Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Magian Company - Volume 6 - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

[Infiltration of Lhasa]

Lhasa, being a tourist city, is still full of tourists out and about at this hour. The lights of the business were still on shining. Even the skies were not completely dark, echoing the lights on the ground. Conversely, this made it difficult to see the flying objects falling in the suburbs, where the city lights did not reach.

Tibet is presently a vassal state of the Great Asian Union. The air-defense of Tibet is likewise provided and handled by the Great Asian Union as it was any of its own territories. And their attention was so focused on the Sprite crossing high-altitude airspace that they did not notice the stealth divers landing on the hills outside the city.

Besides the Great Asian Union's (0) negligence (1), another contributing factor to their undetected infiltration was Tatsuya's and Minoru's outstanding magical control. Although the Stealth Diver wasn't fitted with engines that emit heat or wings that tend to easily reflect radar waves, it didn't crash at the end of its free fall. Just before it hit the ground, they used their flight magic to slow down and land. Because they controlled their magic, with the minimum necessary output and without emitting waste psion waves, which is what is picked up in detection, they passed unnoticed not only by the devices and machines of the Great Asian Union, but also by the magicians of the IPU, who had infiltrated Lhasa and were in the midst of a secret war with them.

After getting out of the Stealth Divers, the two of them pulled their backpacks from behind the seats and strapped them on their backs, closed the hatches, and buried the divers using magic. Since they were made of hard-to-detect material, they should not be discovered unless the place was accidentally dug up.

Having thus finished covering up, the two walked out into the city center of Lhasa with their backpacks on their backs.

At first glance, they appeared like two foolhardy young travelers, that isn't to say they saw anyone until they reached the very heart of the city.

"Tatsuya-san, isn't this a bit unusual?"

Minoru said this due to the lack of even the lights of a self-propelled vehicle driving by. An hour had passed since they had landed. Though late at night already, it was strange that not a single car was seen driving around. Lhasa is a big city in its own right.

"Maybe the city is on a curfew16. I don't mean a general lockdown, just the kind that prohibits people from going out of the city at night."

"…Like the night curfew in Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty?"

The night curfew, or "night ban", was a system practiced not only in Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty but also in earlier dynasties that restricted nighttime traffic, whereby the interior of a city was divided into small sections by earthen walls, and only within these sections was nighttime traffic permitted. Infringements were punishable by whipping. Inside the walls, people were free to roam about, which might be said to be more liberal than the lockdowns and curfews of the postmodern era.

"Looks like the outskirts of the city have been turned into a battlefield."

"Eh…?"

Minoru looked around with a surprised face, then lightly turned over and made a gesture as if to listen carefully.

"You're right… This appears to be a battle between mageist, right?"

"It's the hidden, silent type. Both sides are trying to keep it hidden that there's a battle going on, I wonder."

"Could it be that the curfew was instaured, less to avoid collateral damage to civilians and tourists, and more to cover up the fact that fighting is going on?"

"Maybe, that's a possibility."

Although in an understated way, Tatsuya completely agreed with Minoru's assessment.

"If so… We're in a bit of a pickle. How should we deal with that?"

They hadn't stopped at any point during their conversation. By that point, they could see several magicians on the other side of the main road that ran south of the city, warily taking up positions.

"Combat magicians of the Great Asian Union, I see."

Tatsuya passed to Minoru in a murmur after easily reading the information about their murderous intent.

"Preparing to engage in battle… It seems, though it looks that the battle has already started."

Minoru likewise takes his own reading of the status of the magicians from a different point of view.

"They are probably in their own battle already. Better let them be and not interfere."

"That'd be best… Shall we go through with [Kimon Tonkou]?"

Minoru suggests using his magic to pass through.

Tatsuya neither agreed nor denied the proposal.

"No, wait."

As if by coincidence, the situation changed at the same time that came Tatsuya's warning.

The whistling sound of a flute was heard coming from within the city, further behind the magician poised on the other side of the street.

