Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Magian Company - Volume 8 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

[Inheritance]

Tatsuya slowly opened his eyes.

They met with Miyuki's own, who reacted with surprise.

Aside from that change in expression, nothing else was different from what Tatsuya remembers. 

Could it be that less time has passed than he thought…?

"Is there something wrong, Tatsuya-sama?" Miyuki asked in worried confusion.

"Tatsuya? What happened!? What's wrong!?" Lina shared her sense of anxiety. 

"…How long has it been?"

Tatsuya's poorly considered question was quite difficult to understand.

Though it was out of character for him, he might have been caught up in the general confusion.

Thankfully, Miyuki was able to grasp what was the context behind that brief question.

"Tatsuya-sama, you have only been accessing the ruins for about a second." 

"Just that…?" Tatsuya mutters. He's unable to hide his surprise.

"……"

"…So, what happened?"

Lina asked the question that Miyuki was too shy to ask.

"I was in a long hallucination."

"When you say 'long,' what do you mean…?" Miyuki asked again with a puzzled look.

"Well… it's a long story. For now, let's prioritize collecting the legacy."

Saying this, Tatsuya walked up to the "Altar" and grabbed all three keys placed on top.

"The residual thoughts trap] is dealt with. Based on past experiences, it'll take more than half a day to parse through all the contents. So you can go back home and wait for me there," He spoke to Miyuki as he handed her the keys.

"…I guess if the trap is not an issue anymore, there is no point for us to stay here. Let's just listen to Tatsuya and go home, Miyuki," Lina tries to talk Miyuki out of her reluctance to leave Tatsuya, not just with words but in gestures as well.

Miyuki could see the logic in Lina's words, "All right… But. I'll give you just one day. If I don't hear from you after that, I'll make sure to personally come here to get you."

"Ok. Thank you for that."

That was part of the reason he gave her the key, as a contingency. And while he estimated it to "over half a day", that was the higher end. It should be done in a fair way.

Should he still not come out of the ruins after a day, highly likely it's because he ran into some kind of trouble. With that consideration, Miyuki's proposal was a welcome precaution.

"When you return up to the wind tunnel, tell Fumiya that the tunnel will be sealed, but that I want him to set up a lookout just in case." Tatsuya finished his sentence, paused for a second then made sure to add, "Ask him to take turns, to not strain himself by doing it alone and for the entire duration." Tatsuya lastly reminded Miyuki in a pleading tone of voice, "As for you, I beg of you to please wait for me at home."

"…Okay. I'll make sure to do what you're asking."

Tatsuya didn't feel much reassured with Miyuki's brusque tone.

◇ ◇ ◇

After confirming Miyuki and Lina's safe return to the wind tunnel with [Elemental Sight], Tatsuya used [Regrowth] to backfill the tunnel and close the door to the ruins.

He now turned his attention to the stone tablets in the wall, and once again sought access to the legacy, the wisdom of the prehistoric magical civilization recorded there. This time free from the interference of the residual thoughts thanks to [Astral Dispersion]. 

Incidentally, Tatsuya described the central core of the illusionary system in his hallucination as a "ghost," but neither the "Xu Fu" entity in his hallucination nor the associated residual thoughts were in any way the remnant soul of the dead.

Those were only residual thoughts, a burned echo of the thoughts of a person who passed through this place when they were alive.

Also, despite what he said before, he wouldn't be taking all of Shambhala's magic recorded here in him at this point.

It's not like his mind would burst from information overload. In fact, he doesn't have any grounds for saying this yet, but Tatsuya feels that the human mind has a nearly unlimited capacity.

However, there is still a limit to how much information can be processed at a time. In Tatsuya's hypothesis that simultaneity limitation is what gives the perception of the limitation of memory.

Exceeding that limit won't break the "mind", so much as it will break the "self". Or at least it will weaken it.

Tatsuya obviously wasn't going to take such a needless risk.

