However, at the cost of the sub-system occupying a considerable amount of the Magic Calculation Area, the use of other magic that can be used becomes severely limited.

  If the capacity of their Calculation Area is too insufficient, not only will they be unable to learn the magic from the stone tablet, but the overload may cause the host to die. If they don't have any spare capacity left, then they won't be able to use any other magic at all.

  The more advanced and powerful the magic of the stone tablet, the greater the risk.

  Once the Engravement Magic on the stone tablet is activated and the daemon is released, the engraved Magic Sequence is rewritten and the stone tablet becomes unusable. But in the event that the Calculation Area of the daemon host ceases to operate — which in many cases implies the death of the magician — then the daemon leaves the host and returns to the stone tablet. The engraved Magic Sequence on the stone tablet restores itself with the daemon's information, and it subsequently waits for a new user = daemon host.

  The "Guru's Stone Tablet" here was now in that state.

  "So Helen is dead…"

  Laura muttered alone in the room. Her voice was neither regretful nor mourning.

  "I wish she would have collected a little more data before dying."

  No, it might have at least carried some regret.

  Regret that the lab rat had become unusable earlier than expected.

  "Well, that's fine. It would've been obnoxious to leave this precious magic with that thieving cat for any length of time…"

  23 familiar; a demon supposedly attending and obeying a witch, often said to assume the form of an animal.

  169

  Besides being the sub-leader of FAIR, Laura is also Rocky Dean's lover.

  Helen's blatant attempts at flattery to gain Dean's favor were naturally an eyesore for Laura.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  July 17th, 7:00 P.M. local time, Berkeley, California. Tatsuya and Miyuki had been invited to dinner.

  Although they were invited to dinner, the location was the hotel where they were staying. The host was JJ, who had rushed over from the East Coast. Stuart and Shaula were also invited.

  "We did not expect for it all to be resolved so quickly. You never disappoint, Tatsuya. You have my deepest gratitude."

  After the toast, JJ sincerely thanked him. His gratitude was genuine, for if this incident had lingered, it would certainly undermine the current ruling party, and by extension, his boss, which would have had a negative impact on the presidential election.

  "You're welcome. This case also gave me valuable insight, so I am content as well."

  Tatsuya had been allowed to take part in the questioning of Helen Schneider. From her, he was able to learn more about the magic [Babel] that was causing the aphasia and the "Guru's Stone Tablet" artifact that was used to acquire it.

  "We were also able to get testimony on FAIR's involvement, of which Commander Canopus said that he would like to bring it to the municipal police as soon as possible."

  Shaula is the one who spoke. Stuart in turn nodded her head in affirmation.

  Maintaining public order is outside the jurisdiction of Stars, but the possibility of this developing into a large-scale terrorist attack via magic was something that they couldn't ignore. Not only by Stars as an organization, but also by the individual magicians and magic engineers that comprise it, it was not a matter that could be ignored.

  FAIR had been under the radar of the police as a potential criminal group for some time.

  Until now, their actions had been overlooked due to the lack of concrete evidence of any organized criminal involvement, but Helen's testimony was sure to spur the police to launch a mandatory investigation. Together with the case of the "white stone tablet"

  that had been reported by FEHR, a comprehensive investigation is expected.

  170

  "Mister, what are your plans for tomorrow? If you can spare some time, I would appreciate your insight into the analysis of [Babel]."

  Stuart invited Tatsuya to do collaborative research.

  "I'm honored by the offer, but…"

  Tatsuya shook his head apologetically. [Babel] is certainly an interesting magic, but Tatsuya has already "seen" the structure of the Magic Sequence. As a result, he has been able to figure out that the magic uses a different syntax than what is known.

  It is not something that can be explained overnight. It would take years of research.

  There is no chance that he could remain in America for that long, considering the position he is in.

  "Right now, I'm more concerned about the cave where the stone tablet was excavated than [Babel]."

