Chapter 6
As of 2097, from the ten research institutes that were used for the development of magicians’ abilities, located at different locations across the country, that were open in the 2030s, half are still working and the other half are closed. However, three of the five officially closed laboratories continue to work, having changed their name and their superiors.
Built in Nara, the former Ninth laboratory (the former Ninth Institute for the Development of Magicians' abilities) also continued the study of magic as the "Ninth Laboratory for the development of magic", a private research institute co-financed by the families Kudou, Kuki and Kuzumi.
Officially the ninth laboratory explores Perception-Type Magic, which is slower in comparison to magic that changes phenomena.
The study of magic related to Perception-Type is not a lie. But the research is not limited to this.
One of the products of their research, created by the present ninth laboratory, are the parasitic dolls, that troubled Tatsuya last summer.
This humanoid weapon in the form of an automatic doll-gynoid, which has magical power by sealing the parasite in an independent information body that has a human mind.
Despite the fact that the parasites were frozen prior to the actual commissioning due to inept use during the tests, their effectiveness is assessed as sufficient to be used in real combat. That's why they are dormant, and not disposed of. The parasites in the dormant state are still kept in the ninth laboratory.
Sunday evening, June 2, 2097.
A man's silhouette approached the warehouse of the ninth laboratory in which the parasite dolls were stored. In the dim light of the emergency lights was an enchanting, divinely, diabolical beauty, who at first sight did not completely belong in this world, appeared.
Although Kudou Minoru was a guy of inhuman beauty from the very beginning, in the darkness of the night, human nature filled mystery, and it manifested in the essence that belonged to the "Man" category.
Minoru opened the warehouse door. He didn't use magic or hack into the system. Why do something like that when you have a key? He borrowed this key in advance from the Development management department.
Minoru entered the vault. Inside the room there was air conditioning, but it was cold and dry.
There wasn’t any atmosphere of mystery. Minoru, who belongs to the magicians of Nine, whose magic is a hybrid of ancient and modern mages, was also able to use Mental Interference Magic and could feel Pushion waves. He could not see the pushions themselves by having special eyes like Mizuki, but could recognize the waves created by Pushions.
If he put this feeling together with his real feelings, it could be called that "he could distinguish them as a rumor."
And Minoru could not feel the activity of pushion waves at the moment. This was proof that the parasites, that is, the Phantom Monsters, which are the basis of the Parasite Dolls, have now been recorded in an idle, dormant state.
(Can I be healthy if I eat them?)
("'Swallowing' one will suffice. Part of the body will inevitably be changed by the parasite, but in 'my' * case the person should not be damaged.")
[Zhou uses "I" in the third person when talking to Minoru.]
The knowledge of Zhou Gongjin responded to a question in his mind.
Minoru swallowed the ghost of Zhou Gongjin using a loyalty spell intended to enslave parasites. The loyalty spell is "subordination", not
"unification". Because of its nature, the Phantom of Zhou Gongjin was added to the consciousness of Minoru in the form of a second consciousness. Minoru felt a feeling that such a consciousness was added, more precisely he felt his consciousness was connected with a personal adviser or a disembodied AI helper.
(... Part of the body?)
("According to the American army, a body for communication was added to the brain.")
"If you do something like that, wouldn't that hurt?"
("I cannot guarantee that it is absolutely safe. But 'I' often suffer from physical deterioration because I cannot control psions, keeping them within the permissible range of the body. Parasites are able to control Psions better, so parasitism can completely eliminate body problems.") (In that case, should I study the Psion control technique better?) ("In theory this is possible. But your body may not be able to withstand this training.")
Minoru bit his lip. This was not the first time the last part of this discussion was had. The added consciousness (perhaps more appropriately called this "advanced intellect") only responds to questions posed by him, so it will not say something like "You are talking about that again?". Without the concept of repetition, when he unwittingly repeated the same questions, he received the same answers.
After all, with only the usual effort, Minoru still could not play an active role in the important events taking place. And his body does not allow for him to be sufficient enough, so some "unusual" effort can be used to overcome these shortcomings. Minoru realized that his shortcomings cannot be overcome by effort alone.
That's why he came here tonight. Here, there was a way to free him from the shortcomings of his body. It was not difficult to wake up the sleeping parasite, and let him take possession of it. He had no experience, but he knew that it was possible without problems. The knowledge accumulated by the ninth laboratory, and the
"advanced intellect" told Minoru that it is possible.
Now it was only to make a decision. Minoru only had to decide. To decide to stop being human or retain his humanity.
