Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 61

Sixty-First Chapter

A Silent Congratulations

After the Vanalis clean-up, Alus and Loki took a few days to make it back to Alpha. Lettie should have already sent word ahead of them. It was probably the most significant battle outcome in recent Alpha history. The reclamation of Vanalis was a strategically important step for the military.

After their return, Alus and Loki passed by a battalion of Magicmasters on their way out. They were being sent to establish control of Vanalis now that the number of Fiends had been greatly reduced. They would first assist and then relieve Lettie’s squad.

However, as always, there was next to no respect shown to Alus. Just a quick salute would’ve been nice, but in reality most showed no reaction, although it was a little different from ignoring him.

Whether they knew he was Alus or not, the Magicmasters looked away somewhat uncomfortably. And of course they would. No matter how heroic his feats were, Alus’s existence and inhuman abilities were too much for his achievements to be warmly received. An innocent child would be one thing, but to adults with common sense, he was uncanny and difficult to approach. All of that was the price to pay for fighting alone.

“Well, having them start to be respectful now would just be creepy. Besides, this time it was Lettie’s achievement. Her tenacity was the greatest reason for the victory. So I don’t care.”

“That’s true.”

“You sound awfully happy, Loki. Do you really enjoy seeing me being treated coldly? Talk about a terrible personality.”

“—?! Should you really be the one to say that, Sir Alus?!” Loki immediately retorted. But despite the offended-sounding question, she appeared to be in high spirits.

Although a little suspicious of that, Alus considered what to do next. First, while he had only been called in to help, he still needed to make a report. He’d leave minor details and a written report to Lettie, but he was required to report to the top brass on what he’d felt and observed. It wasn’t so much a duty as it was a way for him to share the information and personal experience he’d gained with Alpha’s Magicmasters. And if it was especially important, it would be shared with the other nations as well.

Upon their return to headquarters, the two quickly went into their individual changing rooms. It was a routine ingrained in their bodies that they did when they came back from the Outer World. All their actions were carried out without hesitation as a matter of course.

Right now, Alus was holding a new military uniform and furrowing his brow. The uniform he’d worn in Vanalis had gotten torn everywhere so it had to be discarded. Even so, he couldn’t get used to the new uniform.

Moreover, the uniforms were standardized with no individuality. One word from him and they would prepare a unique uniform for him, but he was no longer in the Outer World. Since he wouldn’t be going into combat, it wouldn’t be arranged and customized to his liking and the materials would probably be ordinary.

A dull uniform was the same as a plain shirt. So when he came out of the changing room, Alus only wore the jacket of the uniform.

Meanwhile, Loki was fully dressed in the smallest-size uniform available. “That looks good on you, Sir Alus.” She was probably just giving her standard impression by reflex, but he wasn’t very happy about it.

“Well, thanks,” he indifferently answered, unbuttoning the top button as a show of resistance. These sorts of strict atmospheres tended to bring out Alus’s spirit of rebellion.

“Yes, dressing down a little can be nice too!” Loki added with a smile, unaware of Alus’s thoughts.

But he couldn’t figure out why Loki was so happy. He was always together with her, but right now she was in an overly cheerful mood. Thinking about it, it must have been the story he’d shared on the way back from Vanalis.

This is why I hate dwelling on the past. He regretted talking about it. Something must’ve been wrong with him back then. Besides, what part of that story would get her so excited anyways? To Alus it was just an insignificant story, though he’d been the one who’d decided to talk about it in the first place.

So he decided not to think about it anymore. Thinking too hard would only end up bogging him down. Alus viewed a woman’s heart as forever being a black box, impossible to understand.

What kind of image did she even have of him? It must be something overly heroic and embellished. If she were to start describing him as a peerless hero or something embarrassing, he wouldn’t be able to endure it.

Besides, he didn’t like others saying this and that to him. Not to mention that she’d been by his side all the time at the Institute. So those words would be bound to make him feel embarrassed. In other words, there was no merit in digging deeper in that topic. He sighed.

“You seem a little tired, Sir Alus.”

