Chapter 7: [Battle for the Relic (2)]
The mid-processed jade magatama, stolen from the Itoigawa museum, was brought to FAIR's base in San Francisco despite the police roadblocks and the sea blockade.
It arrived on May 20th, and was analyzed over the course of three days.
"My lord. Unfortunately, it seems that we were unable to figure out the Relic's manufacturing process with the altered 30 relic."
"I imagine you at least found out something, didn't you?"
When the two of them were the only people left in the room, Dean asked back in regards to Laura's report. They were in the same positions as the other day, Dean sat behind his desk and Laura stood in front of it.
"I've only been able to corroborate a speculation. But there's nothing actually new."
Laura shook her head sideways.
"What exactly did you find out?"
But Dean wasn't satisfied with that answer.
Without much of a choice, Laura gave a report that she didn't previously provide.
"It was no mistake that the relic we obtained was in the middle of being processed into a Relic. I'm now fairly certain that the manufacturing method of the Relic consists of drawing a three-dimensional magic circle in its interior by rearranging the pigment of the ore."
"Don't you think that seems like quite an accomplishment?"
"I don't think I need to explain this again, but simply drawing a magic circle won't achieve the desired effect. To put it in an old fashioned way, you must pour magic power into the completed magic circle."
Laura was an ancient-styled Magician known as a 'Witch'. As such, she was probably more familiar with the traditional terminology than the newer terms of modern magical science.
"Magic power, huh? It's odd when you think about it. While we're constantly using magic, we still don't really understand what its source, the 'magic power', is."
"A strong theory was published last year that argues that the true nature of magic power is, in fact, the event interference power."
"And the event interference force itself would be the Pushion waves, right? But it's not like all Pushion waves induce event modification. That particular paper didn't suggest how the Pushion waveforms could be translated into event interference force."
"And that's just where the question is. In order to obtain a Relic that can preserve magic sequences like we want, it is essential to have a system that can either incorporate 'magic power' externally or one that can accumulate it internally."
"……Well, he's the one who wrote that paper in the first place. So it's possible that he's deliberately keeping the secrets of Relics under wraps."
The paper Dean and Laura were referring to was one published by Tatsuya. Dean's speculation couldn't be said to be completely unjust suspicion.
Laura didn't offer any personal comment of her own on that statement.
"And, unfortunately, there were no clues about that system that were present in the relic that we obtained."
She turned the conversation back to the relics and the Relic 31 .
"So, Laura. What do you think we should do next?"
"I would advise that we steal an Original Relic from the excavation site."
Laura's answer was immediate. It was quite clear that she had intended to make this suggestion all along.
"You mean that the Original is essential in order to replicate a Relic with the propriety of magic sequence preservation?"
"That's right."
Since she didn't have the Original at hand, she had no basis to say that she could duplicate it if she had it. However, she was certain that it would be impossible to reproduce the magic sequence preservation effect with the materials she currently had available.
"There are many people in our organization who are limited in the types of magic they can use. In order to fight against the persecution from the inferior race, we need magical weapons that will allow magicians with no aptitude for combat to use military-grade magic. And to manufacture such magic weapons, a sufficient number of Relics are indispensable."
"It's exactly as you say, My Lord."
At that point, Dean suddenly became mildly contemplative.
"……But, as we had concluded, given the geography of the excavation site where the Original was extracted from, it would be difficult to find a member of our organization who could do it. So, who shall we use?"
"How about commissioning the New Humanity Front one more time?"
There was no hesitation in Laura's answer.
"Even though the excavation site is guarded by the Japanese military? Don't you think they're not up to the task?"
Dean's question was reasonable 32 .
"The New Humanity Front isn't an essential piece of FAIR to begin with. I believe that even if they were to be wiped out due to a lack of resources, it wouldn't be detrimental to us."
Laura's answer was also very natural, as far as their methods were concerned.
"What if the New Humanity Front gets captured?"
"I think we should do nothing and just cut them off. The New Humanity Front was originally formed by a group of Japanese magicians who glorified, that, Rena Fehr. Despite unilaterally glorifying her and then unilaterally disappointing her by joining forces with us there are still quite a few who think New Humanity Front is an organization affiliated with FEHR. So, if the New Humanity Front is arrested, there will be some sparks that will be directed at Rena Fehr."
"To that woman, huh? Sounds good to me."
Dean nodded with a wicked smile on his face. He didn't like Rena Fehr's overly lenient stance. She never seemed to be willing to get her own hands dirty. It seemed to Dean that it would be quite ironic for her, who would deny any act that strayed from the law and order that the lesser race had established, to suffer a false accusation.
"And there is one more thing I would like to suggest."
Laura bowed and continued to speak as she kept her head down.
"Tell me."
"I think we should assemble a survey team and send them to Mount Shasta."
Returning to her original stance, Laura explained her proposition.
Mount Shasta was a 4,000-meter high mountain in northern California. It was known as the source of a famous mineral water.
