Chapter 4
[Two Ruins]
It was three days ago that Dean ordered Laura to decipher the "Map Tablet".
In just those three days she managed to decipher the other map hidden on the stone tablet. She did so without any of the latest in analytical technology or artificial intelligence, after all she didn't decipher through an academic method, it was just her and her witchcraft. In modern terminology, she utilized psychometry to attune herself with the residual thoughts lodged in the tablet, and read the memories associated with said thoughts.
She being a witch wasn't the only reason Laura was able to read the information on the tablet directly. Psychometry has been attempted by the Stars, with no success. Unlike them, Laura had the advantage of prior experience dealing with the [Guru's Tablet]'s Demon, who was created by the same person who created the [Map Tablet]. The similarities with when she interacted with the Demon when binding it as a familiar allowed her an easier resonance with the residual thoughts that resided in this tablet.
Laura succeeded in deciphering it after a prolonged trance, at which point she exhausted her energy and fainted, only appearing before Dean later that evening with the report.
"─So at the northwestern foot of Mount Shasta. If I recall correctly, the stone tablets were excavated from the southwestern side."
Dean pointed out the discrepancy with a deliberate questioning look on his face after hearing Laura's report. This was not a criticism of Laura, but rather a personal trait of his.
"I believe I understand exactly what you're trying to say, My Lord."
Laura didn't lose her calm tone and expression in the face of Dean's malicious demeanor. They have known each other for a long time. She knew this was the time he would exclaim "Are you kidding me?!", as he did in his younger days when he tried to maintain a bold front. There were times when his malice was genuine, and Laura knew that wasn't the case right now.
"I assume the two tablets were buried there as an emergency measure to escape the enemy and to prevent them from locating their camp."
"The enemy?" Again Dean showed pinpoint interest in the mention of the word "enemy".
"Yes, My Lord. It would appear that the creator of the [Guru's Tablet] in which [Babel] was recorded belonged to a group of 'Emancipators' who were fighting a powerful ruling enemy they referred to as 'Paradise'."
"Paradise, Emancipators? Now what are we talking about here?"
"Those were concepts I recovered from the residual thoughts of the tablet creator. The
[Guru Tablet] makers called themselves "Emancipators" in their own language."
"And 'Paradise' would be the nation ruled by the enemy?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"...I honestly don't get it. Well, no matter. So these ruins are from these 'Emancipators' or whatever, right?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"You're sure these ruins are in the northwestern foothills of Mt. Shasta?"
"Yes, it is. I could only get a rough estimate from the white tablet, but I should be able to get a more precise idea of its location once I get closer to the site. There I might be able to search for residual thoughts similar to those that were lodged in the Demon."
"So you'll know once you get there?"
"Yes. I'm positive I will."
Dean folded his arms and pondered, he could not immediately think of a way out of their current situation of not being able to take a single step out of their hideout.
As he was mulling it over, the intercom buzzed to announce a visitor.
"My Lord. Master Zhu is here to see you."
"...Have him please come in."
Although he felt annoyed at being interrupted while in thought, Dean was utterly dependent on Zhu Yuen Yun during his life on the run. Driving him away by pretending he wasn't there was out of the question as it would be illogical.
Given the size of the house, it wasn't long before Laura returned accompanied by his visitor. Dean promptly stood up to greet the born and raised Hawaiian, whose American name is "Ian Jules''. Their greeting was casual, in the American way.
"So, how can I help you today, sir? It's always a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet, but I can't help but suspect your visit wasn't just to talk with this younger brother."
"No, no, Rocky, my wise younger brother. Don't worry about me, it's always a treat for me to see you. But I'm afraid you are correct, my friend, I came here today to ask you a question."
Their use of "younger brother" was merely to refer to a "younger man" here. Dean has not yet been Dean has not yet taken the Hongmen's mantle.
"A question? Please feel welcome to ask me anything." Dean bowed his head, strangely without showing any sense of alarm.