How long has he been standing here motionless? Minoru, who had turned in to a sculpture of a handsome guy, slightly migrated, and once again became a man.
?
?
Minoru turned around. He left the room and closed the door.
After this decision to turn away, the ghost said nothing. The Advanced intelligence only answers what he's asked.
Minoru did not ask the ghost whether his choice was right to turn around and leave.
After Edward Clark spoke on TV, he went home, formally thanking the Magic Association, together with his son.
They arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport at 6 a.m. local time. Edward returned to his office for the first time since his absence at 14 o'clock.
Edward had no superiors at the California branch of the National Science Agency. Even the director of the branch didn't know what Edward was doing. He had a separate personal cabinet and full freedom to act on his own.
Initially, these were measures to ensure that the secret of Echelon III did not leak to the rest of the staff. But now everything has changed so that these privileges are given to advance the countermeasures against the Japanese intercontinental Strategic Class magic.
"Is it 7 am there...?"
Edward's muttering was an unconscious monologue. The work alone in this office must have had a detrimental effect, but he himself did not realize it. Perhaps it was a habit, tied to this office, because in other places it was not noticed.
"Should I wait a little longer? No..."
Perhaps it was kind of ritual for him to order his thoughts.
Edward threw away his indecision and headed for the communication device. It looked like a regular videophone, but it was a phone with a limited number of communication points, and a built-in interception prevention system using the capabilities of the Echelon III system.
The selected communication route sent a call to the New Soviet Union.
One of the rooms in the far branch of the Academy of Sciences of the New Soviet Union in Vladivostok. It is not necessary to say that the interlocutor was Igor Andreivitch Bezobrazzoff.
"Good morning, doctor."
"Good morning. No, it’s daytime for you, isn’t it?"
As far as the videophone could show, the drowsiness on the face of the image was not visible.
"I'm sorry about this early hour."
"If you choose a suitable time for me, then you will have a late night. So I don't mind. You have an urgent case, don't you?"
"It's not a very urgent matter, I just thought I should talk to you quickly."
"I'm listening to you."
The soft and good face of the sociable man, who at the beginning of the conversation was made by Igor, now became firm.
"You should already know."
The expression on Edward's face was also firm, but not just serious, but expressing a deeper meaning.
"The Japanese magician of Strategic Class, Shiba Tatsuya, refused to participate in Project Dione and responded to it with his project."
"Yes, I know. I watched the press conference live."
Damn it, this thought surfaced in Edward's head. There was no problem that he was interested in the press conference of Shiba Tatsuya. It's amazing that he watched it live. He should have taken into account that the content of yesterday’s press conference was already known to him.
Igor may have already begun to prepare his own countermeasures.
Thinking that perhaps it was too late, Edward took off his mask of calm on his face and was going to continue the conversation.
"A power plant using the Stellar Furnace, a thermonuclear reactor that uses a sequence of gravitational control. Quite an attractive plan. So much so that I even want to offer a joint research."
But Edward was a little late. He received a heavy blow from this comment.
"Oh, please don't make that face. It was a joke."
"Doctor, you are an evil man..."
Edward could not conceal his traces of alarm, though he knew that it was only a ploy of Igor to seize the initiative.
"I beg your pardon. However, the fact that the energy plant project is attractive is an undeniable reality. Now it will be even harder to expel Shiba Tatsuya into the orbit of Jupiter, right?"
"I don't think the Dione project will be stopped. I favor the pressure of our government to ensure that the Japanese government does not approve the construction of the power plant. Or you can make an accident happen at the built plant. In any case, I would like you, doctor, to continue cooperation with us on Project Dione."
"Hmm..." Igor made a pensive face. "Actually, I was going to neutralize the Strategic Class Magic 'Material burst' in a more, so to say, direct way..."
"Doctor!"
"But if Mr. Clark insists, I'll observe for a while."
"...Many thanks."
As expected, Edward thought, feeling relieved. He was afraid that Igor would make a mistake by taking such rash measurements. If his attack is successful, there will be no problems. If Igor destroys Shiba Tatsuya, the USNA will be very grateful.
However, if it fails.
Perhaps Igor was sure that he will not leave traces of his involvement, but he is a Strategic Class Magician, known to the world. Clark himself would also be suspected if Shiba Tatsuya claimed that he had discovered that he had been cooperating in the attack.
Not only the New Soviet Union will be suspected. People all over the world know that Igor was the first to support Project Dione. Charges of attempted murder may follow, and the project will collapse.
