Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Magian Company - Volume 8 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

[Gjallarhorn]

At a cruising speed of Mach 3, it took three hours from takeoff to landing.

Tatsuya landed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, USNA, at 9:00 p.m. local time on September 26.

Located an hour's drive from San Francisco, the federal military's response to the riots gathered there.

It was midnight on a Sunday, yet Canopus waited for him at the apron of the landing site.

"Colonel. You didn't have to, but thank you for taking the trouble to meet me," Tatsuya greeted the officer with express gratitude.

"No problem. I wouldn't let anyone but me with the task of welcoming you, mister." His response could be interpreted in a number of ways. "But it's late today. We'll discuss the details tomorrow, I'll take you to your lodgings." 

Canopus then guided Tatsuya and Hyougo to the high-ranking officers' quarters on the base.

7:00 A.M., on the following morning, a soldier assigned to attend to Tatsuya and Hyougo came to wake them up, only to find the both of them already fully prepared and ready to go.

Said soldier drove them to the senior officers' mess, where they had breakfast with Canopus, who was there waiting for them.

The meeting would start at 8:00 a.m., but instead of waiting back on lodgings, Tatsuya chose to kill time by checking news and correspondence from Japan on his mobile terminal.

The start of the meeting consisted of an update on the current situation in San Francisco.

"…In conclusion, the riots have not escalated from previous reports, however, there are no signs of abating. The general expression of the riots remains the same: indiscriminate violence, looting, and sporadic arson."

"By indiscriminate, do you mean with no particular target or allegiance that can be observed?"

Typically riots form as a violent response of bottled-up frustration in a group after a long time under a sort of repression. When directed at a public or regional authority, it is often regarded as a form of insurrection or revolution, justifying the violence by branding the opposition as evil and oppressive. Violence without a cause or slogan to keep the fire burning metaphorically tends to be sporadic and short-lived.

No matter the egoistic and destructive impulses behind them, the civilized individual is at least unconsciously aware of consequences that may afflict them in the future, as such they are often curbed from at least acting barefaced, without anything to masking their identities.

"There were groupings observed to some capacity. But, in any case, this situation is truly an anomaly. I apologize for the crude analogy, but it has the look of a Western movie saloon, where fistfights break out at the first sight of another person."

It would seem that there was nothing civilized about the current event in San Francisco.

─It is clearly an anomaly.

Tatsuya was now confident that the riots were a result of some kind of mental breakdown magic, and unlikely to be politically or religiously motivated. 

"On another note, has there been any progress in the search for the main suspect, Rocky Dean?"

Now that the cause has been established as magic, the next step is to catch the associated magesit. While that may not necessarily be the solution for the ongoing crisis, it should at least give a clue that will lead towards one.

"Unfortunately, there has been no reported progress on that end," Canopus answered in place of the NCO who has been presenting the briefing. Then he added, "Which reminds me, I owe you an apology, Mr. Shiba."

"An apology, sir? What for?" Tatsuya asked quizzically.

"As a matter of fact, we received a formal complaint from the National Security Service, the NSB, with regards to inviting foreign nationals in searches of domestic criminals."

"Should I take that as a request of the NSB for me not to participate in the search?"

"My sincere apologies, sir. I believed I had made all the necessary arrangements." Canopus appeared to be more embarrassed than disappointed.

A likely scenario, Tatsuya thought. Chronic complainers are native to every corner of the world.

Still he didn't expect that to happen in a matter brought to him by the USNA themselves. He couldn't help himself from making the obligatory sarcastic remark, "I see that sectionalism in the judiciary is also the same in this side of the world."

Right after the meeting, Canopus introduced Tatsuya to a young female officer.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shiba, I'm Second-Lieutenant Sophia Spica. I've been assigned to provide assistance to you during your stay."

"This must be that Second-Lieutenant Spica," Tatsuya mused as he listened to her introduction. He heard about her from Lina, when she came to the USNA at the end of June to back up Mayumi in her official assignment to prepare for the partnership with FEHR.

"The pleasure is mine. I'll be grateful for any assistance you can give me," However, he chose to act as if this was the first contact he had with the officer.

