April 7, 2097 AD, the night of the First High School Entrance Ceremony. At the same time Tatsuya headed for Kasumigaura Base, Yugen was visiting the Headquarters Room of the Defense Army General Headquarters inside the Ministry of Defense. Since the summons itself had come two days prior—right around the time of the Ichijou family affair—it was undoubtedly a tight schedule. While the person who summoned him understood Yugen's circumstances, Yugen also recognized that this was a matter requiring urgent consultation, so he raised no objections.
Being inside the Ministry of Defense building, there were naturally no armed soldiers wandering about, but the bureaucrats who appeared to be staying past regular hours were bustling back and forth. In the middle of this, Yugen encountered a person affiliated with the Yotsuba family who worked at the Ministry of Defense—Katsushige Shibata. Katsushige had not expected to run into Yugen inside the building, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Well now, Lord Katsushige, you certainly seem busy." "Lord Kagurazaka, it has been a while. Whatever brings you here today?" "I have a bit of business with the National Defense Force. I cannot disclose more than that due to confidentiality, however."
After a brief greeting, Katsushige glanced at his watch with a gesture that suggested he was in a hurry. Seeing this, Yugen mentioned there was no need to worry about him, prompting Katsushige to bow deeply and leave the spot at a quickened pace. Seeing how even Katsushige, who was supposed to hold a clerical position, had such a busy atmosphere about him, Yugen thought that diplomats must be even busier... with that thought in mind, he continued toward the Headquarters Room.
Just as he was about to request entry in front of the Headquarters Room, he encountered General Soga approaching from the exact opposite direction. Yugen offered a salute.
"General, please forgive me for appearing before you in such attire."
The attire Yugen spoke of was not civilian clothing, but rather the suit worn by members of the 'Shinkai'. Although he might wear a uniform in official settings, Yugen would never formally place himself within the military structure. Furthermore, now that he had become the Chairman of the Master Clans Conference, he had to maintain an appropriate distance. Soga, fully understanding Yugen's circumstances, returned the salute.
"No, considering today is the entrance ceremony for the Magic High Schools, I feel bad for summoning you in the first place. First, let us step inside."
Without explicitly stating that someone might be eavesdropping, Soga implied the possibility through his tone and led Yugen inside. Reaching the Commander-in-Chief's office situated further within, Soga and Yugen sat down on facing sofas. Soga knew that Yugen possessed an extraordinary intelligence-gathering capacity. This fact had come to light when he directly summoned Captain Motonobu Kazama (currently Lieutenant Colonel)—the 'Ootengu' who had commanded the regional forces following the Defense of Okinawa—and questioned him in detail about the event. However, as this was not information to be shared lightly, Soga had only disclosed it to individuals he truly trusted; even within the Army General Headquarters, those who knew could be counted on one hand.
"Regarding the recent incident off the coast of Sado, you naturally know about it already. The Staff Office's analysis points toward the New Soviet Union as the culprit. Furthermore, naval fleets are showing movements hinting at an invasion." "What is the Headquarters' projection?" "The majority opinion leans toward an invasion aimed at Hokuriku, including Sado."
For the New Soviet Union to deliberately move its forces toward the San'in or Kyushu regions would carry a high risk of coming under attack from naval fleets, nor would the Great Asian Alliance remain silent. It was highly probable that the incident five years ago had been engineered by a New Soviet Union spy within the Great Asian Alliance forces who leaked information to cause chaos. While the possibility of mutual cooperation could not be ruled out, historical background rendered it doubtful whether both sides could genuinely cooperate. An invasion toward the European front also posed a risk for the New Soviet Union. Though the EU was currently divided between East and West, should the sense of crisis regarding the New Soviet Union heighten, sufficient groundwork still remained for them to sign a military pact and coordinate, even if full integration was out of reach.
"What is your view on the Special Staff's opinion?" "Well... it can hardly be said that they grasp my grandfather's situation. While the possibility is not low, the very fact that they are hinting at an invasion suggests the enemy forces have already achieved a certain objective. Be that as it may, so long as no movements are seen on the European front, the safest judgment remains keeping the divisions in Hokkaido, Tohoku, and Hokuriku on standby to prepare for a main invasion from the Far East." "I see... As this involves an attack by magic this time, we requested the 101st Brigade to deploy to Hokkaido. I received word that the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion will depart as an advance party tomorrow morning."
