extreme.

“Ru, Run o flash of sword, <Nagamitsu>!”

It was the voice of Lotte calling out the power of Sacred Treasure totteringly.

A blade of light came flying right from the side to Ikousai who was facing Kazuki.

“…What-!?” Ikousai leaped back in fluster.

Kazuki and Ikousai directed their sight to Lotte simultaneously.

Lotte had already finished dealing with the Shrine Maiden. She was holding Sacred Treasures of katana and spears in her left side while her right hand was wielding a single Sacred Treasure. Even if she couldn’t go as far as using the technique to draw out the Sacred Treasure’s maximum power by interacting with it―[Battou Kaikon], she still liberated a fragment of that power toward Ikousai.

“You bastard…that’s the Sacred Treasure from the main shrine!!”

It was an inexperienced strike, but that attack checked Ikousai in place and it was enough to light a fire in her fury.

“Dance the wing what is scattered is spark. Trail behind the spiraling wind, become the bullet that gouge life! Flap your wing and shot out! Barrett!!”

Kazuki didn’t miss that opening and launched a flame bullet. “Uwaa!” Ikousai raised a scream and staggered. In a split second Kazuki swung down his katana from above his head and cut her.

In panic Ikousai blocked that attack with her blade facing sideways.

{Kazuki, that person cannot use the power as the King of Japanese Mythology. It’s no good for you who is the King of Solomon Mythology to lose. …Why didn’t you use Zekorbeni?}

In the instant of [time of calm] where blade and blade locked at each other―a telepathy from Leme reverberate in his head.

Zekorbeni. It was the pendant-type Magic Dress that he was newly bestowed from Leme when she recognized Kazuki as King. With that pendant he could do Diva Drivepossession from Diva of a girl whose positivity level was more than 150, granting Kazuki with the chanting speed of average Possession SummoningDrive.

But the magic power consumption using that was high because of the large amount of magic power flowing into the circuit that became thicker and shorter in without stopping. It was a [trump card] that couldn’t be used easily because he thought that he had to save it so even if there was something unexpected that happened, he could escape while taking along Lotte with certainty.

{You said that it consume a lot of magic power? As for that…you have to become able to control the power of King a bit better.}

Listening to what Leme was saying dissatisfiedly, Kazuki replied {I know already} in his mind.

“Lotte! I’m okay, so you just walk off with the Sacred Treasures that you can carry off with both of your arms!”

Light emerged out from Kazuki’s chest, Zekorbeni was generated.

Kazuki grasped that pendant with one hand and yelled with voice filled with determination.

But that determination was obstructed by Lotte herself.

“Kazuki-oniisan, some kind of large magic power is approaching with great speed!!”

Lotte’s detection of magic power was not inferior even compared to Kazuki and Ikousai. Both of them too immediately noticed, they looked up to the dim sky―someone was approaching here from the eastern sky the same where Kazuki also arrived from!

“Just wait a second here, both of you! How can you two just leave me alone in a boring battlefield while having fun fighting together! Son Shouryuu has arrived!!”

What entered their eyes was an approaching golden colored cloud. On top of it was a young boy that stood imposingly with both his arms crossed. Looking at a glance he looked like he was going to fall from the wind pressure, but his posture didn’t stir an inch.

Young boy―even seen from Kazuki who was still a high school student, calling him with the expression of still a young boy was appropriate.

Much less a middle school student, if one was careless the boy’s height and features could also look like someone around elementary school student.

Somersault Cloud. The two leaders of China’s soldiers that attacked Akane-senpai and Kanon-senpai were said to be contracted with Kan’u and Son Goku. This guy is the magician that is contracted with Son Goku! It was still better than a reinforcement of a hundred people, but a Magika Stigma that was likely one of the strongest in Yamato’s camp had came!

“Son Shouryuu!!” Ikousai yelled.

The young boy that was called Shouryuu somersaulted from on top the cloud and got down to the ground.

“There were some fellows that broke away from the battlefield with great speed so I especially chased them and came here you know! This means that battlefield is just a distraction, and their true aim is to attack this shrine huh. So, big sis Ikousai already guessed it beforehand and waited for them here right!?”

Shouryuu unexpectedly had a fast thinking.

After saying all that with dizzying speed, ―he turned a dissatisfied face to Ikousai.

“Why didn’t you tell this to us who is your comrade if you know about this beforehand! This guy is the King of Solomon right!? If we beat this guy isn’t it our side’s victory!? It’d be better if we ambush him with all member of the China’s Imperial Guard!!”

“Shut up brat!” Ikousai roared thunderously. “This guy is my prey! I won’t allow you to interfere!”

“Wh, wha-!? What’s with that way of talking…this means you, you plan to monopolize this for yourself huh!? Doing an interesting fight yourself while keeping it secret from me is just unn―faa―iir―rightt-!? I’m joining in too―!!”

“Kuh…talking won’t get through to this fellow in different meaning from Loki…! I absolutely won’t tolerate it if you lay your hand on my Hayashizaki Kazuki!!”

Ignoring Ikousai’s words, Shouryuu interposed unhesitatingly between the two. Ikousai went “You bastard-!” and raised her voice while swinging Ame no Habakiri in the space between Kazuki and Shouryuu, obstructing the two.

This startled Shouryuu and he looked back at Ikousai.

“You, what are you planning to do pointing your blade to the comrade that came far away from China really! Don’t screw with me, shénjīng bìng (is something wrong with you)!?”

Shouryuu reflexively cursed in Chinese.

Using that opening, Kazuki exchanged gaze with Lotte.

Lotte guessed everything from just his gaze and nodded. And then the spell chanting began.

A powerful reinforcement of the enemy―the operation was a failure. Retreat!

Kazuki estimated the timing and dashed at Lotte before embracing her.

Lotte cast [Deep Striker] with an exact timing.

A huge thruster unit was equipped on Lotte’s back and then she launched herself together with Kazuki that was holding at her high to the sky with enormous flame trailing behind them.

Ikousai and Shouryuu noticed simultaneously “”What-!?”” before yelling and looked up to the sky.

The resoluteness of the decision to escape and using Lotte’s Telepathy ability to its fullest, how Kazuki and Lotte matched their timing without giving any signal to each other managed to take the two by surprise.

“Wait, Hayashizaki Kazuki, don’t you run away from me-!!”

Ikousai jumped the air using [Tenrou Kaidan] and tried to chase the two who were flying.

However the speed of [Deep Striker] really couldn’t be caught up.

“…Just remember this, this time is my victory after all-!”

Ikousai who gave up fell to the ground while yelling.

“You think you who underestimated Lotte and got the Sacred Treasures stolen can be called the victor huh-!!”

Hearing the words Kazuki left behind, Ikousai was “Unuu―!” and raised a vexed voice.

When Kazuki and Lotte gained enough altitude, the force of the thruster was tilted from vertical to horizontal, they flew heading to the direction of Nagoya. Lotte laughed “Ehehe♪” being embraced tightly by Kazuki like this continuously.

“The rendezvous at the departure was also great but, the return home like this is nice too right desu-“

“But we also cannot be like this until we arrive. …Deep Striker!”

Kazuki too cast [Deep Striker] later than Lotte, then he separated his body from Lotte.

Lotte dropped her shoulder in disappointment. Ikousai had fallen behind however…,

“Waitt―! Fight mee―!!”

A shrill voice of a young boy was following them from behind.

“Kazuki-oniisan, he caught up!!”

Shouryuu who stood on a golden cloud was following them even now. In the first place that cloud had a speed that was not inferior against [Deep Striker], that was why he was able to catch up with them from Yokkaichi until here so quickly.

The Ishinogami Shrine on the ground had already looked like a speck of rice from here, but the Somersault Cloud was following them from that spot while trailing behind a golden trail―he approached near in the blink of eye.

The other side was fast!

“Howl! The civilization grant human destruction! The roar of wisdom scorch, break thy body, burying that dignity under the rubble!! Mitraileuse!”

Lotte equipped a gatling gun and directed one of her hand behind, scattering rain of bullets. However Shouryuu didn’t even try to dodge and Resist the bullet right from the front deflecting them. It didn’t even slow him down.

It was impossible to shake him off.

“Lotte! There is no other way to return to Nagoya other than fighting this guy here!”

Kazuki resolved himself and made an U-turn, facing Shouryuu.

Lotte stayed slightly behind Kazuki and took the stance of supporting Kazuki.

“Awesome, come just like this! We are going to play until you break yeah!! …Taking hold of the leading part is possible! O divine rare steel that hold infinite mass, hand down the strike that inflict certain kill to all evil! Nyoikinkobou!”

Inside Shoryuu’s both hands, a deep red pole was created before it was grasped.

“Gouge!!” With Shouryuu’s thundering voice, the pole ignored the law of conservation mass and elongated, approaching near Kazuki.

Fast. But Kazuki Foresighted it and already evaded from the point where the pole was elongating.

The pole that struck empty air shrank back as if rewinding, then after Shouryuu adjusted its angle, he directed it once more to Kazuki and it elongated. All of that was not Shouryuu drawing back the pole and thrusting it forward again, but because of the piston movement of the pole that lengthening out after shrinking back, it was even faster than any barrage of any kind of bojutsu master.

Kazuki spontaneously gulped his saliva. ―There was no doubt that most likely in Shouryuu there wasn’t any knowledge of martial arts whatsoever.

However that pole just by directing it to the enemy, made it possible to launch super high speed barrage into infinite distance automatically.

A powerful weapon that laughed derisively toward any martial arts training!

Kazuki who escaped using [Deep Striker] was pursued by consecutive strike from a pole that possessed thickness and force like the rapid fire of gatling gun bullets. The closing in attack that was like a [wall] of barrage was not something that could be evaded even with Foresight.

Lotte turned to Kazuki and chanted a magic.

“O wisdom that is piled up throughout human race’s history, became the multiple piles of armor that armored the body of that person! Heavily, thickly, reject every act of barbarity! Seusenhofer!!”

Lotte created an armor that shone white on Kazuki’s body in a close call.

*GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA!!* With the raising terrific sounds, the pole tore apart the armor in the blink of eye. On top of its speed, there was also its amazing destructive power!

“Lightning fall on my body and I obtain lightning thought god speed…wake up the sleeping lion! Ride Lightning!!”

Because he believed that Lotte would chant a defensive magic on him, that was why Kazuki chanted a different magic.

The electric signal inside Kazuki’s brain was sped up and his thought power increased in activity. The force of the flame that spewed out from [Deep Striker] heightened and he accelerated all of sudden―Kazuki instantly circled outside Shouryuu’s line of sight.

“Uoo!? I can’t see him! Where is he!?”

No matter how fast the pole contracted and shrank, if the user couldn’t confirm by sight then the pole also couldn’t lengthen out.

I want offensive power. Just in the timing when Kazuki thought such thing, Lotte invoked a magic to him.

“Blitzkrieg!!”

On the dominant arm of Kazuki who was charging, a gigantic charging spear was created.

“Uoooo, I know it’s bad if I don’t know where he is going to come from! I feel a bad pressure!”

Shouryuu that lost sight of Kazuki screamed.

“Eei…o rock monkey of immortal body born and blessed by the aura of heaven and earth and alchemy of the heaven, please share thy grace in my body! Law Heaven Phenomenon Earth・Rock Monkey TransformationHouten Shouchi・Ishisaru Henge!!”

Shouryuu emitted a glaring light in a flash, right after his body hardened from obtaining the color and hardness of rock. Kazuki’s thrust that surpassed the speed of sound *GAKIN* was blocked by a hard sensation.

Rock―even the electricity was made ineffective.

Kazuki’s strike was abated from the hard to believe defensive power that suddenly appeared. Even so Shouryuu scattered around a few lights of defensive magic power and he was blown away altogether with the Somersault Cloud.

―Even his defensive magic power was thick. His Resist technique was not as skilled as Kaguya-senpai or Beatrix, but the amount of his pure magic power was overwhelming.

Moreover magic power underwent a sudden growth from the age of high school student until adult age where it would reach the peak of the growth. But this young boy, no matter how he saw it, was still around middle school student’s age, an age where his magic power was still half-way developed. …What a monster.

While Kazuki shuddered from how his spear was repelled, he swiveled in high speed. He was going to charge at him from his blind spot again. Just like breaking apart a huge rock, there was no other way to fight other than kept charging no matter how many times at the owner of this enormous magic power and inflicted damage little by little.

“…Aa, shit! If you are going to keep charging from places I cannot see then even I have an idea yeah! …Genshin is overflowing right here, build the shape of mine unlimited body! Law of Body Outside BodyShingaishin no Hou!!”

After Shouryuu chanted a magic with frightening concentration even while his magic power was thoroughly smashed, he took a large deep breath. Thereupon his magic power instantly swelled out, after that when Shouryuu blew out the breath from his mouth, from there tens of small Son Shouryuu flew out.

“!?” Kazuki was shocked and he drew back his charge before taking some distance.

The clone of small Shouryuu that were vomited out like a cluster of germ gradually became bigger when they were blown outside and grew to a size that didn’t lose to the original Shouryuu himself.

No, the swarm of Shouryuu that covered the sky completely had already became so like the original that one couldn’t differentiate which one was the original unless one concentrated and looked out for the magic power. Moreover those clone bodies were all riding Somersault Cloud and holding Nyoibou in their hand.

The eyes of the several dozens Shouryuu looked around the surrounding area gogglingly. No matter how much a master of martial arts one was, in this space it was already impossible to find Shouryuu’s blind spot.

―An ill feeling flashed through Kazuki’s mind.

“Lotte, get away! Run away as fast as possible…tch!!”

“Destroy, destroy! Destroy everything all of me!! Just destroyyy, Nyoibou!!”

The several tens of Shouryuu moved randomly on their Somersault Cloud in high speed while they brandished around the Nyoibou in their hand making it shrank and elongated like a piston. All inside his line of sight was filled completely with trajectories of Nyoibou.

The next moment, a terrific impact came.

That was a small microcosmos of strike where all the space was filled completely with strikes.

This is bad! …All of his defensive magic power was going to get smashed wholly just in an instant!

…Zekorbeni!!

Kazuki summoned a pendant on his chest and he concentrated his mind into it. He became strongly conscious of his bond with Mio who was separated far away from him, from that bond he drew out the mental body of Phoenix and resided him inside the pendant. The pendant that was possessed by a Diva fiercely spouted out flame.

“Mode・Phoenix!!”

Kazuki performed Phenomenon RequestOrder directly into Phoenix who was in Drive inside the pendant. Due to this even Phoenix’s high level magic that originally needed long time of chanting became able to be Cast even in a short time. In exchange, a large amount of magic power was poured into the thick circuit in one go and he felt like his mind withered away.

But if he just left this alone than to escape from this infinite strikes that continued eternally was…!

“…O undying bird that soar from twilight to dawn, please grant that wing of hope on my back! The destruction for the sake of rebirth right here…! Blazing Wings!”

While his magic power got scraped off crunchingly from the strikes, Kazuki spread out gigantic flame wings from his back. Compared to the same magic that was chanted in a normal time, that flame wings was so large like a cloud that covered the sky.

Kazuki rotated his body in a swirl and waved around the wings of flame. The gigantic belt of flame with the diameter that even reached several dozen meters swallowed the several dozens of Shouryuu clones in the surrounding.

The clone bodies of Shouryuu that was swallowed into the flame all became motes of light one after another and vanished.

The clone bodies that escaped from the difficulty fired voices of agitation from their mouths.

“Crap” “Crap” “Crap” “What the hell is that, awesome” “Now that I remember, this guy is a King” “That’s so, so this is a part of Solomon King’s Authority” “On top of one vs two this is frankly awful” “But exactly because of that this is interesting” “Right, this is interesting” “Yossha, from here is the main performance yeah!”

The wings of flame turned to the clone bodies of Shouryuu and Kazuki extinguished them one after another.

At the last the original Shouryuu remained. Shouryuu glared at Kazuki with eyes in high spirits from his vigor. While Kazuki was making the clone bodies his opponents, it seemed that Shouryuu was chanting some kind of magic.

With expression that projected strong confidence, he was going to cast that magic he chanted―right at that time.

“Warning! Immediately cease the battle!”

Suddenly a cold voice of a female rang out from the far away. It was a loud voice that was amplified by magic power.

“Warning! Immediately cease the battle! I will begin to attack those who don’t comply with the warning-!!”

After the voice, a thunder ran horizontally. A giant thunder from beyond the west ran into right in the middle between Kazuki and Shouryuu. When that thunder vanished, from there a single figure of a woman appeared.

Riding thunder to appear here―rather than that it was as if the form of the woman was changed into a thunder.

She was a woman that was clad in a Magic Dress that looked similar to a pure white dress. Her platinum blond hair and dress’ sleeves fluttered in rustle from the strong wind of the sky.

She had a look and skin color that was obviously not Japanese or Chinese.

That gaze of hers had no wavering in it, emitting a sizzling silent pressure.

“I, Ilyailiya Muromets!!”

Shouryuu was…raising a voice that overturned his impression of this flawless young man from how shook up he sounded.

The woman called Ilyailiya turned at Shouryuu with a clear light blue eyes.

“…I’ll overlook the impertinence of calling my name without honorific because you are not someone that I don’t know. Rather than that…I should have already advised Yamato to [propose to Japan for the occassion of ceasefire arrangement]. After all rather than entering ceasefire because of other country’s intervention, proposing the ceasefire from oneself beforehand will make your position better later on. Despite that why are you still taking combat action, explain yourself.”

“The one who started the fight is Japan! When we thought of making the preparation to propose the ceasefire agreement just like you told us, they suddenly came attacking us with incredible force you know! It’s still around one week after Sekigahara yeah!? It’s unbelievable but, we can’t just stand around and not intercept right-!?”

“…I understood the situation. In various meaning I didn’t make it in time, that’s it. Then with I who stand as the mediator, halt the battle right now immediately.”

“…Screw that! In front of a toy this delicious, how can I just stop fighting…”

“I have predicted that response. Your belligerent personality makes the situation complicated. Therefore I have begun attacking already.”

“What, already?” Shouryuu made an expression of realization and looked up, then yelled. “…UOOOO, from the sky!?”

―From the sky above, several dots of light blinked in a momentary flash. Those small dots of light became bigger in a blink of eye and covered Kazuki and Shouryuu overhead completely.

It was falling while spouting out flame from the air friction of the atmosphere, countless numbers of meteors.

“Sayonara. If it’s you then you won’t die that easily.”

Ilyailiya became a thunder once again. The humanoid light that was half human and half thunder first turned up below Kazuki where she held Kazuki under her arm.

Right there because he didn’t feel any ill will or hostility, Kazuki let himself get taken away just like that.

Next she rushed under Lotte who was separated far away and then she also carried Lotte under her arm.

Both of them were carried under her arms and escaped outside the attack range of the meteors with undoubtedly a lightning speed. It was a speed that struck them with admiration. This female magician was far and away―in a different dimension of speed even more than [Deep Striker] or Shouryuu’s Somersault Cloud. In an instant only Shouryuu who was the only one left right under the countless meteors.

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOII-!!”

Shouryuu raised a scream while rushing his Somersault Cloud, but with that speed he was unable to get away from the range of the meteors. The meteors rained down on Shouryuu one after another.

“GYAWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

The instant the meteor crashed into Shouryuu, the trajectory of the meteor changed from vertical into straight horizontal. There was no mistake that it was controlled according to Ilyailiya’s will. It was an unnatural movement that ignored gravity.

“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!”

The meteor brought Shouryuu horizontally far away east to the direction of Pacific Ocean.

That scream of his gradually became smaller and then vanished.

“If you crash into the ground surface just like that then it will bring about damage, therefore I will vanish the meteor after it brings you around the area just before Hawaii. I want you to be relieved.”

While saying such with emotionless voice that made one feel even some brusqueness, Ilyailiya let go Kazuki and Lotte.

Kazuki and Lotte were hovering back with their own power using [Deep Striker] and faced the girl.

“Who in the world are you…?”

…The attack magic before. The phenomenon body she invoked was similar to both Ryuutaki-senpai’s Union Magic.

However even though it was a magic of such scale, he didn’t grasp the signs of her chanting and invocation at all. Even her magic that changed her into thunder and moved in high speed was also like that.

She cast magic without any omen of magic power. What in the world was this power….

“O soldiers of Japan, first let me apologize for my impoliteness of visiting Yamato’s side preceding your side.”

Her short conversation with Shouryuu before this displayed that she was an acquaintance of that young boy.

“…I am the envoy from Russia Empire. I came to give my counsel to put a ceasefire in this conflict that might destroy the balance of the world. I want you to somehow accept the ceasefire.”

Ilyailiya said while bowing her head uneventfully.

The envoy from Russia…! Kazuki worked his brain in fluster. What kind of matter this is?

From her way of talking just now, it seemed she had visited Yamato and sent her advice to them.

Her mouth said that she apologize but, it was obvious that Russia was leaning closer to Yamato rather than Japan. Kazuki harbored a suspicion to this person that stood in front of his eyes and stared intensely at her vigilantly.

“My name is Ilyailiya Muromets. We exchange contract with the supreme deity of Mythology that governed all phenomenon of heaven, <Svarog>. I am the Emperor of Russia Empire. Thunder EmperorGrozny Basilleus, that’s what the people and other countries call me.”

Kazuki’s face instantly turned pure white. Russia’s, Emperor…!?

“It is my pride that I can run faster than anyone in my country. Therefore I came here alone. O soldier, I want you to guide me into Japan’s territory.”

It seemed that Ilyailiya didn’t know that Kazuki was a King. But he was just a student, so she was also not wrong.

Kazuki nodded without correcting her.

“I understand. However even on the ground is still in battle…”

“That worry is unnecessary. I heard that Britain and Italia are also coming here. They are surely slower than me, but right about now should be a suitable time for them to finally advice the ceasefire on the battlefield on the ground. …Now, I will match my speed with the two of you, so show me the way.”

―This day, a ceasefire was formed in the civil war between Japan and Yamato.

In reality, that fact had the meaning that Yamato was recognized as a country in the international community.

Chapter 2 – CaryatidThe Knight Academy

Part 1

Ceasefire, and then.

While the magic light train released blue lights, Kazuki and the others boarded it and left Nagoya behind.

They passed through Shizuoka that had once become a battlefield in a flash and returned back through the path that they arrived from before.

And then they arrived at Tokyo in only an hour.

It made them think as if this past few extraordinary days of battle were only happening inside their dream.

Kazuki lined up with Kaguya-senpai and Kanae as the Chief Student Council President and stood in the lead of the students that participated in the battlefield before returning back through the path from the station to the Knight Academy. Thereupon…,

“Welcome home!” “Thanks for your hard work!” Voices were thrown at them from here and there.

This was by no means a parade of their triumphant return, but the citizens pushed out their faces from the houses and shops all over along their way, and sent their voices to the students’ direction.

Kazuki was at first bewildered, but looking at Kaguya-senpai waving her hand with a smiling face, he just imitated her for the time being.

When they finally arrived at the school gate of the Knight Academy, a remarkably big applause was raised.

With Liz Liza-sensei as the first in line, the teachers and students that were house-sitting had lined up to welcome them home.

“Everyone cheered with amazing voice didn’t they! I was surprised.”

After they arrived home at the Witch’s Mansion, Kaguya-senpai sat down on the sofa at the living room and said so.

Despite how everyone was supposed to be tired, no one headed to their room. They were following Kaguya-senpai and sat their body down on the sofas and chairs and remained in the living room. Finally their feelings calmed down, and now there was this feeling of wanting to reminisce these past few days of extraordinary experience with their comrades.

Even everyone of the Sword Division too naturally followed along here, feeling it was hard to separate from the group.

“But it looked like a war that we won, yes? Even though we didn’t retake west Japan…”

While sitting on the sofa right in front of Kaguya-senpai, Kazuki vented out awkward words.

The people that looked over this battle should be actually feeling disappointment and dissatisfaction to the Knight Order. The people that had family and acquaintances in west Japan shouldn’t be accepting of this situation of ceasefire with an okay feeling. Such feeling was not directed to their own selves, it was only mildly restrained and although there was some happiness, but there was also an uncomfortable feeling that enveloped them like silk floss.

“It seems there is also critical argument inside the mass media toward the Knight Order. But we are still not a legitimate knight so I wonder if that’s the reason why the people of this city and the house-sitting students sent us kind words.”

While sitting beside Kaguya-senpai, Hikaru-senpai directed a wry smile at Kazuki. After making sure that Hikaru-senpai didn’t sit beside Kazuki, the juniors Mio and Koyuki sat beside Kazuki’s both sides in relief.

“We are something like volunteer soldiers. It’s just too much if the brunt of the critic is also pointed at us. I was really nervous sheesh.”

Mio said. What she said was also really correct. Kazuki said “Thanks for your hard work” and petted her head. When Kazuki did that Mio went “Ehehe, you too” and leaned her shoulder. Koyuki too didn’t say anything and clung closer on him.

“Kazuki-oniisan, we were doing our best you know desu.”

Lotte sat on top of Kazuki’s lap and reclined on him. He had the feeling as if he was told that he burdened himself alone too much, Kazuki hugged Lotte tightly with a squeeze.

“For the present time we had fulfilled our role enough already, Onii-sama.”

From Kazuki’s behind, Kanae leaned over the sofa and gently embraced Kazuki’s neck.

Kanae and Lotte were in a state that sensitively sensed the emotion inside Kazuki.

“I wonder if that’s so…it might be just like you said.”

Kazuki murmured while being exhausted.

They returned to an ordinary day like this. Into a normal school life….

“The people of the city and also everyone of the academy, they all know about President’s active role actually.”

Yumeno-san who normally acted reserved approached Kazuki’s side with a lively expression.

Some kind of paper bundle was grasped in her hand. Quietly she presented that to Kazuki.

“This is…the aforementioned extra of the academy newspaper?”

Yumeno Shiori-san was the newspaper committee chairman. The newspaper committee was a committee that was originally established for the sake of making the Magic Division and the Sword Division know more about each other, but while the girl went along in the battle against Yamato she decided to publish [newspaper extra] because [she wanted to convey this war to the students that remained in the academy].

Although Headmaster Amasaki and Kazuki were unable to check most of the content because of their busy work, Yumeno-san wrote articles from the actual spot of the battlefield and then by the system of transmitting those data to the newspaper committee member that remained in the academy, it seemed they had already published and distributed the edition.

After Kazuki put down Lotte from his lap, he looked over that article.

―What entered his eyes at the foremost was the headline [Chief Student Council President・Hayashizaki Kazuki, Bravely Dash Forward!] and the like written. Kazuki felt something cold ran down his back. What entered his eyes next was a large illustration. A sparkling bright Kazuki in a style of shoujo manga was grandly handing down orders to his comrades.

At the corner was the sign of a mysterious pen-name [Christine Amasaki] or something signed there. Who is this guy?

Mio placed her jaw on Kazuki’s right shoulder and “Ehehe, so? So?” and so on while grinning broadly.

The content of the article was the report from the surprise attack operation of Okehazama until the infiltration to Ise Imperial Shrine, and even the happening in the battle of Sekigahara. However Kazuki’s activity in the article was too exaggerated and spectacularly decorated in gaudiness. It really couldn’t be said to be an objective article, more like a military novel with a fictional character as the leading part.

Having said that, he was lost whether this article looked reasonably interesting or a poor quality instead….

“This illustration and the writing style, isn’t this glorifying me too much? This scene for example, I have the feeling that I didn’t say something this cool though.”

When the article was distributed to everyone else too, Hikaru-senpai who had low boiling point went “Ahahahahahahaha!” in explosive laughter, Kanae went “Just as expected Onii-sama!” in great delight. Everyone else were also holding their laughter.

“It’s interesting anyway so isn’t this fine.” Kazuha-senpai who was standing near the wall made fun of him.

“Kazuha-senpai cannot think of this as somebody else’s problem you know? Here, Kazuha-senpai also made an entrance in the scene of the infiltration operation.”

In the infiltration operation of the Ise Imperial Shrine, the article changed into first-person view from Kazuha-senpai’s position. There the illustration of Christine Amasaki-sensei was also attached along.

In the boat departure with the Chief Student Council President that she yearned for, just the two of them, Kazuha-senpai was drawn in the sparkling style of shoujo manga in a state of her heart throbbing hard and where she released a rose-colored deep sigh girlishly.

“Thi, this kind of character is not meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”

Kazuha-senpai’s cheeks blushed red and the hands that were holding the newspaper open were trembling all over.

“It’s not like I saw the Ise Imperial Shrine infiltration operation directly, that’s why I wrote it with my imagination…”

Yumeno-san whose tension was a little hyper went “Ehe-“ and stuck out her tongue.

Wasn’t that not a newspaper anymore and only a novel. She was unexpectedly a cheeky person….

“But I think this article is done well though. The course of events for every important point are explained properly.”

Kaguya-senpai kept nodding in appreciation with an extremely serious face.

“Several places become something like a novel but…exactly because of that the reader doesn’t get tired of it and the part that should be conveyed is conveyed. I think this article has a good balance that is not too formal. As expected, for everything to be conveyed properly to all the students like this is really important.”

Certainly, he couldn’t deny that the events were turned into a content that could be read.

“…Err, this newspaper, can President give your autograph on it?”

Yumeno-san’s eyes sparkled bright like a star and she presented a sign pen smoothly to Kazuki.

“This is the first time I wrote a battlefield report, and I want to receive the autograph of Chief President Hayashizaki that became a hero in that battlefield…if you do that then I'll keep this newspaper extra as a commemoration for my whole life♪”

Kazuki went “Even if you say that, something like an autograph is…” and while losing his bearing, he wrote his name on the corner of the newspaper extra using normal square character. Kazuki himself thought “…Are you happy? With something like this”, but Yumeno-san was going “Kyaa―” and raised a delighted voice before hugging the signed newspaper and twirling around.

“By the way Kazuki…”

Kazuha-senpai raised one of her hands properly.

“Itsuki has been hiding behind me since a while ago while staring fixedly here.”

Now that she mentioned it, the small statured Kamimura-san was hiding behind Kazuha-senpai’s back like she was clinging to it.

Kamimura-san had a fear of strangers to the extreme degree…rather than calling her that, she was a shut-in. Because someone like her was suddenly thrown right into the middle of a crowd of people that she didn’t know like this, surely she would get confused.

“That’s right, this is not the time to settle down. I have to introduce Kamimura-san to everyone.”

Kazuki stood up from the sofa and walked approaching Kazuha-senpai and Kamimura-san’s direction.

From behind Kazuha-senpai, Kamimura-san showed up her face all of a sudden.

“I, I…if I become a hindrance, I can go home…”

“There is no way you are a hindrance. You are saying go home, but where are you going to go.”

This girl had determined to keep living. But if she was not beside Kazuki, that flesh body of hers couldn’t be maintained.

And also Ise where the girl originally was living had already became the territory of Yamato.

There was no other place for her except here in the Witch’s Mansion.

Everybody of the Witch’s Mansion were sending wondering gaze to Kamimura-san.

As if covering her from those gazes, Kazuha-senpai talked.

“Kazuki, you might as well not just stop at introducing her, let’s do a welcoming party for Itsuki! I too have never given a composed greeting to the residents of the Witch’s Mansion.”

He thought that it was a good idea. Kazuki too could open his heart to everyone thanks to the welcoming party. When Lotte first came it was like that for her too.

Part 2

For the sake of the welcoming party, he had to prepare the food.

He felt some tiredness, but Kazuki was too proud to rely on meal delivery service.

Before at the Gate of the Celestial Rock Cave when Kamimura-san and Amaterasu said that they would become Kazuki’s comrade, it was with the condition that they were expecting delicious meals. After they had said that, there was no way he would let the first meal that would become a commemoration be finished by just some catering that had no warmth in it.

There was a proverb from Japan of the old time about this.

―[If you created it yourself it will be like something free of charge]

“I don’t like those words.”

Mio huffed and said back arrogantly.

“It doesn’t include the thinking about the labor cost of the human resource that is yourself. I too like to create western clothes by myself, but just because of that it’s not good to sell yourself cheap, that’s what I think.”

On the other hand Koyuki shook her head after hearing that.

“Wrong, the reasoning of the cheapness is correct if you think about it after looking at the long term implication. If you pay money then it will only affect you limited in that place, but by doing it yourself the experience and the skill that you get will help you throughout your whole life.”

Listening to the two opposite opinions, Kazuki was thinking that each of their personality came out in their answers.

The two who acted like that right now were wearing maid uniform.

When Kazuki began to cook the food for the welcoming party, Mio and Koyuki came wearing maid uniform and proposed to help Kazuki.

During that time, he entrusted Kamimura-san to Kazuha-senpai where she took her outside to be the guide of the Knight Academy. He wanted to finish the preparation before those two returned back here.

“The maid uniform’s design is different than the one before isn’t it?”

Kazuki sharply noticed. When they became the helper in Kazuki’s domestic chores until now they were also wearing the maid uniform that Mio created herself, but the one that they currently wore was a version of different things.

Hearing Kazuki pointing that out, Mio puffed up her chest proudly while Koyuki shrank herself in embarrassment.

“It’s the season of clothing’s seasonal change after all, so I was secretly sewing this new version! Though because we went to Kansai for quite long it just stayed quiet inside the cupboard until now though!”

Mio made a twirling turn on the spot in order to show off her maid uniform.

The new maid uniform had no sleeve with both the shoulder area exposed, the skirt too became even shorter than before. The coloring too was not black but navy blue as the main color giving the casual impression of summer.

There was also no compromise in the detail. On the calm navy blue fabric that had its charm, a shadow stripeweaving pattern was inserted. Probably that was not using polyester that was used in a cheap maid uniform cosplay costume, but surely something like a casting fabric that was used in high class formal suit.

Its design couldn’t be said as correct based on the view of traditional maid uniform, but thanks to its overall high quality it could by no means be called as a colored thing and engendered elegance instead.

Even if they walked outside in that appearance, the people that saw it wouldn’t think “It’s cosplay”, instead there was no doubt they were going to feel that “This is fashion”. It was a workmanship that was far from amateur.

The girl power of Christine Amasaki-sensei was just too unrivaled in every aspect….

What a versatile girl….

“So!? So!?” Mio leaned her face forward and inquired.

“The cuteness of the both of you currently might have entered the top 5 of the world.”

Mio went “Yes!” and skipped around repeatedly. He could catch glimpses of the underwear from the short skirt.

“You, if you jumped around with a skirt that short, I can see it you know.”

“Ehehe, if it’s Kazu-nii then it’s okay even if it is seen though.”

Saying that bluntly without any concern, Mio pulled up her miniskirt with both hand from the front.

…Kazuki’s gaze unintentionally got sucked in. The pure white underwear was silk. And then as if it was prepared beforehand with the assumption that it would be seen, the panty was arranged with a ribbon of navy blue color that had the same tone with the maid uniform. The thighs that were fidgeting around were pressed squishily with garter belts and it looked soft just from seeing.

Even while it looked austere like a maid, it was also the obscene content of the flowery skirt.

Mio was “Ehehe, watch it more…” with her cheek blushing red ecstatically.

“Are you an exhibitionist?” Koyuki hit the hand that lifted up the skirt with a snap.

The skirt returned back to normal like a lowering down curtain. Kazuki who became trapped in a trance returned to his senses with a look of realization.

“…I think for a man, what happened to me just now cannot be helped.”

While Kazuki was bothered with Koyuki’s gaze, he cleared his throat with ‘ehem’.

“…When it became about maid uniform, Kazuki really cannot be helped. It really makes me want to draw away.”

Koyuki looked away with a ‘pui’ in a bad mood. But Kazuki was also charmed by the appearance of Koyuki that was like that.

“Koyuki too is cute…or perhaps I should say that the maid uniform this time might suit Koyuki’s style more.”

Koyuki’s white skin and cool personality and the maid uniform that changed into navy blue color enhanced each other’s prominence. The silk that glossed like a silver light also suited her. Blue and silver were [Koyuki’s color], that was what he felt.

When she was stared by Kazuki, Koyuki blushed red and curled up into herself. That figure of hers was excessively cute.

“…Taking upon oneself to conduct a design that certainly suited the rival Koyuki…this composure and the depth of the heart are exactly where you can feel the work of the artisan. As expected, Christine Amasaki-sensei.”

“Well, this is a refined product of Napoli tailoring see.”

He didn’t get it all where is the Napoli factor in it, but anyway it was a work of a virtuoso.

“By the way putting aside the unveiling of the maid uniform. Chef, what are you going to make for tonight’s feast?”

Toward Mio’s question, the chef Kazuki looked worried with “Uu―nn”.

When he took a glance outside the window, it was already evening. There was not much time to make something complicated.

“…I wonder if something like finger food is fine.”

Finger food was a general term for something like canapé or sandwich, food that could be picked and eaten with one hand. Because it didn’t become a hindrance for game or conversation, it was suited for a party with many people in it.

“If you pile up good quality cheese or ham or dip sauce that are sold as ready-made goods with cracker or baguette then its appearance will also look gorgeous, and it won’t take much time to make it for the portion of many people. Adding to that, if we prepare one kind of extravagant main dish then it should be good enough to be served for a party.”

“I see. Just like a buffet party Tou-san had took me with before, there was also something like that.”

Headmaster Amasaki fairly seemed like someone of the society’s upper echelons. As expected from the new headmaster that stood at the top of the Knight Academy.

Kazuki began to check the content of the refrigerator.

Because they had suddenly went to west Japan, so the content of the refrigerator only had awful things inside.

“It’s not like everything has become unusable right? While Kazuki prepared the ingredients that are still usable, if Koyuki and I go out for shopping it will be more efficient won’t it?”

“There is no time so that seems good. Though it feels like my body is stabbed when I think that I will be separated for a short while with the Maid-san…”

Chef Kazuki wrote out the necessary ingredients in the memo and handed it over to maid Mio. The girl nodded repeatedly “hmm hmm” with the memo in one hand, then “We are going, Koyuki!” high spiritedly she took Koyuki’s hand.

“A, Amasaki-san…we are going outside with this appearance without changing!?”

“Because there is no time here…this maid uniform is not something to be ashamed of even if it is seen anyway!”

“In the hands of Christine Amasaki-sensei, even the food procurement of the Knight Academy is turned into a walk in the runway of fashion show huh.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean somewhat.”

“Fufuu―n, we are going to cast magic on the students of the whole school with our beautiful look!”

Besides the bewildered Koyuki, Mio said that while twirling and twirling in circle.

“…The both of you won’t cause anything strange from a too high tension will you?”

Mio got carried away while she also dragged Koyuki away trailingly and left the kitchen.

“Mio, if you go out in that appearance, pay attention to your skirt okay.”

Kazuki got worried about the too short skirt and pointed out. The way from the Witch’s Mansion until the school canteen was still inside the Magic Division, but recently it was not rare for the boys from the Sword Division to come here.

“You want to monopolize me that much? It’s fine, I won’t let anybody else see other than Kazu-nii for suu―re.”

Mio left the kitchen with a composed smiling face. Surely an able woman would have the hiding technique of an able woman. Though in that case he was worried for Koyuki who normally didn’t wear something like a miniskirt.

Kazuki took the ingredients from inside the refrigerator that were still usable and began the preparation.

―After a while, the kitchen’s door was knocked.

Kazuha-senpai who should be going out as a guide came in.

“Kazuha-senpai? Is something the matter with Kamimura-san?”

“That’s…it looks like she was tired after I guided her briefly, she said that she wants to rest in her room until the preparation of the welcoming party is finished, so I took her back here. Though it looks like she has the mood to come out for the welcoming party.”

“…As expected, if she is suddenly tossed into a different environment then she is going to feel nervous.”

She said it herself that she was a shut-in. However he didn’t have any idea at all for how to make that kind of child to get used to a new environment.

“I, want to be a friend to Itsuki.”

Kazuha-senpai murmured with a sigh. Kazuki too nodded with the same feeling.

Kamimura-san was by no means closing her heart completely. With her own will she chose that “I will live”, as far as he could see from her relationship with Amaterasu and Ise-Udon-ojiisan, “I want friends” she was also looking for other people. She wasn’t closing her heart like how Koyuki once was.

Just surely, she only became completely timid in facing other people.

With this welcoming party, they had to show that the Witch’s Mansion accepted Kamimura-san with unending open heart. The circumstance of Kamimura-san had been told to everyone else already.

“Fu, fufufu…”

Suddenly, Kazuha-senpai leaked out a laughing voice.

“Friend…finally I can make one more friend…. I absolutely won’t let her get away…fufufu, if someone gives a kindness to someone that is in a helpless place from loneliness, it should be easy to have her eating from the palm of my hands thereafter…!”

“Senpai is unexpectedly thinking so calculatingly about this!?”

Kazuki was shocked. Her way of thinking was exactly the same like a smooth talker man that tried to make a girl who just got rejected fall for him by acting consolingly to the girl. It’s just too desperate, seeing her like this is just too deplorable.

“Senpai is bright, beautiful and diligent, your mood is also good and you are fun to be with. You are a person that really has no flaws that truly is flawed, despite so why is it your friends are so few like now?”

When Kazuki said that with a sigh, Kazuha-senpai went “Ugu!” and she pressed her chest as if she just got stabbed.

Though he had already known that this person had quite a personal history, because she had already immersed in sword art since she was little and yet she didn’t really improve in the proportion of her effort, she held a complex toward her fellow swordsmen and in the end she couldn’t get along well with them.

But even so he still thought that a person this lovely shouldn’t be so overlooked to this degree.

“I don’t think I’m really that great of a person like you said but…I too want to ask why I’m like this…”

Kazuha-senpai pressed her chest and her shoulders dropped in a total dejection.

“I wonder if it’s not because when senpai is thinking of trying to make a friend, doesn’t senpai become too high spirited. Like senpai always have desperation oozing out too much into your behavior or your expression…”

When he thought back again, every time she conversed with her sword training partner Hikaru-senpai, Kazuha-senpai always had a dreadful expression. It was because the partner was the big-hearted Hikaru-senpai that the situation finished with just Hikaru-senpai thinking “she acted a little suspicious didn’t she”, but if it was against normal people they might draw back completely looking at such thing.

“…Spirited you say?” Kazuha-senpai tilted her head from having no self-awareness of her behavior.

“Kazuha-senpai, when you tried to make friends, your eyes glinted fiercely like a predator seeing prey, your smiling mouth strangely lifts up and you looked like you were baring your fang, and also your cheek muscle kept shaking as if in a cramp you know.”

“I was making a face like that!?”

“Though when with me you have never made a face like that.”

Most likely that was because Kazuki was the one that was coming to pursue her to become friends with her. Kazuha-senpai directed a spirit of antagonism toward that. That was why on the contrary she acted natural to him.

Exactly because he was disliked by Kazuha-senpai, that only Kazuki managed to finally arrive at Kazuha-senpai’s honest face.

“When senpai makes a face like that and the other party understands that you are nervous, your nervousness will also get transmitted and the other side also cannot become calm when they are facing senpai. In contrast if you directed a natural smile to them, the other side too will feel calm.”

If you directed hostility to someone it would make it easy to turn them into an enemy, and if you directed a good will without any ulterior motive then the other side would also relax their alertness. Communication was a mirror that reflected yourself.

Most likely success experience from the past meant everything for a person’s communication ability.

If a person piled up success in human relationship since the time he was small, it would inscribe confidence in him. With that confidence as weapon, he would pile up even more success and could rapidly ride up a rising current.

In reverse if he stumbled completely from the start, he would lose confidence there and would always get nervous with his body stiffening completely, piling up even more failure and losing more confidence, steadily falling into a closed vicious circle.

When statistics concerning the birthday of professional sports athletes was taken, it was mentioned that there were many among them that were born in the month between April-June. In the time as a child there was a difference in physique between children that couldn’t be surpassed from [having been born several months earlier].

Because children were divided into grades between their year and they went through a group activity in a group based on their grade, inside that group the children that were born in April-June who had growth just several months faster had it easier to stand in superior position whether it was in sports or playing. When those children experienced victory there, that experience became confidence, which in turn incited a positive endeavor and growth. Working hard became something fun. And then they would rapidly grow and put even more distance from their surroundings…it seemed there was such a tendency like that. The thing called success experience couldn’t be looked down at.

If someone fell into a vicious circle of losing confidence, they had to grasp a success somewhere to cut through the negative circle. In order to do that, surely the assistance of people from outside would become important.

“Senpai is a really lovely person, that’s why it’s fine even if you don’t do anything special. If senpai just stop getting too spirited and make a relaxed smile, then everyone is bound to like senpai.”

“…You say to relax more…l-like this?”

Kazuha-senpai showed a wide smile. It still had an artificial feel exposed in it but―

“You are cute senpai, just like that. That cuteness entered the top ten of the world.”

She had to be given confidence. Kazuki who thought that gave a great admiration to Kazuha-senpai.

“Do, don’t flatter me! There is no need for thing like cuteness in making friends right! What’s with you saying the world top ten.”

“It’s regrettable you are not wearing maid uniform.”

“You think I care about your personal hobby like that-”

Spouting out that in a huff, nervousness disappeared from Kazuha-senpai’s expression. Thereupon a natural smile floated in her expression, wasting no time Kazuki pointed out “Senpai, that face!” Kazuha-senpai’s face blushed.

“…Kazuki is really looking at me properly huh.”

“Because of Hayashizaki-style's prized observation.”

“There is also nothing mistaken in your advice for sword technique until now. Got it! I will do as you say and show you that I will get along with Itsuki without fail!”

Kazuha-senpai filled herself with fighting spirit and clenched both her fists.