He was just going to record the index shortcuts to the stored information on the Master Key's Cintamani stone for now.

That in itself was not an easy task, so Tatsuya psyched himself up and got to work on the registration.

◇ ◇ ◇

Held in breath; without so much as a sound, crept behind the shugenja and swung down the bladeless sword hilt.

The shugenja fell to the ground without a single wound.

[Oborozuki], one of the many secret sword techniques of the Chiba family 's renowned Chibai-ryu Kenjutsu school.

In contrast to some of their other hidden techniques, such as [Kirikage] or [Tsukikage], designed to defeat an opponent in combat, [Oborozuki] aims to neutralize expressly without killing, utilized as a surprise attack, or to further disable an already neutralized opponent to prevent their escape.

It works in the same principle as Tsukikage: a psion blade is driven through the eidos of the target's body, the introduction of foreign psions results in a negative feedback that causes the body to cease functioning. The main difference is that the damage inflicted with [Oborozuki] is less severe, allowing for the recovery of the body's functions over time.

Erika binds the collapsed face down shugenja with thumb cuffs from behind.

"Erika."

"Tsugu-Aniue", Erika responds to the voice coming from behind. After a brief moment, she rose to her feet and turned around to meet them.

Not a sign of alarm. She had been aware of the approach of her older brother, Chiba Naotsugu, a lieutenant in the National Defense Forces. She was busy restraining the enemy to turn around right away.

Following behind him at a side was Mikihiko, who, while not part of the military, played a major role in today's operation.

Same for Erika, both were civilian collaborators; Mikihiko's task was to find and, if possible, disarm any ancient-style magic traps, and Erika's role was to help spot the location of enemies in the forest and report them back to Naotsugu and his team.

Yet, as the deployed ancient-style magic traps were disarmed and the enemies were captured one after another, the remnants began to flee. As things progressed, they have missed a sizable portion of the group.

Erika, who was faster than anyone else taking part in this operation, even Naotsugu, then joined in on the capture effort.

"This should be the last one, I think."

She tells Naotsugu, turning to Mikihiko for confirmation.

He nods in silence. His senses as well don't feel there are any more uncaught magicians lurking along the trees.

"─I feel the same," Naotsugu responded to both of them, then gave the order to retreat to his fellow Battousai assigned to him for this mission, "Then let's pull back and regroup, for now."

Naotsugu responded to both of them, then gave the order to retreat to his fellow Battousai assigned to him for this mission,

As Erika followed after Naotsugu, she suddenly glanced back behind her. There was a brief scowl, before she turned and followed after her brother.

◇ ◇ ◇

At a separated area in the Aokigahara Sea of Trees from where Mikihiko, Erika, and Naotsugu had determined that there was "no one left," hid Fumiya and Ayako, plus a number of magicians from the Kuroba family.

Miyuki and Lina had already left Aokigahara in a self-propelled car driven by Hyougo and were probably halfway back to their home in Chofu by now.

After confirming that the Battousai have left the Aokigahara perimeter, Fumiya calls out to Ayako, "Nee-san, shouldn't we be on our way home too?"

The twins stayed behind in case the Battousai or their civilian collaborators, namely Erika and Mikihiko, came near the windhole, and to promptly lure them away if so happened.

"Now should be a good time, yes, let's go home," After a brief consideration Ayako agreed. She then called forward one of her subordinates, "Now, I believe you all understand what needs to be done, am I right?"

They were also dressed as ordinary hikers. Easier to blend in with the forest landscape than full black suits and shades.

"Yes ma'am, please leave it to us," The man with no dark glasses responded in a firm voice.

"Make sure to change turns at the proper time." Ayako left with that instruction. Which, in a different setting would make her sound exactly like the daughter of the company's president.

"Understood, ma'am. Do not worry."

Fumiya just listened quietly beside his sister as she gave instructions.

◇ ◇ ◇

Just after midnight, Tatsuya made a call.

