Published at 25th of March 2019 10:11 pm

Volume 10 Chapter 4 - Country of Freedom and Prosperity (Utopia)

Part 1

The American’s patrol boat that they had fought until not long ago was leading in front of Queen Kaguya.

And then finally the two ships arrived at America’s west coast: San Francisco.

A giant hamburger was served in front of Kazuki’s eyes. The bottom size of it was nothing special, but its height was extremely abnormal. It was truly a hamburger tower. The red of the ketchup, the green of the avocado, the white of the onion rings, the brown of the hamburger built colorful layers, hearty amount of cheese was melting vertically down piling up a striped pattern. Not to mention its puffing steam and thick aroma.

“This is how you eat it!”

The black boxer girl who had fought Kazuki laughed cheerfully.

“Secret Technique Merry Go Round・Bite!”

The girl pierced a stake into the center of the hamburger, and after pressing the hamburger lightly so as to not destroy the texture of the bread, she put an angle from the bottom to the part of the hamburger’s rim and sank her teeth into it. Just like that she rotated the whole hamburger and ate the lower half’s rim as if erasing it. After a rotation next she moved to the rim of the upper half and sank her teeth into it, then she rotated the hamburger in full circle once again.

Kazuki raised a shocked voice “Ooo-“ from the culture shock. So that was how you eat it.

“…It’s super delicious…!” Shinobu-senpai’s eyes shined glaringly.

“Now then, let’s introduce ourselves once more.”

The boxer girl said that with her mouth sticky all over from ketchup and mustard.

“My name is Mary Mayweather Junior. I’m a boxer.”

“I’m Virginia Dance. Call me Ginny. For the time being, I’m an Idol you know.”

The white idol girl that sang the song in the battle just before also showed a friendly smile.

“The girl that fought with guns like in a western movie is Jeremy Barett.”

They told him that the girl Jeremy and other cyborg soldiers were heading to the government to report.

And then these girls, Mary and Ginny, volunteered to be the guide for Kazuki and co.

Kazuki was musing inside his head. Mary Mayweather Junior. Virginia Dance. Jeremy Barett. The names of the foreigners that were introduced to him all at once was hard to memorize.

They were in a port city named [Fisherman’s Wharf] in San Francisco.

They finally arrived in America for the first time. Here and there were loud jovial laughs from the American people with physiques that were far better than the Japanese.

Mary and Ginny reserved a restaurant of the port city and invited Kazuki and co. Perhaps they were giving consideration to how there were many of them that were still in a student’s age that they guided them to a place where they could relax the tension.

At the white tables in the open terrace that had the scent of salt water, Kazuki and co. took a seat divided into several groups, and had a feast of an American meal.

Kazuki also challenged the hamburger. It was the flavor of junk food that interweaved monotone seasoning and fat that was too aggressive. But, it was absurdly delicious.

“Next if I have to say what is the specialty of this place, then it’s surely the marine product! Eat as much as you like!! Don’t you dare think that you can go home to Japan with your current body fat percentage!!”

Mary ordered in high spirits and food was lined up on the table one after another. Seafood pizza that was violently thick, large amount of fried squid, lobster and crab that looked like a monster, clam chowder that was filled into hollowed bread as a bowl. Everything was jumbo sized.

“Piyoo―n” When Kaguya-senpai ate pizza with its cheese lengthening elastically, Stella mimicked her and went “Piyoo―n! Piyoo―n!” happily.

They were hiding Stella’s circumstance here.

“…Your Japanese is really skillful isn’t it?” Kazuki asked.

“America’s [Knight Order] have all the upper echelons class learning the Japanese language. We cannot understand each other with other advanced magic countries, but perhaps we can understand each other with Japan, that’s why. Just look there.”

The jovial black girl Mary pointed at a distant view with her finger.

There was no high building in the port city. When they looked far ahead from the restaurant, they could command a view of a metropolis’ townscape. There were countless high buildings that made their sense of distance disarrayed lining up there.

A super modern Megalocitymetropolis. It was not a city of a country that had thrown away their civilization at all.

Rather it was the look of a world that had welcomed a mature science culture even beyond Japan.

Arthur and Beatrix lost their words from too much shock.

“How shocking… we had thought that perhaps America too had abolished their civilization beyond doubt. So this is what you mean by the possibility that Japan can understand each other with America. The current America is not contracting with a Mythology that forced faith.”

Kazuki talked frankly in surprise.

“No, we are having a faith you see. …We have faith in the USA!!”

When Mary said that, she and Ginny who sat beside her placed their arm around each other’s shoulder while yelling repeatedly “USA!” “USA!”. The waitress that carried the food to their table also formed a chorus “USA! USA!” with them.

Kazuki and co. stiffened completely from this mood that they didn’t understand.

“We have to thoroughly explain so that you won’t misunderstand. After all this is the contact between America and Japan that we have been eagerly waiting for. What a serious responsibility this is. For this kind of important task to be left to us, this is big!”

It was Ginny, the girl who made one feel a sexy adultness with an atmosphere that was calmer than Mary, that said that.

“Following in order, let me introduce about this country. When magic was born in this world… America was also exposed to the danger of Demon Beast and illegal magicians similar to the other countries.”

The words of Knight Order, Demon Beast, illegal magician, they were designation that was also used internationally when the diplomacy between the countries was still barely remaining. There was no need to redefine the concept once again from the start.

“And then, similar to other countries who had the Mythologies of Cosmos Side extending their hand in rescue, there was also a Mythology who extended their hand to America. …That was [Indian Mythology].”

‘Eh?’ Kazuki thought.

“I cannot see how the Summoning Magic that the both of you displayed before can come from the Indian Mythology though.”

“Right. …The helping hand from Indian Mythology was something that would have us sacrifice all of our science culture and prosperity. That was why a large number of us American people [rejected] that helping hand.”

During the chaos of society from the rampage of Demon Beast and illegal magician, they refused a helping hand.

