Leo's decision to visit the training forest alone stemmed partly from an innate habit inherited from his grandfather, but his sharpened ability to sense presences—honed through training with Mototsugu, Gozo, and Yugen in the light athletics club—made it easy to detect eyes on him.
However, to avoid involving others, he chose the Steeplechase Cross-Country course, far from the hotel and isolated, as the ideal spot. Being roughly two kilometers away in all directions would minimize the risk of involving unrelated people with magic, a considerate choice on his part.
"…This place should do. Come out, I know you're following me," Leo called.
Two figures in combat suits emerged. Their builds suggested they were women, but Leo wasn't a feminist, and with clearly hostile opponents, he saw no reason to hold back from striking them.
"Leonhardt Saijo, would you come with us?" one asked.
"…I don't get it. My friends told me your motives, but I only inherited a quarter of my grandfather's genes. I don't see how that serves your purpose," Leo replied.
They sought the genes of Georg Ostburg, who had lived long via the First Model Eerste Alto. As his grandson through natural inheritance, Leo had only a fraction of Georg's magical prowess. It wasn't "too heavy" a burden, but Leo's words carried that implication.
One of the duo retorted sharply.
"That may be true, but our research shows you weren't such a remarkable mage a year ago. We promise exceptional treatment to uncover the source of your strength."
"…You're telling me to betray my friends?" Leo growled.
Yugen's influence was a major factor in Leo's growth. The idea of betraying a friend who dismissed modern magic as "flawed" yet possessed extraordinary skill ignited a fire of anger in Leo.
"Oh? I'm curious about this friend of yours," Emma Valburg, one of the Valburg sisters, said, snapping her fingers. Fourteen more combat-suited figures appeared, surrounding Leo. Though inwardly shocked, the scene reminded him of the Nanto Island incident, where he aided the "Watatsumi Series."
"Emma, you're getting too distracted," Linda Valburg chided. "Even if it's a quarter, as a product of Rosen Magicraft's tuning facility, his rights belong to them."
"Treating me like a racehorse, huh? What do you plan to do with me? It's not some cushy deal like Ernst Rosen suggested, is it?" Leo shot back.
During his meeting with Ernst Rosen, the man had hinted at a mentor-like role, but Leo, having heard the "voice" of Parasites during the Parasite Incident, sensed Ernst's hidden "desires." He didn't need to hear more to refuse, but his instincts told him to buy time with questions. The Valburg sisters, oblivious to this, responded as Linda let out a faint chuckle.
"Heh, nothing harsh. It might be physically demanding, but it's good for you," Linda said.
"No way…" Leo muttered.
"Exactly. We want you to naturally reproduce with a female egg donor to provide genes for creating new tuned bodies," Emma clarified.
"In other words…" Leo began.
"Enough. I get it," Leo cut her off sharply.
Continuing would only drag out unnecessary details, so Leo took a combat stance. Normally, this might seem aggressive, but for the Valburg sisters, it was a golden opportunity.
Leo, seen as an "improved" First Model Eerste Alto, was a chance for the Third Model Dritte Alto Valburg sisters to prove their superiority.
"Not satisfied? Then perhaps we start with her. Chiba Erika would surely meet your standards—" Emma began.
"Shut up! Dragoon Breath!" Leo roared.
Fueled by anger at Erika's name, Leo unleashed Dragoon Breath. Linda and Emma reflexively cast hardening magic, but Leo's spell, faster than their fully thought-controlled CADs, blew them back. They quickly regained their footing, facing Leo.
"Your CAD… Why is its processing speed faster than ours?" Emma demanded.
"Not telling. I made a promise to the friend who gave it to me," Leo replied.
"Linda, let's use the others to subdue him," Emma suggested.
"Right, that's—" Linda began.
Leo's black wristband CAD outpaced their advanced models, a prize worth seizing for Rosen Magicraft. As Linda nodded to Emma's suggestion and moved to command the 14 surrounding figures, new intruders appeared.
