Magika no Kenshi to Shoukan Maou

“The King?…It’s you?”

The person called as the head of <Ryouzanpaku> that had been invited into the command room looked at Kazuki with her eyes wide open.

When the black clothes she wore was seen from nearby, it was an outfit that consisted of a field jacket and short pants. It felt like a practical military uniform, but with the zip of the jacket around her neck largely opened, she also looked somewhat rough.

That girl of a leader held her hand at her mouth and looked around the command room with sharp eyes. She possessed a wild beauty with her skin that had darkish color from sunburn, but her eyes and expression were rational.

The other girl with short stature that accompanied the head of Ryouzanpaku turned to Kazuki with blinking eyes.

“Hee―! So the <BasilleusKing> in this country is something like a man-!?”

When the girl that felt like she was the one that was worn by her black clothes approached Kazuki casually, she caught hold of Kazuki’s cheek and stretched it apart *munyuu* while smirking. Rather than calling it innocence, it was a behavior that looked down on Kazuki somewhere.

“Stop it, that’s rude.” The leader girl let out a sharp voice.

“But this is strange yeah! Someone feeble like man to be some King!!”

“Son Shouryuu of Chukadou who is contracted with Sun Wukong is also a man you know.”

“That’s an exception right! There is no way there are a lot of monsters like that out there!”

Listening those words, Akane-senpai came out forward readily in that place because of something that she couldn’t just overlook.

“This person is by no means weak. As far as I know this person is the strongest person in this country.”

Hearing that unexpected words, Kazuki reflexively stared fixedly at the side face of Akane-senpai.

“Hee―!? Is that true, that’s unbelievable huh, I want to test that claim!”

When the short-statured girl said that, she separated her hands from Kazuki’s cheek, then she lowered her left leg sharply behind and leaned her center of gravity there. She lightly floated her right leg. At the same time she opened her armpit and put both her hands right in front of her face.

Martial arts―this is, the stance of <Muay Thai>.

“Cut it out, Silirat! …Our apologies. The one who takes the command of Japanese Knight Order in this place, there is no mistake that it is you isn’t it? Rather than this King here, you are the superior officer aren’t you?”

While the leader girl caught hold of the neck of the girl called Silirat tightly and dragged her beside her, she turned around to face Regiment Commander Yamagata that stood in front of the desk of the command room.

Kazuki and Akane-senpai had come to the place of Commander Yamagata where they discussed the infiltration mission and war information before.

At the same time they also led the leader of the mysterious group who had trespassed into the battle and the room was made into a place of meeting.

The first thing that came out from the mouth of the girl was asking if “Will the King of this country come here?”

“Yes, that’s true. I’m Shizuoka Regiment Commander, Yamagata Koyata.”

“Eh!? You lie right!? The number one important person is a geezer with withered magic power like this…”

Against the yelling Silirat that opened her eyes wide roundly, that girl who was the leader held her partner in her arm and blocked Silirat’s mouth.

“…Pardon my sheetty idiot’s impoliteness. Looks like our cultures are really different somehow, so she is feeling confused. Please forgive her.”

“Why do we have to behave that modestly here, our position is the one that came to help them right!?”

“Shut it, sheetty idiot. …Think about the future after this. Our position is one where we have to get their cooperation.”

For an instant, her rational atmosphere until now vanished like a mask and she glared at the girl called Silirat with rough eyes.

The leader girl turned around to Kazuki and put back a friendly smile on her face.

“…I am Ryouzanpaku’s rank number one, Roshoukou. My contracted Diva is [Taikoubou].”

“I am the rank three, Silirat Denkaosen! My contracted Diva is [Shiva]!”

“In Ryouzanpaku we have never called each other with surname, so please call our names with Shouko and Silirat.”

“…Sorry but, what is Ryouzanpaku?” Commander Yamagata asked.

“You don’t know anything about us?” Shouko-san asked back.

“With my position as a regimental commander of a region, I really don’t get much information about the international state of affairs. I just know to the extent that Chukadou is making troubles here and there in Asia.”

“About Chukadou piling up cross-national troubles here and there showily is the story just a little before this, right now most countries are already in the process of yielding to Chukadou. These few years, the process of making Asia as their vassal states had progressed rapidly. That’s because there is also the matter that the ruling of Chukadou in practice became known to be really not that severe.”

“Hou…so you mean there are some countries that wish to become vassal state voluntarily.”

“Well, the number of countries that think the ruling of China is not as bad as one would have other believe is increasing. Even if they are made to be a vassal state, a humane livelihood for the people is still guaranteed by Chukadou. A few hours of alchemy labor in a day is levied to the people but…”

“Alchemy labor?”

