Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 08 - Reminiscence Chapter

by Sato Tsutomu

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  The hectic withdrawal of the interception troops was displayed at large upon the screens in the Command and Control Center.

  Naturally, it was being viewed by Miyuki and co as well.

  As the soldiers began to fall back with their prisoners in tow, three figures showed no signs of moving.

  Murmurs ran through the command room. Who are those idiots, and such could be clearly heard even through the glass.

  Seeing the video feed, Miyuki gasped.

  One of the three was none other than her brother.

  She knew without having to ask. Without having to check the ID signal. Even though his face was hidden behind a visor, she could tell simply from his size.

  The operators were frantically repeating into their communicators requests for evacuation. An officer wearing the rank insignia of Major was desperately calling for reinforcements from a base somewhere — probably Kyushu — to come help them.

  Miyuki knew that Sakurai, just by watching her clench her teeth as she stared at that scene understood what she wanted to do, what she wanted to say, and in knowing so took her hand.

  She thought that was pathetic.

  Even though she was just 12, she was unable to form the words she truly wanted to speak. The words ‘go help my brother’, words which would have come naturally to any normal selfish person.

  Sakurai did not know why Tatsuya had remained in that place.

  However, she could hazard a guess.

  He probably had a way to deal with that fleet of approaching enemy ships.

  Under normal circumstances that would be impossible, but for him, a magician who was a direct descendant of the Yotsuba and who excelled in certain areas, it was suddenly not unthinkable.

  Because even though he could not use normal magic, he had shown that he was capable of insane feats such as magic capable of wholly restoring the human body — although that was not true magic according to Miya — and demonstrated it upon Sakurai herself.

  It was indisputable however that as a ‘magician’ he was sorely lacking. If he were to simply become a combat magician as he was now, he would never be able to overcome barriers that people normally took for granted.

  Not to mention the bombs and bullets he had erased earlier, whether individually or separately, had all needed to be identified first and evidently pushed him to his limits just disabling the enemy attacks. She didn’t know how, and did indeed consider it an amazing skill, but if Tatsuya did have a magic capable of reaching warships dozens of kilometers away — and if he did, that would cross into the realm of Strategic class magic — in the process of casting, he would not be able to protect himself in the same way as before.

  "Madam, I have a request."

  The moment she thought that, without herself being aware of it, those words were already tumbling from her lips.

  "What is it?"

  Despite the suddenness of it all, Miya’s voice contained not a hint of surprise.

  Her tone suggested it was almost as if she already knew what Sakurai’s ‘request’ was.

  "I’d like to go to Tatsuya-kun."

  Until a moment ago Miyuki had been glued to the screen; yet at this she forcefully wrenched her head around.

  Her eyes, staring at Sakurai, were wide open.

  "That is to say you wish to go, right now, over there?"

  Miya’s voice retained its calm tone.

  Her ability was meant to entail mental interference, not mind reading.

  Could it be that……Sakurai shook such convenient useless thoughts out of her head.

  "Yes."

  "Honami, even though you are meant to be my guardian?"

  Within that was the implication, ‘and yet you intend to leave me?’.

  At Miya’s question, Sakurai had no answer.

  "……I’m―"

  "Well, I suppose it’s fine."

  Sakurai had been about to say ‘I’m sorry’, an apology which could have been taken either way, yet before that Miya nodded.

  "If those enemy ships are left to be, there’s no telling how much longer this base will remain safe. Tatsuya intends to try do something about them, so go help him."

  "Huh?"

  That exclamation was reflexive.

  Somehow, it seemed Miya knew what it was Tatsuya was about to attempt. Then again, it might be only natural considering she was his mother.

  "Whilst it’s possible in theory it’s never been done in practice, yet he’s thought of it anyway. His intelligence is one of his strong points after all."

  However you looked at it, those were words of praise.

  In spite of everything, a mother will still always be capable of boasting in her child, Sakurai thought.

  "Thank you."

  I’d like to believe so, she thought, as she bowed politely.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  In the previous world war which had spanned two decades, the primary armament of ships had shifted from missiles to Fleming launchers. (Initially these had been called railguns, but as their size increased their names changed.)

  Modern shelling then is a continuous bombardment from these Fleming launchers. The rate of fire is overwhelmingly superior to that of gunpowder based weapons, and since there’s no need to include propellant or propulsion systems they have far more destructive capacity than missiles. However, their range was no better than, or in some cases inferior to, that of traditional naval guns.

  Fleming launchers emphasize rate of fire, and the recoil from extending their range whilst attempting to maintain that rate would lead to significant adverse effects on the hull which cannot be ignored.

  Thus the ground attack power of a state-of-the-art modern warship is said to be over 10 times more effective than that of ships a century ago. Within the range of Fleming launchers, even a single ship can turn entire districts into a sea of flames.

  The launchers are effective not only against urban areas, but also fortifications. If the two cruisers began raining fire, the average magician wouldn’t stand a chance.