"What do you think you're doing, acting like you own someone else's country? Are your brains stuffed with minced meat or mashed potatoes?" Yugen's voice rang out.
"Yugen, I get how you feel, but… Leo, you okay?" Erika asked.
"You can see I'm fine. Sorry about this," Leo replied.
"Didn't expect an apology from you, Leo," Celia teased.
"That's my line," Erika snapped.
Yugen, Celia, and Erika appeared, shielding Leo's back. They bantered while addressing him, ignoring the Valburg sisters' glares. Unfazed, Yugen drew Odin from his pocket, readying himself.
"Chiba Erika, Exelia Shields, and Kagurazaka Yugen… Why are you here?" Emma demanded.
"That's a pointless question. You think you can preach justice while plotting to kidnap Leo? You're the ones who should know shame," Yugen retorted.
At best, using Georg Ostburg as a pretext would trigger government-level action. With Public Safety already monitoring Ernst Rosen, the Japanese government was likely aware. They hadn't publicized it to avoid straining ties with Germany, but a leading magic manufacturer causing an international kidnapping incident—using smuggled combat suits disguised as presentation models—was a problem. Even allies like the USNA, the New Soviet Union, the Great Asian Alliance, or Britain would find this messy. Adding Germany to the mix made Yugen wonder if lingering white supremacist attitudes were at play, though he didn't want to generalize.
"Leo, Erika, handle those two. Celia and I will take the other 14," Yugen ordered.
"Are you sane? Who do you think we are?" Linda snapped.
"Terrorists trying to abduct my friend, a mage of our nation," Yugen replied.
Strictly speaking, they were spies, but exploiting the Defense Forces' chaos branded them criminals. Yugen saw no issue labeling them terrorists aiming to weaken the nation.
His blunt words made Erika and Celia stifle laughter, while Leo looked mildly exasperated. The Valburg sisters, their pride wounded, shouted orders.
"Go! Show these fools who don't know their place our superiority!" Linda commanded.
It might be trivial, but Yugen inwardly mused that things might've gone better without that outburst.
Regardless, Leo and Erika engaged Linda and Emma, while the 14 Valburg sisters—whose individual names Yugen deemed too troublesome to learn as enemies—attacked. Yugen and Celia exchanged brief words.
"Let's wrap this up quick, or the queen will be pissed," Celia said.
"I'll make Gramps foot the bill later," Yugen replied.
Catching a hardened punch, Yugen kicked the attacker's abdomen with full force. The first sister flew back, toppling several trees before crashing into a trunk, unconscious. As the others hesitated, Celia seized the moment, pulling out a dozen metal balls.
"These are for self-defense, but… Dancing Star!" Celia declared.
Normally using a dagger-type CAD, she controlled marble-sized alloy balls with magic, felling three soldiers at once. Yugen followed without pause.
"Get blasted—Air Ride Burst!" he shouted.
The Mitsuya family's secret Air Ride Burst knocked out six more, rendering them unconscious. Using Celia's Muspelheim could've ended it faster but risked a forest fire, so they prioritized anti-personnel magic. Facing the remaining four, Yugen readied Odin.
"Now, let's invite you to a special sky trip. Destination locked—Invincible Cannon, activate!" Yugen declared.
Invincible Cannon launched all 14, including the previously downed ten, into the night sky. Rest assured, they weren't sent into orbit—just to the garden of Germany's presidential residence. Any fallout was Germany's problem, not Yugen's.
The fight took exactly one minute. Linda and Emma, facing Leo and Erika, gaped in disbelief, leaving openings. Trained extensively in martial arts, Leo and Erika capitalized.
"…Oh," Emma gasped.
"Ouch…" Linda muttered.
Leo's full-force Dragoon Breath and Erika's Taizan Sho struck directly. Emma was blown back dozens of meters, while Linda was embedded in the ground. Yugen and Celia exchanged pitying looks.
"…Hey, Leo," Erika said.
"What?" Leo replied.