  He added this as justification for declining Stuart's invitation.

  "The cave on Mt. Shasta?"

  "Yes, that's right."

  This was not an offhand excuse.

  "JJ. Could you give me permission to investigate Mt. Shasta?"

  Tatsuya was serious about wanting to investigate that mountain.

  "It's not that Mt. Shasta is off limits, but… Do you even know where it is?"

  JJ expressed puzzlement at this sudden request.

  "I will try to contact FEHR, the organization that provided the information to the police about FAIR's illegal digging."

  "By the way, isn't that the same organization that Mister sent an emissary to the other day?"

  "You knew about that?"

  There was no problem with them knowing about the matter involving Mayumi's visit to FEHR. Besides, the scheme against Mayumi was related to the approaching presidential election this fall. Since JJ is deeply involved in the election, it would be much stranger if he didn't know about Mayumi's trip.

  "Understood, feel free to do so. Will you be taking your own car to Mt. Shasta?"

  171

  "That's the plan."

  "I see… Do you need First Lieutenant Shaula to escort you?"

  "[Babel]'s caster has been neutralized, so there is no longer a need for such a concern."

  Shaula had been assigned to escort Tatsuya and Miyuki, "to guard them from the user of the unknown Mental-Interference Type Magic." This pretext no longer exists.

  "Instead, I'd like to fly up there, so could you please arrange it so that I can have your tacit approval?"

  "We can charter a light aircraft if you'd like…"

  JJ interrupted him after having a sudden realization. He had just remembered that the car Tatsuya had brought with him from Japan was an "Air Car."

  "All right. I'll make the arrangements, so take care out there."

  JJ wanted to have Shaula accompany him, even if there's no "cat to bell24," but he didn't push the matter any further.

  24 Belling the Cat - Wikipedia

  172

  Chapter 9

  [New Target]

  Tatsuya and Miyuki were not under any surveillance at the hotel where they were staying. This came as a surprise to Tatsuya, but JJ wanted to avoid upsetting him in any way.

  At JJ's urging, that is, with the final word of the Secretary of Defense Spencer, the Defense Intelligence Agency backed down, and the other intelligence agencies followed suit. His words were the same as the English saying, "Let sleeping dogs lie."25 There is an eastern proverb that is similar to it, "Untouched Gods won't curse you."26 No matter the exact words, those in America understood the meaning that he had pulled their chestnuts out of the fire.27

  In the middle of the night, shortly after midnight local time. Tatsuya stepped out onto his balcony where he sent a short message on his satellite phone. The message was addressed to his personal butler, Hanabishi Hyougo, in Japan.

  The message read, "Please tell him to descend as we discussed."

  At first glance, this would appear as an instruction to cut one's losses on a losing investment, except that it is, for all intents and purposes, a code.

  He returned inside, leaving the large screen window open, and approximately one minute later, a presence suddenly appeared on the balcony where he was standing.

  When he turned around, there was no sign of anyone. The presence was gone as soon as it appeared, as if it had been a figment of his imagination.

  "Thank you for coming."

  But Tatsuya called out to the empty balcony undeterred.

  The curtains hanging over the large window swayed inward.

  Amid the curtains stood a mysterious young man of inhuman beauty.

  "Good evening, Tatsuya-san. Did you call for me?"

  "Minoru, I need your help."

  25 "Let sleeping dogs lie.": to leave the situation alone so as to avoid worsening it.

  26 "Untouched Gods won't curse you.": (same meaning as "Let sleeping dogs lie."

  27 "Pull (one's) chestnuts out of the fire.": to save one from some difficult or precarious situation.

  173

  The young man's name is Kudou Minoru. The term "inhuman," which can be used to describe him, is both a metaphor and the truth. He is a former human, turned Parasite.

  Minoru lives on a space station, or rather, the satellite orbital residence facility

  "Takachiho," located in satellite orbit at an altitude of about 6,400 kilometers. It's from there that he has just descended.