"You perhaps are aware, Rocky, that the Greater Asia Union and the IPU are at war, correct?"
Dean nodded in response, "Yes, I am aware." Dean nodded in response, this question was probably setting a foothold for the main point Zhu Yuen Yun wished to bring.
"The Greater Asia Union is badly outmatched. As it stands, they will lose Tibet to the IPU."
"Of that I wasn't aware, sir."
"This is our opportunity to offer a helping hand. We have no obligations to the homeland, but having them as an ingratiated trading partner would be preferable to the
IPU."
"You have a good point," Dean said in back-channeling while feeling mildly perplexed. It was quite surprising to know the Hongmen and GAU had such a dry relationship that they would say that "there is no obligation" to each other.
"That said, supplying arms or ammunition would be too risky."
"Understandable."
This was not as surprising. The USNA supports the Tibetan government-in-exile─the "legitimate government of Tibet," as they proclaim themselves─in the recent war. Which translates in them endorsing the IPU's actions for the most part. And the American
Hongmen would naturally prefer to avoid crossing paths with the USNA government.
"So we are looking for ways of providing support to the Greater Asia Coalition in a discreet manner. That's why I came to you Rocky, do you know where to find grimoires like the 'Guru's Tablet'?"
Zhu Yuen Yun reached the crux of his matter at last. [Babel] is a magic that can unleash havoc on the enemy's forces if it's used properly. Zhu Yuen Yun was seeking a new tablet with a magic that could similarly influence the course of the war, but which could be mastered without lengthy training.
He probably heard of the rumors regarding the ruins on Mt. Shasta. After that, Dean's FAIR and their discovery of the "Guru's Tablet" in an unnamed cave on the same mountain and the revival of the magic of divine punishment [Babel] must have been the first thing that came to mind.
This all feels too convenient for comfort. Just as he was wondering how he was going to go about his search for a powerful magic artifact, he is approached to what he can only assume at this point is to unearth a new grimoire. It feels almost like someone is setting him up.
Dean decided to take this as a stroke of good fortune, while also keeping an eye open for the possibility that it could be a trap.
"'I assume you are informed about the stone tablets we have here in this safe house."
"The ones that were excavated along with the Guru's Tablet? Yes, I am. I do recall, however, that those weren't grimoires."
"You are correct. The sixteen stone tablets we have in our possession do not have that same function, they are in fact maps."
"Maps of where, do you know?" Zhu Yuen Yun's eyes flashed with interest.
"We have an approximate location. We can find the exact location once we reach there."
"You mean you and Ms. Simon should take part in the search. I understand. I'll make arrangements to have you depart as soon as possible."
The American Hongmen have considerable influence over the ethnic Chinese community, as well as some power behind the scenes in the USNA. Among them, Zhu Yuen Yun holds great prestige as a senior executive and a strong candidate for the next leadership position. Even if he doesn't have the leverage to drop the warrants on Dean and Laura, it was still well within his power to create blind spots in the city's extensive surveillance network grid to prevent the police from spotting them.
Dean couldn't stop his mouth from forming a smile, but restrained the urge to exclaim in joy. "Thank you very much," he said, bowing his head, hiding his calculating smile.
"Where, may I ask, will you be looking?"
"The northwestern foothills of Mount Shasta." Dean revealed his hand easily enough. Less of a slip of the tongue, and more of a show of confidence they wouldn't find the ruins without him and Laura.
◇◇◇
Simultaneous to Zhu Yuen Yun's visit to Dean's hideout, a group of FEHR members arrived overland from Vancouver.
The group of four lodged at a motel near Mt. Shasta. The members consisted of Lena, Ryousuke, Louis Roux and Arya Krishna Shastri, Charlotte stayed back at the headquarters.
They were visited by a person as soon as they arrived at the motel, a private investigator going by the name of Luca Fields, whose real name happened to be Haruka Ono. On her contact with the agency she was part of, Gagnor arranged for them to meet at the motel they booked.