“Of course I’d be. Just the thought of what’s to come is enough to depress me.”

“What’s the matter?” Loki glanced at him nonchalantly, as if she was trying to trick Alus into saying it. She tilted her head and even bent down a little in a theatrical fashion. Considering her expression and mischievous eyes, he was almost sure she was doing it on purpose.

“Okay, okay. I give up, so don’t look at me like that. If I meet with the Governor-General with you looking like that he’s just going to be a pain.”

“Is that not good?”

“He’s a shrewd one, so I don’t want to show any weakness.”

“If there’s something on your mind, you should open up to someone,” Loki said, as if saying that that someone was right in front of him.

“I can understand shame too. It’s not like complaining is going to solve anything now.”

Loki sulked like a child at that. It wasn’t the kind of conversation to have in the military headquarters, but it still needed to be expressed.

So they continued speaking in the usual manner. Maybe it was because they were in the heart of the military, but it frayed his nerves. In that respect, it was a lot easier when he’d been here with Tesfia and Alice. Alus was a member of the military, yet he always needed to stay on his guard at headquarters for some reason.

“I think that’s enough playing around.”

“I never had that intention.”

“Hm? That’s quite disconcerting...” Alus said with some surprise. What was nothing more than some trivial chat to him was apparently very serious to Loki.

...Or so he’d thought. “No, I was actually joking. But it’s not like you to be this disturbed.”

“Oh? Now you’ve done it...”

“Three centimeters,” Loki said, glancing down at Alus’s feet. “Your stride was disrupted by three centimeters.”

“Ugh!” Having something he hadn’t even noticed pointed out to him, Alus stumbled over what to say. But thinking about it, it had been unlikely that she’d actually pay attention to such tiny details.

Loki smiled like she’d gotten him, and though Alus was a little indignant, there was no helping it. Apparently, she already had the upper hand in these kinds of daily life conversations.

“Nice work out there. It seemed you had some trouble.” As soon as Alus opened the door to Berwick’s office, the man gave him words of gratitude. A new beard had appeared on his chin. “That was a joke... Well, I’ve already given Lettie all the credit. But from the sound of it, you’ve already received her report.”

There was no need to actually confirm that since he’d already spotted a group of Magicmasters heading to Vanalis. Incidentally, as a Single Digit Magicmaster, the only one Alus had to report to was the Governor-General. However, their relationship was no longer that of superior and subordinate. It was more like they were stuck with each other.

“Normally this would call for a toast. But you’re a student, so I can’t serve any alcohol.”

As usual, his praise was just for show and his real intentions lay elsewhere. In fact, Berwick didn’t look like he was in the mood for a toast at all. That said, Alus was used to him quickly changing gears so he wasn’t going to say anything.

Because of his position he always had to consider the future; so once incidents were over they became a thing of the past, and no longer subjects of joy or sorrow. It was proof of his competence, but Vanalis was likely just another piece of the strategy game in his head. His eyes were purely on the future, including how world order would look once the Fiends were wiped out and what role Alpha would play in that.

However, Alus couldn’t stand getting caught up in his pace and having everything turn vague. “There are plenty of ways to show gratitude besides alcohol. Oh, I know. I believe some cutting-edge precision measuring devices for mana information were recently delivered to the military.”

“Word travels fast.”

“I hear they even successfully deciphered another fifty Lost Spells. It seems to be a very capable machine. So I’d like one of those.”

“Come now, the military doesn’t have that much money for research. Besides, we’ve only gotten hold of two of them,” Berwick said, objecting. And why wouldn’t he? The devices used for research into magic cost far more than equipment for the other departments.

While Rusalca arguably manufactured the best AWRs, Alpha’s mana and magic research was inferior to none. That was in large part because of their aggressive policy of sparing no expense when it came to high-quality equipment. But because of the cost, advanced research was limited to specialized military facilities.

Ironically, the background for that situation had its origins in the military’s dark past...in its illegal research.

“Oh, I almost forgot. One more thing... I want security clearance level seven for the Magic Compendium.”