  His choice of commute was neither an atmospheric re-entry capsule nor a shuttle, much less an unidentified flying object28 (officially termed unidentified aerial phenomenon).29

  It was a descent via magic. It was done by using an engraved [Mock-Teleportation]

  magic circle. This technology is called "Virtual Satellite Elevator" by Tatsuya and his associates.

  Tatsuya invited Minoru to sit down. They both sat down across from one another at the dining room table.

  "Would you like something to drink?"

  "No. But do you mind if I take these tea bags home with me?"

  "Of course not, go ahead."

  Minoru must have hesitated in leaving Minami behind on the "Takachiho." And, if he was going to drink fine tea, he would prefer to enjoy drinking it with her Tatsuya thought that Minoru is more human than he is for wanting to do so.

  "So, what do you need me for?"

  Perhaps to hide his embarrassment, Minoru suddenly made a straight face.

  Tatsuya didn't feel like teasing Minoru, and went straight to the point.

  "Let me tell you beforehand that this request is for something illegal. If you don't like it, feel free to refuse."

  "Please, I'd like to know the details."

  Minoru had no intention of dismissing the request just because it was illegal. He had committed all kinds of crimes when he first became a parasite, so it isn't like committing another crime or two at this point will really weigh heavily on his mind.

  "I want you to steal the black stone tablet that FAIR dug up from Mt. Shasta."

  28 UFO : Unidentified Flying Object

  29 UAP : Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon

  174

  "Just the black stone tablet?"

  Minoru had been informed about the two types: black stone tablets and white stone tablets that were unearthed from Mt. Shasta.

  "What exactly is the black stone tablet supposed to be?"

  "If the information obtained from the interrogation of the FAIR magician is to be believed, then it seems to be a device called a 'Guru's Stone Tablet' that bestows magic."

  "Bestows magic? Is it an artifact that teaches magic?"

  "I guess 'imprinting' would be a better description."

  Tatsuya had shared the information he got from Helen to Minoru, including about the Psion Information Body he witnessed when he captured her.

  Do you think perhaps that this daemon is another one of those 'familiars' that I 'saw' in San Francisco…?"

  "I think it's a possibility, but that's not the only thing I'm concerned about."

  While agreeing with Minoru's point, Tatsuya shook his head slightly side to side.

  "It will be extremely dangerous if these daemons can be created with modern technology. Theoretically, it would be possible to use daemons to mass produce Strategic-Class Magicians."

  Minoru immediately understood the possibility that Tatsuya alluded to.

  "Based on what I've gathered, the [Babel] magic recorded on the stone tablet is quite dangerous in itself. It may not directly bring about death and destruction, but it can, depending on the circumstances, bring about the collapse of modern society."

  He went on to further point out,

  "We'll consider countermeasures for that in due course. I've already arranged data on that. However, we still don't have sufficient information about the daemons. First, I'd like to examine the 'Guru's Stone Tablet' that awakened the daemon I saw."

  Minoru noded to Tatsuya's response.

  Minoru was of the same mind about the importance of studying the daemons.

  "I understand. I'll take care of it.

  Tatsuya and Minoru jointly understand the seriousness of the situation, so Minoru knows it is of the utmost importance that he steal the "Guru's Stone Tablet" in FAIR's possession.

  175

  Once he finished his conversation with Tatsuya, Minoru headed back to the balcony.

  Tatsuya suggested that he stay the night instead of making a round trip between the Earth's surface and satellite orbit, but Minoru declined with a laugh.

  Tatsuya didn't need to hear from Minoru's mouth to know that he doesn't want to leave Minami alone if he can help it, so Tatsuya didn't extend a second invitation.

  Minoru had disappeared.

  For a magic of this scale that launched him up to satellite orbit, the traces he left behind were negligible. Even with the USNA's magic detection technology, which is more advanced than that of Japan's, it would be impossible to detect them if they were not present.