Not to Hyogo; it was not necessary, since he was driven back to Tokyo by Kuroba's subordinates.

It was past midnight when he arrived at his apartment in Chofu, but Miyuki was still awake and had been waiting for him. Lina and the Kuroba twins also made their presence known by also coming to the front door to greet him.

He ordered Hyougo, who was awake and ready as a matter of course, to bring a special encrypted communication terminal from the comms room to the living room. After first sending a written report to the Main House, and without waiting for its response, he called up Miyakishima's communications facility and had them open a line to Takachiho.

So the inhuman beauty on par with Miyuki of Minoru was presented on the wall display in the living room, with Minami in tow next to him.

"Let me start by saying that there was no magic to enslave parasites in the Fuji ruins," Tatsuya started the conversation straight with the news, without any preamble. 

Curiosity and anticipation has kept everyone present and on line well awake at this late hour of the night, so Tatsuya took the opportunity to quell the breeding anxiety by dropping the big news right away.

[I see…] Minoru couldn't hide his feelings of relief. Minami could be seen patting her chest in a comparable emotion beside him.

He and Tatsuya learned in their investigation of the Lhasa index that the Fuji ruins contained significant parasite-related magic. And, considering that they found no information that contradicted Tatsuya's hypothesis that Shambhala was using parasites as a source of labor, Minoru worried about the possibility of such an enslavement magic that condemns parasites to absolute obedience. Minoru feared what its existence would mean for himself and Minami, while Tatsuya was more concerned than ever about how this would affect his valuable allies as well as to achieve monopoly over the legacy of the ruins.

"There was, however, a magic to turn Parasites back into humans, as mentioned in the 'Pillar' in the Lhasa Ruins. I will leave this magic to Minoru and Minami, so please come down to Miyakishima tonight, you two can decide what to do with it. Even if you decide not to use it, you may want to keep it for when you want to return to your human form."

[I am very grateful.]

[Thank you very much for your consideration.]

Minami and Minoru bowed in unison. When they did not raise their heads again, Tatsuya urged them to.

"Now, on to the next point: when I went to the ruins of Fuji, I didn't expect to find any particularly dangerous magic there. I knew of [Nirvana] from the [Pillar] and that I should be careful about handling it, but that was the extent I was expecting."

As discussed during his conversation with Maya, [Nirvana] is a magic designed to compel a calm mind. By temporarily numbing mental functions apart from perception awareness, it culls anxiety, grief, agitation, and panic caused by external stimuli.

However, there were worries of this magic depriving people of their drive, possibly resulting in overly passive individuals, incapable of taking action on their own.

"You mean, there were other dangerous magics?"

"Was there magic more dangerous than [Nirvana]?"

Miyuki and Lina asked respectively in rapid succession.

"Unfortunately, there was," Tatsuya said clearly and without room to dispute.

That left Minoru puzzled, [And it wasn't listed on the index…?]

"It is a magic of extremely poor taste. So much so that maybe even in Shambhala it was deemed taboo. Which would explain why it was kept out of the index."

Minoru was speechless at Tatsuya's explanation, if that was true, it was even worse than he had imagined.

"…I'm afraid to ask, but, what kind of magic is it?" Ayako's tone was honest to her words as she stepped in to ask.

"The name of the magic is [Achalamanas]. It means 'steadfastness; unwavering mind' in our modern language. It has the effect of permanently freezing the emotions and impulses of a large number of people at the same time, turning the crowd effectively into puppets. Among the emotions frozen is rebellion, so that they won't try to defy authorities, and the fear of death, so they could jump to their deaths, all you'd need to do is give them the order."

"…Fascist would love this kind of magic," Lina said with open disgust.

"I don't think you even need to go that far," Fumiya followed with a matching scowl, "Any idealistic power player would pay a fortune to get their hands on it." 

"Isn't 'steadfastness' a desirable state in a religious context, though…?" Miyuki muttered slightly baffled, "I suppose, the meaning would change in the context of misuse."

