Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 13.5 - SS - Chapter 5.1

SS 5: The Temptation of Roses

In June 2096, the international business community was shocked by the news of the death of one person.

Although the size of the magic market was small, no country could ignore the products of magic engineering due to military needs. Bastian Rosen, former president of the leading German manufacturer, Rozen Magicraft, has passed away.

He was 96 years old. It was death from old age.

◊ ◊ ◊

Rozen Magicraft competed for first place in the world in terms of sales of magic equipment with another manufacturer of magic equipment, Maximilian Devices from the USA.

In the office of the Rozen Magicraft Japanese branch, Ernst Rosen was now viewing one video instead of paper documents.

The video contained highlights from the matches of the Monolith Code Tournament of nine schools held in the summer of the previous year, 2095. And not from the official division, but from the division of beginners. On the display, a big guy dressed in an inappropriate robe was brandishing something that looked like a sword.

"Similar" because this "sword" had only common features similar to a real sword. He had a tip moving in the air, separated from the base, and the entire structure at the same time had a length of more than 10 meters.

This weapon could surprise an ordinary person, but for Ernst it was not something valuable, only slightly unusual. It was not the weapon that attracted his attention, but the guy who waved it.

During one of the chopping attacks with this bizarre sword, the tip's flight path changed, and he stuck into the ground. This happened because this guy himself was rejected by a magical attack. The guy took on an attack similar to a hammer blow, but brought his attack to the end. His fighting spirit deserved a surprised look. However, in order to drop the metal tip onto the opponent’s head (even though it is protected by a helmet) with such force - you also need to have a lot of determination.

But Ernst's attention was not riveted to this.

The display showed that the guy was up. From the point of view of common sense, this was not possible. Some time ago, he was hit by a magical attack, and he was thrown back almost a meter. He should have received the corresponding damage. Losing consciousness would also not be strange, and judging by what could be seen from this video, he really turned off for a short while. But this guy was in the mantle, and by his movements it was difficult to see whether this was so.

With a scream that looked like a lion's roar, the guy threw his robe. The cloak-mantle, which was recently a soft piece of cloth, became a hard dark plate and, flying, flew.

- Firming magic? - Ernst muttered under his breath. Even before he agreed, a black plate stuck into the ground, becoming a wall protecting this guy’s teammate.

This wall stopped an impending stream of dirt and sand.

The guy directed his hand with the handle toward the tip stuck in the ground and jerked sharply. It was power like a beast. The handle in the guy’s hand and the tip flying out of the ground clutch, again becoming one.

The guy again issued a battle cry, like an animal roar.

The sword split, and the "blade" went flying.

With one blow, the guy knocked out the last remaining player on the opposing team.

- Hm ...

This video has ended. Ernst sighed meaningfully, not taking his eyes off the blank screen.

- Once again I’m looking, there can be no mistake. George's grandson inherited the ability of Burg Folge *.

[From German: "Fortress Series"]

Noticing that the display went blank, Ernst closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

- Could the genes of the first type model be inherited in such a place ...?

Ernst opened his eyes and waved his head in exasperation. He was annoyed that this information was not transferred to the main office, and that he did not know this until he arrived in Japan.

He knew that Georg Ostburg, the first version of the Burg Folge series, wizards with an improved body, fled to Japan 50 years ago. But the German army, which ordered the production of Burg Folge, and Rosen, who was engaged in this production, decided that George should not be persecuted, because he would not last long, because all the other representatives of the first type of Burg Folge were actually short-lived and died.

But Roseny did not give up their rights to these genes. A lot of money was invested in the production of Burg Folge, which, for the most part, did not pay off.

The data on the improved bodies themselves was preserved, so you can easily understand this by watching this video.

Understand that this guy, Saizo Leonhart, has the features of Burg Folge. And Ernst's assistants, whom he took with him from Germany, quickly noticed this.