"This whistle!?"

The tune carried with it magical effects. In layman's terms, it was infused with magical power.

Minoru recognized that tune, it was the sound that had the effect of paralyzing the human motor response.

"Bāxiān, Han Xiangzi?"

Tatsuya muttered those few words.

Minoru briskly turned to Tatsuya, to find him seemingly unaffected by the magic flute playing.

Minoru quickly cast an ancient-style branch of magical self-defense on himself and asked Tatsuya.

"Tatsuya-san, do you know about that flute player?"

"I got some information about the members of the Bāxiān from the Unseen Arms."

"From Hyougo-san, you mean?"

Tatsuya nodded at the question.

[Unseen Arms], a British PMSC (Private Military & Security Company) composed of magicians, where Tatsuya's butler, Hyogo Hanabishi, used to work for. His employment with the PMSC was part of his training to become the Yotsuba Family's butler. And although Hyougo left the company under amicable terms prior to becoming Tatsuya's steward, he still maintained a network with his fellow mercenaries.

The British PMSC handled jobs extensively in the former British Commonwealth, as well as in the IPU, where it is still frequently commissioned, mainly by the Indian faction. Because of this association, the mercenaries of this civil-military company had a wealth of information about the Bāxiān, the Magician Special Task Force of the Great Asian Union, who have frequently clashed with the magician corps of the old India.

"Specific information on the Bāxiān is not something that either the Japanese or USNA intelligence agencies possess. This is a good example of how the information shared among PMSCs, which is gathered through interpersonal networks, can sometimes outstrip that held by state agencies in terms of both quantity and quality."

In that way, Tatsuya confirmed the query about the source of the information.

"I heard that each Bāxiān has its own specialized style of combat. Using a transverse flute and area of effect magic would be Han Xiangzi's signature."

"So do you know how to counter it?"

It was obvious that Tatsuya was nullifying the magic contained in the sound of the flute that was still playing. Minoru asked him about this know-how, which was different from the inefficient method he was using.

"This magic essentially has the same properties as an Antinite's jamming wave. It interferes with the [Gate] with psion waves. And since you don't have to be a magian to have a magic calculation area as a function of the unconscious area, a lack in magical sensitivity is offset with a lack in magical resistance."

A [gate] is a boundary between the conscious and the unconscious, a gate connecting the inside and the outside of the magic calculation area. The magic calculation is originally a feature of the "unconscious" that processes the "information" of the "world" into a recognizable format for the "conscious". In magical science, when it reaches an activation to the level of actively interfering with the "information" of the "world," it is then referred to as a "magical computing domain".

As long as the function to take in "information" exists, the "gate" that serves as its entrance also exists, irrespective of the presence or absence of the ability to invoke event interference.

"So, in the case of mageists, a stronger magic resistance is counterbalanced by a stronger sensitivity to magic? And so that magic works regardless of the person having magical power or not."

"That's right. Therefore, the approach to deal with it is the same as for the Antinite jamming waves. In my case, I'm breaking down the structure of the psion waves. As for you, Minoru, you should be able to filter out the excess psion waves."

"Now I see. …Done."

Minoru smiled with bitterness thinking, "I didn't realize how simple it was." He felt a sense of shame at himself for having struggled with it the other day.

"By the way, Tatsuya-san, seems like they've noticed us somehow."

Minoru is still currently under a different appearance with [Parade]. This magic triggers through the medium of any gazes directed at him. Therefore, while [Parade] is in effect, he will gain a sensitivity to the gazes of others. No doubt this was how Minoru was able to notice that they had been discovered by the enemy earlier than Tatsuya.

"…That was careless of us. It appears that the sound of that flute can also double as a sonar."

Han Xiangzi must have realized that Tatsuya nullified his magic with his use of [decomposition]. ─Tatsuya immediately deducted.

"He probably noticed that we are mageists."

"Should we attack?"

