"If my impression counts, I think that, for now, her plans are to go to Samarkand."

  "Samarkand, at this time…"

  Miyuki's eyes widened in astonishment at Tatsuya's muttering.

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  "Tatsuya-sama, don't tell me she's too?"

  "Hey, Miyuki, that'd be…"

  Lina also widened her eyes a beat behind Miyuki.

  "The map stone tablet is still in the USNA. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to think that someone else would be able to decipher it."

  Tatsuya answered both of their questions together.

  "But, Tatsuya-sama, they don't have the 'Compass'."

  "They may have other data that we don't have, instead."

  Tatsuya tempered Miyuki's guarded optimism.

  "In the pictures Minoru took at FAIR's headquarters, there were fifteen pieces. There was another 'stone tablet map' that FEHR took from FAIR."

  "Tatsuya, what are we going to do!?"

  While Miyuki brooded gloomily, Lina impatiently asked Tatsuya about the next course of action.

  "We'll proceed as planned for the time being. This Evelyn Taylor said she's going to Samarkand first, right? It's quite far from our destination and we still haven't confirmed that her mission is also the unearthing of Shambhala."

  "Tatsuya-sama, wouldn't it be appropriate to tell the doctor about this?"

  Miyuki's line came purely out of concern over Chandrasekhar possibly being deceived by Evelyn.

  "Indeed, that's one way to handle it…"

  Tatsuya's expression, however, was far from good-natured as Miyuki as he considered her suggestion.

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  81

  Chapter 4

  [Bargaining]

  Tatsuya's company stay in Hyderabad was immediately made known to the intelligence agencies of the IPU government.

  Not surprisingly, both Tatsuya's and Lena's entourages followed the official procedure to enter the country. Furthermore, they were staying at Chandrasekhar's residence, a VIP

  of the IPU government. It would in fact be weird if said intelligence agencies did not fix their eyes on them from day one.

  It was the next morning, Tatsuya noticed the presence of "eyes" peering at them from outside the house as soon as he got up.

  "Are those outside the mansion your guards, Doctor?"

  Tatsuya asked Chandrasekhar at the breakfast table.

  "Outside the mansion?"

  Chandrasekhar's response did not seem to be feigned. Apparently, she was too unaware, and the surveillance was being conducted without her permission.

  "Yes. It appears that they are using perception-type magic to watch what is going on inside the house from outside."

  At his remark, Miyuki and Lina acted naturally, as Tatsuya's awareness of the surveillance was a given to them.

  Hyougo, at the foot of the table, made the slightest gesture of a smile in admiration.

  Lena expressed her genuine surprise. So did her black male attendant, Louis Roux.

  And Evelyn was, for some reason, frustrated.

  "─I have not heard a word of this."

  Chandrasekhar's displeasure was exposed in her voice.

  "I beg your pardon. I will have this stopped immediately."

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  There was no guarantee that anger wasn’t an act, but it was sufficient for Tatsuya if it also meant a loosening of the watchful eye.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Today, Chandrasekhar led them on a tour of the University of Hyderabad. Of the IPU's magical research centers, six are located each in the former India and Iran ─ again, the IPU is a federal institution ─ and this university is one of them.

  The arrangements for their ruins exploration were still underway. Since they wouldn’t be moving anywhere from here until they were ready, they visited the magic research center at the University of Hyderabad to maintain their ostensible purposes of entering the IPU. The visit was a waste of time according to the main purpose of the trip, but "I'm not going" wasn't an acceptable option. Besides, Tatsuya had his own interests as a magic researcher.

  Along with Tatsuya, Miyuki, Lena, and Louis Roux joined the tour, while Lina abstained in order to keep Evelyn in check at the house.

  As for Hyougo, he stated that he would check the situation in the Uzbekistan area through his personal contacts. He apparently went off on his own, but since he has been trained by the Yotsuba Family, not to mention his experience with the PMSC, Tatsuya didn't see an issue with letting him operate alone.