"Mt. Shasta, the one considered sacred by the aborigines? You're saying that there might be a clue to the magic sequence preservation Relic there?"
Laura gave a brief bow, and this time she immediately raised back up.
"When I saw the pictures of Mt. Norikura, the site of the Relic excavations in Japan, I felt that it had similar spiritual geographical features based on the lay of the land 33 to Mt. Shasta."
"Is that due to your intuition as a Witch?"
"Yes."
"Hm……. Ok. Then, Laura, you'll be in charge of the investigation team. I'll leave the selection of the members to you as well."
"Yes, My Lord."
Laura gave a deep, reverent, bow towards Dean.
The base of the New Humanity Front was situated in the southern part of the Bousou Peninsula on the Tokyo Bay coast. Although the group operated closer to the center of Tokyo at the time of its formation, the current sub-leader reconstituted the New Humanity Front in this area after an incident involving the then-leader, which caused the organization to disband.
The incident caused by the former leader would have been a felony, but due to various reasons, no charges were pressed and the media coverage was restricted. Nevertheless, even if the records of the criminal acts remain undisclosed by the authorities, it was still impossible for the group formed by the former members to be recognized as legitimate even if they didn't use the name [New Humanity Front]. It would also be impossible to avoid being under the surveillance of the authorities. The location of its new base of operations on the Boso Peninsula was also kept secret from all but a limited number of people.
Just before noon, on May 25, the sub-leader of the New Humanity Front, Yasuhiro Fukami, received an encrypted message from the USNA while stationed at that secret location.
"Hello, Fukami here.”
The caller ID was indicated on the transmitter, and Fukami gave his real name without hesitation.
[This is Dean, Fukami, are you alone?]
"The leader is currently absent."
The leader of the New Humanity Front, a twenty-six-year-old woman named Kurenai Anzu, was away paying a courtesy visit to her supporters. And, as a side note, Fukami was twenty-five years old.
Thank you for the other day.
"It was our pleasure. We've been remunerated 34 as well, so it's reciprocal in this regard 35 ."
This was a voice-only encrypted communication that placed the highest priority on avoiding interception. Neither side was aware of what expression the other party was making as they spoke to each other.
"So? Are you offering us another job?"
While the New Humanity Front and FAIR had a cooperative relationship, they weren't in that close of a relationship as to contact each other without some sort of business to discuss. Fukami's curt remark wasn't entirely misplaced.
[Will you be able to oblige?]
Dean's reply backed up Fukami's presumption.
"As long as there is an appropriate compensation."
[Of course, you have my word on that.]
Dean responded amiably to Fukami's business-like reply.
"Then what would you need us to do?"
Fukami urged him to get into specifics.
[I want you to acquire an Original Relic for me.]
Upon hearing the nature of the request, Fukami furrowed his brow.
"You don't mean the Original that's stored at the Defense Force's Technology Development Headquarters, I suppose? It's impossible with just our forces."
[I'm not aiming for the Relic under custody of the military labs.]
Fukami firmly refused to do what he knew was impossible to do, yet the reward FAIR offered was too good to pass up. If the requirements were any different from the ones he had thought of, he might have had to reconsider.
"Then you want us to get it while it's being transported to the Technology Development HQ after it's been excavated?"
[No, I want you to steal from the excavation site.]
Dean's answer, however, wasn't too encouraging either.
"…..Isn't it guarded by the military?"
The level of risk didn't seem to be much different from the case he had initially assumed.
[There will be a good deal of security. But it should be better than to get one from the labs at HQ]
"That may be so, but still……. What's the location?"
Fukami was reminded of the grim current state of the organization as he questioned Dean. They had no shortage of funds for their immediate activities, but it was getting harder and harder to keep group cohesion unless they did something big soon. Such was the state of affairs for the New Humanity Front at the moment.
"Other than it's on the southwestern foothills of Mt. Norikura, nothing more in particular."
Fukami judged that, while outmaneuvering the security of the National Defense Forces wouldn't, by no means, improve their image in the eyes of society, it would, at least, give the members of the organization some confidence.
"……I guess that's where we'll start. I expect the reward to be worth it."
[I promise you won't be disappointed.]
"All right. I will consult with the leader and give you an answer by the end of the day. Do you mind if it's by mail?"
The promise of consulting their leader was just a pretext. The policies of the New Humanity Front's activities were decided by Fukami, their sub-leader, and not by their leader, Kurenai. Her sole task was to act as a liaison with the sponsors.
[No problem. Use the encrypted mail for any further communication. So, I'll leave you to it. I expect a good answer at the end of the day.]
"Yeah, count on it."
Fukami cut the communication from his end just as he said so.
Fukami reported the contents of FAIR's request to Kurenai when she returned to the secret base. And, as he promised to do, he sent a cryptic email to Dean later that day with the confirmation of the acceptance of the request.
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