Chapter 1 [Mt. Shasta]
Mt. Shasta.
A volcano standing 4,000 meters high, located in northern California, USNA, near the border with Oregon. It belongs to the Cascade Mountain Range, where it ranks the second tallest mountain after Mt. Rainier; fifth in California.
The mountain has been worshiped as a sacred site by the indigenous people since ancient times. And even today, it remains popular as a tourist destination as well as a so-called "power spot" of interest to mythicists1. At the beginning of this century, a portion of said mythicists began fashioning the belief of the existence of an underground city belonging to a prehistoric civilization on the site.
At the present moment, more than a dozen superpower users could be found wandering around Mt. Shasta.
They are wandering about, but by no means lost. They roam the mountain in search of any historical ruins they could find, for they do not know the location of any, nor do they know if any such places even exist.
These people are a part of FAIR's survey team, and they have moved away from the tourist routes so as to avoid the eyes of the public.
FAIR — "Fighters Against Inferior Race" (Those who fight against [the persecution of] the inferior race) is an extremist criminal organization composed exclusively of magicians. While FAIR hasn't yet been the subject of a public criminal investigation, it's still under the watchful eye of the authorities as a potential threat to public safety.
As a matter of fact, the majority of the members comprising FAIR have been found guilty of committing actual crimes, and the remainder of the members have no reservations about deviating from the law themselves.
FAIR's goal is the attainment of a society dominated by magicians. Their core belief is that magicians, the superior species, should govern the inferior species, namely those who are unable to use magic. The stance set forth by the magicians and superpower users who make up FAIR is that, in order to pursue such ideals, there is no point in conforming to the rules set forth by those they deem inferior.
This team led by the sub-leader, Laura Simon, has been searching for any historical ruins where any "Sacred Relics"2 might be buried.
For those concerned with magic in the modern world, the word "Relic"3 refers to an archaeological artifact that possesses magical properties that cannot be replicated with modern technology. Her group is searching for a Relic that can be used as a weapon that will help them realize the society where they will be the superior species.
However, there is no evidence to suggest that a Relic is buried on Mt. Shasta. The only basis they have is Laura's Inspiration.4 Nevertheless, there were no complaints among the team members performing the search.
The fact that Rocky Dean, the leader of FAIR, was the one who appointed Laura as the leader of the search party, contributed to suppressing any grievances. But that was not the only reason. For the members of the team, made up of magicians and superpower users, Laura's Inspiration was a solid enough basis.
Laura Simon is a "witch." Which, as of the end of the 21st century, is considered a type of "shaman" in the field of Ancient Magic Studies.
And, much like shamans, witches also possess passive precognitive abilities. These abilities allow for them to obtain an influx of information through what are often referred to as "revelations" or "foretelling," that cannot otherwise be obtained through the five senses. As it is the case with divination, the information cannot be obtained willingly, but rather it's a knowledge that the individual doesn't own, and has no control over, which comes in randomly from somewhere.
FAIR's search of Mt. Shasta is being conducted based on the passive foreknowledge of this witch's, Laura's, superpower. And the members of the search party know very well that Laura is a real witch. They are also aware of the accuracy of her passive precognition, and, more than that, how formidable "witchcraft" can be. Especially in regards to her anti-personnel offensive abilities, as they had just witnessed.
Therefore, the members of the team did not consider this search to be a groundless fool's errand, and even if there were any skepticism about the success of this endeavor, no one was willing to go against Laura.
FAIR's search party is currently stopped in a natural clearing formed midst the forest.
Before Laura is a man and a woman. She gives them a cold piercing look while they both hang their heads down.
"I see that you let Lena Fehr's dog get away."
Laura had noticed FEHR's sub-leader, Louis Roux, spying on them about an hour ago, and called forth an Ancient Magic with the name of [Mistletoe Arrow] against him. She then ordered these two to go and capture the wounded Louis Roux.
"W-We are terribly sorry, Miss Simon."
The man was the one to squeeze out an apology in a pale face. The woman, the other one, remained silent with her head down, in her best efforts to avoid eye contact with Laura.
"I suppose it was inevitable that he managed to get away."
Laura stated nonchalantly with a sigh.
"However, I don't want any more disturbances. Keep a strict eye out so no one, be it FEHR or anyone else, gets near us. Am I clear?"