  Tatsuya received a very enthusiastic welcome at the university, to say the least. The reasons, though, differed greatly between the faculty and the students.

  Most of the questions from the faculty members were focused on the topic of Artificial Relic. Most involved the replication process of the Relic, with a few here and there about the Stellar Reactor system.

  The students seemed to have a strong impression of Tatsuya's successive victories over global powers other than IPU. He had not just one or two asking how to acquire a magic like Material Burst. Others asked if Stellar Generator, the company that administers the Stellar Reactors, employs foreigners, or if it will ever establish a foreign branch.

  Tatsuya's visit to the University of Hyderabad was generally received positively, no doubt in part due to being at the invitation of Chandrasekhar.

  In terms of incidents─ there was one surprise. It happened as Tatsuya was about to leave the university.

  "─The General wants to see me?"

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  Lieutenant General Lars Singh requested a meeting with Tatsuya.

  He wondered if Chandrasekhar had engineered this occasion; she herself claimed "I wasn't aware." No matter the frankness or lack thereof, the most prominent figure in the federal army deliberately came to the site to meet him. It wasn’t an option Tatsuya could refuse, so he apologized to Chandrasekhar and Lena for the delay caused, and then he, along with Miyuki, went to meet Lars Singh face-to-face.

  The meeting took place at the university in a reception room as opulent as a palace salon. After Tatsuya and Miyuki, respectively, introduced themselves, Tatsuya inquired of Singh about the purpose of the meeting.

  "I came to see you. That's all."

  "─I am honored."

  Unable to read Shin's intent, Tatsuya tried to play it safe.

  Unfortunately, he could not fully mask his confusion.

  "Surprising? I don't find it to be unexpected, myself."

  "Pardon me. To tell you the truth, it did not come to my mind that His Excellency, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Indo-Persian Union Forces and Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Republican Armed Forces, would expressly take the time to visit a private civilian of no consequence like myself."

  Lars Singh laughed out loud with amusement. With exception of his fully grayed eyebrows ─ given there was no hair, gray or not, in his bald head ─ he looked otherwise at least ten years younger than his actual age of mid-sixties.

  "…Excuse me for my indiscretion. But, Mister, of no consequence? Do you yourself believe in earnest that such words describe your worth?"

  "……"

  "I don't think you do. You surely must know your value. There is no soul in this world nowadays who can afford to ignore your value as a military and national security asset. I would not be surprised if it was the president sitting in this room with you in my stead."

  "I'm flattered."

  Tatsuya bowed lightly in his seated position. Miyuki, beside him, followed suit without a word.

  Whereas Tatsuya wore a neutral expression, Miyuki privately sported a satisfied smile, proud to hear the words of Lars Singh.

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  "Well, now that we satisfied my selfish aim for this meeting. I'd like to offer anything Mr.

  Shiba may be interested in. Don't worry, we can talk about more than just financial topics."

  "I don't have a particular request. In fact, if I may take the opportunity, I'd like to pass along a message to you, sir.

  "Let's hear it."

  "This is a verbal message from the Chief of Staff of the National Defense Force of Japan, Akiyama. In his message, 'I would like to directly consult about the future.'"

  Singh's eyes, which had been once humorous, now suddenly took on a sharp gleam.

  "Mr. Shiba, Have you received such a request directly from Mr. Akiyama?"

  "No, sir. I received this request via a trusted friend in the National Defense Force."

  "…I see. In that case, I'd like you to tell that friend of yours that 'I'd be happy to."

  "I sure will."

  After that, they spent 15 minutes with Miyuki chatting, and that was the end of Tatsuya's meeting with Lars Singh.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  By the time they returned to Chandrasekhar's mansion from the university, Hyougo had not yet left the house.

  With some time left for dinner, Miyuki brewed a pot of chai tea for the both of them in the kitchenette of Tatsuya's guest room.

  "Tatsuya-sama. Are you sure you should not have asked the general for his assistance?"

  "I don't intend to. If we asked His Excellency Singh for his cooperation, we would have to share the information about the artifacts in case we successfully find any."