“Simple alchemy labors are levied to the people. Possessing vast territory, in Chukadou who was left with deep ravages of environment destruction from the previous era, work for resources production and environment normalization using alchemy are not lacking. For that sake, enormous magic power is needed. There, the people of the vassal state that can use simple alchemy technique if they are trained are made to work without payment until they used up all their magic power.”

“I think that’s severe enough a treatment already.” Commander Yamagata scowled his face.

“Is that so? For you to think so…Japan is a really wealthy country isn’t it.”

With the blessing of alchemy, the world became abundant with material resources to the degree that had never been seen before in history until now. That happening was one of the factors that made it easy to sever the diplomatic relations in the world, so he was told before.

But it seemed it didn’t really go that fortunately for China.

“Well, just alchemy labor is really not that bad, but there is one more obligation levied to the conquered people, and that obligation is the one that we viewed as a problem. That is the obligation of [assimilation]. The country and people that become the vassal country of Chukadou has to discard their language and mythology that they have until now as uncivilized barbarian culture, and they are burdened with obligation to assimilate the culture of Chukadou and faith of Sinocentrism.”

Culture invasion―In the era where material resources were abundant, invasion now aimed for integration of culture and mythology.

“Most of the countries in Asia had completely accepted becoming China’s vassal country. However we don’t want to recognize that. We don’t want to lose the culture and mythology passed from generation to generation. People who thought such things separated from their motherland and gathered together and began activity of continuing to resist at any cost, that’s what we are.” f𝓇𝘦e𝑤𝘦𝚋𝒏૦ѵℯ𝒍.c𝐨𝒎

“You said faith to Sinocentrism but…Chukadou should be a Taoism country right?”

When Commander Yamagata said that, Shoukou-san shook her head in denial exaggeratedly.

“Their Taoism is just a sham. There is this phenomenon where Mythology produced distortion because of human’s perception…I don’t understand the theory but, currently, the Taoism Divas that are being contracted with Chukadou has gone astray from the original Taoism and becoming existences that are dyed with Sinocentrism.”

Nyarlathotep’s Cthulhu Mythos and Amaterasu’s Japanese Mythology too were weakened from human’s influence. So Taoism Mythology was also completely changed until they had become different things by some sort of influence.

“In the first place, Taoism is not a type of teaching that forces religious belief. Taikoubou whom I’m contracted with is a rare Taoism Diva that leaves behind his original form. On the contrary, Taikoubou is entrusted with the exact opposite heaven’s decree. That is…passing down the end of the age where Divas are ruling over humans. When the era where Magic Advanced Countries that had been reduced into religious countries were quarreling with each other and Mythologies are unified arrive…human’s soul will be lost. That has to be prevented. That’s what Taikoubou said. We began to move to realize Taikoubou’s heaven’s decree and gathered comrades.”

“For me…it’s not like I fully consent with Taikoubou-san’s thinking though. I’m just cooperating to overthrow Chukadou. At any rate, doing something about China is the priority.”

Silirat who was contracted with Shiva whispered with small voice.

“India, Vietnam, Philippines…Asia’s various countries and ethnic groups’ Magika Stigmas who can fight were gathering under me. Everyone have different faith to their each crumbling apart Mythologies, but we are united with our feeling of not wanting to lose their culture and the objective of defeating Chukadou. We are occupying an island in southeast Asia <Ryouzanpaku>, with that island as our stronghold we began our opposition against Chukadou. …We don’t belong to any country and we are not a part of any military but, we are a ruffianpicaresque group baring our fang and fighting against an enormous Order as our opponent…my explanation take a little detour, but what is called Ryouzanpaku is that kind of bunches!”

Shoukou-san talked with a hearty tone as if giving a peek to a honest personality.

“Picaresque group of Ryouzanpaku―however why are you here in Japan then?”

Kazuki asked. Of course that was surely because a confrontation between Japan and China had come out however…

Commander Yamagato continued as if supplementing Kazuki’s question.

“While rude but Ryouzanpaku is still a small private organization. In a conflict between fellow Magic Advanced Countries…to stick your nose in the middle of a conflict that might disturb the balance of the world should require no small amount of determination. Why have you arrived with the decision of taking such bold actions?”

“…We had known already that the day will surely arrive before long where Chukadou is going to antagonize another Magic Advanced Country and disturb the balance of the world. But we predicted that it would be a conflict with Europe. We had schemed that we will rampage from Chukadou’s behind when they enter conflict with Europe. Nevertheless before that can happen the turn of affairs developed into a conflict between Japan and Chukadou. Our stronghold is located in an island of southeast Asia…almost right in the middle between Japan and Chukadou. For the balance of the world to crumble to be centered in east Asia is pretty bad. For us, if the balance doesn’t crumble in a little more inconspicuous place then…”

“So before you get mixed up in this and get crushed…you are trying to enter Japan’s camp?”