Minoru asked without apparent nervousness. That isn't to say that he was completely calm. There was no hiding a certain tension, probably out of a desire for vindication for the last time.

"Yeah. ─No, wait."

At first, agreeing to take the initiative, Tatsuya stopped Minoru just after.

Minoru instantly understood why.

A hot wind suddenly struck the Great Asian Union magicians from the flank.

Despite being in midsummer, Lhasa is at a high altitude, so it doesn't get that hot. From the perspective of a Japanese citizen, the weather is like that of a summer resort. Moreover, it was the middle of the night. Such a hot wind, enough to burn one's skin, could not have occurred naturally.

Magicians of the Great Asian Union collapsed.

As if being scorched, they writhed and twisted as if engulfed in flames.

Still, the point remains: there are no flames. Their clothes are neither scorched nor covered with soot. Nor is there a wind hot enough to scald blowing.

"This is not just an illusion, right?"

"Yeah, it's not. They're in fact burning. It's not an oscillatory-type heating magic, either. It's an ancient-style magic that directly produces effects using a different principle than modern magic."

Tatsuya responded to Minoru's observation with the truth he "saw".

"It deviates from the law of cause and effect, creating an effect without a cause… It's a xian technique, isn't it?"

In essence magic is a method of eliciting phenomena that would otherwise be impossible. In that regard, modern magic elicits effects by forging a false causal event. This style also skips the cause part of the "causal event," but the style referred to xian technique takes it a step further, directly manifesting the desired effect.

The effect produced can be extremely powerful, but because it skips steps, it is limited in terms of scope. For instance, the xian technique just used focuses on "inflicting burns". In other words, it is a magic that burns, inflicting burning wounds on the enemy's body without having to go through accelerating molecular oscillations, or even having to force the person's mind to reproduce the effects of an illusion, as is usually the case with types of illusion magic.

Because magicians usually protect themselves with data fortification, they are less susceptible to magic that acts directly on their bodies.

By limiting the application to a specific aim, the effectiveness of the magic is increased, enabling effective attacks even in such cases.

This "hot wind" is similarly a magic capable of killing or injuring magicians by narrowing down its focus.

But naturally, this system would not work on a magician who could deploy a high-powered data fortification.

As such, it did nothing against a Bāxiān, such as Han Xiangzi.

The tune of a flute sliced through the night air in a high pitch. But it was just a "sound" to Tatsuya and Minoru. No magic has reached them. The performance was of a different nature, a magic with directionality.

"What should we do?"

A counterattack magic designed to identify the opponent. And this time both are not among its targets. They could avoid contact and just walk away. His query was based on that assessment.

"Let's intervene."

Posed with the question, Tatsuya decided without hesitation to intervene in the battle.

"Understood."

A fearless grin spread across Minoru's face. He also didn't wish to run away.

No. That was not quite right. Minoru wished to get back at the Bāxiān.

◇ ◇ ◇

The IPU sent a force of combat magicians equivalent to a single platoon, in addition to the pre-positioned counterintelligence units that had been previously infiltrated to set the groundwork for the emancipation of Tibet.

The dispatch included two of the seven composing the [Sapta Rishi] combat magician unit, the second most elite among the magician units in the IPU federal army after the nationally recognized Strategic-Class Magician, Bharrat Chandra Khan. This indicated the seriousness of the IPU's commitment to the task.

On that night, one of the Sapta Rishis dispatched, code-named [Mizar], came into contact with Great Asian Union forces while supporting armed insurgents in a counterintelligence effort. Which brought him straight into the battle.

Initially, Mizar thought he would be able to quickly clear the situation and return to his hidden post, but the situation worsened when Han Xiangzi, one of the Bāxiān, came in to reinforce the Great Asian Union forces.

Han Xiangzi is a magician whose strength lies in engaging groups of people. His skills are of more value when operating within allied lines, intercepting and pursuing enemy forces, rather than being used to push into enemy territory. For a small detachment infiltrating an enemy territory, these sorts of enemies were the kind to be avoided at all costs, if at all possible.

