In Yugen's case, however, his rapid ascent was due to the Okinawa Defense Battle, the Sado Invasion, the Yokohama Disturbance, and the recent suppression of "brainwashed soldiers" at the National Defense Army's Uji Second Supply Base. In short, it was recognized that he had "achieved massive military exploits in war and quasi-war military actions."
That said, the possibility couldn't be ruled out that the shockwave of Yugen's meteoric rise had helped thaw the frozen promotions of the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion.
"Lieutenant Colonel Kazama, are there any changes to the organization of the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion?"
"If there is one thing, it's that Yugen—Special Lieutenant Kamijo—is now positioned as a 'non-combatant' technical officer on loan from General Headquarters. The Joint Staff Office decided that, given your role as a Special Staff Officer directly under the Commander-in-Chief and your responsibility for the final authorization of Strategic Class Magic, it is too dangerous to deploy you to the front lines."
This treatment was heavily influenced by the summons order for the demonstration battle at the National Defense Academy entrance ceremony the spring before last. Saeki had filed a complaint against this decision, but Chief of Staff Otomo informed her that it was a decided matter by General Soga, the Joint Staff Office, and by extension, the Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister. She had no choice but to back down.
Yugen held the final decision-making power for his own Strategic Class Magic, and it was decided that Yugen would also issue the final release permission for Tatsuya's Material Burst. Tatsuya had agreed to this.
In essence, the Joint Staff Office's final decision was that they would not allow the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion or the 101st Brigade to wield such power as their own, no matter that Tatsuya was an unacknowledged Strategic Class Magician.
"Basically, I'm just being asked to house-sit."
"...Whether you are waiting at headquarters or out on the front lines, they likely judged that they couldn't put a collar on you, Yugen, given that you can achieve the same level of results regardless."
With Yugen's promotion to Special Lieutenant General, he had also obtained a seat involved in intelligence within the Joint Staff Council—a non-permanent agency directly under the Joint Staff Office that even Kudo Retsu had been unable to enter. (Yugen's intelligence gathering was highly useful not just for the Army but also for the Navy and Air Force to execute operations smoothly, so even those branches, which usually didn't get along with the Army, acknowledged him).
Precisely because Yugen had zero interest in factions or power struggles, combined with the fact that he was Gozo's grandson, he had become the center of attention for the entire National Defense Force. From Yugen's perspective, he wanted to dismiss it all, thinking, It's a pain, I don't even want to be involved.
"If anyone tries to put a collar on me, I'll just kick their head off like a soccer ball."
"If Yugen-kun did that, it looks like you'd kick them all the way to space."
"I haven't kicked anyone into space like Grandfather, but once, when I encountered a Humanist terrorist in New York, I kicked him with full-power magic. He crossed the Atlantic and reached the coast of France. Apparently, he barely survived."
At that time, a gun had been pointed at him suddenly, so he reflexively kicked the man. The terrorist disappeared over the horizon like a line drive. Three days later, when Yugen stopped by France, he ended up receiving a letter of appreciation from the local police for assisting in the arrest of an internationally wanted terrorist. (Apparently, after the eyewitness reports in New York, he was found in a human-shaped crater on a sandy beach on the west coast of France).
I'm not at fault. The guy who pointed a gun and attacked me screaming "Die, you heretic!" is at fault. Incidentally, the terrorists kicked by Gozo turned into beautiful stars... strictly speaking, the appropriate expression is that they reached the atmosphere and burned up without even leaving bones behind. Compared to his grandfather, Yugen thought he was still merciful since his opponent survived.
"...Lieutenant Colonel Kazama."
"...Special Lieutenant, this is the level reached by Lord Gozo and his beloved disciple."
Tatsuya and Kazama were speaking as if discussing monsters, but from the perspective of a non-magician, magicians themselves were often treated as "monsters." It felt strange for Yugen, who was often called the prime example of that, to be the one saying it.