“I told senpai already to not get too spirited just now.”

“Kazuki…thank you okay.”

Kazuha-senpai hugged Kazuki tightly in a surprise attack.

It was too sudden that Kazuki couldn’t even return the hug. A gentle warmth. For just an instant, then Kazuha-senpai immediately separated herself resolutely in a flash. She dashed outside the kitchen without saying anything.

Kazuha-senpai who rarely became honest.

Exactly because of that, the charm of the surprise attack was plenty even though it was just a short time.

At the same time Kazuki remembered the affair in the Gate of the Celestial Rock Cave with Kazuha-senpai. She made him intensely conscious of her as a girl and his feelings couldn’t calm down.

After a while, Mio and Koyuki returned back in a half run from their shopping.

Part 3

“Kamimura-san, the welcoming party’s preparation is completed already.”

After all the preparation was finished, Kazuki knocked the door of the room that was allocated for Kamimura-san.

In answer to Kazuki’s calling, the door was opened obediently.

“Long time no see o.”

―What appeared from the door’s other side was the small middle-aged man with white skin like mochi.

It was not Kamimura-san. The one he met at the Gate of Celestial Rock Cave―Ise-Udon-ojisan.

“…Why are you-!?”

This place was not a special space like the Gate of Celestial Rock Cave, it felt really out of place if a middle-aged man this queer appeared in the place of reality.

“Itsuki said that she felt tired so she pushed the leadership of the flesh body to me and is resting o. Hyahha―! This is the first time I am in the space of real world since I was born o! Abababababa!!”

Ise-Udon-ojisan exposed the white of his eyes and stuck out his tongue from his mouth before wriggling his short limbs.

“…So you can do such skillful thing. Can you properly return to normal?”

Ise-Udon-ojisan’s deformed physique was even smaller than the small statured Kamimura-san.

When he was watching him, he was driven by anxiety of the law of conservation of mass.

“Rather than calling this a light possession, it’s just a little remaking of the existence’s surface, that’s why I can immediately return back o. Wait a second o.”

Udon-ojisan closed the door, but on the brink of the door closing he stuck out his face and added some more.

“…Itsuki really thinks inside her heart that she wants to go out to the welcoming party o. It’s just that she felt a little anxious and it became a burden on her mental state o. You might see it as trying to avoid other people but, I want you to understand that it’s not like she want to reject other people deep inside her heart o.”

“It’s okay, I understand.”

Kazuki nodded. Kamimura-san too in a certain meaning was similar with Kazuha-senpai.

“Just as expected from the man we anticipated o.”

The door closed leaving behind those words. And then from the other side of the door “CHAAAAAAAAANGE-!” a voice could be heard. And then―”Samee” “Wha- it’s not you- o! The turn is for Itsuki o! One more time, CHAAAAAAAAAANGE-!” He could hear a skilled one person conversation that he didn’t understand for what reason it was performed. It looked a little like a multiple personality. The door opened once more.

“…I, I made you wait.”

Kamimura-san peeked out her face from the door timidly.

Nervousness was transmitted from person to person. When he saw Kamimura-san’s face, Kazuki too started to feel his mental state become nervous as if something that could easily break if it was touched.

That was why if his side too became awkward, Kamimura-san would surely become even more nervous.

He understood that from his experience of capturing tough enemies called Koyuki and Kazuha-senpai.

If he had to say what aspect of him that had grown the most until now, then surely it was in this kind of aspect.

Kazuki relaxed his whole body using an ancient breathing technique and endeavored to make a truly natural expression.

“I’m the one that made you wait.”

From the beginning no matter what kind of formidable enemy that he faced, Kazuki had never exposed an unsightly sight of fumbling his act from nervousness.

“I have finished the preparation that will not be shameful even if it becomes an offering for Amaterasu-sama here.”

Kamimura-san didn’t come out from behind the door shaking and fidgeting while only showing out her face.

Kazuki gently took the hand of Kamimura-san that was hiding behind the door and pulled her closer.

While Kamimura-san was someone that was scared to be disliked, she was not the type that disliked someone being over-familiar to her. As much as she could remember from the event in the Gate of the Celestial Rock Cave, she should like to be treated courteously.

Around that area, she was different from Koyuki that rejected other people itself for a period of time.

When Kazuki pulled her hand, Kamimura-san silently followed him along with a trot.

Various excellent cooking had been lined up already on the table in the living room of the Witch’s Mansion.

“Cheers!”

After toasting with cups that were filled with bubbling carbonated juice, the circle of friends were eating as they pleased inside the wide room and began to have friendly conversations. It was really close to a buffet.

While the party was going in full swing…Kazuha-senpai went crying at Kazuki.

“Kazuki~! Itsuki got netorare-ed~!”

“…Netorare senpai said, but that’s a little different right?”

“But but~! Even though I have made reservation~!”

“Senpai also didn’t make any reservation right? Is senpai drunk?”

Kazuki was amazed and he did a light chop on the clamoring Kazuha-senpai’s head.

Kazuki directed his gaze to the direction that Kazuha-senpai pointed while clamoring.

When saying it from the conclusion, Kamimura-san who looked like an impregnable fortress was conquered in an instant by Lotte.

Lotte penetrated into the heart of Kamimura-san with a smiling face that looked so innocent and pure that it seemed anybody who saw it would forgive her. While making consideration to Kamimura-san’s nervousness by reading between the lines of the heart’s subtleties using Mind Sympathy MagicTelepathy, Lotte roused her up using their common hobby of anime as conversation topic, and in the time people took to say ‘ah’ it was as if the two had found a kindred spirit in each other.

Right now that Kamimura-san had went away from Kazuha-senpai’s hand, she was sitting in a line together with three people that were Lotte, Karin, and Hikaru-senpai on the sofa in front of the TV. They quietly, heatedly conversed with each other while appreciating the anime.

“[Mobile Suit Z Galpan]…the long awaited popular anime sequel that depicted the springtime of youth of the high-school girl students that decided their [Robo-path] in a competition of zero-gravity space battle using robots that were considered to maiden’s taste since the ancient time! Those moe characters that were completely absorbed into robo-battle that completely didn’t give any consideration to safety at all, there is a ghastly degenerated beauty looking at them falling one after another throughout the battle…!”

Kamimura-san whose tension skyrocketed when it was about a field that she liked, right now she was leaning her body forward to the screen with an excited voice.

“I am a little weak to extreme anime like this desu but…yet the character’s treatment of Tonne Kobayashi who appear in succession from the previous work and now had grown into high school student make you feel an irony where you cannot say anything isn’t it? When you think back upon the climax of the previous work [Mobile Suit Galpan]…”

Lotte nodded earnestly.

“As expected of Lotte-dono, you understand…!”

Kamimura-san was staring hard at Lotte with a feverish look as if she had found an enlightened person.

Lotte was even now continuing as if to invite Kamimura-san’s sympathy.

“Even though in the previous work’s ending the three sisters of Tonne – Katsune – Kikune were depicted as the symbol of hope for the next generation, in this sequel where seven years have passed, Tonne is growing as a character that possesses an ego that denies the possibility that was previously hinted, she cannot restrain her young passion that is inappropriate for her true power with reason and repeatedly violated her order isn’t she desu. And then she completely died not from the attack of a powerful enemy, but from a meteor that crashed into her while she was looking aside…. I have a feeling that this ‘Z’ is a tale of ‘despairzetsubou’ desu.”

“That’s so, in spite of how in the previous work this tale had been tied up perfectly, the author’s gloominess was coming out to the surface from writing this continuation because of commercial reason. But later on the author went [this kind of negative work cannot be left behind just like this] and then he remade it into the [New Testament version] in the end!”

“I like it that way desu. The feeling from the depiction of how strong the heart can become from the existence of important people in the surrounding…”

“As expected Lotte-dono really understands!!”

Kamimura-san finally grasped both of Lotte’s hands tightly. Lotte too grasped back with a friendly smile. At their side Karin and Hikaru-senpai were going “Z Galpan is so cool~!” and they became entranced into the robot’s action scene. The four people pressed their shoulders closer together when the ending theme streamed out and sang out ‘love or something something goes to the star of water~♪’.

Kazuha-senpai went “Hii―cc!” and exaggeratedly buried her face into Kazuki’s chest.

“I, I don’t get it at all what in the world are they talking about and I cannot participate in the conversation~! Even though I have been trying to prepare my heart’s readiness and come into contact with a natural smile just like Kazuki said~!”

“Ah―. …It cannot be helped if Lotte is the opponent, yup. There, there.”

When Kazuki caressed Kazuha-senpai’s head in order to comfort her, a small heart mark came flying and got absorbed into his ring.

Her positivity level increased. That was to say that Kazuha-senpai who was not honest was right now using the receiving shock as an excuse to come fawning to him. For such thing like Kazuha-senpai embracing him like this by her own accord to happen.

“Senpai, preferably if you want to make friends then how about you also live in the Witch’s Mansion?”

“Eh?” Kazuha-senpai raised her face from Kazuki’s chest.

“Senpai is also a Magika Stigma after all, so I think it will be recognized even if you changed division.”

Right now the academy was in the middle of converting little by little with the objective to carefully recognize the Divas outside of the Solomon 72 Pillar who had been making illegal contract until now.

If Kamimura-san could be accepted into the Magic Division, then there shouldn’t be any uncomfortable feeling in accepting Kazuha-senpai too. Whether Amaterasu or Futsunushi no Kami, both of them were Divas of the same Japanese Mythology.

“That’s…certainly…but…”

After Kazuha-senpai’s gaze wandered around from having her heart shook up, she hung her head down.

“But I’ll keep staying in the Sword Division like now. Just as I thought because first and foremost, I want to be a swordsman.”

After that with a small voice Kazuha-senpai added in mumbling “…Certainly I want to live in the Witch’s Mansion, or perhaps I should say that I want to be together with Kazuki but…”

“Is that so. If senpai has a fixation like that then it cannot be helped.”

“But Kazuki too don’t just stay cooped in the Witch’s Mansion, come to the Sword Division to play too sometimes! Kazuki is the Chief Student Council President after all so it’s unfair!!”

“Now that senpai mentioned it, I haven’t been to the Sword Division since the previous uproar haven’t I?”

“You haven’t come that much!? Yosh, then come! Rather you should stay there!!”

The two arms of Kazuha-senpai that were embracing him were filled with strength, and she talked while her arms kept tightening like a bear hug. No…as expected what’s going to happen if he has a stay over there?

“Otouto-kun, night amusements is prohibited you know. It’s no good if you are not staying the night properly here.”

Kaguya-senpai clung to him from the back with a bump before she whispered into his ear. *munyu munyu*, soft sensation was pushed onto his back kneadingly. Kazuki got nervous with a twitch.

“…The student dormitory in the Sword Division has the prohibition to go in and out at night, so please do it only at daytime. Tonight we have obtained permission from Headmaster Amasaki though, we are approved to stay here until especially late.”

Kanae too cut into the conversation.

Kanae clung onto Kaguya-senpai’s waist and tore her off from Kazuki’s back forcefully before she talked angrily.

“The Sword Division is a mixed education of man and woman after all, so the students are divided into the boys dormitory and the girls dormitory. The rules are imposed stricter than the Magic Division there. …Even I had actually thought several times of going to the Witch’s Mansion for a yobai because I want to meet Nii-sama! If only I don’t have to be an example as the Sword Division’s president never to break the rule!!”

“I’m really glad that you are re-elected as a president once more here. I have to thank Kohaku later.”

Kazuki lightly chopped Kanae’s head.

Well, at her roots she was a serious person, that was surely why she didn’t do anything wild while she was being the student council president.

“Rather than that kind of thing Kazuha-chan, come on teach me more in detail regarding that general magic.”

When Kazuha-senpai too separated her body from Kazuki, Kaguya-senpai leaped to that Kazuha-senpai as if clinging at her and asked. After that, Kanae too continued after Kaguya-senpai.

“That’s right! I too wanted to ask about that in detail!!”

Getting caught between the two that were highly praised as the academy’s strongest, Kazuha-senpai went “Eh? Eh?” and made a bewildered face.

However after she remembered something and made a face of realization with a ‘hah’, she patched up a smile in her expression and said.

“…If, if you become my friend then…I will teach you anything.”

She just remembered Kazuki’s advice didn’t she. Although there was still some slight awkwardness remaining, it was a refreshing smiling face.

“Friend-!” Kaguya-senpai embraced Kazuha-senpai.

Kazuha-senpai who was embraced turned at Kazuki who watched over them at the side and raised a voice of wonder.

“Kazuki-!? The breast of this person is amazing!”

I know. Kaguya-senpai had the habit of immediately hugging but the sensation was always amazing.

“…Friend.”

Reluctantly Kanae too took Kazuha-senpai’s hand. Doing something like this was surely a little embarrassing for her.

Those three distanced themselves from the table a little and started to talk about general magic while also exchanging performance.

“…Kazuki, are you eating properly?”

Choosing the timing when Kazuki became alone, Mio approached his side while bringing in one hand small crackers with cheese and tomato placed on it. She was still in the maid uniform. And then putting the crackers in the tip of her lips, “Nn-“ she faced Kazuki.

For her to come to him while plainly doing such thing, Mio was dreadful.

Kazuki calmed down and accepted that action of a bakaple. He held the other side of the cracker with his mouth while properly touching his own lips on Mio’s lips on purpose, then he buried his teeth with a snap.

After Mio ate the cracker that had been broken in half, “Ehehe, you pass” she revealed a smile.

“…Aren’t you too excited in the head.”

Koyuki who was in a similar maid uniform had come beside them before he realized where she made an amazed face.

“Let’s do it to Koyuki. Here.”

Kazuki took a cracker from the table and put it between his mouth and he turned at Koyuki.

Koyuki went “A, are you an idiot…”, even while saying that with her mouth “Nn” she brought her small lips near Kazuki’s cracker looking not too annoyed as she would have him believe.

*Chuu* Rather than saying that Koyuki received the cracker, she was sucking at Kazuki’s lips altogether. …When Koyuki was doing a kiss, she had the habit to profusely suck with passion.

Not only half, the cracker was stolen in its entirety into Koyuki’s mouth. Even so Koyuki still sucked at Kazuki’s lips for a while, finally after that she was satisfied and separated herself before chewing the cracker *mogumogu*.

“…It’s delicious, as might be expected from the food that I helped to make.” She averted her face with bright red face.

“…Kazuki!”

Hikaru-senpai who was watching anime noticed the situation here and came near them with bright eyes.

“Tou-! I don’t need any excuse like cracker or whatever! When I feel that I want to kiss I’m going to kiss immediately right away-!!”

After she gallantly proclaimed that, she suddenly stole Kazuki’s lips.

“Hoshikaze-senpai, I don’t know whether that frankness aspect of yours is just too cool or manly, but it’s lacking in girlishness you know.”

When Mio retorted from the side, Hikaru-senpai was “Nnyumu-!?” leaking out such voice and separated her lips.

“Is that so I wonder?” “That’s really so. Do it more with the feel that will make even flowers blush.” “But isn’t saying that yourself too sly?” “Romantic is something you produce with your own power.” “How difficult.”

“Hikaru-senpai, Mio too is really extreme so it’s fine if you don’t mind that.”

When Kazuki entered between the two that was in the middle of dialogue and talked, Hikaru-senpai said “I know, right?” and nodded in relief.

“…Everyone’s heads are too excited.” Koyuki murmured.

Mio immediately retorted “You are the one that was the most passionate just now!!”

“…Putting that aside, I wonder if it’s about time for the main dish to be ready.”

Kazuki led Mio and Koyuki out of the living room and entered the kitchen.

First he took out the heat-resistant plate from the large-type oven.

The main dish’s first course was Acqua Pazza. Boiling marine products with water and wine, the so called boiled food of south Italian version. With sufficient soup pooling up on the large heat-resistant plate, a fish was wholly put in the center. A lot of shellfish and mini tomato were decorated in its surrounding, it looked completely like an article of rare beauty of gorgeous treasure box filled with the blessing of sea. But actually if one was experienced at seafood’s preliminary arrangement, this dish was also a simple cooking that could be completed just by putting it into oven after that.

Next Kazuki took the large-type pressure cooker that he had left alone for a while after turning off the fire.

One more dish was a beef stew. If pressure cooker was used then the meat could be made soft in just a short time, if he used the homemade demi-glace sauce that he stocked inside the refrigerator then it would become a genuine finisher that he wouldn’t be ashamed to show wherever he was.

The cooking tool and equipment that were prepared in the Witch’s Mansion whether its oven or even its pot were all large type items for business use. It was fine to call the kitchen as professional resource mostly. He could make cooking even for large number of people without difficulty.

He also received help from Mio and Koyuki and carried the cooking altogether with the heat-resistant plate and the pressure cooker to the living room. The gorgeous appearance and aroma raised excited cheering from everyone.

“Celebration King-sama, let this one bring you the food.”

Kohaku reverently turned to Kamimura-san and distributed the food.

Look like she found a new target for lord and retainer relationship changing from Kazuha-senpai.

“…Amazing. Even though all the food until now had been delicious, that there are still more food remaining…”

While receiving the food in large serving, Kamimura-san opened her eyes wide while cowering.

“Kamimura-san called yourself something like Celebration King after all so haven’t you eaten even better things compared to an amateur cooking of someone like me? Kamimura-san is the highest celebrated personage of the Shrine Maiden right?”

“…I’m just an ordinary person that made contract with Amaterasu secretly you know. It’s not like there is particularly an existence of a post like Celebration King in the public institution of Japan. A contract with Amaterasu is an illegal contract.”

“…Now that you said that. Then the priests and chief priest that worked in Ise Imperial Shrine didn’t know about the existence of Kamimura-san that made a contract with Amaterasu?”

“Even if I come out and introduced myself saying ‘I have contracted with Amaterasu heerree’, I’m only going to get arreeessted even faster than the priests can show their respect to me. Of course Amaterasu was happy that rituals are performed in Ise Imperial Shrine. Their faith is not a one-way traffic. But, I’m different.”

“Now that you mentioned it, I brought Kamimura-san here even though I don’t know anything about most of your personal history… What about Kamimura-san’s parents?”

While it was already too late, he thought about this girl’s life circumstances. Nevertheless, Ise was still Yamato’s territory, so when she was not in the Gate of the Celestial Rock Cave and was in this world there was no other choice than to come to east Japan if she thought of going to live.

However, even this girl was supposed to have family in east Japan shouldn’t she?

Kamimura-san shook her head left and right.

“I don’t particularly mind. Both my parents…had already finished my funeral. I, am originally shunned by my family because I’m a shut-in. Surely even if I just suddenly come back to life I will only be a bother.”

…Isn’t such thing just too sad?

It seemed that the relationship between Kamimura-san and her parents was not good.

But as long as she still lived―not in a half-dead condition like now but when she took back her life properly, if Kamimura-san could get back on her feet from her shut-in tendency, wouldn’t all of it be undone?

“Something like a party, truthfully it has been a while since the last time I had a birthday party when I was small…”

Kamimura-san murmured with a deeply sinking voice.

The surrounding pricked up their ears and listened attentively to her conversation with Kazuki. The atmosphere changed into a solemn and quiet one.

“Itsuki-chan, it’s fine for you to call me as Onee-chan!”

Spontaneously Kaguya-senpai hugged Kamimura-san tightly in great force.

“It’s fine to think of this Witch’s Mansion as your own home okay!!”

Kamimura-san opened her eyes wide and looked baffled, but once Kaguya-senpai hugged someone she wouldn’t let go easily like a turtle’s shell. Kamimura-san helplessly brought her food to her mouth while kept being hugged.

The moment the food touched her mouth, that side face of hers that looked slightly tense with nervousness softened faintly.

…Something like cooking was actually just a trivial thing though. He wanted her to feel once more that it was a wonderful thing that she said she wanted to live. He cooked these dishes with that thought in mind.

“Kamimura-san, how is the taste I wonder?”

“Delicious. Really…this is the first time I ate a cooking this delicious. Amaterasu too seemed to be satisfied inside me.”

But after saying such thing, Kamimura-san’s expression suddenly underwent a complete change as if a dark cloud covered her.

“…I, I become anxious about what are going to be demanded from me after being welcomed this much…even though someone like me will surely be unable to answer your expectation…”

“You are thinking too much there. We are not particularly having any ulterior motive in welcoming Kamimura-san here after all.”

“That, that’s true. I’m too roused am I, despite someone like me is just like something extra that come along with Amaterasu, I’m just misunderstanding that someone like me is the one that get welcomed…someone like me is just an extra that is like trash right.”

Uu―nn, this person….

When Kazuki felt slightly dumbfounded, Kamimura-san noticed her own response just now with a look of realization and dropped her shoulders.

“So, sorry…I realized just now, I said a troublesome thing…I’m sorry.”

She is really a person that rushed down the stair of self-torture with steady rhythm….

“I think that her personality is really difficult but, it’s not like there is any real harm from that anyway.”

Kazuki gently petted the head of Kamimura-san who was looking down with an expression of ruined mood.

While Kamimura-san kept looking down, a small heart mark came flying from her.

Kamimura Itsuki―34

The night of the welcoming party advanced on harmoniously.

Part 4

And then the ordinary usual days returned.

Kazuki and others’ original ordinary days―it also included the strict class work of the Knight Academy.

“…Because of such reasons, Japan and Yamato entered ceasefire due to the interruption of the Magic Advanced Countries, but let’s look back what kind of countries these Magic Advanced Countries are in the first place.”

Liz Liza-sensei who was in charge of magic practice’s class was brandishing teacher’s pointer inside the class today.

It was a rare classroom lecture of Liz Liza-sensei.

The students straightened their backs and sharpened their ears even more seriously compared when they are in the class of other teachers.

“You guys are not simply learning the way to use magic, but you also must pick things up fast about the society’s affairs and the international problem. After all the owner of special power has the responsibility to wield that power correctly. [Idiot who doesn’t watch his surrounding] doesn’t have the qualification to use Summoning Magic.”

Kaguya-senpai too had talked about similar thing before in the ceremonial address at the enrollment ceremony.

Kazuki reflexively looked down at the back of his left hand that he put on top of his own table.

Right there was the Stigmata in pentagram shape that he earned from his contract with Leme.

The Power of King―he possessed a special power even above all the Magika Stigmas in Japan. That was not his own conceit talking, what he had was really a top category powerful strength in Japan.

The [responsibility] that Liz Liza-sensei said felt unusually heavier in his case.

Being aware of such thing himself, he had to wield this power with consideration in his own special way.

“In the first place what is magic? What is called magic is the new possibility of human that was awakened due to the product of super alchemy technique, the <Philosopher Stone>. A power that distorted physical law with the power of thought…. Fifteen years ago, the Philosopher Stone was given birth in this world due to an alchemist that called himself Basileus Basileon.”

King Among KingBasileus Basileon…

Kazuki spontaneously realized in surprise. Leme had assigned him with a given name of [BasileusKing]. If he thought about that, it was a name with a really deep meaning.

Setting aside such Kazuki, the class continued on.

“Now, what is alchemy then. In the present era there are many things that are called alchemy, which is a technique that bring about change in material that is scientifically impossible by operating magic power and used magic but…the original alchemy was something far older in history than even magic.”

In the first place the Philosopher Stone was created by means of alchemy, and then from that magic was born in this world, so that sequence of history was something natural. In which case what was alchemy that didn’t make use of magic power?

“The original alchemy was something that caused phenomenon inexplicable from science using great effort and will power. Science researched [unchangeable law that bring about the same result no matter how many times it is tested]. However the world of mother nature where we put ourselves like this always has complex factors operating mutually. We called such environment a [complex system]. Even when we are planning to repeat the same experiment many times over, but actually even without intending it we are performing experiment in totally different conditions every time, there is always something that we don’t notice. Just with a wind blowing in the middle of the experiment, or a slight change in temperature we already cannot say that [we are repeating the same experiment] right? Thereupon we cannot actually proclaim that [the experiment always bring about the same result]. In that aspect there is the possibility to make phenomenon that cannot be called other than mysterious phenomenon or occult to occur. Such great efforts of persistence to intentionally attempt to make [miracle born from complex system] occur is what is called alchemy.”

Making miracle occurred intentionally….

“Alchemy was born in the Middle Age. If we have to specifically say what kind of thing the alchemist at that time did…Einstein left behind words that say [Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly yet expecting a different result], but in short what the alchemists did was doing what Einstein said continuously. They did this not in the range of several hundred of thousand times or several days just so you know, but several dozens of years, or even if several generations had passed they kept doing it in the range of several hundreds of years. Despite doing the same experiment, they earnestly waited for a different result to be produced…. That result they waited for, it seemed there was also the phenomenon of changing lead into pure gold there.”

The students drew back from the speech. Liz Liza-sensei then continued the explanation solemnly.

“Well then, it seemed there was an organization that was continuing such insane action until they reached this present era. Fifteen years ago an organization of alchemist called <Almighty Wisdom of DawnLiber Mundi suddenly appeared. The leader of this organization was Basileus Basileon. He published the Philosopher Stone in this world and began to sell it with high price. When this Philosopher’s Stone is pushed against a human’s head, the stone will be buried into the head while assimilating and the human will awaken to the power of magic. It’s pointless to just think what kind of theory it used that such things could happen. Because at any rate it’s the product of a miracle.”

Kazuki reflexively pressed his own hand onto his forehead. It was a grotesque story now that he imagined it once again.

“When the brain before and after it get filled with Philosopher’s Stone is inspected, it seems that there is no change at all in the form and nature of the brain. Despite there being no physical change at all, brain waves and brain activity that cannot be seen until then become visible. There is no change…in other words it means that the area of the brain that couldn’t be used before is now usable. It is possibly that [the sealed power of human was liberated] or something…what happened is thought to be something like that.”

“Err, sensei.”

Mio who sat in the first front row of the class raised her hand.

“What, Amasaki. For trash to think like trash and give form to its own thought is a good thing. After all proactive argument invigorates the memory of brain. Teacher like the trash that has the desire to improve itself you know.”

“A sealed power, that’s what you say, could the people from a long time ago use magic?”

Mio stood up and inquired and then she sat once more.

“That’s a natural question. When do you think the time that you called a long time ago happened…. Even though the fossils of Australopithecus or Ramidus ape man had been discovered many times over, there is no discovery of traces of the existence of magic technique in the ancient times. How mysterious right. Such argument is also related with human race’s evolution and spreading. In places like Europe they totally ignored things like archaeology and <Resurrection of Mythology Era Theory> that say [what is called Mythology is the record of reality of human races when they could use magic] become the mainstream there but, well, it’s contradictory with Japan’s scientific society that is based on archaeology isn’t it.”

“…In other words, what does it mean?”

Toward Mio who was still tilting her head, Liz Liza-sensei said a curt comment of “It’s things that we don’t understand. There are aspects of magic that is pointless to keep pondering about.”

“So, with the profit from the sales of the Philosopher’s Stone, <Libel Mundi> became an existence so enormous that it grasped the entire world at the time just as you all know. This world has been conquered before by a secret society. But it seemed there was an internal conflict in the organization, and the leader Basileus Basileon was assassinated. Though there are also believers that claimed he is still surviving because his corpse wasn’t discovered. Anyway the outcome from that, <Libel Mundi> was divided among its headquarters in Britain and its six branches in various countries. Those parts of organization were absorbed by the countries. The Britain headquarters into Britain, Germany branch into Germany…like that the Great Seven Magic Advanced Countries were born.”

Now that she mentioned it this was a class about the Magic Advanced Countries.

Finally the discussion reached the main topic.

There was once a group that accomplished world domination, and then with that group split off the Magic Advanced Countries….

“Now then, if I have to say why such details is important to the explanation of the current international states, that’s because Libel Mundi’s headquarter and branches each came into contact with different Mythologies and Divas and then they either researched it or embracing faith. And then it was taken over by each one of the Magic Advanced Countries and made into state religion after that. In other words…”

That time Liz Liza-sensei used the blackboard for the first time, what was noted down there was like this.

Britain―Celtic Mythology

Italia―Greece Mythology

Germany―Norse Mythology

Russia―Slavic Mythology

China―Taoism Mythology

Japan―Solomon 72 Pillar (Non-faith)

America―Unknown

“About America they are not really known. They are outstandingly applying isolationism and doesn’t try to connect with other countries after all. Even in the affair this time only America is the one that doesn’t come.”

…It was right about this time. Suddenly Kazuki looked up at the clock in the classroom and he ran his thought.

Right about now, the important people of the government were supposed to be in a meeting of talk with the envoys of Britain – Italia – Germany – Russia.

After doing small scale meetings several times for a while, in the weekend Japan and Yamato and the envoys would all gather and opened the [mass conference], that was what he was told.

Kazuki was excluded from such table of diplomacy.

All that would be going on from now on was going to progress in the place Kazuki had no knowledge on.

Kazuki was a student so it was only something natural.

Receiving lesson like this in class was only natural…. Even if he was called a King, he was just a mere student.

“A hot topic like this will of course appear in the test. There are some delay that appear in the class but the end of term exam will be still conducted just as scheduled, so don’t you dare neglect your study and focus yourself to the quest and the practical skill!”

The shriek of the students broke out inside the class that was usually obedient.

“Don’t get noisy for every little thing! No way the exam will be suspended just because of an accident in the level of west Japan becoming independent and a part of the students got conscripted. After all you first years don’t even have midterm exam anyway.”

The first year of the Magic Division was exempted from the midterm examination. There was still a lot of the students who still hadn’t succeeded in their <Contract Ceremony> at this period, because of that the contract was given maximum priority.

Therefore the end of term examination’s material covered all they studied throughout the whole year and it turned into a frightening obstacle.

“The students who were taken along to west Japan couldn’t participate in the class so it might feel unfair. But during that period, the class for practical skill was prioritized. After all it was inevitable that there were a great number of people that were not strong in practical skill among the remaining students. Because of that reason going along to west Japan cannot become an excuse. Spend your time practicing hard! That’s all!”

After Liz Liza-sensei threw a large bomb to the students, Liz Liza-sensei exited the classroom.

The students made a stir. Mio who was in a separate seat came around to Kazuki’s seat.

“Wait a second Kazuki, are you okay? If you like, it’s fine for you to get taught by this me who is also rank A in study! Fuffu―nn! I will work you hard earnestly every night-♪”

It seemed like Mio had a great confidence in her study, she treated the agonizing cries in the surrounding as if it was someone else’s problem smiled radiantly at Kazuki with her chest puffed up. However Kazuki too was keeping his cool and answered.

“For the moment, I haven’t been lacking in reviewing the lessons for a while so I think I’m going to be fine. My score shouldn’t fall below the average.”

Kazuki was still much more inferior in practical skill compared to Mio or Koyuki. Even while putting his utmost effort in that, Kazuki also had the awareness that he mustn’t get left behind even in the classwork too.

“Muu―, boring, boring, you have no cuteness!”

Mio who seemed to want to be relied on by Kazuki came punching repeatedly at Kazuki’s shoulder.

Kazuki said “That’s because I’m not aiming for something like cuteness” and smiled wryly.

“But let’s do a study group with everyone! Come on, all of you too!”

Mio exchanged looks with Koyuki who was behind Kazuki and Kamimura-san by Kazuki’s side.

Kamimura-san received the favor of having the previous person besides Kazuki move away and sat there. It was an unbecoming special treatment for the Magic Division’s spartan education, but it couldn’t be helped if he thought about the girl’s delicate mental state.

There was a value in treating the girl specially as the contractor of Amaterasu who held the key in their battle with Yamato.

Such girl was lying on top of her desk with complete exhaustion.

“…To get dragged forcefully and made to attend a school that I don’t want to go to…moreover there is also tests…”

“Doesn’t that make Kamimura-san feel the wholesome springtime of youth like this?”

Hearing Kazuki’s words, Kamimura-san was “Ugyaa―!” while raising a strange voice and she raised her face.

“Such bright energy is a poison for me see! Ugyaaa―! I have the feeling that all the gaze in this classroom are directing contempt at me! It’s better for this world to just perish!!”

“…Whaa―tt is she saying, this child?”

Mio was taken aback from Kamimura-san’s conduct. For a human like Mio that was like a lump of bright energy who tended to stand out from her great confidence in herself, it seemed that Kamimura-san’s conduct was really something that was hard to understand.

Nevertheless Mio didn’t even harbor any feeling like exclusiveness against foreign things right now. She was just merely looking into Kamimura-san’s expression with a pure countenance.

Kamimura-san twitched and once more lied on top of her desk in order to hide her face.

“School is scary…school caste is scary…”

“It’s fine, this Knight Academy runs under a complete doctrine of strength after all. So if you are strong then anything is allowed you know.”

When Kazuki said that, Kamimura-san’s shoulders shook with a twitch.

“Don’t tell me…even if you say that, here is an insular island country that valued peace so much that the people even turned malicious…. This country is an absolute world that valued communication ability rather than strength…. Strong person is ostracized, sticking out nail get hammered down, the riajuu with refreshing smile get ahead at life in turns…. That kind of world…. For a doctrine of strength’s culture to take root in this kind of country should be impossible…”

“No, this is a school that is raising knights geared towards battlefield. There is no room for pigheaded heart that is bullying strong people here.”

“But I’m not strong or anything…”

Even now Kamimura-san was persistently venting out anxious voice.

It seemed this girl was probably starving for words of [It’s okay] .

Her appearance that looked liked she was going to run away from the surrounding was completely like a young child that got lost from her parent.

“No, Kamimura-san’s true strength is without a doubt top class in this academy…you are everyone’s hero!”

When Kazuki spoke empathically, Kamimura-san lifted her face and her eyes slightly brightened.

For some reason it seemed she had quite a confidence in her magic ability.

Because that was her very bond with her only friend Amaterasu.

The classmates at their surrounding went “That child who seemed to have special circumstance, I hear she is strong!” “She is at a level where she got recognized by the Chief President!?” and made a stir. Kazuki intentionally raised his voice so that it was audible to the surrounding before.

Outside of Kamimura-san’s field of vision, Kazuki was waving his wrist up and down to send a hand sign as if saying [Say it more, say it more].

Everyone went along with Kazuki in good cheers and went “Awee―some!” “Awee―some!” rousing up the atmosphere.

All of a sudden Kamimura-san lifted up her upper body.

“FUOO…you are saying that in here I’m not a person scorned because of my suspicious behavior…? I am a hero!? I, come across a sanctuary in here!!”

“Well, result is also an aspect of strength, so if your studies turned out no good then your evaluation will go poof though.”

Koyuki murmured idly.

Kamimura-san’s face became pale in the blink of eye and she lied down on the desk once more.

“Kamimura-san…you are not good at studying?”

“My studies stopped at the first semester of my middle school first year. Since that time I have been a shut-in all along.”

The surrounding classmates leaked out their voices saying “That girl, I heard she is an idiot” “Ee~, so she is an idiot”.

“Now I am being scorned! If there is a hole I want to get holed in one and die with a splat!!”

“It’s fine you see, everyone will teach you. That’s why let’s hold a study group with everyone.”

“When you teach me it turned out that I’m more of an idiot than you imagined…even if such thing happen, you won’t scorn and get angry at me?”

Kamimura-san lifted her face with a glance and stared at Kazuki. It was a gaze that was asking to be spoiled by him.

“I won’t do that, no way.”

Kazuki persevered and strongly encouraged her. He did it in order to grant her a peace of mind. With a plop, a small heart mark emerged out from Kamimura-san’s chest and it was absorbed into the ring of Solomon.

“I too want to get taught desu~!”

Hearing the uproar, Lotte too came along with an urgent expression.

“Now that you mentioned it Lotte is a year younger aren’t you.”

Lotte was not outdone by her surrounding when it came to study of magic, but she was having a hard battle in the general class.

She seemed to have it hard especially in the study of science. It was because in her motherland science had fairly retrogressed.

The other Magic Advanced Countries were religious country. Accordingly it seemed there were those who had a dogma that denied science technology.

“Yes…I’m trying desperately to catch up though.”

“Lotte cannot cheat with Telepathy?”

When Mio said that nonchalantly, Lotte went “Hah!” while making a face as if realization had been brought to her.

“Oioi, what are you saying there.”

When Kazuki reflexively interposed that talk, Lotte went bashful with “Ehehe”.

“It’s a joke desu. The most that I can perceive somehow with Telepathy is only obscure emotion desu. If I want to feel it clearer then a magic power light will break out. If that happen then the cheating will get exposed desu.”

“Magic too is not almighty huh.”

“That’s why please teach me how to study too desu~”

Lotte took hold of Kazuki’s hand and shook it up and down. Seeing that [skillful spoiled] figure, Kamimura-san said “As expected from Lotte-shishou…” and directed an envious look at Lotte.

Part 5

After school ended, Kazuki visited the Sword Division just as he promised.

“Welcome, to the Sword Division!”

Kazuha-senpai welcomed him happily.

Both of them faced each other in the central fountain plaza that separated the Magic Division and the Sword Division.

“You look really happy, senpai.”

“…There is nothing wrong with me feeling happy here.” Kazuha-senpai pouted her lips to hide her embarrassment.

“No, I ‘m just thinking that senpai showed your honesty to me. I’m wondering how happy senpai feels.”

“Shaddup! Shaddup! Come on, let’s not waste any time!!”

Kazuha-senpai linked her hand tightly with Kazuki’s hand and she guided Kazuki inside the grounds of the Sword Division.

The Sword Division was once destroyed from the attack of the Quad Core Magica, but while Kazuki and the others were fighting at west Japan, the reconstruction had been finished.

Not only was it built back to how it was before, its facility was also expanded. The Sword Division’s facilities were inferior in various aspects compared to the Magic Division, but the disparity had begun to be negated.

The opinion of Kazuki and Headmaster Amasaki’s opinion coincided with each other and they were bringing the Sword Division and the Magic Division closer to equality little by little.

Crossing the bridge above the pond that was filled with floating lotus flower, the both of them were walking following the path that was dotted with stepping stones and stretching up and down the artificial hills in the garden. In contrast with the Magic Division’s western garden that was divided orderly, the Sword Division’s Japanese garden imitated the nature in a jumble with deep charm. Whichever one that he walked, both garden had a very good atmosphere.

“If senpai wants, we can link arms like the time in Ise, it will be better like that.”

While feeling the warmth of Kazuha-senpai’s palm, Kazuki talked with a light tone.

“Stupid-! If we do that kind of thing inside the school, we are going to be thought as a bakaple and it’s going to become a strange rumor you know-!”

“But I think just by holding hands and walking together it will already create strange rumors like that though.”

After Kazuki pointed that out, Kazuha-senpai groaned “Uu~” but she didn’t try to separate their hands.

And then actually, while they were walking the students of the Sword Division that happened to pass by them sporadically were throwing their gaze at them and gossiping in whispers.

“Ah, it’s the Chief President and Tsukahara-san” “There is a rumor that their relation is good but, looks like it’s true” “Tsukahara-san, recently she became bright didn’t she” “Feels like she became easy to talk with” “A man really changes a woman eh~”

Kazuha-senpai’s body trembled with a twitch and she released Kazuki’s hand completely.

But Kazuki, as if he was saying that he didn’t mind whatever people talked about, embraced Kazuha-senpai’s waist with one hand tightly. The separated two people became tightly glued on their hips.

From the surrounding students, with the girl as the core raised up their voices “Kyaa―” “How nice, how nice―!”

“Ka, Kazuki-! Geez! Come here a little!”

Even while Kazuha-senpai didn’t try to shake off Kazuki, she pulled Kazuki into the bushes behind the school building in order to get far away from people’s eyes.

It was a dark corner where people’s eyes and even sunshine were blocked by leaves.

“…About how the surrounding is tolerant about how you get along well with a large number of girls, I think that’s because there is nothing graphic in your relation with girls.”

Kazuha-senpai lowered her voice and gave him a warning.

It was an expression in a roundabout way but Kazuki understood it intuitively.

The power of magic distorted reality due to strong thoughts. There was the case where that power was invoked unconsciously.

Because of that, contraception for male and female became unreliable. A strong feeling that desired each other made any contraception method completely ineffective. The result was that the relation of man and woman in the present era became something more prudent.

Female prized their chastity and it was not rare for them to protect their purity until marriage.

Kaguya-senpai, when she was made excited by Asmodeus or Hikaru-senpai whose self awareness as a girl was thin, were quite dangerous in their awareness around this area but…. However, exactly because of that even if there was a male that got along well with multiple girls the surrounding didn’t really mind it. That was what Kazuha-senpai wanted to say.

“But if, only if…if there is a student around you that became pregnant and dropped out or took a break from school, you will lose the trust as a Chief Student Council President, no, as a Knight. That’s why…it’s fine even if you flirt with other girls but you absolutely mustn’t cross that one line, you get it.”

For Kazuha-senpai who had criticized Kazuki’s harem state since they first met, that warning was surely a compromise from her. At the same time, it was also a reasonable warning as a person.

Kazuki embraced Kazuha-senpai closer gently before lightly brushing away her bangs and kissed her forehead.

“…My heart is satisfied just doing this so it’s fine senpai.”

Kazuha-senpai stood on her tiptoes and kissed back at Kazuki’s cheek.

“…Are you really satisfied with just that?”

After she distanced her lips, Kazuha-senpai whispered into Kazuki’s ear.

Even though she was the one that gave him the warning, it was a sweet whisper coming from herself that tried to seduce him.

Senpai’s expression too was colored with a sweet color.

Kazuki tightly embraced Kazuha-senpai strongly, and kissed her lips to lips. Kazuha-senpai too embraced Kazuki back, and glued herself at him as if rubbing her soft body to him.

Whether their chest or their hips, both were sticking close to each other. A strong kiss and embrace that were trying to blend their whole body.

Kazuki felt a déjà vu toward that warmth―he remembered the time in the Gate of the Celestial Rock Cave when he was embracing Kazuha-senpai in naked while kissing. At that time he was completely thinking “I want to keep more like this”.

At that time they didn’t go further than that, was not because of the power of their reason, but it was nothing more than because the rock door opened and Amaterasu appeared.

While hugging at each other with senpai, Kazuki felt a shiver. He absolutely mustn’t lay his hands on these lovely girls. ‘I need a steel-like reasoning’, Kazuki once more thought.

Kazuki softly released her lips. Kazuha-senpai was intoxicated and making a drunk expression from the kiss.

How cute. As long as someone is a man then surely everyone will think so.

Doing his best to restrain his feeling of cherish, Kazuki opened his mouth.

“Then let’s continue the tour of the Sword Division, please take care of me.”

Kazuha-senpai’s expression returned to the color of reality.

“…Right. I got it, let’s go.”

Kazuha-senpai slapped her face with both her hand *PAN!* vigorously. By doing that she tightened her expression, then she took Kazuki’s hand and led him out from behind the school building.

Once again, the tour was restarted while the students at their surrounding bantered about them.

“That building is the female student dormitory where we lived.”

Kazuha-senpai talked while pointing at a building that looked like a Japanese castle with tiled roof stacked like layers. When he came here before there was no high-rise building like this, it was supposed to be just a building in the style of row houses before.

“It was reconstructed gorgeously like a castle. Everyone in the Sword Division is grateful to you for your stance of equality with the Magic Division. The rooms and the like turned out really spacious.”

Kazuha-senpai opened her hands wide and made a gesture, conveying her joy to Kazuki.

Like usual the surrounding Sword Division students were looking at them with teasing eyes and leaking out whispering voice cheerfully.

―However gazes that could be said to be filled with good will were mixed among those.

He could also feel some gazes that contained slight thorn.

‘What’s with that’, Kazuki tilted his head. Perhaps it was not as simple as Kazuha-senpai said where all the students of the Sword Division gave their support to Kazuki.

“And then this way is where the dojo…”

Kazuha-senpai didn’t show any sign of noticing such gazes and gave Kazuki a tour inside the school cheerfully as if displaying her own collection.

The ordinary days were passing through.

Passing the days in the Knight Academy, finally the weekend came.

“Otouto-kun, so you really remembered about your promise of going to a date with me!!”

When it became Sunday and Kazuki invited Kaguya-senpai to a date, senpai was smiling widely with a bright expression in a happy mood. That’s right, before this Kazuki had promised to go for a date with Kaguya-senpai.

Kaguya-senpai who turned up at the meeting place in front of the station was in a white one-piece with no sleeve that really suited the early summer.

Kazuki embraced senpai’s waist. The cloth of the one piece intended for summer was thin, Kaguya-senpai’s soft waist was directly transmitted to his palm. “Fufufu-“ Kaguya-senpai happily leaned her body on him and the two of them departed for their date while nestling close to each other.

Both of them rode the magic light train.

Their destination was a farm in the rural area secluded from the capital city area.

It was named <Animal Contact Farm>.

It was a facility not with the objective of raising animals for livestock but for sightseeing.

Kazuki had a really hard time in choosing the location for the date.

Failure was absolutely unforgivable. Quite a long time had passed since his promise for a date and also during that time Kaguya-senpai had completely mistaken Kazuki’s speech and conduct as [researching romantic in preparation for the date with her]. Kazuki had come under an abnormal pressure.

There Kazuki tried to rely on Hikaru-senpai. As a [close friend] that had accompanied Kaguya-senpai even longer than Kazuki, there was no doubt that she surely could grant him a wonderful expertise.

“Things that Kaguya like? Nn―, she unexpectedly like animals you know. She is absurdly affectionate to animals.”

Hikaru-senpai answered like that.

“I see, thank you very much! But I don’t think it’s particularly unexpected though.”