Alus’s outrageous demand made Berwick gaze at him in disgust. The Magic Compendium was a database on magic shared between the nations. On top of detailed information on spells, it even covered magic formulas and their developers.

However, it didn’t include all possible spells and not all of it was public. In fact, some of the most important parts were strictly controlled and kept secret by each nation.

The Magic Compendium had several locks on access, and access was granted based on military rank. Specifically, each nation had its access key and level seven was the highest. Only a chosen few were allowed access. After all, it even included taboo spells. These were typically spells created through illegal means with high lethality. Some were only effective against humans. This went directly against the principle that magic was only meant to be used against Fiends.

Loki stood behind Alus, not letting anything show on her face. But behind the mask even she was shaken. Secrets of that level were practically mythical, and even Doubles would question their existence. They were closer to being urban legends than anything. But she did her best to hide her unrest and act naturally.

After a brief pause, Berwick curtly answered him with a sullen face. “No... I can’t go that far. No matter what you’ve achieved, it’s just not possible. If you want that authority you’ll need to sit in this chair.” The least he could do was to let Alus know that only the Governor-General had access.

“I believe I was allowed access before, though?”

“That was when I disclosed information on a specific spell at your request. What you’re after now is unfettered access to the military’s top level secrets.”

A chill ran down Loki’s spine as she listened. Just observing Berwick’s tone and demeanor was enough to tell her how reckless Alus’s demand was.

“Well, I suppose that’s how it goes. I’m aware that I’m being unreasonable.”

“And you’re going too far! I wasn’t sure what kind of demands you’d make... Honestly, I can never let my guard down around you.”

“You sure are small-minded. You always exaggerate and put on airs while looking for an escape. If that’s all it takes to be the Governor-General, even someone as simplistic as Lettie could do it.”

“If she heard you say that, she’d blow you away with flames.”

“She owes me big time after this, so I’m not worried,” Alus said with an unconcerned look, causing Berwick to sigh in resignation.

“I’m not sure whose influence this is, but fine... I can’t give you access, but I could give temporary clearance just one more time.” Berwick rubbed his chin and continued, “So, what are you after?”

While it was Alus’s request, the decision lay with Berwick. If exposed, he’d end up being pressed hard again—not that he was the type of person who’d take a beating lying down.

“I’ve got several.”

“Give me a break here. There’s a limit to how far you can go in the name of research.”

“Are you sure you should be saying that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Lettie’s M2-Polaris. You provided her with a taboo-classified formula, didn’t you? Did you think I wouldn’t notice? That’s a spell I was involved in.”

“She used that?! I can already imagine the disaster that is Vanalis now.”

In reality, part of Vanalis had been scorched. The surface had gotten blown away and the ground was deeply burned. Grass wouldn’t even be growing there for a while. Anyone would feel faint after seeing the giant gouged-out piece of earth.

Still, Alus chose to say nothing more. He’d pushed through at least the bare minimum of his requests. For the time being he dropped the subject, and began reporting on the important developments. “Getting right to it, there was a strange Magicmaster in Vanalis. He was opposed to us and tried to get in the way of the mission. He attacked Loki and left her in a pretty precarious state, so he was rather skilled.”

“All the way over there? Who was it?” Berwick frowned.

Alus began talking about the snow man’s ability to use the spell that altered the environment and how he’d used the Fiends in the region to interfere with their mission.

“Regarding that, the report I got from Lettie’s subordinate stated that the clearly dead man’s body abruptly disappeared,” Berwick said.

“...”

“Did the body walk off on its own?”

“Don’t make me laugh.”

“He must’ve had an accomplice or there’s a traitor in our midst. Either way, there’s a high chance that there’s a leak within the military.”

It wasn’t like Alus had no clue whatsoever. When he’d fought Elise at the Institute, her body had transformed fluidly like water and repaired any damaged body parts as if nothing had happened. He didn’t think it was the same thing here, but couldn’t deny that such inhuman abilities existed.

Of course, since he was keeping Elise a secret from Berwick, he’d said nothing about her before. Though he did have to say something to Berwick’s joke about dead bodies walking. “I don’t have any ideas regarding the body. But when it comes to traitors there’s the Godma incident to consider. That culprit is still a mystery.”