That was something absurd.

“After all in the first place the Indian Mythology is not the mythology of us American people.”

Mary told them straight out after consuming the hamburger really quickly.

“You see, us American people doesn’t have a history of fantasy that we had been piling up since time immemorial. The foundation of heart that acted as a mass illusion for us until that point of time was not faith towards Mythology. It was the patriotic heart that America is without a doubt the leader of the world, and then the heart that loves freedom and prosperity. Such thing was incompatible with the Indian Mythology.”

“That was why America was divided right into two.”

Ginny and Mary opened their mouth alternately.

“The people that accepted the help of Indian Mythology gathered in the south side and introduced themselves as [Indian], and they were founding a nation of [South America] as a religious country. The patriots that were in conflict with that were driven out to the north, and became [North America]. The side of North America was continued to get exposed to the threat of Demon Beast and illegal magician. But then after that, again there was a different Mythology that reached out their hand to us. They were the cultures and sense of values that the modern American people ought to be most proud of that transformed into the image of Divas.”

…Cultures and sense of values were… transforming into Divas?

“That is… [American Justice Mythology] ―!!”

Mary yelled. 'Puho-' Several of Kazuki’s companions almost spewed out the food that they were eating. The restaurant’s waitress and the cooks inside the kitchen, anyway all the America people around them went “USA!” “USA!” in a chorus all at once.

“American… Justice Mythology…?”

What in the world was that? No, were they even a Diva, that…?

Mary aka Mary Mayweather Junior pointed her own thumb at herself.

“My contracted Diva is <Fighting GodPound for Pound>. He is a Diva that embodied the American people’s [ideal strength], betting everything on their fist in a showdown… in other words, he is the god of boxing.”

Ginny aka Virginia Dance also said while hitting her pal to her abundant breasts.

“My Diva is <IdolPop Star> Coloring all the world’s everything in American color with the power of song. She is a Diva that embodied [the fantasy towards the feeling of unity].”

They were not Divas that made faith as their source of strength.

They were things that built a form of a completely different fantasy.

“The Diva that the gunman from before, Jeremy Barett, is contracted with is <Trail-blazing SpiritFrontier Spirit>. It’s the symbol of the American people’s soul that doesn’t yield to hardship and advances forward.”

Beyond Kazuki and co., Arthur and Beatrix were also dumbfounded.

But in the first place, what was the source of power for Diva?

It was not limited to just faith. After all both Solomon Mythology and Japanese Mythology weren’t demanding for things like faith.

The source of power of Diva was… fantasy. A universal fantasy that a group of humans shared latently.

…If that was the case, then what about magic power? Astrum?

…The things that the Philosopher Stone brought about?

“We who got chased to the far north and north were given help by the America itself. And then under the American Justice we the <North America Knight Order> was formed.”

Mary said that with bright eyes.

“American Justice Mythology that is the spirituality of the present American people taking shape is not really that strong of a Mythology though. Perhaps it’s because our history is short, our gods’ personalities are thin.”

No, that was strange.

“From the impression that I got from our battle before, I don’t think that that’s the case though.”

“I think so too.” Arhur too agreed after he came back to his senses.

“The strength of all of you are high level even compared to the knights of other magic advanced countries. I guarantee it.”

“That’s… it’s because we have established a little <restriction> with our contracted Divas. In exchange of losing our power when we break this restriction, if we can satisfy this restriction we can exhibit strength more than we originally have. Fantasy that is tied with rules can be strengthened.”

“Restriction…?”

“The content of the restriction is a secret okay.”

Mary winked at him in a snap. Ginny immediately changed the topic.

“Like this America was split into two. The North America of the American Justice Mythology, and then the South America of the Indian Mythology… Two orders had appeared in one country, both sides are incompatible with each other, and so the [South-North War] that is betting the hegemony of America began.”

It was just like the conflict between Japan and Yamato.

Now he see, he could understand the circumstance in America.

“After talking this far, you can understand why we can speak Japanese right?”

“With Japan as the only country with the same sense of values like America, you are making preparation for the sake of tying friendship in order to oppose the other Magic Advanced Countries… it’s something like that isn’t it?”

Mary and Ginny nodded satisfiedly.

“Correct, when we defeat Indian Mythology, we also plan to openly propose an alliance to Japan. It’s hard to ask for help from our side. But honestly, we wanted your help.”

This circumstance was as he expected yet there was also some things that he didn’t wish for.

In the first place they came to America because they predicted that the King still hadn’t been born yet in America and the reason for that was because, like Japan and Yamato, the country was split into parts and a conflict happened.

This was for the sake to decide which side they would cooperate with and then to tie a friendly relationship with that cooperation.

It was for the sake of opposing Loki, China, and Russia.

But the problem was… which was the correct side to support. North America of American Justice, South America of Indian Mythology, which should they pick.

“I understand. I rea~lly understand your feeling! You cannot say that simply which sides you’re going to cooperate with, I know!”

Suddenly Mary sat beside him over-familiarly and firmly put her arm over Kazuki’s shoulder.

Rather than calling her over-familiar though, it felt more like that she wouldn’t let him get away.

“Is there a slavery system in America? It looks like its quite common in other Magic Advanced Countries to have them.”

Kazuki asked to the face of Mary who came really close to him.

“…Slavery system? There is no such thing here.”

“After all America is a country that loves freedom and equality see.” Mary nodded too.

“…Is that so?”

Kazuki observed the expression of the two. He could even see that they were replying with a really natural behavior, He also felt the tension suddenly lowered. With a glance, he sent his gaze to Lotte.

Lotte shook her head. Most likely her Telepathy was not effective, it was that kind of meaning.

Guess that these two were also trained for that.

…North America and South America, which one was the owner of that slave ship they encountered on the Pacific Ocean? What Kazuki was bothered with was that.

…Who in the world was the group that came to rescue the slave ship yet for some reason slaughtered all the people in it?

“By the way, are you the leader of this group?”