“Our reason is something like that. If Japan is weak then we are only going to share our lot with one another, but from the start we are a desperate group. Thereupon right after when we make up our mind, the unit right under the direct control of Chukadou’s Emperor had entered the harbor of Yamato using ship, so we too chased after them…We were making face that we are also reinforcement from Chukadou and attempted to enter this country using that excuse. We failed, you see. We have a lot of people from the south so they suspected the color of our skin. Can’t be helped so we made a riot in the harbor…After that we were a little late so we made you receive our assistance in the battle. I think if we rushed here faster the damage could be suppressed, I have no excuse for that.”

The damage was not small. There were some knights that fell into magic intoxication and taken along by the mounted bandits as [prisoner] in great numbers. Of course Japan obtained more prisoners from Yamato than what was taken from them but…

“Chukadou said that Yamato is the legitimate government of Japan and sent reinforcement, but this is that country’s same old way of doing things. Intervening in domestic problem like this, then they are going to make Yamato as puppet administration from the position of a patron, finally they will insist their own privilege little by little… They first start from fabricating a just cause. Japan will enter a battle against a mighty enemy called Chukadou in the end without fail.”

Shouko-san talked about the threat of Chukadou exaggeratedly as if persuading Commander Yamagata.

That was for the sake of setting up an alliance of cooperation with Japan, but―,

“We can become a considerable battle strength. We should be able to become a kindred soul that fights for the same objective.”

“Most likely it cannot be that simple though.”

Commander Yamagata said it clearly.

“Japan is the balancer of the seven large Advanced Magic Countries. Just because China meddled here, doesn’t mean that we can immediately form an opposing organization and counterattack. First there is the necessity to let out a statement directed to the world. That our side is the victim, such statement like that.”

“And then if beside you there is us who are an active anti-Chukadou organization it will be inconvenient for you, that’s what you want to say.”

“Most likely this won’t go like what you thought, where the development will immediately become a full collision between the two countries. First there will be a ceasefire of war with Yamato… And then other Magic Advanced Countries will dispatch investigation teams to Japan to determine which one between Japan and Yamato has the legitimacy, surely the course of events will develop like that. It seems until now there was something like this happened, where the Magic Advanced Countries dispatched investigation teams to the quarrel of other countries.”

“Aah, certainly before the weak countries in Europe get protected like now as a provincial territory country, each time there were troubles a third country would investigate, and then they seemed to open things like international conference don’t they?”

Shouko-san nodded. With a cautious expression, Commander Yamagata continued his prediction of the future.

“This is the first time there is trouble between fellow Advanced Magic Country. Most likely all of the other Magic Advanced Countries will dispatch their investigation team to this Japan archipelago. Then won’t an international conference never seen before in history where all the Magic Advanced Countries attend get opened? If in that place the opinion of the Magic Advanced Counties get split up whether Japan is more suited or Yamato is, this Japan archipelago might become the stage for a world war. If we don’t avoid that much…”

The legitimacy for governing this country…naturally without even investigated it was clear that Japan was in the right.

On the other side of that thought, Kazuki recalled one fact. ―If he didn’t make Aisu Ikousai and Susanoo completely submit then he was not a true King of Japanese Mythology.

“…When it becomes like that, if there is a [stimulant] like an organization of anti-Chukadou in your side, you won’t know what kind of influence it will bring about. But Commander-san, imperfect as we are, you won’t just act ungrateful and chase out us who was your benefactor that helped you from the pinch in the previous fight just like that right? Ruffian like us hate such things the most you knowww…”

Shoukou-san who had maintained her smiles all along suddenly had that expression vanish. A shuddering glint in the eye threatened Commander Yamagata. Commander Yamagata unintentionally faltered at that.

“…Well, I don’t have the authority to decide what we are going to do. What I said just now is also just my own arbitrary prediction.”

“But you have the power to influence the decision by putting a good word to the big shots up there don’t you? We wish for that to…”

―At that time the extension telephone on top of the desk in the command room rang. Commander Yamagata took the phone.

“What? …What do you say? …Understood, please enter.”

After exchanging one and two words, Commander Yamagata put the telephone device back. Someone whom the commander talked to using polite language?

“Hayashizaki Kazuki, sorry but open the lock of the door.”

“Whom did that call come from?” Kazuki asked while approaching the door.

“It’s the Einherjar. Eleonora Abendroth.”

Eleonora―suddenly Kazuki felt an anxiety.