  Tatsuya frowned as he answered.

  "I'd like to minimize as much as I can the possibility of the magical artifacts falling into military use. I only asked Dr. Chandrasekhar for her assistance because I had no other choice. I'd prefer to avoid it, really."

  "I see, so that's the case. So does Tatsuya-sama believe that there is such a dangerous object hidden?"

  "And I hope I'm wrong…"

  85

  Miyuki couldn't find any comforting words to say to Tatsuya as he muttered to himself under furrowed brows.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  The situation, however, took an unexpected turn for Tatsuya.

  Friday, August 6th, on the morning after the day of Tatsuya and other's visit to the University of Hyderabad.

  "Tensions are rising on the border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. I'd like to ask you all to wait a little longer before going to Uzbekistan."

  Chandrasekhar suddenly announced at the breakfast table with all, Tatsuya's group and Lena's group, present. Her expression didn't suggest that it be a joke.

  "Is the Samarkand visit also being postponed?"

  Evelyn reacted first.

  "The tension is primarily originating in the northeast of Samarkand, near the eastern shore of Lake Idar. While it's nearly two hundred kilometers away from your destination, I'm afraid we cannot dismiss the implications."

  "I see…"

  Evelyn backed down quietly, but it was apparent that, in her downcast face, she was on the verge of gritting her teeth.

  "I recall that your country and Kazakhstan have friendly relations."

  Tatsuya was the next in line to question.

  "In part, yes, we did. We at least had not been hostile to each other. We are as much surprised by the suddenness of the situation as you are."

  Tatsuya wasn’t the only one to arch an eyebrow at Chandrasekhar's answer.

  "There were no previous indications?"

  Tatsuya queried further.

  "Yes. We're still in the process of ascertaining the situation and the surrounding circumstances."

  Chandrasekhar answered his question with her own bewildered expression.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  86

  Despite being out of its hottest season, Hyderabad is nevertheless hot and humid. It has been raining since this morning.

  Chandrasekhar was at the university on work, so no further discussion about the future.

  After breakfast, both Tatsuya's group and Lena's group withdrew to their respective rooms.

  That said, each person didn't necessarily choose to spend their time by themselves.

  "It's nice to relax once in a while, isn't it?"

  Miyuki says with a smile as she lays a cup of coffee in front of Tatsuya. The cup was filled with magically cooled iced coffee. She had first attempted to use Indian coffee, but was unable to brew it properly, so she switched to regular coffee.

  "Tatsuya, Miyuki, I got it."

  87

  88

  Said Lina from the other side of the door, and, without waiting for a prompt, she walked right in. In one hand she carried a large metal dish filled to the brim with teacakes.

  "…That's quite a lot you got here."

  Miyuki's comment wasn't much in exasperation, just surprise.

  "Don't blame me. I just asked for some tea cakes. And they gave me this bowl full of them."

  Lina was quick to plead her innocence.

  "I wonder if it's part of the culture here to indulge guests…"

  Miyuki muttered in pure perplexity.

  At this point, there wasn't any hint of disapproval in Miyuki's tone.

  "…At any rate, it seems like we will have a lot of calories to burn."

  Until Tatsuya made his comment, at which point Miyuki turned a sharp look at Lina.

  On the large platter were small, firm pieces of sūji halwa (a dish made of semolina flour mixed with vegetables, fruits, and sesame seeds and boiled in oil and sugar), gulab Jamun (darkened deep-fried doughnuts in syrup), coconut Barfi (a milk pastry filled with coconut and/or nuts), sundesh (milk fat blended with sugar and cardamom in a circle shape) chikki (nuts, dried fruits, sesame seeds, and other ingredients hardened in caramelized sugar), and a number of other Indian confectioneries. The most remarkable feature is their sweetness. Not just "a bit sweet," but "sweet" with all due emphasis on the word.

  "It-It's fine. There's no need to eat all of it."

  The meaning of Miyuki's gaze was impossible to misinterpret, so Lina, nearly breaking out in a cold sweat, pleaded in her own defense.