"Yes, I believe we should distinguish it from the 'steadfastness' used in religion and philosophy. The word with that direct translation in the Shambhalan language may not hold the same connotation as the word used today." Tatsuya attempted to console his fiancée about the linguistics issue, at the same time that he didn't seem to address the ethical concerns and aversion to the magic of the name [Achalamanas]. 

He had a reason for it, "Fortunately─" Tatsuya said with emphasis to bring everyone's attention back to the subject, "[Achalamanas] requires an extremely high aptitude for mental interference magic in order to master it. So much so that I believe even Miyuki would find it difficult. It would require that kind of caster to specialize solely on that one magic."

"…In other words, even if someone gained access to it, no one is able to master it?" Ayako asked slowly and carefully, as if to confirm each and every word.

"I wouldn't say no one. I believe the late Yotsuba Miya might have been able to use it."

The single name mentioned by Tatsuya in the list of potential users was the owner of a special type of mental interference magic called [Mental Structure Interference], and his late mother, Miya.

"Mother…"

Miyuki's murmur sounded rather emotionless due to the overflow of conflicting emotions she was experiencing at the mention of that name.

"─That is among the mageist I am aware of, there could be very good people out in the world that are able to master this magic." Tatsuya's words brought back the tension back to the dreaded magic.

[Is it possible to detach the particular tablet on which the magic is recorded?] Minoru succinctly suggested taking the same measures as with the [Last Flame] from Mt. Shasta.

But Tatsuya shook his head, "The construction of the Fuji ruins don't allow for the easy removal of the tablets."

[Then how about sealing the ruins the same way we did with the one on Mt. Shasta?]

"Even if we encased them in layers of stone, all it would take is a person of high magical skill to dig them cleanly out," Tatsuya responded skeptically to this suggestion as well. "For the time being, I've set up an alarm with the Wand in case anyone comes in contact with the ruins. Unsatisfactory as it may be, I think we'll have to react on a case-by-case until we find a more permanent solution."

[I see. You have a good point.] At that, Minoru had to agree.

◇ ◇ ◇

The following morning, at the breakfast table, Miyuki recalled a point they missed in the last discussion, "Tatsuya-sama, I just remembered something about the ruins."

They were incidentally alone at that occasion. Lina was then in the process of fixing her own breakfast. Or rather, toasting the bread and adding a salad while the automatic machine takes care of everything else.

Tatsuya looked back at Miyuki, waiting for her to continue.

And so she did, "There was a mirror placed on the altar, we never retrieved it, did we?"

"True, we didn't."

"……"

Miyuki hesitated to ask the next question, seeing the look on Tatsuya's face.

To her, he seemed to be in a rather conflicted state of mind, as if there was something he wanted to say, and at the same time, didn't want to.

"…What was that mirror?" 

In the end, Miyuki chose to push on and ask, deciding that it would put Tatsuya's mind at ease if he at least shared his harrowing secret with her.

"…Last night I said there was no magic to enslave parasites."

"Yes…"

Miyuki expression falls. "Oh, no." She already knew exactly what Tatsuya was keeping to himself.

"And what I said was true, there was no magic. There was, however, a tool designed to control Parasites. That being that [Mirror]."

"I can't believe it…"

Her mind was still trying to come to grips with this information for a while, " This…" But then she suddenly was hit with an uncomfortable feeling. "But, Tatsuya-sama, considering that such a tool exists, wouldn't it be better to keep it close at hand in a safe place?"

The Magic of Mass Destruction [Last Flame] ─ whose provisional designation has already sticked as an established name among their group, despite now knowing the original name ─ was sealed by Tatsuya in his personal safe. Miyuki wondered why the mirror, with its ability to control the parasites, did not receive a similar treatment.

"That [Mirror] does not function on its own. Its use requires it to be connected to the Fuji ruins."

"Much more reason in that case, no?"