"As you wish, ma'am!"
"As you command!"
The man and the woman then stepped out of Laura's line of sight.
"You both as well, be on your guard."
As for Laura, she turned her attention to two others and issued them instructions.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Understood."
The two men ordered by Laura responded and left the formation. The man and woman who were reprimanded moved towards the right side. The latter two towards the left side. The figures of those four disappeared into the shadows of the densely lined trees.
◇ ◇ ◇
The objective of the search party led by Laura is to illegally dig up any archaeological artifacts. FAIR doesn't yet have a plan on how to handle the authorities. Therefore, the search is being conducted in a low-profile manner.
Up until today, her team had been staying at an inexpensive motel at the foot of the mountain at night. It's fair to consider that they would be less conspicuous at night. But nighttime exploration comes with its own set of obstacles, primarely the darkness.
Through the use of night vision, clairvoyance techniques, or even superpowers, they would be able to go about searching without much issue just as if they were to do so during the daytime. Unfortunately for them, with the current FAIR contingent, it was unfeasible to make a search party composed entirely of magicians and superpower users with such abilities.
Since they can't fully rely on magic or even their superpowers, the need for illumination is indispensable. Flashlights and the like would be too conspicuous in the mountains at night. Fearing this, they have refrained from conducting their search at night.
It is night time right now; however, it was just yesterday when the sub-leader of FEHR had escaped after having been injured. Laura had left the others at the motel and returned alone to Mt. Shasta, where she stood by a narrow creek surrounded by trees.
Despite it being early June, the nights in the mountains are cold. And yet, she was dressed in just a light dress. A sleeveless, ankle-length, thin one-piece dress. She wasn't wearing a bra nor any underwear, so all that covered her was this single article of clothing.
The sky had cleared, but it was a new moon. With no bonfires lit, the only light shining on Laura was the faint glow of the stars pouring down through a narrow gap overhead. Amidst this darkness, Laura danced to the tune of her own soft footsteps.
It wasn't a frivolous dance as if she was frolicking with the wind.
Rather, a dance that seemed to reach down to the ground and embrace the earth.
It wasn't a dance that aimed at the lights above, but a performance that assimilated with the darkness of the earth.
She spun around several times in a low, hunched position.
Both of Laura's knees roughly struck the ground, and her back arched backwards before then collapsing face forward to the ground.
In this position, her body began to violently convulse.
At first minutely.
Then, with a shudder, her upper body sprang up and down.
Ten seconds, twenty seconds passed, and after a minute, Laura's convulsions subsided.
She lies flat down on her back weakly.
Her chest feebly rose and fell, and as she started to stand up, she muttered, "Behind a small waterfall…"
◇ ◇ ◇
It was on a certain day in mid-June, in Vancouver.
FEHR headquarters had been in a shaken mood by the news a week ago of their sub-leader having been injured, but they had a change of pace today, they were receiving a visit from a young woman with bright brown hair. Her features, which appear to be East Asian, evoke a youthful impresson making others believe her to be younger than she actually is, but according to the profile provided by the other party's office, she is actually more than 30 years old.
She has a glamorous body that does not match her baby face. So much so, that there is no doubt about her feminine charms, which makes her hardly seem suited for rough work in the eyes of others.
However, this woman is the private detective sent by the detective agency that was recommended as the best choice for this case by Charlotte Gagnon, a former FBI agent who is the right-hand woman to FEHR's leader, Lena Fehr.
Her name is Luca Fields. But this is probably a pseudonym. At least, that was Lena's intuitive assessment. She appears to be East Asian, though there has never been any mention of her being from East Asia. Maybe she's even Japanese for that matter. After all, "Luca" is usually a masculine name. And, from what she had heard from her comrade, Tookami Ryousuke, can be used as a feminine name in Japan.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Fehr."
Luca (as she calls herself) greeted her with a handshake, and in turn, Lena returned this greeting with her right hand, saying, "It's my pleasure."
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but could you get straight to the point and tell me the details of the job? I understand that this job entails surveillance work, but is it a request for a background check?"
After having extended her greetings to Lena, and then Charlotte, Luca inquired Lena about the details of her request.
Lena's side made no objection to saving time by getting straight to the point.