Mizar, his men, as well as his collaborators, were being routed by a unit of the Great Asian Union led by Han Xiangzi, withdrawing further southwest from the outskirts of the city of Lhasa. The plan was not to simply disengage and flee, per se, but to lure them into pre-arranged traps for a counterattack. However, the trap didn't account for a Bāxiān. Mizar hazarded a 50-50 chance that it would work.

That's why he felt a sense of relief when the pursuit stopped all of a sudden, relief that was replaced by a greater sense of suspicion. The movements of the pursuing forces made it seem as if a new threat was closing in on Lhasa.

But he had not heard of any reinforcements coming. Nor, Mizar was aware that his available forces had the capability to do so.

Mizar suspected it was a trap by Han Xiangzi. His mind was seized with the nagging fear that, in his attempt to lead them into a trap, he had been backed into a corner.

In such a scenario, he was unable to take this reprise as an opportunity to pull back to his base, less it risks the possibility of leading the enemy straight to the IPU's base of operations.

The attention of the unit being led by Han Xiangzi turned to the southeast of the city of Lhasa. Mizar naturally wondered what, or who might be there, but he did not have time to figure it out.

This was his chance.

Mizar invoked the "Hot Wind of Drought17" illusion [Kala Ghoda].

Kalagoda is the direct Hindi equivalent of "black horse". It's a xian's technique that bears the name of a mythological drought demon, Apaosha. It's a well-known fact that Persian and Hindu mythology have reversed roles for their gods and demons. Say Indra, the hero god of Hindu mythology, becomes a demon symbolizing the spirit of apostasy in Persian mythology. Similarly, the "Asura" demon gods from Hindu mythology share the same etymology as "Ahura," of Ahura Mazda, the main god of Persian mythology.

The Mizar's use of [Kala Ghoda] made deliberate use of this inversion of interpretation, utilizing the authority of the demon of drought in this Xien technique.

Its effect is to impair the skin and respiratory organs with burns under the illusion of a dry hot wind. If successful in generating airway burns, in particular, it could render an opponent unable to breathe, and thus combat ineffective, up to even death.

It produced a major disruption in the formation of the Great Asian Union forces. The [Kara Gouda] was more effective than Mizar himself had expected, and the fact that the Great Asian Union forces' attention had been diverted to the unidentified third party was probably an unintended benefit.

They were now in clear view of Mizar. Two figures stood southeast of Lhasa, at about the same distance from the city entrance as Mizar's group. Though they had the appearance of travelers, it was unfeasible for travelers to be loitering in such a place at such a time of the day. The suspiciousness was palpable in these figures.

The outcome of the battle was better than expected. That is not to say, however, that was all there was to it. From the start, he wasn't expecting that he would incapacitate the enemy with a single magic use, the enemy response was lacking, leaving with a sense of disappointment lingering in the corner of his mind.

Nevertheless, as the leader of the group, he could not dwell on his disillusionment. Mizar might not be the commander of the group, but he was the one who was leading them right now.

"Here it comes, ready magic defenses!"

It was his responsibility to get them out of there safely for now, at least.

Catching wind of the sound-mediated magic, Mizar deployed a shield that blocked the propagation of psion waves, while at the same time ordering everyone under his command to individually activate their own counter-magics.

Han Xiangzi's magic came in thin, instead of wide. The problem is that it now serves also for detection aside from offensive ability. The damage was supposed to be mitigated by Mizar's shield to a harmless level.

However, the next moment the playing of now was different from before. The sound of the flute, which earlier propagated all around, now converged on Mizar and his group. The sound pressure increased, and the performance, which had been subtle and delicate, turned into sonic onslaught. Though, this was only an illusion of such. Indeed, there is acoustic focusing magic, yet there were no sound waves assaulting Mizar and his group. Rather, it was the magic, that earlier spread along with the music, was now concentrated in a single place.