“…Yes, I’m the leader of this [delegation].”

Against Mary’s inquiry, Kazuki hid his status as a <BasileusKing>.

“Heee, you are really young but looking from our fight before, you conspicuously showed strength that was towering above the rest.” Mary who fought him before gave him admiration.

“If the King directly comes then the talk will be fast though. Even if what you have is not a Mythology of faith, but your side also has a BasileusKing that is contracted with the chief god right?”

While shivering from Ginny’s words, Kazuki asked back “Yes. America has a King too?”

“Yes, we are calling the BasileusKing as King here. It’s really American isn’t it.”

American… He thought that the popular name that was Basileus had became the popular custom, but it seemed that America didn’t go along with that.

“Anyway you should know about us better. After all America is the best!”

With her arm still over his shoulder, Mari slapped Kazuki’s shoulder friendly.

“First we will have you all visit our capital city. The capital of North America is Las Vegas.”

Mary said that.

“It’s not Washington DC?” Kazuki asked back.

“New York and Washington DC that are located in the east were completely stolen by the South America side. I said that the country is divided into South and North, but more accurately it’s more like Northwest and Southeast, the border line between us is pulled diagonally through the country.”

“We have the fighting spirit that someday we will take back Washington DC someday, and so we put the provisional government on the front line that is Las Vegas.”

Mary added some more explanation to Ginny’s words.

When they finished their meal in the restaurant, several limousines had been prepared outside for them. Kazuki rode them separately and then they headed to the airport of San Francisco.

From there they were going to change transportation into the private jet of North America’s Knight Order and fly to the nearest airport from Las Vegas, McCarran. That was their arrangement.

“I don’t wanna use an airplane…” Hikaru-senpai who had a fear of heights was making a bitter face.

He innocently gazed at the scenery from the window of the limousine. At first he didn’t get any deep impression to the degree that he was in a [foreign world]. This country had the feel of a civilization that bordered on Japan.

Their start point of the Fisherman’s Wharf had the scenery of a tranquil port city, when he looked to the direction of the sea he could see something like earless seals. Kaguya-senpai who loved cute thing made a huge ruckus.

Their cars ran at full speed on a highway that stretched out straight in great speed and then they entered a highway in the shape of a transparent tube. An electronic voice 'pii' sounded out and the limousine became automatically driven.

They gradually climbed to higher altitude going through the uphill tube highway and it seemed like they were floating in the sky above the city. Inside the tube, the distances between their car and the cars at the front and the back were automatically measured and their speed was in the state of automatic control.

The rest went following the route that was entered into the car navigation heading to the San Francisco airport.

“Oi, there is no one holding the wheel at the driver’s seat, and this road that looks like a tube, it’s like we are completely floating in the sky… what’s going to happen to us…”

Beatrix who only barely understood the concept of a driving wheel was losing her presence of mind.

“We only need to drive manually in the urban area you see.” Ginny laughed.

Far from having their civilization regressing, they even had technology that didn’t exist in Japan.

While running through the tube highway that had great visibility, they could see a terrific metropolis in the east direction.

Super highway buildings as if they were going to pierce the sky were lining up like a forest of bamboos. It was an amazing three dimensional scenery of the tube-shaped sky highways countlessly entangling with each other.

“The night view of this must be amazing…” Mio leaked a voice that sounded like she was going to faint.

“I had thought that perhaps by any chance this country is going to be amazing when I saw the soldiers that looked like cyborgs but… this really feels like a futuristic alchemic city.”

“I guess so. With the combination of alchemy and science, North America had accomplished a rapid development of civilization.”

Ginny threw some appropriate words into the conversation. Kazuki asked about something that was bothering his mind.

“There is also alchemy at Japan but, in the first place the compatibility between science and magic power should be bad. But in the previous battle, America’s soldiers were pouring magic power through mechanical equipment. Through what kind of principle can such a thing work?”

Japan’s alchemic machine couldn’t do anything except inputting magic power into machine interface. For example when someone [inputted] the image inside their mind into a thoughtography camera that were loaded with Psychofilm, it would then be projected as a picture.

But America’s alchemic machine was in a level that was able to pour magic power into the machine’s dynamic force and then it could control or amplify the energy itself.

That aspect became the decisive difference. Perhaps that was the reason why such a difference of scenery like this could be created between Japan and America.

“If Japan gives us the promise to ally with our country then I think it would be fine even if we teach you the secret though.”

Ginny laughed amusedly. Kazuki also thought that they wouldn’t so easily tell them like that.

“But as expected you don’t have the authority to teach us such secret like that right?”

“That’s not true you know. For the moment, I am the number 5 of this country’s Knight Order. Mary is number 6.”

Kazuki’s expression reflexively turned serious.

Part 2

Las Vegas was located right in the middle of the desert.

In order to block such a harsh environment, the zone from the airport until the Las Vegas strip was covered by a gigantic dome, making it a half-indoor environment.

Of course the current Las Vegas was in a different appearance compared to when Japan still had diplomatic relation with America.

“There is a story from the past of drunk tourists that walked around and collapsed from a heatstroke.”

From what Ginny told him, it seemed that the outside of the dome had a temperature that surpassed 40°.

Their small plane slipped through the [window] of the dome to enter and landed on an exclusive terminal.

When they got out of the terminal, they saw high speed automatic walkways that controlled inertia manipulation laid out like nets in front of them. All of it was heading to every destination possible.

He was told that because every single building in Las Vegas was stupidly huge, thus automatic walkways like this were created.

“That bunch of South America… those Indians’ attacked and destroyed these fairly often, so each time we reconstructed them again.”

Mary said that in a loathing tone.

In the area called Strip, where hotels were lining up, buildings where he couldn’t say anything except that their scaling ratio was just weird were lining up countlessly. It was as if they were in a country of giants.

It seemed that all of the buildings here were hotels.

“We are going to reserve the whole floor in any hotel that all of you like, so please take your stay there.”

