Regarding the USNA side, there was the existence of Edward Clark, who viewed the Yotsuba family as an enemy. Yugen had looked into his background, but it wasn't as if Clark himself had suffered any direct harm from the Yotsuba family. It stemmed purely from Clark's own ambition—a desire to grasp world hegemony through information.
There were multiple system administrators involved with Echelon III besides Clark, and his movements were naturally known to the top brass of the Department of Defense. It was safe to assume the government was overlooking his actions, judging them not to be contrary to national interests.
However, there was a question.
Setting aside the father, Edward Clark, Yugen had heard from Shizuku, who had studied abroad, that his son Raymond Clark—who called himself one of the "Seven Sages"—was capable of using magic. For a magician, whose international travel was already restricted, to have a magician son and be able to easily bring him to Japan was suspicious in itself.
If Clark, who was ostensibly an information systems expert working for a government agency, possessed the authority to easily permit Raymond's departure from the country, it was possible he had been granted authority over the military as well. If he felt like it, he could probably use anonymous emails mixing truth and lies to maneuver the military into action.
Although he was portrayed in overseas articles as an ardent patriot, what he was doing behind the scenes was on par with Zhou Gongjin, who had tried to whittle down the power of Japan and the Great Asian Alliance—a competition of "acorns comparing heights." Though if Zhou Gongjin were alive, he might have said, "I find the comparison itself extremely objectionable."
To begin with, let alone summoning other nations' "Thirteen Apostles" like William MacLeod or Igor Andreivitch Bezobrazov, Clark had even mobilized Angie Sirius (Lina) as a guard and dispatched the aircraft carrier Enterprise to the Atlantic. Furthermore, he acted as if he were Lina's superior—like a military officer. Just who did Clark think he was?
Fundamentally, Clark was merely one of the administrators of the military's SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) system. Even if the story required a "villain," he shouldn't have been in a position to exercise rights regarding national defense proposals, orders, or confidentiality. If this were allowed, it would be tantamount to severely undermining those in the position of military and diplomatic advisors.
Perhaps Clark was drunk on himself, thinking, "I control the information, therefore I am important." But in reality, he might be the one picking the biggest fight with the very country he resided in.
But, to return to the main topic.
"Regarding the New Soviet Union, it seems the person believed to be Bezobrazov is in Moscow. The reconstruction of the naval port in Vladivostok won't be completed until May of this year at the earliest, so it's a wait-and-see situation for now."
The naval port of Vladivostok had been annihilated by the aftermath of Yugen's Starlight Breaker, so the New Soviet Army was pouring in considerable personnel and supplies to rebuild it at a frantic pace. They had gone so far as to revive the old Trans-Siberian Railway for this purpose, judging that leaving the ice-free port of Vladivostok unusable would leave them unable to keep the USNA or the Great Asian Alliance in check.
"To think Bezobrazov hasn't come to the Far East."
"About that... it seems anti-magic movements have become active in the former Eastern EU and Nordic regions. The aftershocks have reached the New Soviet side bordering them, causing anti-government demonstrations and riots in various places."
This was the fallout from Yugen's massive media buyout operation last spring, which had abruptly silenced anti-magic reporting in Japan. The Humanists in the USNA, feeling a sense of crisis over the decline of Humanist influence after the Japanese Kamisaka Group bought out major USNA media, had blown the winds of anti-magic sentiment into Europe—including Eastern Europe and the Nordic countries bordering the New Soviet Union—in an attempt to expand their influence.
Furthermore, it seemed anti-government forces within the New Soviet Union had received vast amounts of weapons and supplies from somewhere, leading to frequent riots and terrorist acts across the regions. When the regular army moved to suppress them, the insurgents would detect it and retreat like the wind.
The New Soviet government seemed to be keeping Bezobrazov in Moscow (strictly speaking, as a guardian of the Kremlin) out of necessity. However, his Strategic Class Magic, Tuman Bomba, was hardly something that could be used in anti-personnel combat. It was clearly magic designed solely for attacking strongholds.
The anti-government forces seemed to be aware of this, moving in small groups and apparently having combat-class magicians on their side as well. The domestic situation in the New Soviet Union had completely turned into a game of cat and mouse.
"...Yugen, you aren't involved in this, are you?"
"Of course not. If I were doing it, I'd just march directly into the Kremlin and send the head of state to Antarctica."
"The fact that it doesn't sound like a joke is very Yugen-like... What about the Great Asian Alliance?"
"About that... even though we sent Chen Xiangshan and Lu Ganghu back alive, the spark hasn't been extinguished. The bad blood between that country—or rather, between this country and the continent—spans centuries. It's highly likely that people dissatisfied with the peace treaty from the autumn before last will launch operations to break the peace."
