Volume 12, Prologue

A small village sat in the narrow basin tucked between the mountains in the old Yamanashi Prefecture that bordered the old Nagano Prefecture. One with no name. One that was not displayed on the maps precisely because it had no name. Despite calling it a “village”, this was not a village officially planned by the government, nor was it a village that naturally occurred thanks to the people congregating together before the modern era. In truth, this was merely a village for people to live in.

Excluding the fact that there was no name, this was just an ordinary village. Put another way, everything was present save for the name. There was a town hall, police station, fire station, and both the water and electricity were running. The roads were all paved correctly and there was even a school. The only school in the village probably provided for both elementary and middle school.

Thanks to the thick clouds in the grim February sky endlessly casting down snow below, a layer of silvery white covered the entire village. Maybe it was because all the villagers were indoors, but outside it was incredibly quiet. There were very few people about and, excluding a group of exactly ten people walking forward, the streets were entirely empty. The lone exception, this group of ten, was currently headed towards the other end of the village, where the village stood with its back facing the mountain. They all wore white camouflage and carried packs of the same color with rifles on over their shoulders.

From a classroom on the second floor, a young girl wearing a sailor uniform watched this dangerous crowd approach. She rose from her seat and approached the window while looking downwards at the fully armed men. She was the only person in the classroom, though frankly, she was the entire person on campus at this point. Today was not a weekend nor a holiday or even an extended break. Maybe the other students knew that the armed crowd was coming and fled for safety. Still, that failed to explain why the young girl remained in the classroom. It was apparent that not only the students but even the teachers had evacuated, so a single female middle school student remaining behind was flat out beyond comprehension.

Dead ahead of the young girl’s gaze, the men unslung the rifles at the school gates. They held their rifles at waist height and split to the left and right along the wall. Three towards the left and three towards the right. Of the four left in the middle, two of them hefted their rifles while the other two set down their packs and removed some sort of item.

The young girl took out a thin, long object from the pocket in her skirt. The machine she held in her hand was very similar to the “tablets” that existed a hundred years ago in an age where information terminals and primary verbal communication devices were called “cellphones”. The young girl pressed the power switch above the number pad, disabled the standby phase, and began channeling psions into the small device.

The machine in the young girl’s hand was a terminal-shaped CAD. Ergo, the young girl was a Magician.

She was watching the two people that stood in the back of the quartet, the ones who had just finished aiming what looked to be RPG-equipped rifles at the school. At that moment –

The young girl’s finger flew across the CAD and activated her magic.

The two men from the armed group brought out RPGs from their backpacks. Rather than focusing on penetration, the short, stubby head was meant to raise the ensuing damage from the shrapnel at the time of explosion, thus limiting its range to within 200 meters. There was less than 1/5 of that distance from the school gates to the school buildings, which was well within the ideal targeting range. However, the explosion never impacted the classroom that the young lady was in.

Ten meters away from the window where the young girl was standing, the RPG round exploded. The flames from the detonation seemed to lap around an invisible wall as it mushroomed outward and the force of the explosion rebounded towards the armed group. The metal fragments within the RPG round rained over the kneeling men. Though the shrapnel had basically lost all of its power and could not harm them, this was sufficient to raise their hackles and wariness.

The two men in the front dropped their packs and started loading grenades onto their rifles. The men who fired the first shots were also reloading. They were well aware that the earlier phenomenon was the result of magic. The reason that the glass in the windows remained undamaged by the grenades’ explosions was because a barrier had materialized, and had properties which repelled heat, sound, and kinetic energy. Still, the men also knew that a magical barrier would collapse if struck by attacks that surpassed its capacity.

This time all four RPGs fired at the same time. Though there was plainly no sign of verbal coordination, their synchronization remained perfect. Even if one round was unable to penetrate the barrier, then shouldn’t the impact and heat generated by all four rounds detonating together overwhelm the barrier? That was the thought running through their minds. Even if this experiment to nullify magic failed, the rebounding shrapnel and force would not be able to harm them. That much had already been proven.

The grenades once again detonated in midair. Much like the first time, the flames from the detonation of all four rounds seemed to spread across a transparent barrier. The only difference, however, lay in the location of that barrier.

Rather than being erected 10 meters from the school building, this time the barrier was erected approximately 5 meters away from the men. To be precise, a fresh barrier was deployed the moment they squeezed the trigger. From this close proximity, the explosive force and scattered shrapnel reflected back onto the men. Though they wore goggles, anything beneath the protective helmet was practically naked. The shrapnel had already shredded their faces without giving them any time to raise their hands to protect themselves. As a result, by the time they regained contact with the ground from the force of the explosion, all four of them had long since lost consciousness.