Ginny said so about their accommodation from now on.

“We are going to stay in a hotel? Not in an official facility?”

“In this temporary capital of the current North America, Las Vegas, there is no state guest house. After all, we have never assumed that honored guests from foreign countries are going to come.”

“But Las Vegas is a city that boasted the greatest amenity and service in the world! This is not only limited to America, I can declare that this city is the greatest of its kind in the world right now! You should be able to be satisfied without fail!”

Mary raised her fist saying that. Though Kazuki, who was not particularly wanting to be welcomed that much, was holding doubt whether it was really okay for them to stay at a civilian hotel.

…Most likely observation devices would be hidden there.

“We cannot meet with the King of America yet?”

“Please wait a little bit more for that. We also want to have a talk with all of you, so… while waiting, we want you all to enjoy Las Vegas.” Ginny evasively said that.

Kazuki and co. headed to Las Vegas Strip by choosing the fastest high speed automatic walkway among the walkway variations available. When they got near the crowding hotel buildings, the true state of the buildings that made them even more amazed entered their eyes.

There was a hotel that took the shape of an Osaka castle. Pyramid, Sphinx, Ancient Rome palace, Arch of Triumph and Eiffel Tower, the Purple Forbidden Castle, Buckingham palace, Koeln Great Temple, further a giant Moai statue… hotels with such shapes were built near each other as if telling that that sense of unity could just go to hell.

Moreover, each one of them had the scale of several times the size of Tokyo dome.

“There were many theme hotels that copied famous places in the world in the old era Las Vegas, but that inclination was even more accelerated when we lost the diplomatic relation with the world. We cannot travel abroad anymore, but if you just come to Las Vegas you can enjoy everything in the world.

“Even though there are no tourists that come from abroad anymore…”

“That’s right, this place is a palace of amusement created by American people for the sake of American people.”

Ginny puffed out her chest proudly.

“So, which hotel do you want?”

The hotel [Yggdrasil] was a hotel that imitated the world tree from Norse Mythology.

While it was a gigantic hotel, it also fulfilled the role as a center supporting pillar of the roof of the dome that was covering the sky of Las Vegas. Therefore it was Yggdrasil, it seemed that was the reason.

“Are, are you kidding…” Beatrix was trembling. Her reaction was almost exactly like Leme that time when they visited the cosplay café ‘Solomon’.

“However a casino hotel with Norse Mythology as its theme is… really savory with irony desu.”

Lotte made an evil smiling face a little and said such impression.

The one whole floor of the highest floor of this high-rise hotel, that boasted the highest height in Las Vegas, was completely reserved for Kazuki and co… What their host did was just too generous.

The room where Kazuki was guided to was a spot where he could take in an unbroken view of Las Vegas’ gorgeous yet chaotic scenery. The sky was still in evening but when night came the scenery would surely be amazing.

His room had the size that gave the feeling of a size double of that of his room in Queen Kaguya. Thinking again, thanks to spending ten days aboard Queen Kaguya, he had some resistance against extravagance attached to him.

The fundamental was the same so he was not shocked.

“…Somehow it really feels like the treatment for a King huh.”

At this late hour he felt just like what Vice Chief Yamagata told him, he had the feeling that his uniform appearance was losing to the atmosphere.

Kazuki and his companions put their luggage in each of their rooms for the moment. Then they were going to meet in the casino. Because there were guests that appear without reservation besides the hotel guests itself, the hotels everywhere in Las Vegas had turned their first floor into large casinos.

“In Las Vegas, there are also all kinds of amusements and shows. Even Cirque du Soleil is coming. However, after checking into a hotel, the first thing you have to do is play in that hotel’s casino!”

Mary was saying that brightly, so

“But we don’t have any dollars at all you know.”

“Then we will present you some seed money from the North American government. If you can increase that money then you only need to return the original amount. Hahaha, I’ll take a look at the skill of Japan’s Knight Order here!”

“Wait, I mean most of us are still underage though…”

―And it became like this from that.

He never thought that a day where he was going to gamble would come.

To play around with money like this, he felt that an adult’s entertainment was really terrifying.

Moreover, it was with other people’s money.

But this was a welcome that a country granted them with, so it was also improper to decline, he also had quite an interest to a foreign culture that differed so much like this.

Kazuki resolved himself to win without fail and return the money properly.

When he descended alone to the first floor with the elevator, the casino zone immediately spread out right in front of him.

In Las Vegas’ hotels, no matter where you came from and where you were going you would always be able to cross a casino without fail.

Red carpet was spread out, golden colored light was pouring down from the ceiling. But the casino gave a terrific impact more to the [ear] rather than to the [eye]. The sound of ball rolling on the roulette. The sound of coins falling down jinglingly. The calling voice of the waitress saying “Cocktail” and voice asking for chips. And then the bellows of American people that were mismatched with their formal attire deafened his ears.

And then it went without saying that the place was huge.

As expected it was uneasy to be here alone. Rather, he stood out as a student wearing a student uniform here that made him feel ashamed. He was anxious whether he was going to get chased out because he was underage but the eyes of the officials and the waitresses that he met only returned a bright grin to him. It seemed they had been properly told about the circumstances.

Everyone else still hadn’t come down yet.

“We made you wait~!”

When he looked back to the voice, the girls, with Kaguya-senpai at the head, were there coming out from the elevator in succession.

Everyone was shining bright that didn’t lose to the casino’s atmosphere.

Everyone had taken the matching appearance of a bunny girl.

From the sexy black leotard, their slender beautiful legs were emphasized with the net tights.

Kaguya-senpai’s nice body was exactly a royal bunny, the bunny look also suited Mio’s gorgeous look well, talking about Koyuki she was a bunny, the gap from Hikaru-senpai doing a sexy appearance made his heart skip a beat, Kazuha-senpai’s appearance that was fidgeting around being shy from the bottom of her heart was cute.

“When we said to Mary-san that we want to become a bunny because this is a casino, she prepared this for us!”