Once they invited Haruka into the room Lean and Arya were sharing, Haruka went over the results of the investigation requested by them in an email in advance.
"If I understand correctly, you access there isn't any organization actively searching for the ruins at the moment, is that correct?"
Haruka confirmed with a nod in response to Lena's rewording.
"There has been a noticeable uptick in groups roaming around Mt. Shasta area, but I haven't come across any groups that have started excavating or investigating in earnest,” Haruka resumed her rapport, adding, "I did, however, encounter organizations that have been surveilling the area, though not looking to excavate, as far as I can tell." "Surveilling?" Lena asked, tilting her head.
"Yes. It seems they are very interested in identifying anyone coming here after the rumors."
"Who could they be…?" Lena's question was mainly a soliloquy directed at no one in particular. She didn't expect Haruka to be that much throughout her investigation.
But she received an answer, "Most likely the Stars"
"The Stars!?"
Lena's surprise was accompanied, albeit brief, by a frown of displeasure. No doubt her mind went back to the two weeks she had spent being dragged around by one of them.
"I should note that it's only a possibility at this point. My supposition is that this rumor was spread by the Stars to fish for someone they're hunting for."
"Why would they go through with this?"
"Perhaps they're looking for a magician who poses a threat to national security and who wants a Relic."
Lena recalled Laura Simons of FAIR, who unearthed stone tablets from an unnamed cave behind a waterfall. Perhaps Haruka also had the same thing in mind when she spoke.
According to what Tatsuya communicated to them, FAIR have used the black stone tablet they found to spark a severe case of magic misuse on the West Coast. In his words, he had only "settled" that matter before it escalated, which may have even reached the national scale.
Speaking of Laura, Lena thought, there haven't been any news of arrest as of yet for both her and FAIR's leader, Rocky Dean, since the issue of their warrants. It was quite possible this was an attempt of the Stars to coax out the two main suspects of a major magical terrorism case.
"Thank you very much for your service. For now on we would like it if you keep on your lookout and narrow it down to mainly any members of FAIR."
"I understand. But in order to have more accurate surveillance, I would need to increase the personnel on the task, would that be all right with you?"
By simple as it is to say "the surrounding area of Mt. Shasta," it is still very broad area to cover. Haruka has currently been intercepting police radios and focusing on tourists who they single out as behaving oddly compared to the rest.
"...On another consideration, please proceed as usual for the time being..."
Lena understood this was a tall order for Haruka to take on alone. Nevertheless, the additional personnel is going to add to the expenses, and thus the cost of her service, and FEHR, as a nongovernmental organization, naturally doesn't have either the budget or can turn to the government to cover such expenses. If not for the nuisance fees they received from the federal military budget through Stars for the Evelyn affair, they would not be able to hire even one private investigator for a long period of time with their usual budget.
Whether or not because she was in some way aware of FEHR's financial situation, Haruka easily accepted Lena's painful reply.
◇◇◇
It was the first Sunday after the start of the new semester at the Magic University, Masaki had to show up at a university club in the morning, only returning home to his apartment in the late afternoon.
With the popularization of domestic automatic cooking devices, the hurdle of cooking for oneself has gone away, at least from a skill standpoint. Even for the prime example of a student who had never touched a stove and a pan at their parents' home, would have no difficulty in preparing their own meals as long as they have the right tools (or machines). Unfortunately, development has yet to encounter a way to account for the "it's too much of a hassle" mentality.
Masaki has been cooking his own meals for half of the week since the start of the semester. The other half he goes to eat out, though not because of the aforementioned issue, but rather because of his various social obligations.
His case in particular sees him socializing, apart from his university associations, as the heir of the Ichijou, and as one of the Ten Master Clans, plus the National Defense Force, now that he has become a Nationally Recognized Strategic-class Magician. There are so many dinner meetings in fact that he would say, "I'd be much more relaxed if I cooked my own meals."