If we correlate this fact and the fact from the past that Georg Ostburg fled to Japan, then one can naturally come to a single conclusion. Saizo Leonhart is a relative of George. Georg Ostburg made a child in Japan, and thus transferred his genes. That this is a fact is supported by substantial evidence.

Ernst decided that under the pretext of reorganizing the Japanese branch, it is necessary to carry out a “sweep” as soon as possible.

"The problem is how to get this boy ..."

He brought the collected materials on Saijo Leonhart to a monitor built into the surface of the table. He had already looked through these materials more than once, but every time he read them, his face became gloomy.

At first glance, it seemed that, although with some inconvenience, there were many weaknesses. But Ernst thought otherwise. The guy clearly did not have dissatisfaction with the current environment. At least he liked school life.

Perhaps 2 years ago it would have been easier, but now he will most likely refuse, even if the best favorable conditions are provided. Even with his intellect, Ernst could not find a solution that would make the guy throw Japan out of his head and choose Germany.

But he couldn’t take him to Germany by force. Wizards traveling abroad was strictly limited. This rule was the same in Germany and in Japan. He will not even be allowed a trip on an excursion, but he should not even mention a long-term trip for business purposes. Even people in the public service, with a few exceptions in the form of embassy employees, cannot stay in other countries for a long time.

If you look at this rule from the other side, then this is nothing but a strict restriction on the departure of wizards from the country.

This is especially true of the company Rosen Magicraft, which has a close business relationship with the German government and the army. Any of her activities on leaving Japan will be strictly controlled by the Japanese government. You can still count on a voluntary departure from the country, but it is unlikely to be able to abduct and take out.

At a minimum, it was necessary to somehow interest him.

"In any case, you can’t draw conclusions until I see for myself."

The actual representative of the main house, Rosenov, was transferred to the post of head of the Japanese branch, because he felt a critical situation in Japan related to the development of the flight magic device by the Japanese developer of magic equipment FLT, or rather, his employee Taurus Silver. How did the FLT succeed in developing a flight magic device if it was previously stated that this could not be put into practice? He needed to learn these secrets, organize their research and research know-how, and, if possible, lure Taurus Silver to the Rosen.

The identity of Taurus Silver, hiding his origin, was still unknown. The manipulation of information regarding this engineer was at a very high level. So identifying him was another Ernst assignment at this branch. Therefore, he was given the right to priority use of corporate resources of Rosenov.

For him, this was a test, as well as a chance. If he fulfills this task, he will be one step ahead of the rest of the candidates for inheritance of Rosenov’s business management.

Reveal the secret of Taurus Silver, and lure him. This was supposed to be Ernst's priority in Japan. But the unexpected discovery of the so-called "Saijo Leonhart" forced him to change his priorities.

Germany was the first country in the world to create technology for the production of improved wizards. But it was a path pioneer, not without trial and error. The development of wizards is usually an inhuman process. The technologies used in the production of the first, experimental, improved wizards were morally unacceptable. But these were technologies that more fell under religious prohibitions than under modern concepts of morality, such as humanity and human dignity.

The result was quite obvious. People were unable to adopt these technologies. Although the connection between these events was not exactly confirmed, the improved wizards involved in these experiments died young. And they did not receive physical damage. Their minds collapsed. Almost half of them committed suicide. The other half died in insanity. The rest, who did not kill themselves and did not kill themselves in insanity, either fell in battle during missions or fled. And in the end, at the disposal of Rosenov there was not a single such person.

The Rosen family believed that "this is not a problem, since we still have experimental data." Based on the data of the model of the first type, models of the second and third types were created, in which more effective stability was realized.

However, cases of self-destruction could not be reduced to zero. Even representatives of the most stable third type of “Burg Folge” had a 10% chance of falling into insanity. Given the production costs of improved people, this loss ratio could not be neglected.

Therefore, Saizo Leonhart, who inherited the more unstable genes of the first type, and at the same time did not show signs of self-destruction, was a model that must be obtained at all costs for the further development of production technologies for improved wizards. This was not only the personal opinion of Ernst himself. Even the consent of the head of the Rosen family was obtained.