“Hm...” Berwick pondered the issue with a bitter expression.

“I believe that man may have been working behind the scenes. He casually mentioned Godma’s name. And this is pretty much guesswork, but...I think he was probably called Enouve.”

“The name that came up in relation to Godma!” Berwick exclaimed, rising from his chair.

“That’s right. As you know, Godma Barhong was behind the attack on the Second Magical Institute and Alice’s kidnapping.”

“And Enouve was believed to have supported him from behind the scenes.” Berwick furrowed his brow and plopped back down in his chair, stroking his beard.

Shortly after his capture, Godma had been killed in an isolated cell that only the top brass was supposed to know about. However, the only mana signature that had been detected belonged to a Magicmaster who was in the Outer World at the time, a fact backed up by their comrades, meaning there was a perfect alibi.

The mana signature identification system was considered to be the most secure of all, and nobody knew how the culprit managed to get around it. Regardless if any traitors existed, traces of mana were impossible to fake.

The situation would’ve required that two people have the exact same mana signature. The mana information body used in the identification system changed as a person gained experience, so even twins would come out completely differently. The mana information body was determined by the fundamental words in the lowest layer. It was like an identifier unique to that person. As a result, Godma’s murder was still a mystery to the experts even now.

“I don’t know how that man erased Godma,” Alus said. “Whether he ordered a subordinate to...if he even has any allies.”

“So that man’s body disappearing in itself is very significant.”

“Indeed. Perhaps there really are more of them. Both Lettie and I were hoping to bring the body back for examination.” Alus shrugged. “Even if there are survivors and they want to pick a fight with the military, they know I’m here, so they’re probably not going to do something reckless.”

“Hm, neither you nor Lettie were around when Godma was killed. At any rate, I will check with the other nations regarding this mysterious Magicmaster. But I’ll be casual about it.”

“That’s for the best.” Alus nodded. It was just a precautionary measure, but it was possible that if they made information about the snow man public, it would spread confusion among the nations. After all, not only could he control the weather, but he could somehow even enlist the aid of Fiends. His motives were unknown, and if some group were to bring Fiends into the Inner World, every citizen would panic.

But was it really possible for humans and Fiends to cooperate? They were supposed to be completely incompatible beings... Even the magic they used was similar but different. Magic was originally a fantastical power that Fiends used. Humans had only been able to imitate a portion of their power, shaping it into weapons they could use.

Like magic, there was still little that humans knew about Fiends. But Alus believed if they had a deeper understanding of Fiends that they might be able to interfere with their way of being.

When I touched the stake, if the information I felt was more than just magic but also the key to the Fiends’ very existence, then... Alus thought back to when he’d fought the giant Fiend Shem Azah. Immediately upon touching the stake containing the magic formula for Kehenage, vast amounts of information flowed into his mind. He’d felt some vague sense, akin to intuition, that magic and the Fiends’ way of being was somehow connected in a fundamental way. He couldn’t help but feel it was the truth.

However, there was a chance that his idea was too far-fetched, so Alus shook his head and switched back to a more realistic line of thought.

But then...something occurred to him. —! An incident involving cooperation with a Fiend came to mind. And as it happened, Godma’s existence was the catalyst for it. On the surface, his research theme was on the elements, but the last trick he showed me was transforming into a Fiend. What if that had been his main research...? 

Transformation, understanding, and cooperation with Fiends... Alus felt like Godma and the snow man had had more than just a connection behind the scenes. His guess relied heavily on intuition, but a sense of elation rose in his heart when he thought about it. I don’t understand that much about Fiends either. Which means that the enemy knows more about them than me. 

No matter how much twisted talent they had and how skilled in magic they were, Godma and the snow man alone couldn’t achieve such success. But whoever was really involved, their skills and knowledge were all but certainly above the current national standards.

Then Loki, who had crossed blades with the snow man, gave her opinion. “I was able to confirm that he could use the ice attribute at a rather high level. He may have been injured, but Mujir, one of Lady Lettie’s most skilled subordinates, didn’t stand a chance against him.”