On being inquired by Spica about his plans for the day, Tatsuya asked back, "Can you tell me if you know of a representative of the FEHR who is supposed to be in Richmond right now?"

The momentary stir in Spica's eyes did not go unnoticed by Tatsuya. It would appear that she was also implicated in bringing the leader of the Vancouver-based FEHR, Lena, to Richmond.

"Yes, sir, I'm aware," Spica skillfully masked her agitation and answered in time for what could still pass for a natural lag.

"I'm glad then. I plan to meet with them after this, do you mind showing me the way?"

"…May I ask the purpose?" 

Tatsuya sensed that suspicion greatly offsetted whatever curiosity behind this question. 

"I believe Ms. Fehr is likely to have useful information about this situation. Why the question?"

"Apologies, it's nothing sir. It would be best to check their availability in advance. If you'd like, I could contact them about a meeting," Spica made a not-so-skilled attempt at evasion and quickly changed the subject.

"If you would, please. Thank you." Again, Tatsuya made no mention of it.

◇ ◇ ◇

They managed an appointment with Lena in no time. So, without going back to his accommodation, Tatsuya went directly to the hotel in Richmond where she was staying.

There, Spica calls for Lena at the front desk, and she immediately comes down to the lobby.

Tatsuya exchanged a polite morning greeting with Lena, before turning to the man accompanying her and saying, "I see you are doing well." It was not surprising to see Ryousuke there. Wherever he could have gone, Tatsuya expected that to be somewhere in the near vicinity of Lena.

Ryousuke responded with a "Thanks to your generosity, sir." Sensible, and noncommittal.

He ought not to feel any obligation towards Tatsuya or Magian Company, that attitude said as much. Whatever feelings he might have had, he must have buried deep once he learned of Lena's invitation and Tatsuya's subsequent agreement. There was no guarantee he would have the same attitude if Mayumi had accompanied Tatsuya on this trip, though.

Tatsuya and Lena went with their companions, Hyougo, Ryousuke plus Spica, to a private lounge.

The second the hotel staff who had brought the drinks closed the door on their way out, Spica set up a soundproofing field. Without a single pause in consideration for the surroundings. Military personnel are expected to comply with the law just like any other citizen, could this mean that this means it is different in the USNA, that the military has some sort of tacit approval from law enforcement?

Before anything else, Tatsuya asked Lena if she minded Spica being present. Spica didn't seem to expect this question, although she didn't seem offended, just surprised. Maybe she just didn't have a chance to be miffed.

"By no means," was Lena's response. It didn't sound like a reluctant agreement, if anything, it was the opposite, as if she wanted Spica to listen to what she had to say.

Tatsuya did not press Lena on her reasons, just nodded with an, "Alright," and moved straight to the point.

"Ms. Fehr. Do you still currently hear the ripple-like muttering you mentioned?"

"Yes. In fact, it has been growing stronger."

"Ripple?" there was a murmur from Spica's direction, but both Tatsuya and Lena ignored it.

"Can you make out what is being said?"

"I don't think there are any meaningful words in it. It feels like yelling, not a roaring that instigates an air of violence… Perhaps something like a booing, I'd say."

"A booing…" That was an odd description. Tatsuya couldn't find a suitable response right away. Took him a few seconds, but no more than ten, and then he asked the next question, "…That booing, to what you think it is being directed at?"

"'To what, you say…"

Every booing has a target to which it is directed, be it a poor actor, an inconsistent production, a cowardly foul play, or a villain who is acting outrageously. For example, it can be a poor actor, an unconventional staging, a cowardly dirty play, or a villain who deliberately plays into their antics.

If the ripples Lena felt coming from San Francisco were a "booing" like she described, it had to be directed towards something.

Lena seemed to reach the same realization, her eyes half-closed as she folded her hands together as if in prayer.

A golden light leaked out from between the half-open eyelids. Lena's amber eyes glowed gold with the activation of her superpower. Remarkably, that wasn't psion light, it was natural, visible light. In all likelihood, Lena's supernatural power is not mere magic. It would fall in the common parlance of psychic power, one could say.

"…I think it's against… order." Her eyelids lifted back to normal. The golden light was gone from her now fully exposed eyes.

"'Order'? By that you mean the 'booing' is rallying people against the existing order?"