“Eh, isn’t it unexpected? See, Kaguya is an ‘S’ so I thought she is going to torment the animal! But she is just being affectionate to the animal with all her heart! Unexpected right!?”

“I don’t think that Kaguya-senpai personally is that much of an ‘S’ though…. For Hikaru-senpai to come across Kaguya-senpai’s ‘S’ tendency, isn’t there a little ‘M’ tendency in Hikaru-senpai instead?”

“I’m not an ‘M’ you know!?”

―There was that kind of conversation. And then Kazuki decided on this date course under such scrupulous investigation. And then when they finally arrived in the destination area…,

“Hoo―ww―cuu―tee-!!”

…Kaguya-senpai reacted exactly just as he imagined.

Kaguya-senpai leaped toward [Animal Contact Plaza ~Rabbit Zone~] with a violent dash.

“UOOOOOOOOOO-!” Raising such strange voice “Nyaa―! Goronyaa―!!” raising cat’s purring voice, Kaguya-senpai hugged a fluffy rabbit while petting it back and forth repeatedly.

Her tension was raising too much and she turned into a strange person to her heart’s content.

“Senpai, rabbit’s crying voice is not [nyaa―] but more like a [puu].”

“Puu? That’s Koyuki-chan's crying voice right?”

“The trademark gag of that voice is from rabbit. The phrase trademark gag feels wrong though.”

Kazuki too lifted up a young small rabbit and started to cuddle it fluffily.

The rabbits turned to these two and [puu] mumbled out a crying voice like that.

“They cried! Moreover they don’t even run away from humans at all. Ufufu, you are cute, really cute♪”

“The domesticating of the animal in this farm is very good isn’t it?”

While the two were frolicking with the rabbits, a caretaker uncle wearing a hat and overalls walked approaching them and replied to Kazuki’s words.

“For some reason with the birth of magic in this world as the impetus, there is this impression that the animals turned amiable to humans.”

Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai went “Eeh!?” in shock hearing those unexpected words. “Though there is no basis whatsoever scientifically in it though” After giving that preface, the uncle continued his story with a face of marvel himself.

“I think that it’s too conceited to consider that when there is a strange phenomenon that happened in the world, only humans get affected while there is no effect at all to the animals. It is said that all humans are connected through Astrum in the depth of their heart or something like that, but if that so then the animals too are supposed to be connected through Astrum. And then Demon Beast are born from Astrum, but couldn’t it be that such thing is a gathering of the detestable aspect of animals’ latent consciousness assembly that become Demon Beast. Though this is just my personal thought.”

Demon Beast was called as [human race’s absolute enemy]. At the same time Kazuki remembered that a great number of Japanese Mythology Divas were existences that symbolized [worship and fear to nature].

He felt that the hypothesis that the uncle said had quite a power of persuasion of its possibility.

“Next there is also Telepathy. It might be feeble but couldn’t that come into existence between humans and animals too. To put simply, the animals too are one of the members of this world.”

“I think I can say yes to that thought-!”

Kaguya-senpai’s voice was excited from feeling pleased of such thought.

Guided by the caretaker, Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai moved to the fence of the other animals. The rabbits accompanied them until the farthest the fence allowed from the regret of parting with the two, making Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai even more softened.

“This alpaca was popular a long time ago”, or “Snakes too are friendly toward people you know”, the caretaker introduced them to various animals. Kaguya-senpai rubbed her cheek to the strange face of the alpaca, twining around a snake around her neck like a muffler’s replacement, she was showing a state of great delight.

So far it was a success. But today’s plan didn’t end with just this.

It couldn’t be said as romantic with just this much.

“Senpai, I have also made a booking for just the two of us at the horse-riding experience course, let’s go.”

“Horse riding!? We can ride a horse!? Moreover we are going to ride together!?”

Kazuki pulled her hand and led her to the stable inside the farm.

It was a horse. The horse that entered inside the stable noticed Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai’s approach and it protruded its unexpected large face outside with a neigh. “Dohyaa~” Kaguya-senpai raised a strange voice.

A female caretaker handed Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai some boots.

“Please change your shoes with those. You are going with a course without helmet aren’t you?”

Kazuki nodded toward the confirmation of the caretaker.

The magicians that were awakened in this present era could protect their body with the defensive magic power.

Because of that all kind of insurance and warranty were unneeded and in exchange service industry in the form of leisure with cheap price multiplied. It was limited to service for those in the age range between the later half of the tens until the twenties when they had vigorous magic power.

Kazuki who had limited pocket money was of course choosing to reserve in this form.

“This horse had earned around three hundred million monetary award when he was still active in horse racing you know.”

“Three, three hundred million!?”

While saying that triumphantly as if it was her own achievement, the caretaker lady was leading the horse that Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai would ride after this. Kaguya-senpai raised a curious voice while chasing the tail of the horse.

“I have never imagined riding a horse in a date!”

“Before this, we were fighting enemies that came from China riding horses, so I was thinking of trying to ride a horse for a little.”

“I see, this is also very interesting in that kind of meaning too. Knowing your enemy before the battle isn’t it?”

For a moment, Kaguya-senpai’s expression turned serious.

But that expression immediately crumbled now that they had reached the point where they were going to ride the horse.

First she put her foot on the stirrup on the left side of the horse and then got on its back. Thereupon Kaguya-senpai’s expression turned “Wawawaa, it’s high!” into panic. Even though she would be fine even if she fell because of her magic power, humans had an instinctive fear of height.

Kazuki followed up next and rode behind Kaguya-senpai. Then he encircled his hands around Kaguya-senpai in the front like he was hugging her to grasp the rein, Kaguya-senpai then “Thi, this is so romantic!!” said so in high spirits.

“Don’t curl up your back and stick out your chest, then please support your weight in the saddle using your ischial bone.”

According to the instruction of the caretaker Onee-san, rather than sitting on their bottom, they need to put their weight a little in their front section and their upper body need to take an upright posture from the horse.

“Thi-this posture, feels a little strange somehow."

Kaguya-senpai whispered a little. Strange feeling…?

From there the caretaker Onee-san taught them how to use the reins.

“The horse remembered the course and they will walk on their own accord, so it’s okay even if you don’t pay attention. Please think of the reins as something to complete the atmosphere.”

She concluded the explanation concisely, then the caretaker Onee-san rode a different horse.

The Onee-san’s horses walked ahead, Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai’s horse was following along too.

It seems the horses were trained for the use of riding, so they were pretty calm. It was shaking, but the horse’s movement didn’t have any instability. Certainly, there was no feeling that the horse needs any instructions even with humans on top of it.

“If the horse stops to eat grass in the roadside, please use the reins to pull its neck from the grass and kick with your leg as hard as possible.”

“We have to kick it? How pitiful.” Kaguya-senpai knitted her eyebrows.

“If you don’t kick it as hard as possible, it won’t get the signal.”

“…It's really pitiful and painful if you see it from the horse’s point of view, right?”

Kazuki could comprehend it, then the Onee-san also laughed “Right, right, that’s so.” and rode further ahead. Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai’s horse was also following along on its own accord. They passed the time elegantly.

The horse riding course Kazuki reserved was not a simple circle course.

It surrounded the ups and downs of the hills besides the ranch, a tracking course inside the mother nature.

“When going uphill, lean your body forward, when going downhill bend your body backward. Please keep your balance, okay?” The Onee-san advised so. Kazuki and Kaguya did as what she instructed. Each time they did that, the body of Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai touched against each other.

Along the natural road filled with broken branches scattered about, the horse kept advancing forward without care and stepped on those with its hooves. The horse entered the green dense forest course.

“Oohh, how romantic! This is a really good atmosphere!”

Kaguya-senpai was in high spirits when she saw the scenery from the horseback.

The caretaker Onee-san that was leading in front of them was taking into consideration of their status as a couple and kept quiet. She didn’t even look back at all.

Suddenly Kaguya-senpai raised “Nn…” a troubled voice.

“Ka-Kazuki-kun…this vertical vibration is, that is, gradually, somewhat…like climbing a pole…”

“Climbing a pole? What are you saying senpai? Also, calling me Kazuki-kun…”

When senpai called him using that name…. At times when senpai retained her reasoning, she called him as [Otouto-kun] in order to preserve her dignity as a senior.

Senpai turned back to glance at Kazuki a bit.

Those pupils were―turned into violet color like when Asmodeus’s magic power was rising to the surface.

“…Senpai, you're turned on in this kind of place!?”

Kazuki whispered in small voice.

“Nn, no, this is…I also don’t plan to be like this…. Yet there was still part of Asmodeus’ magic that I used a lot from the other day that still remained all along…. And then while Kazuki-kun hugged me, this vertical vibration is, that…at my bottom and back…”

Kaguya-senpai twisted her body restlessly.

This is bad, if it had became like this senpai couldn’t be stopped.

“Kazuki-kun, please…” Kaguya-senpai leaked a coaxing voice.

Kazuki directed his eyes toward the caretaker Onee-san who was leading them. As long as there was no huge accident happening, it didn’t seems like she would turn her attention to this way.

But if this horse riding course reached the end…!

While the Onee-san was not looking, he must disperse Kaguya-senpai’s mood!

Usually senpai would get satisfied after he hugged her tightly and caressed her back for a long period of time. But this time he didn’t have that kind of time….

“Understood, Kaguya. I’ll leave the rein in Kaguya’s hand.”

Kazuki handed over the reins while whispering near Kaguya’s ear.

Kaguya wouldn’t be able to do anything in this posture. Kazuki had to grant pleasure to Kaguya proactively.

Kazuki embraced Kaguya from behind closely. And then he stroked Kaguya’s stomach gently across the soft cloth of her one-piece dress. Her sensitivity was currently amplified several times over, she could attain great pleasures just by having her back and stomach caressed gently. However,

“…Kazuki-kun…” Kaguya raised an unsatisfied voice.

…To answer her pleading in this limited time, he needs to act bolder compared to how he usually was.

Kazuki made a momentous decision, he reached his hand toward Kaguya’s chest―her breasts.

He lifted the large bulge gently with both hands, it had such a heavy and thick feeling. The feedback he felt from his hand was so heavy. At the same time he buried his fingers on her cloth and felt something soft beyond the thin fabric.

Without change, Kazuki massaged those softness skillfully. What he felt from his fingers were something so frightfully soft.

“Nn! Ahnn!”

Kaguya leaked out stimulating breaths. A breathing that looks like she tried to endure a large voice of pleasure from leaking.

That was, while Kazuki was toying around with those softness, he rapidly turned even more intense. Her reaction had already passed the realm of ticklish. Breaking through that territory, it could be seen that Kaguya-senpai clearly felt good.

Kazuki also became heated up inside his mind, he couldn’t stop anymore.

The horse keep walking ‘pokupokupoku’ ahead steadily. Pushing into that rhythm, Kazuki continued his massage. Kaguya-senpai's breath rapidly turned wild, she twisted her body on top of the saddle, sometimes sweet voices like “Nnnh!” or “Yaahn!” leaked from her lips.

“Haah haah…Kazuki-kun, please…more…”

Kaguya separated her right hand from the rein, then she undid the shoulder straps of her one-piece dress. Kazuki removed his hands from her chests reflexively. Thereupon, the upper garment of the one piece dress fell down from Kaguya’s upper body without resistance.

The dress Kaguya wore was the type that inserted cups in the inside to support the breasts.

In short, Kaguya was going no-bra behind the dress. Kazuki opened his eyes wide in amazement because of Kaguya’s bold action.

In a surprise attack, Kaguya’s bare breasts shook like a jelly. No, that’s not the correct word, they were BOOBS.

Kazuki reflexively gulped his saliva while taking in the meaning of Kaguya’s bold “Please.”

Kazuki checked the reaction of the caretaker Onee-san in front of them once more. She was totally unaware of anything they did behind her. However they had already passed half of the course, the time limit was approaching. She couldn’t be allowed to see this kind of appearance.

Staring at a girl’s naked upper body this brazenly was the first time for Kazuki.

Moreover, when it comes to Kaguya’s huge breasts…!

Those large globes were going to be held tightly by himself.

A nervousness that he never felt in any kind of battle he was involved until now made Kazuki’s brain lose its mind.

Kazuki resolved himself. He stretched his hand to those abundant bulges.

Those tits' beautiful shape were not crumbling because of its size, he lifted them carefully. Its softness couldn’t be compared to when he touched them across the clothes, his fingers sink into them flabbily. Those tits had a profound sense of weight. Different from when he touched them over the clothes, all of those tits' weight rested in Kazuki’s palm. And then, it was warm. Kaguya’s bare skin was far smoother compared to when he felt them beyond the clothes.

The glossy and soft mass hadn’t even settled down inside Kazuki’s palm when he already massaged them lightly.

This is the first time Kazuki had ever touched breasts directly. Kaguya wore a happy expression ecstatically.

Her tits were not only soft, those pink tips that looks like flower buds swelled out, it turned hard little by little. It was the response from Kaguya’s body that had learned pleasure.

Kazuki’s hands approached those tips little by little.

When Kaguya notice what he was doing, her looks were filled with the feeling of expectation.

Kazuki stimulated those tips like he was plucking a flower with his hands.

“The-there…! Over there, more…♥”

He rolled around those tips with the ball of his fingers gently. Kaguya whose whole body was so sensitive because of Asmodeus’ influence “Nnnn♥” bent her spine backward and then she ‘bikubiku’ trembled violently.

“…mming! Don’t, …mming!!” Kaguya leaked unintelligible sounds from her mouth.

With sensation that was like the surge of a big tsunami, Kaguya forgot herself and started to react intensely. Kazuki anxiously checked the caretaker Onee-san’s back one more time.

It’s still okay. He returned his gaze back to Kaguya.

Then suddenly, he felt envy to the saddle that transmitted the vibrations to Kaguya’s lower body.

It was not only Kazuki’s both hands that gave the pleasure to Kaguya, but also the vibration of this saddle.

Kazuki separated his right hand from Kaguya’s breast and reached toward Kaguya’s right thigh. He stimulated her inner thigh in a surprise attack. While Kaguya was trembling in pleasure, she looked back to Kazuki with eyes that were filled with even more anticipation.

Kaguya hoped for even greater pleasure.

Kazuki moved his hand little by little even deeper into Kaguya’s inner thigh, his hand slide into the space between Kaguya-senpai and the saddle.

Is she sweating? There was a wet sensation.

Kaguya clapped her hands on her mouth “Nnnnnn―!!” and raised a muffled scream.

And then her whole body rippled, like everything she had stored until now were exploding.

‘Bikunbikun’ Kaguya’s body pulsated in the middle of Kazuki’s arms.

This reaction was not sufficient with only once. He must continue a little bit more for Kaguya to cool down from her condition, Kazuki understood that from his experience.

Since there was not much time left, he must stimulate her even more intensely.

That’s why he continued to stimulate those sensitive place like he was digging deeper.

“……! ……!!” Kaguya convulsed fiercely two times, three times. The sensation was amplified many times over, Kaguya’s pleasure was endlessly deep. It went higher without any end in sight.

She was drenched with sweat in the middle of Kazuki’s arm, the scent of a girl lingered in the air richly. Kazuki too kept stimulating Kaguya in a trance. His instinct as a man was fired up to make her experience the happiness of a girl.

She trembled many times over, finally Kaguya-senpai’s body slumped over tiredly. The rein slipped off from her hand. Kazuki picked it up in panic.

When he peeked at her expression, the color of Kaguya’s eyes gradually returned back to normal.

A thin trail of saliva was flowing down from Kaguya’s absentminded lips.

Her cheeks were also flushed red. Her breathing was rough and her eyes were hazy.

Kazuki felt a strong carnal desire boiled up for him to continue. "I want to mess her up even more." However he suppressed those desire somehow and wiped the saliva from her lips. He straightened her back and put her clothes in order.

“Kaguya, you were awfully cute just now.” He whispered so while stroking her head.

Kaguya leaned back to Kazuki while still looking like she was dreaming and said “Kazuki-kun…I love you, I love you so much.”

Suddenly the sunlight became strong. It was the moment where the advancing horse came out from the trees-covered hill into the open ranch.

The caretaker Onee-san said “Well then, let’s get down from the horse!” and turned back to look toward here.

Kaguya-senpai was “Hyah!!” and straightened her back in a fluster.

The caretaker Onee-san was in the state of being unaware of everything.

But when they got down from the horse, only the horse was staring at them with a meaningful gaze.

{What the hell are you guys doing on top of me?} That stare somehow felt like that.

When Kaguya-senpai got down from the horse, she nonchalantly used Pyrokinesis to dry the saddle.

“Again…I was doing something unthinkable. To, to be messed up like that…”

Kaguya-senpai who returned to herself wilted gloomily. To do something so shocking even more than usual in the romantic date that she was looking forward to.

“It can’t be helped because of Asmodeus. Also, I don’t hate doing that at all, so please don’t mind it too much.”

“Otouto-kun, you don’t hate it…?”

“That, well”

“That was embarrassing!!”

Kaguya-senpai covered her head with both hands.

Kazuki looked around in trouble, then his eyes stopped at a stand.

“Senpai, let’s eat soft cream. The soft cream in this ranch is absolutely tasty you know?”

Kaguya-senpai was “…I want to eat, maybe” and raised her head.

Kazuki released his breath in relief and led senpai to the stand.

“Excuse me, two of this [squeezed raw milk soft cream] please!”

Kazuki spontaneously read the menu frankly without even questioning it.

“Otouto-kun…that item’s name, makes me feel so complicated somehow…”

Kaguya-senpai was dealt the final blow from a strange place and received even more shock.

Even so both of them were passing an enjoyable time.

Before this, when he asked Kaguya-senpai concerning romantic thing, Kaguya-senpai gave him a high class example like a rooftop restaurant in a hotel where they could see the night scenery.

But seeing the night scenery was not just limited at the rooftop of a hotel.

There Kazuki took a reservation for a seat right beside the window in a restaurant on top of a hill near the farm. Kazuki had searched by himself for a restaurant with beautiful night view with price range that even Kazuki could afford. Both the dish and the night view gave Kaguya-senpai satisfaction and he managed to tie up the date almost perfectly.

―And then they returned to the Knight Academy with the magic light train.

Disembarking the magic light train, when they got out to the street at night from the station, Kazuki walked on the side of the roadway while embracing Kaguya-senpai’s waist tightly. Kaguya-senpai too was walking while gluing herself tightly on Kazuki.

With the end of this whole day, this whole week would end.

Suddenly, Kazuki remembered about the [mass conference]. Right about now, the conference between Japan's government and Yamato’s representative, and also the envoys from each of the Magic Advanced Countries should be over. There might be some kind of conclusion that came out from that.

The content of that conclusion was still wrapped in a veil of secrecy from those in Kazuki and the general public’s position.

Even while Kazuki spent all his time doing studies for tests and date throughout the ordinary day like this, their battle was advancing. That battle was already not his own battle….

There was also a part of himself that accepted such position as something natural.

As a student of the Knight Academy, it was a really natural and obvious…,

“…You are the King of this country right?”

Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai’s feet stopped from that voice in their path.

Illuminated under the street light, two people were waiting in the middle of the path.

One person was wearing a grey suit, a youth with luxurious blonde hair. One of his hands was propping a stick.

The other one was a young lady with a mythological appearance wearing a long and narrow hat and white mantel. Her mantel fluttered in the night wind.

White skin and blue eyes. Foreigner. Both of them looked so out of place that they were obviously not Japanese.

“Forgive us for the sudden impoliteness. My name is Arthur.”

The youth in suits appearance took a step forward and introduced himself while putting his hand on his chest.

He has a somewhat smaller stature than Kazuki. With a handsome face like a doll, he had an androgynous sweet look. He looked gallant matching with his hair that was cut short. The glen check suits his body was clad in painted a perfect curve as if a core of steel was inserted.

A youth with the body appearance that evidently embodied the words that said [not even a single opening].

The youth continued with words that Kazuki ought to be surprised about.

“<King of the Round Table>, Arthur Basileus. I am the King that ruled over the land of magic’s origin Britain.”

Kazuki swallowed his breath. Kaguya-senpai too separated her body from Kazuki’s arm along with a nervous feeling.

“This kind of child is a King?”

The woman donning a white hat and a mantel murmured with a sigh.

“In the middle of the assembly concerning the future of the world, the person who is the King of this country doesn’t carry out the responsibility of his noble birth, instead he is having a secret affair with a girl.”

Hearing the words of the woman in white mantel, the youth introducing himself as Arthur interposed with an objection.

“I cannot approve of that sense of values. He is evidently escorting a lady. That is also a noble responsibility. It is not something that can be criticized.”

“It’s only natural that our sense of values cannot approve of each other. We are seeing the world with different interpretation.”

“To begin with, how about you also introduce yourself to him?”

Arthur knitted his brows and rebuked the woman in white mantel.

The woman in white mantel released a deep sigh and took a step forward in line with Arthur.

“It’s not my real intent to introduce myself toward a low-life that is hard to approve as an equal but…I am, Regina Olympia Folnar. The <Papal BasileusPope> that preached the correct way of life according to Olympia.”

Speaking of Olympia then it must be Greece Mythology. Therefore this woman must be the King of Italia…!

“You are a Pope even though you are a girl?”

When Kaguya-senpai tilted her head, the white mantel woman―Regina then,

“The word’s original meaning mean [the person who enlighten]. I’m going to kill you you know, low-life.” She threatened.

“Misunderstanding and hardships are things that follow around the exchange of foreign cultures all right.”

Arthur knitted his eyebrows. “Especially our case where we obtained the patronage of different Mythologies. However even if it is a relation where sooner or later a conflict against each other will occur, we need to spend time talking together until the fitting place for the duel is prepared, an endeavor to understand each other is necessary. I am thinking that is exactly what is called decorum.”

“It’s not like I don’t understand your so called chivalry, but there is no merit for me in displaying decorum to these people. What kind of person the King of this country is, for the time being I’m accompanying you because I have that interest.”

Regina flapped her white mantel with a twirl and turned on her heel.

That white mantel faded away as it was standing out inside the darkness of the night.

“My my, how strict. After all, Italia is a country that is like an extremely overbearing wife. …Well, you who is still staying as someone that cannot accomplish what you should do as a King and instead is amusing yourself with a lady are also at fault here. By the way, I wonder if I can hear your name once more from your own mouth.”

After Arthur saw off Regina, he turned back to Kazuki and smiled.

A refreshing smile that mesmerized even one who was the same sex―completely like Hikaru-senpai.

“Hayashizaki Kazuki. …I’m still not someone with so remarkable a status that I can introduce myself as a King.”

Kazuki introduced himself while covering up his complicated thoughts.

Arthur presented one of his hand looking for a handshake.

“Being in the middle of your growth is not something to be embarrassed about. Being modest even while acting dignified, it’s evidently just like the samurai that I heard in legend. I’m looking forward to you becoming a worthy opponent for me.”

Kazuki accepted his hand and squeezed back. There was no brawny place in that hand at all, it was a smooth hand like a porcelain. …Is this really a hand of a man?

“Let’s stop tonight with just a greeting.”

When the handshake was over, Arthur too gallantly turned his back and took his leave dashingly.

“Otouto-kun…”

Kaguya-senpai joined her hand back with Kazuki. A turmoil was laid bare in her voice.

“…I really got doused with unbelievably cold water in the end of this enjoyable day eh.”

…He had heard that the envoys from the Magic Advanced Countries were coming. He had already encountered Russia’s King but, for the King from Britain and Italia to also come here personally….

And then they expressly came here for paying their respect to him who didn’t show his face in the conference.

And then one of the pair looked down on Kazuki while the other one encouraged him.

In other words the both of them…didn’t deem the current state of Kazuki as equal.

He was ridiculed. ―Inside Kazuki, there was a revolting heart that felt humiliation.

Kaguya-senpai stayed quiet and strongly hugged Kazuki’s arm, perhaps from sensing the disarray of his heart.

And then the two of them resumed their strides toward the Witch’s Mansion.

…What kind of conclusion had resulted from the talk at the conference?

Kazuki thought about the matter that he had no knowledge of, then for some reason he looked up to the night sky above his head.

From this humiliation he felt…he had to question himself regarding the ordinary days where he should be at.

Chapter 3 – Behind the Scenes

Part 1

Kazuki was driven by a feeling of self-condemnation.

He was defeated by Ikousai and the operation fell into failure.

It was an operation that he was ordered to do, but in the first place the operation itself was sloppy. It could be said that Kazuki was only made to shoulder the compensation of that sloppiness alone. That was why no one was trying to blame Kazuki.

But even though no one blamed him, Kazuki couldn’t help but be conscious of the failure inside his heart.

{…That operation, it might have succeeded if the Zekorbeni could be used skillfully.}

Leme reverberated her voice inside Kazuki’s heart with a sigh.

That whisper spread like a ripple and made Kazuki’s heart fell into discord.

{If you used Zekorbeni skillfully, you should have been able to defeat Ikousai right away and managed something like driving away the contractor of Son Goku. Ikousai still doesn’t possess the power of King. Son Goku is a powerful Diva but he is not in the class of Chief God. You who are the Solomon King, are the person with the highest rank at that place until the King of Russia came along.}

Leme pointed out while being unusually bitter with her usual insolence drowned out.

{You were worried about the magic power consumption and got stingy with the Zekorbeni, but if Lotte’s positivity level was just higher and you could invoke [Deep Striker] instantly with Zekorbeni, you should have been able to fight composedly with the assurance that you could always escape anytime.}

There was no room for him to give an excuse against what Leme pointed out because she had watched over the events from beginning to end.

The operation was sloppy. But if only he possessed more strength then he could make it succeed.

It was not only that. What made Kazuki even doubly more agitated was―his encounter with the existence of people that were called as BasileusKing of the other countries.

The three Kings that Kazuki encountered, each of them had really different personalities but all of them were without a doubt a King through and through. From head to toe, they had the unwavering of what was exactly called King.

They were reigning as King in their respective countries. They were aware of that position themselves.

And then, most likely their true strength too….

Whether that pride, that status, and that strength too, weren’t all of that lacking in his self….

In the case that his current self confronted them, did he think that he would be able protect his important people….

“…Kazuki, what are you doing getting absent-minded in the middle of class. That’s dangerous you know.”

His cheeks were stretched apart.

When Kazuki returned to his senses, he was on the school ground.

It was in the middle of magic practice’s class. …Certainly it was dangerous.

Being seen half-daydreaming made him completely embarrassed.

―He was in this kind of mood all along since last evening.

Beside him was Koyuki in her Magic Dress tiptoeing while reaching out her hands to pinch Kazuki’s cheeks.

“Dancing wing scattering what are sparks. Trail behind wind of spiral, become the life gouging bullet! Flap and shoot out! Barrett!!”

Mio who was slightly at a distance in confrontation with him released an offense magic.

Kazuki who returned to his senses wrapped his body with Resist in fluster.

Kazuki attempted to block the bullet of flame attack with Psychokinesis, and simultaneously tried to steal the heat from the flame. Instantaneous magic power operation―Defense by using general magic like this was called Resist.

Kazuki’s Resist was penetrated by the flame bullet even with its force and heat reduced and this time it collided with Kazuki’s defensive magic power. Blue magic power light and sparks shined magically in front of Kazuki’s eyes.

There were two types of defense method for magicians against an attack from an enemy; they were [Resist] and [defensive magic power].

Resist was producing phenomenon that was in opposition of attacks from an enemy by means of one’s own magic technique. An impact against another impact of the reverse vector, heat with cold, the user had to instantaneously judge and bring the phenomenon into being.

Defensive magic power was the subconscious use of magic power that occurred from human’s self-defense instinct in reaction against dangerous situation. In the first place [the power that distort reality] dwelled inside magic power, if large amount of magic power overflowed instantly it could overwrite any kind of attack completely and terminate it.

However, this subconscious feat of strength totally consumed an inordinate amount of magic power. Because there was a limit to the amount of a human’s magic power, there was the need to not rely on defensive magic power as much as possible and instead to weaken the opponent’s attack using Resist that consisted of controlled magic power.

“Although defensive magic power is said to be invoked subconsciously, daydreaming in the middle of magic practical skill class is really dangerous. …Is there something worrying you?”

Koyuki looked up at Kazuki worriedly.

He completely made her worried. But Kazuki couldn’t clearly express this murkiness inside his chest as a worry. That was why he tried to dodge the matter.

“No, I’m just remembering how cute Koyuki was last night coming sweetly on top of my bed, and I just got carried away cherishing that memory.”

Koyuki’s cool face flushed bright red in a flash. And then…,

“O nihility of the ancient times, become the deep breath that reside inside this blank chest. Inside this flowing silence of rejection, freeze and be silent…Glacier Wind!!”

Instantly she turned to Kazuki and cast an offense magic.

“Uwaa-!” Kazuki reflexively raised his voice while weakening the freezing wind from the very close distance using Resist. In the end he couldn’t Resist and his defensive magic power flared up and his magic power was smashed.

“Hayashizaki! You too, maintain your chanting and attack back!”

Liz Liza-sensei who supervised the class noticed Kazuki’s predicament and told him off.

Kazuki consolidated his chanting somehow and turned to Mio before invoking his spell.

“Barrett!”

The flame bullet hit Mio who was standing at a distance and magic power light shined.

This was training where the students attacked each other with magic. By making partners attack each other, their chanting and Resist were drilled at the same time. It was a training that was shaped fairly close to real battle.

If they didn’t even do this, then they couldn’t polish their Resist technique for the real battle, but while it's only natural, this was quite a dangerous training, and so it turned into a training that was not allowed in the place where the eyes of the teacher didn’t reach.

This was not an independent training and could only be conducted in class. The time could be said as precious.

Liz Liza-sensei walked approaching them.

“When I see it like this, even though you and Amasaki can use the same magic but there is quite a difference in power huh.”

“Is that so? I know that there is a difference in our chanting speed but…in power too?”

“Of course. What is called chanting speed, is so to speak a Telepathy with Diva. By Ordering what kind of magic phenomenon this sides want to produce, then the Diva will transmit the [magic blueprint] to you as the reply. By pouring magic power into that blueprint, magic is Cast in this real world. But even when you use the same blueprint, the more magic power amount you bring forth instantly you can make occur a large scale phenomenon to that extent. …Hiakari is strong in Telepathy and that’s why her chanting speed is fast, while the amount of magic power Amasaki can handle in one time is a lot so her power is high. That someone can handle a large amount of magic power all at once means that his magic power circuit is thick. If your meager magic power circuit is a straw then Amasaki’s finely tempered magic power circuit is a water supply pump.”

Hearing Liz Liza-sensei’s words, Mio went ‘Ehhem’ while puffing up her chest proudly from afar.

Mio and Koyuki were elites who had been training their magic techniques for a long time even before receiving their Stigma.

For a long time Kazuki was training his sword skill from morning until night, that was why he could say that it was only natural there was a big gap between them.

“The third rank in this year, Yumeno is excelling in Resist. Though I want her to become at least a little more offensive.”

When Liz Liza-sensei said Yumeno-san’s name, Mio went “Muu…a hidden powerful person” and her expression changed and became completely tense.

“…I can only train more to shorten this gap then.”

When Kazuki said that positively, Liz Liza-sensei slackened her expression slightly and nodded.

“Amasaki is also above you in Resist, so just by simply you two firing at each other there will be a big gap forming between you two.”

Of course Kazuki possessed a wide range of defensive magic and evasion ability due to his Foresight.

But that didn’t mean that he could always manage to tidily cope out against enemy attack like that. There would be surely many cases in the middle of battle where Resist technique would become necessary.

…Immature. Even before thinking about my immaturity as King, like this I’m also immature even as a magician!

This is not the time to have conceited worries! I have to advance forward with even more abandon!!

“Mio! Koyuki! Fire even more magic at me!!”

“Eh? Then without reservation…Barrett!!”

“Having fighting spirit is the most important. …Glacier Wind!!”

Two elements of offensive magic came flying at him simultaneously. Kazuki couldn’t defend with Resist and a large amount of his defensive magic power was smashed, he then got blown away from the recoil.

“…Don’t do anything rash, you idiot.” Liz Liza-sensei smiled wryly while watching over them.

Part 2

“The contents of the suggestion box…they are something like [I want actual combat class to be increased] or [I want the points of Quest participation to be softened], the enthusiastic opinions are really increasing.”

-The student council room after school.

Kazuki and the others overturned the suggestion box and they were in the middle of confirming the contents of the letters.

“About that, right now is the period for exams so aren’t they just wanting to run away from the class lectures?”

Hikaru-senpai made banter to make fun of it.

“That might also be the case though.” Kaguya-senpai gently smiled saying that.

These two were also top class in their classwork. Kaguya-senpai went without saying, but Hikaru-senpai too.

“With the war against Yamato this time, I think everyone’s awareness is rising up. This goes for both the people that participated in the real battle and also those who were house-sitting before.”

“Right. While their motivation is especially rising up like this, currently it might be okay to give a consideration for curriculum to change flexibly. Though it’s still not okay to neglect the classroom learning just because of that.”

Headmaster Amasaki too nodded from Kaguya-senpai’s words.

“The amount of the lesson is insufficient. Maybe we have to increase the classes itself more. Around ten hours per day should…”

Hearing Headmaster Amasaki's words, Kaguya-senpai went “Wait, wait…” and stopped him with a wry smile.

“Sa, say…”

With a timid hand movement, Kamimura-san who was standing in the corner of the student council room raised her hand.

Everyone’s gazes concentrated on Kamimura-san.

Kamimura-san was then whispering something into the ear of Lotte who was standing beside her.

Lotte then kept nodding ‘hm hm’ and then interpreted for everyone.

“Among the many Diva-san of the Japanese Mythology, it seems those with strong battle power are saying that they are okay with cooperating with the Knight Academy by making contract with the students of the Sword Division desu.”

“What do you say, is that true!?” Headmaster Amasaki spontaneously jumped from his seat.

The students became able to use Summoning Magic other than Solomon 72 Pillar. In addition to that the students of the Sword Division were…. This was a proposal that was going to completely remake the way things were in the Knight Academy.

“Although I say that, among the Divas of Japanese Mythology right now those who are in the martial faction with high battle strength are actually only a part of them, so that’s why they are going to grant their Stigma by selecting students among the Sword Division who possess superior magic talent…doing things in such form is what Amaterasu-san seems to be proposing desu.”

Kamimura-san kept nodding up and down following Lotte’s interpreting.

“I see, there is no way of refusing. There is not but…we have to create a special class in the Sword Division and include class of contract ceremony and chanting practice won’t we? I’m just joking saying ten hours before but, this looks really serious.”

When Headmaster Amasaki became eager, Kaguya-senpai floated a wry smile.

“Even though here I thought that the contract ceremony for the first year was finally over already…”

The guide for the contract ceremony was the job of the Magic Division’s student council president. The guide had to use advanced magic technique to travel underworld to Astrum because they must maintain the safety of the new students. Only this job couldn’t be shouldered by the adults whose magic power had weathered down. This was the reason why the presence of the Student Council in the Knight Academy was so large.

“…But if Kana-chan get selected like this then she will be aa-mazingly strong then! If you are selected then I’m going to teach you a lot about Summoning Magic!”

Kaguya-senpai smiled sweetly to Kanae. It couldn’t be helped because Kaguya-senpai wanted to get along with Kanae. But Kanae turned her face aside with a ‘puih’.

“Even in the case that I get selected, I’m going to turn it down.”

“Eh, why?”

“I have decided to become stronger than Nii-sama only in sword. Besides even if I become able to use Summoning Magic half-bakedly, won’t I become nothing more than an inferior copy of Nii-sama. If I’m going to try to become stronger than Nii-sama, then I should pursue that goal with my own originality to the very end.”

Using only sword skill to the very end―it seems that resolve of hers was steadfast.

Not being picky of one’s means for the sake of becoming stronger, was also one kind of efficient thinking. Kazuki who was trying to make Summoning Magic and sword art coexist within himself, was the possessor of such thinking.

But Kanae, when she becomes really earnest for something, she turns into some sort of demon.

Rather than poorly reaching her hand to various things, the way of following through her original intention consistently might be able to let Kanae surpass the wall that blocked her path in her case.

Kanae directed her gaze to Kazuki in a glance. “…Besides even if I don’t specially become Nii-sama’s conquering target, my positivity level have been already in the max value anyway.”

Hearing those words gave a slight shock to Kazuki.

“…So you know, about Leme’s ability.”

Well, though if she didn’t know about it already, then there was no way she was going to leave alone the matter of how Kazuki recently became really close with various girls.

But…did she know as far as the matter of kissing?

Even if she said that she knew…he felt troubled somehow. Even if she called herself his little sister but their relationship was of a step sibling, however his step-father was treating Kazuki as a true son. That was why for Kazuki too, Kanae was equal to a true sister.

Moreover for him, his father was the greatest benefactor in Kazuki’s life. Kanae was that father’s real daughter. No matter how great the relationships between them are, no matter how much the advances came from Kanae’s way, for Kazuki there was some line that was too sacred to violate.

“I’m not a target of conquest but Nii-sama’s rival! …Though currently I’m considerably far behind him!!”

Rival―when he suddenly entered into the Hayashizaki household, for Kanae, Kazuki who began to start sword training together with her was without a doubt a rival. That was the starting point of the both of them.

Even while Kanae came flirting with him full of love, the truth was she was still obsessing wholeheartedly over that.

The relationship between the two of them couldn’t be expressed so simply with a single word of intimate.

“For this one, the matter about the Sacred Treasure is more concerning rather than Stigma. …About the talk of the plan for allowing the free use of Sacred Treasure, what happened to its development from that side?”

The one who asked like that to Headmaster Amasaki was the owner of strength that was number 2 in the Sword Division, Hikita Kohaku.

“Ooh, that’s right. There is also some progress regarding the Sacred Treasure too. …Because Yamato used Sacred Treasures in the previous battle and there was damage that came out from the Knight Order, the bunch in the government and the top brass of the Knight Order also finally became proactive in releasing the Sacred Treasures. Just that the Sacred Treasures we have in the vault are distributed by prioritizing the Knight Order and it seems nothing but a few will be given to the Knight Academy though. Even the Sacred Treasures that Hayashizaki and Charlotte pillaged from Isonokami Shrine are to be given to the Knight Order.”

Kohaku made a dissatisfied face hearing that.

“…The more one accustomed himself in using a Sacred Treasure, the more he will become able to draw out the power residing inside it. Looking at the long time prospect, I think it will be better if they circulated it to the students who have future prospects…”

“For the people on the actual scene, what is the most important is what is right in front of their eyes. It’s just something obvious.”

Kohaku’s dissatisfaction was pinned down by Headmaster Amasaki using the really obvious reality.

“Be that as it may, though few, there are still some Sacred Treasures allocated to us, with Japanese Divas and the Sacred Treasures it seems that the standard of the Sword Division’s strength will increase considerably won’t it.”

Kazuki gathered that conclusion positively. That time when he fought Ikousai, and the time when he once fought Beatrix too, Kazuki had felt keenly how useful Sacred Treasure was.

…Sacred Treasure huh.

Himself too, he had his own ability, if he could choose some kind of Sacred Treasure for his own sake….

Such desire flashed for an instant inside Kazuki’s mind. It was a natural desire for a swordsman.

…But the few numbers of Sacred Treasures should be prioritized to the students of the Sword Division rather than himself.

Kazuki owned a great number of options in his way of fighting, and those abilities too was still in the middle of development.

“The Sacred Treasures will be transported to this academy in the near future. If those are distributed by prioritizing those with superior results then there won’t even be any complaint for the Sword Division’s doctrine of strength.”

Diva outside the Solomon 72 Pillar and also Sacred Treasures were both something excluded until now.

The Knight Academy was also going to change little by little.

With the appearance of enemies and facing actual battle―this academy was changing toward a structure optimized for battle.

Whether himself or the Knight Academy, both must change more.

To become even more accustomed to battle.

“Say, is it okay for me to say a few words? There is something I feel a little concerned with the school’s atmosphere.”

As if she was choosing the time where one topic was finished, Yumeno-san raised her hand reservedly.

Everyone’s gazes gathered on the girl.

“The truth is lately, it looks like the squabble or perhaps I should say the quarrel between the fellow students of the Magic Division and the Sword Division is increasing.”

Everyone went “Eh?” in shock.

“I don’t notice such thing though. Rather, throughout the battle, the Magic Division and the Sword Division too keep opening their hearts to each other little by little…”

When Kaguya-senpai said that, everyone else nodded too.

However Yumeno-san, even while acting reserved but she clearly shook her head.

“We who are in the [battle frontline group] feel like that but, it looks like the [house-sitting group] is different. Even in the newspaper committee there are also some that were in the house-sitting group but…it seems that the atmosphere of the Knight Academy during the house-sitting had worsened. It didn’t become an issue because of the welcoming mood from the return of the battle frontline group, however some kind of spark can be felt smoldering out of sight.”

That time when Kazuki was guided by Kazuha-senpai in the Sword Division, there were many friendly gazes but, he also remembered that there were gazes of hostility directed at him.

Atmosphere of both extremes―was it the discrepancy between the battle frontline group and the house-sitting group?

Kazuha-senpai said to him that “Kazuki’s popularity is increasing” but, she felt like that only because she was in the battle frontline group, she might have not noticed the mood of the house-sitting group.

“What kind of thing happened in that squabble or quarrel you mentioned?”

“That’s…the people of the Magic Division decided one-sidedly that [there must be Yamato’s spy inside the Sword Division], then the Sword Division’s people opposed against that and became threatening. When we of the battle frontline group fought Yamato, the story that [Japan has a bitter fight because there is a spy inside the Knight Academy] was also spreading from somewhere to the Knight Academy…”

The story that the war became a bitter fight because of the spy’s fault, was spread from somewhere…?

‘Don’t tell me’, Kazuki doubted his ear.

“How strange. Even though the mobile phones of the students who went to the battlefield should have been entrusted to President Hayashizaki. Even if we chase after the rumor but the source of the story is really unknown.”

Just before <Magic War・Okehazama>, Kazuki made a talk that there might also be a spy among themselves in the Knight Academy and he earned the acknowledgement of everyone for him to take custody of their mobile phone.

There was no method to spread a fact like [the war is hard because of the spy’s fault] from the battlefield to the Knight Academy.

“Ah, I received a special permission to always carry around a mobile phone for sending my article of the battle’s coverage to the academy but…I didn’t do anything like that!”

It seemed like she noticed that a suspicion was falling on her during the course of the conversation, making Yumeno-san deny it in fluster.

Kazuki took a glance at Lotte. Lotte was carefully watching.

Seeing that state, Kazuki believed in Yumeno-san. He was already holding a feeling of fellowship toward her, and if it was Lotte then she should be able to fathom whether what she said was a lie or a truth with a high probability.

“For the moment, I had investigated the log of the newspaper and the news since coming back home to the Knight Academy but, [because there is the spy of Yamato inside Japan the war turned into a bitter fight]…there is no such news at all.”

“Right, the Knight Order and the government should have been clamping hard on the news regarding that.”

Headmaster Amasaki nodded on what Yumeno-san substantiated.

Then why was it the students became jumping at shadows from the spy’s existence, was it just a pretext for conflict?

“…I think, there is also a spy remaining among the house-sitting group. To cause friction among the students of the Knight Academy, the spy intentionally circulated the rumor that there is a spy and stirred up antagonism.”

Even though he thought that the Magic Division and the Sword Division was finally in the process of uniting into one….

For such disruptive maneuvering to be conducted during the house-sitting when the Student Council couldn’t have any control at all. While it happened in just a small scale, this was plainly a bothersome harassment.

…Just as he thought the spy problem had to be resolved quickly.

“Even though we finally had begun to meet compromise, it’s really unpleasant for this to be complicated again…”

Kaguya-senpai made a face sadder than anyone with her head hanging down.

“We really have to seriously settle the score uh, this troublesome spy.”

Kanae too hit her fist with an expression even manlier than Kazuki.

“I have a proposal for just such a case however-!”

Suddenly Yumeno-san leaned her body forward and talked.

“Let’s deal an intelligence war with an intelligence war-!”

“Intelligence war you say?”

“We too need to scatter some bait so we can catch the spy! Inside the school newspaper, we are going to write information that the spy won’t be able to resist taking a bite at, then we are going to lure out the spy. How’s that! The other side is quite bothered by Hayashizaki-san’s action after all, so I think it will absolutely go well!”

Yumeno-san asserted with her eyes sparkling bright. Indeed, they got him at Isonokami Shrine through the spy, so this time it was their turn to set up the spy instead.

“Looks interesting! Then for that [bait], it’s fine even if it’s just bogus information right?”

Hikaru-senpai leaped at the topic with a mischievous expression.

“For example how about this one I wonder! The other day there was this meeting between the government and the envoys of the Magic Advanced Countries see. …Secret Order Handed Down to Hayashizaki Kazuki! The Chief Student Council President of Our School Planned to Have a Clandestine Meeting With a Certain Top Brass of the Knight Order in a Certain Spot in the Metropolitan! …We place a scoop like that. If we do that then the spy is going to loiter around Kazuki’s vicinity and we are going to ambush there and catch him red handed!”

“We already know that there is a spy and yet that kind of article come out in newspaper, doesn’t that look too forced?”

Kaguya-senpai said with a cautious look. For these two to be able to immediately think of such idea like this and immediately criticize it, the way their heads work were fast.

Yumeno-san leaned her body forward and shook her head exaggeratedly while saying “No-!”

She looked like a different person from her usual reserved impression. …She really liked school newspaper, this girl.