  As Miyuki and Lina were sipping their coffee and keeping each other from having a feast with the generous serving of calorie in between them, Hyougo made his arrival. Upon hearing the news from Chandrasekhar, he went over, even under this occasion, to ask his mercenary associate about the situation.

  "Tatsuya-sama. It's indeed true that the Kazakhstan army has been mobilized."

  After the prefatory note, Hyougo presented the entirety of his findings to Tatsuya.

  "Did you find out the reasons?

  89

  "It appears to be a state of alert in response to Kazakhstan's border guards taking fire from Uzbekistan's side."

  Hyougo's connotative phrasing invited a frown from Tatsuya.

  "Have you been able to ascertain from whom these shots came?"

  Lina opened her mouth in exclamation with Tatsuya's question.

  "No, not yet. I can't even say for sure if it was someone from Uzbekistan."

  "This is one of those false flag operations to provoke a conflict between the IPU and Kazakhstan, right?!"

  Lina jumped to her feet and exclaimed.

  "The culprits must be agents of the GAU!"

  She confidently asserts.

  Tatsuya and Hyougo both chuckled a little.

  "Lina, didn't he just say that they haven't identified the culprit yet?"

  "Indeed, sir, so I said. However, Kazakhstan's military seems to have the same suspicions as Rina-ojou-sama."

  While acknowledging Tatsuya's words, Hyougo backed up Lina as well.

  "In that case, does it mean that Kazakhstan has no intention of carrying on with the army mobilization?"

  Miyuki, who had been listening in with a pensive expression, asks Hyougo for confirmation.

  "Most likely, it may be as you say, Miyuki-sama. My former comrade in Kazakhstan had the same conclusion."

  Miyuki put her hand on her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the troubled expression on Tatsuya's face, however, rejuvenated her anxiety.

  "Tatsuya-sama… do you think a conflict is going to happen?"

  "Hm? No, no, if that's what Kazakhstan believes happened, then it's unlikely that a conflict between the two countries will break out."

  Miyuki asks gingerly, and Tatsuya, who had been basking in his own thoughts, returns to the conversation.

  90

  "I was wondering about why the GAU would stage a false flag incident at this point in time."

  "What are you concerned about?"

  "It's not much of a concern… But I wonder if the commotion Minoru stirred up in Tibet may have been the catalyst."

  He had already shared with Miyuki and the others the information about the events in Lhasa, Tibet, where Minoru was pursued by Daoshi, whom they believe to be a 'Bāxiān'.

  "So if Minoru hadn't acted on his own and went there to search for the ruins, this wouldn't have happened?"

  Lina complains.

  "No. That's not quite right, Lina."

  Tatsuya shook his head with an uncharitable smile.

  "If anything, now it's easier to look for the ruins."

  "What do you mean…?"

  Now not only Lina, but also Miyuki, and even Hyougo, for that matter, looked at him as if they didn't follow what he was saying.

  "Minoru confirmed that there are magical artifacts buried in Lhasa, in Tibet, so let's point the IPU to there instead of the Shambhala ruins in Uzbekistan."

  Lina and Miyuki tilted their heads, still puzzled.

  Only Hyougo had an understanding smile.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  "Doctor, this is what we found out from our independent investigation…"

  Tatsuya chose the diner table to bring up the matter.

  A surprise for both Miyuki and Lina, expressed by the same simultaneously.

  They weren't the only present at the dinner table, Lena's group was also in attendance.

  "We have evidence of a large quantity of Relics and an even greater amount of artifacts buried in Lhasa."

  "Lhasa, in Tibet? I certainly have heard rumors to that effect…"

  91

  Chandrasekhar casts a probing look at Tatsuya.

  Evelyn stared at Tatsuya with an avid gaze.

  "It seems that this proved to be more than just a rumor. If Tibet were an independent country in the strictest sense of the word, it would have been possible to unearth a Relic with your country's assistance. It's truly unfortunate."

  Tatsuya retained a dead serious expression. In this case, it only served to add to the suspicion.