"That's how it felt to me."

"This is troublesome…"

Tatsuya's mutter may have sounded to those who heard as concern for the USNA, but his mind was on to a completely different matter. 

Overturning the existing order. That is, a rebellion against the current system of government.

As to what mechanism does it achieve this effect is a subject for further investigation, but if it is a Kla-Klo magic as suspected, it would be an apt weapon for rebellion against Shambhala.

While Tatsuya ruminate alone on that particular issue, the room was taken up by silence, Lena nor Spica spoke a word, both of them similarly sunken in thought with serious expressions on their faces. Ryousuke kept his silence so as not to disturb Lena, same for Hyougo with Tatsuya.

"…If you don't mind a brief change of subject, Ms. Fehr…"

"─Yes, what is it?" After a moment to wake up from her reverie, Lena turned her attention back to Tatsuya.

"I know it's bad manners to inquire about a magician's handicraft, but would you mind if I confirm one thing with you?"

"I suppose it is necessary, isn't it? Go ahead, ask away."

"Milady!?" Ryousuke speaks up, hurriedly trying to stop Lena as she tries to give her honest answer.

He was stopped in his tracks by Lena's small shake of her head.

"Then, if you don't mind me asking: Ms. Fehr, am I correct in my assumption that your magic stabilizes the minds of others? And to that effect, many people at the same time."

"…How did you know? At any rate, yes, my magic can be used to tranquilize mass hysteria. However, its scale is far from extensive enough to cover the city of San Francisco. The number of people that I can interfere with at one time is between 20 to 30, and even if I push myself to use up all the power I have for that day, the limit is about 100 people."

"20 to 30 people is still quite an accomplishment," Tatsuya words of admiration were paired with a matching impressed expression.

But, for some reason, the praise didn't quite reach Lena. She just couldn't put a finger where that discomfort came from. She wanted to find out what Tatsuya was really thinking, but could not think of the right words to ask to find it out.

In the end, Lena was left unable to ask what was Tatsuya's true intentions, and Spica continued the conversation by asking Tatsuya, "Mister, were you considering using Ms. Fehr's magic to quell the riots?"

"I'd like to know what kind of magic was used first before considering that step," Tatsuya evaded the question by giving a slightly off-beat answer. "Can you tell me the exact location of the ruins where Rocky Dean reportedly obtained the unknown magic?"

Tatsuya had learned the location of the Kla-Klo ruins from Hyougo's father, Tajima Hanabishi, who, in turn, siphoned from an agent he had infiltrated at the USNA.

However, to the Stars and FEHR, that is still information unknown to Tatsuya. With that in mind, he played into not knowing even the general location of the ruins.

"I can take you there, if you would like," Spica took Tatsuya's request, offering to show the way without pause. 

Lena was about to make a statement. She was quickly cut off by Spica before she could utter any word. "As for you, Ms. Fehr and your colleagues, please take your time. The military will cover the costs of FEHR accommodations during your stay. If you wish to return to Vancouver, we can arrange your tickets."

"…No, thank you. We'd like to observe the situation a little longer."

Lena was beaten to the punch before she could say, "We're going to visit the ruins, too," and had to abandon the idea.

◇ ◇ ◇

They flew to the ruins by helicopter. It was faster to go to the Travis base and switch to a helicopter than to drive directly from Richmond.

The entrance to the cave leading to the ruins had been closed by the military. There had been a dispute in the background between the FBI's NSB (National Security Branch) and the military for authority over the matter, so far the military has refused to budge. In a form of a compromise, they agreed to keep the STARS from Dean's pursuit. Meaning the foreigner Tatsuya wasn't the only one sitting out the search.

Progressing through the cave, they eventually reach the ruins. It was in the same state as it was left as, including the broken wall by the Triad.

"Mister, can you tell us anything from these ruins?" Spica asked Tatsuya, who slowly worked his way around the narrow ruins.

"This floor seems to be it," He replied, dropping to one knee and pressing his right palm against the surface.

"The floor is a grimoire you mean?" The STARS learned of the Black Tablet's grimoire function of recording and imparting magic from the FAIR magician captured during the [Babel] incident.