“That would narrow his identity down considerably... Well, it surely wouldn’t be someone employed by the military,” Berwick noted.

It wasn’t like the military managed everyone who used magic. The military only had knowledge of those in their employ. Of course, if the person was a soldier that would be a big problem. Not only would it be in violation of the pact between the seven nations, but it would also mean they were conspiring with a group that could plunge the entirety of the human domain into chaos. If they weren’t careful, even the nation the culprit was affiliated with would come under suspicion.

“The man was around 180 centimeters tall and had red hair. He was probably in his late thirties. Sir Alus decapitated the man and I saw him die before my eyes,” Loki reported, as Berwick groaned in response.

Alus took it from there. “Speaking of which, he seemed to know something about the Four Books of Fegel as well.”

That fact shocked Berwick even more. He stroked his beard, raising his eyebrows. “That hints at Kurama’s involvement. What a mess.”

“Yes, but it’s too early to say. There’s still no proof that links Kurama to the Godma incident,” Alus said.

“Indeed, but I would hope that it’s at least some members of Kurama or a subordinate organization to them. That way they could be wiped out in one fell swoop.”

“That would save us a lot of trouble. Also...”

Berwick looked at Alus in exasperation. “There’s still something else?!”

“Unfortunately, it seems the enemy has knowledge we don’t, especially when it comes to magic. So to put it bluntly, do you know of any spells that allow one to control the climate and weather over a large area? Or spells to manipulate Fiends that could suppress their instincts to the point that they could cooperate with humans?”

“No, I can’t say I do. Manipulating the weather, though, might be related to the system we use for the Inner World,” Berwick said.

“Vanalis is in the Outer World and spans quite a large area. Well, I don’t have a clue about controlling Fiends either, so I thought I’d ask. At any rate, I’d like to do some checks. If there are any spells I don’t know about they would have to be taboo-classified.”

“So that’s what the clearance is for...” Berwick groaned. He thought for a moment and something seemed to occur to him. “What if it’s one of the spells some noble family developed on their own?”

“Ah, inherited magic, huh...the kind that never leaves the family,” Alus remarked. Tesfia Fable’s family was a good example of noble families producing excellent children who became military personnel. They were trained by the various nations’ academies and then deployed in the field. The specifics might differ, and there were a few exceptions, but it was a common trend across the nations. Because of that, the nobility and the military had a give and take relationship. Not only did the nobility have influence in the military, but they also developed their own spells that they kept hidden, a sort of secret art that stayed in their family. Like Tesfia’s Icicle Sword, it was a different approach to training Magicmasters from the way the Institute handled things.

“There might not be any spells that can control Fiends, but I can at least imagine there being spells that control the weather to make it snow,” Alus continued. “But I would’ve thought that even secret arts would be mentioned in the spell encyclopedia.”

“Well, there are exceptions to everything. There is no guarantee that all noble families have Alpha’s national interest as their top priority. That’s why the nation isn’t a monolith yet. I guess you could say that’s part of being the privileged class.”

The closed nature of noble society was an irritation to Alus. Seeing Alus click his tongue, Berwick returned to the topic at hand. “I’m sure there would be nothing relevant on manipulating Fiends. If something like that existed, it would be used to bring a quick end to the war with the Fiends. But, all right, I understand. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good. Then I’d like you to grant me temporary access to browse the headings for all taboo-classified spells of all the attributes. I’ll take a look at them.”

“Y-Yes, but it really is just going to be temporary,” Berwick said after a pause. Despite his reluctant expression, he somehow managed to nod his head.

Alus had seen some of the snow man’s tricks. He’d also learned the environment-altering spells Niflheim and Helheim based on past research, so he could predict the structural elements of that kind of spell. Thus there was nobody more suitable than him to browse the Magic Compendium and get a hint from just the headings.

“Fine...but in return, you’ll have to report your findings.”