Mio, who likes everything when it came to clothes, was saying that happily. He guessed that everyone else also got carried away with that idea even though they were half-opposed.

“…Even Beatrix and Shouko are also wearing it?”

“Well, it shows spirit of cooperation doing things like this.”

Shouko, whose dark brown skin was captivating, answered that with a face that didn’t seem that bothered.

“Kazuki… this is an outrageous warrior garment you know.”

Beatrix said with a serious face. “Ha?” Kazuki asked back.

“The chest part is too airy. My chest muscle is insufficient…”

Beatrix said that while repeatedly pointing at her chest. Certainly there was a gap there, even now it brought about the feeling of anxiety that the chest cloth was going to droop down anytime.

Beatrix-chan, 19 years old. When he looked at her again, she had tiny breasts.

“If I don’t train my chest muscle, I won’t be suited to this warrior garment… fufufu, this is an outfit that really makes you thrilled with excitement.”

“You are making a fatal misunderstanding but, I cannot say anything anymore.”

“I too will train my chest muscle together desu.”

Lotte who also had gaps between her chest and the cloth said that with a friendly smile.

When Lotte was wearing a sexy outfit… why did he feel some kind of feeling of corruption, he wondered?

“Charlotte, your body is thoroughly meager isn’t it? After this, I’m going to work you hard through the Einherjar’s training menu.”

“I’m going to die desu―”

Both of them who were once someone who aimed for life and the one whose life was aimed at, now they were exchanging words without any hangup at all.

“Fufufu… win… I’ll absolutely win…”

In contrast with the showiness of the bunny outfit, Kamimura-san was gripping dollar notes while mumbling with a bloodcurdling look. She was not cute or sexy, her face was scary.

“What’s wrong, Kamimura-san?”

“Kazuki… just like I told you before, I got done in by a gamble called net game bill and my life was ruined. I had to live burdened with that cross for my whole life. But in this place… if I win this gamble then I can be free from this cross, perhaps I will be able to live facing forward positively… I have that kind of hunch right now.”

“Is that so… well, it depends on the way one looks at things.”

Perhaps it had no connection whatsoever with the past, but in the first place she was already a personality that liked to gamble he guessed.

“Liz Liza-sensei is… not wearing bunny?”

Hidden behind everyone, Liz Liza-sensei and Akane-senpai didn’t become bunny girls, Liz Liza-sensei was in a gorgeous dress while Akane-senpai was in her usual Knight Order uniform.

“There is no way it’s going to suit me right, me becoming a bunny.”

Liz Liza-sensei said in a way that seemed sulky.

“Something like bunny is something that an adult wears after all.”

The oldest loli teacher was completely entering self-torturing mode.

“I thought that there will be occasion where we are going to be asked to follow dress code and so I properly brought formal clothes coming here. After all, there is no way I can wear a student uniform.”

Certainly it was a gorgeous dress, she completely blended in with this high class casino hotel.

“It really suites sensei. Sensei has her own charm that I can feel.”

Though rather than calling her adult-like, she more like a cute western doll.

“Hmph… I’m just a lolicon bait old maid anyway.”

She really couldn’t be reasoned with anymore, saying that…

“Arthur, you are not going to wear bunny?”

Arthur was in his usual suit appearance. He was a formal person in the first place.

“…What disgusting thing are you saying so naturally like that? I’m a man you know.”

However before this, Hikaru-senpai told him that she sniffed [the smell of the same kind] from Arthur. There was some aspect that couldn’t be looked down from Hikaru-senpai’s instinct, so Kazuki too completely felt suspicious about Arthur’s beautiful features in some respect.

“I want to see Akane-senpai’s bunny girl look.” He also moved his gaze to Akane-senpai.

“I’ll only look painful in something like a bunny suit. As expected the outfit of a knight is the Knight Order uniform.”

“Akane-senpai is also cool like that but… now that you mentioned it, I don’t see Kanon-senpai’s figure anywhere though.”

“That girl ate too much and locked herself in the toilet right now.”

As expected even Kazuki who was a junior was thinking… What in the world is that person doing?

Part 3

Las Vegas turned the table on the Japanese guests one by one.

The first ones that achieved dying in action flashily were Mio and Karin. The two of them whose personality was just not suited to gambling no matter how one looked at it were at first repeatedly winning small in good progress, but they got carried away and moved on to the slots with high limit while humming unconcernedly, which became their downfall. They reached their hand too far when they took on the forbidden fruit that shaved off 100 dollars in 10 seconds.

Kaguya-senpai who loved brain games challenged the dealer in strategy using blackjack. But after all she was just a beginner and in the end all her possessions was tragically stripped off by the veteran dealer.

Beatrix and Shinobu-senpai were poker-faced so they challenged poker even though their personalities were the farthest beyond such game, and so they got a trip to Valhalla.

Akane-senpai and Shouko both had good command of statistic and challenged roulette, at the end of their fairly well fought brave fight, they strangely became able to get along well with each other. They became friends but, both of them had their trick truly ineffective and died in battle.

“We are just beginners after all, so despite how special we are we shouldn’t reach out our hand too far huh.”

“It’s meaningful to last long in this kind of game isn’t it?”

Kazuki and Koyuki discussed together like that and took a permanent residence at the slots with the lowest rate. The other moderate member of their group was also following them.

But Kazuha-senpai, Kamimura-san, Miyabi-senpai, and Liz Liza-sensei, even though all of them were similarly making extremely steady bet in the lowest rate, they met with an extremely bad luck streak and died without any wins at all.

The four of them let out a matching voice of “As expected, someone like me is just…”

Kazuki, Koyuki, and Lotte repeated small winnings and losses, while their face color kept being red and blue, they enjoyed the game for long. Mio who died the first also approached them to cheer “do your best, do your best” in her bunny appearance.