“In the newspaper articles so far, the article about how the Chief Student Council President received the right to command from Regimental Commander Yamagata was really popular. As expected for the representative of the academy to contend equally with the top of the Knight Order is something everyone is really proud of. An article with this kind of content is a really good material that the reader will happily eat up. Getting my eyes dazzled by my greed for this kind of scoop that I completely forget about the spy’s existence before publishing this information…that kind of feeling, isn’t that realistic?”

Certainly. It had the impression of a stupid mistake made by a really green student.

“Even if the other side thought that this is [suspicious], this is not something that they can just pass up. Some kind of action will absolutely occur.”

Koyuki too said that and approved. “Certainly it seems effective.” Kazuki nodded.

“…If it’s that kind of thing then I have the most suitable story here.”

Mixed with everyone’s loud voice, Headmaster Amasaki talked with a grave voice.

“This is not something that can even be talked in this kind of place so I thought that I’m going to call Hayashizaki alone later to talk, but actually Commander Yamagata is coming to Tokyo and he said that he is coming because he wants to talk with Hayashizaki.”

“Eh?” Hikaru-senpai’s eyes opened wide.

“Something that I talked jokingly is really true? This is only an idea I came up with randomly.”

Hikaru-senpai pressed her hand to her mouth while saying “A horse comes from a gourd! I’ve awakened to my prophetic ability!”

“By any chance it’s really true, he is going to hand down some kind of order to the Knight Academy?”

Kaguya-senpai asked with a little anxiety.

“I don’t know about that. It might be that he merely wants to treat you to a meal as thanks for before this but…if this is made into an article then it will surely look realistic.”

“Is it really okay to make that kind of information as an article?”

“If it can make us catch the spy, then whatever kind of risk is just a trivial problem. Even if we can only catch a single person, from there a possibility that we can root all spies out one after another exists.”

It seemed Headmaster Amasaki didn’t just say this without thinking. He continued his words seriously.

“However the government and the top brass of the Knight Order really don’t move in order to counter the spies at all. The very order to crack down on the spies is being obstructed. The way things are they really cannot even stir at all to catch the spies.”

“Isn’t the guy that obstruct the spy countermeasure is the spy himself?”

“It’s not limited to just that. All politicians have enterprise or support organization that back them, those guys also suddenly threw their weight around and gave pressure. Even so, there are guys that bet their own political career and not bowing to the pressure, but there are already several people, that had met suspicious death.”

An oppressive silence flowed into the student council room. This was too heavy.

But if he thought calmly, a story this heavy was only natural. Moreover the life of the adults who didn’t have defensive magic power was fleeting if it was seen from the position of Kazuki and the others.

“We cannot do anything at all, so it is the true opinion of all the adults that we want the students who are in a carefree standpoint to catch the tail of the spy. We are not going to object no matter what kind of method you use, okay. However this is really not a story we want children to hear though, hahaha.”

“Don’t just laugh this off.” Mio said with teary eyes from this heavy topic.

“I’ll do it.”

Yumeno-san clenched both her hands strongly and squeezed out her voice tightly.

“I’m going to bet my journalism soul on the line and with the school newspaper Chief President entrusted to me as my weapon…I’ll show you all that I’m going to expose the great villain!!”

In order to stand against the intelligence maneuvering of the spy, the newspaper committee president of the academy stood up resolutely.

“Then we will leave that to Yumeno-san. The matter now is how we are going to catch the spy that is going to be lured out.”

The date and time of the secret talk between Kazuki and Commader Yamagata will be made a scoop in newspaper.

If they did that then the spy would move out to investigate Kazuki until the arranged date.

The especially big chance was the time when Kazuki was heading to the secret talk location until the talk was over.

During that period, they had to form a team to watch Kazuki’s surrounding and catch the spy.

But that was not a simple undertaking. The time when Kazuki made his preparation for the assault operation to Isonokami Shrine, he was busy but nevertheless he completely didn’t notice that he was being spied on.

In the end the spy that was shadowing Kazuki, was he someone really skilled or possibly he was using a shady magic….

“Let the Sword Division handle that one.” Kanae said.

“Certainly, this kind of thing is suited for the Sword Division that can immediately move out to attack when the time comes. In the case of Magika Stigma, the target will already escape while they are chanting.”

Kaguya-senpai too nodded. “So it’s going to be a ninja corps desu!” Lotte’s eyes shone.

“Tsukahara. You are going to be the leader of the corps.”

Kanae said jumping the gun. Kazuha-senpai who was told that went “He?” with a stupid voice.

When Kanae said Tsukahara, it seemed that Kazuha-senpai didn’t understand who Kanae was talking about, but Kanae really meant her.

“I have to choose the members from among the guys of the Sword Division who has some capacity in using general magic after all. So you teach those guys the technique we talked about before, like the Echolocation magic or the magic for erasing the footstep sound.”

Certainly Kazuha-senpai’s general magic technique consisted of things that were most suitable for covert operation.

“Bu, but even if you tell me that kind of thing so suddenly, the way to do those magic for me is just something intuitive so I cannot really convey it skillfully you know. I’m not really that good in Telepathy…”

“Then I’ll be the interpreter desu!”

Lotte who did the interpreting for Kamimura-san announced herself to be Kazuha-senpai’s interpreter this time.

Interpreter―first Lotte would sympathize with Kazuha-senpai in the middle of using general magic, then Lotte would Trace Kazuha-senpai’s mental movement and learn it. If they did that then Lotte could take the teaching role and she would convey the way of using that magic to the students of the Sword Division using Telepathy. It was going to take a little detour but certainly that seemed effective.

“Kazuha-oneesan, please take care of me desu.”

Lotte grasped Kazuha-senpai’s both hands with a smiling face.

Having her hand held by a girl younger than her, Kazuha-senpai’s cheeks reddened. ‘By any chance perhaps she can be my friend’, surely such feeling of expectation was flashing inside her right now. And then Kazuha-senpai obediently nodded deeply.

From that day, the operation to bring the spies to light quietly progressed.

Kazuki who was in the center of the operation needed to be only in the middle of it without doing anything special. Until the day of his secret talk with Commander Yamagata, he was going through his ordinary days just like usual doing things like studying for his exam and doing magic training.

The only one in the Witch’s Mansion that became especially busy was Lotte. Everyday after school together with Kazuha-senpai she conducted magic technique coaching for the Sword Division students until the day became dark.

The day Kazuki was going to meet Commander Yamagata was next Sunday.

Because after the preparation of the Sword Division students was over, the newspaper club had to immediately publish the newspaper extra, they had no surplus margin of time.

“…Now that I think back, recently I haven't had a relaxed talk with Lotte.”

While Kazuki was studying alone in his room, he suddenly thought that in the spur of moment when he was taking a breather.

The relationship of everyone in the Witch’s Mansion was good. Even so there were many combinations where someone was always together with a specific partner. For example there were many times of Kaguya-senpai having tea with Hikaru-senpai or playing analog game with Koyuki. There was many times where Mio was picking a quarrel with Koyuki one-sidedly.

For Lotte she had no particular inclination and got together with everyone.

She especially took action assertively toward Karin or Kamimura-san who were still newly entering this place.

Making something like [a position for herself where she feel comfortable somehow] and then feeling content with herself there without going anywhere…Lotte didn’t do such thing. It was as if she was always acting like a lubricating oil in regards to the whole group.

Was it because of that―when he looked back he got the feeling that Lotte was the one who spent the shortest time together with Kazuki.

When he came to himself once again, Kazuki became excessively wanting to spend some time together with Lotte.

Lotte returned home to the Witch’s Mansion just before dinner.

“Lotte, can I bother you a little?”

After the dinner, Kazuki visited Lotte’s room.

When he knocked, a bright reply of “Come in desu!” immediately came. When Kazuki opened the door, the moment it opened sounds of footstep *tabatabataba!* dashing near could be heard and with a *do―nn* Lotte tackled him.

“Is something the matter desu? Onii-san.”

‘She looked like a big dog that frolicked at the owner after watching the house’, Kazuki thought a little.

“You were out pretty late, and then it got me thinking of how it is going with the training of the people from the Sword Division.”

“About the training huh. …Honestly it’s really serious desu.”

Kazuki and Lotte sat on the bed side by side.

There was a bed and a desk furnished inside the room of the Witch’s Mansion. There was only one chair that was a set with the desk, so there were many cases when Kazuki sat on the bed side by side naturally when it became just him and another person in somebody’s room.

“When we did it in practice, the magic is quite advanced even with mental Trace desu.”

Lotte wrinkled up her eyebrows and made a ‘muu~’ face.

“It’s impossible for everyone to learn the magic before Wednesday desu. I think the progress will certainly pass Wednesday. Kazuha-oneesan that can do all of those magic so easily with a nonchalant face is a little strange desu.”

“So even from what Lotte sees, Kazuha-senpai is amazing.”

Lotte nodded many times over *kokukoku* vigorously. Really Kazuha-senpai was amazing.

“That is really a genius-oneesan desu. …While everyone was in the middle of learning, she worked out another different trick at the side you know. For Kazuha-oneesan to be not really that strong in something like a mere Enchant Aura might just be because of her personality I think desu.”

“Aah, I also thought similarly like that when she was practicing swords together with me.”

Kazuha-senpai had a strong will of wanting to become strong, but she was a person that completely didn’t feel any burning desire of antagonism of wanting to surpass the enemy right in front of her eyes. She was being ‘hoho~nn’ somewhere inside her. (ho-hum perhaps?)

Essentially she was a peaceful person, he guessed.

“But I’m really happy that I could make friends with Kazuha-oneesan desu!”

“Kazuha-senpai, she didn’t make any strange behavior once in a while?”

“She was acting strange but she is a really kind person desu!”

It seemed like there were still times where Kazuha-senpai acted strange.

But Lotte was a child that could surmise why someone acted strangely. Lotte had surely accepted Kazuha-senpai’s feeling of [I want to become friends] more frankly than anyone else.

For some reason Kazuki petted the head of Lotte beside him gently. “Why is onii-san petting my head~” While smiling Lotte too got playful at Kazuki.

If there was an angel in this world then there was no doubt that it was Lotte.

“Kazuki-oniisan, is it okay for you to not go to the place of other people today desu?”

While leaning her body pleasantly on Kazuki’s shoulder, Lotte asked with a soft tone of voice.

“I want to be together with Lotte tonight.”

Lotte raised her face and turned an expression that brightened suddenly.

“Is there something you want to do? Something like game or anime trial listening convention.”

“I want to talk until we fall asleep desu! I want to ask various thing about Kazuki-oniisan. After all now that I think back, I have never heard any story about Kazuki-oniisan’s past.”

Story of the past, is it…. Kazuki reflected while embracing the fawning Lotte tightly.

Kazuki kept embracing Lotte and rolled on the bed together and began a pillow talk at the same time.

He told in advance that it was not a fairly interesting story though.

The first earliest memory that he had―the scenery where he was abandoned in front of the gate of the orphanage by his mother.

From there the time he spent in the orphanage and the period where he was adopted into Hayashizaki family.

When Kazuki gave some selected rendition of Kanae or Mio’s interesting episodes, Lotte burst into laughter hearing them.

―However in the middle of the story, it was obvious that the matter Lotte cared about the most was the fact that Kazuki was an abandoned child.

“Perhaps I and Kazuki-oniisan are a fellow similar people.”

When Kazuki finished his story, Lotte murmured lowly.

“Why?”

“We were saved by kind people when we were empty, and then now we can be like this.”

Lotte’s usual bright voice changed completely and she talked with a quiet depressed voice.

Even Lotte that looked naïve still had a wound that was not healed yet.

What about himself then? Could he possibly stood back up from the wound of the past?

“Kazuki-oniisan is my senior in treading along through a path similar with mine long even before I started stepping on that path, so perhaps even in this aspect I feel onii-san is a special person.”

“Is that, about how we are licking each other’s wound?”

“That’s not it. Kazuki-oniisan is looking forward and I too am supporting Kazuki-oniisan while also looking forward, that’s what I think.”

Supporting each other was different than licking each other's wound, was it.

Certainly that was true. The difference between the two was whether they were looking forward or not.

“Even if I am currently looking forward, then that’s thanks to Lotte and everyone of the Witch’s Mansion.”

Kazuki petted Lotte’s head again while saying that. While doing that he suddenly thought.

“Perhaps right now I’m in the middle of losing sight of the thing called my comrade’s support. Even though this is something so obvious…”

He was completely convinced that everything was his fault when there was a failure. And then he was floundering around trying to take care of everything upon himself. That was just his hubris.

King―perhaps the impression of that kind of word was making his heart in disarray.

“If that’s so Kazuki-oniisan, please rely on me more and more if there is something going on.”

“Currently Lotte is already doing your best always helping me until you come home late after school right?”

“Just about this much is no concern desu! I’m going to show Kazuki-oniisan that I can support a lot more and more of your heavy burden with this arm just you see-!”

While lying in the bed, Lotte suddenly lifted up her right arm and made an action of trying to flex her arm’s biceps.

It was a thin arm with no signs of muscle at all. Lotte’s eyes opened wide in perfect circle and stared at her own arm and said “Ehehe, I’m going to do muscle training a little more” and laugh trying to gloss it over.

But in contrary to her delicate right arm, Kazuki thought that there was nothing more assuring than Lotte like this.

“Thank you, Lotte…”

Kazuki strongly embraced Lotte tightly one more time.

“…Ehehe, this is warm. It seems that Kazuki-oniisan is relying on me to a very great extent right from the bottom of your heart desu♪”

While being hugged by Kazuki, a large heart mark emerged out from Lotte’s chest and it was absorbed into the Stigma in Kazuki’s right arm.

Charlotte―138

Part 3

Yumeno-san and others of the newspaper committee had already finished making the newspaper article.

When a contact from Kazuha-senpai and Lotte came in on the night of Thursday that the technique coaching of the Sword Division students was finished, the newspaper committee members immediately pasted the newspaper extra on the academy’s bulletin board and distributed the paper to the students on Friday next day.

That distributed news made excitement and expectation boil up inside the school.

Yumeno-san was summoned by Headmaster Amasaki during lunch break that day and she was scolded for carelessly leaking information even though there might be a spy in the academy.

Of course that was a part of the scenario.

The newspaper extra only reported that a secret talk would be conducted between Kazuki and Regimental Commander in the weekend while regarding the secret meeting location was not written. If the spy read this article, then he should be starting to investigate around Kazuki’s person for the sake of knowing the location of the secret talk.

Possibly on the day Kazuki was heading to the secret talk, the spy would tail him.

From that day the special corps of Sword Division who had been trained in covert action magic was secretly making surveillance on Kazuki’s surrounding. The person concerned, Kazuki himself became somewhat awkward even when he was going to the toilet.

…Had the spy really begun to investigate about his action, he wondered.

Setting aside the happenings behind the scenes like this, the ordinary days of the academy went by unconcernedly just like usual.

However, the presence of the spy couldn’t be sensed at all…it still kept like that even until the appointed day of the secret meeting.

Part 4

“I wonder if the spy doesn’t plan to make any move?”

Kaguya-senpai called out toward Kazuki who was wearing the uniform of the Knight Academy regardless of the holiday to head to the secret talk location.

Kaguya-senpai was making an anxious face kept in tenterhooks.

“The spy might commence trailing me from now on instead.”

The place where Kazuki and Commander Yamagata were going to hold their secret meeting at was in the Chinese food restaurant in the distance not far off from the Knight Academy. There was the most suitable private room for the secret talk at that Headmaster Amasaki’s regular restaurant. For the side of the restaurant too it seemed they were a high class type of restaurant that had the knowledge that their space was used for that kind of thing.

A restaurant that was used to entertain those like politicians, it was that kind of thing.

“Whether in the downtown or inside the restaurant, there are eyes of surveillance laid out. In the case that the spy is tailing me, he will be caught without fail.”

Kazuki talked to give Kaguya-senpai a peace of mind. However inside his heart Kazuki also felt some anxiety. He couldn’t even imagine what kind of method or magic the spy used to bewilder their eyes.

“In the first place what is it that Commander Yamagata wants to talk about?”

Kaguya-senpai tilted her neck though it was already too late asking that now.

“Now that senpai mentioned it, we were just told the fact that this is a secret talk, that we aren’t worrying what if the content of this talk is really vital. What kind of story I will get told there, I also need to prepare my heart.”

By some chance it could be that the Knight Order was going to hand down some kind of order to the Knight Academy again. The battle with Yamato had already been suspended but….

It was possible that this invitation for a meal was perhaps really just a show of gratitude for everything until now.

They didn’t know if the spy would really do some kind of action. They also didn’t know what was Commander Yamagata going to talk about. Kazuki and the others had made all sorts of preparations, but there was the possibility that everything of this was just fruitless efforts of the students. In that case, the normal ordinary days would still continue….

Normal ordinary days. There was so many things Kazuki should do in order to become stronger.

Nevertheless, he was also lacking in some respects….

“Then I’m going, senpai.”

“Take care, Otouto-kun.”

Kaguya-senpai gently reached out her hands to Kazuki’s collar and fiddled around with his necktie. It was not like the necktie was particularly crooked, so it seemed that she just wanted to try an act that was like a new wife somehow.

Kazuki had buttoned up his shirt until the uppermost button, and his necktie was scrupulously tied. The uniform he wore was applicable to be a dress suit for a student, so it wouldn’t present any problem even in a high class restaurant that demanded a dress code.

After Kazuki got out from the Witch’s Mansion he headed to the downtown and walked toward the designated restaurant.

Had something already happened right now?

Or else had nothing happened yet?

Perhaps the spy had already been captured and one of the circumstances had been settled.

While feeling unable to calm down from expectation and nervousness mixing inside him, Kazuki walked to the China Town in front of the train station. Walking down the street with a distant scenery―.

He arrived at the destination, the Chinese food restaurant, [Blue Dragon ChamberSeiryuubou].

When the vermilion door in Chinese-style was opened, he was welcomed by a waiter that stood with his back straight.

Even without introducing himself, the waiter guided Kazuki wordlessly to a private room underground.

There were several private rooms underground for the purpose of celebrity reservation.

It was a closed room with strict security and isolated from the tumult at the surface.

When the deepest door that looked especially extravagant inside it was opened, inside the room that was decorated extravagantly like the emperor palace of China, Commander Yamagata whose face he was familiar with was waiting.

Commander Yamagata expressly stood up from his chair and then he thanked Kazuki saying “Sorry to call you like this”.

“No, I absolutely cannot come to a restaurant this expensive by myself so I’m happy.”

“Hahaha, is that so. Even supposing that you have money, no one would frequent this kind of restaurant while he is still a student.”

Kazuki took a seat right in front of Commander Yamagata.

“And so, is today’s talk just for treating me to high class Chinese food to show thanks?”

Kazuki talked without beating around the bush. Commander Yamagata too immediately shook his head.

“No, of course…I called you because there is something I want the Knight Academy to do for me.”

“To begin with it seems I have to tell you what kind of talk was exchanged in the place of the ceasefire negotiation.”

Regarding the [large conference], Kazuki didn’t know anything except to the degree of what was reported in the mass media.

“The media reported grandly that the ceasefire was established right? Does that mean west Japan will keep being Yamato, is there no way to recover them back…the mass media regarded those matters as problems though.”

Right now even while the society hurled abuse to the government and the Knight Order as incompetent, however with the intervention of the unfamiliar bunches of the Magic Advanced Countries, the society also felt the anxiety against the unseen future.

“Of course we didn’t spend that much time just talking about whether we are going to ceasefire or not. This matter is still not disclosed to the mass media, but during the ceasefire negotiation there were several [agreements] that got concluded. Those are agreements that really change the future of east Japan and west Japan.”

“Agreements?”

“Let’s talk about this step by step. First the objective of the Magic Advanced Countries’ envoys of coming here are for the sake of determining which side has the legitimacy in that war.”

They had already anticipated beforehand that it would become that kind of development. That was why Commander Yamagata curtly rejected the bunch of <Ryouzanpaku> that approached them to ask for Japan’s cooperation.

“In the first place there is no such thing as legitimacy in a coup d’etat.”

Like that Commander Yamagata talked about the legitimacy of Japan itself.

“Looking from our point of view, Yamato’s actions especially their political tenet doesn’t have any meaning at all and was nothing more than a violent coup d’etat. …So far as it goes, they also claimed that what they are doing is to correct the social unfairness from the preferential treatment to Magika Stigmas, but in this country there is no such thing happening.”

He wondered about that. Inside his heart Kazuki was bothered about that but he didn’t try to interject there.

“They caused a divide of this country using an illegitimate violent coup d’etat. Even though we move to subjugate them but other country intervened without any right at all, that’s our perception about this case.”

There was truth in that outline, he could even say that it was a sound argument. Kazuki nodded.

“And then in this matter that should be resolved as the problem of our own country, China and the resistance organization against China, Ryouzanpaku came to intervene. These bunches moved as they please without giving any notice to us beforehand. The army of China suddenly reinforced Yamato, and Ryouzanpaku who revolted against that temporarily gave their cooperation to our side. But in the first place it is not the case that we had made contact with Ryouzanpaku and formed a cooperation set-up with them. This is nothing more than a high pressure salesmanship of kindness from Ryouzanpaku.”

…About this time the fellows from Ryouzanpaku might be angry.

But if Japan was misunderstood that they had a cooperative relationship with Ryuouzanpaku, it would completely legitimize China’s hostility to Japan. There was the need to clearly outline the sequence of events that Ryouzanpaku moved out because China went along with Yamato.

“We don’t have any intention to tie any relation with Ryouzanpaku even from now on. We also have no intention to participate in the antagonistic relationship between China and Ryouzanpaku. But if from now on the army of China keep getting stationed inside the territory of Yamato, we too are going to make Ryouzanpaku’s army stay inside our territory.”

If China didn’t get out of this, Japan would borrow Ryouzanpaku’s strength to drive them out, it was like that. This too could be said as a justifiable right, and Ryouzanpaku’s face could also barely get saved.

“But what we desired is for China and Ryouzanpaku to dispense with their interference, that is to say we want to subjugate the violent coup d’etat by Yamato as our country’s problem to the very end…such thing was what we first insisted on.”

“I think that’s a logical argument. In the first place, saying it logically, this is a battle where the legitimacy rest in our side.”

Some thug acted violently inside our country. For other country to interfere when this side was subjugating that didn’t make sense. That was why all of you please stay quiet and just watch. It was that kind of logic.

If China and Ryouzanpaku withdrew, then there would be no turn for the Magic Advanced Countries to come out anywhere.

“Yes, that’s supposed to be a politically correct argument. The politicians who participated in the conference too asserted all of that full of confidence. But the other side were religious countries. What they were looking was a mythologically correct argument.”

With an expression full of bitterness, Commander Yamagata spitted out with a half careless tone.

Mythological correctness…?

“It seemed that Yamato’s side claimed to the Magic Advanced Countries that [it’s only correct that Japanese archipelago is ruled by the gods of Japanese Mythology]. Looks like the argument that make them agree more is the argument of that side. Yamato’s argument was largely received in the conference, and our side got criticized disparagingly. This means they doesn’t mind any violent coup d’etat or whatever Yamato did as long as they have the feature called Japanese Mythology.”

“That’s…really extreme and outside of our imagination.”

“We already know that those guys think of the Mythology as the first and foremost. Nonetheless, we didn’t think that they are going to be this hard to talk with.”

Commander Yamagata released a deep sigh.

Kazuki remembered about what Beatrix told him before that [It’s fun the part where we talk about stupid thing, but we absolutely cannot understand each other in deep aspect].

An absolute rejection from a group that possessed different sense of values.

Don’t tell him that this meant the international community was supporting Yamato?

“That’s so but the other side’s claim that they [obtained the divine protection of Japanese Mythology] is also full of holes right? They are only borrowing Susanoo’s power and making the Divas into Wild God to manipulate. Moreover the majority of Japanese Divas had already come to their senses from being Wild God and they are separating themselves from Yamato.”

“Correct. The guys above has also made understand about that circumstance from your report, so they strongly objected Yamato’s claim. Above all the chief god of Japanese Mythology Amaterasu is in our hands. But it seemed Yamato and China claimed that looking historically Susanoo’s side is the more just one as the lord of Japanese Mythology compared to Amaterasu. It’s the case that Amaterasu was the [invader] that came along later on.”

That too was one way of looking at it, another side of the myth. It was not unnecessarily mistaken.

“…Amaterasu and Susanoo are in a relationship that contested each other for the chief god seat of Japanese Mythology. When the circumstance from our side is setting up Amaterasu and their side is setting up Susanoo…it becomes that the chief god of Japanese Mythology is still not coming into existence.”

“Seems it’s something like that. That’s why those bunch of Magic Advanced Countries’ [conclusion mythologically] said that [both Japan and Yamato still don’t have any legitimacy to rule Japan archipelago], like that.”

“That’s really an insult for those politician lots, what they are saying.”

Commander Yamagata made a face full of bitterness. With this Kazuki now could grasp the present situation.

“Now then, from there the opinion of those bunches of envoys also became scattered around. Russia proposed that it’s fine to reopen the war for the sake of determining the chief god of Japanese Mythology, but Britain, Italia, and Germany opposed against that. That’s because China showed a stubborn stance of not going to withdraw their soldiers. Britain, Italia, and Germany are regarding China’s true objective as quite dangerous. On the contrary Russia is in a state of affairs that is being tolerant in regards to China.”

Ilyailiya Muromets―the girl who introduced herself as Thunder EmperorGrozny Basileus had said her apology about how she visited Yamato first before Japan.

For some reason it seemed that Russia and China had a close relationship behind the scenes.

“If war is no good then how should we settle the score…it’s fine to say that we waste most of the time last week talking about this.”

At that time a waiter appeared in the private room saying “Here is the appetizer”, a lot of cuisines in small amount each were lined up on the table. The waiter stood still for a moment wondering whether he should give the explanation of the cuisines but reading the atmosphere of the place he got out without talking much.

“This is a rare chance so let’s talk while eating.”

Commander Yamagata said while being less formal.

…However, for him to eat high class cuisines just alone with a superior while talking something important like this….

Kazuki restlessly brought a cold Jinhua ham to his mouth.

“Britain’s envoy talked that there should be items called <the Three Sacred Treasures> in Japanese Mythology. The one who possess the Three Sacred Treasures is exactly the true King. The symbol of King determined in Mythology…”

“The Three Sacred Treasures? You mean, the ones that are handed down to the Imperial Family…?”

The Three Sacred Treasures―<Eight-span MirrorYata no Kagami>, <String of JewelsYasakani no Magatama>, and <Grass-mowing SwordKusanagi no Tsurugi> of the three treasures. Making their appearance in Mythology, they were being handed down until the present times, but it wasn’t known whether those items handed down were really the real thing according to the Mythology.

Commander Yamagata shook his head.

“No, not the sacred object representation that was created in this world imitating the item that is talked in myth…but the authentic Sacred Treasures that possessed the power just like what was talked in myth. In fact, at the time when the King is born into this world it seems that those Sacred Treasures are created in Haunted Ground somewhere. There is a precedent in Britain, they say that when the King was born the holy sword that become his symbol was created in response.”

The holy sword possessed by the high King of Britain’s Mythology…Kazuki too immediately had the one sword so famous even for him flashed in his memory.

If by some chance that really existed, then as a swordsman there was nothing he could say except how jealous he was.

“It’s said that the current King of Britain became recognized as King by pulling out a holy sword that was stabbed into the ground of a certain Haunted Ground. And there is also a similar legend in Japanese Mythology, and so isn’t it fine to decide that who hold those items is the true King. After the English side proposed such, the surrounding countries also consented to that mythological proposal. In short―this is <The Sacred Treasures Search Race>.”

The Sacred Treasures Search Race!

Kazuki’s chopsticks that was in the middle of bringing a shark fin to his mouth spontaneously *gashan* made a loud voice.

“Sacred Treasure is created due to the Haunted Ground’s magic power. In other words there should be three of those things scattered around the Haunted Grounds somewhere in Japan, possibly even inside the Haunted Ground that is going to be born from now on. This is something hard to believe for us, but those guys believed in these items' existences. We have to find those items so that they will recognize us as the legitimate guardian of Japanese Mythology!”

That was the conclusion of the first international grand conference since the diplomatic relations with other countries were severed…!

Commander Yamagata took a bang bang chicken with his chopsticks in a grand way and then he stuffed it all into his mouth in one bite.

“For our destiny with Yamato to get settled by something like treasure hunting, how unbelievable…”

As expected from foreign cultures of other countries…a really out of imagination conclusion.

Kazuki felt a discomfort. His mood felt like he was made fun of for some reason.

But surely the big shot politicians above him felt even more ridiculed by this.

“If in the case that the discovered Sacred Treasures are divided into one side possessing one item while the other side has two items, does the one that found more win?”

“No, when all three of the Sacred Treasures had been discovered, the fellow Kings that possessed each of the Sacred Treasures they had found will duel and the victor will take all the Sacred Treasures. That’s how this will be decided.”

Kazuki felt a little relieved. There was a duel right at the end ―if he thought of this like that then this sensation as if this event was a game was fading.

In the worst case, if he could find even just one then he could stand in the stage of the duel.

{Uu―un, but with only one it will be harsh then. The side who discovered two will be overwhelmingly advantageous nyo.}

Suddenly, the avatar of Amaterasu emerged out besides Kazuki.

It seemed she appeared through the circuit of positivity level between Kazuki and Kamimura-san.

{The Three Sacred Treasures bestow special powers to the King you know. Your power and Ikousai are rivaling each other so the difference from one of the Three Sacred Treasures should become a decisive difference nyo.}

Amaterasu talked with a tired face as if she was going to fall asleep.

“Now that I think back didn’t Kamimura-san used Yata no Kagami and Yasakani no Magatama back in Yomotsu Hirasaka using Sacred Treasure creation magic?”

For the Sacred Treasures that were their search target to be able to get created temporarily using Amaterasu’s Summoning Magic could be thought as somehow strange.

“That’s the original nyo. From the beginning Yata no Kagami and Yasakani no Magatama were Sacred Treasures where Amaterasu’s power were residing and those items became something special. I can bring forth that fundamental power. It’s just, rather than the power of those originals, the real things that later on gathered faith as the Three Sacred Treasures are storing even stronger power. It’s better to think of them as different items already nyo.”

“What’s with that somewhat sticky way of talking, adding [nyo] in the end of your sentence?”

{Farewell nyo} Leaving those words behind, the little girl Amaterasu vanished.

“Even strength huh. I was thinking that you are the one who was overwhelmingly stronger though.”

‘Uu―mm’ Commander Yamagata groaned. He was happy with his faith at him though.

“However, isn’t this rule disadvantageous to Japan?”

Kazuki turned back to the commander and said what weighed his mind.

“Searching where are the Three Sacred Treasures located somewhere in the Haunted Grounds…if that’s the rule, doesn’t the vastness of the Haunted Ground in Yamato’s territory far surpass the Haunted Ground in Japan’s territory?”

Japan’s Knight Order marched out as fast as possible if there were Haunted Ground created and dealt with it quickly before any serious harm could reach the people. They completely dealt with the Haunted Ground before it could spread.

But the more a Haunted Ground spread out, the magic power inside it increased thickly and it was said with that magic power it was easier for powerful Demon Beast and Sacred Treasure to be born. That meant it was hard for Sacred Treasure to be born in Japan.

In regards to that, for the current Yamato―as far as Kazuki saw when he infiltrated Ise, even when Haunted Ground was born it was mostly left as it was to enlarge itself rapidly.

With that kind of situation, surely there were various sizes of Haunted Grounds scattered throughout various places in Yamato.

East Japan that punctually liberated Haunted Ground until now was always seriously working hard and so there was nothing like a calamitous giant haunted ground remaining here. It was a good thing that the country was safe but there was also no Sacred Treasure here.

If there was the Three Sacred Treasures created in Haunted Grounds somewhere acting in concert with the confrontation to decide the true King, there was a fairly high chance that it would be created in the territory of Yamato’s side that right now was in chaos…such thinking was only natural.

Wasn’t that a rule that made fool of the side that did their best.

“No, you also cannot say that. It’s not the case that Japan’s Knight Order are able to deal with all the Haunted Ground. This side of east Japan is also neglecting a Haunted Ground that we cannot deal with.”

“Neglected Haunted Ground…? I never heard that kind of story though.”

If there was that kind of thing, wouldn’t the mass media gave more of a bashing to the government?

Right there some waiters entered the private room carrying the cuisine. Commander Yamagata’s expression made a high-strung expression for an instant and then he erased his expression. The waiter served a soup that was enough for four people’s share.

The soup had a clear amber color but it was releasing an amazing rich aroma, a really mystical soup.

The waiters sensed the atmosphere of the two guests and left from the room wordlessly.

Actually there was no doubt that this was a soup that had to be tasted while it hadn’t cooled down yet, but…Kazuki and Commander Yamagata continued their talk.

“…After all this is a story that is not really reported in the news see.”

“Haunted Ground that is not reported in the news…?”

“<Fuji’s Sea of Trees>. Against this very first observed Haunted Ground in Japan, JDFthe national defense agency at the time couldn't do anything at all and just overlooked its enlargement. Around the time when the Knight Order was established its scale had already become something totally out of hand. Even right now it is still left alone as an evacuation zone with a radius area of 20 kilometer and still continuing to expand―it’s a <Grand Haunted Ground> that people are starting to forget. Just this one Haunted Ground can rival all of the Haunted Grounds in west Japan altogether. If in the case that there are the Three Sacred Treasures in east Japan, it will be definitely there.”

Grand Haunted Ground….

Kazuki lost his words from the shock that was as if his world was overturned.

“The rest is going to be decided in this one week. Now then, from here on is the real issue at hand that I want to tell you but…”

Commander Yamagata suddenly put his elbow on top of the table and he leaned his body forward.

The story until now was something that even the spy should be able to grasp already.

The real issue. As if his switch was flipped after hearing those words, Kazuki was once more being conscious of the spy’s existence. Was the spy who came to tail or to intercept his communication had already been captured by his comrades?

Without paying any intention to such turmoil inside Kazuki, Commander Yamagata got into the core of the problem.

“―A request for a new quest from the Knight Order to the Knight Academy. This is something I decided arbitrarily, the top brass of the Knight Order is still not aware of this.”

The information from now on should be exactly the information the Yamato camp would be so eager to get that they weren’t going to be able to hold their drool….

Kazuki paid attention to their surrounding somehow or other. His gaze darted around the surrounding. It was mostly a subconscious action but there was infinitesimal Extra Sense occurring in his gaze.

That was also the customary practice as the swordsman of Hayashizaki-style who principled themselves in battlefield presence.

That was why at that time Kazuki noticed.

“!?”

The vicinity of this private room was being surrounded by minute magic power.

Kazuki’s countenance changed before he stood from his chair and looked around his vicinity.

Thin and flat magic power was traveling along the wall, ceiling, and the planks of the floor inside the room, flowing like a blood in capillary vessel.

When they first entered this room, there shouldn’t be this kind of magic power.

“Something wrong?”

Commander Yamagata asked thinking Kazuki’s behavior as strange.

Kazuki didn’t respond to that and began his spell incantation.

The thinly spreading magic power…he was going to burn them all wholesale!

“This hand reach out to the height of Babel, right now this hand grasp the thunderbolt of god tightly! In accordance with my life, o lightning, whirl by my will! Collider Field!!”

Lotte’s weapons creation magic. Kazuki equipped an iron armor that sprung forth barrier of electric current in his right hand.

When that iron armor was stuck onto the floor, he raised his fist overhead.

The skill user could consciously control the electric current produced from this iron armor. Avoiding Commander Yamagata who had almost no defensive magic power, and also in order to not send damage outside this private room, it was possible to only flow the electricity to the magic power presence that was surrounding this room.

That instant, the magic power that surrounded this room reacted oversensitively. The magic power moved *zuzozozozozozo!* and leaped forcefully as if in terror, gathering in one spot at the ceiling.

At one point in that ceiling, a deep black stain was formed in a blink of eye.

…It was water! The water that was tinged with magic power was flowing through the wall and the ceiling of this room!!

From the ceiling, [splash], a single blob of water spilled down to the floor.

It was not a drop of water dripping down, but a large blob of water that might possibly have the mass of a single human.

Toward the phenomenon so strange even though it was involved with magic, Kazuki and Commander Yamagata gulped their breath.

The blob of water that spilled down on the floor was not spreading out and staining the floor, having a fixed elasticity it swelled on top of the floor like a slime.

That big pile of water―transformed into a human’s shape.

It was completely like a water human. That shape reflected light while being transparent in glitters, but it was shaped into a face that even Kazuki had remembered seeing before.

“…Eleonora!!”

The Einherjar’s, water Magika Stigma!

The water that made a human shape, in the blink of eye its texture mutated―into the original living flesh of Eleonora in her Magic Dress appearance.

“…O undulating stormy seas, envelope my hand become the whip that strike the small person without mercy! Flöte Schlange!!”

When Kazuki took the stance of going to hit her with his iron armor, Eleonora too cast an offense magic and directed the water whip to Kazuki while taking an intercepting stance.

It was the level 1 magic of her contracted Diva but it was still a frightfully fast chanting.

“Splendid. If electric current is flowed when I’m becoming a thinly spreading water, then I would helplessly fall into magic intoxication. That was really dangerous just now.”

“Spy of Einherjar…!”

Commander Yamagata judged the situation and leaked out a voice of dismay.

She changed her own body into water and permeated herself into the ceiling, wall, and the floor inside the room.

Squirming water that possessed a will…a magic unimaginable by their imagination. If it was in a building that used wood which contained a lot of moisture, it was possible for her to creep in anywhere like this.

Kazuki remembered the happening at Nagoya.

Kazuki and others were talking regarding the treatment for the Ryouzanpaku fellows inside the command room that had soundproofing applied. There Eleonora appeared late, but the girl showed a behavior as if she had seen through their conversation so far.

There was no mistake that she also performed espionage like this that time.

Soundproofing or whatever else was irrelevant, she was permeating into the soundproof material.

“Were you the spy? So you, were leaking out information to Yamato.”

When Kazuki grilled her with question, Eleonora shook with her eyebrows twitched.

As if she was doubted of something that didn’t even get close to imagination.

“…It’s hard to deny if I am asked whether I’m a spy or not, but it’s really vexing that I’m suspected to be related to Yamato. All of my action is done for the sake of Captain Beatrix.”

“For Beatrix’s sake you say?”

“It’s dangerous for you and captain to deepen your relation more than this. And so I…am trying to gather information that can become pretext for hostility between Germany and Japan. Not a dangling relationship like now, with a clear hostile relation between our two countries even Beatrix can get over you. If there are some kind of material that can be used to persuade even my country. Even if it’s just something with strained interpretation…”

Eleonora’s eyes narrowed suddenly, a chill like ice resided inside it.

“Captain’s spirit as a soldier must not get colored by emotion and become dulled. Rather you should be killed by Captain Beatrix’s hand.”

The Einherjar was by no means Kazuki and the other’s ally.

“…Hayashizaki-kun, what to do?”

Commander Yamagata asked Kazuki.

“…Let’s request for her to withdraw. Peacefully.”

“Is that fine, doing so?”

Commander Yamagata entrusted the decision to Kazuki until the end was surely because he understood that if they stirred up trouble here then he would only dragged Kazuki’s feet.

Commander Yamagata didn’t see him as a subordinate or a student. He was regarding him as an equal human. Kazuki was happy of that.

“The other country surely wouldn’t say any protest even if we defeat her here, but our relationship with Beatrix and her group will break down.”

Personally it was not like his relationship with Beatrix was particularly a something or other.

Surely worsening their relation with Germany here was not good.

“Also I think it’s the truth that this girl has no connection with Yamato.”

It was just by chance that in the timing while their side was searching for Yamato’s spy that they could also discover her. Rather than saying this was a coincidence, this was an inevitable timing.

Just now he unconsciously got flustered, but Germany was strongly in precaution against China. It was hard to imagine that the Einherjar would do something like leaking out information to Yamato who was tying relationship with China.

For Yamato there was no meaning to deliberately employ the Einherjar whose relation with them was internationally complex as a spy even though they already had spies slipping through the government and the academy beforehand.

“Even if we commence attack from our side against an opponent that is searching of material for hostility with us, that will be just what the opponent wish for. If we have to say which side the anti-China Germany is in, they are a party that is closer to ally of our side.”

“I’m glad that our side’s intention is transmitted. After all I too want to refrain from getting into something like a one-to-one fight against you in this place.”

Right there the door of the private room was knocked and “The main dishes”, the waiter came in.

The waiter turned his gaze to Eleonora and “Oh?” he made a puzzled face.

“Excuse me but, this honored guest is…”

“An exhibitionist and an illegal intruder. Please lead her out.”

When Kazuki said that with a slight vengeful thought, Eleonora said “You, even if you don’t say it that way…”, for the first time her expression was shaken, then she undid her Magic Dress and returned to her Einherjar uniform appearance.

Eleonora was taken away by the waiter.

Magnificent main dishes were lined up on top of the table. With Eleonora gone, Kazuki and Commander Yamagata sat back on the chairs.

“Anyway it’s fine to return to the story right?”

Kazuki nodded. There was no more presence of magic power around them.

Kazuki finally tried the soup before the main dish. It was thoroughly getting cold.

“The government had handed down directive to the Knight Order for <Operation Fuji’s Sea of Trees Exploration> and I became the commanding officer of that operation.”

“That’s…congratulations.”

“This is not a proper thing for someone of my rank, but this is the form of recognition for my achievement in the battle against Yamato. In other words this is completely thanks to you. Both Kougetsu Kanon and Yagumo Akane are appointed as staff officer, we plan to ask for your assistance in various things.”

Commander Yamagata faced Kazuki and lowered his head deeply.

Kazuki became completely flustered and said “All that even without commander-san bowing your head to me…!”

He was not used to an adult being this modest.

He also felt a confusion when Headmaster Amasaki gave his recognition to him but―in the society there were also adults that could face a kid straightforwardly without paying any heed to age or social position.

“Now then, from now on is the main topic, but…for the sake of this operation, I don’t plan to move the Knight Order until the very last minute.”

“Ha?”

Hearing that declaration that could be taken as a dereliction of duty, Kazuki opened his eyes wide.

“I’m going to take my time preparing, straining my excuse even if my superior keep pestering me, making difficulties, to the end I won’t let the knights enter the sea of trees of Fuji without exception. And then, I’m going to make a request for Quest to all of you of the Knight Academies to explore the Fuji’s Sea of Trees, that’s what I’m thinking.”

He really said something outrageous here….

While Kazuki reached out his hand to a Peking duck, he felt a painful nervousness as if a pitch black tar was poured into his stomach.

“This Grand Haunted Ground that is left alone until this much because it is unmanageable even for the Knight Order, you are going to leave it all to be taken care of by the students?”

“The main reason that it became unmanageable and is being left alone is because the Knight Order is too busy and there is not enough manpower to be allocated there. It’s not a problem of strength. I think if it’s the Knight Academy that you lead then this is in the level that you can sufficiently deal with. I have no doubt here that the Knight Academy in the generation of you all is the strongest in history you know.”

“Even if you said that kind of thing to the person that just entered the academy three months ago.”

“I don’t want to let Yamato’s spy get their hand on Fuji’s Sea of Trees. The people I can trust in the Knight Order is too few. Of course I know that it seems there is also a spy that had slipped into the Knight Academy. But even so there is also a simplicity in the command system of the Knight Academy. If it’s you then you should be able to control how to deal with the spy.”

Certainly, that was able to be done in Magic War Okehasama and Sekigahara.

“And also you have started to move your spy countermeasure right? I’m waiting in expectation for your result here.”

Kazuki finally brought the Peking duck wrapped in batter into his mouth.

It was delicious but, he became unable to feel its enjoyment.

As the repayment of this meal, an outrageous work was going to be pushed onto him.

However…there was also the feeling of a small fire being lit inside his heart from being completely relied on like this by the person in front of his eyes.

‘…Is that so.’ Kazuki noticed for the first time.

He might be sulking right now.

When he thought about how he was harshly worked about in the war, and then when it became a ceasefire he was kept out of the loop, and on top of all that he was mocked by the [King] of the other countries of how he was so out of loop….

“I will make my former knight subordinates that I can trust take the position as the guards that protect the gate of Fuji’s Sea of Trees. There should be no possibility for the old generation of knights to be polluted by the spy compared to the active duty generation.”

China first sent in their spy to the center of the government and making use of their authority they were sending spies for generations to the Knight Academy.

If the sequence of the spies’ infiltration was like this, then the more they traced back the generation the degree of the contamination should be lower.

“I instructed them to absolutely not let any knight enter. During that time I ask all of you to complete the capture of the Haunted Ground. I’ll leave things like capturing squad composition and whatever else to you. Fuji’s Sea of Trees is vast but making the best use of your ability, it should be effective if you divided your team into several units.”

Kazuki’s ability―he could sense the general location of the girls who had deepened their bond with him and have a telepathic communication that transcended distance with girls who had positivity level more than 150.

“Fuji’s Sea of Trees is…all kind of electromagnetic wave and GPS are obstructed due to the magic power distortion, compass too goes crazy there. Even if there is no spy accompanying you, I think your leadership is suitable for traversing this Haunted Ground on foot.”

There was some truth there.

However…this unknown Grand Haunted Ground might be even more dangerous than a war with human as the opponent.

There was almost no life lost in war because of the blessing of defensive magic power, even in the worst case they would become a prisoner of war.