Sunday was usually his busiest day in that aspect, but this time he didn't receive any dinner invitations. Perhaps people held back because the semester had just started. At any rate, as soon as he got home, Masaki went out again to pick up some groceries for dinner.
Nowadays, day-to-day shopping could be carried out without having to leave the house. You could get most of what you need or want, and it wasn't particularly expensive, either. Some might still prefer to personally go to the stores, in hopes of catching a special discount, but it was a game of luck at the end of the day. The usual daily special sales and other such exaggerated and self-contradictory sales pitches have become a thing of the past.
This shopping trip was, in short, just a whim on his part.
So it was nothing short of coincidence that he was approached by his neighbor at the supermarket.
"Oh, is that you Ichijou-san!? Do you shop here too?"
"Hello, Aikawa-san."
The young woman who accosted him was Aikawa Keika. She had just moved into the apartment next door.
"You too? I had the same thought," she said, moving naturally to stand beside Masaki.
Despite being mentioned she just moved in, it has been ten days now. They had the usual daily interactions of close neighbors. Masaki learned she was a very sociable person without being intrusive. Because she maintained a respectful distance, Masaki did not try to move away from her, letting her walk slowly down the aisle of the supermarket, side by side with him.
"Do you cook for yourself, Ichijou-san?"
"Yes. Though not every day."
"Right, you are one of those men that 'can take care of himself', isn't that right?"
Masaki was left somewhat uncomfortable with this off-hand remark from Keika. It seemed to insinuate the now archaic notion that twell The notion that "housework is the woman's job" while the "men shouldn't step into the kitchen". Although not yet extinct after so many decades, you could still find a minority of people who still held such beliefs about the domestic environment.
Not to say the concept of division of the household chores itself is repudiated. Rather it is the fixation with the gendered roles, where "men should work" while "women take care of the house" that has fallen out of step with the times.
And it seems like Keika here was one of the minority who still held those anachronistic values, which came as a surprise to Masaki.
While he was at a loss of how to respond, Keika deftly packed her groceries in shopping bags. Today's supermarkets do not use in-store shopping baskets. All items are tagged with an IC tag and are automatically paid for as the customer passes through the checkout zone. For those customers who have not registered their credit card, or another payment method, purchase a prepaid electronic money upon entering the store and settle the bill with it. Any excess money can be refunded at any time.
Keika showed no hesitation in picking out her groceries. She seemed to be an experienced shopper.
"...Still unsure on your menu for today, Ichijou-san?"
"Huh...?"
"I mean, you haven't bought anything yet."
As Keika said, Masaki had yet to put anything in his bag. It was when this was pointed out that Masaki finally realized that he had been admiring Keika's deftness.
There was nothing extra to it. Simply the way Keika went about her shopping felt like a new discovery for him.
This was far from the first time he saw a woman shopping. With two younger sisters and a number of slightly older female relatives, Masaki had his fair share of shopping experiences with women. And not in just a few of those he was coerced into tagging along.
But all of those times it was shopping for clothes and accessories. He never accompanied them in everyday shopping. This was, in fact, the first time he saw women shopping as part of their daily household chores.
Perhaps this was Masaki developing a new attraction for the type of "domestic woman."
"...If you wouldn't mind, would you be interested in coming to my place tonight?" Seeing that Masaki was again taking too long to reply, Keika went ahead and proposed.
"Huh!?" exclaimed Masaki, his voice breaking as he is thrown for a loop.
(W-What does she mean by that...!?)
His mind over-fixated on the "come to my place tonight," causing him to fluster.
"Oh, I don't mean to impose. It's just that, to me, you seemed unsure about your menu..."
"M-Menu? What do you mean ‘menu’...?"
"Menu... Like, the menu for dinner."
"─Ah! Aaah, you're talking about meals..."