Moreover, he received the right to any action.

But even with carte blanche in hand, you cannot do anything until you come up with the right approach.

"Need to continue the investigation"

In a month, the next Tournament of nine schools will be held. There was one delicate moment: will this year choose a guy as a player who last year was just a replacement? If you look at his achievements, then he should pass.

Ernst, as the head of the Japanese branch, has already received an invitation to the Tournament of nine schools. Getting in touch at this location would be the most suitable option.

Reflecting on the fact that watching him was inconvenient from the very day he arrived in Japan, Ernst Rosen called the secretary to write a response to the invitation.

◊ ◊ ◊

August 4, 2096. The tournament of nine schools of this year will begin tomorrow. The venue was already filled with a sense of tension that was different from what it was in other years. But this feeling was mainly among the participants of the competition, and people who came here as spectators were engulfed in an "atmosphere of excitement."

One of these people was Leo. Since last month, he helped with training for the participants of the new competition “Shooting Down the Shield”, that is, he was only a relative representative of his school. Therefore, in this situation, he was rather excited rather than tense. ... But even if he was a competitor, then with his character, he would still behave the same.

Changes to the competitions were made for the first time in a long time. This change of course was very reminiscent of a desire to push wizards into a real battle. Both the players and the rest of the staff of each school, each in their own degree, agreed with this point of view.

Magic is a military force, in other words a weapons force. And they want the wizards to play the role of soldiers, or, in other words, weapons. This is one of the indisputable facts. Young people also agreed with this. Among the students of high schools of magic there were many who were going to choose a life path related to national defense.

However, most students thought that they would have to face a harsh reality only after graduating from school of magic, and therefore they had at least another six months left. And now, when students of schools of magic were suddenly demanded "skills inherent in soldiers" at the competitions of the Tournament of nine schools, they were all in panic.

They were not ready for this.

This phrase can briefly describe their condition. It was not easy for them to follow the rule "always be ready for battle." It took time to get together.

People are creatures that can change, adapting to their surroundings, there would be time. If they are forcibly thrown into an environment for which they are not ready, then they will naturally acquire this readiness. This meant that schools of magic, including even the Third School, declaring its military bias, were not really the environment in which future soldiers were brought up.

Simply put, for students of magic schools who learned about a change in the Tournament of nine schools just a month ago, this time was not enough to adapt to new conditions. That's how simple it was.

So it was with the majority. No one was puzzled why this was happening.

However, there were already those who were ready to become a soldier or warrior. But even for them, new competitions were not just a game. With the introduction of such competitions, the likelihood of an accident has also increased. Of course, the concept of "accident" does not mean that everything will end in death. In this sense, there is no difference, for example, with wrestling or auto-moto-sports.

On the other hand, for students who firmly decided that they would not become soldiers, the competition was just something exciting and slightly exciting. Although everything was quite the opposite here, it again did not differ in any way from wrestling and racing competitions. Those who realized this were neither in embarrassment nor confusion.

For example, Erica belonged to the first group mentioned.

And Leo, surprisingly, was from the second group.

Leo considered himself neither a warrior nor a soldier. He was going to work either in the traffic police or in the mountain guard *. He was not going to become a military man, because he thought he was not fit to be a military man.

[Department of the Japanese police, in essence, engaged in rescuing people in the mountains (missing or injured)]

He was not afraid to fight. Moreover, he believed that fighting was the only thing he was capable of. Leo knew that a quarter of his genes had been modified so that he was a weapon, but he was not in the least going to be bound by the fate of this blood.

However, Ernst Rosen, the head of the Japanese branch of Rosen Magicraft, had, on this account, a completely opposite opinion.

The fact that Ernst noticed Leo at the front desk was a pure coincidence. He wanted to come up to him while watching one of the matches, and did not expect at all that he would run into him at the hotel reception. He had not even sent his subordinates to observe. He had also just arrived at this hotel, and was expecting his secretary and accompanying officer.