"You're letting me stay in your room tonight. I already told Shuji and Yume, so prepare to stay up," Erika declared.
"…Give me a break," Leo groaned.
Erika hadn't heard the Valburg sisters' exchange with Leo, but Yugen had briefed her while tracking him. Her intuition—that something similar had happened—prompted her bold declaration to crash at Leo's room. Leo, unable to argue, pleaded for leniency.
"Yugen, Celia… They're gone," Leo said, looking around.
"Come on, Leo, get up. We've got the celebration to attend," Erika urged.
"You're still mad about me turning down the dance?" Leo asked.
Leo had declined Erika's dance invitation, disliking attention. Erika, mindful of Ernst Rosen, had accepted it, but as his girlfriend, she wanted him to be more assertive. A playboy like her childhood friend was a no-go, though.
"Not really. I'm not mad at all… Just hold my hand, okay?" Erika said.
"Alright, alright, Erika… What's wrong?" Leo asked.
"Calling my name like that is unfair," Erika teased.
"What am I supposed to do?" Leo sighed.
Raised in a male-dominated environment and treated like a cute little sister, Erika had fallen for Leo, who saw her beyond the Chiba name. Blushing at his casual use of her name, Erika met Leo's weary expression. Their relationship, born from initial friction, culminated in their tightly clasped hands.
◇ ◇ ◇
Yugen, having left earlier, tasked Celia with contacting Tatsuya and others before heading alone to Ernst Rosen's room. Using full stealth to enter unnoticed, he sat on the sofa and dropped his invisibility. Ernst was shocked, and his bodyguards moved to eject Yugen, but Ernst stopped them.
"…When did you get in? Is that your magic, Kagurazaka Yugen?" Ernst asked.
"Interpret it as you like. I'm here because I know you tried to kidnap Leo, Ernst Rosen. By the way, everyone involved was 'sent' to Germany, and their magic equipment was confiscated," Yugen said.
"Are you picking a fight with Rosen Magicraft?" Ernst demanded, glaring.
Yugen filled the room with high-density psions, instantly knocking out the bodyguards. He eased the effect on Ernst, who breathed heavily but remained conscious.
"You're the one who started this. My grandfather went out of his way to ensure Rosen Magicraft wasn't disadvantaged, and this betrayal crosses the line," Yugen said.
"What did you say?" Ernst asked.
"I'll spell it out. My maternal grandfather is Gozo Ueyama, who facilitated Georg Ostburg and Lucas Rosen's defection to this country. I'm his grandson. And Leo and Erika, their respective grandchildren, are my friends," Yugen declared.
Ernst was stunned. Even knowing the Mitsuya-Ueyama connection, tracing beyond a sponsor-client relationship via digital records was tough. Yugen himself was shocked learning about Gozo, so he understood Ernst's reaction.
Blaming Yugen personally would provoke Gozo, who, inconveniently, was staying at the hotel. He hadn't greeted Ernst at the pre-party but was watching from the VIP seats.
"I have two demands. Never involve Leo or Erika again. And fulfill Bastian Rosen's inheritance rights promptly," Yugen said.
"The first is one thing, but what's the second?" Ernst asked.
"My grandfather received about a third of Bastian Rosen's estate, and I inherited those rights. Bastian was present, and the estate manager was informed. Deliver it to my grandfather," Yugen replied.
In short, Ernst had to honor Lucas Rosen's reputation restoration to negotiate the inheritance, as per Gozo's demands via Chihime. The German government was informed of the incident, forcing Rosen Magicraft to comply fully. Lucas Rosen's request ensured the rights of Rosen Magicraft employees and their families were secured.
Having said his piece, Yugen stood to leave when Ernst called out.
"Who… are you, exactly?" Ernst asked.
"A member of the Kagurazaka family, protectors of this nation and acting head. I'll let this slide, but there won't be a next time," Yugen replied.
His grandiose words were a means to protect Leo and Erika—friends he'd gone to lengths for. With this resolved, Yugen inwardly sighed in relief.
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