Leaving Spica's questions unanswered this time, Tatsuya closed his eyes and focused his consciousness on the floor of the ruins.

Spica understood from this that a magical analysis was underway, so she watched him quietly without interrupting him with more questions.

She did not have to wait long; after about 30 seconds, Tatsuya opened his eyes and stood up, muttering to himself, "An empty shell, as I thought."

"Empty shell, you say?" She repeated the words in a questioning tone. 

Tatsuya made it seem like he was talking to himself, but said out loud explicitly so that Spica could hear it.

"There isn't much information left. All I can gather is that it is magic that creates a state of disorder and chaos by heightening people's aggression toward others, and that it is called 'Gjallarhorn'."

"'Gjallarhorn'… As the one in Norse mythology?" Norse mythology was rather popular among North Americans due to a renaissance period with entertainment film remakes based on the classics in the postwar period. "So these ruins were built by Norman ancestors?"

"I'm not able to tell that," Tatsuya replied with a small head shake. "Matching words isn't enough to determine what is the closest source."

"Oh, yes that's true. I wonder if the people who built these ruins migrated to northern Europe at some point…"

Since it was obvious Spica was just entertaining her own thoughts, Tatsuya did not respond to her remark.

"Hyougo-san, any updates?" Tatsuya asked his personal butler, who remained behind in the helicopter as a liaison.

Tatsuya had left him on the helicopter on the chance of an emergency call from Japan, the real reason however was to secure his way out. Tatsuya could never be sure that the Stars would not betray him.

Evaluating Hyougo purely on his magic skills, he would be squarely a second rate mageist. But when it comes to combat, magic power is not the only deciding factor. While he may be a second-rate mageist, as a soldier he was nothing short of first-rate. And being a mercenary on top of that meant he had both the skills and experience to be at that very top. ─Else, the Yotsuba would never allow them to work as a close aide of someone near the head of the family if he didn't have the skills to back it up. 

"Nothing of note, sir."

That said, he didn't expect anything untowardly to really happen. The actual main reason to leave Hyougo outside, on the helicopter, was in case there were any nasty surprises left in the ruins. Tatsuya felt that it was not worth risking losing a valuable asset like Hyougo in this situation. 

"Mister, what are your next plans?" Spica interjected from the side.

"I'd like to check the current situation in San Francisco, from the air, if possible."

"We will need to do so at a certain altitude, if you don't mind."

Tatsuya nodded in agreement, "I'm ok with that," and as such, their next destination was decided.

The city was in terrible shape. It hadn't reached the point of catastrophe where the entire city was engulfed in fires. However new spots of fires are still starting up here and there. Even from high in the air they could see looting and assaults were still taking place in every corner of the city.

The local law enforcement is still barely operational, but it is past the point of being a deterrent against crimes. They neutralize criminals by either detaining them or shooting them to death. The best that can be said is that they at the very least are not on the side of further disrupting order.

"It has been five days since the riots broke out, the situation has only deteriorated since then. If it has been caused by magic, then it must be a continuous-type because of the continuous aggravation of the situation. Even so, we have not been able to catch any signs of it up to this point." Spica's expression is impassive, but there is no hiding the frustration in her tone.

"I believe the presumption that the magic that caused the riots is a continuous type is not incorrect."

"Do you, mister?" her tone was slightly critical, barely concealing her thorns.

The frustrated Spica took Tatsuya's remark as the reason why they couldn't locate the magic was due to their incompetence and unconsciously retaliated.

"The fact the magic couldn't be detected until now suggests that its activation process must be fundamentally different from known magic."

However, she wasn't so blinded by her emotions as to not recognize the full meaning of Tatsuya's words.

"You suggest the magic is so unlike what has been that we aren't equipped to detect it conventionally?"

"I don't find that particularly unlikely," he replied, "Second-Lieutenant, would it be possible for me to have a look at the rioters?" His request was to "observe" a sample of the rioters from San Francisco.

"And you'd be able to find something from them?" She didn't agree right away.

"With enough samples, it might be possible to find matching traces of magic."

