Chapter 20.2 Battle (Part 4)

This story has a rotten taste, very rotten. There's a lot of speculation and a river of conjecture, but no facts as such. The bandits didn't attack people — that happens, and the mages just didn't specify who we were protecting, they just said "people" in passing. That's all. Talked, or not talked at all — heard someone, and the fool blurted out a guess. Anyway, it's bullshit.

When the Neko was about three hundred meters away, I started searching the bodies. I finished off the first four with a targeted blast of magic that severed the body-spirit-soul connection. Almost instantaneous death, but in the "almost" interval, the victim feels the pain of the severed bonds. Shikigami is a very versatile tool, and the breadth of its use depends on the magician's imagination. So I summoned four shikigami, activated the necessary structures in the universal seals, and the shikigami blew them away.

One command, and it's done. Beautiful, isn't it? That's what I thought. Examination of the smoking bodies revealed that they didn't have much of interest on them. Some of them had dried herbs, and the rest had mushrooms — magical drugs, and especially strong ones, for the "finished".

Also, each of them had a belt pouch with varying amounts of gold and small jewelry, like earrings, rings, necklaces. Silver and gold, all easily realizable in any of the worlds, and the mag world still uses the old-style coins, so they're easily convertible if necessary.

No papers, letters, or the like have been found, so none of the suspicions can be confirmed. And the dead cannot be questioned; resurrection or "raising" are forbidden techniques, and one must obtain a patent from the Emperor to learn forbidden techniques.

Japan in general has a strange system of government. The world thinks that the imperial family here is an ornament, a tribute to tradition left over after the loss of the war at sea. That may have been the case in my first world, but it's more complicated here.

The existence of the magic component has a strong influence on the world, no matter how much anyone wants it to be different. Ordinary people, unaware of the existence of a real magical community, are ruled by a familiar government, with a prime minister elected by the people. And already there are differences.

Candidates for prime minister are chosen by the emperor, and then they run for office, in short, almost like presidential elections in the US: the clans choose the candidates, and the people choose from them, believing that they are deciding something.

After the election, the prime minister reports to the emperor and carries out his will. The Emperor himself openly rules the world of magic, he is the autocrat, after him come the Counselors and the Council of Senior Clans of Japan. There is no Ministry of Magic like in Great Britain or the Parliament of Wonders in the United States, and there never will be — the Imperial family has a firm grip on power.

After collecting what can be used, i.e. legal booty, I give a thought impulse and the bodies burn in the blue fire of activated seals, leaving only blackened earth. Blue Flame is a spiritual fire, and it's a great way to deal with problematic magical issues, like a strong attack or trash removal.

The release of magic is enough to wipe out any trace of the Neko family, so it's impossible to accuse me of anything now. I return to my post, summon the Shikigami, whisper a report about the destruction of five aggressive Yokai, and send it to my sector commander. That's it, my duties are done. We sit and wait for this farce to end, and I'm sure it is a farce.

***

POV Head of the Miyazaki Clan

Familiar room, familiar clan, familiar old men and not so familiar, familiar meeting.

— Report. — The head of the clan, obviously in a bad mood, could be the disagreement of one of the strong clans to conduct any joint business with the Miyazaki clan, or a serious loss at cards, or a noisy feast that took place the night before.

— Yes, boss. — A young mage in his thirties, dressed in battle dress, bowed low from a kneeling position. — The operation was a success, there were no overlaps, the losses among the "beasts" are within acceptable limits, the village is completely destroyed.

— How did the newcomers, the accepted and ours, fare?

— The Accepted had to destroy them all. — Seeing the darkened face of the head, the man quickly continued. — They were very angry about the violation of the treaty and threatened to report everything to the Chancellery and the newspapers. It was decided to completely destroy the accepted forces.

— You did the right thing, Kyo-kun, — the chief nodded thoughtfully. — If these scum can't understand the meaning of our goals, there's no need for them to pollute the air with their breath. Go on.

— Hai! — The reporter and part-time supervisor of the operation cheered up. — The newcomers and our clansmen were on their best behavior. According to reports, more than a hundred escaped "beasts" were destroyed by the cordon's forces, which included young mages. My opinion of the rookie project: they have fully justified their existence. — The man bowed again.

— If it is as you say and your words, Kio-kun, are confirmed, then I share your opinion. — The cautious smile of the experienced operative satisfied the head and he nodded in agreement, still maintaining the appearance of a strict master. — What about Arata-kun? What can you say about him?

— Hai! Arata-kun was assigned to the cordon by the general rules. After his report on the destruction of the five yokai, I sent some fighters to inspect the scene of the battle, as well as the guy himself. There were traces of battle seals at the site, and the bodies had been burned. The guy was unharmed and did his job until he was called back. Other than those five, there were no other fugitives through his sector — we checked. That was it.

There was silence in the hall for a minute, and no one broke it with a whisper. It was also broken by the clan leader.

— Well, Kiyo-kun, you're free to go today. — After waiting for the agent to leave the room, the chief activated the defense circuits and relaxed dramatically, as only the most trusted ones remained here. — The Asama clan refused to cooperate, so we won't see any meteorite. What do you think?

The hall and the people in it fell into thought....