Edward put off all his affairs and called to avoid this.
"But, Mister."
But the speech of Igor is not over yet.
"If it becomes impossible to drag Shiba Tatsuya into Project Dione, our country will choose its course of solving this problem. Alternatives cannot be excluded to eliminate the threat of the conversion of mass to energy."
It was obvious, and without any further clarification, that the "alternate option", which was spoken of by Igor, was the use of the Strategic Class Magic "Tuman Bomba".
A bout of stiff coughing attacked Edward because he had a parched throat. He hastened to drink the mineral water from the bottle.
"... Sorry. In order for something to happen, I will give the necessary orders immediately."
"I hope so too."
The face of Igor disappeared from the monitor. The link was interrupted from the other side. With a strong impatience, Edward extended his hand to another telephone.
On Tuesday, when chairman Tomitsuka Hitsui returned from lunch to her office in the Kyoto branch of the Magic Association, she was visited by an MFA employee.
"...Are you asking the Magic Association to exert pressure on the Yotsuba family!?"
"You can understand that."
"That's impossible!"
Hitsui screamed, forgetting the rules of decency.
"The Magic Association has no authority to give magicians orders to
'Do that' or 'don't do that'!"
The words of Hitsui were not a lie to avoid the responsibility. The Magic Association is a magicians-assisted organization, not an organization that controls magicians.
"But it has a strong authority among the magicians. The International Magic Association can even form disciplinary units acting above the law."
"This is only possible for the limited purpose of preventing the use of nuclear weapons! The Japanese Magic Association has no such influence to discourage the financial activity of a magician as a private person!"
"Is that so?" the MFA employee asked in a serious tone.
"Yes, it is!"
Apparently, this man was not familiar with magicians, so Hitsui firmly emphasized her opinion to persuade him.
"In addition, Magicians of the Ten Master Clans are stronger than the Magic Association. Even if the association organizes a disciplinary unit, it will not be able to force the Yotsuba family to obey."
"But the Ten Master Clans are not a monolithic structure?"
This was an erroneous argument, so the stress of Hitsui only doubled from these words of the man from the MFA.
"Do you propose to provoke an internal conflict in the Ten Master Clans!?"
"'Provoke' is an inappropriate expression. We don't want something like personal quarrels between friendly magicians.
I just wondered if the true meaning of autonomy as an organization was not to constrain its members from the inside but to restrain them from getting out of control?"
"The Magic Association does not manage the Ten Master Clans!"
Hitsui felt a dull pain at the top of her stomach, but tolerated it and zealously objected.
"We think otherwise. From an objective point of view, the one with greatest influence on the community of magicians, aren’t those calling themselves the 'Ten Master Clans', but the Magic Association."
But the interlocutor did not want to listen to her.
"So, I sincerely count on you."
Having said these words in the end, the MFA employee stood up.
Hitsui, the remaining one in the office of the Chairman, was covered with cold sweat and felt nausea, and could not tolerate the increasing pain, and grabbed her stomach.
It is not necessary to say that the Japanese government began to obstruct Project ESCAPES because it was asked by the Government of the USNA. To date, the Japanese government has seen no benefit from the extraction of marine resources.
In the past, similar projects ended in complete failure, so they were skeptical about it in terms of feasibility and cost-effectiveness. They emphasized that there should be no such weakness in diplomacy and the economy.
However, the response of the business community was different.
"Kitakata-san, it seems that you have decided to participate in this Business project without hesitation."
Kitakata was a commercial alias for Kitayama Ushio. These were the kind of good manners in business circles, when even at informal meetings they would call each other by their aliases, if they have one.
But there were many exceptions when only real names could be used at official events of the government and the municipality.
"As expected from Muromachi-san. You learned quickly."
"Muromachi", to whom Ushio replied, was not his real name either.
Although the business of his interlocutor was inferior to the "Hokuzan group" of Ushio in scale, this man was the actual owner of a group of companies, coming from a family business with a long tradition. In the financial world he was a big brother to Ushio .
"Have you already invested in this project? What can it be connected to?" Another businessman familiar with him spoke to him from the other side of the table.
"You already know so much. Iwata-san, who did you hear that from?"
"Yes so... from different people."
On both of Ushio and Iwata’s faces, at the same time, wide smiles surfaced. Iwata, unlike Muromachi, is the owner of company that rivals Ushio’s competing group, and their recent relationship was to fight for major foreign transactions. But there were no signs of enmity between them.
