November 6, 2095.
Kudou Minoru, grandson of Kudou Retsu, mastered all Kudou magic, a genius among his Ten Master Clan peers, praised even by Retsu, once deemed the world's finest mage. In his bedroom, Minoru quietly reviewed FLT's official statement on a tablet, deep in thought.
(Two strategic magics unleashed from this nation. I sensed one from Tsushima, but the other's trace was undetectable. Likely extreme psion control… incredible.)
Minoru's admiration fixated on the strategic magic. Despite Defense Force relatives, such magic's tight security made details elusive. Even if known, Minoru lacked the power to wield it. A one-shot feat, at best, he acknowledged.
His cousin Kyoko entered. "Minoru-kun, you okay today?"
"Yes, I've been stable lately," he replied.
"Good, but don't overdo it," she urged.
Physically healthy, Minoru's mysterious frailness forced him to spend a quarter of the year bedridden. Kyoko pitied his inability to fully utilize his talent. While she and Retsu wished for his longevity, Minoru yearned to live fully as an exceptional mage, his talent making surrender impossible. Kyoko's eyes widened at his tablet.
"Is that the psion laser therapy article?" she asked.
"Yes. I never considered magic this way. If Taurus Silver pioneered it, it might break my condition," Minoru said.
"I hope so," Kyoko replied.
Kyoko knew Taurus Silver's duo, both (former) Clan strategic mages, vital to Japan. She suspected one devised it, but their strained ties with Kudou's past and present heads complicated matters. Yugen Mitsuya (now Kagurazaka), versed in modern and ancient magic, a Joushima-Kagurazaka prodigy, overcame a similar frailty, now thriving. If his cure applied to Minoru… Kyoko's thoughts showed, and Minoru gave a wry smile.
"Kyoko-nee, it's on your face," he teased.
"Oh, sorry…" she said.
Cousins by lineage, Kyoko knew Minoru's origins, accepting her "sister" role. Minoru was unaware of his full heritage but might deduce it himself, his magical aptitude nearing incomprehensible. Checking a new email, he smiled.
"Good, he's safe…" Minoru said.
"From Yugen-kun?" Kyoko asked.
"Yes. Beating Ichijou at the Nine Schools was huge, but his hybrid modern-ancient magic is beyond me. He apologized for delayed replies due to aftermath duties," Minoru explained.
Minoru and Yugen met as "Nagano Yuto" through Retsu. Yugen's "bottomless" presence left Minoru, untroubled beyond his health, intrigued. Their encounter was novel.
"Yugen leaving the Clans felt inevitable," Minoru said. "Father wanted to recruit him, but Mitsuya wouldn't allow it. His grandfather, Joushima-dono, the hero, makes him too big for the Clans."
The Clans' pride in being "strongest" and mutual oversight, set by Retsu, was contradictory. Minoru saw keeping Yugen, a peerless mage, in the Clans as a future grudge. His Kagurazaka heirship signaled the Clans' inability to control him.
"I don't blame Grandfather or Father, but I wish they'd considered the mess I'm left to handle," Minoru sighed.
After the summer Clan meeting, learning of Yugen's removal, Minoru rebuked Retsu. Ousting the standout was rule-compliant, but Minoru apologized via email. Yugen replied, "I accept, but don't dwell on it." Their attitude would decide the rest. Minoru thought handling their fallout was worse than his illness, prompting Kyoko's wry smile.
Same day, Yotsuba main residence parlor.
Maya, the host, met Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Kazama, called for explanations. Sipping tea, Maya began.
"I invited you to discuss the recent Yokohama Incident's military actions," she said.
"For me, ma'am?" Kazama asked.
As a soldier, Kazama saw himself as an outsider, though tied to Tatsuya's strategic magic key. Maya, a Clan leader shunning public power, offering "confirmed intel" puzzled him.
"The International Magic Association ruled the two strategic magics aren't 'radioactive weapons' under their charter, dismissing punitive motions," Maya said.
"I was certain of the first, but the second's news," Kazama replied.
"Radioactive weapons" meant nuclear-like devices, including magic. Kazama knew Tatsuya and Yugen's magics were clean (he'd heard of Starlight Breaker in summer).
"I knew Tatsuya-san's magic from Nee-san, but Yugen-kun's… it showed my training's lacking," Miyuki said.
"How so?" Tatsuya asked.
"Kagurazaka shared details. He elevated my Meteor Line to strategic level," Maya explained.
Kazama, Tatsuya, and Miyuki were stunned. Yugen refined Maya, a world-class mage's, spell into strategic magic. When had they met? Tatsuya asked.
"Auntie, was it during March's Bay Hills Tower incident?"