"You could say it's a background check in a way."
Charlotte answered Luca's question.
"Except that we are dealing with an organization rather than an individual."
"A private investigation of a criminal organization then?"
Luca sounded unconcerned as mentioning "criminal organization." There was no hint of pretense either. Contrary to her peaceful demeanor, she seemed to have extensive experience in such matters.
"Have you ever heard of an organization in San Francisco called FAIR?"
Charlotte returned Luca's question with another.
"I believe it's an extremist group formed in response to the Anti-Magic Movement by potential criminal magicians."
Luca readily replied.
"So, the request is to investigate FAIR?"
She then added.
"FAIR has sent a group of about a dozen people to Mt. Shasta. We are concerned that their purpose there is to illegally dig up archaeological artifacts."
"Illegally digging up buried archaeological artifacts… I wonder if a Relic might be on their list of things to excavate."
Luca's tone was hardly serious. The way she used the word "Relic" suggested that she was only half-joking.
"That's what we believe to be their intention."
To which Lena replied with a straight face.
"…So, it's really that."
Luca's moment of perplexity was short-lived.
"What now then? Am I to sabotage FAIR's illegal digging? Or do you want me to steal any Relics that they manage to excavate?"
She followed up with such.
Lena shook her head.
"What I'd like to request of you is to keep an eye on them."
"What do you mean by that?"
Despite the words used, there was no surprise in Luca's tone. She probably wasn't expecting from the outset that she would be ordered to sabotage, let alone steal.
"We want you to keep an eye on FAIR and record any illegal activities that take place. Anything sufficiently serious to warrant action from the judicial authorities."
"I see."
Luca nodded in acknowledgement to Lena's answer.
"Should I start on it right away?"
Luca did not inquire into Lena's — FEHR's motivations.
"…Yes. As soon as possible. A team from FAIR has been at Mt. Shasta for more than a week already."
"But, mind you, it's dangerous."
Charlotte cautioned before allowing Luca to give her final answer.
"We sent one of our people there before contacting you, and they returned with injuries that were no laughing matter."
"Are they a licensed magician?"
Even after hearing that someone had been injured in the process, Luca showed no signs of unrest. She merely enquired in a perfunctory manner.
Charlotte nodded her head in response and said, "Yes."
"And may I ask what rank they are?"
"It's C, but when it comes to tracking and reconnaissance, he is as good as an A."
"I see."
Luca also didn't show any signs of doubting her words when hearing that the rank of his license doesn't reflect his abilities.
"Do you know what sort of attack caused the injuries?"
"…Unfortunately, no."
A shadow fell over Lena's face.
"I suspect that he was most likely attacked with witchcraft by Laura Simon, FAIR's sub-leader…"
"Witchcraft… A type of Ancient Magic, right? Well, I'll figure out something about it."
There wasn't so much of a hint of arrogance or bravado in Luca's words. Nor did she come off as having unshakable confidence in her own skills.
She stated it as if it were somebody else's problem, and then pulled out a document from her bag.
"I'll be happy to accept your request. Could you please sign this for me?"
Lena, with a puzzled expression that she couldn't hide, took the contract in her hand.
◇ ◇ ◇
Late June, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California.
From among the trees, Ono Haruka, also known as "Luca Fields," was peering through a portable telescope with a recording function.
Just as Lena Fehr noticed, "Luca Fields'' is a pseudonym. Her real identity is that of Ono Haruka, a Japanese national who was formerly a counselor at the National Magic University Affiliated First High School and an undercover non-regular intelligence operative with the Public Security Agency of the Ministry of Police.
But both of these identities are in the past.
It was thanks to her past identities that she found herself in the difficult spot where she had been forced to assume a false name and work as a private detective in America.
Around two years ago, a serious feud erupted internally among the Japanese Intelligence Agencies. A serious conflict arose between the Public Security Agency (Public Security Agency of the Ministry of Police) and the Internal Affairs Bureau (Information Management Bureau of the Cabinet Office) concerning the organizational expansion policy for these two non-military departments.
