"Minami, thanks again."

  "Until later, Minami-chan. Let's have a nice cup of tea next time."

  When Minami raised her face, Lina showed her appreciation, and Miyuki bade her farewell.

  Minami bowed once more and stood back at the center of the still operational magic circle.

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  The elegantly controlled magic sequence took hold of Minami, and her body soared into the sky, and the space beyond, faster than the eyes could follow.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  "So, what did you ask for, Tatsuya?"

  With Minami now back in space, and seeing Tatsuya erase the magic circle, Lina frees the curiosity she had been bottling up till now. Miyuki had the same question in her mind, she wasn't about to blame Lina for her haste.

  "You'll know once you've seen it."

  With that, Tatsuya walked to the camper.

  Lina quietly followed suit.

  And so did Miyuki.

  Back in the car, Miyuki and Lina are sitting side by side on the long seat, across the table from Tatsuya.

  At Tatsuya's command, Hyougo pulls out a cloth folded into a square and a large face shield looking object from the suitcase on the floor and places them on the table.

  "What's this?"

  "It's a skintight spacesuit."

  As the name suggests, a skintight garment is a type of clothing that adheres closely to the body. A typical example is a skintight dress that accentuates curves of the body.

  The advantage to the regular spacesuit is that it also prevents any gas exchange with the environment, such as air escaping into the vacuum of space, while not interfering with the body's movement.

  "Space suit? This? Where's the helmet?"

  "You don't need a hard helmet to shield from cosmic rays, ultraviolet rays, and other harmful elements. As long as it is airtight, a hood or mask will suffice."

  "Is this what is for…?"

  Lina didn't look entirely convinced, but there were no further questions from her.

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  "Tatsuya-sama, did you arrange spacesuits because you are planning to use Takachiho for this mission?"

  Lina closes her mouth, and Miyuki opens her.

  "That's the plan, even though you two will be in spacesuits, the magic shield should be enough protection. But I asked for it just in case."

  "I can only see three here…"

  "I'm sorry, But I'll have to ask Hyougo-san to stay on the ground."

  "Worry not, I have some work to do on the ground myself."

  Said Hyougo with an added smile.

  "Besides, if it's just me, I have friends here and in neighboring countries who can shelter me."

  "Is that really so…?"

  Miyuki could not help but be impressed by the extent of Hyougo's connections.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Evelyn managed successfully to get into Samarkand, finding ruins she had no clue where they were by herself was another thing. Neither Canopus, who sent her here, or Evelyn herself believed from the start that such a thing was conceivable.

  Once she reached Samarkand, the first thing she had to do was to make contact with a USNA informant who was working in Uzbekistan. There is a USNA legation in the former capital of Tashkent, which is linked to Samarkand by a high-speed rail line. Therefore, it wasn’t difficult for the USNA to get an informant to Samarkand.

  In fact, Canopus, the commander-in-chief of the Stars, has no serious intention of looking for the ruins of Shambhala. In his pragmatic view, even in the scenario of finding Relic or superior artifacts, it was simply not worth risking friction between the friendly relationship with the IPU and the USNA by trying to bring them back to the USNA.

  Moreover, Evelyn did not have any special abilities suited to searching for archaeological sites. She wasn't even particularly well suited for ordinary search missions, for that matter.

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  Besides her exceptional magical ability of being able to interfere in a very small area, Evelyn is not very good at extending her magical perception over a wide area. In essence, she is totally unsuitable for searching ruins.

  Though she would take issue if she knew for a fact, the search for Shambhala was more of an "incidental" affair. This mission has as its main objective to allow Evelyn to gain some experience. She was to make the most appropriate decisions and take action without the assistance of a superior or a senior. It was, so to speak, a hands-on exercise.

  Under this consideration, the informant Evelyn made contact with wasn’t exactly the finest one could hope to find.

  Not in terms of competence, just in terms of the capacity to respond to unforeseen contingencies.

  This may have been partly to blame for the situation Evelyn finds herself in on her third day in Samarkand.

  From the moment they arrived in the city, Evelyn had acted separately from Lena. She spent the morning wandering around the city's historical sites, guided by the information agent posing as a tourist guide.

  Many of Samarkand's historic landmarks have a post-Islamic influence. Evelyn felt that it was unlikely that the structures on the surface would contain any clues to Shambhala.

  Nevertheless, religious constructions are often built on top of ones related to pagan religions ─ or simply, preceding religions ─ in a way to discredit the previous religion in favor of the new one. Even if there were no remaining clues on the surface, she thought that by standing in the place, she might be able to learn something.

  She was aware that this was grasping at straws, but she couldn't extract anything more than "the area between Samarkand and Bukhara" from the analysis of the "White Tablet"

  alone. And she had no other ideas on where to look for it.

  It was while she was waiting for her meal at a restaurant that she noticed something unusual.

  "…Doesn't it feel like we're being watched?"

  Evelyn asked in a whisper to the information officer seated across from her.

  "It seems like we're being monitored."