"I see, you have a point…" Spica's expression grew gloomy after a moment's thought. It wasn't the fact that Tatsuya referred to the residents of San Francisco as "samples". She didn't mind, just as Tatsuya didn't care. "…Unfortunately, arranging that would be difficult, the apprehended criminals are in police custody." It was clear in her delivery and expression her feeling of helplessness at not being able to accommodate Tatsuya's request paired with a frustration with uncooperative law enforcement authorities.

"I can imagine the police not being so forthcoming with a foreigner's intervention. I see the same thing back home in Japan."

Their refusal to allow him participate with the search for Dean was already a clear early sign that the police would be uncooperative. That aside, Tatsuya was not particularly upset that the police refused to allow him to see a detained felon in custody.

It was both understandable and appropriate for them to allow foreign intervention. So, there was no grievance. If anything, Tatsuya wondered where the obligation of confidentiality went in the police's approach of allowing the media access to the scene of an ongoing investigation (i.e., the police station), but that is a digression.

"In that case, would you allow me to take a sample from the scene?"

"…Mister, by 'scene' do you mean from the riots?"

"Yes. It is a necessary part in solving this problem."

Spica didn't respond immediately. The STARS invited Tatsuya to assist in uncovering the magic Dean got his hands on, [Gjallarhorn], and if he said he needed a "sample" to do that, then the STARS would have no reason to refuse.

The issue is that his safety cannot be guaranteed with the current state of San Francisco.

Not that there is the risk of the rioters posing a risk to Tatsuya. That never occurred to Spica, and her commander, Canopus, and the rest of the unit would have agreed with her. Canopus and the rest of the team must agree. The worst scenario in this picture is Tatsuya being attacked by a large mob, and in his counterattack, San Francisco is wiped off the map.

Destroying a large metropolis, even without the use of the Strategic-Class Magic [Material Burst], is reasonably within the Tatsuya's abilities. In such an event, very likely not even a heap of rubble would be left behind. Him alone could turn one of the West Coast's major metropolises into a barren desert.

That's within moderate estimates of the STARS assessment of Tatsuya's capabilities.

Spica had to postpone her response, "…I must first consult with Commander-in-Chief Canopus before I can give you an answer."

"I understand. Then, shall we go back to the base?"

That was the natural answer from someone in her position, so Tatsuya didn't press the issue.

◇ ◇ ◇

Back at the base, not only Canopus agreed to Tatsuya's request, and, surprisingly, also did not push any extra escorts on Tatsuya. 

So, with the same helicopter and the same group as before, Tatsuya took off for the San Francisco International Airport.

The airport was closed, but the helicopter carrying Tatsuya managed a forced landing.

Reason being that the rioters had broken in here as well. The airport was twenty kilometers from the city, that's how far away from San Francisco the riots had spread. For whatever reason, or the lack of it, the rioters had overrun the terminal building, where most of the valuables could be found, past the apron and onto the runway.

The mob on the apron and runway swarmed into the helicopter that had just landed.

Tatsuya directed them to take off immediately and jumped out of the helicopter.

Spica followed Tatsuya, once she reiterated his instructions to the pilot.

Hyougo remained inside. He knew that's what Tatsuya wanted even in the lack of explicit orders.

The helicopter takes off. The mob stops and stares upwards with a tinge of frustration as their prey runs out of their reach. But that wouldn't last long, just in front of them were two new targets to set their sights on.

Two, but one of them appeared to receive the majority of the attention. A woman in civilian clothes. It was no dress or skirt, but the clothes immediately identified her as a young woman.

Although there were some women among the mob, when they all eventually rushed towards the duo with hungry eyes, it was Spica who was the most likely destination.

The first magnitude name she bears also marks her as an accomplished elite even within the unit. Someone of her caliber would not be intimidated by band amateurs with only a handgun and, at best, hunting rifles.

Despite the classification, the "mob" was far from showing signs of cohesion. Fights and disputes among each other could be seen throughout the crowd. There have been a number of fights among the mob. So the actual number of people who attacked Spica was approximately only a dozen.

The mob did not open fire, their purpose seemed to be just intimidation and not murder. They just kept their guns trained at them from a distance instead of rushing toward them. Take out the weapons, they were like zombies from horror movies.

Spica moved to incapacitate them with magic.

But Tatsuya's magic activation worked faster.