  Minoru returned home, in space, giving a practical example to the expression, "a bird does not foul the nest it is about to leave."30

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  The next day, July 18th, Dean heard from Laura in his office that the "Guru's Stone Tablet"

  was operational again.

  He, like Laura, did not spare a word of sympathy for Helen.

  If other members were present they might have shown at least a pretense of grieving, but now it was just he and Laura. Dean saw no need for the performance.

  "Who do you think should learn it next?"

  Dean asked Laura this as he toyed with the black stone tablet she handed to him —

  specifically, by juggling it from one hand to the other.

  "Wouldn't it be more appropriate if my lord were to use it?"

  Laura replied without needing to think about it.

  "No, I'll not be using this stone tablet."

  Dean handed the stone tablet back to Laura as he said so.

  "Indeed, there's no ignoring the possibility that you won't be able to use [Dionysus] after all."

  30 "A bird does not foul the nest it is about to leave.": "Why wantonly proclaim one's own disgrace, or expose the faults or weaknesses of one's kindred or people?"

  176

  [Dionysus] is a rare magic that Dean specializes in, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is unique to him. FAIR was originally organized by the stateless overseas Chinese terrorist, Jiedo Heigu, also known as Gu Jie, to discredit the image of magicians. When he established the organization, Gu Jie decided to remain in the shadows and chose someone who had no superficial relationship with him to be its representative. And it was Dean who was chosen.

  And the reason Dean was chosen was because of his [Dionysus].

  The direct combat power of this magic is low.

  However, [Dionysus] more than makes up for its lack of combat power thanks to the features it has, which makes it a great weapon for him as the leader of an organization that commits unlawful acts. It was precisely thanks to [Dionysus] that Dean was able to seize complete control of FAIR, both in name and in reality, from Gu Jie.

  Dean greatly appreciates the value of [Babel]. But, there is no magic in the world that he is willing to learn if the risk that comes with it is him not being able to use [Dionysus].

  "Laura. I'm thinking that we could use [Babel] to try and acquire an Artificial Relic again."

  "The Artificial Relics from FLT?"

  The Artificial Relics, which have the ability to store a Magic Sequence, are used in the Stellar Reactor Plants, however, they are not manufactured on Miyaki-shima where the plants are located, but instead at FLT in Tokyo. Although the "Janus" duo under his command failed to steal an Artificial Relic, the information concerning the location where they are manufactured was relayed to Dean.

  "I admit that [Babel] is a great weapon, however, we still need a Relic to strengthen our arsenal as an organization."

  "…I understand. In that case, I'll use the stone tablet myself."

  Laura tightened her bewitching beautiful face to show her determination to Dean.

  "You'll be going to Japan, then?"

  "Yes, my lord."

  "Okay. I'll be counting on you."

  "Thank you sir. With that, I'll now commence [Babel]'s initiation rite."

  "Hmm."

  Dean nodded in satisfaction.

  177

  "If you'll excuse me, my lord."

  With the stone tablet in hand, Laura stepped away from Dean.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Sunday, July 18th. Considering that she might be at a congregation in the morning, Tatsuya chose to use the hotel phone to make a videophone call to Vancouver.

  He received Lena's number during her visit with her astral body. Contrary to his concerns, Lena answered the phone right away.

  It was not because she saw that Tatsuya was the caller that Lena appeared frozen, mouth half-open mid-introduction, on the screen. The videophone tracks the position of the other party's line of sight, mirroring where the caller is looking on the display. So by looking into the eyes of the other person, you would be meeting eyes with theirs through the video.

  And right now, Lena's gaze was fixed not on Tatsuya, but on Miyuki beside him.

  Tatsuya introduced Miyuki, under the impression that she may not have ever seen a picture of Miyuki before.

  […Er, nice to meet you. I'm Lena Fehr, Miss Shiba, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.]

  "Thank you for your kindness, I am Shiba Miyuki. I'd also like to say it's a pleasure."