"Yes, but…" Tatsuya cut Miyuki with a pained voice.

"I think it should be possible to analyze how the [Mirror] operates in its function and find a way to replicate its effect with modern magic methods. And I'm not sure I'll be able to resist the temptation."

"But why do you need to constrain yourself so much, Tatsuya-sama!? I don't see why you should be so concerned…"

"Parasites will keep arising as long as magic continues to be used."

Miyuki holds her hands to her mouth in a gasp, staring at Tatsuya with wide-open eyes.

"There was also a magic in those ruins that turned people into Parasites. I didn't look at its details, but I saw it while I was registering the entries in the Wand's stone."

"……" 

The hands joined up to her mouth and dropped to her lap, but her eyes were still wide. Miyuki was in a state of shock.

"I get it now. The micro black hole experiment event is just one of the many triggers for the emergence of Parasites."

"Then, what you said, if we keep using magic…"

"Yes, they'll keep showing. As long as magic is widely used, they are an inevitability. Which makes it not so surprising that Shambhala, a civilization created with magic at their foundation, developed means to make effective use of Parasites. And also made a tool that can be assigned to a person with the required authority, and not to be imparted, as it is with their magic, to anyone minimally able to use." 

Tatsuya let out a small, solemn sigh. 

"Parasites are bound to keep popping up. And at one point or another, I might go back and employ that [Mirror] as a sure-fire countermeasure against them. I have no confidence that I have no confidence that I will never consider adopting that option."

"That's…" Miyuki couldn't bring herself to deny that he would never.

"And I don't think I'm the worst that could happen. If I reproduce the effects of that [Mirror] and it falls into someone else's hands, there will surely be those who will try to use parasites for military purposes or whatever else they can think of. When that happens, the harm it will bring to human society will eclipse what weapons of mass destruction can do. Rather than take such a risk, I thought it would be better to keep it sealed in the ruins."

"I understand your worries." Miyuki had finally regained her composure. "I'm sorry to sour the meal. If you don't mind, I'll step away for a moment." She then asks to excuse herself and take away the heavy atmosphere with herself away from the breakfast table.

"Oh, it's fine, you don't need to ask me…" Tatsuya was taken aback by the request for permission.

"Then if you excuse me." Miyuki bowed and quietly left her seat.

Miyuki returned carrying something wrapped in a handkerchief while wearing gloves.

"Tatsuya-sama, I forgot to return this to you." 

She places the handkerchief bundle on the table.

"Oh, is that the ruins' Keys?"

Tatsuya guessed the contents before unwrapping.

"Yes. I think you should decide how to keep such important objects."

Tatsuya unwrapped the bundle and took only one of the three keys.

"You keep the rest."

"To split the risk, right? In that case, I believe we can split further by giving the third Key to someone else, if that's fine with you. I would keep one, as for the other, hmm… How about we leave it with Minami-chan?"

Miyuki pondered briefly about the candidates, and then arrived at Minami. Not Lina, nor Ayako, for that matter.

"That's fine. We'll keep them farther apart this way," Tatsuya agreed, satisfied with Miyuki's proposal.

◇ ◇ ◇

At the residence of the Hazumi family in the southern part of the Kii Peninsula, the head of the family, and one of the Four Elders, Hazumi Asuha, was enjoying her tea after lunch when she received a report from an elderly man in her service about the details of yesterday's events.

"So, all the ruin Keepers were taken into custody by the National Defense Forces…"

Asuha sighs, her tea was now lukewarm.

"The unit dispatched by the National Defense Forces was the 1st Division's Ranger Infantry Platoon, ma'am."

"You mean Kudou Retsu's Battou-tai. If I'm not mistaken, that unit is currently under that Toudou monk, isn't it?"

Asuha paid little courtesy to the late Kudou Retsu, addressing him by his bare name, without any honorifics. Even to her peer, Toudou Aoba she didn't even bother to call him by his full name, instead simply relegating him as a "monk". This was an effect of the ingrained sense of superiority held by the Hazumi family toward the "newcomers at the table".