After verifying that the four targets were no longer moving, the young girl turned and departed from the window. Just as she arrived at the middle of the classroom, the door in the rear of the classroom was brutally shoved open. The young girl’s fingers danced over the keypad as if on reflex, a clear result of endless training. She activated her magic just an instant before the gun-bearing man took a step into the classroom. One foot in the air, the man struck an invisible wall that caused him to lose his balance.

Less than one second later, the door in the forefront of the classroom also opened, but was likewise unable to enter the classroom. As if both of them were putting on a mummer’s show, next to the man who was trying to shoulder his way through the invisible wall, a series of incredible shattering sounds were heard from the glass that separated the classroom from the hallway. Still, none of the shards of glass fell into the classroom and instead shot towards the third man who was trying to shatter the class. The barriers devised by the young girl not only protected the door, but covered the entire length of the wall between the classroom and the hallway, including the windows and doors.

Just as she let out a sigh of relief after stopping the forced entries, the young girl noticed that the armed group she discovered contained 10 people. Among them, four had remained before her and the other six split between the left and right. Thanks to the effects of their own weapons, the four in the front had already been incapacitated while three others were being held back by her magic in the hallway. So, where were the last three?

A shrill shriek erupted from the window behind the young girl as it shattered to the floor. Men had unfurled ropes from the ceiling, leapt off from the wall and used their own bodies as a swinging hammer to crash through the windows. The instant she turned around, the young girl was already rolling for cover. Her skirt was rolled to a precarious height, but this was not the time to worry about that. As she hit the ground, she spied the men hefting their rifles after jumping in from the corner of her eye. The roar of gunfire and the bullet holes that pierced through the blackboard and the cabinets at the far end of the room proved her decision to be the correct one.

The barrier deployed against the hallway vanished. Thanks to fresh invaders drawing her attention, the Magic Sequence’s renewal had been interrupted. The men performing the mummer’s farce rolled in first. One came in through the back door while another jumped in through the windows. Now, the young girl was completely surrounded by an armed group of six men.

If this was any ordinary female middle school student, her body would already have been shaking in terror. At most, she might have been able to get to her feet, use both hands to contain her shaking and mask her fear while glaring defiantly back at the men, but that would be as far as that narrative went. Yet, this young lass was no ordinary female middle school student.

She got to her feet and sprinted for the back door. There, another man was waiting with a gun in hand, but she completely ignored this man. Seeing the young girl run straight in front of the gun barrel, the man was completely caught off guard. By the time he recovered his wits, there was barely two meters between the man and the young girl. This was too close a range for rifles, but there was no time to switch weapons. Given that he was against a female middle school student, the probability that the man would lose in close quarters combat was practically zero. Still, the man ultimately chose to fire with his weapon.

The other five were much faster on the draw. By the time the man standing in the backdoor of the classroom raised his rifle, the other five men had already squeezed the trigger.

Five gunshots were heard, with another coming a beat behind them. In the next instant, six screams of pain could be heard.

Incoherent screams of pain erupted from the men’s lips. Even if their opponent was a Magician, the amount of firepower was plainly overkill for a single young girl.

Nevertheless, the bullets were refracted by the physical object reflecting barrier conjured by the young girl and instead shot towards the gunmen.

The guns held by the men were all high powered rifles used against Magicians. In order to penetrate magic fields, these rifles fired penetrator rounds with increased firepower. If struck full on by these high powered bullets reflecting back, even Kevlar crafted from high quality carbon plates would be useless. The men were sent flying by the impact of the bullets and fell unconscious in the middle, dripping blood all the while. A little lost, the young girl gazed down at them. She appeared to hesitate because she was unsure of what action to take next.

At this time, an old man’s voice came across the transmitter.

“Exercise complete. Rescue teams please recover the Advisory Squad. Sakurai-san please report back to the mansion. Milady would like to speak to you directly.”

Upon hearing the last few words, the young girl involuntarily straightened her back. With an anxious and stiff voice, she replied back “Understood” even though she knew the other side couldn’t hear her.

? ? ?

At first glance, this village was no different than any other village. From inside to out, there was an assortment of flat, blocky buildings made of concrete and steel that had no windows. As buildings that covered air bunkers below, all of these were mass produced during the time of the non- nuclear World War III. Given that these buildings dotted the landscape all over Japan, there was nothing surprising about seeing them here deep in the mountain. –Still, that was only for appearance’s sake.

Yet, this village was not what it appeared to be. This village was a fully equipped experimental lab. The most carefully guarded secret and infamous “Magician Workshop of Death (Four)”, this was the 4th Research and Development Lab for Magical Techniques. This location was both a base and the main headquarters for Magicians’ modification and elimination for the Yotsuba Family of the Ten Master Clans.

The largest mansion in the village was the residence of the Yotsuba Family’s main house. Among the large buildings atop an expansive piece of land, the greatest of them was reserved for the Yotsuba head of house, Yotsuba Maya, as her living quarters.

Now, in a certain room within that main building, a young girl stood stiffly with a nervous expression on her face before Maya.