That came as a complete surprise to Mizar, who, unaware that Han Xiangzi had such a card in his hand, took an increased output of the paralyzing magic straight on.

Because it was a type of magic that did not overwrite information, but instead caused damage by disrupting information bodies, it wasn't a matter of either zero or a hundred, success or failure, and he was able to mitigate it somewhat with his shield. Even so, he still sustained some paralysis damage, to a not so insignificant degree.

In terms of anti-group combat, Mizar's [Kala Ghoda] and Han Xiangzi's current magic are a blowout draw. But with Mizar having failed to stop Han Xiangzi, he suffered paralysis damage. In terms of a battle of magicians, Mizar now holds a big lead over Han Xiangzi.

While he sustained damage, it was limited to a mild, physical paralysis; it did nothing against his access to his magical skills. Mizar was willing to accept the risks and resolved for a counterattack right then and there.

Just as he was about to begin the process of activating his magic, however, 

A powerful magic attack struck the Great Asian Union unit.

◇ ◇ ◇

"I think you already understand that, but don't do any fatal damage."

Tatsuya cautioned Minoru not to make too much of a scene, considering that they were just about to break into the Potala Palace.

"I'm fully mindful of that."

Minoru flashed a devilish grin and launched a large-scale area magic that encompassed the entire Great Asian Union military contingent.

The water vapor in the determined air of the determined area condensed, creating a thick fog. The sound of a flute bounces the fog, and the fog absorbs the music.

Each drop in the fog created by Minoru emitted a faint light.

Even in the darkness of the night, it was such a faint shimmer that passed unnoticed unless one looked closely. A possibility allowed by the darkness of the night, imperceptible were it daytime.

The light entered through the eyes and stimulated the parasympathetic nervous system, while at the same time, it interfered with the link between the five senses and the mind in a mental interference effect.

This is [Stray Fog18], a hybrid of ancient and modern magic. Developed at the former 9th Research Institute, this magic is designed to undermine enemy units' alertness capacity.

The original purpose of this magic was to disorient and deprive the enemy of combat awareness, causing them to lose sight of their allies, lose their way, and lead them into an ambush. However, with Minoru's superb magical power behind it, [Stray Fog] has the effect of dazzling the opponent's consciousness and inducing an entire enemy unit to wander off in between the world of dreams and reality.

In addition, unlike traditional ancient-style illusion magics, it involves the substantial phenomenon of a thick fog, which brings the added benefit of blocking out sound and light. Having struggled with Han Xiangzi's magic flute during his last infiltration of Lhasa, Minoru had added this activation sequence he doesn't normally use to his CAD just in anticipation of the opportunity. 

Minoru's [Stray Fog], aimed specifically to deal with Han Xiangzi's magic, deprived the Great Asian Union military unit of their combat effectiveness in a single blow.

◇ ◇ ◇

Mizar noticed immediately that the sound of the flute had lost its power. As the first-rate military officer he is, Mizar did not let this opportunity pass him by.

He activated a simple emission-type electric discharge magic. There was no symbolic effect to it. This is so to avoid interfering with the magic of the unidentified benefactor who also happens to be currently attacking the Great Asian Union forces.

Notwithstanding the fact that the seven members of the Sapta Rishi are combat magicians with a strong affinity for ancient magic, they also possess a high proficiency in modern magic. Mizar in particular excels at magic that affects a wide area, such as the earlier [Kala Ghoda]. A simple emission-type magic, to send a lightning attack through a mist, is hardly an effort for him. 

He constructed the magic sequence in an instant, sending a lightning strike through the fog.

Electric light leapt, and sparks flew.

Then the fog lifted.

The troops led by Han Xiangzi, who had taken up positions across the city of Lhasa, were all on the ground, not even the Bāxiān Han Xiangzi was an exception.

Taking a moment to observe the situation, Mizar made sure that there were no signs of new magic in operation or psion activation, and then turned his attention to his unidentified benefactors.