The image of the guy carrying the girlfriend’s luggage was suitable for his age, but it was difficult to determine by his massive physique that he was still a schoolboy. Modern wizard guys often had impressive physical characteristics, which were completely opposite to the classic image of a “wizard”. But even among them, Leo's body attracted Ernst's attention.

Send a secretary or speak yourself? Before Ernst had time to make a decision, Leo spoke to a student of the same school as he was.

"This is Shiba Tatsuya"

Tatsuya was also a student in the school of magic, about which Ernst wanted to collect information. He had heard about his value from his predecessor as the head of the Japanese branch, and had already managed to confirm that this praise was not an exaggeration when he saw the so-called Star Reactor experiment in April.

Ernst thought that now is a very good chance to speak with them. They will have less alertness if you speak with two at the same time, and not with each one individually. Ernst came to this conclusion, but sharply changed his mind when he saw the face of the girl who was with them.

Ernst's indecision did not cause Miyuki, not Mizuki, not Shizuku and not Honoka, but Eric.

Anna Rosen-Katori. That was the name of Ernst Rosen's cousin, as well as Erica's mother. The current head of the family is the eldest brother of Ernst's father. And Anna’s father and Erica’s grandfather is the second eldest brother who escaped from the family.

In other words, Erica is the granddaughter of the younger brother of the head of the Rosen family. In fact, she should be considered a girl from the Rosen family.

Erica was also one of the items on the list that Ernst had to deal with here in Japan. And this was one of the most difficult issues, requiring a delicate approach. It was still possible to talk with Saizo Leonhart in the presence of Shiba Tatsui, but he would like to avoid contact with her in such circumstances.

In the end, Ernst never spoke to either Leo or Tatsuya, but simply traced his retreating figures with his eyes.

◊ ◊ ◊

The next day, August 5, immediately after breakfast. Ernst handed a sealed letter to his Japanese secretary.

“This is an invitation for Chiba Erika-jo.” Please do not make a mistake.

- I understood.

- How are you with the training of a lawyer?

- Arrival is scheduled in the afternoon.

“Leaving the negotiations to you.” Call me when you're done.

- Alright, leave it to me.

The secretary bowed and left Ernst. When she disappeared behind the door, Ernst, sitting at his personal table, transferred to the hotel room, sighed slightly. Intelligence of information on Taurus Silver and Saijo Leonhart in the future will not only bring enormous income to the Rosen, but also significantly increase the position of Ernst himself. However, the question of Chiba Erika, on the contrary, in case of failure can cause significant losses to Rosen, turning for Ernst himself an indelible disgrace and pushing down the career ladder.

Erica is the great-granddaughter of Bastian Rosen, the previous head of the Rosen family, who passed away in June this year.

And Erica’s grandfather, he is the son of Bastian, and Erica’s mother, she is the granddaughter of Bastian, have already left this world.

But for the Rosen family, Erica's grandfather ceased to exist exactly at the moment when he escaped with a Japanese woman. However, this was known only within the Rosen family. Legally, Erica reserved the right to inherit part of the inheritance left by the great-grandfather.

In the beginning, when Ernst just arrived at the Japanese branch, he was not going to deal with Erica’s question. Erica's mother, whom he did not even know in person, although he was his cousin, was for him a stranger. Not to mention the fact that he also had no kindred feelings for her daughter, Erica.

Erika probably had similar feelings. Ernst believed that with high probability she would rather actively try to avoid contact with him. Her position would not be strange if she hated the Rosen family.

In general, everything was so confused that the head became heavy from such thoughts. But Ernst could not just forget about it in order to avoid this problem. Because the succession of the position of CEO can happen at any time, and Ernst is now the head of the Japanese branch.

This twist of fate took him by surprise, but it was no longer possible to refuse. Fortunately, the negotiations themselves can be held with the help of a secretary and a lawyer. Thinking of it reassured Ernst a little.