Chapter 109: "Meteor Fall"? No, "Star Strike"
Raymond Sage Clark, a second-year high school student attending Berkeley High School in California, USNA.
Unlike Magic High Schools, Berkeley High wasn't designated as a specialized magic education institution; it only offered magic studies or practical magic as elective courses.
Thus, Raymond's magical abilities weren't particularly strong by nature.
But this was only his public identity.
In secret, this high school-aged boy was actually an operator of the "Hliðskjálf"—one of the "Seven Sages."
Hidden within the USNA military's global communications eavesdropping system, "Echelon III," was the intrusion system known as the "Hliðskjálf."
The seven individuals with access to its links.
That was the commonality among the "Seven Sages"—using the Hliðskjálf, they operated with efficiency surpassing the Echelon system, freely stealing desired intelligence from communication systems worldwide. This was the true identity of the "Seven Sages."
For instance, at this moment.
Despite it being late at night, Raymond was still using the Hliðskjálf to wander through vast amounts of information.
Traces of light transformed into text, then became search criteria.
The Hliðskjálf's terminal was a virtual reality head-mounted display operated via brainwaves and gestures.
The camera captured fingertip movements, reflecting their trajectories in the virtual view.
The operator drew light-formed characters in the imaginary air, recorded them as search conditions, and used brainwave assistance to send selection and decision commands.
He loved knowing things.
Though he enjoyed investigations, his true interest lay in accumulating information in his mind without any specific purpose—the Hliðskjálf was what he considered the ultimate toy.
However, tonight was different.
His search was highly targeted. He entered the name "Yotsuba Mahiro" and dredged up every piece of information about Mahiro from the vast, ocean-like intelligence network.
He hadn't expected much, but after the search, Raymond's expression gradually grew serious.
The downfall of the Japanese branch of "Blanche."
The destruction of the Eastern Japan headquarters of the international criminal organization "No Head Dragon"...
One after another, all the information about Mahiro was displayed in the "windows" that opened across the sky.
Distant "windows" only showed titles, while closer ones revealed their contents.
Some "windows" contained articles with charts, some displayed still images, and others showed videos.
If he shifted his gaze toward them, the "windows" would draw nearer; if he looked away, they would retreat.
Endless horizons stretched in all directions, filled with countless floating "windows."
What Raymond hadn't anticipated was the sheer volume of information available about Mahiro.
But what caught his attention most was a piece of information in a "window" at the corner—
[Yotsuba Mahiro, an adjusted mage of the Fourth Research Institute, the ultimate creation of the Yotsuba family, born alongside an unrecorded holy relic, innately possesses the ability to replicate all forms of magic. Estimated future potential—]
[Sufficient to rival the son of Yotsuba Maya, possessing the power to destroy the world.]
[Current status: Growing.]
"..."
Destroy the world?
Replicate all magic?
And born alongside a holy relic that appears in no records?
Wasn't he just the filthy offspring left behind after that woman Yotsuba Maya was captured by those men for research?
Normally, Raymond would have scoffed and dismissed such laughable information with contempt.
But what was retrieved from the Hliðskjálf was different.
The Hliðskjálf was the pinnacle of technological achievement in this era and the world's most powerful intelligence system.
While one still had to judge the authenticity of the information obtained here, over ninety-nine percent of what could be searched was guaranteed to be true.
Even if some details were false, they inevitably contained a degree of truth.
Raymond felt as if he had caught the scent of something momentous and instinctively licked his lips.
He was skilled at speed-reading and memorization.
So, after a brief consideration, Raymond decided to record this piece of information and prepare to send it to the White House.
If he couldn't handle this individual with his own abilities, then someone who could should take over.
Coincidentally, that "Sirius" major from the Thirteen Apostles was currently in Japan as an exchange student...
...
At the same time.
"Hmm?"
Her hand, holding a teacup, trembled slightly as Maya frowned and straightened her posture.
She, too, was browsing the Hliðskjálf.
But not with any particular purpose—she was merely idly checking for anything interesting, so she hadn't left any traces.
However, during the process, she detected the presence of another "Seven Sages."
"Let me see what exactly you've been looking into."
She hadn't expected much, but after reading, Maya's alluring red lips curled into a tantalizing curve.
In the traces, she clearly saw the name of her child, Yotsuba Mahiro.
Moreover, the query originated from an IP address in the USNA, but not from the military.
In other words, this was a civilian "Seven Sages"?
"...Raymond Sage Clark?"
Gazing at the name displayed before her, Maya laughed wantonly, her slowly narrowing eyes making it impossible to guess her thoughts.
Only her slightly parted red lips whispered softly:
"...You're really out of luck, you poor little thing."
Early the next morning.
As dawn barely broke, Mahiro had already risen from bed and dressed.
The room, aside from the usual intense fragrance unique to a young woman, now carried an additional air of tenderness and ambiguity.
After dressing, Mahiro turned to look at Shizuku, who lay fast asleep on the bed.
On the nightstand, the Cross Rose brooch emitted a faint glow.