“Paapa, the coins are all gone…”

Against Stella who said that dejectedly, Kazuki shared some of his coins with her. Stella then headed to a match with the slot in great joy. …As expected he had the feeling that this was a bad education.(Editor: Ya think?)

“Now that I remember, where is Hikaru-senpai?”

After getting satisfied like a lower middle class from having his money improved in a plus just for a little, Kazuki suddenly became concerned.

“That person, she was heading to the high limit area right from the start I think.”

Kazuki leaked out “geh” voice after hearing the information from the witness Koyuki. It wouldn’t be strange even if Hikaru-senpai got cleaned up just in the opening five minutes there.

“But when I looked at the high limit area, that person was still silently turning around the slots you know.”

Mio said. When it came to it, it seemed that Hikaru-senpai was having quite a strenuous fight.

Kazuki and others brought their feet in groups to step into the high limit area in order to look at the situation there.

In that holy ground where even the other guests didn’t really step into, Hikaru-senpai was still continuing to pull down the lever of her slot machine.

“How is senpai doing?”

“Nn~, I think I’m in a little minus here-.“

“Isn’t it better to have the game in the slot with a little lower rate?”

“But you see this tree mark? I have the hunch that it sort of going to line up in three even now, don’t you think?”

“Hee, Yggdrasil mark. This is the symbol of this hotel isn’t it? If this symbol line up how much will it give out?”

“Ahaha, I don’t really know. Ah, looks like I’m going to be broke soon.”

“This is a rare chance after all, so please use my coins too.”

Kazuki entered his own coins into Hikaru-senpai’s slot machine and both of them pulled the lever with their hands piling up.

“Thanks-! Ah, it lined up in two again.”

“Well, it does this as a trick to keep us in the mood to keep playing right?”

“Ahaha, if you say that kind of thing then you won’t hit jackpot even when you can hit it you know? Yosh, this will be the victory of us two! Come on come on come on!”

At that moment, Hikaru-senpai had become familiar with Las Vegas more than anyone else.

‘If anyone is going to get jackpot then surely it’s this kind of person’, Kazuki thought.

There were three Yggdrasil lining up.

Kazuki and Hikaru-senpai spontaneously had their eyes opened wide and yelled “IT CAME ―!”, but that voice was drowned by the sudden fanfare that echoed throughout the casino. The unfamiliar American people in their surroundings pointed at Kazuki and co. and shouted “JACKPOT!!”, “BRAVO―! BRAVO ―!!” they were calling repeatedly in blessing. From the inside of the casino, staff members in black clothes and Mary were rushing to them in fluster,

“Mary-san, what is "jackpot?”

When Hikaru-senpai said that blankly, “So it’s from there.” Saying that Mary hung her head down crestfallenly.

“The losing portions of the people that played in this slot were all tallied in a deposit called a jackpot. When you lined up three Yggdrasil, the content of that jackpot spitted out to just one person in one go.”

“Hee, we regain the losing portion of me and Kazuki then?”

“It’s not just the losing portions of you two. This slot of Yggdrasil series is also put in other casinos and linked with each other in a network. And then no one has gotten this jackpot for half a year. You two monopolized the losing portions of the whole of Las Vegans of this half a year.”

“Ahaha! It looks like an amazing system isn’t it? I don’t really get it but how much do we get?”

“…The amount is shown over there.”

When Mary pointed at the top part of the slot area, now that she mentioned it there was an electric light display board that displayed numbers hanging there, the last three digit of the number there was constantly turning and turning. It was counting the gambled money. Right now its rotation was stopping,

Kazuki and Hikaru-senpai took quite long to count the digit of the figure there.

Unable to bear the two’s sluggishness, Mary said it out.

“34,320,000$. As a reference, in the era when Japan and America still had diplomatic relations, if this number is converted into the rate of the yen in that era it roughly amounted to 3,000,000,000 yen. Sometimes this kind of thing happens in Las Vegas. Congratulation, Japan. Welcome to Las Vegas in the true meaning.”

Kazuki and Hikaru-senpai’s faces turned serious.

The Las Vegas strip at night was even brighter than its afternoon where the sun of the desert was shining. The huge hotels asserted themselves with neon of various color, lights of rainbow color mixed and illuminated the strip. “Shiny shiny-!” Stella raised her voice.

It was a dream world that didn’t exist in Japan.

“Rather if we stay permanently in this country, we can live playing around for our whole life then.”

Hikaru-senpai that stepped her foot to the night strip while pulling Kazuki and Stella’s hand laughed amusedly. Hikaru-senpai that had become an immeasurably rich person was leading out Kazuki and Stella to the town.

“There is no way we can do that.”

“Ahaha, that’s also because we received money that won’t be usable anymore when we go back home to our country isn’t it? At the very least let’s use it as much as we can and change it into things and memories to bring back home!”

There was 20 million dollar left after it was substantially taken for tax. Kazuki thought that the things that could be bought with this much money was not of that much importance, right now he also thought so but… he felt like that he started to think that when in Las Vegas, perhaps you could buy any kind of dream with money.

He could see in this city the dream called American dreammoney.

“I’ll have magic in this city!”

Hikaru-senpai that had changed into a boyish clothes turned to the brilliance of the city and proclaimed. “With this money I’ll by all the high class fashion I can get my hands on! Those girly items that normally I cannot buy because it’s too embarrassing!”

“Senpai doesn’t need to be shy because senpai really is a proper girl though.”

“Hehehe… Those words, I’ll have you prove it properly. With Kazuki in this town… I’ll have the magic of a princess put onto me. …Look at me that becomes feminine from right besides me!”

Even though she had already innocently done perverted thing like smearing oil onto him, at this kind of time, Hikaru-senpai’s expression was colored with shame. Kazuki thought that this was the moment where Hikaru-senpai was at her cutest.

“Stella-chan too, I’ll buy you a lot of cute things-“

“Really-!? I want shiny things-!!”

“Yoshh, both of us are going to be shiny! Stella-chan is really cute! Like this I can understand Kaguya’s feelings a little~, it make me want to hug and lick you all over!”