“Commander, is this room soundproofed?”

“…Of course it’s soundproof. No matter how much you strengthened your hearing with magic power, it’s impossible to eavesdrop from the corridor.”

Most likely Eleonora is a personage coming to Japan that doubled as a spy. Kazuki opened the door while being relieved from the commander’s reply, then he invited Eleonora to enter the room.

“Thank you very much for your permission to enter the room. There are two urgent reports I need to tell.”

Wearing Einherjar uniform, Eleonora talked with her usual calm expressionless look.

“Eh!? She is not Japanese!” Silirat raised a surprised voice.

“What in the world is…?” The commander urged her.

“Beatrix Baumgard had wakened up just now. The person herself vehemently request to meet face to face with Hayashizaki Kazuki… I’m looking if Hayashizaki Kazuki is in this room.”

“Beatrix is…!?” Kazuki spontaneously raised his voice.

At that time *DOZUDOZUDOZU!* footsteps was running after here.

“Oi Erii, don’t just go ahead by your own! I already said that I’m also going together to Kazuki’s place you hear!! Where is it, is it here―! Wrong place, this is the toilet. Is it here―!!”

Along with a voice Beatrix in a pajama appearance leaped inside from the door that was left opened.

“Captain, I told you already to please keep resting in your bed right!? I’m going to take Hayashizaki Kazuki along to your room after all!”

Eleonora raised a yelling voice. But Beatrix ignored that and,

“Kazuki!” When she discovered Kazuki in the room, she rushed over to him with her eyes shining.

“Kazuki! …Muu…I wanted to meet you but, when I’m facing you face to face like this without any business at all, that, I don’t understand at all what to do! Right now I didn’t bring any sword…”

As if searching for words, Beatrix fidgeted around in front of Kazuki. Beatrix in her pajama making a ruckus in high tension strangely felt like a lovely [girl].

“…Long time no see is it, Beatrix-chan.”

Right that instant, Beatrix’s white skin was colored bright red, a splendidly large heart mark came flying. …’That’s huge’, it was a largeness that reflexively made him astonished.

Because right now he was in the state of cooperation with Beatrix, he could see her positivity level alteration.

“Be, be be be Beatrix, ch-ch-ch-chan you said!? You bastard, so you finally recognized me as a cute girl…! What are you saying suddenly making a surprise attack like that!!”

At that time Kazuki instinctively felt a danger and took a back-step in panic.

At the spot where Kazuki’s shoulder was located an instant before *FUUUUN!!* Beatrix’s fist was passing through with terrific force. It was a swing that was really close with a right hook of a heavy class boxer.

Is this that…? The behavior of an embarrassed girl punching the shoulder repeatedly?

So it became like this when Beatrix-chan was doing a [shy shoulder punch]…

“Why are you dodging…?” Beatrix hung her head down dejectedly and turned her eyes upward in dissatisfaction.

“That’s because the power is just too high…” Kazuki answered while shuddering.

“What’s with these guys…” Shouko-san was drawing back with plain tone of voice.

“Captain Beatrix.” Eleonora called out Beatrix with coldly penetrating tone of voice.

“The situation had changed. Please don’t support Hayashizaki Kazuki too much. From now on we have to watch the situation intently and reconsider once again from an objective position.”

“Mu, has something happened while I was unconscious?”

Eleonora ignored that question. First she took a glance at Kazuki, after that she turned around to Commander Yamagata.

“This is the second report. Due to Chukadou’s intervention, the war between Japan and Yamato become something that might bring chaos to the world’s order. That’s why…”

“The three of us Einherjar that stay in Japan, from today will completely cancel our cooperation arrangement with Japan. Which of the governments possess the legitimacy of this archipelago’s sovereignty…to ascertain that we are turning over into an [investigation team].”

What she was saying, wasn’t it really just like what Commander Yamagata said before this.

…This girl, as expected she had heard the conversation from before hadn’t she?

“…I completely don’t get the situation… What’s this? What is happening?”

Beatrix was looking at Eleonora and Kazuki alternately while losing her bearing. Suddenly her cheeks were dyed red thinking of something. “I don’t get it but, is this love that is torn apart because of position…Kazuki and I are just like Romeo and Juliet huh…”

‘For some reason it seems inside this girl’s brain I am the one that is made to be the Juliet’, Kazuki thought.

―The Magic Advanced Countries started to move. This Japan archipelago was turned into a stage of chaos.

At that time Kazuki recalled Loki’s words. That guy’s objective for involving China was to drag the seven large Magic Advanced Countries into this.

[The guy that can make things interesting no matter what roll his way is exactly the most awesome guy.]