Beside it, smooth gray hair lay somewhat disheveled across the white pillow. Her body was tightly wrapped in the blanket, with traces of red marks visible on her exposed collarbone.
The pure white silk dress, slightly torn, lay discarded on the floor.
In the end, they had done it...
The final kiss last night was like a spark landing on dry tinder, inevitably igniting a blazing fire.
After enduring the storm-like baptism, the young woman was like a small boat tossed by waves, ultimately capsized by the surge and plunged into the deep sea.
Even with her body significantly enhanced, how could her delicate frame withstand such a tempest?
So.
She probably wouldn't wake up for a while.
Thinking this, Mahiro leaned down slightly and gently kissed the girl's forehead.
But just as he was about to straighten up, the girl suddenly extended her pale arms from under the blanket, wrapped them around his neck, and lifted herself from the bed, letting the covers slide off her body.
Silently, she offered a kiss.
After parting, Shizuku slowly opened her eyes. Her typically expressionless face showed deep exhaustion but also a hint of happiness.
"...Are you leaving?" The girl's calm tone couldn't conceal her slightly hoarse voice.
"Yes, it's time to go. Skipping classes too often isn't good."
"Even though you just took a month off right after school started?" Shizuku lay back on the bed, tilting her head as she asked calmly.
Mahiro: "..."
So you've learned to tease me now?
You know perfectly well why I was absent from school for so long.
"I was joking."
Shizuku smiled slightly and urged, "Hurry and go. Don't worry about me. I'll be back soon too."
"Alright, I'll wait for you. When the time comes, I'll take you to Arcadia to meet Tina, who resembles Tear."
"Mm, I look forward to it."
After bidding farewell in the morning light, Mahiro left the girl's lodging.
However, since he had entered the country by stowing away, leaving naturally couldn't be done through normal means either.
But before that, there was still one place he needed to go.
"Let me see, Raymond-kun, where are you... Oh, found you."
Atop Berkeley's tallest skyscraper, Mahiro sat on the edge of the rooftop helipad, his legs dangling casually over the side as he swung them back and forth.
The fierce winds sweeping across the rooftop tousled his short hair, strong enough to make it difficult to keep one's eyes open.
Yet his gaze remained fixed on the orderly rows of buildings below, his vision so precise it could distinguish every street and every household as he rapidly searched for his target.
Late last night, he had already recorded Raymond's psionic signature data.
Now he only needed to cross-reference it to locate his target.
But when he found Raymond, it wasn't at his home, he was out on the streets.
Judging by his direction, he was heading toward where Shizuku was staying.
"Quite persistent, aren't you, Raymond-kun."
"But that's fine, you can take all the time you need to persist in hell."
Muttering to himself, Mahiro drew "Nightmare" from his chest. The pitch-black firearm, dark as the night sky, now pointed toward the streets below as he continuously adjusted its aim toward the ant-sized figures in the distance.
"Target locked. Distance: 7 kilometers."
"Gram Dispersion—activate!"
The moment he pulled the trigger, a flash of Psionic Light erupted from the dark muzzle.
Raymond, who had been walking along planning to pick up Shizuku for school, suddenly clutched his chest. Cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead, veins bulging as if about to burst.
Raymond felt as if flames were burning within his chest, rapidly spreading throughout his entire body.
"Ahhh—!!!"
With a heart-rending scream, he was instantly consumed by the internal flames, transforming into dust that scattered with the wind.
Nearby pedestrians turned around instinctively at the scream.
But all they saw was empty ground.
"Target eliminated."
Mahiro slowly exhaled a turbid breath, returning the CAD to his chest.
Truthfully, he could still cast magic without CAD assistance, but at long range he was limited to large-area spells like Glacial Age.
For precision long-range sniping like this, he still needed the CAD for aiming assistance.
Otherwise, accuracy would suffer.
"Seems I'm still somewhat amateurish. Need more practice..."
Mahiro slowly rose to his feet, just preparing to leave this place.
Suddenly, the sound of rotor blades came from overhead, with wind pressure beating down on the rooftop.
Well, this was a helipad after all— it was normal for helicopters to land here.
However, it didn't seem to be what he thought...
"Don't move! Put your hands up!"
What descended from above the helipad weren't helicopters, but multiple ropes sliding down soldiers who aimed their dark muzzles directly at him.
The ammunition they used wasn't ordinary bullets either, but high-velocity rounds with powerful inertia specifically designed to neutralize defensive magic when used against magicians.
Quite thorough preparations.
"Yotsuba Mahiro, correct? You're under arrest for illegal entry. Surrender without pointless resistance and come with us."
One man emerged from among these soldiers, speaking with the same American English accent as Raymond.
Seemed to be the squad leader.
"You can arrest me, but could you tell me where you're taking me? Are you forcibly deporting me back to my country?"
"That's not something you, as a criminal, should be asking!"
Whether out of impatience or something else, the squad leader's tone suddenly turned severe, and he even pulled out handcuffs from his person.
"Come with us quietly!"
"So this is the USNA that values human rights above all? It certainly lives up to its reputation."