  "I'm not sure if Americans stand out that much here for that…"

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  Evelyn has chocolate brown hair and dark blue eyes. Not a very unusual pairing in Central Asia. And since she wears clothing that hides her body shape and a stole over her head to protect her from dust, it's hard to imagine her figure was what stood out about her. Being a middle-aged man of Iranian descent, the information officer playing guide was indistinguishable from a local. Their likelihood of attracting attention because of their appearance was low from the onset.

  "Who are they?"

  "They don't seem to be IPU authorities."

  Asked by Evelyn for his opinion, the officer replied with a cautious tone.

  Truth be told, the information officer had no idea himself who was watching them. The remark about not being an IPU agent was sheer speculation. Yet this man was entrenched in the mistaken notion that a support staff member should not alarm the combatants with the vagueness of the reports. Nay, he was implementing a perversion of the words from the manual.

  "A foreign agent, then? Is it the NSU? Or maybe the GAU? Oh no way, Japan?"

  "Please calm down, Second Lieutenant. We don't want to make a scene here."

  Evelyn shut her mouth after being chided in a low voice.

  "Anyway, for now, let's get over our meal like there is nothing wrong and get out of this place."

  Evelyn nodded her head in agreement with the man's words.

  After finishing lunch at a slower pace than usual to work on the illusion that she wasn’t panicking, Evelyn left the restaurant. She followed the guidance of the information officer to a minor historical landmark that wasn’t so popular, i.e. with not many people around.

  "Are they tagging along?"

  Evelyn asks the informant if they are still on their tail.

  "There are more of them now."

  His answer was blunt.

  "We will intercept them. What about the location?"

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  With that, Evelyn pulls a tablet-shaped CAD from her shoulder pouch, turns it on, and tucks it into a hidden pocket she's created in the left side of her poncho-like, loose-fitting shirt. While doing so, she switched the pouch that was previously hanging on one side back to a diagonal sling.

  The CAD she took out of the pouch is fully thought-operated. She could use it with no problem even if it was tucked away in her pocket.

  "Mind you, there may be some I missed."

  "The ones you know are good enough."

  At the informant's weak reply, in what reeks like an attempt to evade responsibility, Evelyn suppresses her irritation and exempts them from the blame.

  "Behind the second building on the right rear, behind the third monument on the left rear…"

  Like that, the informant relied on the position of a total of four pursuers.

  Evelyn fired her magic at all four of them at once.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  "Sir, may I have a word?"

  On the commander's desk, in the commander's office of the Karshi-Khanabad air base he was assigned command, General Lars Singh received the message in a whisper from one of his staff members.

  "─What magician combatants do we have available and ready to move immediately?"

  Asked the general in a strong tone his adjutant after hearing the staff officer.

  "[Alioth] and [Phecda] of the Saptarishi6 are on standby at the base."

  [Saptarishi], the name of the special operations magician unit in the IPU federal army, a name that is also a reference to the seven rishis (seven sages) in Hindu mythology, similar to the [Bāxiān] of the GAU.

  With the difference that, whereas [Bāxiān] uses the name of the individuals of the legendary Xians as their codenames, the [Saptarishi] takes on the western designations of the bodies composing the Big Dipper as its codenames.

  For one thing, in the legend, "Saptarishi" was originally identified with the stars of the Big Dipper, which is also known as the "Plough or the Saptarishi". But a more important 6Saptarishi - Wikipedia

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  reason is the fact that the IPU consists of India and Iran simultaneously as a federal state.

  The seven members that make up the Saptarishi are magicians from the Indian region.

  And, as their prime objective is to be ready for what comes from the East ─ that is, the GAU. Inevitably, their area of operation will almost always be in India and its vicinity. As such, the naming of the unit is based on Hindu mythology, not without some strong opposition from the faction of the former Iranian government.

  "Send the two of them immediately to Samarkand. Some idiot from who knows where is carrying out a magical battle in the middle of the city. Suppress it before any civilian is harmed."

  "Understood, sir!"

  As [Saptarishi]'s primary area of operations is in India, it is effectively under the command of the same Lars Singh who is in control of the former Indian Army. It's still under the direct control of the Commander-in-Chief of the federal army, to official capacity, however. A request for mobilization has to be made at least as a formality.

  It was to make one,if not just for the sake of appearances, that the adjutant left the commander's office at a brisk pace.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Evelyn fired a volley of high-pressure bullets at the pitch-black four-legged beast, which looked like a three-dimensional shadow dog. It was her original's [Pressure Bullet]

  magic, a high pressure version of the "Cardinal Code" discovered by Kichijouji Shinkurou of Japan.

  It is basically the same magic as Kichijouji Shinkurou [Invisible Bullet], except that the

  [Pressure Bullet] is made for rapid-fire in its design. It is not a full-automatic continuous fire, but it's able to fire in semi-automatic fashion. It takes on a type of delayed-activation system, in which several "bullets" are held on standby, ready to be fired upon any target at any given time.

  Hit by the pressure bullets, the shadow beast faded and disappeared. She is immediately exposed to the next attack, however. This time a shadow of a crow.

  "How long do we have to run?"