Alus silently nodded. Deep down, though, he had a feeling that his search would end in vain. Despite what he’d said to the Governor-General, he had quite a large amount of knowledge, having researched taboo spells and examined the spell encyclopedia on his own. From that he could surmise that it was either a hidden spell belonging to a noble family like the Governor-General had guessed, or a spell created by someone who’d gotten closer to the essence of magic than Alus.

If it was the latter, the transformation into a Fiend and cooperation with Fiends were a lot more suspicious. And the largest clue that made him believe that was... “Governor-General.”

Noting the change in Alus that caused him to address him by his title, Berwick had a terrible feeling. He furrowed his brow and faced Alus with a serious expression.

“I’d love to have the originals of the Four Books of Fegel.”

“I could find a copy, but the originals would be difficult. If it was just a strange book full of ridiculous lies it would be much simpler. But if it actually contains truly important information on magic and Fiends like you say, then it’s a different story. Even if I could find it, it’s unlikely we’d be able to decipher it.”

“I’ll leave that up to you. But since the snow man mentioned them, it’s likely the enemy is trying to gather them too, so keep that in mind. If that’s the case, the Four Books of Fegel could practically be considered the Testament of God.”

Berwick smiled wryly. “Now that’s an extreme analogy.”

The Testament of God was an untouchable record of the world. In other words, it referred to the Akashic Records, the same words that Alus had uttered when he came in contact with Shem Azah’s stake. It contained the truth about magic...and about everything in the world from its beginning to its end.

Its existence was closer to myth than anything. Some considered it a delusion, born from the appearance of Fiends that had disrupted everything. It was often pointed to by devotees of Fiends and by doomsayers.

However, even if the contents of the Four Books of Fegel turned out not to be the Testament of God, it was no doubt important and completely new to humanity. To the point of approaching the Akashic Records even... Alus thought to himself.

Fiends had stolen most of the world, leaving only a little area for humans to live in. Just a fragment of the history before Fiends remained. How Fiends appeared in the first place was still unknown. Even where they’d first appeared was unclear.

“Well, I’ve heard your report. Maybe it’s time to turn my attention back to the Inner World.” Berwick adjusted his posture in his chair, bringing Alus back to the present.

“First, I’d like you to keep Vanalis under control,” Alus said. “I’d rather it not turn out like Covent.” The continent of Covent that Alus had retaken was currently filled with traps like magic landmines, maintained to keep Fiends from entering. There wasn’t even a force in place to protect it. In other words, the land Alus had staked his life to take back was being left vacant and unused. Anyone would think he’d been sent in there with the expectation that he’d fail and die.

“Those weren’t my instructions,” Berwick said. “Now that Vanalis is ours, Alpha’s control should soon be asserted over Covent.”

“I hope so.” Well, it didn’t matter to Alus now.

“By the way, is that really all? From the looks of it there’s something else too,” Berwick said with a satisfied look, as he turned to Loki.

This changed the topic from the mission to a more casual conversation. Loki nodded like he’d hit the nail on the head. “Sir Alus told me about his past.”

Berwick looked surprised for a moment. Then he gave her a deeply emotional smile. At that point, he began telling tales without asking Alus first, like a good-natured old man taking the opportunity of his grandson coming of age to share his favorite stories about him.

Alus felt awkward and wanted to wrap things up as soon as possible, but since Loki was listening so intently, it was hard for him to interrupt.

And so—after an excruciating amount of time—Berwick finally reached the end of his stories, and concluded by basically saying that Alus had been very unlikable and not at all adorable.

“Is that enough? We have to get back to the Institute already. And I have my credits to consider.”

“It’s a bad habit of yours to say something you don’t really mean when things are inconvenient for you, Alus. Well, I’m relieved to hear that you’re enjoying yourself.”

Alus had no comeback as Berwick grinned at him. Instead, he turned around and started heading for the door. Loki rushed to follow him after giving Berwick a quick bow of thanks.

Berwick called out to Alus. “I hope we can live in a world soon where we don’t have to rely on you.”

Hearing this, Alus stopped and looked back. “If that’s what you think...then be merciless in everything you do.”