The young girl’s name was Sakurai Minami, a 15 year old young girl who was about to graduate from middle school and, at the same time, was the second generation of the modified “Sakura” series. Born of parents genetically engineered to grant them powerful magical abilities, she was also a Magician with strong magical powers. As a side note, neither of her parents were among the living. After losing her parents, Minami lived with the Yotsuba Family’s main house while serving as a maid, all the while training to become a future guardian.

The “Sakura” series’ specialty was creating heat resistant barriers that repelled physical objects. Though its functionality and variability were not on par with the Juumonji Family’s “Phalanx”, judged solely on its utility as a defensive mechanism, Minami was able to match the Juumonji Family’s level even at the tender age of 15.

“Minami, first of all I want to thank for you a job well done. This performance was more than enough to rate you a pass.”

“I am overwhelmed by your gracious praise. Thank you very much.”

Compared to Maya’s friendly words, Minami’s tone was clearly tense and stilted. Not that she could be blamed for this, given that the woman sitting across from Minami was not merely her mistress. Even among the Ten Master Clans that dominated the upper echelons of Japanese Magicians, the Yotsuba Family was a particularly powerful clan. Not only was she the head of the Yotsuba Family, she was also feared as this generation’s strongest Magician, the “Demon King of the Far East”.

“Ah, there’s no need to be humble. Don’t you think so too, Hayama?”

Hayama, who had hitherto stood both silent and motionless behind Maya, spoke in a serious tone.

“Though points should be deducted for allowing the enemy to break through the window, the exercise still concluded with the successful incapacitation of all 10 targets. I believe this logically deserves a passing grade.”

After hearing Hayama’s words, Minami’s eyes widened in shock. This was not because she felt that the evaluation was overly harsh. As the head butler who oversaw all the servants in the mansion, Hayama was scant with his praise towards subordinates, yet here he was giving a “pass” to a servant. To Minami’s knowledge, this was the first time this had occurred. On top of that, she was the recipient of such praise, which only doubled her astonishment.

“Speaking of which, Minami-chan......”

“What is your will, milady?”

However, she didn’t have the leisure to remain surprised. There was no way that the head of the Yotsuba Family would banter with a journeyman like herself simply to congratulate her on the results of the exercise. That much was clear without any deeper contemplation.

“You are about to graduate from middle school. Any thoughts on high school?”

“....Haven’t decided.”

“Really, are you still worrying about that?”

Worry was hardly the right word, given that the decision to enter high school was not something she could decide for herself. Minami was indentured to the Yotsuba Family. Even if she said that “she wanted to attend high school”, so long as Maya or Hayama declared that to be “unnecessary”, the point was moot. “Haven’t decided” was akin to “Haven’t received further orders”, so Minami herself had no cause to worry.

“Then, Minami-chan, you will go to Tokyo.”

This order caused Minami to feel 30% comprehending and 70% surprised. A year ago, Minami had heard that she would eventually be serving Miyuki. Still, she assumed that was far off in the future and at least after Miyuki returned to the main house. Though Miyuki’s house in Tokyo was slightly larger than the average dwelling, it was still within the boundaries of a typical residence. A full-time maid on staff would feel somewhat unnatural. Furthermore, a child who had just graduated from middle school would only deepen suspicion from others, Minami thought.

Her mistress swiftly answered the questions churning in her head. “Go and attend First High.”

Was First High referring to the National Magic University Affiliated First High? That was the only question in Minami’s mind. Since she had been ordered to “head for Tokyo and attend First High”, no further explanations were necessary.

Since registration was now done online, there was no need to worry about the registration deadline. Still, the problem was First High boasted the most difficult entrance examination among the schools. Without any formal tutoring to prepare for the exam, would she be able to pass? This caused Minami to feel deeply uneasy.

“You do not have to worry on account of the exam.”

Were they going to use their connections to get her through? In truth, that was what Minami was hoping for.

“There’s still 3 weeks until the exam. All the necessary information will be directly written into your brain.”

However, that line of thinking was overly na?ve. There was indeed such a device in this village that utilized brainwashing as a technique to directly carve necessary knowledge into a person’s mind with or without their consent. Yet, that device seriously depleted a person’s strength. She would likely be bedridden for a week after the exam.

“Do your best. You will be granted a period of time to rest after the exam. Likewise, from tomorrow onward, you are relieved of your duties as a maid.”

As if sensing Minami’s unease, Maya made this gentle yet merciless declaration – “you have no choice”.

“Minami-chan.” “Present, milady.”

Up until now, Maya’s expression had been smiling, but now she was absolutely serious. Following her mistress’s example, Minami tightened her expression.

“Go to Miyuki’s side. Starting in the spring, Miyuki will be your mistress.” “Understood.”

This was a mission that was originally assigned to her ahead of time. A steely determination lurking in the midst of her anxiety, Minami accepted Maya’s orders.