On one hand, the Internal Affairs Bureau envisioned the strengthening of their intelligence capabilities by employing criminals as unofficial agents, and on the other hand, the Public Security Agency adamantly opposed the involvement of criminals. Considering that the majority of intelligence activities are conducted through unlawful or even illegal means, the stance of the Public Security Agency could be seen as contradictory. Yet, for the Public Security Agency, which is predominantly composed of police-related personnel due to the organization's origins, even if it were able to justify taking advantage of criminals, they could never allow the possibility of criminals taking advantage of them.
The antagonism between the Internal Affairs Bureau and the Public Security Agency culminated in the use of force by both sides. Espionage aimed at seizing the other's weakness soon evolved into a struggle to deprive the other of their manpower.
The instances involving murder were kept to a minimum, no doubt thanks to a last-minute exercise of restraint from both sides. However, the same couldn't be said for the countless number of people who were seriously wounded. Even the proportion of those who suffered a partial loss of bodily functions isn't negligible.
Among the targets were non-regular intelligence operatives, such as Ono Haruka herself.
Sensing that her life was in imminent danger, Haruka decided to escape.
She didn't become an intelligence operative out of her own volition to begin with. She was almost, if not entirely, coerced into working for the Public Security Agency.
She always regarded herself as a councilor first and foremost, and always wanted to quit working as an intelligence operative. There simply wasn't any incentive for her to continue that job in a situation where she could lose her life as a result of friendly fire.
Most of all, she had been a non-regular intelligence operative who committed unlawful acts for many years while working for the Public Security Agency. The number of inconvenient secrets that she learned of is more than the number of fingers she could count on her hands. Even adding her toes into consideration, it wouldn't be enough to account for them all. There was just no chance that they would accept a letter of resignation and let her leave in peace.
So, the only alternative left to her was desertion. However, even though they unhappily accepted her letter of resignation in the end, there was indeed no way that they were going to turn a blind eye and actually let her leave.
Haruka is a so-called BS5 Magician — a magician with a unique inborn magical skill. Her unique ability, or superpower, is to hinder others' perception of herself. When it comes to "hiding" or "escaping," her superpower made her one of the best at the Public Security Agency capable of doing so, let alone in Japan for that matter.
Nevertheless, she did not have the self-confidence necessary to attempt to challenge a state organization and successfully escape. If she were to, that would mean Haruka was overestimating her own unique magic — her superpower.
But there was a time when Haruka was under the guidance of Yakumo Kokonoe, a "ninjutsu user," her master. And it was he who she turned to for help.
It was no surprise that things turned out this way. Unfortunately, although she managed to safely escape Japan and made her way to the USNA, she could not find any counselor positions available there. Alas, her skills and experience as a counselor were not acknowledged in America. She eventually ended up in her current line of work, relying on her unique abilities to make a living.
Although Haruka was reluctant to take up the profession of being a private detective, she became one because of the sense of crisis she felt that her life (probably) would be in danger if she were to set foot back in Japan, so having grasped at straws to get to where she is now, she has earnestly been devoting herself to the job. The same would apply here, where she has been silently carrying out the exhausting task of following around and taking undercover photos of others amid the mountain woods.
FAIR's search party, consisting of nine men and four women, was moving up a small stream carrying small shovels and pick-hammers. If they were to keep going along this path, they would eventually reach a small, little-known waterfall after a few minutes. As to why Haruka knows about it, despite the low visibility, is because this is not the first time that FAIR has headed for the waterfall.
Yesterday, they carried large tools over their shoulders to behind the waterfalls.
And shortly after, they came back seeming disheartened.
Perhaps the presumable cave or space behind the waterfall is too cramped for the use of any long-handled tools.
She guessed they wanted to start excavating as soon as they found the location in which they needed to start digging, but she didn't feel like laughing at their lack of planning. They wanted to avoid the public eye when they started illegally digging. Obviously, they would want to do it as soon as possible.
Last night, after the search party had left, Haruka went behind the waterfall. There were two lookouts left behind, but they didn't notice her.
Behind the waterfall, there was an opening to a narrow cave. Haruka, with the average build of a Japanese woman, somehow managed to squeeze between the two lookouts standing side by side. As one might expect, there was barely enough space to raise a pickaxe overhead.
There were no visible light sources, she could only see with an infrared scope, but once inside, she saw that there was no sign that things in the cave had been disturbed.
But there was something there.
Haruka could sense it.