His sharp remark hit Berwick where it hurt. Alus wanted them to use all of their might to crush Kurama. But with the threat of Fiends from the outside they didn’t have any forces to spare, so Berwick and the rest of the top brass kept putting it off.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me.” And with that, Alus opened the door and left the office.

As he walked down the long corridor, he thought to himself, The next stop is the Institute... It feels like it’s been a long time since I last saw it. But for him to say I’m enjoying myself... How blind do you have to be for it to look like that? 

Glancing at Loki walking behind him, Alus saw that she seemed to be in strangely high spirits. She looked like she might start skipping and humming any time now. Were Berwick’s stories really that entertaining, or was she looking forward to getting back to the Institute?

What a strange girl... Still, Berwick has a point, the Institute sure is more comfortable. With a dry smile, Alus started picking up the pace, leaving the military headquarters behind him.

***

Hm...I see he hasn’t completely given up on us , Berwick thought, as he stared at the door that Alus and Loki had closed behind them.

To be frank, his relationship with Alus wasn’t that of a superior and his subordinate. Berwick was always conscious of the delicate balance that was in place since Alus felt a debt towards him. He always thought the balance would collapse if he fully relied on him.

In terms of talent and temperament, Alus wasn’t the kind of person who would feel forever bound by gratitude. Getting him to agree to a mission was akin to a political negotiation, and he would have to convince Alus or at least offer something of benefit to him.

Alus had wanted to retire from the military to devote himself to a life of pursuing what he loved. That didn’t look like it was going to become a reality anytime soon, and Berwick wondered what Alus thought about that. It wouldn’t have been strange for him to show his dissatisfaction by leaving everything behind and abandoning Alpha.

“He probably wouldn’t acknowledge it, but we owe Tesfia and Alice a lot. Oh, I forgot to tell him to give them my regards.” Berwick decided to save it for the next time when his shoulders jumped. The private line on his desk had suddenly rung.

He hurried to check who was calling and was even more surprised. It was an infrequent caller and the first time in a long while that he’d received a call from her.

He considered making it a video call, but in the end, picked audio only. “How unusual for you to contact me, Principal Sisty.”

“I apologize for the sudden call, Governor-General.” When Sisty called, she typically used Berwick’s direct line, bypassing the regular military operators. Her voice was as beautifully resonant as ever.

“I don’t mind. I just finished up over here too. And I have a hunch as to why you’re calling.” However, Berwick was being careful. If she was calling about what he suspected, he couldn’t answer her questions directly. Making it an audio call had been the right decision. After all, he was going up against the Witch, who could have easily read his expressions. He imagined her fearless smile just from her tone.

Sisty got to the heart of the matter. “Let me cut straight to the point. It’s about Lilisha Ron de Rimfuge Frusevan.”

“I believe I’ve already given you all the information I can,” Berwick said after a pause, responding with a generic answer. Just as he’d expected, he thought with a bitter expression. He heard her sigh, as he did what he could to fend off the pressure she was emanating.

“That’s not very fair, Berwick. Sure, my institute doesn’t turn anyone away and we did accept her as a student. Just like with Alus... You know, I’m making quite a few concessions here. I’m even bearing the burden of your suspicious scheming.”

“Don’t say scheme... Just call it risk avoidance in case something happens.” Feeling the pressure, Berwick rubbed his chin and put up what resistance he could.

In the military, Berwick could trust very few people aside from Vizaist. As such, a former Single who was the current principal of the Second Magical Institute would be an invaluable ally.

That was why he never pursued the identity of the mysterious attacker at the Institute. Whatever their intentions, he knew that Sisty and Alus hadn’t reported everything about the incident.

Even so, it was a matter of mutual tolerance. Alus had also feigned ignorance on the matter in the past. As long as he and Sisty were on the same page, she would remain noncommittal no matter how much Berwick pressed her.

Sisty went on with a hint of resignation in her words. “I’m sure you have your own reasons, but I have to consider my students’ safety. And I want to know Ms. Lilisha’s background. Well, even if you tell me, I guess I’d need to stand down anyway depending on your intentions and objectives.”

She remained firm in her role as principal, doing her best to extract at least the bare minimum of information. She had a good point, which put Berwick in a difficult position.