Masaki could feel his face growing hot, he must be bright red by now.
Masaki could feel his face growing hot as he realized his mistake. The earlier confusion has been replaced by embarrassment.
Keika seemed to have guessed the reason behind Masaki's strange reactions. "Do you have any food allergies, Ichijou-san?" But she didn't mention, feigning not to notice anything wrong.
"No, none that I recall."
"Then you can leave the menu to me. Will that be all right?"
"I should be the one asking. I hope I'm not inconveniencing you."
"Not at all. I'd be happy to have you."
"I see... In that case, I'd be glad to. Ah, please allow me to carry the bags." Saying this, Masaki half-heartedly received the shopping bag from Keika.
Since the supermarket paying system determines the purchaser by who is in the possession of the items, not by the owner of the bag it is in, this gesture was an offer from Masaki to pay for the groceries.
"I'm sorry for the trouble... And thank you very much."
Keika came across as feeling obliged, but didn't insist on paying the bill. It didn't quite seem like she was trying to manipulate and taking advantage of a man, but it was more a matter of showing consideration to a man's display of vanity.
"Sorry to intrude..." Masaki spoke up hesitantly when he entered Keika's apartment. She called his phone a short moment ago to inform him "It's ready."
"Please, feel free to come in." Keika beckoned him in without a hint of nervousness or embarrassment.
The interior was clean and tidy, decorated in a very feminine fashion. When Masaki went to take off his shoes, what stimulated his sense of smell overwhelmed anything his sight could provide.
The whole apartment was charged with a pleasant, flowery smell.
While he was caught off guard by the aroma that tickled his nostrils, Keika sat him down in front of the table.
On the table was already a colorful assortment of dishes. The majority were Chinese cuisine. Masaki didn't specifically request them, it seemed to be her specialty.
In the next minutes, Masaki savored Keika's home-cooked food until he was full.
Having shared the same meal seemed to have brought the two closer together. Of the two, Keika in particular appeared to be more happy with this outcome.
Masaki, on the other side of the table, appeared to have already been caught by the stomach.
◇◇◇
Today marked the fourth day since Tatsuya asked Yakumo to mediate with Toudou.
Yakumo contacted Tatsuya after dinner to let him know that he had finally arranged an audience with Toudou.
"Right now?"
With the caveat that the time and date given was an hour from now.
[It would appear that His Excellency's schedule is quite busy,] Yakumo related to him apologetically.
"No, I don't mind. I'm just grateful I can have some of his time. Will the meeting be at the Kyuuchouji temple?"
[Yes. I'll have a disciple waiting at the gate, but you can try to go inside by yourself if you like. It's the same room as last time.]
"Why would I want to sneak in? Please don't pull any weird pranks, Master." [Oh, you noticed?] Yakumo chuckled at Tatsuya's reminder.
The call ended with a "I'll be there in a moment," and a "I'll be waiting for you."
"Hey. You came here pretty fast."
Verbatim to his statement over the phone, Tatsuya left home immediately after the call ended. He was now standing at the Kuuchouji temple thirty minutes in advance of the appointed time.
"I wished to personally show my gratitude to you, Master." Yakumo said earlier that he would have one of his disciples guide him in. Tatsuya wondered if he intended to take him by surprise.
"Don't get me wrong, I didn't come here to greet you." But Yakumo's answer was even more unexpected. "I'm here to greet His Excellency. I was informed his previous business ended earlier than anticipated."
"I see," Tatsuya hummed non-commitaly as he sank in thought.
This must have been the arrangement from the very beginning, Tatsuya thought. It didn't matter if Yakumo had lied or not─Tatsuya personally thinks he has not, he could have been misdirected as well.
By arriving ahead of the appointed time, Toudou would create a predicament to get the upper hand: Tatsuya would find himself in a social conundrum, "Tatsuya made His Excellency wait, by arriving at the appointed time."