However they couldn’t hope for that kind of mercy and allowance from the Demon Beast that became their opponent in the Haunted Ground.

Surely it would be best to gather the elites as the member for participating in this quest. Even if they were divided into several units, at the very least there must be one person added among each team that was a girl that had tied a bond with Kazuki. Like that he wanted to constantly be able to grasp their movements.

The students who didn’t get to participate in the war against Yamato were wrapped in passion of [I too am going at the next battle for sure!]. If right now he was taking applications from students for participation in the Quest this time, perhaps there would be too many candidates.

Surely it would be necessary to make the participation conditions of the candidates’ rank and Quest’s practical experience even stricter compared with the battle against Yamato.

After Kazuki collected his thoughts on that and conveyed it to Commander Yamagata, he nodded with a hum “Right”.

“I want you to select the members as careful as possible. It might be strange for me to say this seeing that I’m the one who burdened all these to the students, but the public opinion will be severe if there are victims that come out from this.”

Escaping from responsibility…rather than calling it that it seems that he was aware himself that he relied too much on the students.

“Selecting the members carefully should also double as obstruction for the spy to slip inside. I especially want you to be cautious of the Sword Division students.”

“…You too are suspecting the Sword Division?”

“That’s just a logical thinking. Enrolling into the Sword Division is easier compared to enrolling into the Magic Division. I think if they are sending a spy then they are going to send them to the Sword Division.”

“That’s so but as a spy the return of the earned information will be far bigger in the Magic Division right? Even though the hurdle to enroll into the Magic Division is high, but if they figured out a child with high magic talent beforehand and raised her as a spy…that child will surely get bestowed with Stigma.”

Fundamentally, Solomon 72 Pillar was choosing their contractor from the quantity of magic power.

Which Diva was choosing which student seemed to be determined from the match of both sides' personality wavelength.

He especially felt it when he was looking at Koyuki and Vepar.

“That’s…certainly that’s so but…you are right, insert one comrade you can really trust into each unit without exception and don’t slack off on your surveillance even to the students of the Magic Division.”

The door was knocked and the waiter came carrying the desert of Chinese dim sum.

During that time, Kazuki and Commander Yamagata held their tongues and reopen their conversation once the waiter was gone.

“It’s better if we move out as fast as possible isn’t it?”

When Kazuki said that, Commander Yamagata nodded while moving a mango pudding with a spoon into his mouth.

The instant he stuffed his cheek with the pudding, that expression of his broke out into a smile like a kid.

“Yeah, after all the slower the capturing goes, the pressure on me to move the Knight Order is going to be troublesome.”

When he exited the Chinese cuisine restaurant with Commander Yamagata, Kazuha-senpai and Kanae was waiting for him in front of the entrance.

The special unit of the Sword Division was not around them. In exchange….

“Seems like the talk is over isn’t it, Nii-sama.”

While Kazuki responded with a nod, he asked with knitted eyebrows.

“…This girl is?”

Kanae was seizing the scruff of the neck of a dark skinned girl that was extolled with wild beauty.

“…Roshoukou of Ryouzanpaku was tailing Nii-sama, so I caught her.”

Shoukou-san went “Tahaha” with an embarrassed wry smile in her expression. She was wearing a T-shirt and jeans that were often worn by ordinary girl of Japan, a rough outfit that seemed to be procured from somewhere.

“Commander Yamagata, was there no treatment like restraints or monitoring done to her?”

“Of course this girl was given to the custody of the Knight Order.”

“Of course I went a little wild and escaped ze! What’s called picaresque hated any shackle! You guys didn’t teach me for even a bit about the conference’s content, so that make me think to investigate it myself see. Then I wondered if I’m gonna learn something if I hang around you.”

Shoukou-san directed her eyes to Kazuki in a glance. This person too was loitering around Kazuki. …Of course there was no way that this girl was a spy from Yamato.

“Went wild you say…? You mean there was some kind of damage that came out?”

Commander Yamagata became slightly flustered.

“I didn’t really do anything big okay, Commander-san. I took care not to use Summoning Magic in the middle of city so that’s why I got caught like this. No but, this person is strong! A big shot huh.”

Shoukou-san answered Commander Yamagata with a slightly respectful tone.

“For the moment, I know my position. However we resented the treatment you give us. If the conference was over already, there is nothing wrong with letting us know how the situation had developed isn’t it? I was showing a light rampage as the expression of my discontent.”

She was by no means a thoughtless person. Her action mixed intelligence and wildness and also combined with haggling. Shoukou-san bared her eyes to Commander Yamagata glaringly and made him faltered.

“Got it, I’m going to inform you the circumstances. For now we are going back to the garrison first.”

“If you talk to us upfront like that, our bunch too is not gonna do anything violent yeah.”

“…Kanae-kun, release her.”

When Commander Yamagata said so, Kanae released her hand from Shoukou-san’s scruff of the neck in a flash.

With a smiling face in a good mood, Shouko-san snuggled close with a ‘pyon’ besides Commander Yamagata.

“How ‘bout we go back cordially while holding hands too?”

“Lay it off, we look like parent and child so I might get reported.”

After the commander replied wearily to Shouko-san’s frivolous talk, Shouko-san leaked out a voice of vulgar chuckle “Hihhihhi”. Kazuki looked back to Kanae’s direction.

“…So there was no other spy?”

Was there no other spy with the exception of Eleonora and Shouko-san. Kanae nodded deeply toward Kazuki’s question.

In the side Kazuha-senpai too tilted her head while knitting her eyebrows.

“…If there was a suspicious guy then we shouldn’t miss them I think but as you see―. We are convinced though that we have already stretched our surveillance without any gap.”

“Maybe the spy noticed the surveillance in return and so they stopped taking action in the open instead.”

“Hm―mm, we have already trained intensively in covert action though. Well, even with our footsteps erased it’s not like our figure also got erased so I cannot guarantee that absolutely.”

So this meant that the crucial spy itself didn’t fall into the trap.

But from now on the exploration of Fuji’s Sea of Trees would begin with the Knight Academy becoming its spearhead.

Surely it would be best to continue the security around him from now on too.

“If the spy is caught, hand him over to the Knight Order.”

Commander Yamagata who was dragging back Shoukou-san turned around their way.

“There is Telepathy interrogation group in the Knight Order. If it’s them then they will surely be able to drag out the information using interrogation and Telepathy and then haul out all the spies like pulling out sweet potato. It’s important to catch even just one no matter who. With just a single action of you all, it might be possible to eradicate all the spies.”

Interrogation and Telepathy was it…. Kazuki nodded while feeling a shuddering thing inside him.

Part 5

When Kazuki came home to the Witch’s Mansion, a strange voice could be heard.

It was from the kitchen’s direction. Thinking it strange, he carried his feet there and,

“Pour the boiling water vigorously! From that, convection will happen inside the pot and stir the tea leaves!”

“Yes, I understand!”

“Besides, what’s with this tea leaves? Even though it can’t be helped because this is Japan’s domestic product, won’t the aroma of old tea leaves become worse instead.”

“But fermented tea leaves can keep for a long time righ…”

“No! That is so but no! Black tea is easy to absorb aroma and very delicate. If you want to preserve the fresh aroma for a long time, please use a sealed container instead of this careless container.”

“Yes, I understand!”

―Kazuki who peeked into the kitchen received a shock.

There was an unthinkable person inside the familiar kitchen of the Witch’s Mansion.

First was Hikaru-senpai. And then at her side was—a gentleman wearing a glen check suits was standing by her side, the two of them were brewing black tea.

“…Britain’s King!”

Hearing Kazuki’s leaked out voice, that person turned back to the direction of the doorway.

“…So it’s you. I should have introduced myself already to you right, Arthur Basileus at your service. Good evening, Hayashizaki Kazuki.”

“I was surprised that black tea culture was still surviving in Japan but, it seems that the way to brew black tea had become completely sloppy here. However, I wonder if I’m saying that a little too harsh to a lady.”

Three portions of black tea were prepared in the living room. Kazuki, Hikaru, and Arthur sat down surrounding the table.

Arthur brought the teacup to his mouth while still a little dissatisfied with its aroma.

“No, no. With this I can brew tastier black tea than Kazuki or Akane-senpai see. Thank you!”

Toward Hikaru-senpai who had a friendly grin on her face, Arthur too “Fuh” showed a smile.

“It seems you are an owner of a wonderful disposition. Looking at that smile without any cloudiness also warms this feeling of mine. The next time I visit here I will bring a lot of true English tea as a present.”

Arthur held the hand of Hikaru-senpai who sat beside him tightly and whispered to her ear.

“So, what did you come here for?”

“Oops, my bad. I became a little too familiar with her in front of your eyes. I have no ulterior motive so I beg your pardon.”

“No, I don’t mind it though.”

“Oh? A lady this lovely, you don’t mind even if you see another man trying to get friendly with her? Something like that just will not do you know, you have to treat her more importantly.”

No, why in the world would someone like the King of Britain show his figure in this kind of place, at any rate his head was already full with that question.

It was only that this was not the situation to say about such trivial matter.

No, it was not like he didn’t think of Hikaru-senpai importantly though….

“Eh, is Kazuki feeling jealous? Hehehe, how troubling―! Then should I get friendlier with this person I wonder―!!”

Hikaru-senpai held back Arthur’s hand with an unguarded smiling face.

“Seee― Kazuki, seee―” She made merry with Arthur’s hand provocatively while smiling.

This was trivial, he thought that but…! Besides senpai, even though you were supposed to be bad with a man why did…!

“I, i-i-i-it doesn’t really matter what trivial thing senpai is going to do with another man, I’m going to believe in my bond with senpai after all!”

“Ahaha, you are shaking! Yaa―i yaa―i. How happy! But it’s okay you know, this person, is a girl you see.”

“Eh?” Kazuki spontaneously opened his eyes wide.

Arthur too, after he stared blankly for a moment, “…What are you talking about?” he separated his hand from Hikaru-senpai timidly. That manner of his hand was obviously agitated.

“Saying things like I’m faking my gender, on what basis are you saying that young lady?”

“Uu―nn, from the sixth sense of a fellow similar person I wonder?”

“To be called as a liar because of such groundless reason like that just won’t fly for me. If you are not such a lovely lady, this is something that cannot be settled by anything other than throwing a handkerchief of duel challenge.”

“For me, as long as Kazuki is not bothered by it, then whichever is fine though♪”

Arthur averted his eyes from Hikaru-senpai as if running away and he looked back at Kazuki.

“By the way, Mister Hayashizaki asked me what I’m doing coming here didn’t you? Certainly I did not come here for reasons like giving lecture of black tea nor for the sake of meeting a lovely lady.”

“You are bluntly averting the topic aren’t you?”

“I’m not particularly averting any topic. I came here to advise you.”

“Advise?”

Arthur loosened down his expression a little from this change of topic.

“I am mostly freely allowed to do whatever I want by this country. …Speaking as an envoy it leaves me with a good impression but, it also makes me think if all of you are not acting a little too unconcerned here despite how right now, the military force of other countries is entering your country.”

Military force. Thinking it normally they were too exaggerated words.

But right now, there was most likely no doubt that it was not an exaggeration or anything for just this one person in front of him to be called as [military force]. Because he was a King that had reached completion….

“What do you think the minimum military force who has slipped into a hostile nation will aim for the foremost?”

Kazuki knitted his eyebrows hearing that sudden question.

Even before Kazuki could answer, Arthur continued his words.

“I’ll say it right to the point. Please pay attention to assassination attempt. The people who introduced themselves as envoys and entered this country, don’t just believe with stupid honesty that they are really a peaceful envoy.”

If. If right now in this place this King of Britain went on a rampage.

…Could he protect himself and Hikaru-senpai, he wonders.

Kazuki spontaneously put back the teacup that he had moved to his lips onto the table.

“You don’t need to worry regarding me. Please try that black tea before it cools down. I will absolutely not do any behavior that run counter to chivalry. I too am holding a favorable impression of you. If there is someone that is going to make a move…for example Russia. Saying it clearly, that country is closer to Yamato’s…or rather China’s standpoint.”

About that, Kazuki too had suspected it and nodded his head without any shock. Arthur was “Hou” and narrowed her eyes.

“The King of that country too came to this country herself as the envoy. …Ilyailiya Murometz. She was calm and cool and someone of prompt decision. She had no hesitation in what she was going to do and when her surrounding thought [dangerous] she had already finished her action. She was that kind of human.”

Kazuki had already encountered her in the sky above the Isonokami Shrine.

At that time Kazuki didn’t feel any personal danger from her.

But at that time she surely didn’t know yet that Kazuki was a King.

On the other hand, her performance of banishing Son Shouryuu from the battlefield was exactly something terrific.

“And then one more person you should be careful with is Queen Regina of Italia. Her action’s foundational principle is really simple. I am pleased with you but at that time she had already evaluated you as a worthless human. If at that place I was not together with her, I’m sure that she would immediately cut you down right there.”

“…Unbelievable.”

“You really think so? She is thinking that humans who don’t receive the [blessing of Olympia] are all trash. You don’t know what a dangerous thing it is to be thought as [trivial] by her. …Unfortunately, Queen Regina doesn’t happen to have any sensitiveness to look forward of what will come out from the immature flower bud.”

Immature flower bud. He didn’t even need to ask, those words were pointing to Kazuki’s matter.

He was still an immature King. This was a truth that was impossible to not recognize.

This gentleman was looking down on him.

Competitive spirit flared up inside Kazuki’s chest fleetingly, unconsciously strength filled his eyes.

Receiving Kazuki’s gaze, Arthur smiled friendly.

“You don’t get timid no matter what is said to you, that’s a good eye. It makes me harbor a premonition that a magnificent petal will bloom from you. No matter what kind of King it is, there are no humans with average force of will that are chosen for that position, that’s why there is nothing more foolish than not waiting for the blooming. The one who contested the seat of King with you, Yamato’s…Aisu Ikousai too is an interesting character isn’t she?”

It seemed Arthur had met with Aisu Ikousai too. It was only natural thinking about it. The envoys of the Magic Advanced Countries visited both side of Japan and Yamato and they were expected to listen to what each of them had to say after all.

However Aisu Ikousai and this King Arthur…for some reason he couldn’t imagine how their conversation went.

“In the first place Queen Regina is aware that you are not recognized as [King] by the government of this country. That’s why she is thinking that it’s going to be trivial even if she eliminated you with some coerciveness. How deplorable it is I wonder, all of you who are not in a mythology country but still in a democratic country cannot understand the importance of King. I had practically met with the big shots in the conference but my impression is that even if you got killed by Queen Regina, they will surely not get particularly bothered by it.”

Arthur said [still]. As if democracy was a politic ideology that was even more backward compared to mythology doctrine or religious doctrine. Inside these guys, their thoughts about all these doctrine was completely reversed.

However his criticism regarding Japan’s government was most likely something accurate.

“Anyway, please be careful. You too is going to challenge <Fuji’s Sea of Trees> right? I too seized in my hand only one Sacred Treasure in a certain Haunted Ground, and became someone who is recognized as a King. But…what is called Haunted Ground is also the most suitable location for assassination to take place.”

Location that was also the most suitable for assassination―he recalled about the time when he met Lotte.

She too was about to get killed in a location of Haunted Ground with an assault that was going to get dressed as an accident.

“That’s all the matter I want to convey to you. I wish to challenge you in a duel at the appropriate place after all.”

Arthur stood up. Kazuki and Hikaru-senpai too stood up and saw off Arthur until the entranceway.

Hikaru-senpai raised her voice with “See- you, Arthur-chan!”

Kazuki didn’t have any intention to become that overly familiar in his contact with Arthur until that far but,

“Thank you for telling me so many various things.” He said his thanks.

“My pleasure.”

Leaving those words behind, Arthur took his leave while his stick rang out *katsun katsun* with each of his step.

“Ka―zuki-! Sorry for teasing you okay.”

The moment Arthur was gone from there, Hikaru-senpai leaped at him right from the side.

Even while being unsteady from her momentum, he answered “It doesn’t bother me, senpai.”

“I’m not going to be a girl except in front of Kazuki. …I can be a girl right?”

She talked while clinging and dangling from Kazuki’s neck with her both legs kicking around.

A girl was it? Senpai looked like a stupidly innocent kid though.

Part 6

The evening of that day, Kazuki gathered everyone inside the student council room of the Magic Division.

Kazuki, Kaguya-senpai, Hikaru-senpai, Mio, Koyuki, Lotte, Karin, Kamimura-san, everyone of the Witch’s Mansion.

Kanae, Kohaku, Torazou-san, Kazuha-senpai, the lineup of the Sword Division.

Yumeno-san who proactively assisted the Student Council too as the newspaper committed chairman.

And then Headmaster Amasaki and Liz Liza-sensei.

Kazuki reported exactly what he learned from his talk with Commander Yamagata toward all these faces he were acquainted with.

And then also about how they couldn’t discover the spy.

“…We are really going to decide something this important with that something like this treasure hunting game…”

Kaguya-senpai leaked out a dumbfounded voice. As expected it seemed she was bothered by that aspect.

“Even if we decided the victor using this way, the loser side is never going to accept it and they will surely just restart the war once more won’t they?”

Kanae said with a severe tone. However what she said that there will be no meaning in doing this because of that was by no means true.

“Even if the loser restarts the war and forcefully wins, it will only become something that won’t be acknowledged by the other Magic Advanced Countries. As a country it will become a considerably thorny path to follow.”

When Kazuki pointed that out, Kanae said “I see, as expected from Nii-sama” and nodded.

“Isn’t this better, instead of an annihilation battle where we don’t know when it’s going to end and we have to continue fighting endlessly until we cornered the enemy to the edge of west Japan. If it’s Kazu-nii then he will absolutely win in the end.”

Mio was optimistically believing in Kazuki. However.

“In Amaterasu’s analysis, she said that the side which obtained two or more out of the Three Sacred Treasures will be victorious in the last duel. I too am in the same opinion with her.”

Ikousai was strong.

Moreover in something like a duel that betted the life or death of a country…was an unimaginable situation for Kazuki who had lived in a democratic country until now. Sure enough whether he could cross swords in such a duel with a normal mentality or not, just imagining it made him break in a cold sweat.

King―As expected what became the problem was this wondering, whether he was someone appropriate or not as a King.

They absolutely mustn’t lose in this Race of the Three Sacred Treasures Hunt.

“Even if we are calling it a hunting race, it’s the end already for each side if the Sacred Treasures are not born in the Haunted Ground inside their territory right? Isn’t this a game of luck depending on the mood of the Haunted Ground?”

Hikaru-senpai tilted her head. However Kazuki immediately denied that.

“No, I think when push come to shove, the other side will unconcernedly come invading our territory.”

If there were no Sacred Treasure in their own territory, it was fine to just invade the other side’s territory.

“The Knight Order should also have already thought that far. …But when it becomes a scramble without heeding any rule, the spy’s existence will become even more of a hindrance.”

They had to resolve the spy problem before the situation changed into a bogged down battle.

…But the operation to lure out the spy in the open had ended in failure.

That was a big problem.

“If the spy really existed then this should be a bait that they shouldn’t be able to ignore right?”

Kaguya-senpai too leaked out a bewildered voice. Even right now when he was telling the story to everyone like this, their surrounding was being guarded by the Sword Division’s students that had received training.

“Is there any chance that the spy actually doesn’t exist?”

Hikaru-senpai smiled negligently.

No, the spy supposedly existed. Like the students who had connection to the former Board Chairman Takasugi.

Why didn’t the spy come to take the bait…?

―Did the spy obtain the information into his hand from a position where he didn’t even need to do something like tailing Kazuki to a meeting in a closed room outside the school?”

The information that Kazuki obtained was brought back like this to the Student Council room.

Kazuki reflexively looked around everyone, his comrades that were gathering inside this Student Council room.

But Lotte didn’t say anything at all.

Kazuki had already talked about all the matters regarding the exploration of Fuji’s Sea of Trees.

“Let’s think about how we are going to investigate the Grand Haunted Ground by dividing ourselves into several units. If one member of the Witch’s Mansion is inserted into each group, then I will be able to sense the location of each unit using Leme’s power. If we do that then the safety should increase by a fair amount.”

Kazuki explained about Leme’s power of positivity level map. Kazuki could visualize the location of all his comrades that had high positivity level from his own location using magic power vision.

“That’s, for example when I’m in the toilet, that fact will be leaked out to Kazuki then?”

Hikaru-senpai asked while smiling wryly.

“No…for some reason, someone with a high positivity level to me will give out a strong reaction, but if they don’t want to meet me even unconsciously, like when you want to be alone, then it seems there will be no reaction at all in the map. According to Leme, this is a consideration or something for people’s privacy.”

“In other words this ability conveys the person’s feeling of wanting to meet Kazuki exactly like that!”

Mio said that happily. Well, it was something like that.

The higher the positivity level of the other side, the clearer he would be able to sense the whereabouts of the person from the strong reaction.

Kanae and Kohaku raised their voice calling out “Not fair, not fair!”

Even if they called it unfair, it just made him troubled.

“That means president also understands my location?”

Yumeno-san began to talk timidly.

“No, I mostly don’t understand Yumeno-san’s location. The positivity level is insufficient after all.”

“Eh, no, I, I don’t hate Chief President at all though!”

Kazuki smiled wryly to the flustered Yumeno-san.

“But you don’t like me as much as Mio right?”

“Eh, ah, yes.” When Yumeno-san took a glance, she frankly understood after seeing Mio who was staring at Kazuki with red cheeks.

“Somehow…Chief President’s harem is really amazing. Do I also have to like Hayashizaki-san more too I wonder…”

“No, you don’t need to do such thing at all though. Sorry if this makes you feel hard to be here.”

This newspaper committee chairman girl was also taking the initiative to undertake the practical works like taking the records of the meeting’s proceeding for them. He only knew her for a short time, but Kazuki harbored a strong trust and gratitude to her.

“Don’t mind it at all! I am just as you see, an unreliable human so that’s why…being needed by someone where I can do my best makes me happy! I will work even harder to be more and more useful!”

Yumeno-san said that with a bright smiling face that contained no two-faced at all that he could see in it.

While feeling warmth spreading in his chest, Kazuki nodded back saying “Thank you.”

That’s right, there shouldn’t be any ulterior motive and the like at all behind this smiling face, that’s what he thought….

“Doing that the number of the investigation team will be limited then. The number of Magika Stigma that had tied a bond enough with Otouto-kun is, perhaps around six people…?”

Kaguya-senpai asked for confirmation from Kazuki. Kaguya-senpai, Hikaru-senpai, Mio, Koyuki, Lotte, Kazuha-senpai, there were six people. That meant adding Kazuki himself into that number they could only make seven teams at most.

“For the quest this time, there will be quite a large number of students that will enter their name as candidates but, selecting the few elites among them is the better way isn’t it?”

Kaguya-senpai said that while tapping her hand on her chin. Kazuki also had similar thought with her.

“Let’s open an extraordinary student general meeting tomorrow and announce the quest this time to the students.”

They had to hurry about this matter. Gathering everyone at the evening of the same day where he met Commander Yamagata at the afternoon was for the sake of that.

Conducting the selection of the students that wished to participate and after finishing with that they could finally begin the exploration.

“During the period of preparation, what do you think of sending us, the members of the Student Council as the <advance troops unit> into the Grand Haunted Ground to look around? If we gathered preliminary information before the main event then the safety of this quest will rise.”

Hikaru-senpai suggested. That was certainly a good thinking, Kazuki also thought so.

During the time it would take to organize the units’ composition, Kazuki and the others of the Student Council should continue to move.

“Then let’s divide the advance troops unit into two. I want to divide us into my team, and then Mio’s team.”

Kazuki taught to everyone that with Lemegeton’s ability he could communicate telepathically with a partner whose positivity level had gone higher past a certain value. Because Kazuki and Mio could always converse with each other, it was for the best for the two of them to be in a different team.

Everyone made uproar once more.

“Wait a second, the only one that ability can be used on is just Mio-chan!?”

Kaguya-senpai raised a flustered voice.

“Fuu―n, Kazuki, I really want you to disclose the positivity level number openly to everyone for one time so we can see.”

Hikaru-senpai talked in the way as if she thought this as interesting, but there was not even a speck of laugh in her eyes.

Koyuki too said “Rather than something like losing in positivity level from Kazuki himself, this is more vexing in a certain meaning…” while looking down, while Mio said “Fuffuu―n! I’m the number one that’s the most madly in love!!” in a strange pride.

“All of you, it’s just a slight difference desu. Because I too am supposed to love Kazuki-oniisan very much myself desu.”

Lotte said that in order to smooth out the place’s atmosphere.

Amasaki Mio―152 Hiakari Koyuki―141 Lotte―138

Otonashi Kaguya―140 Hoshikaze Hikaru―128 Tsukahara Kazuha―120

Katsura Karin―50 Kamimura Itsuki―35 Yumeno Shiori―33

Certainly it was just like what Lotte said, it was just a slight difference.

But converting the feeling of a person into numbers was…once again, it was something a little scary.

If he didn’t continue to face everyone sincerely, then surely a stigma as a coward would immediately get stamped on him.

“For the member assignment in the advance troop teams, to avoid mayhem I am thinking of deciding it by talking with just me and Kaguya-senpai.”

Kazuki said that because he had an idea. Everyone was “Certainly that way seems to be better” and obediently agreed, and then the discussion of that day was over.

“Kazuki-oniisan.”

While all present were going out of the Student Council room, Lotte walked approaching near Kazuki.

When Lotte drew near Kazuki, she suddenly hugged him tightly.

Everyone else was going out ahead, only the two of them were left behind by themselves in the Student Council room.

“Kazuki-oniisan…it’s painful to doubt your companion isn’t it desu?”

Lotte guessed right with a few words about what Kazuki was worrying about inside his mind.

That’s right. That was why Kazuki didn’t decide the most important thing in that gathering.

A position where the spy didn’t even brave any danger like tailing him and yet he could still obtain information….

“Lotte…is there no one that spouted any lies among those members?”

Kazuki asked with a whispering voice. Even just expressing that doubt in his voice felt repulsive.

“A person whose heart was stirring as if they were lying, there was not one among them that was like that desu.”

Kazuki despaired.

He despaired of himself who thought that it was disappointing that the spy was not among them.

If there was no one that said any lie, that meant that this paranoia of his was something mistaken.

There was no such thing like a betrayer among those members from before. That was something he should be happy about.

In the first place―Kazuki was able to sense someone’s positivity level. Kazuki’s ability too was showing him that there was no person who spouted lies in that gathering.

“No, Kazuki-oniisan’s thinking is not mistaken.”

However, Lotte said that decisively.

“Let’s press forward with that thinking just a little bit more. We are nearing the correct answer, the spy should be cornered to the wall right now desu. …Let’s cut off the information even narrower.”

Lotte faced Kazuki with an earnest gaze.

Even narrower―It was obvious what was the meaning of those words.

There might be a spy among his companions.

But even if he said his companions, the candidate was essentially only one.

With an unpleasant feeling, Kazuki nodded.

Part 7

The next morning, an extraordinary student general meeting was conducted and the quest was announced grandly.

Kazuki and the other of the Student Council commenced the reception desk for the students who wished to participate.

Past the afternoon, the list of the great number of applicant was finished. From here on they had to look on each candidate’s magic technique’s grades and quest accomplishments to select the members.

“I will investigate the applicants one by one and interview them!”

Yumeno-san said that with an enthusiastic face.

“If there is a spy, there is a high chance that they will apply for participation in this for the sake of entering Fuji’s Sea of Trees! If I interviewed them then I might be able to discover someone suspicious!”

With eyes burning from journalism and expression that didn’t want to entertain doubt, Yumeno-san suggested that to Kazuki. Kazuki gave his permission for interviewing the applicants.

The interview of the prominent applicants could also become good article in the school newspaper.

―From that day, Yumeno-san investigated and gathered information on several tens of students every day for him.

But among that information, there was no suspicious person that could give them an inkling of the spy’s identity. Students who could be said as roughly innocent kept increasing in number day by day.

During that time, Kazuki talked over the member selection for the advance troop unit and the schedule together just with Kaguya-senpai.

Actually Kazuki wanted to talk all of this over and decide with everyone of the Student Council.

However following Lotte’s proposal―cutting off and narrow the information―the important matters were decided just between Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai in succession. Even the information for the team composition and the time they were going to carry out the activity was withheld until the very last minute, that even Headmaster Amasaki and of course Mio and the others too didn’t get told.

“Thinking of the balance, I shouldn’t be in Otouto-kun’s team but in Mio-chan’s team.”

In the Student Council room that had been cleared out of other people, Kazuki was facing Kaguya-senpai from across the table.

Regarding the composition of the advance troop unit, Kaguya-senpai said that regretfully while her shoulders dropped.

Kaguya-senpai was an existence that was in the strongest class at the academy. And then Kazuki too was ranking equal with that, so dividing both of them into different teams was the best way. Kazuki nodded saying “Please do that.”

“Then please assign Kamimura-san to Kaguya-senpai’s team.”

“Why? Won’t it give her relief if she is together with Otouto-kun?”

“She is specializing in defensive magic. She should be able to cover for Kaguya-senpai’s weak point.”

Based on what he had seen until now, Amaterasu’s power could exhibit its true value exactly when it was protecting her comrade.

On the other hand Kaguya-senpai’s Asmodeus had almost no defensive magic. Because of that Kaguya-senpai had to always protect her own body with Resist technique.

Kazuki too had the advantage in protecting his comrades with various defensive magic. That was why putting Kazuki and Kamimura-san into different teams would form a balance.

“If Itsuki-chan is in my team, then it’s better for Kazuha-chan and Lotte-chan to be in my team too right?”

It was the most important matter for someone to be able to support Kamimura-san’s mental condition. It would be troubling if she withdrew herself.

“And so Hikaru-senpai is going to my team then.”

Kazuha-senpai and Hikaru-senpai too, their individuality overlapped in the meaning that both of them were someone able in close-quarter combat.

“Next please put Koyuki and…Yumeno-san in my team.”

“I really want Kana-chan. Separating the Hayashizaki-style into two different team also has good balance right?”

“Then Kohaku is in my team. Ah, somehow it feels fresh to form a party together with Kohaku.”

“Next there are also those like Ryuutaki sisters but…. It doesn’t seem like the younger sister will give her cooperation. Despite that we can also forcefully bring in the older sister to our side couldn’t we-”

“But with this it’s six people already, I think it will be hard to be effective if we increase the number of people too much. So it’s like this then.”

Hayashizaki Kazuki・Hoshikaze Hikaru・Hiakari Koyuki・Yumeno Shiori・Katsura Karin・Kohaku

Amasaki Mio・Otonashi Kaguya・Kamimura Itsuki・Tsukahara Kazuha・Lotte・Hayashizaki Kanae

The list was inputted into the PC and the data was saved. Sending the mail of this to Headmaster Amasaki left a little time for them.

“For the date we carry this out…the faster the better isn’t it.”

“Let’s do this the day after tomorrow in Wednesday.”

They extended the time for a day. ―This was a consideration for the person who wanted to obtain this information in their hand.

Part 8

‘…To have to especially do this kind of roundabout thing. This me.’

Everything inside the mind of Regina Olympia Folnar was ruled by her irritation toward this troublesomeness.

Her objective was―to obtain information.

For the sake of investigating the particulars of the war, the envoys of the Magic Advanced Countries were granted with the right to freely pass between the country’s borders. Regina was guided by the Knight Order and traversed from Japan to Yamato.

Regina ordered toward the Yamato soldier who welcomed her in the national border “Lead me toward the one other person in the top” with high pressuring.

The other person in the top―the political organization called Kenshitou became the center of Yamato’s government. Regina had already met with the strongest swordsman who was the central figure of this organization, Aisu Ikousai.

A beast hungering for power. Regina gave such a low evaluation to Aisu Ikousai.

But there was one more group that helped Kenshitou in Yamato, both the person who led that group and Aisu Ikousai could be said as [the two great leader] of Yamato without doubt.

Taking the opportunity together with obtaining information, Regina also thought of going to pay her respect by meeting that one face to face.

She was told that that person had left from the battlefield and was now in Oosaka. Regina was taken there by boarding the magic light train.

Regina who held the doctrine of rejecting science passed her time inside the train making a displeasured face with all her heart. Surely the soldiers of Yamato that were showing her the way had their lifespan greatly reduced being near her.

Surely it was also necessary to more or less make a compromise toward this country…despite the unpleasantness….

Nonetheless Regina couldn’t help but recognize the sensation of riding this magic light train. Sitting on this comfortable cushion, while feeling not even a single vibration even with the train running in tremendous speed, as if it was gliding instead of running. ‘I see, this might be an article the ignorant people who doesn’t possess a powerful movement magic would be thankful for’, Queen Regina handed down her evaluation with a settled comprehension.

When she disembarked in the Oosaka station, she was switched into a limousine. The sensation of riding this was also not bad.

However she was bothered with the burden the magic light train and this limousine put onto the environment.

And then the place she finally arrived at was a single ancient traditional restaurant.

It seemed there was a culture in this country to wine and dine in a traditional restaurant while talking about important matters.

Not bad. This was a country with completely foreign culture, but there was some similar aspect that resembled closely with Italia in its sensitivity of meal.

Regina walked in a steady pace while watching the Japanese garden with a rustic feel that suited her preference. She was guided to a detached room, where a single girl was waiting for her inside the formal Japanese-style room.

That girl―the moment she confronted Kaya, Regina guessed everything that happened in this country.

‘What, isn’t this young girl being possessed by a Diva?’

‘I see’, so a Diva of the Chaos Side was trying to take over Japan.

While making light of the young man that was chosen as a King.

This country is really no good huh.

‘They are finished’, Regina thought.

“Welcome, the Queen of Italia Miss Regina. Your business?”

“I come to receive the information you presented. Alongside being an envoy I have the right for that.”

Regina who couldn’t sit in a seiza posture held dissatisfaction because there was no chair provided. She finally sat cross-legged.

“…Present all the information your spy collected regarding the Knight Academy to me.”

Without beating about the bush Regina cut right into the heart of the matter like that.

She must be useful.

At that time, what ruled over everything inside the girl’s mind was that thought.

She must be useful. Because there was no place to belong for a human without worth.

Such personality of the girl had been beaten into her head since she was small.

My second role….

The first one. To continue supplying information…. Information…sometimes it was even stronger than a sword.

The other one. To guide that person to that place…. But that could be done even after this.

Right now was information first.

Even though she could finally penetrate until near the central figure of the Knight Academy after much difficulties…she suddenly became unable to get her hand on the information at all.

That was because the Chief Student Council President Hayashizaki Kazuki decided everything only between him and Otonashi Kaguya, and those decisions they made were known only by the two of them without telling anybody else at all.

If it kept like this then this would end with her being unable to fulfill her role at all. If she didn’t gather information….

She had grasped Hayashizaki Kazuki’s pattern of action. He would send the data about the matter that was decided by the Student Council addressed to Headmaster Amasaki.

The information existed. In the form of a digital information that was easy to understand.

That data was supposed to be preserved somewhere either in the computer terminal that Hayashizaki Kazuki used personally or in the Student Councils’ PC.

Of course the one that she could get her hand on easier was the PC that was stored in the Student Council room.

Hayashizaki Kazuki was strictly classifying his own personal data and the Student Council’s data. That was why there was a high possibility that the data she aimed for was stored inside the PC in this Student Council room.

Wasn’t this too defenseless for such an important data?

No, Hayashizaki Kazuki didn’t take precaution for himself…. He was too softhearted of a person.

Late night. That girl crept into the empty school building and arrived at the Student Council room.

She could open all of the lock freely.

She sat in front of the PC desk. Password? Of course there was no way she didn’t know.

This was a PC that she herself had operated a few times.

“…What are you doing there desu?”

―Despite there was no presence or even any footsteps at all, a voice came behind her without any previous notice.

While the girl lost her presence of mind, she stood up from the PC desk and turned back.

Charlotte Liebenfrau. A girl of the Magic Division that was called Lotte and loved by everyone had opened the door and stood in the entrance with a determined expression.

Strange, there was no sound of the door opening or the like at all.

A female she had to be on guard against the most….

The girl was going to say some excuse, about why she was here this late. She could make any number of excuses. If you want to know why that’s because I….

But even before she could do that, Charlotte’s words intercepted her.

“You are the spy from Yamato right desu, Yumeno-oneesan.”

Chapter 4 – Dead AngleThe Only Darkness in the World

Part 1

There were still some unanswered questions, but Lotte was mostly convinced.

During the war with Yamato, the disruption maneuvering to cause friction inside the academy by noticing the academy of the damage the spy caused in real time—the only student who could do that was Yumeno Shiori. That was because she was permitted to carry her own mobile phone even during the war as the chairman of the newspaper committee.

And then no matter how much information the Student Council scattered as bait to lure out the spy, the spy didn’t do any tailing or espionage at all―that was because Yumeno Shiori was in the position where she could obtain information even without doing any of that. Even without doing any eavesdropping, she was boldly participating in their meeting. And she was recording all of it in the meeting’s minutes.

If they thought about it accurately with logic, there was no way they wouldn’t direct their suspicion to Yumeno Shiori.

There, Lotte proposed to Kazuki not to speak out about the important information in the meeting and kept it for himself.

It was a bait with the assumption that the spy was inside the Student Council.

As expected, this time the girl took the bait.

Catching her like this right in the scene of the crime, the suspicion on the girl had become something unshakeable.

However, several doubts were still left.

First, in the case of the battle election, Yumeno Shiori was brainwashed by Hayashi Shizuka and made to become candidate as a pawn. Hayashi Shizuka should be informed about the spy inside the academy. It was really unnatural to further overwrite someone who was already a spy with brainwashing magic.

The next doubt was how Yumeno Shiori was always visibly striving to search for the spy seriously. There was not even a single lie that could be seen from that seriousness of hers.

Furthermore, Kazuki felt his bond with Yumeno Shiori, he could sense that positivity level of hers. That ability of Kazuki should be something unusable toward someone hostile to him.

The last and the most questionable fact was, the fact that all the information necessary for the sake of concluding that [Yumeno Shiori is suspicious] were all information gathered by Yumeno Shiori herself.

The one who investigated the information that a spy’s disruptive maneuvering was being conducted in the Knight Academy and came to report it to the Student Council was herself.

The one who presented the good idea to lay trap for the sake of cornering the spy was also the girl. Exactly because this tactic didn’t succeed that they were led into the conjecture that the perpetrator was an inside man.

She thoroughly investigated and interviewed one by one all the participants of the quest and she even reported that somehow all of them were undoubtedly innocent. It was information that made them excessively question about the existence of an inside man.

It was all nonsensical actions for a spy.

Lotte couldn’t see it as anything other than she was cornering herself.

Because there was such a doubt, that Kazuki was thinking that he didn’t want to doubt Yumeno Shiori.

Lotte perceived that pain in Kazuki’s heart by her Telepathy.

That was why Lotte moved as the substitute in trying to corner Yumeno Shiori to the wall.

Kazuki-oniisan was always taking the initiative to shoulder everyone’s suffering for them.

That’s why I too, if I don’t undertake the most painful thing for Kazuki-oniisan….

Doubting other people―that was surely something Hayashizaki Kazuki was the weakest at doing. But.

Doubting other people―that was something Charlotte Liebenfrau was the best at doing. It was something like a natural habit for her.

Lotte tailed the girl. The sounds of Lotte’s footsteps, even the sounds of the door to the Student Council room opening and Lotte entering inside too, Yumeno Shiori didn’t hear any of those at all.

That technique was something that Lotte also learned and mastered from Kazuha-senpai.

“You are the spy from Yamato right desu, Yumeno-oneesan.”

Lotte threw her voice to the girl was because she thought that she had a ground to talk to each other with the girl.

She might be able to persuade her.

There might be some kind of special circumstance that befell the girl.

But those thoughts were betrayed.

“Hi, hihi”

From Yumeno Shiori’s mouth, laughing voice like a spasm leaked out.

“Human that saw me, has to be killed.”

A calm tone of voice. It stimulated an instinctive unpleasant feeling, making Lotte get goosebumps all over her body.

This person…something is strange with her!!

“Shem ha MeforashI know thy name…thy name is [Halphas]…the bird of black death that invite wars. Spread the wing of lamentation, please sing the beginning of calamity!”

Yumeno Shiori’s body was wrapped in the light of Astrum ConnectionAccess.

At her back, an avatar of jet black giant bird emerged out with its wings widely spread out.

The demon of Solomon 72 Pillar, Halphas―the demon bird that acts as the opposite of Phoenix.

In contrast with Phoenix that symbolized death and rebirth that was [life’s turning point], Halphas symbolized the beginning and the end of war that was [the era’s turning point].

The uniform that was on Yumeno Shiori’s body was disintegrating into Prima Material. Bluish black flames ran across that naked body. The bluish black flame hardened and transformed into a Magic Dress.

“…Kill.”

Both eyes filled to the brim with cold light like a reptile’s, staring at Lotte glaringly.

“Veritas me LiberabitThe truth shall set me free…O the wise man that is the father and which is the guardian of the human race, show that wisdom right here!!”

Lotte performed Access and enveloped her body in Magic Dress.

“The person who knows…I’ll kill all, all of them!”

It was a voice as if the throat was tearing apart that had never been heard before from the docile girl called Yumeno Shiori. Things like talking to each other, or asking for her circumstance, that kind of easygoing thoughts were all blown away to a different dimension in one go from Lotte’s head.

―At the same time their surrounding air was frozen.

It was an advanced general magic. A thin and wide Psychokinesis was suppressing the air in their surrounding zone so that they wouldn’t vibrate. A magic for the sake of not letting out the sound leak outside.

Right now, even if Yumeno Shiori fired offensive magic and destroyed the school building, surely the sounds of that wouldn’t be transmitted to outside.

Right now, even if Lotte screamed with a loud voice, surely that voice of hers wouldn’t be transmitted.

…The girl seriously planned to fight right here!

For the sake of not letting the witness return back alive!!

“…The scattering of the spread apart wings is filth. Trail behind spiraling wind, become the mind gouging bullet! Flap and shoot out! Spiral of DarknessBlack Barrett!!”

Yumeno Shiori turned to Lotte and thrust her palm forward.

From there *DON! DON!* multiple shots of black light bullet were shot out.

“O piling up wisdom in human race’s history, become the shell that armor my body in many layers! Heavily, thickly, reject all act of brutality! Seusenhofer!!”

Lotte quickly cast a defensive magic. A thick and heavy metal armor was installed on Lotte’s simple white Magic Dress.

The armor that guarded Lotte blocked the black bullets one after another.

The bullets of black light were bird feathers wrapped in black flame. Although the feathers pierced the armor for sure, they were not so powerful that they could penetrate through.

But the feathers that pierced the armor burst into flame and spread black firelight. Those tips of flame touch Lotte’s skin slightly from the gap between the armor.

Defensive magic power protected Lotte’s skin from the black flame. But in that instant, something like a pitch black poison flowed into Lotte’s mind from the defensive magic power as if it was a conductor of magic power!

It was a discomfort without comparison. As if the surface of her brain tissue was scorched…!

What this black flame emitted was not heat! A black flame that scorches the mind!

“Black Barrett!”

Yumeno Shiori launched further black bullets in rapid-fire. In order to not have those bullets touch her skin for even a little, Lotte had to block it with her armor carefully. But while she could block several of the feathers, the flame began to run through the crack of the armor.

Lotte rammed the door from her back and she escaped to the corridor by destroying the door.

Just like that she ran through the dark corridor like a startled hare.

Like a hunter, Yumeno Shiori chased her in order to bring her down with certainly.

Lotte turned back and cast her magic.

“Howl! The civilization grant destruction to human! The roar of wisdom scorch and break thy body, shut that dignity under the rubble!! Mitrailleuse!”

Prometheus’s level 1 magic―a huge gatling gun was formed on Lotte’s right arm where she aimed that to the pursuing Yumeno Shiori and scattered bullets everywhere.

However, even while her defensive magic power shone from the damage, Yumeno Shiori came pursuing Lotte without paying any heed to the bullets. The girl was excelling in Resist!

“You won’t get away! ...I’ll kill you to accomplish my duty!! I’ll kill you so I can live!!”

Duty. She put an abnormal tenacity regarding that word.

As if that word was changing Yumeno Shiori into a different person.

“Come from the darkness, o jet black invaders…with desire and violence, wash away the repose of the world! Let’s announce the beginning of the war with thy all’s baby’s cry! Born Children of InvasionBirth From Dark!!”

On Yumeno Shiori’s back, the avatar of the giant black bird spread its wings widely.

From those wings, several dozens of black feathers shot out. The feathers flew evading Lotte and pierced the floor right on Lotte’s path, right beside her left and right, and right behind her.

The black feathers that pierced the floor surrounding Lotte disintegrated like mud and just when she thought that the feather had melted, those black lumps swelled up and turned into humanoid in the blink of eye.

The black silhouettes were slimy and began to be wrapped in a metallic luster, a thin and long something elongated from their hand, transforming into the shape of grasped sword.

The black feathers transformed into the appearance of jet black swordsmen wearing black sword and armor on their body, surrounding Lotte from all direction.

Lotte’s legs stopped. The dark knights assaulted her from the front and rear, left and right of the cramped corridor. She couldn’t hold them back with this gatling gun.

The swords swung down from the four directions easily smashed Lotte’s cracked armor!

“…O the guardian of human race, the wisdom for the sake of opposing the tyrannical will of god right here…Interception ArmamentCustom Liberion!”

Prometheus’s level 6 magic―this magic had never been tested in a real battle yet since she became able to use it.