Sensing that, Sisty pressed a little further. “Berwick, why don’t we stop trying to feel each other out? This is between friends, so let’s forget about weighing the pros and cons here.”

Berwick knew why Sisty had left her position as a Single. She’d done it for the apple of her eye, Alus. Not to mention that she’d helped him in various ways so that Berwick could obtain the position of Governor-General, so he owed her a lot.

He finally made up his mind, and carefully said, “Well, I suppose there is some risk.”

“Come on, don’t put on airs, Berwick.”

“Sorry, but I must admit I am hesitant. I have to consider what my superior wants too.”

“—! Hm, is that so.”

Hinting like that was the best Berwick could do at the moment. It should be enough for the brilliant Sisty. Someone superior to Berwick must mean a person who could influence his position was making a move.

In Alpha, the only one who had the authority to directly appoint and remove the Governor-General was the ruler. So what he said just now could be construed as Cicelnia moving in the background.

“I wish I’d been told sooner, though I don’t think there are any problems yet.”

“That’s right,” Berwick said. “As long as you fulfill your duties within the scope of your role, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“I understand.”

“I owe you one.” He bowed to the other party even though she couldn’t see him.

Alus was right. They couldn’t just let domestic terrorists be. Since there was a chance that Kurama was on the move, he wanted to wipe out any points of concern as soon as possible. And he was willing to use whatever it took for that sake, including Lilisha who had her own circumstances. He felt he could use her, which was why he took Cicelnia’s intentions into account and sent her to the Institute. In other words, if he didn’t show that kind of resolve, he couldn’t protect the nation.

“By the way, can you give Alus and Loki back to me already? I’m reaching my limit as to what I can do about their credits and whatnot. My institute never had a system in place to give credits to students who were absent for that many days.”

“Ugh...well...I’ll try to be careful.” To be honest, Berwick wanted to say that it wasn’t all his fault, but held back. It was only natural for Sisty to think that everything came from the military, but this time it had been a promise between Lettie and Alus. That said, it did greatly benefit the military, so he couldn’t act like it had nothing to do with him.

Most of all, as principal of the Second Magical Institute, Sisty’s duty was to protect her students and ensure that they could graduate, and Berwick understood that.

Then Sisty realized something. “Oh, speaking of... Was the business you mentioned earlier about Alus?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. We just finished up a heavy conversation and he left me with a painful truth before leaving.” Berwick let out a sigh as he complained.

“Oh my,” Sisty replied with a sly smile, not showing much in the way of sympathy.

Sensing that his little performance had been seen through, Berwick coughed and changed the subject. “By the way... Putting Alus in the Institute was the right move.”

“Oh? I’m curious what you mean by that.”

“I’m talking about the past. To think he’d share his story about the large-scale invasion with Loki...” He had known Alus since he was a child. Loki or no, he’d changed so much that it was like he was a completely different person.

“I see...” In contrast to Berwick’s parental tone, Sisty’s reply sounded somber. “Just thinking about it is exhausting. It was a day to remember for me too.”

Sisty let out a heavy, gloomy sigh. Despite having retired, she’d had no choice but to return to the frontlines, and wound up seeing more deaths at one time than she’d seen during her entire career. Anyone who’d lived through the large-scale invasion had seen things they wished they never had. Not to mention that the Special Unit that Berwick had Vizaist form had been all but wiped out.

“That’s true. Anyway, take good care of Alus.” Knowing what Sisty was going though, Berwick put an end to the topic.

“Then tell Alus to do his own part as a student. And Berwick, could you not make Alus any promises about credits without talking to me first?”

“...” He was at a loss for words. True, he’d made that kind of deal with Alus in order to get him to say yes a few times. And it was Sisty who’d had to handle the fallout. He realized he might have been treating her like a convenient tool and cold sweat ran down his back. “I’ll be more careful in the future,” he said.

It was the best he could do. Although he thought he’d been careful with Alus, he might’ve gotten carried away by the idea of reclaiming Vanalis. With that in mind, Berwick’s expression sobered.