As they slowly close in, the guns break apart and fly away.

Since they were only disassembled, the guns could very well be reused if they just put them back together.

That was a big ask for that group, there was no good-natured person in sight that could leisurely pick up the parts from the ground and reassemble the firearms.

Spica took a small cigarette case from her pocket and popped open the lid. Instead of tobacco products was a bundle of needles inside.

Spica's magic activates.

The needles shoot out of the cigarette case, cutting through the air and piercing the rioters' bodies. Followed an instant later by an audible cascade of electrical discharges.

[Hornet Needle], a magic that shoots charged needles that electrocute on contact with the body. 

It operates similarly to [Hornet Dagger], a variation of the STARS' signature [Dancing Blades], in which the magic has no active guidance function. It flies to the locked target and delivers electric charge on contact. In turn, that allows for attacks on a large number of targets at a low cost, both in a magical and material cost sense. A single needle of this magic is not powerful enough to incapacitate a target, but it can but weaken the resistance of a large number of people at once against the untrained. This magic is more often used by law enforcement and public safety officials than by the military.

Due to some excited state the rioters were in, the rioters did not stop their march despite being hit by the [Hornet Needles]. Even so, the However, its effects were still visible: those who had received needles in their legs were limping, and those who had received needles in their arms had their noticeably spasming arms hanging limply.

Tatsuya made his move.

No magic was involved, his body was what was set in motion.

Quick and measured steps that the eyes couldn't follow.

Or perhaps, a feat of extraordinary skill that escaped awareness.

By the time that Spica, a stellar-class member of the STARS, noticed a movement from Tatsuya, he was already pinning one of the rioters by the arm on the ground.

"Not this one," Tatsuya muttered as he held the rioter's head down with his hand and was audible to everyone in the near vicinity. But Spica was probably the only person there that was aware enough to understand the words.

Tatsuya stood up.

And, as if in a film's jump cut, he now had another rioter down to the ground.

Anyone measuring the time between events would have known that it was not an instantaneous process.

In fact, there was nothing physics defying or inhuman in Tatsuya's motions; The speed of the sequence of getting up, striking and pinning the next person down by the arm was well within the constraints of human kinematics.

Nonetheless, far too exigent of a request for the rioters to recognize it.

Even for someone watching it happen in front of their eyes with full attention, like Spica, it was hard to follow Tatsuya's movement from one target to the next. By the time it registered to her, he was delivering a palm strike to the rioter's gut.

Holding the rioter's head just like he did with the first, Tatsuya again muttered, "This one too." Then this sequence was replayed five more times.

Now six of the mob lay on the ground, unable to get up. Not unconscious, or paralyzed; their limbs lost all the strength necessary to stand up. 

Which is not to say that those now in the ground and the rest of the mob were just waiting to be beaten up. While Tatsuya pinned one to the ground, his "colleagues" moved in the apparent opening only to be knocked down in the same fashion. As a result, one by one, the counter for bodies groveling and groaning on the ground went up to six.

At the seventh, Tatsuya silently held the man against the ground, no comment this time. For a brief moment, just before he raised back to his feet, Tatsuya's eyes widened subtly in surprise.

But that wasn't the end of it.

Half an hour went by as Tatsuya's sample collection continued, until he and Spica were the only two people standing in the area. on two legs.

Two helicopters descended on a now deserted airstrip. The first was the one that brought them to the airport, the other was a transport requested by Spica. 

Lying on the ground beside the runway were about thirty still breathing people, the rioters whom Tatsuya had knocked down.

The number of rioters at the airport was three times that number, that's not including those who were vandalizing the terminal building. The ones who were not defeated, faced with unreasonable violence that they could not comprehend, drove away in fear, despite the violent frenzy that consumed them.

Troops in combat medic attire climbed out of the transport helicopter and carried the unconscious rioters Tatsuya specified onto the aircraft on stretchers. This has been written off as treating the severely wounded at a military medical facility.

Not entirely untrue, they were going to be treated. The five people being loaded onto the helicopter were all highly likely to have been directly exposed to Dean's magic, Tatsuya was able to catch traces of a magic sequence while he was pinning them to the ground. 