"Do you wish to contact the military to arrange for their release?" her attendant asks.

"We lost track of the ruin's location, didn't we?" Asuha asked a question, ignoring the one just posed to her.

"We had it inspected this morning, and it would appear to have been sealed off by a very advanced ward," the attendant responded. "The practitioner who was sent there said that the ward relayed that they, and maybe even the Keepers, wouldn't be able to break through."

"The person sent, was it, by chance, a Gakutou-den?"

"Yes."

Among its supporters, Asuha has certain prestigious religious authorities. “Gakuto” refers to a high-ranking scholar in a given field of ancient-style magic who is assigned to relevant tasks by the Kouyasan, one of their most prominent supporters. A “Gakuto-den” is a scholar of an even superior standing by comparison.

"If that's the judgment of a scholar in warding, then there is no reason to doubt it."

Asuha sipped the tepid tea and frowned lightly. Following a small raise of her hand, the next moment a new teacup was served on the table. The new teacup was of the tenmoku variety. The reason why the maidservants haven't switched the tea until then was due to the mistress of the house's strict insistence that "hot itself is not good enough."

After a sip of her new tea, Asuha pondered lightly, "Well… I'm sure the boy of the Yotsuba is involved in some way, for the location to be lost must mean they no longer have a need for it. I say leave the military to do as they please, then." 

She is essentially saying that "I don't have any use for the Keepers anymore" without saying the word.

"As you wish, ma'am." Her elderly personal attendant did not offer an opinion on the matter.

He quickly moved on to the next topic to bring to her attention.

And just like that, Asuha seemed to have lost all interest in the ruins.

◇ ◇ ◇

Parallel to Hazumi Asuha's debriefing on the details of yesterday's events, Maya was listening to the report submitted by Tatsuya at the Yotsuba main house.

In attendance were the three head butlers who oversee matters at the main house.

Hayama Tadanori, Yotsuba's head butler, Maya's close aide, and in fact an executive agent assigned by the Senate to oversee the Yotsuba family.

Hanabishi Tajima, second in the rank. In charge of managing the private forces under the direct control of the main house. His son, Hyougo, serves as Tatsuya's personal aide.

And finally, Kurobayashi Kunitomo, the third-ranked butler, in charge of the Yotsuba family's research department. He is himself a genetic engineer with expertise in designing genetically-engineered magicians.

All three were unanimous in their opinion that "there was nothing at issue in Tatsuya's report."

"Hayama-san, have you heard of any movement from the government or them?" Upon hearing the opinions of the three, Maya then asked Hayama directly about any possible reactions from "them", referring to the Senate, in particular, the Four Grand Elders. 

Maya was the only one who knew of his direct association and role with the Senate, but considering she delegated most matters involving the shadowy organization to him, Hanabishi and Kurobayashi didn't find it suspicious that this question was directed at him in particular.

"The government does not appear to be aware of the ruins. As for the Senate, my understanding is that they are at most keeping a cautious eye on the situation."

"I assume the same applies to Hazumi-sama? Has she made any particular effort to intervene?"

"My presumption is that Hazumi-sama is exercising discretion at this stage, as not to spark a dispute with His Excellency Toudou."

"Hanabishi-san, is there any report of any nosing around at the ruins?"

"None. Kuroba-sama has indicated similar findings."

While the Kuroba branch family represents the main source of intelligence services for the Yotsuba family, each branch of the Yotsuba family has a certain degree of operational independence. Therefore, Hanabishi was also conducting an intelligence-based operation of his own with the contingent under the main house.

"And you, Kurobayashi-san, was there any magic in the report that caught your attention?"

"Rather than any particular magic, I'm currently considering the possibility of creating an designed body tailored for the magic of Shambhala." Kurobayashi's mind was well past the ruin exploration stage. 