Angular shaped armors were supplemented on Lotte’s four limbs and her back. The armor was not there just for the sake of protecting the body, countless small-type thruster units were lining up on each of them. Those thrusters responded to Lotte’s will and spouted out flames in one go.

Lotte’s small body instantly accelerated and flew off.

That was not a straightforward acceleration―By shifting her arms and legs freely, the countless thruster units were movable to every direction and it was possible for Lotte to accelerate・stay still・change direction in every kind of way.

Lotte flapped her arms and legs like swimming while receiving magical follow-up of mechanics calculation. She instantly slipped past through the gap of the black knights using zigzag and complicated high speed maneuver.

*GAKON!* The black knights crashed into each other.

Lotte withdrew to the sky and after rotating in the air with a twirl she instantly moved in to counterattack. [Interception ArmamentCustom Liberion] was exactly as the name suggest, it was not only for evading the opponent’s attack but it possessed the function to counterattack as it was.

“Prometheus, tear to piecesdo schneiden!!”

Lotte’s armored leg that dashed through the sky lost the function to run on the ground. In exchange the great length of armors that lengthened out from both her legs were equipped with sharp blades. Propellers were lining up crowdedly on the back side of the blade, spouting out flames. Lotte brandished both of her legs that had been changed into a blade like a ballerina and bisected the nearest knight of darkness thoroughly.

“Prometheus, Fire!!”

While there were shields on both her arms, simultaneously it was also built with gatling guns of larger caliber. Bullets of atrocity were fired while whirling apart gunfire smoke and bullet cartridges, demolishing the knight of darkness that was in the far range. The knight couldn’t even be called a swiss cheese anymore, there was no trace remaining of it.

At the same time when Lotte escaped from her predicament instantly, the opponents were annihilated.

But at that time Lotte had averted her awareness from Yumeno Shiori herself.

“Hi, hihihihi-! DIEEE-!!”

Hearing that scream, Lotte noticed the girl’s closeness.

The girl kicked the floor without even any sound and ran approaching Lotte closer. She dashed to Lotte’s blind spot with fierce speed, it was a physical ability that had been trained.

In the Magic Division, the Magika Stigmas weren’t supposed to have the training to use their body this skillfully.

Three streaks of light reached out directly from that right hand―claws.

“Carve your curse, Darkness Monkey! Draw Claw Release Soul, Grudge Mantra Evil ReleaseYamizaru! Bassou Kaikon, Onmyou Madatsu !”

―Sacred Treasure!

Without even any time of being vigilant of its effect, the gap of Lotte’s armor on her right arm was torn apart.

The defensive magic power was smashed and dust of lights scattered.

The effect of the Sacred Treasure became obvious immediately. The scar of the defensive magic power that was torn apart by the claws, originally new magic power should be flowing into it and closed the scar.

But that natural recovery action absolutely didn’t occur. The new magic power couldn’t flow into the scar of the defensive magic power. As if a wound was infected, like it was being cursed.

Yumeno Shiori once again swung her claws―aiming for the scar on the defensive magic power that was still in a gouged state. The location that was torn apart on Lotte’s body was the inside of her right elbow. There was a large artery running through there!

She planned to inflict fatal damage by slashing the flesh directly through the wound of the defensive magic power.

Lotte was driven by terror, she backed away using all of her thruster units and escaped from the opponent’s range. Yumeno Shiori’s attack hit empty air. But,

“Swept away by the wave of oblivion sink into darkness…Apparation Bewildering DreamYouwakumu!”

Yumeno Shiori cast magic even more just like that almost without chanting.

Behind Yumeno Shiori, different from Halphas, an avatar of a weird four-legged animal emerged out. A face that had a nose like an elephant, a short and stout body like a small bear, and legs that developed like tiger’s muscle.

Lotte didn’t understand its true identity.

This is…Possession Summoning! A human that made Stigma contract with Solomon 72 Pillar was even further possessed by a different Diva…? Impossible!

But in the reality, the impossible to avoid effect of that magic struck Lotte.

A powerful sleepiness overwhelmed Lotte’s brain like a surging wave. Her consciousness was entwined right away and she was going to get carried away to the far off beyond. The inside of her head was vanished in pure white.

Lotte immediately maintained her consciousness with Mind MasteryTrance magic. She barely avoided falling asleep, but in spite of being in the middle of battle, her concentration to her magic power was disturbed in pieces.

Lotte was in the middle of accelerating backward by controlling her magic power to operate the thruster units on her whole body. With her consciousness disturbed in the middle of that, the thruster units on her whole body ran wild to wrong directions. A precise magic power control was indispensable for this armament that dashed through the sky by operating countless thruster units.

Her arms and legs turned to completely different directions and all of them were pulled in rampage by their respective thruster units…In no time at all Lotte couldn’t maintain her altitude and crashed on the corridor. Even so the thruster units continued to spout flames and her whole body was shaken *GAKUGAKU* while sliding through the corridor. Lotte writhed on the floor like a bug whose wings and feelers were plucked off.

Had something happened, her head was in chaos.

She immediately tried to call for help and raised a scream.

But the air was frozen. The vibration of her yelling voice was not transmitted to the outside at all.

*ZUGAN!* Lotte crashed into a collision with the corridor and finally her thruster units came to a halt. But while she couldn’t stand up from the impact, Yumeno Shiori was slowly approaching her in a walk.

That right arm was directed to Lotte and it was swung.

Something came flying aiming for her face.

Lotte who was just barely keeping her consciousness reinforced her sight with magic power and she ascertained the true identity of the thing that came flying at her. A weight connected with chain―China’s hidden weapon, weighted chain.

Lotte barely averted her neck from the weighted chain that was aiming for her face.

“Carry the soul of dragon, Falling Star Spindle!Draw Throw Release Soul, Flying Dragon Binding ChainRyuuseisui! Battou Kaikon, Hiryuu Bakusa!”

The chain’s weight that passed through the side of Lotte’s face expanded several times thicker. At the same time behind her the weight made a curve and the thick chain was twirling and wrapping around Lotte. …This was also a Sacred Treasure!

The weighted chain that could move unrestricted and turned bigger twined around Lotte, then for the last the chain pierced the floor and made Lotte completely fixed in place.

Lotte fought using the armaments installed on her limbs. That was to say if her limbs were restricted, she had no method of attacking.

Checkmate.

“Hi, hihi…”

Yumeno Shiori made an eerie laugh while closing the distance between her and Lotte who was at her wit’s end.

The dreadful claws were equipped on that right arm.

It was completely like a giant mantis was sidling up near Lotte.

“You are going to die here. Your corpse will melt like mud with the black flame, nobody will find you anymore. You are going to be alone eternally. Hi, hihi.”

Yumeno Shiroi’s tone was like her personality had undergone a complete change. She was going to be killed.

Lotte’s body that was restrained by the chain was trembling *gatagata*.

It was a completely unexpected situation. Even in the case that Yumeno Shiori was the spy, she had never thought that it would turn into a battle immediately without talking about it first like this. She had never thought that Yumeno Shiori was an existence this dangerous.

She had never thought that she was this strong.

Only a few minutes had passed since she called out to her…a few minutes that was completely like a nightmare.

She was going to be killed, she was going to be killed…her head was completely filled with just that thought persistently. She grew pale.

Lotte thought that it was surprising that she would feel this much terror toward death.

…I, even though I should have been already thinking that someone like me had been marked for dead from the start already. Just to be able to live until now is a godsend already…even though I should have been thinking like that already all along….

Unexpectedly, she was feeling an attachment to life. She was thinking "I don’t want to die".

Yumeno Shiori was slowly approaching. Tears welled up in Lotte’s eyes, blurring the figure of the death god.

In this slight extension of time…what next came up in her mind after the terror was, doubt.

Summoning Magic, Possession Summoning, close quarter combat using Sacred Treasure―A [combat machine] that used all of those skillfully.

…What is the meaning of this?

For other Diva to possess that body when she had already contracted with another Diva, such thing should be impossible to do. It was surpassing human’s capacity.

Relationship with Diva should be deeply entwined to the contractor’s personality.

Doing contract or doing possession, one personality couldn’t tie a relationship except with just one Diva.

One personality was for one Diva. The appearance of Yumeno Shiori right now, was completely like a different person….

Lotte who couldn’t even move any of her hands or legs attempted to Telepathy with Yumeno Shiori’s mind for the last time.

A blue magic power light was pulled like a connecting string between Lotte and Yumeno Shiori.

Yumeno Shiori’s [mental information] was flowing inside Lotte’s heart.

Lotte opened her eyes wide in shock.

Even though it was Lotte, that didn’t mean that she could understand everything about the other person’s heart.

But just by sensing the surface of the current Yumeno Shiori’s mind slightly, she got a hunch of that fact.

Lotte understood the truth. But, Yumeno Shiori finally stood still right in front of Lotte and raised up her claws. Not good, she was going to get killed…!

―That there was someone running towards them, both Lotte and Yumeno Shiori too didn’t notice until the last second.

That was because the air was frozen and the state where sound from afar didn’t transmit was maintained.

Silver light cut through between them diagonally, the claws that was going to swing down was repelled.

Noticing that person ahead, Lotte spontaneously yelled.

“…Kazuki-oniisan!”

Part 2

While letting loose an Iai draw, Kazuki released a sigh of relief from his heart.

I’m glad that I barely managed to arrive in time! That was dangerous just now…!

*GIN!* Along with such sound, the claws that was aiming at Lotte was repelled away and Yumeno-san’s body staggered.

Lotte’s calling voice before this had by no means reached Kazuki.

However they were connected with their bond.

Kazuki was busy during these two days. Everyday after school he was always discussing about the advance troop unit to the Fuji’s Sea of Trees with just Kaguya-senpai alone.

Inevitably, his chance to make contact with everyone else of the Witch’s Mansion became fewer.

Even so Kazuki sensed with the [Power of King] how Lotte, after school was over, didn’t come home until late while moving around inside the school building, and he became concerned.

Because of that the instant Lotte wished for help―her calling voice didn’t reach him at all but―the three dimensional coordinates vision that emerged out from the Power of King, inside it the light that denoted Lotte’s location got stronger noticeably where he was able to notice it.

Lotte’ feelings that sought for Kazuki grew stronger and the light also became bigger.

Kazuki immediately leaped out from his room and ran to the direction of Lotte’s whereabout.

The time period of late night. …From all of these he could immediately guess what kind of situation Lotte was in.

“Kazuki-oniisan!”

The surrounding air was frozen and no sound could leak out, but when he leaped right in the midst of these two’s conflict the voice became audible. Kazuki’s figure that cut between the two recovered Lotte’s hope and she raised a delighted voice.

“!?” Having her right arm repelled by a katana, Yumeno-san who backed off totteringly opened her eyes wide at Kazuki’s figure. An instant of silence.

Kazuki took a step forward while chanting his spell and reversed his drawn sword into a diagonal downswing.

*ZAN-* Yumeno-san was further blown away backward from the backlash of the defensive magic power.

At the same time he cast his magic.

“I am the shaman of sword…rock cleave, root tore, sin sever, right now that virtuous sword of crushing evil in his hand! Draw sword, Futsu no Mitama!!”

Kazuki gripped his beloved sword [Doufuu] in his right hand while creating the Sacred Treasure that cut apart magic power in his left hand. Swinging the [Futsu no Mitama] in his left hand, he bisected the chain that tied Lotte in one slash.

From the time when Lotte called out Kazuki’s name until now, only a single breath had passed.

Lotte who became free hid behind Kazuki’s back as if escaping. Kazuki stood in order to cover for Lotte and faced Yumeno-san while taking the stance of two-sword style.

―But rather than covering for Lotte, perhaps they should take the positioning for a pincer attack instead.

With a glance, Kazuki became aware of his decision’s miss.

Yumeno-san who was separated in a distance from being repelled wasn’t looking at Kazuki and Lotte anymore.

The girl directed her eyes to the glass window and jumped there without hesitation.

*BARIN!* The girl broke through the glass window forcefully.

Escape. …But for the current Yumeno-san, where did she have a place to escape?

For an instant Kazuki hesitated to give a chase. He wanted to make sure of Lotte’s well-being who was visibly frightened in terror, as expected it was because of the turmoil from Yumeno-san being the opponent.

He had faith on her.

Not with logic but emotion, but he wanted to talk with Lotte regarding Yumeno-san.

He wanted Lotte to say that there was some kind of misunderstanding.

Kazuki sheathed the katana in his right hand and vanished away the [Futsu no Mitama] in his left hand. Lotte too released her Magic Dress and returned to her uniform appearance, then she slumped and fell to her knees in that place from exhausting her magic power and being released from her nervousness.

“Kazuki-oniisan…there is no mistake about this desu.”

“Aah, I know. It was correct for Lotte to doubt her. It was the mistake of me that didn’t want to believe that.”

“That’s not it, both I who suspect Yumeno-oneesan as the perpetrator, and also Kazuki-oniisan who believed Yumeno-oneesan, both of us are not wrong desu.”

“…Lotte?” Kazuki questioned whether Lotte’s feeling was still being surprised and stunned.

However after Lotte shook her head left and right, she talked with a confident tone that had no doubt.

“―Yumeno-oneesan had a split personality desu.”

“What do you mean by that, can you give me an explanation?”

Kazuki took the completely tired Lotte back to her own room and sat with her side by side on the bed before asking. Lotte inclined her head with a nod and opened her mouth.

“Yumeno-oneesan attacked me using both Summoning Magic by means of her stigma with Solomon 72 Pillar, and a Possession SummoningDrive with a mysterious Diva.”

That it was something originally impossible, Kazuki too immediately understood.

“I who thought it strange, tried to Telepathy with Yumeno-oneesan. And then…The whole shape of Yumeno-oneesan’s heart was without change presenting only the personality, but the personality became a completely different person desu. The direction of the heart changed and a completely unknown side of her was rising to the surface desu. It was not the case that Yumeno-san was acting…her one heart was possessing two personalities desu. The Yumeno-oneesan that we all know well perhaps doesn’t know that she is a spy. However the one other personality is a spy that has been trained to the degree where she can use Sacred Treasures skillfully desu.”

Was something like that possible? …No, it was possible.

Kazuki knew regarding those symptoms. He had an understanding.

Multiple personality―When someone confronted abuse and heavy stress, they lost the sense that they were themselves. One part of the brain that secreted brain substance was going numb. Due to that, the person interpreted the stress that they faced like somebody else’s problem and it didn’t become a memory of an event that happened to their own self.

Somebody else’s problem—when such stress and the detachment from that stress got repeated everyday, [one other self that took charge of the stress] would grow carrying different memories and personality. The detached personality would lose identity and each would walk with their own respective independent memory and personality―Dissociative identity disorder.

Kazuki once lived in orphanage, in that place there were also children who had experienced abuse from their parents. And then among them there was also a kid who showed symptoms like that. That was why Kazuki could immediately understand Lotte’s story.

If it was like that then all their questions were answered.

Yumeno-san didn’t tell a single lie. She really didn’t know.

Because she didn’t hold a single hostility to Kazuki, her positivity level was also showing.

One personality could only be followed by one connection with a Diva, but if the front personality made Stigma contract and the hidden personality exchanged possession contract then double contract could be concluded.

Surely the front personality of Yumeno-san wasn’t able to handle the power of Drive. That was because the one the Diva possessed was the other personality which was the one who could handle it freely.

But Yumeno-san’s hidden personality was able to master the power of Stigma summoning. Stigma contract carved the Stigma on the flesh body and through that Stigma the power of Diva could be pulled out. Yumeno-san’s hidden personality was able to master all the function of her own flesh body.

“Everything fits desu.”

Kazuki nodded hearing Lotte’s words.

At the same time he felt dread on the planning in making this kind of spy.

Yumeno-san was most likely made to detach her personality systematically. Both her parents were also likely to be Yamato’s spies. Perhaps her parents when they knew that their own daughter was a possessor of magic talent that could enroll into the Magic Division, started to abuse her for the sake of splitting her personality for certain.

And then they raised the split personality as a spy to pull out information from the Magic Division.

A spy that wasn’t aware that she was a spy…to think that there was a spy this terrifying.

Suddenly, Kazuki’s mobile phone was vibrating because of a received call. Kazuki said “Sorry” to Lotte and after confirming that the display was showing [Headmaster Amasaki], he went out to take the call.

{Sorry to suddenly call. But an urgent notice just came in.}

“Urgent notice?”

Kazuki too had something he needed to tell the headmaster, but first he listened to the headmaster’s story.

{A short time ago, the security soldier in Fuji’s Sea of Trees was attacked and it seemed that someone trespassed inside.}

“…What did you say?”

A situation that shouldn’t happen. No, however….

“There should be a gate in the Haunted Ground’s entrance right? Then the identity of the intruder is…”

{Right, we have already know the identity of the intruder.}

Kazuki went “Don’t tell me” and something flashed in his mind.

There was a gate at the entrance of the Haunted Ground, with the <Magic Power Light Scanning TerminalScanner Device there, no one could enter unless their Stigma had been confirmed.

Even if the intruder defeated the security soldier, if he didn’t confirm his own stigmata in the terminal then he shouldn’t be able to pass through. The data of the intruder’s Stigma was left behind in the terminal.

“…The intruder is the first year of the Magic Division, Yumeno Shiori isn’t it?”

From the other side of the phone receiver, the sign that Headmaster Amasaki was shocked and had his breath taken away was transmitted.

{That’s right. The data of Halphas’s Stigma is left in the gate, from the witness testimony of the security soldier we know that it’s almost certain that it was Yumeno Shiori.}

“Headmaster Amasaki, there was also some development at this side. Yumeno-san is a spy of Yamato with a double personality.”

He could sense Headmaster Amasaki lost his words at the other side of the phone.

Kazuki explained the incident that happened just before this.

{…I see, so that’s the reason we didn’t find the spy.}

‘Where in the world she is planning to escape’, he thought before, but…Yumeno-san was in the Fuji’s Sea of Trees.

{The Knight Order had surrounded Fuji’s Sea of Trees so that Yumeno Shiori cannot escape. Patrolling helicopters are also flying in the sky. But due to Commander Yamagata’s order, the Knight Order doesn’t rush inside. He wants the entry into Fuji’s Sea of Trees to be only done by the students of the Knight Academy to the end.}

“…Understood. We are going to head to Fuji’s Sea of Trees the first thing tomorrow morning.”

The night had already grown late. Rather than entering a Haunted Ground at night, surely entering it in the morning would be safer.

Headmaster Amasaki too said {Yeah} and acknowledged it.

“…By the way Yumeno-san didn’t bring anyone with her and entered the Haunted Ground alone right?”

Kazuki recalled a question and asked.

“Aah, should be. There was nothing except Halphas’s data remaining left behind at the gate. The gate is detecting the human’s weight and temperature, once the person has confirmed their Stigma then no one but that person can pass. Yumeno Shiori should be alone inside the Haunted Ground.”

He thought it was going to be troublesome with her bringing in other Yamato’s spies, but it seem that there was no such possibility. …Then what was Yumeno-san’s real intention in trespassing into the Haunted Ground?

He really couldn’t think of it as a good place to escape.

Part 3

“I’m sorry about the sudden call. Thank you for coming, Miyabi-senpai.”

The next morning, inside the magic light train, Kazuki talked while sitting beside Miyabi-senpai.

“I don’t particularly mind. Quest is more enjoyable rather than attending class. …Though there was no time to persuade Shinobu like this.”

Miyabi-senpai answered with a refreshing smile. She was the same like Koyuki, an elf Magika Stigma that possessed strong magic power surpassing average humans.

She and her contracted Diva, Gremory had the Summoning Magic of mind hack system as their forte.

Kazuki thought that her power might become necessary to confront Yumeno-san who had a mental problem called multiple personality, so he called for her assistance.

Kazuki had experienced the strength of Miyabi-senpai’s mind hack magic personally with his own body.

“…But I don’t know if I can answer your expectation. I can easily succeed in mind hack magic against you because your Trance technique is not really that high. Your nonexistent resistance toward mind magic is your number one weak point I guess.”

Even while Kazuki felt his heart got stabbed hearing that, he nodded honestly.

Kazuki who relied completely on sword art and everyone’s magic still had a lot of points that he should train.

Having said that, it was hard to train a resistance against mental magic alone by himself, so it might be good to ask for favor from Miyabi-senpai to cooperate with him after this.

“The one other personality of that child called Yumeno Shiori has been accumulating a considerable training as a spy right? If she is a spy then resistance against mental magic should be the most prioritized field that she had to learn. Even I don’t have the confidence to make my mental magic succeed against an active pro as the opponent. Perhaps it will be easier to just normally make her fall into a magic intoxication you know.”

“So it’s like that.” Kazuki’s reply was slightly mixed with discouragement.

Yumeno-san would be handed to the Knight Order after they made her fall into magic intoxication and she became powerless.

For the sake of pulling out the information of other spies from the girl that had become powerless, the Knight Order would surely performed mind magic at the same time with interrogation.

If they used mind magic for the sake of really harsh interrogation, damage could also occur in her mind.

If he could, Kazuki wanted to avoid that situation, even if he couldn’t avoid it he wanted to exchange words one more time with the front personality of Yumeno-san. He didn’t want to hand her to the Knight Order just like this without hearing anything from her mouth.

Miyabi-senpai’s mind magic was able to drag the opponent’s mind into her own mental world. He guessed that she might be able to make Yumeno-san’s mind that had split into two to operate at the same time together.

If both Kazuki and Yumeno-san was put under this magic, then Kazuki would be able to face both the front and hidden Yumeno-san at the same time inside Miyabi-senpai’s mental world.

For the moment, he wanted to converse with these three people. That was what Kazuki thought.

Looking at Kazuki’s discouraged state, Miyabi-senpai chuckled.

“It really makes me want to do something for you somehow. There is no way that dejected face wouldn’t tickle my motherly instinct as the senior elderly sister here. I get it, I’ll give it a try as hard as I can.”

“…Thank you very much, Miyabi-senpai.”

The magic light train advanced to the direction of Shizuoka through the coastlands route and arrived at Otawara station.

There they changed train into the train line that went inland to northwest, Kazuki and the others headed to Gotenba station.

Gotenba was a town that was touching with the entrance to the Grand Haunted Ground Fuji’s Sea of Trees.

In the old era Fuji’s sea of trees only took the name of <Aokigahara Sea of Trees>, but because in this current era, all of that area with Mountain Fuji as the center was completely buried with the trees of the Haunted Ground. The whole area of the Haunted Ground became called as <Fuji’s Sea of Trees>…it was like that. Its width reached a radius of 15 kilometers and the surrounding cities inside the radius of 20 kilometers were designated as evacuation district. And then what should be specially mentioned more than its radius was the thickness of the magic power inside it.

When they arrived at Gotenba station, they transferred to the car that the Knight Order had prepared for them from here on and ran through the town that had completely become a ghost town from having its residents evacuate since a long time ago.

While staring outside the window, Mio opened her mouth.

“When I investigated it, a long time ago in Gotenba there was a famous fashion pot. After that there was also something like an amusement park! For that to become something like an evacuation area…we cannot just leave this alone!”

It seemed like Gotenba was a town that plucked the heartstrings of people like Mio, the girl was very enthusiastic.

When they got distanced from the station and the fields became standing out around them, a wall with height as if it was piercing the sky became visible standing on the way of the lonely road they traversed.

It was to the degree that made them hallucinate if this wall didn’t partition the whole world instead. The wall spread to the left and right without its end in sight.

The low level of the wall was made from alchemic hard steeladamantite and the upper level was made from normal concrete, they understood it from the two different colors of the wall’s up and down.

Gate. A normal Haunted Ground wouldn’t get enclosed by a giant external wall until this far. From its remarkable danger, this gate was distinctive of this Grand Haunted Ground as if treating a stinky item by putting a lid on top of it.

They could take a peek at the Knight Order’s patrol helicopters sporadically flying above the sky of the Haunted Ground. It was the effect of Yumeno-san’s infiltration that this abnormal security was performed.

The car stopped.

When Kazuki and the others disembarked, the Knight Order was forming a row in standby in front of the gate.

“…Kazuki.”

From among the several dozens of knights that were standing in alert, a face that he knew ran up to them.

“Akane-senpai!”

“Long time no see isn’t it. I heard that you guys are going to this Haunted Ground so I came.”

It was Akane-senpai who usually only expressed her emotion faintly that didn’t leave much impression, but she had a faint smile in her expression while welcoming Kazuki. Slightly behind her, Kanon-senpai too was running up to them.

“Been a while huh, you guys-☆ It’s not like we particularly need to come here or anything, but it can’t be helped because Akane said that she wanted to meet you immediately if something happened.”

“I never said anything like that!”

After Akane-senpai said that to Kanon-senpai in an unusually strong tone, she turned back to face Kazuki.

“I never said that.”

She repeated that again.

“I never said that okay.”

She made a face that looked a little troubled and made sure once more.

“Ahaha, Kazuki is really liked here huh. This is the first time I see Akane-senpai this cute-“

Hikaru-senpai who was the direct junior of Akane-senpai laughed in a jest. Akane-senpai then glared at Hikaru-senpai with reproachful look.

“Right. Be affectionate to your heart’s content toward my protégée☆ Putting that aside…”

Kanon-senpai explained simply about the [internal structure of the Grand Haunted Ground].

“Fuji’s Sea of Trees is divided into three level. The time when the Haunted Ground was still not this big it was surrounded by a wall within the sphere of 5 kilo, but unable to stop the expansion of the Haunted Ground the wall got completely swallowed, and then within the sphere of radius 10 kilo it was surrounded by a new wall. But that wall too was swallowed by the Haunted Ground…and that’s the reason why this third wall was created☆”

Kazuki reflexively looked up the wall in front of his eyes. A wall in this scale, there was still two layer of it….

“Even right now the walls were still left inside the Haunted Ground and becoming a certain kind of threshold. Thanks to the walls, the expansion of the Haunted Ground can be restrained, but the magic power is confined to the inner direction in those parts alone and it had been confirmed that once you stepped past the wall the magic power thickness will jump up. In other words the Demon Beasts will become stronger in wide difference past each walls, so be careful. Of course there is also a high chance for Sacred Treasure to be created in place where the magic power is thick.”

Akane-senpai too pulled herself together and gave them additional explanation.

“The place you are going today is the first outer area you will meet immediately once you pass this gate…so to speak you can think of this surrounding as the <Level 1> area. Yumeno Shiori too if she escaped into here alone, then she should be in the area of this Level 1. After all, ahead from Level 2, it will be absolutely dangerous even for a capable knight to go there alone see☆”

It was a gigantic Haunted Ground, but for the moment they could narrow down the area where Yumeno-san was.

“Yosh, well then we are going to deal with the procedure to pass!”

Kanon-senpai was holding a <Scanner Device> in her hand.

It was the equipment for confirming the Magika Stigma that passed the gate.

When Kanon-senpai who was like a chaser in a convenient store confirmed the Stigma of Kazuki who stood in the head of the student’s line with the device, the small door in the gate’s lower part was opening with a mechanical sound.

“Yosh, go through there one by one.”

When Kazuki passed through there, the sensor that was in the gate’s boundary detected one human and the doors closed immediately after Kazuki passed through.

Certainly if it was like this then only one person could pass through without bringing anyone with them. There was no extra room left to enter except for lost bug or small bird.

The students of the Magic Division finished their confirmation and went through the door in succession.

After that the swordsmen who didn’t have Stigma passed through after Kanon-senpai and Akane-senpai input the password of <supervisor authority> and opened the door.

For the swordsman, they couldn’t enter the Haunted Ground with only swordsman in the group.

Currently, such unfairness was in the middle of a review, but the structure of this old gate was not updated. Those like Kohaku were making a sullen dissatisfied face.

Kazuki and the others entered the Haunted Ground’s inner part all together.

In the immediate inner side of the gate was scenery of ruins that were swallowed by sea of trees.

The road under their feet was gouged by root of trees so thick like an arm of a giant that was undulating through the asphalt. The surrounding buildings were crushed and broken deformedly by the giant tree trunks that were growing from the earth. Countless leaves and branches were sticking out from the cracks and broken windows. And then the whole thing was covered by ivies in entanglement. The farther they went deeper, the presence of greenery was becoming stronger.

Those green trees were not original thing of natures, it was a display of eerie shapes and colors that were impossibly distorted by magic power everywhere they saw. A moist stench floated chokingly in the air.

“Then we are splitting into two teams. The outer circumference of the Haunted Ground…the place Kanon-senpai told us before, the <Level 1> area is the place we are going to explore.”

As long as Yumeno-san was just alone, it was hard to imagine that she would advance to Level 2.

After all it was simply too dangerous for the girl’s solo battle strength.

However if it was really like that then Yumeno-san’s objective was becoming increasingly unclear.

The Haunted Ground was too dangerous as an escaping place.

Even if she was aiming for the Three Sacred Treasures, it was difficult with just her alone. Even in the unlikely event that she discovered it, in this high alert state she wouldn’t be able to bring it outside.

She might have anticipated that Kazuki would chase her here and she was going to aim for his life.

Even if she was thinking that, the question of [Alone by herself?] sprang forth.

“Even if you said to search for her, if we really think about it isn’t a radius of 15 kilo unthinkably vast? It’s like searching Yamanote line for just one person don’t you think?”

Mio who was entering a Haunted Ground once again said that, feeling for real that vastness of the area they needed to search for.

“This place is far more wide than Yamanote line you know.”

When Kazuki calmly retorted, all present made a face that seemed to say “Uhee”.

“It’s not like we have to absolutely find her within today. This Haunted Ground is a place we have to capture anyway in the first place. Let’s search while defeating Demon Beast and liberating this place.”

Yumeno-san couldn’t escape outside. She was at a dead-end in a certain meaning, so it didn’t mean that they had to find her in a great hurry. If in a few days the advance troop team of Kazuki and his group couldn’t find her, they would make the general students participate in this quest too just as they planned and search for Yumeno-san that way.

However if the Knight Academy couldn’t discover Yumeno-san no matter how long they were searching, then Commander Yamagata wouldn’t be able to hold back the Knight Order anymore so neither could they search for her leisurely.

For the time being Kazuki’s group was going right and Mio’s group was going left, they began to walk going around the inner part of the wall in circle.

Part 4

…Yumeno Shiori was hiding herself in the area that Kazuki and the others called as Level 1.

Without being attacked by any Demon Beast, the girl was slowly resting her body.

Although she was forced to escape without any other choice, there was almost no exhaustion in her from yesterday’s battle.

Around Shiori, large-type Demon Beasts were nestling close to her as if they were her guard.

A giant beast with three head of lion, goat, and poisoned snake―a chimera was obediently sitting beside the girl completely like a pet cat.

A slender dragon with its whole body made from rock, a possession of trait that originally should be impossible for a living being―a gargoyle was perching on top of the gate of the building besides Shiori.

A giant with stature around four meters and its whole body covered with fur―a troll holding a club made from rock with its thick arm that was like a log, was standing guard at Shiori’s back like a sentinel.

The figure of the resting girl surrounded by fantastical beast in the townscape of a ruined town was exactly like a page of fantasy world.

“To be effective not only against human but also Demon Beast, what a rare mind magic.”

And then besides Shiori, there was not only Demon Beasts but also one more person.

Usually, mind magic wouldn’t work against anything except against [human] who possessed similar mind structure with the caster.

“…My Drive Diva possesses the power to invade dream―the subconscious of living being. The Demon Beast doesn’t have what is called a clear awareness. Their head is empty inside…. If it’s the power of my Diva, they can be manipulated even easier than humans.”

Besides Shiori, an avatar of a strange animal emerged out dreamily.

Baku―Possessing a long nose like an elephant, a short and stout monster of Chinese Mythology.

“This kind of ugly monster is really a Diva huh.”

The person beside Shiori threw a scorning look at it.

“Baku is…at the beginning he was a god called <Bakuki> that governed dreams, but gradually he was told orally in a different shape as an apparition of Asia. Originally he was an existence that reached the pedigree of a proper god…”

Shiori protested in order to stick up for the Diva that was possessing her.

“Even Baku’s power cannot control the Demon Beast Level 2on the other side of the wall because they are too ferocious. But if it is with the Demon Beast near the entrance then that power of his is effective. Though as long as the magic that is controlling the human and Demon Beast is still in use, Baku’s other magic is not usable…”

“But for you, that is not a big risk.”

Shiori moved her head in a nod and the Stigma on her whole body lit up.

“Solomon 72 Pillar’s <contract> created Stigma on the flesh body. Stigma is a thing of flesh. I can control this body of Yumeno Shiori as my own body.”

When the girl poured magic power into the Stigma, she could directly unite her consciousness with the contracted Diva in Astrum. Through this circuit, she could make an Order for magic phenomenon.

Halphas had to abide to the contract. A contract was ironclad for a devil. Even in the case where the one who gave the order was the different personality of the contractor the Devil made the contract with, he couldn’t escape from the Stigma’s contract.

“A double contract that make use of multiple personality huh. So there is a human that thought of a fairly interesting thing. For that sake they abused a child and intentionally created a person with multiple personality, really. However don’t you feel any displeasure? Until now you have gone through many extremely painful experiences right?”

Against that person’s question, Shiori shook her head without even any doubt.

“…This is a necessary power for the sake of following my order. Following the order is the worth of my existence…”

“What an ideal slave you are. Well, as for me it’s sufficient already just to get entered into this Haunted Ground like this. It’s fine for you to accomplish what your master wishes for. I don’t have any interest in that. The direction Hayashizaki Kazuki was heading is just exactly like what we talked before.”

That person pointed at the location Kazuki was heading for as if he was looking down at the Haunted Ground from the sky even now.

Shiori stood up. The chimera beside her also got up following her, the gargoyle spread its wings, and the troll raised a roar.

Shiori and the person who was together with her separated their way and started to walk in two opposite directions.

That was because Kazuki and his comrades were splitting into two groups.

Part 5

Kazuki and his group were advancing through the Haunted Groud while defeating the Demon Beasts that stood in their way.

From the shadows of the trees and buildings, the eye glints of beasts shined glaringly. As soon as the Demon Beasts discovered humans “GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!” they raised a fierce roar. Smashing the buildings and trees along with earth tremor, they revealed their huge form before Kazuki and the other’s eyes.

Chimera―On the body as big as an elephant, there were the heads of a lion, a goat, and a snake.

Until now Kazuki had never seen a Demon Beast this big except for a dragon.

In order to cover for everyone else, Kazuki and Kohaku quickly stepped forward―Heaven and Earth Formation.

The head of the lion that was placed in the middle position of the three heads directed its opened big mouth to Kazuki, from there a fierce flame was spouted out.

“Burn to ash all those that come in contact…to the scorching heat of rejection without any place to go! Self Burning!!”

Kazuki Foresighted the sign of flame being created and covered his body with flame armor by matching the timing. The flame swallowed the flame and the attack was neutralized.

At the same time the chimera’s front leg that looked like a log was heading to Kazuki in a side sweep. Even one of its claws was absurdly big with the size of a human’s arm. Kazuki swiftly dodged his body and slashed back with his katana.

“GUGIIIIIIIII!”

More voice that sounded like a monster bird resounded out at the sky. When he looked up, a dragon with slender body that was similar with human’s body shape―however that body was made from stone―a gargoyle was swooping down.

“Gouge the far away, Doutanuki! Battou Kaikon―Tenran Kamaitachi!”

Kohaku who stood beside Kazuki drew out her Sacred Treasure. A sharp wind blade was fired from that sword and intercepted the swooping down gargoyle. However, although the gargoyle raised a scream of “GUGIGAA!”, it didn’t even twitch.

A monster made from stone―it was strong against physical impact and it was also supposed to have resistance against flame, ice, and lightning. Kohaku evaded in panic from the attack of the gargoyle that swung its stone limbs in defiance of her attack.

“GOOOOOOOOO!”

While crushing roots of trees and thicket underfoot with cracking sounds, a hairy giant―a troll was rushing at them wielding a club above its head.

Karin leaped out in order to intercept it. The huge club the troll brandished was quickly toyed around by Karin with a use of keen and nimble body movement.

―A group of Demon Beasts suddenly appeared all of a sudden. Moreover, all of them were huge.

“It’s hard for mind attack to be effective against Demon Beast so I’m really not very good with them. …A maiden offering prayer each night, be that as it may the moonlight illuminated the beast of thy heart. Lay bare the true character, Mirror Moon Heart EncroachmentLunatic Lunar Light!”

The rearguard Miyabi-senpai cast the Summoning Magic of the moon goddess, Gremory.

A giant vision of moon emerged out on Miyabi-senpai’s back and emitted a silver light.

Magic that made the mind of the people seeing it chaotic. After the Demon Beasts’s body were paralyzed in a twitch, they began to keep attacking a spot where there was no one at all as if they were seeing an illusion.

It was a powerful mind attack magic that made the enemy attack each other if the opponent was human, but it seemed it was already the limit to just show illusion with Demon Beast as the target. But even so, the aggression of the Demon Beasts stopped for a moment.

“The destiny of all things in creation within the large celestial sphere…o binding of constellation, stop the revolution of the sky! Horoscope Stasis!”

Hikaru-senpai too finished her spell and cast her magic.

Around the body of the gargoyle who was flying around in the sky, countless stars were shining. Between the stars, lines of light were running like a constellation, those lines of light bound the gargoyle's hands and feet.

The gargoyle who couldn’t even flap its wings now freefalled with a scream while breaking the foliage on its way down with crunching sounds.

“Crush to death, <Taroudachi>! Battou Kaikon―Ashura Ryoudan!!”

Kohaku drew out one more Sacred Treasure. When Kohaku poured magic power into that Sacred Treasure with a flash of fighting spirit, the sword blade of that Sacred Treasure inflated like a log where Kohaku swung that down with all she had on the gargoyle.

Squashed by the giant katana, cracks ran through the gargoyle’s body with a cracking sound.

“Shintoukei!”

Karin quietly leaped into the chest of the troll who was swinging its club into a wrong direction and struck her palm on its chest.

Shintoukei―Karin stepped on the earth strongly in the moment of impact and with the movement of the whole body she concentrated that energy in her palm. Using Enchant Aura at the same time too, a terrific destructive power penetrated the tough skin of the troll and reverberated directly to its heart.

The troll raised a scream and fell down.

“O stream of atmosphere, extend to my hand, become the spear that repulse the resenting enemy! What reach my hand is the tip of the storm!! Maimuur!!”

Kazuki created a spear with the power of wind inside it, then he concentrated the flame armor that was covering his body into the tip of the spear with psychokinesis manipulation. The power of wind supplied the flame with oxygen and amplified its power. A synergism effect of magic and magic.

Kazuki twisted the spear of flame inside the opened mouth of the chimera’s lion head. The lion head bared the white of its eyes widely and it hung its head languidly as if dying in exhaustion.

The three large-type Demon Beasts raised their screams and fainted in agony from Kazuki and other’s counter attack that was like surging wave.

Kazuki suddenly felt a doubt.

Demon Beast’s scream. Demon Beast too was going to scream if they receive pain.

If Yumeno-san was somewhere in this Haunted Ground, in the case that girl was forced into a battle with Demon Beast inevitably, the sounds of her battle should be loudly transmitted to the surrounding area.

For both Kazuki and Mio’s teams to not hear anything of that, was Yumeno-san in a place really far from them?

It was hard to imagine that she would constantly continue to use the general magic to freeze the air like when she was attacking Lotte. General magic was not like Summoning Magic that could borrow the power of Diva, its consumption of magic power was harsh in comparison of its small scale effect.

Possibly Yumeno-san was avoiding battle with some kind of method…?

That moment while Kazuki was harboring doubt, he felt an upsurge of magic power from the other side of the trees on their way.

The presence of someone using Summoning Magic.

“Kohaku! Karin! Protect the rearguard!!”

Kazuki raised his voice saying so while he himself was rushing to his comrades in the rear.

“…Come from the darkness, o the jet black invaders…wash away the world’s repose with greed and violence! Announce the beginning of war right here! Birth From Dark!!”

From the other side of the thicket, countless black feathers were shot out.

This magic was…Yumeno-san’s magic!

“Haa-!”

Kazuki who Foresighted the presence swung [Maimuur] with a yell of fighting spirit.

The flame and wind burned many of the feathers to ashes but he couldn’t get all of them and the feathers slipped into their attack range―they pierced the ground under the feet of their comrades in the rear.

The feathers bloated in the blink of eye and stood up as a humanoid shape, becoming jet black armored knights that surrounded Koyuki, Miyabi-senpai, and Hikaru-senpai. The black knights mercilessly raised their swords against the three people that were in the middle of chanting.

“Drive away, <Taroudachi>!”

Kohaku cleared away several of the nearby knights altogether with her enlarged long katana.

“YaAA-!” Karin too agilely cut between the knights and blew away the knights with nimble hand-to-hand technique.

However even so they were outnumbered, several of the black blades they couldn’t deal with assaulted Koyuki and the others over and over again.

“Kyaa!” “It’s troubling to not get protected properly here.” “Uwaa!”

The three’s scream rang out.

“Koyuki!”

Kazuki entered to protect Koyuki the foremost. He carried up the girl and drove away the black knights with [Maimuur]. He wasted no time to protect Koyuki because she was in the middle of chanting a long spell.

Koyuki clung to Kazuki with a tight grip and completed her spell.

“Sinking hundred ships, o menace of ocean that is lurking in the deep sea! Surface with the guidance of my singing voice…show that entire face! …Thrust the fang! Ice Buster!!”

That magic was cast at the gargoyle who was trying to get free from its restraint.

Giant iceberg gradually rose from the earth and directly gouged the crack in the gargoyle’s body that was scarred from Taroudachi. The hardness of [ice] became tougher the lower its temperature was. Koyuki devoted all her concentration to lower the temperature of the iceberg and sharpened its sharpness without end.

The icebergs that looked like the tip of a giant Japanese katana appeared for the second, the third―,

“GIIIIIIII!”

Along with a scream the gargoyle was smashed apart into pieces.

“Whirling heaven o will of god…gather in my hand, lend the gift authority of judgment! O light of royal divine gift, become a drawn bow with dazzling brilliance! Lightning Line.”

Even while receiving the attack of the black knights, Hikaru-senpai who excelled in spell chanting’s concentration finished a simple level 1 magic and consolidated arrows of lightning before firing them.

Those arrows passed through the black knights and all struck home at the troll’s left chest.

The arrows struck accurately to the heart that had received severe damage from Shintoukei before.

The troll was convulsing in twitches through its whole body and expired without even raising a scream.

“You didn’t protect me at all, Kazuki, I’ll remember this.”

Miyabi-senpai even while complaining…as expected from an upperclassman. She had accomplished her chanting.

“O crescent moon of the frozen sky, rip the cloud as the blowing wind, mow down the life on the surface! …Moon Maiden’s Hidden BladeMoon Scraper!”

When Miyabi-senpai raised her hand to the sky, a large crescent moon was grasped in that hand.

Miyabi-senpai threw that moon with an elegant form.

The crescent moon that flew sharply drawing an arc bisected the two necks of the chimera.

The chimera, with all three of its necks crushed, fell down on the ground while raising a heavy sound.

The Demon Beasts were eradicated with everyone’s Summoning Magic.

At the same time Kazuki, Kohaku, and Karin had finished dealing with the black knights.

“Black Barrett!”

But while their attention were averted by the Demon Beasts and the black knights, black bullets were flying at them from the other side of the thicket.

“Kyaa!” “Uwaa-!” “…Ku-! This is mind attack!?”

The scream of everyone in the rear. The bullets were not aiming at Kazuki or Kohaku or Karin who possessed evasion skill but Koyuki and the others.

Their defensive magic power were smashed, in addition the agony of mind destruction made the three cower.

During that moment, the presence on the other side of the thicket was darting away to escape.

“…Wait, Yumeno-san!!”

This attack magic was Yumeno-san and Halphas’s skill.

“…Black flame that burn the mind, if we keep getting hit with that then we will become unable to chant magic.”

Miyabi-senpai who could also use mind magic skillfully herself calmly analyzed the threat of the opponent in her talk.

“That girl’s magic is invoked by launching it in feathers.”

Kazuki called out to his comrades.

“It’s a defensible attack that can be blocked using Prometheus’s armor so the flame doesn’t touch you or using Baal’s Storm Fort to blow away the feather. Let’s cope with it using me and Hikaru-senpai as much as possible.”

Hikaru-senpai was even now in suffering from the mind damage, but she nodded firmly.

{Kazuki…? We heard a loud sound here, was there a battle?}

Mio’s voice rang out inside his head.

It was the telepathy that could be used with the partner whose positivity level had gone past 150.

{We were attacked by Yumeno-san and then she escaped. We are going to chase her now.}

{Really!? Got it, then we don’t know if we can catch up, but we will head there too!}

Mio didn’t know the location of Kazuki from where she was. There was little chance that she could catch up with them in time but…Kazuki replied {Please} and then dashed leading his comrades.

They could immediately see the back of Yumeno-san in their path.

And then even further ahead of Yumeno-san, the figure of Demon Beast that howled madly after finding humans also entered their eyes.

Worm―it was an absurdly giant serpent that came their way slitheringly from the forest.

That worm was heading to Yumeno-san first and attacked her.

“Being perplexed in a daydream, listen to the mother’s lullaby…Dream PlayingMugensou!”

But an avatar of a strange animal emerged out beside Yumeno-san and she cast her magic.

Baku―an apparition that ruled over dream where its legend was handed down in Japan and China.