From Soga's perspective, having Yugen—a formidable force against magicians—would act as a restraint in the Hokuriku region. By deploying the magic unit, the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion, to Hokkaido, he aimed to prepare for threats on two fronts. Yugen immediately grasped this intention. However, the issue here lay in the treatment of Special Lieutenant Tatsuya Ooguro—that is to say, Tatsuya. After all, occupying a position within the upper echelons of the Defense Army meant being in a position to acquire information regarding him.
"Did you issue a deployment order to Special Lieutenant Ooguro as well?" "We have not gone that far, but should signs of an invasion toward Hokkaido emerge, we cannot rule out the possibility of mobilizing him... Do you object to this, Lieutenant General?"
When an order is given, obeying it is a soldier's duty. However, neither Yugen nor Tatsuya were regular military personnel. Unless assigned as regular military personnel with their identities concealed like Lina or Celia, feeling no obligation to obey unless pressed by extreme crisis might be considered selfish. In response to Soga's loaded question, Yugen stated his honest opinion.
"I have no reason to express objection, nor do I hold dissatisfaction, but I do think it is selfish." "Selfish, is it... Indeed, when you put it that way, I cannot deny it."
Soga had no words to refute Yugen's sharp response. The Ten Master Clans cannot utilize the military, but the military utilizes the Ten Master Clans. As the military's stance, this was entirely natural. However, now that the entirety of the Master Clans Conference—including the Ten Master Clans—had been entrusted by the reigning Emperor with the protection of the nation, the situation where the military unilaterally exploited magicians felt like nothing short of an "anomaly." Through informal agreements with the government, the rights of the government and military over the Master Clans Conference had already been stripped away. Despite this, relying on their power indicated that the Defense Force's awareness had not caught up to the fact that "appropriate compensation" would be demanded in return.
"I agree that the Master Clans Conference and the Defense Force should maintain an appropriate distance for the national interest. However, we cannot tolerate the military or the government wielding power using our strength as a shield."
During the period when Tatsuya was mistreated, it had not been a major issue even if such things occurred (partly because Tatsuya himself did not care much about it). However, now that he was the next head of the Yotsuba family, subjecting him to such treatment was nothing short of risky behavior. The true essence of the Master Clans Conference—or rather, the Guardians—lay in preserving and protecting national sovereignty and national interests by safeguarding the land and its people. If necessary, retaining the option to eliminate direct threats abroad was also on the table.
"My 'Starlight Breaker' is one thing, but the Special Lieutenant's 'Material Burst' is a Strategic-Class Magic that is far too unwieldy to be used freely on Earth. It cannot be deployed on the simple, foolish premise of merely wanting to win." "...Personally, I do not wish to rely on it carelessly, but it is a fact that quite a few military officers hold such ideas."
The national interest pursued by the Guardians referred strictly to the "interests of a nation desiring perpetual peace," which did not necessarily equal the interests of the government or the military. What Yugen feared was the possibility that the Defense Force might misuse the power of the Ten Master Clans, and by extension, the Master Clans Conference.
"If you win too overwhelmingly, the enemy will bite back like a cornered rat, dragging you into a quagmire that ultimately drains national strength and, in the worst-case scenario, destroys the country. Such things have occurred time and again throughout history, across all eras and lands." "Indeed. Our predecessors made that very mistake during World War II, resulting in a bitter history where our country was occupied by the Allied Forces. We must not repeat it."
Hypothetically, leveraging the infamous Yotsuba name for military gain could instill more than enough terror in enemy forces. However, the probability of severely damaging the national interest as a toll for doing so was exceptionally high. In fact, foreign forces moving to weaken the Yotsuba's power regardless of profit clearly proved this point. The history of all ages and places demonstrates that winning too decisively only tightens the noose around one's own neck. Even the United States (formerly the USA), which emerged victorious in World War II, styled itself as the "world's police" and wielded unilateral logic, only to intervene in Middle Eastern affairs and enter an endless religious war.
To begin with, regarding distrust toward the Defense Force, Yugen harbored far more of it than Tatsuya did. The decisive factor had been the attempted kidnapping led by the Intelligence Department, and even after that, he continued to be dragged into troubles involving the Defense Force. Examples included the competition changes at last year's Nine Schools Competition, the harboring of Zhou Gongjin, and ultimately, the Strategic-Class Magic incident on Nantan Island.
"The Master Clans Conference is no longer an organization directly under the government. This sudden shift in attitude likely stems from concern over individuals who wish to utilize Special Lieutenant Ooguro's Strategic-Class Magic... By the way, what is the stance of the Joint Staff Council?" "Opinion did not reach the point of mobilizing the Special Staff. Should it come to the stage where you step onto the battlefield, it would be when an actual landing in Hokkaido occurs."
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