"Excuse me, you are already considering a specialized adjusted body?" The surprise of that answer could be heard in Maya's voice.

"The information on Shambhala magic that Tatsuya-sama has gathered so far suggests to me that this prehistoric civilization's magic demands different qualities than either modern or ancient-style magic."

"So you believe that we should develop a body tailored to the efficient use of the Shambhala magic?"

"That's right, ma'am. On that note, ma'am, if it would so be possible, I'd like to request assistance with Tatsuya-sama to select and unleash a magic that is acceptably safe to use in experiments with minimal side effects."

"…I see your point. I'll speak with Tatsuya regarding the matter."

"I am deeply grateful."

Maya eventually finished the meeting with the butlers with an unexpected homework assignment on her hands.

◇ ◇ ◇

October 2nd, Saturday. 

Tatsuya, accompanied by Miyuki and Lina, arrived at Miyakishima on the night following their exploration of the ruins in Fuji Aokigahara's sea of trees.

His first business on the island was verifying that the "daemon" of [Babel] had returned to its [Guru's Tablet], which was being safekept in his lab. At the occasion, he also confirmed that the bloodstone-looking stone he found on Laura Simons' ear was indeed an external terminal for the [daemon] that imparted [Babel].

And then, after 8:00 P.M.

Minoru and Minami stood before the three of them after having just come down from Takachiho in the virtual satellite elevator. 

"Ready?" Now in the high-security closed-off underground laboratory, Tatsuya asks Minami while holding his Wand in his hand.

The young woman was a bundle of nerves, but managed to answer in a firm tone, "Yes, please." 

The others present, Miyuki, Lina, and Minoru, held their breath. Minoru, for his part, looked even more nervous than Minami, his face was completely pale.

Minami, dressed in customary maid's uniform, kneels down in front of Tatsuya. She folds her hands in front of her chest, closes her eyes, and lowers her head.

Tatsuya held the Shambhala Wand above Minami's head while she knelt in a prayer position.

"I'll now begin to transmit the Human Transformation Art."

After a discussion between Minoru and Minami, they decided that Minami would be the one to learn the magic.

Psions flow from Tatsuya's right hand, through the extension of the Wand, and into the Cintamani stone at its end.

The stone glowed with psion light. SInce all present were able to perceive psionic light, they were all blinded by the dazzling radiance of the light to notice that the Cintamani stone was also emitting a vague, much less brighter, but still present regular visible light.

A packet of "information" flowed from the stone, pouring into Minami in a scene resembling the ceremony of pouring anointing holy oil over one's head. Perhaps, these gestures in this ceremony may have been inspired by transmitted knowledge from rituals across the ages and civilizations.

The procedure lasted for more than five minutes.

"─The transmission is complete."

As soon as Tatsuya made his declaration, Minami dropped her tense straight-backed posture and put her hands on the floor.

Minoru rushed over and kneeled down next to her, supporting her before she could fall.

"Minoru. I'm sorry, but it's better to let Minami rest in Miyakishima today. She'll need to rest and some time to sort out all the information."

"I understand. I'll follow your advice then," Minoru agreed to Tatsuya's suggestion, nodding his head without a hint of hesitation.

"She can use my room," Lina jumped in from the side. "I'm going back to Tokyo."

"Tomorrow is Sunday, though. Why don't you just stay over in my room?"

Lina stopped Miyuki with a shake of the head, "Thanks, but no need. I have a date with Ayako tomorrow." She shot Miyuki a mischievous smile and added another point in her argument, "You should take the opportunity and hang around with Tatsuya. You now have him here after all that running around these days."

Miyuki's cheeks flushed red as she stammed a response, "…Yes?"

After a full 24 hours, at 8:00 P.M. on the following day, Minoru and Minami returned to Takachiho. 

Bringing along the magic to turn parasites back into humans that had successfully settled within Minami. As well as one of the three keys to the ruins.

Which was left in her care without any explanation from Tatsuya to her or Minoru.