It was difficult to determine what kind of magic was used with only a few seconds of contact. For that reason, they are being taken to the base in order to be examined in more detail.

Tatsuya, Spica, and Hyougo transferred to the transport helicopter and returned to the Travis base.

◇ ◇ ◇

Upon returning to the base, Tatsuya immediately began a detailed examination of the five subject samples.

"This magic is not a continuous process type," This was Tatsuya's conclusion after examining all the individuals. "Any active effects of the magic applied on these people have already expired."

"If so, then why are they still on a violent rampage?" Abigail Stuart, who attended the investigation, raised the question.

Individuals subject to mental manipulation by magic usually come to their senses or lose consciousness as a reaction from not being able to act on their own, once said magic is no longer in effect. There is no known case of a subject being magically compelled to violence, perpetuating the violence even after the effects of the magic are no longer present.

"The magic Dean obtained, [Gjallarhorn], seemingly acts as a catalyst for the mind."

"As opposed to manipulating the will of the person directly or imbuing determinate emotions?"

"That's right," Tatsuya nodded in agreement with Stuart's reading. "Instead of imbuing fabricated impulses, it appears to rile the person's own deep-rooted destructive impulses."

"Destructive impulses… Similar to the Todestrieb proposed by Freud?"

Todestrieb is the original german term for what is commonly known as Death drive. Despite what the term suggests, death drive is not a suicidal or murderous impulse. It tends to be equated with a desire to die, but it is a more generalistic urge towards aggression and destruction without distinction between self and others as the target.

"Indeed, you could say that [Gjallarhorn] is a magic that unleashes the Todestrieb. I believe that by unleashing the destructive impulses, the acts committed as a result lead to further escalation and relaxation of the subject self-restraint against those impulses."

"But, Mister," Spica interjects, "If I understood correctly, out of the over thirty individuals you checked at the airport, only five of them showed traces of [Gjallarhorn]. Do you suggest that the violent behavior of the rest of the mob is independent from Dean's magic?"

"People find excuses in the actions of others to justify when they indulge in their impulses," Stuart took on Spica's question in place of Tatsuya. "Seeing others acting uncurbed may feel like it's okay to do whatever you please as well. Even the most upright of citizens may feel comfortable throwing trash on the side of the road after they move to a dirty neighborhood. Second-Lieutenant, have you heard of the broken windows theory? If it's apparent that others don't uphold the rules or morals, then why should you? If crimes are committed every time around you, what is wrong with you commiting a small one? Thoughts like those, using other people's behavior to justify your own, are not an uncommon social phenomenon."

Stuart used the broken window theory as an example to argue the idea that the decline of self-discipline can be contagious.

There is a Japanese saying popularized as a joke in the past centuries that "crossing a red light with everyone else is not so scary". Which is to say people are not as disciplined as they make themselves out to be, and are constantly looking to others for excuses to let loose.

"Based on your findings Mister, my hypothesis is that [Gjallarhorn] is a magic that emits an active telepathic signal to an still unspecified number of people that stimulates the Todestrieb. People with less restrained Todestrieb, and therefore more propensity for destructive acts by [Gjallarhorn] and are who start the chain of events. Once it reaches a certain threshold where mob mentality is established, it will be a self-sustaining expanding process that will lead to large-scale riots. Which is, I suspect, to be the system behind the magical disaster that is currently sweeping through San Francisco." Presented with the pieces, Stuart pieced together a theory. 

Of which, there was no dispute from Tatsuya.

"What I can ascertain is that there is no continuous magic in operation. Therefore, it cannot be remedied by removing the magic formula, as was the case with [Babel]. For [Gjallarhorn], it is necessary a counteragent, another magic with an opposite effect."

"I don't think there is any realistic or proper way to administer adequate medicine to a rampaging mob…" Canopus raised the issue in a troubled, muttering tone.

Stuart, however, focused on a magical solution for the problem from the beginning, "When you suggest a magic with an opposite effect, that would be a mental interference type of magic that stimulates self-control, correct?"

"That, or perhaps a magic that curbs destructive impulses." As Tatsuya responded, the face of a young-looking female mageist came to mind.