"It's not that I'm hiding it. Shiba-kun is my daughter's classmate."
"Yes, if you think about it, your daughter goes to the National Magic University Affiliated First High School."
"So you're in a friendly relationship with him?"
This was asked not by Muromachi or Iwata, but by another person on the opposite side. Although Ushio met with Tatsuya on the issue of the project only the day before yesterday, the news about it has spread everywhere.
Looks like Toudou Aoba deliberately spread rumors. Ushio thought when he politely answered the question.
Even if you hear about a new business that is seemingly profitable, it is difficult to make a decision to invest money in it alone. However, when the business already has a major sponsor, you will want to participate in it. For the major players of the financial world present here, the cost of the construction of one plant is at the level of "Well let's try and see what happens."
"If it's not difficult for you, Kitakata-san, could you introduce him to me?"
When one person raised this issue, with a slight lag from the rest to the side, Ushio got the same request.
It was not bad for Ushio that the number of investors would increase.
Risks can be divided as more and more people participate in the business, because it is possible to divide it so that each participant is dependent on something of their own. And as a result, the weight of the voice of each project participant increases.
"I'll tell Tatsuya-kun about your requests."
Ushio answered all with a smile, when the meeting was coming to an end.
Having received an order to appear in the office of the Commander after a day training, Lina was gloomy mentally. Yes, only mentally.
She almost made a face that showed that she hated orders.
When she was last summoned to the commander's office, the order was to accompany Edward Clark, as a result she learned the secret of the dark side of the USNA’s army, which she should not know about.
Lina was disheartened by the fact that she could again receive a mission with a similar disappointing end.
But she could not say that she wanted to stop taking orders. Neither betrayal nor desertion was an option for Lina.
"Ben! You've been summoned by the Commander?"
"You too, Commander-in-chief?"
Lina began to get a bad feeling. Summoning both Lina and Canopus at the same time was not uncommon, although when she was given the order to accompany Clark, Lina, on the contrary, was alone. In the case of Jiedo Heigu (Gu Jie) Lina was ordered to stay and give the work of Canopus.
Even if she was expecting a mission in which she would not be able to show a decent result, but provided Canopus is there, it is likely that he will help her if a difficult moment arises.
So the fact that she was called together with Canopus was a good circumstance for Lina.
But, for some reason, this time she was not able to suppress a sinister premonition. Isn't it because the mission is expected to be heavy if both she and Canopus were to be sent together? She could not get rid of such thoughts.
"Major Angelina Sirius has arrived."
"Major Benjamin Canopus arrived."
"Enter." The voice of the base Commander, Colonel Walker, was heard from behind the door.
Lina beat Canopus, and she opened the door. The next moment Lina froze when she saw a superior officer, who was not supposed to be here.
"Colonel Balance...?" A stunned Lina muttered, but she quickly regained composure, and entered the Commander's office and vigorously saluted. Canopus entered immediately after Lina and stood beside her. Colonel Walker went up and saluted them in return.
"At ease." Walker said this to these two and sat back on the chair.
Balance, in the meantime, stood motionless on the side of the table.
"Major Sirius, Major Canopus, this is a special case, and I want to hear the opinion of both of you."
"Opinion?"
"Yes. Having heard the opinion of each of you, I want to decide whether it is worth to entrust the Stars with this mission."
Having heard the words of Walker, Lina and Canopus unwittingly looked at each other. As Walker said, this was a special occasion. It is normal to ask the opinion of subordinates during strategy preparation.
But when the goal is already known, the means of achieving this goal are asked. And the question of whether or not to carry out the mission at all is usually solved at a higher level, and there should be no exceptions to this rule.
"I think you already know that the magician who, on October 31, 2095, used Japan's Strategic Class Magic, the day we call 'Scorched Halloween', is a young man named Shiba Tatsuya."
Lina and Canopus at the same time returned to Walker a positive response.
"Did you know that Shiba Tatsuya rejected the proposal of the National Scientific Agency and launched a new project?"
"I know." Canopus answered. Lina also knew that Tatsuya refused to participate in the Dione project, but did not know the details.
"It's an energetic plant with a Stellar Furnace based on a Gravity Control-Type Magic Sequence. If this plan is implemented, the resource industry of our country will again receive a strong blow."
Oil, coal and nuclear plants were greatly damaged when energy sources switched from fossil fuels to solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. But by going into the sphere of biofuels, which requires a vast amount of land, as well as by developing small reactors for areas with low solar activity, they managed to restore their positions and live to the present time.
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