Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 10 - Visitor Chapter (II) Page 9

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  "Colonel Barans?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  Once she suddenly stepped in, reprimanding her was frankly impossible.

  "With all due respect, permission to speak freely?"

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

  "Ah, uh. Granted."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  "Of course!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

  "Furthermore, after contacting the director, we have obtained clearance to deploy 'Brionac'."

  The ruckus turned into uproar.

  "Colonel, is this true?"

  Lina’s expression could only be described as "disbelief".

  "Indeed."

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

  "I brought it with me."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  "If I could have found out Michaela’s real identity sooner, Lina wouldn’t have been forced into such a tough spot."

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

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

  "What’s with this, Silvie? This is like saying goodbye—"

  "High Commander."

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

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

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

  "That is precisely the reason why this is necessary, Major."

  "Colonel!?"

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

  "My apologies. I didn’t mean to overhear you."

  "No, after all, it was us who were standing here talking."

  "Is that so?"

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

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

  "Then I too!"

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

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

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

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

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

  "No, there is no need."

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

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

  "Really? If that is your wish, then I will make the arrangements."

  "Thank you."

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

  "High Commander."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  ◊ ◊ ◊

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

  "Hello, it’s me."

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

  "Mitsugu, do you have time right now?"

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

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

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

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

  Not that he said anything, of course.

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

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

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

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

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

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

  "There are a total of 12 of them. Four were eliminated by the Americans, one was done in yesterday by Miyuki-chan and Tatsuya-kun, so there are 7 left. I have also identified their current location."

  "Efficient as always. Just as expected of you, Mitsugu."

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

  "How humble of you."

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

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

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

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

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

  "Finish, meaning?"

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

  "Eradicate all the hosts."

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

  "Not subjugate, correct?"

  "Indeed. Annihilate them all."

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

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

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

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

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

  "As you command."

  "Check back in with me after destroying them."

  "Please give me until the day after tomorrow."

  "That will be fine. Then, that will be all."

  Mitsugu once more affirmed his orders and hung up.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

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

  This was what he always envisioned when using "Gram Demolition".

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

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

  He tightened his grasp.

  His arm was not thrust forward.

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

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