Watching the other party approach step by step, Mahiro's face showed no trace of panic. Instead, the corners of his lips curled into a subtle smile.
"But it's fine. I believe you'll tell me obediently."
...
.....
....
On this day, two major events occurred in the USNA.
The first was naturally the disappearance of Raymond Sage Clark, one of the "Seven Sages," which was nothing more than an insignificant matter to ordinary people.
But the second one shocked the entire world.
The glass house of the prison nation had been shattered—and by a meteorite, no less—
The military base in Florida's District 22 was actually destroyed by a suddenly falling meteorite.
There was no warning whatsoever.
Satellite radar didn't capture any signs of it breaking orbit.
It was just suddenly—a meteorite orbiting in outer space abruptly descended toward Earth.
No one in the deeply buried underground laboratories survived.
The shock of this event naturally alarmed the upper echelons of the USNA. Without even looking, they knew it had to be a Strategic-Class Magic spell.
Moreover, this magic was "Meteor Fall," a Strategic-Class Magic that Japan had developed and used during the Great War, regarded as a legacy spell.
No one expected it to reappear at this moment...
Thus, the USNA leadership's first suspect fell upon Mahiro.
The problem was, the White House showed no reaction whatsoever, even issuing orders to prohibit any investigation.
The reason was that a young man had quietly infiltrated the White House and presented them with a bottle of transparent red liquid.
"Are you satisfied now, young man?"
"Yes, thank you for your cooperation, Mr. President."
Mahiro was sitting in the presidential seat of the White House, smiling faintly at the people across from him. "Since the matter is settled, I won't disturb you any further."
"Oh, by the way, I'll leave this with you as a memento."
Mahiro stood up and placed the transparent bottle he had been toying with on the table.
The transparent red liquid inside the glass bottle swayed gently, making their hearts race and sending chills down their spines.
"Don't be fooled by how small this bottle is or how the contents look like a drink—definitely don't get greedy. This might be the only sample in this world: a substance called 'Red Mercury' with extremely high radioactivity."
"Even this tiny bottle is more than enough to blow up your entire White House along with central Washington."
"That's all I have to say. I'll take my leave now."
Unlike when he arrived, he now hummed a little tune as he brushed past the people in the office and swaggered out of the White House.
Although in his previous life he had never been here, nor even visited the United States.
But after looking around, it feels... not that impressive after all.
Watching his figure vanish from the square outside the White House, everyone collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Their pupils filled with terror as they stared at the small vial of "Red Mercury" on the table.
Who would have thought such a fictional substance could be recreated...
"Damn... Strategic Class Magician..."
As for whether USNA would take any follow-up actions, he neither knew nor cared.
The only thing certain was that by the time he crossed the Pacific and returned home, it was already late at night.
Long-distance flight—though faster than an airplane—was still quite exhausting.
If only there were such a thing as genuine teleportation.
Mahiro couldn't help but think.
"Welcome back, Mahiro-sama."
The moment he stepped through the door, Minami came to the entrance to greet him as usual.
Even though it was already so late...
"Minami, next time it's this late, don't wait up for me. Get some proper sleep, understand?"
"Yes, I understand, but..."
"But what?"
"But, Mahiro-sama, Miyuki-sama has been waiting for you for a long time."
"?!"
Miyuki is here?!
Led by Minami, he entered the living room to find Miyuki leaning against the sofa, fast asleep. Her appearance made it clear she had accidentally dozed off on the couch.
"How long has she been waiting...?"
"Actually, Miyuki-sama came last night and visited again after school today, saying she would wait here for you," Minami explained from the side.
"I see."
Mahiro shook his head, gazing at the girl's serene and breathtaking sleeping face. Noticing the gift box clutched tightly in her hand, he found himself inexplicably wanting to laugh.
"What a fool."
As psion waves gathered, a thin blanket materialized in his hand.
He gently draped the blanket over Miyuki, but just then, her eyelashes fluttered slightly before she slowly opened her eyes.
"Ah, Mahiro-nii-sama, welcome back."
Being able to see Mahiro the moment she woke up made Miyuki very happy.
"Oh, that's right, Mahiro-nii-sama, this is something Miyuki made herself... Though it might be a bit late, Miyuki still hopes you'll try it."
The girl handed over the gift box in her hand.
There was no need to guess—it contained chocolate. Even though two days had passed, Mahiro accepted it nonetheless.
Patting Miyuki's head, he said, "Thank you. You waited until this late just to give me this chocolate."
"No, it's fine. As long as Mahiro-nii-sama likes it."
Miyuki's cheeks flushed slightly as she responded.
However, since he had accepted the chocolate, it was only natural for him to return the favor.
Just as he had decided earlier.
He chose to give Miyuki a hair accessory resembling a snowflake petal.
"As I thought, the blue-purple forget-me-nots suit you very well, Miyuki."
"R-really? Thank you, Mahiro-nii-sama."
Miyuki gently touched her cheek, shyly averting her gaze.
Damn, she's even cuter now.
I want to...