Unfortunately, she couldn't tell if what she was sensing was a buried Relic or not.
But one thing is certain — FAIR was trying to take whatever there was from the cave.
Last night, she left a standalone micro-camera which is activated by a motion sensor attached to the ceiling of the cave. It has eight hours of recording time. It's a 50-50 chance whether she can capture on film the scenes of the digging. No matter how confident she is in her concealment skills, she would not dare to go into the narrow cave with the target inside.
—Setting up the device was all she did as of last night, after which Haruka had been lying in wait for FAIR's search party at the roadway instead of at the waterfall. It was a move taken in the unlikely event that the cave at the waterfall was not their destination, but it appears that last night's preparations were not in vain.
Be that as it may, she still couldn't rest easy. It was possible that they might suddenly change their destination. So, without letting her guard down, Haruka continued to track the team from FAIR.
◇ ◇ ◇
The FAIR survey team led by Laura stopped in front of a small waterfall.
It's not a tourist attraction like the Mossbrae Falls or the Hedge Creek Falls. It's quite small, situated off from both the tourist routes and the hiking trails. It is not even on the map for that matter. One could argue that it has been hidden away until now.
Maybe it was thanks to an unnatural process of a system standing apart from modern magic that has kept it hidden. It was easy to raise such a suspicion, as there was not a soul in the area, nor even a sign indicating that anyone had even been there. Such was the place they were in.
Laura was the one to take the initiative and went behind the waterfall. Hidden there is a cave barely wide enough for two adult women to walk side by side. Though the ceiling is high, it tapers off sharply along the upper part. It is perhaps more appropriate to describe it as a "crevice" rather than as a "cave."
She slowly walked, shifting the light in her hand to illuminate here and there across the rocky surface, stopping after proceeding for about seven or eight meters.
"Dig here."
At Laura's prompt, a female member of the search party sauntered over to stand in front of where she was shining the light.
After passing the light and exchanging places with the female member, Laura stepped out of the cave.
Two male members of the team then entered the cave. One with a pickaxe and the other with a shovel and a bucket. One of them was most likely in charge of carrying out the soil. In fact, one man passed before Laura on his way out of the cave, only for another man with a shovel and a bucket in hand to enter in turn.
This repeated several times, and after a while, men with pickaxes would go in as well to switch with one another.
After about half a day of this, the respective three people in charge of lighting, excavation, and transport came out from behind the waterfall together.
"Did you find it?"
At Laura's inquiry, the female member of the team who was in charge of the lighting held out a stone tablet about the size of two hands side-by-side.
"Is this it?"
Laura took the reddish-brown stone tablet and stared at it for about ten seconds.
"…It seems like it's not."
"R-Really? We're very sorry, ma'am!"
Not only the woman who presented the excavated item, but the male members who came with her out of the cave as well, bowed their heads frantically with pale faces. Their frightened behavior is not something to be solely accounted for by their hierarchical relationship within the organization.
Fortunately enough, it didn't turn out the way they had feared.
"…I don't expect anything else to be found anytime soon. Let's pull out for today."
After having spoken, with the stone tablet in hand, Laura quickly turned her feet to the downhill route.
The three members who had been trembling in front of her, as well as the others present, followed after Laura with relieved expressions on their faces.
◇ ◇ ◇
Once she could no longer see the team from FAIR, Haruka released a deep breath she had been holding in so as not to be heard. Her shoulders instantly became lighter. "I must have been straining myself without realizing it," she thought.
From what she picked up on their conversation with the directional microphone, it seems that today's digging was a failure. Nevertheless, they still discovered a buried artifact and were bringing it back with them. She wasn't sure whether it has any cultural value or not, but it was nonetheless found on government-owned land. Therefore, any buried artifacts should be the property of the State. It may be possible to charge them with a crime just with the video and audio data she took.
Depending on the value of that stone tablet they unearthed, however, it would not amount to much of a crime. "I'm not sure if the client will be satisfied with just this," Haruka thought. Besides, they mentioned that they would come back tomorrow to excavate again. No doubt they intended to keep digging until they found what they were looking for.
It'd be better to confirm with the client whether or not to continue the investigation — Haruka thought so, and went back to the cave behind the waterfall and replaced the camera inside just in case.
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