  Whined Evelyn, shooting down the shadow crow as they ran. She had been on the run for more than thirty minutes already. If she was in a movie or show, she would have a vehicle conveniently set up, but they had to run the opposite direction, losing their own 119

  vehicle as a result of the enemy's attack. It was becoming impossible to ignore the physical exhaustion.

  "Attacks with chemical simulacrum. This can only be the GAU's operatives."

  Entrusting to Evelyn the task of intercepting the attacks, the intelligence officer explained with a knowing look.

  "I can tell that! Can you forget that and please tell me where the real one is?"

  "I'm sorry, I can't. The enemy is moving too fast for me to be able to track it."

  "Useless machine! Are they on bikes or something?! I hope they crash and die!"

  Evelyn swore at the portable Psion detector and cursed at her enemies who, unlike her, were having an easy time with their vehicles.

  She had been limiting herself to using only less powerful magic ever since she had commenced her escape. She had to be careful not to cause damage to civilians or buildings owing to the nature of this mission.

  Although Evelyn cannot use Strategic-Class Magic, she has a good repertoire of magic of the tactical level. Among them was an augmented version of Active Air Mine, able to destroy solid matter in a one-kilometer radius. Her version was even more powerful and far-reaching than the Active Air Mine used three years earlier in the shore region of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa.

  If she used it, she could probably catch all the magicians in hiding. On the downside, the city and its inhabitants will be caught up in the process.

  The reality of having no choice but to run away, despite having a surefire solution, made Evelyn even more frustrated.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Arya was with Lena at the hotel when they heard the news of an altercation between magicians taking place in Samarkand. Being an enlisted magician in the reserves of the federal army, Arya received a message warning her to "stay out of it".

  Firstly, it should be stressed her status as a reserve, and not an active member of the military, but there is also great merit in the fact of the large magnitude and power of the magics that she is able to use. Even without a formal recognition as a Strategic-Class Magician, the rumors that Arya might be able to use [Agni Downburst], are known by most officers who are in a position to manage the combat magicians.

  "Lena, may I have a moment?"

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  In the lounge where they were enjoying tea at leisure, Arya brought her face close to Lena's and whispered.

  "Arya, is there something wrong?"

  "I have something I'd like to discuss with you in private. Could we go back to the room?"

  "Sure."

  It was no bother for Lena. Their small order of teacakes was already disposed of. She rose from her chair and they left the teapot about one-third full behind.

  "A battle between magicians in the middle of the city, you say?"

  Lena listened to Arya's words with an expression as if it wasn't registering properly. She wasn't a radical optimist, who thinks it's impossible for this type of fight to break out in an urban area. To the contrary, her concern was to the commotion it may cause with the outbreak of an urban conflict.

  "Just what you heard, an urban conflict, although the damage has been limited. This tells me that both sides may be limiting themselves to magic with narrowed-down effects."

  "So they are trying to fight in a way to avoid harming civilians? Still…"

  Lena's eyebrows knit, heavy with concern.

  "…Yeah. We don't know for how long it will stay that way."

  Perhaps caught in the same train of thought, melancholy crossed Arya's features as well.

  But she quickly regained her composure and proceeded with her words. Here was the point she was trying to make.

  "─Actually, one of the parties in this skirmish is probably Ms. Taylor.

  "Eh. Really!?"

  Whether by surprise or anxiety, Lena's frowning eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened as she looked back at Arya.

  "It's a possibility."

  "A very high one, though, isn't it?"

  "Yes."

  Hearing Arya's answer, Lena stood up briskly from the bed she was sitting on.

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  "Lena?"

  Arya also got up from her chair.

  "I have to go find Ms. Taylor!"

  "Huh? No, I'm sure we can't leave things as they are, but…"

  "Urban combat is absurd. I have to stop her at once! Arya, can I ask for your help?"

  Arya felt a newfound eagerness to help as Lena asked quite calmly for her assistance.

  "Yes, I will help you."

  Arya was taken by Lena's girlish appearance, and the virtuous innocent belief in the goodness of others associated with that outlook.

  Arya was touched by Lena's maidenly nature at this moment.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  In the morning, after taking lodging in Bukhara, Tatsuya's group started their activities after noon.

  The three of them, Hyougo aside, donned with the recognition-inhibiting magic

  [Aidoneus] stored in an Artificial Relic, started out by looking around the city center.

  Since going by foot would be inefficient, they bought bicycles at the first bazaar they found. It used to be said that bicycles in Uzbekistan did not have brakes, true or not, they do nowadays. In anticipation of riding a bike or motorcycle, both Miyuki and Lina chose wide pants for the day.

  After riding around for about an hour, they took a break at a café called " Chai Hana".

  During this time, they noticed the monitoring had suddenly dropped.

  They all were aware of the fact that they had been watched from the moment they left the hotel. It wasn't due to people knowing who they were. Were that the case, the surveillance would have been much stricter.

  [Aidoneus] is a magic that prevents recognition without disguising the person's face or figure. The magic only works on the face and figure, with no effect on clothing. And Tatsuya's party did not bother to dress like locals, on the assumption that they would be less exposed if they were dressed as tourists.

  The ongoing tensions on the border with Kazakhstan likely made the locals more wary of foreigners.