This Baku was the Diva that possessed the hidden personality of Yumeno-san.

Psychedelic light and noise flashed. At the same time the avatar of Baku was sucked inside the head of the worm. Right that instant, the worm’s movement stopped completely.

The worm changed the direction of that giant body.

Avoiding Yumeno-san, it came attacking with Kazuki and his team as the target!

“…So Yumeno-san can control Demon Beast!”

Kazuki understood Yumeno-san’s objective.

The girl was not escaping into the Haunted Ground.

This location was exactly the place to bring certain death for Kazuki!

If it was her ability to control Demon Beast, there wouldn’t be any problem even if she was just alone in a Haunted Ground!

The worm that came approaching them in slither while breaking through the trees was completely like a jet coaster. “Press back, Taroudachi!!”

Kohaku clashed the enlarged Taroudachi to the worm right from the front.

The large mouth that could swallow a human whole was blocked by the enlarged katana. The blade slightly cut into both edge of the worm’s mouth but its meat immediately regenerated and it was pushing back.

The worm was crawling with its whole body and advanced forward. Kohaku lost in strength and slowly got pushed back.

―Worm was perceived as a symbol of regeneration in many legends. Its mode of life that grew by repeatedly shedding its skin made the people of the ancient era feel a mystique from it. The image of <Ouroboros>, a snake that bit its own tail forming a circle, was shared universally in many cultures like Greece civilization as well as Aztec or ancient China.

Demon Beast・Worm possessed the strong ability of regeneration.

“Kazuki! No matter how many times its outside gets attacked the worm will recover! Please burn it from the inside!!”

Koyuki immediately told him. That was the worm’s conquering method that was told in the myth. It was for this kind of moment that the Knight Academy made the students learn [mythology].

“Blitzkrieg!!”

“Lightning Line!”

Kazuki and Hikaru-senpai simultaneously cast lightning element magic. Kazuki charged into the worm’s big mouth with electromagnetic spear. Hikaru-senpai fired several lightning arrows into the worm’s mouth. The worm’s giant body writhed and undulated. Just like that its breath was stopped and that giant body dispersed away into magic light power.

“Being perplexed in a daydream, listen to the mother’s lullaby…Mugensou!”

But while they were focusing on that Yumeno-san ran even further, and then she tamed the Demon Beast she encountered in her path.

This time it was a Demon Beast from the sky with eagle head and wings on a lion’s body―the king of all bird and the king of all beasts, a flock of gryphon was descending down aiming at Kazuki and the others.

“There is no end to this! Our magic power get consumed one-sidedly here!?” Kohaku yelled.

“These ones will take care of the Demon Beasts, so Kazuki just focus directly on her! If not the whole Haunted Ground will come blocking our way!”

“Leave this place to us and go ahead! I wanted to try saying this speech at least once!”

Hikaru-senpai too said her agreement of Kohaku’s proposal with her eyes shining and getting happy pointlessly.

“Kazuki…I said to you inside the train that your resistance against mind magic is your weak point, but the strength of unwavering will no matter what happens is your strength you know. The opponent is also going to use mind magic, however that’s what I really think.”

Miyabi-senpai gave an advice to Kazuki.

…The strength of unwavering will. Even if he got completely held under mind magic, it was possible to overcome it with the strength of will. Kazuki nodded back, “Everyone, I’m relying on you!” then he accelerated straightforwardly to Yumeno-san’s back.

“Glacier Wind!” “Tenran Kamaitachi!” “Lightning Line!” “Moon Scraper!”

His comrades' offense magic were fired into the swarm of gryphon that descended from the sky.

The rank of the gryphon’s swarm collapsed and a small way out was opened.

“Custom Liberion!”

Kazuki deployed Lotte’s level 6 magic―[Custom Liberion], and he flew into the swarm of gryphon. If this armament was compared with [Deep Striker], its straight line acceleration and charging destructive power were inferior, but its maneuverability was in dominance and it was possible to maneuver at all direction freely.

The thruster units in its four limbs spouted out flames at all direction following Kazuki’s will.

Full burst―Kazuki passed through the tight gap between gryphon and gryphon in zigzag like a lightning.

Demon Beast didn’t make any complicated thinking. When Kazuki disappeared in an instant before their eyes and passed through to the back, they didn’t chase Kazuki anymore and changed their target to Kohaku and Karin.

Yumeno-san was startled and looked back at Kazuki giving her chase.

“Black Barrett!!”

Yumeno-san attacked by firing black bullets. Kazuki Foresighted the trajectory of those bullets and evaded with high speed maneuver.

“I won’t let you come in contact with anymore Demon Beast!!”

Kazuki was perfectly superior in speed. When he overtook Yumeno-san from the sky, Kazuki rotated and landed in front of Yumeno-san and immediately withdrew the katana on his waist.

A single Iai slash. Yumeno-san withdrew a claw from her right hand and blocked that slash.

However she was blown away into the forest from the difference in power.

But Kazuki was shocked inside his mind. Her reaction at Kazuki’s sword draw made clear of the fact that she was able to stop the slash, that was proof of the considerable accumulation of her training in close-range combat techniques.

She was far more talented than your average swordsman.

“I’ll make you give back the real Yumeno-san!”

While gliding in the air using the armament, Kazuki drove Yumeno-san into a corner.

“The real…? I am the assailant that shackled that girl, and that girl is the victim!? Hihihi!”

As if being exasperated, Yumeno-san who fell into the thicket stood up.

“Wrong! I am the destiny that girl should be burdened with!! Both of us are inseparable no matter what you try!!”

Kazuki was overwhelmed inside his heart by that intense emotion. That one other personality was far more unshakeable than what Kazuki imagined, possessing a strong will.

Kazuki turned to the thicket and launched a volley of bullets with the gatling in his arm armor. The storm of bullets smashed the trees, blue light of defensive magic power was smashed on the other side of the gunpowder smoke that enveloped the area.

“…Baku, release!”

Yumeno-san raised a voice that sounded like a scream inside the storm of bullets. A large magic power was flowing into Yumeno-san from the crowd of gryphon that had opened battle with everyone.

She was recovering some kind of powerful magic power from the gryphon.

Most likely while she was using the magic to control the Demon Beasts, she couldn’t use Baku’s other magic.

For the sake of using Baku’s magic in her fight against Kazuki, she recovered the magic she was using since before. The swarm of gryphon had already focused on attacking the humans in front of them, so there wasn’t any need in continuing to use that magic anymore.

“Carried away by the wave of forgetfulness sinking into darkness…Youwakumu!”

And then in no time at all she cast a Drive Summoning magic.

A wave of sleepiness was raging madly inside Kazuki’s head. Carried away by the wave, his consciousness was vanishing.

Inside his head became pure white.

Kazuki lost control of his magic power and the thruster units of the Custom Liberion went wild to wrong directions. While Kazuki was writhing he crashed onto the ground similar with Lotte on that day.

…But he had heard already from Lotte how Yumeno-san was using this magic.

He had prepared his mind…!

“Spreading your wing inside the dark clouds o black bird that announce the beginning of conflict, please grant that wing of grief on my back! The agony of people crushed underfoot in battle right here…! Eyelids Blocking Jet Black WingsAgonizing Wings!”

Yumeno-san was also chanting a high level magic of Halphas at the same time while she was using Baku’s Drive Summoning. It was a really diverse way of attacking that made even Kazuki amazed.

In contrast with Kazuki who fell to the ground, wings of black flame were spreading out largely on Yumeno-san’s back.

The wings of Halphas that act as the opposite of Phoenix.

Yumeno-san directed those very long wings at Kazuki and swung them.

Kazuki was swallowed into the black flame.

Kazuki’s [Custom Liberion] melted into slag from the heat. In addition the black flame’s poison gnawed into Kazuki’s mind. His mind was steadily melting. Releasing physical heat and mind-melting heat at the same time, Halphas’s black flame.

“Hi, hihihi! You are already the same as a living corpse now!”

Yumeno-san folded her black wings of flame and shouted at the crouching Kazuki while landing on the ground. “Carve your curse, Yamizaru! Bassou Kaikon, Onmyou Madatsu!”

Turning at Kazuki who couldn’t move his body from the mental damage, she swung the Sacred Treasure Yamizaru. Kazuki’s left chest was torn up. His defensive magic power was scattered and he fell onto his knee in a slump.

And then this scar on the defensive magic power couldn’t be filled by the new magic power at all. Just like what Lotte warned him. If he received an attack one more time on that scar it would become a flesh wound.

The defensive magic power of Kazuki that was torn up was on his left chest―what she aimed for was his heart.

“You are going to die here, this country is over-!”

Yumeno-san was going to stab the claws into Kazuki’s chest.

“…Don’t make light of me…even if I become unable to think anymore, you think I’m going to get killed by a skill of that degree!!”

Even with his consciousness being hazy, Kazuki swung his katana only with his unconsciousness.

*GIN!* Such sound rang out, Kazuki’s slash repelled Yumeno-san’s claws.

“Ho, how could you still resist…”

Pushed back by the impact, Yumeno-san’s body staggered. With his mind free from any worthless thoughts, Kazuki didn’t let that opening get away and quickly stood up with his second slash launched.

An unconscious single stroke of sword, exactly because it was done unconsciously that Kazuki’s training could be realized more than usual, producing extraordinary speed.

Yumeno-san stepped back unsteadily on her feet from that one attack.

“Kuu-…one more time, eat this guy!”

While Yumeno-san was staggering behind, she spread out the wings of black flame on her back one more time. While flying on the air she directed her wings at Kazuki and swung it.

Kazuki was once more helplessly swallowed into the flame that burned the mind. His whole consciousness got disarrayed and he became unable to think anything. Everything vanished away from inside his head.

―The strength of unwavering will is your power you know.

Even with the inside of his head turning pure white, Miyabi-senpai’s words came to the surface of his mind. And then no matter how wrecked his own mind became, he remembered the existence of the thing that absolutely wouldn’t disappear.

His bond. …There are people important for me. Only that thing, I won’t forget.

There was strength he could draw just from that fact!

“…UOOOOO!!”

Kazuki raised a roar, he created a single Magic Dress on his chest.

“Zekorbeni!!”

The power of his bond with Mio that surpassed the positivity level of 150 which was contained inside the pendant erupted in one go.

Phoenix possessed the inside of the pendant and he was joined with a direct circuit with Kazuki.

There was no need for complicated chanting. He only needed to pour his own magic power into this circuit of bond.

“O undying bird that soar from dusk to dawn, please grant that wings of hope on my back! The destruction for the sake of rebirth right here…! Blazing Wings!”

Kazuki spread out the giant wings of flame on his back and flicked off the wings of black flame.

“…A magic of that extent, that fast!?”

Yumeno-san struck her black wings to Kazuki while speaking in a trembling voice from shock. Kazuki struck back against that with the wings of flame and resisted. Wings and wings struck each other struggling for supremacy.

Kazuki poured even more magic power into the circuit of bond while striking each other with wings.

“O bird of paradise in which the light of heaven reside in that body, burn to ash the sin on the earth following my accusation! Israel Judgment!!”

Phoenix’s level 6 magic.

Against that instantaneous invocation, Yumeno-san couldn’t even protect her body with her black wings.

Kazuki fired a huge laser of light at Yumeno-san in a super close range right from the front.

The heat quantity that burned to ashes every inorganic matter enveloped Yumeno-san. Her defensive magic power was smashed in one go and she lost her black wings, making her crumble down onto the ground.

“I’ll have you sleep from magic intoxication!”

Kazuki too landed on the ground and he was going to stab the katana he was holding in reverse grip at Yumeno-san.

“…Be perplexed in daydream, hear the mother’s lullaby…Mugensou…!”

Yumeno-san cast her magic as if in a vain struggle.

…This was certainly Baku’s magic that manipulated Demon Beast.

However except the swarm of gryphon that everyone was fighting, there was no figure of Demon Beast around them.

It was just a vain struggle. Kazuki thought that while thrusting his blade at the fallen girl―,

“Sto, stop!”

Yumeno-san raised a voice that sounded scared.

Kazuki felt an uncomfortable feeling on that strange change of her tone.

The blade stopped just barely on top of Yumeno-san’s shoulder.

“…That voice, are you Yumeno-san?”

He reflexively asked that.

“Ha, Hayashizaki-kun…my body moved by itself!!”

That tone of voice had returned to the original warmth of Yumeno-san. But,

“My body moved itself!” Yumeno-san sprang up while raising a scream and she swung her claw at Kazuki!

“!?”

Kazuki evaded in panic. Yumeno-san moved with an awkward movement like a manipulated doll while swinging her claw in buzz at Kazuki’s chest persistently.

“Yumeno-san, what are you doing!?”

“My body moved itself! Besides, where is this place!?”

He couldn’t possibly think of her scream that was tinged in confusion as an act. She had returned to her senses.

However although her movement that was aiming at Kazuki was awkward, there was no hesitation in it.

Could it be…the intention of the magic that hidden personality chanted just now was…!

That girl surrendered the body and the will to Yumeno-san’s front personality. But there was no doubt that she was controlling Yumeno-san’s body using magic from the deep psyche!

Kazuki blocked Yumeno-san’s claw with his katana. It was a sword-locking contest….

While their blades were locking with each other in very close range, the exposed shoulder of Yumeno-san’s Magic Dress entered Kazuki’s eyes. There, a straight red line was running vertically, from there a drop of blood was trickling down. It was the spot where Kazuki almost stabbed his katana before.

Because there was no light of defensive magic power scattered he thought that he managed to stop his blade just barely but…it seemed his blade had cut into her shoulder slightly.

Kazuki went pale. The girl’s body right now was not protected by defensive magic power!

He almost killed her!

That hidden personality of Yumeno-san was cutting off the defensive magic power so that Yumeno-san’s front personality couldn’t use defensive magic power! On top of that she was making her attack Kazuki!

“Hii-! No, noo-!!”

Yumeno-san raised a scream of terror having the sharp light of Kazuki’s katana right in front of her eye.

Sword-locking contest…this was not. Yumeno-san’s own body slipped away her own claw from Kazuki’s katana, then she plunged at Kazuki’s katana herself.

Dangerous!

Kazuki drew back his katana in flurry. Even Kazuki who had experienced countless sword exchange, this was his first experience pulling himself out from a sword-locking contest in this kind of shape.

When Kazuki pulled himself away, Yumeno-san shrewdly fixed her claw’s stance and aimed at Kazuki’s chest.

“…What dreadful act she come up with!”

Like this he couldn’t lay his hand on her!

However the wound in the defensive magic power was still remaining on Kazuki’s chest. If the claws were pierced there, he would get killed completely in one shot!

Kazuki couldn’t carelessly swing his katana, he swept away the claw that was aiming at his chest with his left arm.

His defensive magic power scattered when his arm touched the claw.

{Carve your curse, Yamizaru! Bassou Kaikon, Onmyou Madatsu!}

More of a defensive magic power scar was gouged at Kazuki’s left arm. The place where he absolutely must not receive an attack had further increased.

If it kept like this he would be made into sliced sushi!!

Kazuki stepped back while being ruled by his impatience and fear. Yumeno-san was mercilessly cornering him.

Kazuki had never felt this scared even against all the formidable enemies he had faced throughout his whole life until now.

“What a vulgar method isn’t it. …But she made a mistake.”

There was a voice.

Behind Yumeno-san, Miyabi-senpai had abandoned the fight with the gryphon and crept unnoticed behind her.

While drawing near unnoticed, she was already chanting her spell.

“This personality didn’t receive any training right? I’ll gratefully accept that defenseless heart. O the eternal full moon that turn pale, forget your waxing and waning, illuminate the world and become a mirror! Wax the moonlight here and disturb the world…Lunatic Labyrinth!!”

Just as she promised with Kazuki, Miyabi-senpai was shrewdly aiming for a chance without giving up.

Currently the body of Yumeno-san was manipulated by the hidden personality but the consciousness was filed by the front personality at the surface.

In other words the security of the consciousness was shouldered by the front Yumeno-san.

The front Yumeno-san was a normal first year of the Magic Division.

She couldn’t do anything like resisting the mind encroachment magic of Miyabi-senpai.

That magic was cast with Kazuki and Yumeno-san as the targets and light that dazzled the eyes blinked in a strong flash.

Kazuki entrusted his body to that magic and he was pulled into Miyabi-senpai’s mental world.

[Lunatic Labyrinth]―it was a mind hack magic that pulled the mind of allies and enemies into the mental world created by Miyabi-senpai and Gremory.

The physical body of the captured Kazuki and Yumeno-san were coming to a stop in the real world. If in this time Kazuki and the others received attack from other person, the damage from that would be shouldered by Miyabi-senpai. Kazuki and the others were wrapped in Miyabi-senpai’s magic power in order to invite in the consciousness of Kazuki and others into her own mental world. This was a magic that made Miyabi-senpai also shoulder a suitable risk.

If Miyabi-senpai bore too much damage she would become unable to maintain the mental world and the Lunatic Labyrinth would be destroyed.

The conclusion between Kazuki and Yumeno-san became carried inside the Lunatic Labyrinth as long as Miyabi-senpai could maintain that mental world.

―Over there was a world of pure white light. In the space where everything was made from mirror, the light that shone in from somewhere was reflected without escaping anywhere and the world was filled completely with pure white light.

But the aspect of Lunatic Labyrinth this time was different with the time when Kazuki was invited in before.

There was a floor of mirror under his feet but there was no wall of mirror around him. It was not a maze but an open space.

As far as he could see around him, horizon made from mirror was spreading far away.

He couldn’t even make a distinction between the sky and earth, as if he was standing inside pure white light. A fantastical scenery that undoubtedly should be called as an alternate world.

Surely Miyabi-senpai had adjusted a fitting place for them to settle their conclusion.

In front of Kazuki who was standing on a mirror floor, there were two Yumeno-san.

Yumeno-san’s front personality and hidden personality were dragged into the mirror world as different individuals.

“This place is, Ryuutaki-senpai’s mental world…?”

One of the Yumeno-sans murmured. She knew about Miyabi-senpai’s ability so she could calmly understand her surrounding space.

But she soon noticed the one other herself that stood in front of her and she raised a confused voice.

“Wh, why is there…one more me?”

On the other side the one more Yumeno-san could calmly accept that there was one more herself.

“So we become like this from getting hit with Ryuutaki Miyabi’s magic…they really got us…”

Of course the Yumeno-san of this side was the hidden personality―the spy.

“Yumeno-san.”

Kazuki called out to the Yumeno-san who was deeply confused―the front personality.

“Yumeno-san’s one more personality is the spy. With Yumeno-san’s double personality, that Yumeno-san over there was doing the spying. Right now, you are facing your hidden personality.”

“Eh? …Eh?”

Hearing Kazuki’s explanation, Yumeno-san opened her eyes wide in dumbfoundment.

“Yumeno-san, try to calmly think back about yourself. If you are not aware yourself that you have a double personality, is there any strange blank space in your memory?”

If the front personality didn’t have any memory of what the hidden personality was doing, then Yumeno-san should notice that her own memory was full of uneven holes. There was no way she wouldn’t find it unnatural.

“…It’s futile, that girl won’t recognize it. She can’t recognize―I am divided from her personality because she denied the reality after all. She won’t recognize something like a blank spot in her memory too.”

The one other Yumeno-san opened her mouth loathsomely.

“That girl pushed all the pain to me and ran away!”

“What are…you talking about?”

“Hihihi, seems like you intend to try to understand don’t you?”

Towards what the front personality of Yumeno-san asked, the hidden Yumeno-san answered in a ridiculing tone.

“You already don’t remember about how you were abused by both of your own parents right? That’s because you made me shoulder all the time and memory of that period. Hihihi, you remember? Since we became aware of what is going on around us, we have already met with the abuse of our parents.”

“That’s a lie, there is no such thing. Both of my parents…are kind people.”

“They act like that in front of the current you don’t they? But in the past it was different. You in your childhood period couldn’t bear all the abuses, then you created one other yourself. And then you pushed the painful times to your other self. ‘The one that go through this irrational experience is not me. Right now, the one that is in pain is not me…it’s Kaori.’ Yumeno Shiori’s mind split like that, and I, Kaori was born.”

“…Kaori. That is your name…?”

“That’s right Shiori. I’m the personality that shouldered all your pain and duty,”

The hidden Yumeno-san―Kaori’s tone was mixed with unspeakable resentment.

“Our parents split us into two systematically. After they split our personality with abuse, they take care of you kindly as a normal child, and they applied special education at me to be a spy. At the time of magic power measurement when we were five years old, it was predicted with almost certainty that Yumeno Shiori would receive Stigma and this plan was suggested…”

Yumeno-san’s face color became white like paper. The current Yumeno-san was a mental body, but in a mental world the mental body’s external appearance made completely the same appearance like the physical body. The face would become pale like having the blood completely drained when receiving a shock. The mental body has the full knowledge of the physical body’s action, and so that was unconsciously imitated by the mental body.

The flesh body and the mental body were strongly tied together by magic power.

In this world of mind magic of Miyabi-senpai, it was not the case that what couldn’t be done by the physical body would be able to be done by the mental body just because this place was not real.

“I was thoroughly educated that the meaning of my existence is to be useful as a spy. If I don’t accomplish that role, there is no worth of living for me. While you were raised kindly and peacefully, I was assigned with severe training everyday…!”

“…Papa, and mama too won’t do that kind of thing…both of them are kind people…”

Yumeno-san weakly denied Kaori’s words.

Kaori was “hihihi-“ laughing that off.

“That’s just for you! But weren’t they only kind? You too should have already noticed it faintly right. Both of them are kind on the surface but they are not expecting anything from you. They are not demanding anything from you as their daughter.”

“Tha, that’s…”

Yumeno-san’s reply got caught in her throat, as if there was something that likely came to her mind.

―Parents that were only kind at the surface. What both of them hoped for from their daughter was only her work as spy. And the one that shouldered that hope was Kaori.

Yumeno-san gradually noticed. Toward the unnaturalness in her own memory, toward the distortion of her current state of living.

“I am the only one that shouldered all of our duty that is the reason of our existence! …Hayashizaki Kazuki, you were talking as if I am the wrong-doer here, however.”

Kaori moved her sight to Kazuki’s direction.

“Hihihi-. Now you have heard the story, how do you think? This girl that doesn’t know anything and me, which one do you think is the wrong-doer? No…thinking of us as a victim and a perpetrator is not right. I am the very person that shouldered the destiny of the one who is called Yumeno Shiori, that’s why…”

“Destiny…I am, a spy…”

The overdoing composition of facing her other self in a world of mirror.

Yumeno-san who was looking as if she was seeing a bad dream gradually began to accept that reality, with a look of realization she suddenly looked back at Kazuki’s direction driven by the guilt that pierced her chest.

“Hayashizaki-san, I’m sorry…I, even though I wanted to be useful for everyone…. Perhaps, perhaps I’m…”

“There is no perhaps! We are spies!”

Kaori sharply scolded from the side of Yumeno-san’s vague words of confession.

Yumeno-san became frightened with a twitch and froze.

“You want to be useful you said!? Hihihi, that makes me laugh! You are empty, you don’t have any role at all! I’m the only one that is fulfilling our role!! …I’m troubled if you don’t accept it awarely yourself. Yumeno Shiori, is a spy. There is no other role except that for you. You who couldn’t fulfill your role as a spy at all, is just an empty existence. Even so you cannot escape from the reality that you are a spy. …After all both of us are being one in body and soul. I was burdened with all the abuses that were done to you. So you too, take the responsibility for all that I have done!”

“A…aaa…”

Tears spilled out like a river while Yumeno-san raised a moaning voice.

Finally understanding the reality, the tears spilled out from her eyes because of that weight.

“Shiori, if you understand, then wipe your tears. Cooperate with me with your own self-awareness. Don’t only push everything to me, you too fulfill your role as a spy. That guy cannot be killed if we don’t face him two against one. So that father and mother will recognize us, to keep living while doing what is necessary, we must kill this Hayashizaki Kazuki.”

“I…pushed all that pain to you…all you do, I’m…”

“There is no need for you to hold any guilt for me! Just be together with me!! If you are not planning to make me shoulder all the heavy burden and keep living as an empty human!”

“You are wrong!” Kazuki interrupted those words.

“You are wrong! Yumeno-san, is a journalist! You are not empty at all!! Chasing the spy and exposing the darkness of the Knight Academy, you are our newspaper committee chairman!!”

“Hayashizaki Kazuki! Don’t you dare interfere in our matter as outsider!!”

Kaori faced Kazuki with a look of rage.

“I am an outsider but, both Yumeno-san and I can think of each other as important, we can advise and support each other!”

“Advise you say? You understand nothing! We were already spies since we were born, we cannot recognize any other way of living! From now on and even in the future it will be always like that!!”

“You’re wrong! …We are not going to be kids forever. We don’t have to contend ourselves with the role given to us, we can make the place where we belong and the meaning of our existences ourselves.”

“The place I belong…meaning of existence…”

As if her heart was moved by Kazuki’s words, Yumeno-san murmured.

“Yumeno-san, certainly that girl is your destiny itself. Just like that girl said, Yumeno-san cannot afford to ignore her existence. But there is no such need to be swallowed by her! Even if you don’t follow your destiny, this thing called destiny itself, it’s fine if you tear it apart! I too will help, so right here, let’s defeat her in this world of mirror!!”

Kazuki fixed his eyes on Yumeno-san and called out to her.

“But I…betrayed all of you…”

Yumeno-san averted her faces without meeting his eyes.

“…Everything, everything was my fault…at the time I blanked out that I pretended not to know anything about, I caused a lot of horrible damages…. Even Hayashizaki-san’s failure in the operation of Isonokami Shrine, all of that was completely because of my fault…”

“I don’t mind about such trivial thing.”

In truth Kazuki was really bothered by the operation failure in Isonokami Shrine.

However that was because of his own immatureness. Kazuki was continuing to think of it like that.

“I, have never been relied on by anyone until now…I wanted to become a human that could be relied on by someone! Despite that…I was just continuously bringing disaster to the Knight Academy!!”

Yumeno-san yelled with words that tormented herself. As if instigated by that, Kaori expressed her agreement.

“That’s right, there is no more place for you in the Knight Academy! Just as long as you accept me, there would be no need for you to even think of wanting to be useful to someone. Even someone empty like you, can shoulder the role as a spy from now on…!”

“I have absolutely never thought of being bothered by you! This is not just a half-hearted encouragement that I’m saying. Because we can discover the spy, is all thanks to you!”

Both of the Yumeno-san directed their faces to Kazuki after receiving that attack in their unguarded moment.

“What a joke! Since both you and me are one soul and one body, there is no meaning in putting up that kind of [charade]!”

“Wrong! Yumeno-san had already opposed her destiny! Yumeno-san pursued after the spy more seriously than anyone else for us. When you were in the middle school, Yumeno-san was the library committee member weren’t you?”

Kazuki asked back about the story of the past that she told before.

All the times, that Yumeno-san who called herself empty had passed until now.

All those times were absolutely not meaningless. Kazuki tried to make her face that fact.

“Ye, yes… I, don’t have confidence in myself, but I want to be useful in something for other people, and I became a library committee member that even I could do…”

“There you published a library newspaper didn’t you?”

“…Yes. There are people that enjoyed reading the newspaper written by someone like me…I was happy…. I also like to read books, so it made me happy that I could make people happy by writing article…”

“Yumeno-san, that warmth is something that you absolutely shouldn’t forget.”

Yumeno-san when she was talking about the academy newspaper was really lively. That kind of Yumeno-san wasn’t supposed to be an empty personality.

“Because Yumeno-san is that kind of person, that’s why you couldn’t forgive it when you noticed that the spy was doing information manipulation, isn’t that so? You felt a passionate soul of journalism inside you! Yumeno-san gave the idea to spread out trap for the spy. Thanks to that we were convinced that the spying was an inside job. It’s thanks to Yumeno-san that we can corner this girl like this. Yumeno-san, what is it that you really want to do?”

“…I, want to corner the spy. I want to give the finishing blow to the spy!”

Inside Yumeno-san’s frail words contained a resolute strength.

“You idiot! Are you planning to kill your own meaning of existence by yourself!?”

Against the yelling Kaori, Yumeno-san faced her after wiping her tears.

“…Facing you here right now, I, have the feeling I understand what is the meaning of myself.”

“If you understand that you are a spy then, why…”

“Wrong, that’s not it. …I remembered it you know. Certainly there are holes in my memory. Certainly…father and mother did horrible things to me. I didn’t want to remember, I didn’t want to notice, that I put a lid on my heart but…”

Yumeno-san gripped her right hand around her own chest strongly. As if she noticed the warmth that existed inside her chest, that she was going to treasure that warmth.

“Certainly father and mother didn’t expect anything from me. Normally, if a child was bestowed a Stigma a parent would be happy and have expectation for the future, despite so…. Those people were kind on the surface however, perhaps they didn’t direct any love or anything at me. What those people were wishing from me, was for my split personality to accomplish her role as a spy. That was why the me since Kaori was born, was just an empty person for a long, long time…”

“That’s right! That’s why if you accept me, you can be needed again by our parents as a spy!! Both of them are waiting for us in Yamato expecting us to come home bringing information as a spy!!”

“But that kind of expectation, is demanded from us not as a human but just as a tool.”

Yumeno-san said that dejectedly.

“We were born as a tool!”

“Perhaps that might be so for you all! You, father and mother too might not have any interest in someone like me at all but, but, even I have a life since then! During the time when all of you were indifferently not looking at me and not asking anything from me, I have kept living until now for these ten years!! Father and mother thought that whatever I did here was trivial but, I, I have come this far training hard so I can become a splendid knight you know! Making newspaper for the sake of those people that read it was also fun!”

This time it was Yumeno-san that talked to Kaori with accusing tone.

This was her anger from all this time when she kept wondering why she was always ignored.

“I, want to become a human that can be more depended on by various people! People even told me that I’m a docile person with inconspicuous personality, but there is no such thing. The truth is I crave the spotlight even greedier than anyone else. Even though standing out is scary, I want someone to look at me more, this feeling of wanting to be recognized is burning inside me! That was why when I was chosen as the newspaper committee chairman by Hayashizaki-kun with the uproar from the battle election as the impetus, I was really happy. Someone seriously expected something from me. Something like a place to belong, had been really given to me already. This ten years that I spent until now has meaning!”

“The human called Yumeno Shiori couldn’t possibly have any more use other than being a tool!”

“That’s not true! I want to stand as comrade to the Chief Student Council President! I want to become a splendid knight when I graduate! I don’t want to serve the purpose of a tool…I want to become useful for the sake of someone that can make me think [I want to become useful for this person’s sake]! I want to treasure this feeling that you didn’t have more than anything else. That’s the difference between a tool and a comrade…”

“Something like the difference between a tool and a comrade…I don’t know anything like that…”

Kaori’s voice was fading frailly from being overwhelmed for the first time by Yumeno-san.

“Even you are empty inside.”

Yumeno-san took a glance at Kazuki.

“If I defeat Kaori, what is going to happen to me?”

“Does Yumeno-san have Kaori’s memory?”

When Kazuki asked, Yumeno-san looked down and shook her head side to side.

In many cases, a person with multiple personality didn’t share the memories between personalities.

“Yumeno-san and Kaori has different personalities but, you share your magic power with each other. That’s why I think if Kaori get damaged in this mental world, Yumeno-san’s magic power will also get shaved off together with her, and both of you will fall into magic intoxication at the same time. After that Miyabi-senpai can release this magic and Yumeno-san that has fallen into magic intoxication and fainted will be handed over to the Knight Order.”

“You think you can trust an organization like the Knight Order! Your heart will only get destroyed from torture!!”

Kaori opposed it. However Yumeno-san shook her head.

“I don’t mind, my heart is something quite broken already!”

Hearing that proclamation of Yumeno-san, Kaori made a horrified face.

Kaori was exactly the one that didn’t recognize the distortion of this being called Yumeno Shiori.

“It is absolutely important to put a conclusion on my life until now. I don’t mind whatever happens to me. Hayashizaki-kun, please, lend me your strength.”

Yumeno-san asked Kazuki with an extremely gruesome resolve.

Kazuki, and also Kaori were overpowered by that resolve.

It was exactly the spirit of the ten years of time that Yumeno-san had went through.

{Hayashizaki Kazuki…sorry.}

Suddenly beside Kazuki, the avatar of black bird―Halphas’s avatar was emerging out.

{She was a young girl I chose because I was pleased with her strong core despite her quiet appearance but…I never noticed that the heart of this girl had become something like this. The other day was the first time the other personality tried to use my power like this and came to Access with me, that was why I never noticed. I had felt that the capacity of her heart was a little cramped but…}

The Diva that governed over war talked to Kazuki ashamedly.

{I wanted to give confidence to this quiet girl, granting her the courage to face the unavoidable battle. …O King, lend this young girl the power. I don’t want this girl to be defeated.}

This Diva that governed over war was also thinking importantly of Yumeno-san.

Kazuki nodded, he stepped forward in order to protect Yumeno-san.

“Yumeno-san, I’ll protect you so please cover me from the rear. …We’re going to show her a fight that something like a tool won’t be able to do.”

Yumeno-san nodded strongly.

“…Shit. Shit! In the end it become this two against one…”

In contrast, Kaori’s expression was colored with despair and she spat out.

Beside her, the avatar of Baku floated.

{Fight, there is nothing else you can do except fight and open your own way of survival.}

The Diva that possessed Kaori due to Chinese Mythology’s will told her so.

“Everyone just…keep pushing order to me…not even relying or trusting me, not even just a single word of praise, just this [role]…a tool!! UAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!”

Kaori lost all restraint and screamed while kicking the mirror floor. While raising the claw [Yamizaru] that was equipped on her right hand, she quickly invoked her Drive.

“Kidnapped by wave of forgetfulness sink into darkness…Youwakumu!!”

She was going to make an instant of opening with this and stab Kazuki’s chest that was still marred with the remaining scar on his defensive magic power.

She noticed that in an instant without mistaking her chance of victory,

“O the soldier’s ardor of the ancestor that lurked in thy blood, response to the calling voice of the black rooster and flare up! Chirp of Scattering SparkBlood on Fire!!”

But Yumeno-san was also specializing in magic that granted effect to mind.

The black bird that announced the beginning of battle Halphas raised a piercing cry.

Due to Baku’s [Youwakumu], for an instant Kazuki lost his consciousness, but he woke up in one go from that sharp piercing sound.

Just from that fighting spirit was overflowing from his heart like a heat in his brain.

Having his fighting spirit uplifted, Kazuki’s brain activity became active. That was connected with the strengthening of his magic power output. The defensive magic power on Kazuki’s whole body increased in thickness and the scar of his gouged magic power was filled back.

The Enchant Aura that overflow through his whole body was strengthened.

His mind was fully recovered, furthermore his magic was strengthened.

Kaori that rushed at Kazuki preparing an attack lost her countenance instead from seeing that Kazuki was strengthened. But she couldn’t stop her movement having came this far.

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!!”

Kazuki’s single slash that was filled with his fighting spirit repelled away Kaori’s claws.

The claws was unfastened from Kaori’s hand and fell onto the mirror floor with clanging sound.

“A, aa…Yamizaru! The special Sacred Treasure father and mother give for me who leave to fulfill my duty…”

Losing the powerful Sacred Treasure that was her last ray of hope, Kaori leaked out a voice of despair.

Kazuki reversed his blade and with a second slash he cut the girl that had lost half her fighting spirit.

Kaori’s body was blown away from the impact of smashed magic.

“O desire lurking inside the sea of heart, surpass the deeply sinful flesh and reached out that hand! O embodiment of violation, entangle following my desire! Desire Tentacle!”

Kazuki even further produced countless black tentacles from the floor of glass.

At the falling point of the blown away girl―many tentacles were waiting and entangled Kaori’s whole body. It was a timing where she absolutely couldn’t run away.

Kazuki stepped forward and swung down his katana even more toward the girl who became unable to move her body.

One slash, two slash, three slash…he hacked the girl to pieces together with the tentacles.

Behind him, Yumeno-san was starting a large-scale chanting.

At the same time she finished that, Kazuki finished his slashing dance and retreated from Kaori’s side.

“Gathering the terror and grudge of the battlefield with both hand, build the bow and arrow where the fire of hell reside…offer this wailing to my god of war!”

Yumeno-san spread out her hand like spreading wings. From those hands, large and long pillars of black flame spurted up. Yumeno-san met the two hands that were spurting up the flame pillars with size far larger than herself in front of her own body, and took an action like someone pulling the string of a bow.

The gigantic mass of black flame changed into the shape of bow and arrow.

“Single Arrow of DemiseInferno!!”

Yumeno-san drew taut the bow of flame and fired an arrow of flame.

Although it was called an arrow, it was a large mass of fire that completely swallowed Kaori.

Halphas’s level 7―the high level magic with all the might of Yumeno Shiori that was recognized by Mio as a [hidden powerful person].

The black flame swallowed Kaori and whirled. Shine of defensive magic power was emitted in the middle of that flame, the voice of agony from burned mind echoed.

“I’m going to fight, I won’t run away anymore from now on…. Sayonara, Kaori.”

Yumeno-san that fired the attack magic was also losing her magic power fast because she was sharing her magic power with Kaori.

Everything ended with that one attack.

When the flame vanished, Kaori was lying down on the mirror floor powerlessly. That figure was faintly vanishing like a mirage. Yumeno-san too was also vanishing faintly at the same time. Both of their heart was one.

“No, I don’t want…if I get handed over to the Knight Order…I will be terminated…”

Falling into magic intoxication with her mental body almost vanishing, Kaori leaked out her voice.

Completely different with how she was until now, it was a frail tone of an immature child.

“I, I still haven’t finished my duty…still, haven’t got praised even once, yet…no, I don’t want to disappear…just like this…”

While Kazuki felt a mysterious emotion well up inside his chest, he approached beside the girl that was lying on her side and got down on one knee.

“…I respect you. There was no enemy as terrifying as you until now.”

The devilish plan that gave camouflage how [Yumeno Shiori is innocent] by having Hayashi Shizuka brainwash the front personality. After that, making good use of the front personality’s position as the newspaper committee chairman, as a spy she used all sorts of method and continued to harass Kazuki, and now when she was cornered she opposed Kazuki using all kind of battle technique of Summoning Magic・Drive・Sacred Treasure. She even made the front personality as hostage and cornered Kazuki in reverse.

If there was no cooperation of Yumeno-san’s front personality, Kazuki surely would be unable to reach the truth.

If Lotte didn’t give a push on his back, Kazuki surely would be unable to doubt Yumeno-san.

If Miyabi-senpai didn’t use the chance that appeared just for an instant, Kazuki would surely yield to Kaori’s wicked way of fighting. She was an opponent that Kazuki was absolutely unable to win against just by himself.

Cultivated tenacity and force of will from the terrible destiny that she was made to shoulder.

Cultivated variegated battle technique that she piled up from her harsh training as a spy.

Kazuki was disgusted with her way of fighting but, even so there was no way he couldn’t feel respect for her.

This girl was terrifying, even more than Beatrix, even more than Nyarlathotep, and even more than Hayashi Shizuka.

“Hayashizaki Kazuki…you are the first person, that praised…me…”

Kaori raised her face.

It was exactly the face of a child that was scared from abuse.

When he thought that her scared expression softened for just an instant, the girl’s form disappeared like a fleeting snow.

…What a tragic person.

Looking back, the front personality of Yumeno-san was also disappearing. What kind of expression did she make, he wondered.

When Kazuki felt a pain in his heart as if something was blocking his chest, at the same time Miyabi-senpai’s mental world began to break down having finished its role.

Kazuki’s consciousness returned back to his body.

His companions had finished defeating the swarm of gryphon and silence returned to the area around them and the battlefield became quiet.

In front of Kazuki’s eye, Yumeno-san had lost her consciousness from magic intoxication. Inside this flesh body resided one heart, Yumeno-san and Kaori, the two personality were falling asleep.

“Kazuki, what happened!?”

Hikaru-senpai was rushing to his side.

“Kaori―the spy personality was defeated inside the mental world by Yumeno-san together with me. Yumeno-san fell into magic intoxication from that. Let’s entrust her to the people of the Knight Order just like this.”

A bitter silence settled around him. The other companions outside Kazuki who couldn’t completely understand the circumstances were also keeping their silence while holding this incomprehensible bitter emotion.

Making free use of Telepathy, the hidden side personality would be sealed and her memory taken out in interrogation.

It would be fine if her memory could be taken out simply, but if she confronted them with difficulty, then surely the Knight Order wouldn’t pick their method. Using violent mind hack magic, furthermore they might also use drugs.

It was only natural that they wouldn’t be picky with their method. If Kaori’s memory was analyzed, it would be possible to even eradicate the other spies. If they thought back of all the hardships that the spy made them taste wretchedly….

It couldn’t be helped. Yumeno-san had resolved herself for everything.

“…Then let’s return back, We have to entrust Yumeno-san to the Knight Order and regroup with Mio and the others.”

Suddenly at that time, a voice of other person mixed into Kazuki’s mind.

{―Kazuki-! Kazuki!?}

{…Mio?}

{Thank god, it connected! I had kept calling you for a while but there was no reply at all, so I thought whether I had fall out of love with you…}

It was a telepathic communication from Mio that was possible due to the positivity level that was more than 150.

Because Kazuki’s consciousness was pulled into Miyabi-senpai’s mental world,it looked like the telepathy was completely repelled by Miyabi-senpai’s consciousness’s securityshell

{Sorry to have made you anxious. Looks like there was a little disconnection. …Is there something wrong?}

{Lo, Lotte was}

The voice from Mio was disordered. It was not the case that she was out of breath. It was a telepathic dialogue so that was why the breathing was not transmitted, but the agitation in her feeling was disturbing the telepathy like a ripple.

Lotte…?

{Lotte was…kidnapped here.}

Inside Kazuki’s head, countless questions were instantly seething.

Why Lotte? What he needed to be cautious about was assassination on himself wasn’t it?

Did they plan to make Lotte hostage?

In the first place what kind of magician kidnapped Lotte, in this Haunted Ground, who did it in what way?

{Tell me the detail!}

{Out of nowhere we were attacked by a giant swan from the sky.}

Swan…? Did she say swan? Was the opponent a Demon Beast?

{That’s not it, when Kanae-san immediately cut it with her katana she was repelled with a really thick Resist, so we think it was a transformed magician.}

Even though Demon Beast was a living being that was born from magic power, they had never exercised their magic power into something like magic technique.

Mio’s guess was something based on the evidence.

{All the swordsmen in our team desperately slashed at it but they were simply driven away, we didn’t even have time to chant offense magic before it escaped…}

Ability that could transform into animal…? It was a considerable thing that a swordsman in Kanae’s level and Kaguya-senpai couldn’t even buy time to chant some kind of magic.

{What to do, Kazu-nii can sense Lotte’s whereabouts right? If we don’t first regroup with Kazu-nii…}

Kazuki ran his mind for an instant and replied.

“…No, first Mio and the others need to get out from the Haunted Ground.”

Chapter 5 – BasileusThe Kings

Part 1

The claws that grasp my body have the power to obstruct magic power….

Lotte who was held tightly by the claws of the white swan calmly analyzed what was happening to her own body. Sharp claws grew from the legs of the swan instead of flippers and it possessed a peculiar power. The person that was grasped in these claws would be forced into hand-to-hand combat with this beast. It was that kind of power.

Lotte who was currently in a weaponless state couldn’t resist with anything.

The swan that held Lotte tightly flapped its wings elegantly and flew to the north above the Haunted Ground.

It was a swan with unusual strength. Not to mention how easily it drove away her companions, even when it encountered powerful demon beasts like gryphon or wyvern while in the middle of flying above a Haunted Ground like this, she stabbed to death all of them with just one attack using its beak.

It was not a magic just to the degree of transforming into a mere animal.

For this swan to not even show any sign of getting rid of her, where in the world was it planning to carry her…?

“Excuse me for being rough. …Maybe getting away this far is good enough, the scenery is also less objectionable for a Haunted Ground of foreign culture. We are landing.”

The swan talked to Lotte attentively and lowered its altitude.

Lotte was let off on top of an asphalt surface that was in full of cracks.

Their surrounding was encroached by the trees of the Haunted Ground, several huge jet coasters were constructed around the area although they were covered with vines.

This place…it was the ruins of the amusement park that was once located near Kawaguchiko.

Of course right now that it had been turned into a Haunted Ground, the once beautifully ordered scenery was changed completely from the encroachment of the vines and the sea of trees though.

Even though the swan evaluated this place as [less objectionable scenery for a Haunted Ground of foreign culture], this area was a good place.

The swan perched on the rail of the jet coaster that crossed besides the standing up Lotte.

“Why was I kidnapped desu? Is it for the sake of defeating Kazuki-oniisan…the King of Japan by using me as hostage desu?”

Lotte asked the swan. The line of sight of the swan that was perching on top of the rail was directed at just right with Lotte’s height. Both of them were staring at each other fixedly.

“King of Japan? You mean Hayashizaki Kazuki. How foolish, he doesn’t have the worth of even a single piece of spaghetti.”

The swan calmly said that as if spitting out.

“A King that cannot subdue his country. A country that cannot serve under its King…I came here as an envoy and I despise all about this country from what I see. …It doesn’t deserve to be recognized as a Magic Advanced Country, an ugly country. Hayashizaki Kazuki and the like is just an eyesore and there is no problem even if he is killed but, rather than something like that, you are a far more important matter for me, o contractor of Prometheus.”

“You know about Prometheus!?”