Perhaps sensing his gaze, the two, presumably young men, turned their attention to Mizar in return.

Reading no hostility from them, Mizar ordered his group to retreat.

◇ ◇ ◇

Though an unexpected diversion for Tatsuya, it ultimately facilitated his entry into Lhasa. The remaining forces of the Great Asian Union in the city mobilized to rescue Xiangzi and the men under his command, the others were sent to pursue the IPU agents.

Slipping through the thin security, it was a surprisingly easy feat for Tatsuya and Minoru getting into the Potala Palace.

The Potala Palace consists of the White Palace, the political center of Tibet, and the Red Palace, the religious center.

There were already no tourists in sight. Not surprisingly, considering the time of day. Though now might be late, it might have been closed for the day as soon as the clash with the IPU agents broke out. The low voices, resounding like tidal waves, that could be heard were probably monks chanting sutras.

The two boldly make their way through the colonnaded hall without bothering to conceal themselves. Considering that the Great Asian Union has a firm grip on Tibet, this place is a key facility right in the middle of enemy territory. Security measures were sure to be rigged all over the place. Tatsuya and Minoru may have considered it pointless to be overly vigilant.

Awaiting them was a turn of events that not even Tatsuya could have predicted.

"We have been waiting for your arrival."

On their descent to the lowest level of the Red Palace in search of a way into the underground, they came upon a lama ─ a Tibetan Buddhist high priest ─ in full red kasaya19, waiting for them.

"…Did you anticipate our intrusion?"

Tatsuya asks the elderly lama. In Japanese, as the words of the old monk were first spoken in fluent Japanese.

─It seems that people involved with Shambhala are quite the linguistics enthusiasts. 

Though Tatsuya mused to himself. He has yet to confirm this lama is in fact related to Shambala in any capacity.

"I received a message from the Guardians of Bukhara. It said that he who holds Shiva's maya would visit this place with the key in hands."

Would Tibetan Buddhism even believe in a Hindu primary deity? Tatsuya wondered, but didn't verbalize the question. He no longer cared about the "He who holds Shiva's maya" point anymore.

"Are the Shambhala affiliates still in contact with each other?"

The mention of the "Guardians of Bukhara" was a clear confirmation that this lama was another person associated with Shambhala. Considering the now known fact that the ruins lie beneath the Potala Palace, it wasn't surprising to find such a person here, so Tatsuya wasn't curious about this point either.

According to the knowledge obtained from the ruins in Bukhara, Shambhala has been gone for more than 10,000 years. If those who are safeguarding the legacy have been in contact with each other, they have been maintaining a network, be it continuous or intermittent, for a good part of the past and beyond those 10,000 years.

How extensive is this network, exactly? The Bukhara "guardians" did not seem to know about the Mount Shasta artifacts, but what about the others from other parts of the world?

"It would be a little exaggerated to say that we are in contact with each other. This old sangha at the very least ─ ah, is this expression correct?"

Not being quite able to think of an appropriate response to the abrupt question, Tatsuya silently nodded his head.

"I haven't known about the [Guardians] of Bukhara until just recently. Their message was conveyed to me through meditation."

"Through dreams… Telepathy, you say?"

"I believe that would be a word for it. A kind of psychic communication, you could say. It was a clear call to those who share in the mission. It has allowed me to know that this old monk is not walking alone in this mission. And now that I have the pleasure of receiving you, he who holds Shiva's maya, I can be sure that it was not a product of a delusion of my own. If you allow my honesty, I feel much relieved."

"Excuse me, forgive me for interrupting you sir, but…"

Minoru interjected abruptly, his tone as sorry for doing as stated.

"What is this [Shiva's maya] you mention? I've been wondering about it since a while ago."

It was a point of curiosity for not only Minoru, but Tatsuya as well. So both waited in anticipation for a response from the lama.