"Correct, Tatsuya-san. It paid off," Maya said.
"Paid off" likely referred to Yugen's Kagurazaka heirship. While Maya and his mother favored him, Tatsuya, distant from Yotsuba's core, struggled to grasp their direction. Maya continued.
"The Jinhae fleet, including 'General Thunder,' Liu Yunde, was erased. His death is certain, reducing the 'Thirteen Apostles' to twelve," she said.
Kazama's eyes widened at Liu's death by Tatsuya's Material Burst. Maya added Mio Itsuwa would join the navy, then revealed more.
"The navy commissioned the 350-meter Zuikaku-class carrier, joining the Sasebo fleet," Maya said.
"No rumors of that," Kazama said.
"No wonder. Joushima built a secret Tanegashima dock, per their former head," Maya replied.
Matching the USNA's Enterprise, hiding such resources baffled Kazama. Yugen's Mirror Gate salvaged sunken warships from cluster wars, a feat Gousan didn't conceive (he knew but obfuscated). Nations noticed ships vanishing, labeled "divine abductions." Designs came from France's nuclear carrier blueprints, approved by their president, adapted for Japan's navy without nuclear power to avoid Magic Association scrutiny. Armaments were domestic, tied to Kagurazaka affiliates. Joushima, dominating 80% of Japan's ship repair, preserved wartime expertise.
The carrier countered army-navy rivalry. The army's strategic magic prompted navy research fears, noted by Gousan three years prior, hastening construction via magic, kept secret.
Digression over.
Maya was stunned by the Zuikaku's commissioning. It signaled Japan's serious peace treaty intent with the Alliance. The government acknowledged it, despite foreign inquiries. As an island, Japan stressed naval defense against the Alliance and Soviets, quashing "militarism" claims post-Yokohama.
"It diverted their attention, a good outcome. Avoid contact for now; Saigusa's probing," Maya said.
"Understood. I'll route through him," Kazama agreed, leaving.
As Miyuki rose, sensing Tatsuya's intent to speak privately, Maya stopped her.
"Miyuki-san, where to?" Maya asked.
"Onnii-sama has business with you, so I thought I shouldn't stay," Miyuki said.
"No need. Tatsuya-san, is that fine?" Maya asked.
"…Yes," Tatsuya agreed.
Miyuki, knowing Tatsuya's resolve, stayed. As a Yotsuba Guardian, akin to a servant, few knew his depths. Maya, seeing through him, allowed Miyuki's presence. Tatsuya relented, and Miyuki sat beside him.
"Tatsuya-san's feat was splendid, but Miyuki-san, capturing Chen Xiangshan in your first Godo Kai battle was remarkable," Maya said.
"Thank you, but Yugen-san made the capture. Did you know Yotsuba is Kagurazaka's branch?" Miyuki asked.
"Yes, since childhood," Maya replied.
Yotsuba's main and three branches—Kuroba, Shiiha, Shizu—tied to Kagurazaka. Tenjin magic's destructive potential led Higashiyama Gen'ei to withhold it from descendants, influenced by Kagurazaka's past and present heads.
"School resumes next week. Tatsuya-san, continue attending," Maya said.
"Is that okay?" Tatsuya asked.
"Without you, Miyuki-san's Guardian role falls to none. Throwing it to Yugen-san would be rude," Maya replied.
Stars identified Tatsuya's Material Burst (USNA's Great Bomb) as mass-energy conversion but couldn't equate it to Yugen's Starlight Breaker, which defied physics.
"With Stars probing Tatsuya-san, isolating countermeasures is inefficient," Maya said.
"America's moving?" Tatsuya asked.
"They're investigating Material Burst's type, with you as a suspect," Maya clarified.
Stars' prowess narrowed suspects to Tatsuya, Miyuki, and Yugen, Maya noted.
"Chihime-san said if you vanish post-competition, rumors will spread. Your stoic face hides it well," Maya added.
Tatsuya wanted to protest losing his expressions but held back, surprised at himself. Maya, smirking, continued.
"Did you notice? 'Igniter' meddled in the battle," she said.
"First I've heard, but Yugen handled it," Tatsuya replied.
Before Material Burst, Tatsuya sensed northeastern magic but left it to Yugen, focusing on his task. Bezobrazov's Tuman Bomba, rivaling the prior Sirius, was no match for Yugen—a doomed bet.
Yugen, deeming modern magic "flawed" and refining ancient magic, could wield all strategic magics. To Tatsuya, it was simply "Yugen being Yugen." His Material Burst remained his specialty, despite cast-jamming issues.
Five strategic mages moved, signaling global shifts.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 20+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/Greyhounds
If you guys wanna check it out.