“Lick? Whats lick!? Do it do it!”

“Yoo~ssh, lick lick lick! Lick lick lick lick lick! Delish!!”

Hikaru-senpai separated her hand from Kazuki and hugged Stella up, then she brought her face near that puffy cheek and began to fiercely lick it pero pero pero pero pero. “FUYAAA!?” Stella’s eyes turned circle. For her to seriously lick like that… Kazuki shuddered from that aggressiveness.

“Its a suspicious person’s lickity-lick! Nee-ne, is doing a suspicious person’s lickity-lick!!”

“Oy you, I’m not a suspicious person! But calling me Nee-ne instead of Nii-ni, good job seeing through me-!”

“Nee-ne is also cute so I’m going to lick lick too-! Lick lick lick lick-!!”

“Uwaa, now you’ve done it! Hehehe, but you are cute, so I’m happy-…lick lick lick-!”

Both of them were earnestly licking each other’s face. Their face became covered with saliva.

“Kazuki, what are you doing there! Kazuki too, start licking!!”

“Ee―, me too, as I thought, for me to do that too is a little strange I think though…”

“You really cannot read the mood huhh. That kind of Kazuki needs to get this-!”

Hikaru-senpai rushed at Kazuki while still holding Stella and kissed Kazuki’s cheek.

“Waa, Nee-ne is also love-love with papa! Paapa, you are cheating?”

“You are wrong~, paapa doesn’t belong to just Kaguya-maama. He belongs to everyone!”

Hikaru-senpai laughed cheerfully and repeatedly kissed Kazuki’s cheek many times.

“Stella is also everyone’s cute Stella! Lick lick lick lick!”

And then Hikaru-senpai licked Stella all over once again. Stella repeated “Everyone’s Stella…” and then she made a smile that filled her whole face.

“Everyone’s Stella! …I, will be together with everyone forever!!”

“That’s goes without saying―, you brat―!” This time Hikaru-senpai stroked Stella’s cheek grindingly.

When they wandered to the side street from the main street of the casino heaven, Las Vegas, there was also shopping heaven there. The streets of Las Vegas were connected with all kinds of human desire and dream.

There was show window with the light overflowing from the shop as its background.

“Come on-, we are going Kazuki! Let’s buy a lot of girl clothes!”

“Paapa, quick-! I want a lot of Las Vegas’s sparkly things!”

Both of them pulled Kazuki’s hands and lightly leaped into the light, taking the step forward.

When the night got late and they returned back to hotel, everyone came gathering in Kazuki’s room.

Everyone was looking at the night scenery from the balcony of the highest floor.

“What an amazing country isn’t it… though just because it’s wealthy doesn’t mean that it’s strong.”

“Kaguya-senpai murmured looking at the overwhelming night view as if the light shower over there could even reach until here.

National power―richness―just at that point, not to mention the other Advanced Magic Countries that received restriction of their faith, America even surpassed Japan by a large margin.

The only thing he was bothered with was… the technique that enchanted machines with magic power, what was that?

They had to know more about this country.

“Stella, does she remember anything after coming to America?”

The moment Stella saw the night view, she suddenly became quiet. The moment the night view of America was reflected fully in her transparent light blue eyes… “Battery…”

“Eh?”

It was as if Stella’s heart was captured by the night view, an appeal repeated on her face that looked vast somehow.

“Err, you see, my battery… is here… somewhere in the city…”

Part 4

The next day they were also spending a spectacular time.

They were told that the preparation to meet with the King of America still hadn’t been finished yet.

At evening, Akane-senpai, Arthur, and Shouko came to Kazuki’s room.

“We are being monitored huh.”

Shouko opened her mouth first to talk. But what she said was only something natural.

“How extensive is the extent of the monitoring you think?” Kazuki asked back.

“Las Vegas strip.” Shouko grinned widely.

“I completely agree.”

Akane-senpai was making a slightly surprised face, but Kazuki nodded.

“We are not going to let you take even a step outside the strip just so you know, it feels like that.”

In order to search for Stella’s memory―in order to investigate what this battery was about―Kazuki walked around the strip in the afternoon. All the people in the surroundings were being conscious even though they were not looking at Kazuki and co…

When he directed his consciousness to the direction that deviated from the strip―just by directing his consciousness to that―he could understand that the surrounding people, all of them had their nervousness suddenly heightened. Just from that Kazuki understood everything and he stopped his feet from turning to the way out for real.

Even if he tried to investigate something at the strip, he could only get his hand on information that painted the government of North America in a good light. There was nothing inside the strip except [answers that they had prepared beforehand].

The people gambling in the casino, he wondered how many percent of them were actually real civilians?

The ruling ability to finish all these preparations in less than half a day from them having a meal in Fisherman’s Wharf until they arrived here in Las Vegas, the government of this country―the King had such ability.

“We came here not for something like winning the jackpot or looking at Cirque du Soleil. Well, though all of those were extremely awesome.”

“If you want to look at the true state of a country then as expected you gotta go to a place like its slums or something.”

Shouko froze the surrounding air of the talking four people as if it was only natural. She sealed all vibration so that even if there was a listening device here, their talk wouldn’t reach anyone else.

“Hayashizaki-kun, what do you think of this country based on the current state?”

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth.

“Honestly, I don’t really have a good impression. Their behavior regarding us that came here amicably was not really fair, and this townscape of Las Vegas, say what you like but I have the feeling that this place is just too distorted… I have a hunch that making the Indian Mythology as our ally is better.”

“That’s, Arthur-san, is that because you are a believer of a Mythology that rejects civilization?”

Akane-senpai said in an unreserved tone.

“That’s… perhaps that is so. Perhaps it’s in a different sense than with all of you.”

“The aspect where this country is looking at Japan as the same civilized nation like them should be honestly considered as a plus in our situation that is looking for alliances to fight against Loki and China.”