The swan flapped its wings once and landed down on the asphalt from the rail.

At the same time that form emitted light and changed into a human.

The white feathers became pure white mantel and hat, a long brown hair appeared….

{…I remember.}

A voice of one other person besides the two was added. Prometheus’s avatar appeared beside Lotte.

“Prometheus…?”

{I know her.}

That tone of his was agitated in a way that was unlike him.

{Her name is Regina Olympia Folnar. Italia’s Papal BasileusPope that is contracted with Greek Mythology’s chief god Zeus.}

Zeus! ―There was no mistake that name was one of the most famous god’s name in the world.

Lotte remembered about the anecdote about how Zeus transformed into a swan and abducted a beautiful human woman before making her pregnant with his own child. If they were talking about god that transformed into a swan then it was Zeus.

“It has been a long time huh, Prometheus. It’s strange saying this seeing that I along with Zeus-sama left you half-dead but…”

When Prometheus’s avatar appeared, Regina turned to Prometheus and talked as if she had lost half her interest of Lotte already.

That was right, Prometheus was wounded by somebody from Greek Mythology, lost his memory, and was on the verge of annihilation. There he fused with Lotte while resting to try to recover his divinity. So the perpetrator that wounded Prometheus was this Regina and Zeus then!

“You were the one that half killed Prometheus, then what is your business with us?”

Lotte asked.

“Shut your mouth. I’m talking directly with the Diva of Olympia Prometheus.”

Regina kept her eyes fixed on Prometheus and cut off Lotte without giving her any notice.

{…I and Lotte are of one body. I have no intention of interacting with anyone except through Lotte.}

Prometheus said that to cover for Lotte.

In a blink of eye Regina’s expression distorted into a look of rage.

There is nothing more infuriating than this…it was that kind of expression.

But Regina released a long sigh from her mouth and her expression soon loosened back to before.

“It’s hard to comprehend. It’s hard to comprehend but…this time I will be the one that compromise.”

Settling down her rage as if it couldn’t be helped, Regina turned to face Lotte.

“I came to Japan thinking that I want to talk once more to Prometheus. I hear that Prometheus had become amnesiac. If that is so then perhaps his thinking will come out differently than before this. This time is different from before, he should be able to give a correct reply to my proposition. After all as long as he keeps his composure, then a Diva of Olympia like Prometheus must be able to understand the correctness of Zeus’s thinking.”

“…So you want to talk with each other once more when you both have cool heads, that’s what you say isn’t it desu?”

Lotte replied.

“It’s unsatisfactory to answer you for every single thing, but it’s just as you said. Prometheus and that contractor extra, it’s fine for both of you to come together with me.”

Hearing her talked unpleasantly, even the gentle Lotte looked daunted.

{I refuse. I have decided about something together with Lotte. As long as Lotte doesn’t want to come along with you, then I cannot go along with you.}

Once again look of fury appeared in Regina’s expression.

“For a Diva of Olympia of all people to leave his own thinking to a human! Are you going to become a mere accessory of human!!?”

{…I slightly remember your doctrine and tenet. …<Olympia Aristocrat Doctrine>. While unfortunate, such doctrine is something Kazuki and Lotte’s thinking absolutely cannot accept. There should be fairness between humans, they and I are thinking like that.}

Lotte gave a nod at Prometheus’s words.

She didn’t knew the detail of the story, but the former aristocrat Lotte felt animosity from just hearing the words aristocrat doctrine.

“Fairness? Equality? What a stupid thing! Such [ridiculously kind thinking] will lead the world to a [mob rule]! This country called Japan is exactly like that! …You are certainly being dragged down by this country’s foolishness, how could you still keep saying such thing.”

Regina opened her hands exaggeratedly and showed her lamentation.

“Woman. Charlotte Liebenfrau. During the time you were together at Hayashizaki Kazuki’s side, have you never felt the foolishness of this country? If you are really not an imbecile, then you shouldn’t be able to say you never felt it.”

Against Regina’s question, Lotte stayed quiet without confirming or denying it.

Certainly she couldn’t say that the matter she mentioned had never happened.

“Think about it, o Prometheustitan of wisdom. The concept of fairness and the like had already been a denied concept since the [former era] of several dozens of years ago. The wealthy was always persecuting the weak while greedily devouring the resources of this planet. Human race had to be broken out from the deception called fairness and the like under the august name of the god.”

Regina began to talk with oratorical tone as if she was drunk with herself.

The King was going to talk about her own political philosophy.

“From the ancient times of long ago, the world was being made up of struggles for riches. The wealthy countries were wealthy because they were plundering wealth from other countries. This country called Japan was living the world’s most prosperous livelihood as a mechanized Magic Advanced Country. For such country to say fairness and the like, it’s just too much even for a deception.”

“Right now, Japan doesn’t have diplomatic relations with foreign country desu.”

Lotte cut in with her objection.

“Japan is wealthy not from exploiting other countries. Even with Japan’s few resources inside their territory, with advanced development of science civilization and alchemy they can maintain the nature sustainability by recycling the resources and accomplish self-sufficiency desu. All of that is not accomplished from exploitation, but it was accomplished by hard work. I think this is a civilization of science and alchemy that deserve praise. Such endeavor for prosperity must be able to realize fairness someday in the future desu.”

That was the thinking that Lotte who came from foreign culture always harbored about Japan.

“That is so, currently this country is not plundering riches from other country and they are realizing a prosperous livelihood for their people. But that’s because the number of population that is still few from the declining birth rates effect of the former era.”

“The population is few?”

“Right after magic became entrenched in every Magic Advanced Countries, there is a data that the birth rate was ascending little by little. The reason was simply because the countries became wealthy from getting their hand on the power of magic, the death rate decreased, and the worry about the future vanished. I don’t know about Japan’s data since they severed diplomatic relation, but if there is no kind of policy to deal with this then a few dozen years from now there will be an explosion of the population number occurring. Do you think the people of this isolated island country can still spend their life in the prosperous lifestyle equally like until now if the population increases?”

Lotte was slightly pressured to keep her silence but she immediately objected.

“If the population increases, then the number of workers will also increase proportionately and they can produce similar level of prosperity desu.”

“That’s a fantasy. Human population multiplies like rats. But resources don’t increase and stay at the same pace. Just like the principle of [Malthus’s Population Law] that was said three hundred years ago. If the sizes of the cultivated land stay the same while the population’s number increases in geometric progression, the land’s production output wouldn’t be able to catch up. Human population will surely increase in a prosperous place, if population increases then surely before long scrambles for riches will happen. This country would without fail lose their fairness in the future.”

“…If population control is performed in some kind of endeavor…”

“I wonder if that can be done? If people have a prosperous life then they will think that a lot of children to a certain degree mean happiness. But if a politician advocate correctly that [making children must not be done] in the election, then that politician will definitely lose the election don’t you think? Democratic government cannot do anything other than postponing their problem without exception.”

{Aah, I’m gradually remembering that thing you called your political philosophy.}

Prometheus threw in appropriate words with a flat bored tone.

{So that’s what all of you called as mob rule.}

“That’s right, under the democratic government you all will absolutely be unable to solve the long term problems. Because the greedy humans move the world based on the desire that is right in front of their eyes. This kind of human gathering, once they begin to lose their wealth they won’t be able to maintain the fairness in their society.”

Lotte couldn’t consent to that. However words to object didn’t appear in her mind and she kept silent.

“It’s not only population problem. Though imperfect, this country is a Magic Advanced Country, that’s why they can become prosperous. But even magic technique is not fair. Even now the number of countries that cannot even use magic in the level of changing sea water into fresh water account for the majority of the world. That was because Basileus Basileon was first selling the Philosopher Stone to the advanced countries.”

Human that was bestowed with Philosopher Stone would awaken as a magician.

But even without being granted a Philosopher Stone, human that awakened as a magician just by staying near another magician was increasing.

When Basileus Basileon was killed, the method to create Philosopher Stone was completely lost into the darkness, but in Japan right now even without relying on the Philosopher Stone the majority of the born children were born as magicians.

“In the countries where there were almost no citizen of theirs that could buy the Philosopher Stone at that era, even now there is completely no sign that magic will awaken there. Such countries are being supported by the Magic Advanced Countries except Japan.”

“You are not supporting them but controlling them.”

“It’s the same, both of those words. At the very least I don’t want to be told that by you all who proclaimed words like [fairness] or the like while averting your eyes from the poor countries. This country is living a life that is more than thirty times wealthier compared to the Magic Developing Countries that had been poor since the previous era. You all didn’t have diplomatic relation with foreign countries so you didn’t even exploit anything. But comparatively while you are saying fairness in your mouth, you too didn’t even aid the poor countries. Does this country’s isolationism and your ideal conform with each other really?”

Lotte couldn’t say anything.

Because Lotte’s birthplace <Seinmundo Dukedom> was also by no means a prosperous country.

“But that’s fine, things like fairness is a fantasy that should be given up from the start. …Poor countries should be ruled by wealthy countries, poor people should all become slaves.”

Queen Regina finished talking about this denial of the country called Japan and strengthened her tone from entering the main topic from hereon at last.

“This world is made up of the rich managing the poor. Even if there are those that can gloss over that framework, they still absolutely cannot make it disappear. If it’s like that then we should just make it clear. Lies and misrepresentation make the society impure, making the government stray off their way. The people with absolute influence stand above the masses, the masses has to be divided clearly into the aristocrats and the slaves. Like that people can escape from the original sin of greed and all problems like this planet’s resources and population explosion can be resolved.”

{So it’s a slave system…that way of thinking is really not progressing at all from the era of ancient Greece.}

Prometheus said.

“After all human’s truth is unchangeable.”

“How will you conduct that differentiation between aristocrat and slave?”

Lotte asked.

“Those who are born with strong magic power and deep faith are the aristocrat chosen by the gods of Olympia, spending their days enjoying poem and philosophy. Those whose faith are insufficient become slaves, spending their days in labor to heighten their faith.”

{It really has the feels of Greece, doesn’t it?}

Prometheus said in amazement but Regina continued her words without minding it.

“This is no fair society, so the will of human who stand on the top is absolute. By culling the slaves, the population will always be maintained in a fixed number and the wealthy lifestyle of the aristocrat can be sustained constantly.”

Culling―that meant killing the population that grew too much and adjusted their number.

“Even supposing that they are a slave, their magic power will increase if they heighten their faith and they can become an aristocrat. If they cannot become an aristocrat, that’s because their faith is insufficient so it can’t be helped. Under the august name of god, the framework of the wealthy people and the poor people can be preserved in stability without anybody getting dissatisfied.”

Lotte could only hear of what she is saying as nothing more than ‘This is what the god decides so just give up’.

“The government conducted by the people with absolute influence that is the aristocrat borrowing the wisdom of god is undoubtedly superior compared to Japan’s mob rule. Population control in my country is also looking good in prospects, even the gradual ridding of the machine civilization is being a success without any dissatisfaction from the populace. A world where prosperity, population, and also environment can be stabilized eternally is being realized.”

That was Olympia Aristocrat Doctrine….

Lotte couldn’t say anything, she couldn’t accept it no matter what and dissatisfaction that was close to anger seethed inside her.

“I think it’s fine even if you don’t have to rid yourself entirely of machine civilization though desu…”

“Machine civilization exhausted the resource of this planet, producing wealth while putting a burden on the earth’s environment. The human race has awakened to an energy that they produced by themselves that is the magic power, so they should live only by magic power. Control the population, abandon the machine, live by the power of one’s own heart…”

“In this country they are trying to overcome the problem of machine civilization by using combination of alchemy and magic power. For example they have established a perfectly clean method of generating electricity. I think such great effort is very noble desu.”

“The time when human race once created Freon gas, they delighted in creating a technology that was perfectly harmless. But a few tens of years later, the fact that Freon gas destroyed the ozone layer of the earth was discovered. The time when once a mineral called asbestos was discovered, the human race lionized it as a miraculous mineral. But a few tens of years later, it was understood that asbestos would became many small dusts after a time and affected human’s life adversely when they entered human body. The rushing ahead of human race was those kind of things. Even when it looks like the problem is resolved in the first glance, that’s a way of doing things that twisted the god’s providence, so it only created distortion in a different place instead. Fufufu, things like creating a perfect method to resolve all problems using human’s effort is impossible.”

After all it’s impossible, so what!

“…I cannot accept your thinking desu.”

Lotte finally found her answer, how to express this feeling inside her that couldn’t consent of what she said with words.

“All of you are just delegating everything of this and that wholesale to the god desu! Who will become the aristocrat and who will become the slave…even whether you yourself can become happy or not, in the end you just leave everything of that to god! That kind of thing is not fairness, your head is just empty desu!!”

“You call the head of this I is empty!?”

“Certainly there might be problems in the current Japan! But to give up facing those problems and stop endeavoring in resolving those problems, to even run away from deciding whether you can be happy or not, that kind of thing is not how a human lives desu!!”

{If Lotte cannot consent, then as expected I too cannot follow your way.}

“Prometheus! For a god of Olympia of all people to depend on human’s thought…!”

{I am not a god but a titan. While I want the human race to be independent from god, you are wishing for the exact opposite. That’s why I follow Lotte, that’s why I won’t follow you. It’s double impossible.}

“…Even the system to suppress beforehand the dissatisfaction of being born in a slave system using the blind belief of a religious country, isn’t that just a mere deception desu.”

“You dare say our faith as blind belief!”

“Certainly there are a lot of humans that can only think of the greed right before their eyes. However advancing little by little to obtain small wealth in their hand while also advancing their heart, I don’t want to give up such thing! …Even a kind person like Kazuki-oniisan exists in this country. Kazuki-oniisan is a kind person, that’s why we around him also becomes influenced, we can become kind without doubting other people desu. I believe that such small progress will someday bring about the day where the world’s problem is overturned!”

“What a foolish thing…. I couldn’t possibly imagine that Hayashizaki Kazuki is a man with influence to such degree. Then Prometheus…there will be no more attachment from me. As I thought, you have to disappear from this world together with that contractor of yours!”

{Since I got crucified in Caucasus Mountain, after I got half-killed twice finally you declared to kill me completely. Hooray―!}

Prometheus made fun of Regina in provocation.

“Before the fury of this I, do you think you two presently have the leisure to joke around!?”

Enormous magic power and killing intent whirled and exploded from Regina, making Lotte sense that the time of talking had ended. Regina’s body was wrapped in light and it became Magic Dress.

Sky god Zeus, Regina whose body was possessed by that power changed in appearance into a battle maiden with brilliant armor that hosted the light of the sun and elegant decoration of swan feathers.

Battle preparation―no, it wouldn’t even be a fight.

The status between herself and the opponent was too different in scale. Lotte got that hunch just by confronting her.

Scary. But even herself that could become able to think of death as scary…was thanks to that person.

“…I’m not scared of someone like you! After all I believe that Kazuki-oniisan will come again to save me desu!! Custom Liberion!!”

Lotte changed into high speed maneuver mode and ignited the thruster systems that were equipped on her back and limbs all at once.

For the sake of escaping that place, she took off backward and flew away.

Her surrounding scenery sped off with a raging force.

“Idiot, don’t think you can escape with a level 6 magic!! …Drifting away from secluded place blossoming in full glory at this transient world, White Divine BloomingLeucothea Metamorphosis!!”

Regina’s whole body was covered with white plumage and she once more transformed into an elegant swan.

Spreading her large wings in rustles, she flew and pursued Lotte.

Lotte ran through the vast road of the amusement park while spouting off flames.

But the swan that was chasing her elegantly flapped her wings and shortened the distance in the blink of an eye.

Only two flapping wings of an animal was producing speed faster than a rocket thruster. Lotte looked back and felt as though she was looking at an absurd bad dream.

“With my transformation into an animal with Zeus’s power, doesn’t mean that I, who is a King, am degraded into an animal! Every animal are possessing divinity as one part of nature!! Zeus as the chief god that ruled over all in the world is able to manifest the maximization of the divinity that the animals possessed!”

Regina who lost her human form yelled. That was by no means inconsistent.

“I, who have transformed into a swan, am even more elegant and can fly even faster than a swan! Don’t think that something like the power of civilization can run away from the speed of nature that is the very divinity of the world itself-!!”

What came pursuing from behind was not an animal but a god.

“And then swan even while symbolizing the beauty of the femininity, this long neck is also a symbol of phallus!! Now, I’m already catching up here! The hunt is over! I’m going to pierce you with this beak!!”

“If you do that I’m going to get pregnant desu!”

“Then get pregnant! That’s the way of Zeus!!”

A really serious reply came back so Lotte got really scared from the bottom of her heart.

Regina was a female, but that was already irrelevant. Regina who controlled the power of the Zeusraping god that was famous in the legend, was exhibiting the power of the swan that also symbolized the possession of both sexes. Those words of hers were by no means a joke.

“In front of the watching Prometheus, I’ll kill you in a way that is stained with the most disgrace!”

Lotte flew out from the amusement park and came out to the public road. The fearsome swan had already caught up to Lotte right behind her.

Right now, exactly in this timing―Lotte had such a hunch.

At that time from beyond the sky something was―the person that Lotte had been waiting impatiently for came flying.

“Deep Striker!!”

“…What!?”

Regina who lost herself in the hunt didn’t notice the thing that approached her until the very last second.

[That] which flew through the highway from beyond the sky like a meteor assaulted Regina who transformed into swan at her flank in a straight line. The swan was blown away following the direction that she had traveled until now vertically a few dozens meters away while somersaulting until she was crashed onto the ground.

“…Kazuki-oniisan! I believed that you will absolutely come desu!!”

Lotte’s expression was completely overflowing with happiness.

The person that finally came was Kazuki who sensed Lotte’s whereabouts with the power of King and rushed there.

{…The power of civilization, is the union of people’s power that created strength that doesn’t even lose to the mother nature you know.}

Prometheus threw words of ridicule to the swan that rolled around on the highway.

{Moreover you talked too long and didn’t even notice us buying time.}

“You bastard-!” While raising voice of fury, the swan flapped her wings once more.

Part 2

While Kazuki kept hovering on the sky, he felt relieved that he made it barely in time.

But at the same time, having comprehended who was the perpetrator that kidnapped Lotte made him feel cold in his stomach.

The form was a swan, but that was without a doubt Regina Olympia Folnar.

The King of Italia he met at that time…!

At the same time he also discerned why she was here.

By transformation. The gate detected the number of the people that went through from their temperature and weight. Right now she was in a form of a really big swan, but surely she came inside by becoming a smaller animal and clung to Yumeno-san.

“How could you rush here in such a short amount of time…no, the power of King…. So you have the ability to detect the whereabouts of your own subordinate…?”

On the other hand Regina too reached the answer of how could Kazuki appeared with a good timing.

“But, do you think you can win against me even if there are two of you!?”

{Kazuki, please be careful. She might look like someone that is easy to handle because of her impulsiveness, but her impulsiveness is something really unmanageable for the current you.}

Prometheus warned Kazuki. Exactly as he said, Kazuki too nodded.

“We are running away Lotte! It’s our victory if we can escape from this Haunted Ground!!”

Lotte sensed Kazuki’s intention and cancelled [Custom Liberion] before leaping into Kazuki’s chest. While carrying up Lotte, Kazuki ignited back the flame in the hovering [Deep Striker].

Lotte was flying low with [Custom Liberion] because she had guessed that help would come from the sky and in order to make Kazuki’s surprise attack succeed she drew the enemy’s attention to the ground.

If comparing the speed in straight line, the [Deep Striker] was the superior one.

“You won’t escape! There will be no problem or anything even if the likes of you escape from this place, but this is a hunt! A hunt is exactly an aristocrat’s amusement! Make me amused with all of your strength before I kill you!!”

The swan flew up once more.

That speed of hers was overwhelming as expected, even with the speed of [Deep Striker] the distance between them was steadily shortened.

“Ride Lightning!!”

While Kazuki escaped to the south, he cast an acceleration reinforcement magic as if challenging ‘how about this’.

The accelerated electric signal not only increased the activity of the physical ability but also the brain activity. The mechanized weapon’s performance that was using magic power as full was also dramatically enhanced.

The combination of these two magic was the maximum speed Kazuki could exert.

Kazuki still didn’t have any experience of an enemy that could pursue this speed.

The swan that until now had gradually shortened the distance was slowly getting left behind farther.

“You bastard, are you trying to make this me throw away my elegance!”

The swan Regina who was elegantly flapping her wing raised a voice that was colored with rage and then she flapped her wings desperately in a rough motion.

Surprisingly the swan was accelerating even further, the distance with Kazuki that had been widened was once more getting shortened.

“To make me work this hard…unforgivable!”

“Who cares!” The shocked Kazuki yelled at the approaching swan.

This was not a joke. Even though his side had raised the speed by piling up level 5 magic, she surpassed him just by trying hard!

But they could get out from the Haunted Ground before long. After that this game was theirs.

This girl too shouldn’t be able to so openly attack them outside the Haunted Ground. If they could just reach the vicinity of the Haunted Ground’s boundary line, the Knight Order was standing by there. The helicopter that patrolled the sky would notice the abnormality.

The distance was gradually shortened but they would make it with the difference in speed around this much!

“…So that I can overtake that guy then.”

Regina leaked out a low voice in a murmur.

Kazuki’s strengthened perception power transmitted a danger sense of the greatest class to his brain.

Magic power swelled out from Regina. Guessing what was going to happen next, Kazuki felt a chill on his back.

“…Lotte, defensive magic against electric shock!!”

“The radiance of my hand is the logos that pierce through the darkness. Fill that direction, Crush all existence and become a cadence! Unshakeable ThunderKeraunos!”

Kazuki looked behind him. Regina turned into a form that should be called as half human half bird with only the swan’s wings remaining on her back, a dazzling light was grasped in that right hand.

What was being grasped in her hand was lighting. No, it was not just a mere lightning. It was not the likes of a natural phenomenon.

Symbolizing the lightning, the divinity of destruction.

Regina threw the light. The moment it separated from her hand, the light explosively expanded out.

“ “This hand reached out to the height of Babel, right now this hand grasped the lightning of god! In accordance with my life, o thunder, whirl following my will! Collider Field!!” “

Kazuki and Lotte simultaneously equipped electromagnetic iron armor on their right arm and put up an electromagnetic barrier.

Gigantic lightning ran to Kazuki from the expanding light.

The converged line of light was a thick hammer that was exactly made from lightning.

And then a thunderous roar―a roar as if there were dozens of lighting all at once.

From Kazuki and Lotte’s eyes and ears, defensive magic power overflowed to protect their retinas and eardrums.

The iron hammer of light smashed the double layer of electromagnetic barriers, destroyed Kazuki’s [Deep Striker], without even caring of the likes of Resist, the defensive magic power of Kazuki, who instantly covered for Lotte, was destroyed in one breath until the brink of magic intoxication.

Having a great damage driven into him all at once, Kazuki desperately held out even while feeling his consciousness get dragged into the Astrum in one go.

Having their armaments destroyed, both of them free fell into the forest.

“Kazuki-oniisan, are you okay desu!?”

Inside the thicket of the Haunted Ground where they fell, Kazuki replied “I’m okay…” while standing unsteadily and made Lotte worried.

In front of such Kazuki, Regina swooped down leisurely with the wings of swan on her back stretched out.

Kazuki raised his face and glared at Regina while talking.

“It really helped that you made a really flashy attack on us. Communicating our location successfully was hard.”

“What?”

From the other side of the trees, “Over there!” a voice they had heard before came.

The next moment, offense magic was raining down.

“Glacier Wind!”

“Lightning Line!”

“Moon Scraper!”

It was the familiar magic that had low chanting time of their companions.

“Withered silver grass that is just ignited of fox fire…the sending off person is also invited to nirvana! Fire of FieldYa no Renga!”

Karin too cast the Summoning Magic of the nine tailed fox, Tamamo no Mae. When they thought the surface around them was lit up in blue flame, the flame swayed eerily while becoming ball of fire that rained down on Regina.

“Tenran Kamaitachi!”

Kohaku too swung her Sacred Treasure, firing a blade of vacuum that scattered around the leaves in their surrounding.

“Mu-!?” Leaking out a slightly surprised voice, Regina tried to defend by wrapping her body inside the swan wings. A faint light of magic power scattered.

The members of Kazuki’s advance troop team rushed to his side.

Kazuki rushed alone knowing that Lotte was in danger, during that time his companions transported Yumeno-san who fell into magic intoxication to the Knight Order.

After his companions finished that business, they came searching for Kazuki and Lotte. But they only heard from Kazuki that he was heading to the general direction of north and the possibility of regrouping with him was low.

Regina’s maximum attack magic just before was the most suitable for a landmark.

…The group of Mio who could communicate telepathically with Kazuki were doing a different action for him.

“Not just two, how about against six people?”

“…You think you will be safe with six people?”

A voice that made him shudder was returned―as if Kazuki’s bluff inside his heart was seen through.

There was no damage at all on Regina. The shining light that appeared when Regina got hit with the attacks was not defensive magic power, but the light of general magic.

An instantaneous and yet precise magic power control. Using a [Resist] so masterful that it looked artistic, all the level 1 attack magic was [dismantled].

With this number of people, it was still insufficient to brag superiority against this opponent.

“You understand right, that you are still a prey…Drifting away from secluded place blossoming in full glory at this transient world, Black Divine BloomingMelachrinos Metamorphosis!!”

Regina’s form with the wings of swan growing on her back were distorted. Except the wings, her whole body expanded, lengthened, becoming supple jet black fur―with the wings of white swan remaining on her back, she transformed into a giant bull!

“I’ll kick you around!” The bull with wings growing on its back kicked the ground ferociously and came like a cannon bullet to ram her body at Kazuki. Kazuki couldn’t immediately evade because there was Lotte behind him.

“Kazuki! …Storm Fort!”

“Seusenhofer!!”

Sensing the danger, Hikaru-senpai and Lotte each brought their respective wall of storm and steel armor on Kazuki.

But the charge of Regina who became a bull broke through the storm with her head and then her head-butt pulverized the armor into pieces in one attack, blowing away Kazuki and Lotte both altogether for a few dozen meters.

“Crush to death, Taroudachi!”

From the side Kohaku enlarged her beloved Sacred Treasure and swung it down.

However Regina’s swan wings that could be said as elegant lightly blocked it.

It was an unimaginable instant for Kohaku having her one attack she put all her strength into being blocked like that by a wing of swan.

“Wha, what the, this animal…”

Kohaku leaked out a weak voice exactly as if her soul had been shaved.

“Not animal. A King.”

Regina declared haughtily, then she swept away the large war sword that was the size of log lightly with her wing and rammed back at Kohaku. Kohaku too was blown away with her defensive magic power smashed apart.

“HAA-!”

In the gap created when Kohaku was done in, Karin slipped through the wing of swan and broke through into the bull’s bosom.

Raising a voice with a flash of fighting spirit, a flying kick was launched with power unimaginable from such small statured body.

Karin felt a dreadful feedback and became lost for words.

In the instant of impact of Karin’s kick, the shockwave was transmitted slowly . Time absorbed physical energy. Karin felt her own kick was absorbed into the body of the ox limply.

And then backlash. Karin’s leg that felt like it was absorbed was bounced back *BOYON!* from the repellent force of the ox’s body that was solidly restored to a form that was even harder than how it was originally.

“Wha, what is thisss!?”

Karin raised an upset voice while being blown back from that sensation where she felt like flying kicking not a living being but a trampoline.

“A King! Regina Olympia Folnar!!”

Being asked what she was, Regina haughtily answered Karin who had fallen on her butt in mute amazement.

“No matter how many small fries like you crowded around, the quality is just too different-!!”

While the bull stepped on Karin and inflicted damage, this time she charged at Hikaru-senpai. The blown away Kazuki also stood up but he didn’t make it in time to help her.

“O goddess of affection…please shine the light to the soldier that challenge the trial under thy attentive watch. Moonlight SongMoonlight Breath!”

Miyabi-senpai chanted reinforcement magic on Hikaru-senpai. A blessing for soldier by the moon goddess shone down on Hikaru-senpai. Her whole body was overflowing with power.

“Maimuur!”

Hikaru-senpai produced the spear of wind and returned a thrust with all her might against the charging bull.

“It’s better than the sword and the kick from before, but…you think something of this degree can stop me!!”

The bull’s charge and the strike of the spear that contained the storm collided with a *BANG!*.

The one who was defeated was Hikaru-senpai. Her spear was repelled away and she backed off with a stagger.

The bull stepped forward again and rammed her body. “Ku-!” Hikaru-senpai swung her spear from a disordered stance. The second collision. Hikaru-senpai was further blown away behind and fell on her backside.

The bull for the third time stepped on Hikaru-senpai who fell on her backside. Hikaru-senpai barely swung her lance. In the third collision, Maimuur was completely defeated and got thrown away from Hikaru-senpai’s hand.

The bull stepped on Hikaru-senpai again to give the finishing blow.

“Mind attack magic…is useless even if I do it, isn’t it?” Miyabi-senpai leaked out a hopeless voice.

“Hikaru-senpai!” Kazuki ran in an attempt to help.

“Kazuki-oniisan, if the current onii-san enters to help then onii-san will be killed desu!”

Kazuki had already bore a grave damage where he was now on the brink of magic intoxication. Lotte was immediately grasping Kazuki’s arm and pulling him back. Kazuki couldn’t shake off her hand and was late to help.

Mio still hasn’t come yet!? He screamed inside his heart.

―In front of such Kazuki,

“Please stop right there. Queen Regina. You have played around too much no matter how you see it.”

A figure in glen check suit appeared instantly and cut in to save Hikaru-senpai.

A stick was stylishly brandished and blocked the bull’s body ramming.

Inside the eerie silence, the body ramming and the stick’s power were in equilibrium.

“You…Arthur! That stick, to stop my charge…”

“After all a stick is the weapon of an English gentleman…”

“That’s not just a mere stick!”

“But of course!” Arthur replied with a dignified tone.

Regina flapped her wings detecting danger and escaped to the sky before her figure returned from a bull to a human leaving behind just her wings. In contrast Arthur’s stick was emitting a dazzling light.

“Please show a glimpse of your strength…o my beloved sword!”

Along with light, the stick transformed into a knight’s sword that was sheathed inside a scabbard. With a masterful movement as a swordsman, the sword was unsheathed from that scabbard. The light that ran from the mouth of the scabbard changed the color of Regina’s face.

“O sword of steel star, run-! Excalibur!!”

It released a light that seemed it would suck even those who were seeing it from afar, a silver sword.

When it was brandished, a silver flash ran swiftly with the force of its drawing not weakening at all towards Regina in the sky.

“Show the majesty of Zeus right here! The great protection that promised victory repulsing every disaster right here! Splendorous Olympia’s ProtectionKithemonikos Aegis!”

A membrane of light emerged out in front of Regina’s body, repelling away the running light.

“So that’s the power of the famous Aegis of the Greek Mythology!”

Arthur who swung Excalibur leaked out an admiring voice.

Light and light, brightness that dazzled the eyes was filling the space between the two. The air and magic power in the area around them were vibrating in rattles.

“…I made it!”

From the other side of the trees, Mio, Kaguya-senpai and the others were running to them.

This time for sure Kazuki was relieved from the bottom of his heart. The situation of this side had been informed to Arthur.

Kazuki had also asked Mio’s team to return for the moment to the entrance of the Haunted Ground, until the real identity of the person that kidnapped Lotte had become clear, he asked them to wait in standby there.

That was because he had the premonition that this matter was related with one of the envoys from the Magic Advanced Countries.

When Kazuki understood that Regina was the one that kidnapped Lotte, he conveyed it to Mio through telepathic communication and Mio reported it to the Knight Order that Regina had violated her role as an envoy and came to deal harm to them. When the situation developed like that, the other Magic Advanced Country moved even ahead of the Knight Order.

So the one who moved the earliest was Arthur.

“I never thought that it’s not Queen Ilyailiya that would rampage recklessly like this but you instead. It seems there is some kind of circumstance, but you can still act quietly, Queen Regina.”

Arthur called out like that while putting back Excalibur inside the scabbard. The combination of the figure in suit and the refined knight sword were mysteriously suited with each other despite the mismatches.

“…Queen Ilyailiya is also coming you know.”

Regina who suddenly realized turned her gaze around.

Behind Regina, in a distance of few dozen meters, that Ilyailiya Muromets was wordlessly floating in the sky with her Magic Dress of dress shape and her silver hair trailing on the wind.

Kazuki who examined the situation on the ground suddenly felt the presence of an attack and leaped behind.

*DOSUDOSUDOSU!* Several small meteors rained down on the ground where Kazuki stood before, opening holes on the Haunted Ground’s ground.

“Hmm. The speed of my attack is not something that can be evaded by seeing it with eye, that’s how it should be.”

Ilyailiya opened her eyes slightly wide and talked with a voice that had no intonation.

“I mistook my aim. That was shooting for the sake of holding Queen Regina in check from continuing the fight just so you know.”

“You liar.” Arthur restrained. “Please stop such cowardly behaviors like trying to assassinate Japan’s King amidst the confusion, Queen Ilyailiya.”

“It’s not a lie. I’m not telling a lie.” Ilyailiya shook her head left and right.

Arthur scowled his face while saying “Are you a kid?”

Three Kings gathered around Kazuki forming a curious power gathering that were glaring at each other.

“Queen Regina. You judged Hayashizaki Kazuki as [worthless] and so you thought it was trivial before attacking him didn’t you, but I am not evaluating Hayashizaki Kazuki that lightly.”

Arthur faced Regina back.

“And so your action right now, seen from where I’m standing is [a dangerous action that disturbs the balance between fellow Magic Advanced Countries]. For Kings, to carry their each respective weapon in hands and glaring at each other like this, there is no way you don’t understand the meaning of that right?”

Regina looked down on Kazuki haughtily while keeping her altitude in the sky with the flaps of her wings.

“So you act towards making my action reach the ear of other Magic Advanced Countries. And the ambush from before was not everything of your plan…. Hmph, putting aside your battle ability, that performance is something considerable.”

That eye of Regina who until now was looking at Kazuki as if staring at trash was for the first time gazing at him with a different emotion.

“And then there is no doubt that this is just a mere chanced development, but there are this many humans that move for your sake. Hmph, just like Arthur said, I’ll admit that there is a little prospect in you. …I’ll resign from this place, be thankful.”

After one-sidedly assessing him like that, Regina flapped her wings and flew from the sky of the Haunted Ground.

They somehow pulled through. Kazuki was relieved. However, what a girl that did as she pleased….

“That’s quiet a poor loser.” Arthur faced Kazuki and smiled wryly.

While their attention were directed at Regina, before they noticed Ilyailiya too had gone from the sky.

“Now then.” Arthur changed Excalibur into a stick with magic before making a smooth rotation with a twirl and *katsun!* stabbed it onto the ground. He faced Kazuki.

“You just received a harsh baptism under fire but are you okay? While unfortunate it seems that Queen Regina’s rampage is going to go unquestioned. But for the time being I will keep her in check okay. Well then, by your leave.”

In a certain meaning, there was nobody in Japan that could judge Regina except for Arthur and Ilyailiya. The other Magic Advanced Countries would only warn Regina and settle the matter without anything else.

“…I thought that I was going to die.”

“I believed that Kazuki-oniisan was going to save me desu♪”

Lotte smiled at him gently while Kazuki released a deep sigh from exhaustion.

Epilogue – Night of Heart

Exhausted. That night it was exactly a tiredness like slogging inside mud.

“Today is really tiresome isn’t it, Kazuki-oniisan.”

It was Lotte’s room. On top of the bed, the two of them were sitting side by side. A sweet smell of shampoo from just out of the bath was drifting in the air. Lotte who wore a baby-doll in place of pajama talked while leaning her body on Kazuki.

The one who was tired was not only Kazuki. Rather than him, surely Lotte was even more tired.

―After that, Kazuki and the others got out from the Haunted Ground and reported to the Knight Order, then just like that they were transported back home to the Witch’s Mansion.

But Lotte didn’t immediately return home and volunteered for a work by herself from the Knight Order.

“Please let me help out too for the analysis of Yumeno-oneesan’s mind.”

The Knight Order was going to conduct mind analysis on Yumeno-san who lost consciousness from magic intoxication. It was fine to just hear it getting said gently as mind analysis, but in reality what was going to be done was pulling out information using Telepathy―so to speak, a mental interrogation.

Kazuki felt uneasy of that. In the case that the information couldn’t be pulled out smoothly, the Knight Order might use a forceful Telepathy and if they were being untactful they could even use things like drugs.

Yumeno-san had resolved herself for that, and he also understood that they had to get the information about the spies even if they had to resort to such method however….

With regards to this matter, there was nothing that Kazuki could do….

“If it’s me, I think I can be useful desu.”

Lotte had brazenly bragged about her own ability in Telepathy towards the mind expert unit of the Knight Order.

With Commander Yamagata’s mediation, Lotte’s request had gone through.

“Kazuki-oniisan, I’ll protect Yumeno-oneesan properly desu.”

Saying such to Kazuki, Lotte was heading together with the Knight Order to their facility.

She didn’t come back home until night.

“…How was Yumeno-san?”

“It seems that the personality of Yumeno Kaori had disappeared from Yumeno-san desu.”

The words that came out the foremost from her mouth made Kazuki went “Eh?” with surprise.

“According to the psychologist that was in the Knight Order, it looks like such thing often happen desu. Meeting painful experiences in the past left various symptoms in the heart from trauma…a different personality was created to protect oneself and the flashbacks of those times would be replayed many times inside their mind… If the past happening that became the source of such symptoms can be overcome then they can heal, there are many such cases. Rather than saying that the multiple personality disappeared, it’s more like the other personality integrated back to the original personality, but…”

Does that mean that Yumeno Kaori had finished accomplishing her role?

From hereon her role would not be as a planted spy, but the girls’ original….

With regards to the personality that disappeared, Kazuki’s chest mysteriously became filled with a lot of pain.

Yumeno-san faced her past, and exactly just like her words, she won.

“The wound of the heart is healed if the trauma is conquered. It’s simple saying it in words but it’s really hard in reality desu. It’s something that one absolutely cannot overcome only with the person’s own power. That’s why such problem like this depends on how much the surrounding people can become the needed strength for her desu.”

Saying that, Lotte sensed the pain in Kazuki’s heart, as if to cheer him up from that Lotte hugged Kazuki tightly.

“I think it was thanks to Kazuki-oniisan giving Yumeno-san a push on her back desu.”

It became necessary for the assistance of people outside to sever the negative circle….

Kazuha-senpai whose body stiffened from nervousness appeared in his mind.

Both of them like that flopped onto the bed.

“We couldn’t take out all the information from inside Yumeno-san in just this one day. But in order to not put too much burden on Yumeno-san’s mind, it was decided to steadily investigate the mind through several days. That’s why I will be going back and forth to the facility during these several days desu.”

Kazuki hugged Lotte back tightly. The pain inside his heart was vanishing, replaced with a spreading warmth.

It was surely the hardest for Lotte. To do something like interrogating the heart of her own comrade.

In the first place, she was even the one that doubted Yumeno-san in Kazuki’s place.

“Why is Lotte this kind…?”

“Kind, desu?”

“Always disregarding about yourself, you just keep prioritizing other people.”

“…Even Kazuki-oniisan too is like that though desu.”

Kazuki and Lotte hugged each other strongly as if they were trying to become one.

“Because Kazuki-oniisan directed your feeling that doesn’t doubt anything to me who always doubted everything…that I can also become someone that believes in kindness desu. The people around Kazuki-oniisan too, everyone is kind desu. The feeling of kindness and wanting to make other people happy will also rapidly infect the surrounding people, that’s what I think. Because Kazuki-oniisan is kind…someday not only between our confined circle of companions but everyone of the whole wide society is going to become kind, isn’t that so, something like that.”

“You make too much of me there.”

Suddenly a lonely memory flashed inside Kazuki.

The scene of the day when he was discarded by his mother….

“Perhaps, I merely just want to be recognized by someone. I cannot forget how a long time ago, I was discarded by my parent.”

He was reminded of the look of Kaori at that time who was vanishing while saying ‘I want to be recognized’, that sight stabbed his heart intensely.

“The kindness that was born from a wound of the heart, doesn’t mean that it’s a fake just because of that. I think that from overcoming the wound of the heart, that people become able to persist through all of that. Just like Yumeno-oneesan…”

He wondered that perhaps Yumeno-san’s journalism soul would become her attribute that would let her persist through everything from now on to her whole life. Wounds would someday heal, and hearts would become something complete and unshakable….

“I, before I realized it, my feelings that thought it’s fine even if I die anytime had gone desu. That’s just a trivial matter but, thanks to Kazuki-oniisan, the wound that was in my heart before this was filled already. The thing I want to do with Kazuki-oniisan, there are a lot right now desu!”

Lotte faced Kazuki and showed him the best smiling face that she had made until now before saying in a singing tone “Tonight too I get to monopolize Kazuki-oniisan~”. She then grinded her face on Kazuki’s chest.

“Then what are you wanting to do right now specifically?”

Kazuki tried to ask her again.

“I want to do adult pro-wrestling make believe desu!”

“…What’s that.”

“When I watch manga or anime, sometimes the phrase [adult pro wrestling make believe] comes out. I feel some kind of a little perverted nuance from the scene, but I don’t really understand!”

“I wonder, isn’t it fine for you to just keep not understanding such things…”

“For Kazuki-oniisan to treat me like a kid immediately is unfair―. There is not a thing that changed in my body except one, even though I’m at the age where I’m immensely full of curiosity about perverted things.”

“If I got tempted more than this even by Lotte, my reasoning will get completely burned down before long you know.”

“Ehehe, does Kazuki-oniisan get properly conscious of me as a woman?”

“Today, what you are wearing is different from your usual pajama huh.”

Lotte always wore animal pajama, but tonight after she got out of the bath she was wearing a silk baby-doll that was so thin as if her skin was going to see through.

It was a lovely adult underwear that felt like a fraud with word like ‘baby’ in its naming. A slit was entered on the area of the bust in a front open style and the skirt was stretching out airily. The butt was peeking out from the short skirt.

“Please do perverted things, perverted things~♪”

Lotte rubbed her body against him playfully. Kazuki desperately endured the feeling of wanting to stroke that squishy skin all over.

Perhaps such fretting thought of Kazuki was also being transmitted to Lotte. Lotte floated a composed smile and reached out to Kazuki’s face while saying “Kazuki-oniisan-!”, before ‘chuu’ she gave him a restrained kiss.

From Lotte’s chest, a large heart mark came flying.

Charlotte Liebenfrau―150

Afterword

Thank you very much for reading with pleasure this time too, this is Mihara Mitsuki. Magika too is finally in the seventh volume!

Now then, just when I finished writing the manuscript of this seventh volume, a disturbing notice came along from the editor in charge Koda-nyan. Koda-nyan, who usually finished whatever it is through mail, was unusually contacting me through phone, what in the world is going on and while I prepare myself thinking that, the first thing that came out from his mouth was “Mihara-san…do you have the determination to risk your life for the sake of Magika?” he said such thing. It was a voice like The Laughing Sa○sman that resounded from the bottom of hell.

However Mihara Mitsuki is surprisingly sports-minded, so I’m the type of person that become pointlessly high tensioned when I said ‘I’ll risk my life’. The school song of my alma mater resounded inside my head, my spine straightened by itself and “I’ll do it! I don’t know what’s the matter but please let me do it!” and so on, in the end I made a promise without any due consideration.

“So you will do it. Actually Magika is going to become a drama CD. Therefore”

That was a happy notice but at the same time “This is bad-“ such a hunch also came.

“Take care of the script. A total of three for this volume and Alive magazine’s mail order bonus and the limited edition bonus.”

I really don’t get the meaning of what he was saying but my work got split up into three in passing.

The truth is even now I still don’t really get the dividing of these three works.

“Alive? Limited edition? I, I’ll do it, please let me do it (brain already stopped thinking).”

“At the same time with…the eighth volume…will do. Please…let me do it…”

“Later on there will be an interview recording regarding Magika together with the voice actress.”

“Eh? I’m doing that? I, the like of my disgusting poor voice at the…”

“Didn’t you say that you’re gonna risk your life. I’m going to give this to the other authors if you don’t want it you know.”

The cheering song of my alma mater resounded inside my head. I got desperate “I’ll do it! Please let me do it-!” and yelled into the phone receiver. From there on Koda-nyan explained the arrangement that the work of ○○ is until when, the work of ▲▲ until when, and so on but of course I didn’t really get it. I didn’t really get it but right now I’m writing this afterword it is already October 28. If you ask me what is bad with the day of October 28, I’m thinking that I really cannot tell this to you all honored readers but, anyway it’s October 28. Thus the last monster of the year 2014 is standing in front of me blocking my way now.

…And because of that the making of Magika’s drama CD was decided! Giving voice to the characters of Magika is ‘super happii’ with that kind euphoric feeling, and together with the schedule that is ‘super damnn’ giving pressure on me, I snapped my stupid face and became strangely tensioned. However I kept screaming repeatedly ‘this is bad, this is bad’, but I’m receiving a chance this wonderful and so powerful thinking like ‘I want to do the best work!’ is also there!

I will definitely overcome this pressure and deliver the best work, so all of you honored readers please take care of me!

The comicalized second volume too also got a massive number for the second printing, Magika is more and more going swimmingly. This is too all thanks of the support of many things. My gratitude to everyone that are involved with Magika!

Later this volume, the picture of maid uniform is super cute. Maid-san banzai.

Mihara Mitsuki

Translator's Notes & References

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