That was Tatsuya's speculation on this situation and Toudou's intentions.
"Then I'll wait for His Excellency's arrival here, as well, if you don't mind."
"Hm, suit yourself." Yakumo responded with a broad grin. If what Tatsuya suggested was true, it seemed that Yakumo was also interested in some petty revenge for being pushed around.
Toudou had little reaction to seeing Tatsuya standing at the temple gate. That is not to say he outright ignored his presence, Toudou acknowledged him with a firm glance. Tatsuya felt not being caught off-guard on the first move was enough solace.
They sat down simultaneously upon arriving at a side room at the back of the main hall, Tatsuya took a lower seat, just as he had done during their first face-to-face meeting.
Naturally, the upper seat was reserved for Toudou. One difference this time was Toudou's relaxed posture like Tatsuya's. Though the atmosphere between both was far from.
"─I understand your concerns about the danger of the artifacts left behind by Shambhala," Toudou spoke up after hearing Tatsuya's reasoning for asking permission to go to America.
Toudou also showed no resistance to Shambala being more than just a legend. Perhaps he knew of its existence from another source besides what Tatsuya had come to learn.. Not too far-fetching of a possibility, considering that there were ruins left behind in Japan.
"Oh my, does Major General Akiyama now know of Your Excellency's connection with the Yotsuba family?" Yakumo interjected, sounding a little surprised. It slightly detracted from the main point at issue, but he might have meant it as a back-channeling remark.
Though Toudou seemed to take that as someone butting in while he was talking, he frowned slightly.
"It appears that he learned from Yotsuba Maya."
"Is that alright with Your Excellency?"
"I never ordered that it should remain secret."
"If you don't mind my asking, was Director General Akiyama's request related to the IPU's 'War for the Liberation of Tibet'?" Here Tatsuya attempted to briefly change the subject of the conversation.
Calling it a "War for the Liberation of Tibet" was the IPU's to create a positive image in the international community for the conflict. Which was followed by the Greater Asia Union simply reversing it and calling it an "Invasion of Tibet.
"Indeed. I'll be meeting with Myounichi, Anzai, Kashiwa, and Hozumi tomorrow to discuss the matter."
Anzai, Kashiwa, Hozumi, and Toudou, are four surnames of the men with most influence in the Senate. They are often referred to as the "Four Great Elders" by those who knew of their existence. And these four individuals are gathering for a meeting. This goes to show the importance they attach to the situation.
"The war on Tibet must be some very significant event to have the Four Great Elders in one place," Yakumo teases with a wry smile. His opinions on the topic were evident, "Why not leave it be?"
"There is an attempt to rewrite the map of the world. This is not in the national interest. It cannot be left unchecked."
"With all due respect, Your Excellency, I believe this is a matter for the government and the National Defense Forces to handle."
"And you'd be absolutely right in believing so." Toudou showed no anger in Yakumo's insistent objection. "Also, the potential harm that would result if magic capable of mass destruction were to fall into the hands of terrorists is incalculable. I very much agree that sealing the relics of Shambhala is a high priority. But, answer me this, Yotsuba
Tatsuya," Toudou then turned his piercing, single eye and his white, murky eyes on Tatsuya. "Shouldn't we also prevent the underground of the Potala Palace from being razed to the ground?"
Tatsuya's suspicions were confirmed. Toudou has accurate knowledge of Shamballa.
"You are absolutely right, Your Excellency," It was already past the point of acting unaware, Tatsuya bowed his head graciously.
"Tibet and California; we can't afford to be late for either. But the others might not know of this fact. Especially the California issue."
The "others" would presumably be the other three with whom Toudou composed the aforementioned Four Great Elders. And it seemed that Toudou couldn't ignore their opinions on the matter.
"I assure you I'll bring this matter to attention. Until then I ask you to wait for a response from me." This seemed to be the best he could get from Toudou for tonight.
Tatsuya didn't press the issue any further.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login