"I'm aware that this may be difficult for you young gentlemen to accept, but all things and happenings have no substance. Everything in this world exists because we observe and are observed."

"That's quite an idealistic approach. Xuanzang20?"

Tatsuya's comment elicited a vague smile from the old monk.

"This old monk believes that even vijnana; knowledge, consciousness and the mind themselves do not have any substance. To put it in the extreme, everything is an illusion. To bestow that illusion with ephemeral substance, and to return the transient entity to its original state as an illusion, is what we call maya.

"The power to return all things to their illusionary nature… Ah, I see."

Minoru expressed his understanding.

Tatsuya, on the other hand, looked more like "I don't agree" rather than "it's hard to agree".

"I see that you have understood. The power to bring illusion into substance is Brahma's maya, whereas the power to bring substance back into illusion is Shiva's maya."

"So, His power to dissolve matter is exactly what you call [Shiva's maya]."

"If you don't mind, let's leave the digression at that."

Tatsuya called out to the lama and Minoru, who exchanged nods with each other, in a voice devoid of any emotion.

"Oh, right, time is not infinite in this world."

To which the old monk's response was not so formal.

"This way, please."

With a hand gesture, the lama indicated the path behind him, turning his back to the two and beginning to walk away.

Tatsuya and Minoru exchanged a look of mutual agreement and followed the old monk's steps.

Beyond the door that the old priest unlocked, there was an old stone staircase. It was difficult to tell how long it had been since it was built. It felt that those steps have a long history to them.

Yet, for much of its apparent antiquity, there was no indication of damage at all. Neither seems, from the sound of the lama and the feel of their steps that it would pose a danger. ─As a matter of fact, Tatsuya and Minoru's steps were soundless, as if they were cats.

There was no illumination on the walls. The only source of light was a portable cantera-shaped electric light held by the old monk. They descended the stone steps as far as it went. There was a landing every eleventh step, where they would turn for the next flight of steps and descend deep into the underground. They turned ninety-five times until they reached the bottom of the staircase.

At the end of the more than a thousand stone steps, there was no door. There was a small stone chamber.

There was nothing in the chamber. No altar, no piles of books or stone tablets. No painted drawings, no carved writing on the walls.

"Here you will find what you seek."

The old lama halted and told Tatsuya.

"Here are the ruins of Shambhala?"

Minoru asks the old monk. Even to his "eyes", there was nothing more there than an old, empty stone chamber.

"Unfortunately, this old man has never seen it before. I do not know the means to enter, nor am I qualified to be allowed to accompany you there."

The Lama said and bowed his head toward Tatsuya and Minoru. The bow followed closely the Japanese custom. 

"The door above can be opened from the inside without a key."

With that, Lama turned his back to them and walked back up the stairs.

The light went away along with the old monk, darkness soon took over. Tatsuya didn't move to turn on the light fixed on his upper arm, so Minoru followed his example.

Even so, there was no inconvenience. The two of them have vision that is not impaired by darkness.

"Tatsuya-san, can you tell me anything about it?"

Though before Lama "this person" was the usual Minoru, he had already let his guard down. He already deactivated his [Parade] at this point. And Tatsuya had also, incidentally, deactivated his [Aidoneus].

"The ruins seem to be cut off from magical perception. There seems to be no protection against mechanical sensors, but I would assume that the Potala Palace itself prevents any probing from above."

"Then this is definitely the place!"

Minoru's eyes lit up. ─Not literally, but figuratively. He didn't make his eyes glow in the dark.

"It should open with this."

In his right hand, Tatsuya held the "wand".

The one he had taken from the ruins of Bukhara, the wand with a cintamani stone attached to its head.

Tatsuya pointed the orb at the wall on the opposite side of the staircase.

In this stance, Tatsuya poured psions into the wand.

Amidst the darkness, the cintamani jewel began to emit a light that was visible to the naked eye.

It was not strong enough to illuminate the entire stone chamber. The light floated in the depths of darkness.