  Tatsuya knew it was a race against time. He took the magazine out from the range expanding armament device, that large sniper rifle with the built-in specialized CAD, and quickly began ejecting the bullets.

  He clasped the bullets in his hands one by one, as if praying, then reloaded them back into the magazine.

  Looking on, Kazama and Sanada had no idea what he was doing. They could faintly feel that powerful magic was at work, but as to exactly what techniques were being applied, they could not begin to guess.

  It wouldn’t just have been them who were stumped. If any magician could see through what Tatsuya was doing at this moment, they would be truly exceptional in every sense of the word.

  What Tatsuya was doing was decomposing each bullet, then recreating it anew.

  By the time he had completed that procedure with each bullet, two minutes had passed.

  "Time until enemy ships come within range: ten minutes."

  As Tatsuya finished up the preparations on the armament device, Sanada informed him of the grace period left.

  "The ships are almost 30 kilometers west off the coast……can it reach?"

  "We’ll just have to see."

  That was the only answer Tatsuya had to Sanada’s question as he set the armament device’s elevation to 45 degrees.

  Wind aside, that was the greatest range it would be possible to achieve.

  In that position, Tatsuya activated the sequence.

  From the muzzle, a pipe shaped virtual area began to radiate outwards.

  This was the magic zone which would accelerate any object passing through.

  Despite the short time of the area’s creation, Sanada nodded with satisfaction at the size the area had expanded to.

  The longer the length of the virtual area the longer the acceleration effect would be applied, and the greater the range extension. With the length it had now reached, 30 km might just be within their grasp.

 
But that was not the only magic Tatsuya applied.

  Beyond the acceleration magic zone, yet another virtual area was taking shape.

  "What in the……!?"

  The acceleration magic zone was comprised of three action processes.

  The reduction in inertial mass of anything entering the area.

  An increase in speed.

  Then the undoing of the initial process.

  Just how far and how fast the first step could be achieved was dependent on the magician.

  The area Tatsuya was applying now followed the same principles.

  However this time the initial change in inertial mass was set to positive, the speed magnification remained the same, and the process to restore inertial mass had been disabled.

  In other words the region Tatsuya added had taken the acceleration magic Sanada designed and completely rearranged it into a region for increasing inertial mass instead.

  All on the fly.

  "I can’t believe it……"

  Sanada’s murmur was drowned out by the boom of the sniper rifle.

  Tatsuya’s eyes seemed to chase that supersonic bullet which should never have been seen.

  At length he shook his head, disappointed.

  "……It’s no good. It could only reach 20 km."

  Just how had he followed its trajectory?

  While he sounded indifferent, he must have been disappointed deep down. Perhaps he was berating himself for his own weakness.

  "We can only wait for them to come within 20 km."

  Hearing that, Sanada paled.

  "But by then, we’ll be within range of enemy fire as well!"

  The effective range of cruiser mounted Fleming launchers is somewhere around 15-20 km. A launcher’s range is always dependent upon just how well the ship can handle the recoil, meaning range is limited by the size and shape of the ship; regardless of differences in manufacturer, range can almost always be predicted just by the class of ship.

  20 km and under would definitely fall within range.

  "I know. Both of you, please head back to the base. From here, I can handle things by myself."

  "Don’t say such foolish things! You’re coming as well."

  This was the place the enemy had selected as a bridgehead, in other words; it was where the conflict would be decided.

  It was almost certain the enemy would launch the decisive attack here.

  If one couldn’t engage the enemy ships from beyond their range, once a shootout began the chances of survival here approached nil.

  "If the enemy ships are not brought down, the base would be in danger."

  Along with his family, still inside.

  "Then at the least, move from here."

  Both of them understood perfectly well what it was Tatsuya was concerned about, what it was he wanted to protect.

  "No good. There’s no more time to look for another vantage point."

  However he rejected Sanada’s proposal, for reasons known only to himself.

  "Could we possibly intercept?"

  Listening silently in to the conversation between the two until now, Kazama spoke up in a dejected tone.

  "Impossible."

  The answer was just as expected, and nothing more.

  "Then, we will remain here."

  What was unexpected was the reply.

  To Tatsuya, Kazama’s response just now was inconceivable.

  "……If I fail, you would become collateral damage."

  "There is no plan which is without fail, and there is no battlefield without the danger of death. While victory and defeat may be decided by tacticians, living and dying will always be decided by soldiers."

  Calmly, without hubris, Kazama said so.

  That famous passage, from the Hagakure[19], was all that was needed to be said.

  Offshore, plumes of water erupted.

  The enemy was ranging their guns.

  With nothing left to say Tatsuya, Kazama, and Sanada remained silent.

  The exact position of the enemy was being transmitted into Tatsuya’s visor.

  Wind speed, direction, and other factors which would affect shots scrolled by in strings of numbers.

  Tatsuya positioned the armament device.

  A stance for trajectory — prioritising distance, and leaving hits to lucky chance.