"Returning to the topic, Tatsuya. Now that you have become the next head of the Yotsuba family, I am prepared for the possibility that we can no longer obtain cooperation as before."
"I discussed that with my mother. I have received an answer stating that as long as interests do not conflict, the contract will continue as usual."
The fact that Tatsuya and Yugen belonged to the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion was largely due to personal connections with Kazama and Sanada. Kazama had been concerned that with Tatsuya becoming the Yotsuba heir and Yugen becoming the Kagurazaka head, their cooperation might cease.
In response, Tatsuya revealed his discussion with Maya, stating that since there was currently no conflict of interest, the contract would not be annulled and the cooperative system would continue.
"I see... What about you, Yugen?"
"Well, I do have some doubts about me holding the final trigger for Tatsuya's Strategic Class Magic, but currently, I harbor no elements of conflict with Lieutenant Colonel Kazama or Major Sanada."
Kazama had asked for a favor during the Nine Schools Competition last year, but since it was something Yugen should have done anyway, it was no problem. He had also built a good relationship with Sanada. He confirmed that the magical armament of the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion was not an area he needed to touch for the time being.
Furthermore, regarding Seraphim and Ragnarok, due to the involvement of Tenjin Magic, they would remain secret for now. Even without that, FLT had many prototype CADs that had been shelved, and he was currently in the process of organizing them in stages.
"It is not such a strange story. Letting Tatsuya use his magic easily would cause more problems. If things go wrong, there will be those who try to use the Yotsuba's 'Untouchables'."
"I understand that... Besides, there is a possibility that foreign nations, including the USNA, will make a move."
After The Halloween of Scorching Heat and Aurora, the USNA had gone so far as to mobilize their supreme combat force, Angie Sirius—Stars—in an attempt to neutralize Strategic Class Magic. Although Yugen had an agreement with Colonel Virginia Balance, he was well aware that as a soldier, she sometimes had to act according to her country's will.
"According to Excellency Saeki's analysis, a medium-scale military conflict is expected to occur in the East Asian region within a year. What is your view, Yugen?"
"First, regarding the USNA... Just from what Tatsuya heard from Master Kokonoe, the fact that Tatsuya and Miyuki are Yotsubas has been disseminated across a wide range of the magician community. You are aware of this, surely, Lieutenant Colonel?"
"Yes. Rumors spread fast. Especially when it concerns that Yotsuba family... Do you believe there is a possibility they will send a large-scale investigation team like last winter?"
Originally, Tatsuya had annihilated the Great Asian Alliance's Zhenhai Naval Base with the Strategic Class Magic Material Burst (referred to as the Great Bomb in the USNA). Fearing that this magic might be turned against the USNA mainland, the USNA Joint Chiefs of Staff had led an investigation and neutralization mission. Yugen knew this well, as he had been attacked as one of the suspects.
The Yotsuba clan, which had destroyed a nation with only 30 people (31 including Gozo). The fact that Tatsuya, suspected of being a Strategic Class Magician, was listed as a member of that clan was likely known to intelligence agencies worldwide. There was a high probability that this time, they would send an "assassination squad" rather than an investigation team.
"Now that they know the suspected Strategic Class Magician belongs to the clan that destroyed Dahan, they will likely send a unit specifically to kill Tatsuya. However, the fact that Angie Sirius was repelled is known only to a very select few. So, it's not impossible that they might get desperate and send the entire Stars force... In that case, I will handle it."
Whether it was warships, submarines, or even satellites, if he seized control of their systems, they would become useless junk. The USNA had built Echelon III on their own, so their security was naturally world-class, but if their military secrets were stolen by Hliðskjálf, they would truly have "no ground to stand on."
He could expose the secrets of the aircraft carrier Enterprise, which had been commissioned four years ago by the USNA Navy and possessed cruising capabilities rivaling nuclear power despite being non-nuclear, to the whole world. Confusing domestic public opinion, overworking the Pentagon, and paralyzing the actions of Stars who received their orders was an option, though it was one of the final resorts.
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