◇ ◇ ◇

At 5:00 P.M., Tatsuya paid a second visit to the hotel Lena was lodging at, accompanied by the same people as in the morning, Spica and Hyougo.

The break in pace was the change of the meeting to Lena's room. Also, Arya was present instead of Ryousuke. Hyougo opted to wait back in the lobby, in consideration of the fact that the room was occupied by a woman, so as to minimize the number of men present. 

Tatsuya, the only male in the room, shared with Lena a summary of what they had learned today.

"…So the riots were caused by Dean's magic, after all," Lena whispered to herself with an expression that conveyed a blend of indignation and gloom.

"Yes," Tatsuya replied, despite the previous sentence sounding like a soliloquy, immediately continuing, "The riots were sparked by magic, but it's the rioters themselves who still fuel the riots. The situation has spun out of control as the mob mentality has taken over. Most of the violence we see is the result of the rioters own impulses, Dean's [Gjallarhorn] was just the trigger.""

"So, even if we dispel Dean's magic… it won't solve this crisis?" Lena's questioning look was an indication that she was not entirely convinced.

"It is not [Gjallarhorn] that needs to be addressed, it is the state of mind of the rioters." She was met with Tatsuya's poker face and unbothered tone.

"Addressing the state of mind of the rioters…" she restated Tatsuya's words, a moment after her expression became tense.

"Mister." Taking up where Lena stopped, Arya adresses Tatsuya from behind her tight-lipped leader, "Do you mind being more specific? What do you believe ought to be done to address this situation?"

Tatsuya did not verbalize an answer, he simply directed a meaningful stare at Lena.

"Mr. Shiba." Irritation was apparent in Arya's voice as she demanded an explanation from Tatsuya.

"─I agree," Lena interrupted Aira mid sentence. "You need my magic, is that right?"

She knew Tatsuya showed up to ask her help in addressing the mental state of the rioters. Just half a day ago he asked her a pointed question, whether her magic could be used to stabilize people's minds.

She didn't know how far he had read into the situation, but from her remark that she could "hear the booing of incitement," he might have surmised it would be possible to, instead of removing the interference with the mind of the mob, override it with a new interference.

Replacing Dean's magic incitement to destruction with Lena's soul soothing magic.

This was the plan Tatsuya has been indirectly proposing in this conversation.

Of which, Lena was resolute in her decision to accept the request.

"But, as I mentioned earlier, my magic is not able to cover all of the people who are running amok." 

Even so, her confidence was localized. Her statement this morning, while not a lie, was tempered with a hefty dose of modesty. 

Aside from her [Euphoria], which targets around thirty people, she has mastered another mental interference type of magic that targets around a hundred people. The latter is certainly limited to a hundred or so people, but it can be used more than once a day. With it, Lena was quite confident of being able to partially calm the riot.

However, she recognizes that her magic really only affects a small part of a larger group. As such, she is not sure she would be able to solve the current situation where thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people were involved in the riots. She could not believe that she would be able to solve the current situation where thousands, or even tens of thousands, of people were participating in the riot.

"We don't have to douse all the fires at once. Ms. Fehr, have you heard of a firefighting technique called disruptive firefighting?"

"Disruptive firefighting? No I haven't. But I think I have an idea from the name."

"Then I think you probably have the idea. It follows the principle that fire extinguishes itself when there is nothing left to burn. In a large fire that cannot realistically be extinguished directly, destroying structures around the area will create a buffer zone that will contain it from further spreading and eventually the fire will extinguish from lack of fuel."

"So, disruptive firefighting?"

"Yes, that's it."

"Please correct me if I understood something wrong, mister. Your plan is to quell strategic portions of the rioting mass to create 'buffer zones' without the urge for destruction, thereby weakening the momentum of the riot."

"That's correct."

"And you're asking me to carry that plan."

"I'd be grateful if you would be willing to."

Lena closes her lips and shuts her eyes.

Tatsuya holds his gaze on Lena, who is thinking with her eyes closed.

"…I'll do it," opening her eyes and meeting his gaze, Lena gave Tatsuya her answer. "I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do, but I'll try my best to help."

A look of piercing determination met Tatsuya's eyes. However, there was a subtle trembling in Lena's right hand, which she held to her chest as if to calm her heart.