  Allowing for bullet drop and flight time, the enemy was already within range.

  Tatsuya triggered the virtual magic areas, and then pulled the trigger four times in succession.

  Each time he moved the muzzle slightly, compensating for error due to the ever shifting wind.

  In the first place, this had been a shot without much hope. However much chance favoured them, the odds would still fall upon the enemy at best. –He had done this willingly with that knowledge from the beginning.

  Tatsuya followed the flight of the four bullets in his head.

  To be precise his awareness, through the processing of his subconscious, chased the data of the bullets in the dimension of information.

  By his own hands, using the magic he alone could wield, he had decomposed then rebuilt the bullets.

  However far away they flew, he would not lose sight of their information structure.

  Of the four shots he had fired, Tatsuya received the information that one of the bullets had fallen into the center of the enemy fleet.

  Tatsuya tracked the exact position of that bullet with everything he had.

  Kazama and Sanada, aware that Tatsuya was focusing on some large scale magic distanced themselves so as to not disturb his concentration.

  All that was left for them to do was what they could with their own magic.

  The enemy had already found their range.

  The next salvo then, was right on target.

  Firing from a lower ballistic trajectory than Tatsuya had, their fire arrived before Tatsuya’s.

  As a user of Ancient magic, Kazama’s ability to interfere with objective structures was not high. Rather, it was low.

  And Sanada, who technically wasn’t even a magician but rather a magic engineer, had high objective interference yet lacked speed.

  At this rate, before Tatsuya could destroy the enemy fleet, this place would be—

  "I’ll cover you!"

  As ordinance fell like rain, a figure burst through speeding in on a motorbike.

  The rider, clad in a female Armored Suit, flung away the bike as blazing Psion light erupted from her body.

  Concentrating as he was on his magic a corner of Tatsuya’s heart felt surprise at hearing that voice, yet gladness.

  Surprise that Sakurai had left his mother.

  And gladness because he knew that under her mighty shield, he could focus on his own magic without fear.

  Augmented Magician, ‘Sakura’ series.

  Their characteristic was defensive magic against powerful objective and heat based attacks.

  While they could not use highly technical multi-spectrum magic such as the Juumonji’s ‘Phalanx’, in the single field of defense against objective heat based attacks they were unrivaled in Japan.

  And amongst them, Sakurai Honami showed exceedingly gifted performance.

  It was because of that she was chosen to protect the one precious magician who alone was capable of mental structure interference magic, Yotsuba Miya.

  The shells, aimed dead on, instead dropped into the sea.

  Not a single shot was able to reach land anymore.

  A magic which crippled momentum was being invoked in rapid succession several hundred meters offshore.

  As he watched that spectacle with his naked eyes, his minds eye roving over the sky found the bullet in the midst of the enemy fleet.

  Tatsuya stretched out his right hand towards the west, and forcibly unclenched his palm.

  The bullet broke down into energy.

  In that moment, the mass conversion magic ‘Material Burst’ was used in anger for the first time.

  Beyond the horizon, a
flash ignited.

  The overcast sky reflected dazzling light.

  Although sunset was yet far off, a shining star blazed on the Western sea.

  A roar reverberated. There would be none here who mistook it for the sound of thunder.

  With no staggering, all the fuel and explosives on board the ships had ignited as one.

  The shelling ceased.

  An eerie rumbling approached.

  "Tsunami! Take cover!"

  As he shouted, Kazama picked up Sakurai, who had suddenly collapsed powerless upon the ground, and began running.

  Sanada, now upon the bike, swerved to line up beside him.

  Tatsuya sat upon the tandem seat.

  Still running and carrying Sakurai, Kazama leapt.

  With theatrical acrobatics, he came to stand upon the handlebars. Rather, this went far beyond mere acrobatics.

  It couldn’t be said that military bikes lacked horsepower, as the clearly overloaded bike valiantly powered on.

  As storms raged and waves lashed across the horizon, Tatsuya knelt at the top of a hill.

  Before him lay the exhausted figure of Sakurai.

  Tatsuya’s face, with the helmet removed, was unmistakably filled with grief.

  "……It’s alright, Tatsuya-kun. This is life after all."

  Helpless in the face of life which could not be saved, crushed by emotions that he should have lost; to him Sakurai extended a weak, yet serene smile.

  "It’s not your fault. For Augmented magicians like us, it’s only natural that our life would run out sometime."

  That’s wrong, Tatsuya wanted to scream.

  While it was true that Augmented magicians had unstable lifespans compared to the general public, her current condition was without a doubt due to the sheer stress of using large quantities of magic continuously over such a short period of time. Even for a ‘Sakura’ series, the strain of denying the nonstop volley of so many guns was too much to bear.

  However, Sakurai would not want him to say that.

  Knowing so, he could only grit his teeth.

  "Truly, it’s not your fault. From birth it was my role to be a shield, and it’s simply that today that role ends."