Signs that things would play out like the "South Sea Riot Arc" from the original story were already visible. Even after dealing with Gu Jie, the situation in East Asia wouldn't allow for the word "peace." Even without that, layers of grudges had piled up between the two nations, including the Yotsuba's drama of revenge.
From the perspective of the Great Asian Alliance, while there was gratitude for removing the magical technological dominance of Dahan, there was also resentment over being deprived of the means to learn modern magic technology. The result was the Okinawa Defense Battle five years ago, and the Yokohama Disturbance the year before last.
Yugen had beaten the two central figures of those events to a pulp before exiling them back to the Great Asian Alliance alive. If they tried to attack this country again, he would simply force them into a situation where they had no choice but to turn their spears toward the New Soviet Union. Surely they wouldn't take the foolish measure of a frontal assault... unless their leaders were utter idiots or fools.
Still, he intended to remain vigilant.
"...Just listening to this gives me a headache."
"I wasn't being sarcastic, you know?"
"I know. That's exactly why I keenly felt the need to brace myself as a soldier of the National Defense Force. Excellency Kamijo, we expect great things from Special Lieutenant Oaguro as well."
With that, Kazama concluded his conversation with Yugen and Tatsuya.
Kyoko then guided them to the room she was using. Originally, it was a highly secure private room assigned to Yugen—Special Lieutenant Kamijo Tatsuzo—but since Yugen had no intention of using it, he had lent it to Kyoko, whose military duties involved many classified matters. Thus, there were none of Yugen's personal belongings, but plenty of Kyoko's. There were documents on the desk, indicating she was quite busy.
Sanada and Yanagi were busy, and Yamanaka was absent. Seeing Tatsuya hesitate over whether to greet them, Kyoko invited the two of them along. When she playfully declared, "I will guide you, Your Excellency," Yugen gave her a flat stare.
"Even so, just like with Tatsuya-kun, my father back home was surprised that Yugen-kun became the family head."
"I suppose inheriting the headship in one's teens is rare in this day and age."
"That too. After all, Senhime-san's ability as an Ancient Magic user is known to almost everyone."
Senhime, who favored Dark Attribute magic within Tenjin Magic, was known by the alias Artemisia of the Black Night, coupled with her beauty that belied her age. Though she herself would sulk like a child, saying, "You can't distinguish a person's face in the pitch-black night, can you? Are you trying to say I have no face?"
The reason she had served as the head of the Kagurazaka family for so long was that, although she had a son who took the Ise surname (Ise Yusaku) and two daughters who married into the Miyamoto and Takatsuki families, none of them possessed the ability to satisfy Senhime's standards. Senhime sought the aptitude necessary to inherit the Kagurazaka family's Ultimate Magic, Tsukuyomi. As a result, she looked to her sister's grandson. That was Yugen.
"I am a blood relative of not just the Kamiizumi but also the Kagurazaka, so Mother likely judged it appropriate... though factually, I've only inherited one-quarter."
"I see. What about Tatsuya-kun?"
"Even if you ask me... I feel strongly that things just turned out the way they were going to."
From Maya's perspective, it was only logical to want her biological son, Tatsuya, to succeed her, and from the standpoint of magical power, he was impeccable. However, the branch family heads, fearing his power, had argued for Tatsuya's exclusion. Even if they had done so, it was highly likely Senhime would have intervened. In the worst case, he would have been reduced to an existence merely holding a corner of the Ten Master Clans as a subordinate of the Kagurazaka.
"Come to think of it, I heard from Minoru that Kyoko-san applied as a fiancé candidate for Tatsuya."
"Grandfather told you... Yes, that's right. With the search for fiancé candidates accelerating this time, Grandfather proposed it. Honestly, in magician society where early marriage is desired, it's almost too late."
"Well, Mother knows Lieutenant Fujibayashi well, and you have the advantage of knowing my magic, so you'll definitely be on the candidate list."
Besides, considering she had given Tatsuya "honmei" (true feeling) chocolates on Valentine's Day, perhaps it was time for Kyoko to face her grief over losing her fiancé and move on. Plus, her strength of being well-versed in information-related technology was significant.
"Um, do I look sufficiently attractive to Tatsuya-kun?"
"I believe you look that way even without bias."
"...Should I leave you two alone?"
"Please don't. I haven't had a relationship with anyone yet."
Sensing the heated gaze Kyoko was directing at Tatsuya, Yugen quietly tried to leave, but Tatsuya muttered to stop him. From those words alone, Kyoko realized Yugen had a relationship with Miyuki and asked:
"Oh my, Yugen-kun, you've already laid hands on Miyuki-san?"
"Rather than 'laid hands on,' I should say I was corralled by the family into a situation where it was inevitable. Since I accepted it willingly, I won't deny it no matter how it's put."
"...Heeh."
"Please stop, Lieutenant. If Mother finds out, she might say 'I want to see grandchildren' and plot to make us seriously try for a baby."
"Fufu, I'm joking."
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