Tatsuya gently poked the wall with the jewel.

Abruptly, the room shook.

It was no earthquake. It was a slight vibration, the unremarkable kind that one would usually feel in a building on the side of a busy road, or riding an old elevator, or in an apartment complex whose construction costs have been skimped on. But in the complete silent darkness, it felt like an unusual tremor.

Creaking, the walls begin to move. The wall that resembled a pile of quarried stones split left and right at the boundary between the piles of stones.

Tatsuya turned on his light.

Beyond the newfound opening was a cavity more spacious than the chamber they were currently in.

Round in shape, it had a low cylindrical profile with a diameter of around 10 meters and a height of a little over 2 meters. Both the walls and ceiling were reinforced with stone, but the floor was bare earth.

At the center of the space was an octagonal pyramid-like object. Such is said because the octagonal pyramid shape only applied to the frame. The diagonal edges are made of some sort of slender stone or metal. And there are no faces. The overall shape of the octagonal pyramid is formed only by the oblique edges.

This frame of an octagonal pyramid had a breadth of about eight meters.

"Look. There is a staircase inside."

At Tatsuya's words, Minoru also turned on his light. The base of the octagonal pyramid was slightly below the dirt floor, with a narrow staircase descending to that floor.

After exchanging nods, Minoru and Tatsuya headed for those stairs.

The octagonal pyramid was an unsealed roof. Since the structure was underground, it did need a roof to begin with, but then, was this tower built with the premise that it would be subterranean from the beginning?

Tatsuya took the lead and, one by one, descended the spiral staircase, with steps barely wide enough for one person to pass.

The tower was not divided into floors, with the only foothold being this flight of spiral stairs protruding from the stone wall.

The depth of the tower ran about 30 meters. Upon finally arriving at the base, they brought their lights up to a pillar that ran through the center of the tower.

The pillar consisted of three columns of the same width, standing connected to each other. In the same arrangement as the banner of peace that has become familiar in this exploration of the Shambhala ruins. Or perhaps referring to it as similar to the "Shin-no-mihashira" found at the Ise Grand Shrine and the Izumo Taisha Shrine may be a more suitable description.

Both touched the pillar with their hands, one from each side.

"I wonder if this is iron…" 

"It might be iron…"

Minoru said uncertainty, while Tatsuya replied vaguely.

They are no metal experts, so they can't tell the material just from the look and feel of it. They also refrained from a magical analysis for fear of what side effects it might produce. "Iron" was just the impression of it.

Impression which was not wrong in this case. The "pillar" was indeed made of iron. 

"But there doesn't appear to be any rust, though. There is surely enough oxygen because we are able to breathe, and it doesn't look like it is completely dry, perhaps due to the groundwater. Wouldn't iron rust in these conditions?"

"I haven't seen the actual thing in Delhi yet, but couldn't it be made of the same material as 'Chandragupta's pillar'?"

'Chandragupta's pillar' is the famous 'rust-free iron pillar' located on the outskirts of Delhi. It was reportedly made in the early fifth century.

"─Anyway, what this 'pillar' is made of is not important, what is recorded in it is."

Tatsuya turned to the pillar, his face tightening as his curiosity got the better of him.

"I'm sorry, you're right."

Minoru apologizes for the fact that his comment triggered the digression.

"Don't worry about it."

Tatsuya said casually and lowered his backpack to the ground.

"─It's a good thing we don't have to worry about oxygen."

He "looked" at the air in the tower to make sure there were no problems with its composition.

"I'll go through it first. I don't know how long it will take, but I plan to get this done in twenty-four hours."

Tatsuya said in a "I'll show how it's done," referring to their plan to alternate between readings. 

"Just like we planned, right?. Got it."

"If you can take over where I stop, we'll rotate every hour or so."

"Understood."

Tatsuya touches the pillar with the wand's jewel infused with psions.

Immediately the next moment, his face loses all expression.