Kazuki too agreed with Akane-senpai.

“I don’t think that making an alliance with Indian Mythology’s South America is good at this point of time. It’s just… I’m concerned with the mysterious technique that enchanted magic power to machines, and also about the slave ship.”

“Looking at the map, there are separate downtowns in Las Vegas other than the strip main street. This city is historically a city for the masses.”

Akane-senpai took out a map of America and said.

“Let’s slip out from the monitoring and gather information there.”

Shouko proposed.

“That kind of intrigue is the field of expertise of this Ryouzanpaku’s Shouko-san. I’ll lend you my wisdom.”

“Even without borrowing your wisdom, if it’s just a plan then I have an idea. There is the most suitable magic for this.”

They had been doing the countermeasure for the spying, but Kazuki still conveyed his thinking to the other three with an even smaller voice.

“Hohou. It’s ain’t bad. If that kind of uproar happens, settling down the situation is also the work of North America’s Knight Order so they should become unable to monitor us at that time. If you use that magic then the timing is…”

“Hmm, I see… though I feel that you still need one more scheme other than this.”

“I wonder what do you think about having the other members pretending of proposing to help and attract their attention? They wouldn’t be able to ignore it right? As for the place, it should be here or around here.”

Kazuki and Shouko went “ “That’s it” ” with matching voices hearing Akane-senpai’s interjection.

Both of them had exactly the same timing. Arthur who was looking over the situation made a bitter face.

“It seems that there is proverb in Japan that said when three people gather a transcendent wisdom will result but… somehow it feels quite terrifying huh, I don’t really want to make the three of you into my enemy.”

“Because they don’t officially say we are being observed, so even if we slip through the commotion to go outside they won’t have any ground to protest. That’s really good for us. It’s fine to not think of the cleaning up afterwards,” Shouko laughed ‘kekeke’.

“It’s a petty idea, but it’s unpleasant how accurate that is…” Arthur grimaced.

Part 5

That day, Las Vegas was visited by a heavy rain that set a new record.

The localized and short heavy rain easily surpassed Las Vegas’s rain water disposal ability and it even flooded until the inside of the dome city.

In the first place it rarely rained in the desert area, in this local color where a heavy rain never even once rained down that heavily, the city design had never included a counter measure for flood disaster.

The rain water that the drainage system couldn’t deal with overflowed out and flooded the inside of the dome city until the height of people’s ankles. Because of the fierce rain, here and there of the dome’s ceiling that was made from light weight glass fiber was damaged, causing roof leaks making it seem like a bucket was flipped over.

Ginny and Mary commanded the North America Knight Order in great panic and rushed around to deal with the situation.

Most people in the casino took refuge outside the dome, but some percentage of them were added under the command of Mary and Ginny and worked out briskly. In other words they were the Knights that disguised themselves as civilians to monitor Kazuki and co. In the sudden disaster that happened, they couldn’t manage to keep their monitoring Kazuki and co.

Kazuki’s companions were also proposing here and there “Can I help with something?”, attracting the attention of the people there. Using that opening in the monitoring, Kazuki led Stella and slipped into the crowd of civilians that were evacuating, he secretly exited from the dome to the outside.

There was no inspection at the entrance. The place looked similar with the entrance of the shopping district arcade of Japan.

Looking back at the dome he just slipped out from, Kazuki unintentionally talked to himself.

“[Crying Nimbus]…chanting it with two person is amazing as expected.”

[Crying Nimbus]―it was Baal’s level 6 magic that created a rain cloud. It was seldom used in battle, a rare magic that controlled the environment.

When he thought that there was also Magika Stigma like Eleonora that could convert her own body into water and seep from material to material, the way these American lot monitoring Kazuki and co was too soft.

When Kazuki escaped, the magic rain quickly stopped. Kazuki wiped the water drop sticking on Stella’s clothes and hair with his handkerchief.

He dropped away the rain water on his own balmacaan coat using Psychokinesis.

Because he would stand out in his student uniform, he compensated by wearing American clothes.

Las Vegas―the outside of the dome after the rain stopped was like a different world.

He had anticipated it. In a society where magic power meant everything, it was easy for the gap between the rich and the poor to widen.

By covering the town with a dome, the wealthy was going to live inside the dome, like that the world would naturally be completely divided into the inside and the outside.

The Las Vegas downtown that once lined up with the strip as a tourist attraction had completely became a slum area. It was easily understood just with a glance.

“What we should look for is…the factory for the alchemy machine I think. That place might understand something about the mysterious technology, if there are slaves in this country then they should be working there.”

“Battery…” Stella whispered again. But even when he asked what did she meant by battery, Stella herself didn’t understand what was it she was obsessed with.

“…I wonder if we can understand about this battery if we investigate the alchemy factory.”

While petting Stella’s head briskly, Kazuki started to walk.

Walking.

Walking. Walking.

Walking. Walking. Walking.

He walked carrying Stella on his back.

He didn’t find the factory, but there was trash disposal spot. The moment Stella’s eyes met a certain scrap, she raised her voice saying “Battery, battery!” Was something like this also fine?

“Yossha.” The King of Japan aka Hayashizaki Kazuki was bending his back on the land of foreign country rummaging through pile of garbage.

He discovered the scrap of a large type motor. It seemed that it was using the aforementioned mysterious technology in a simple way. Why in the world they could even enchant magic power even to the energy of science?

He didn’t have any tool to take apart the motor, so he wrenched open the iron exterior with Enchant Aura.

Even looking at the content, Kazuki didn’t understand at all what kind of difference it had with the machine of Japanese made.

A large battery came out from its inside.

“This machine, is it working using a battery?”

In Japan the etherlite rechargeable battery had also become popular so this was nothing strange.

“This is not my battery…”

Stella murmured to herself. So perhaps she could judge [whether it was her battery or not] by seeing.

However she said [my], what kind of meaning that [my] meant?

“This is too big to carry back isn’t it?”

Kazuki picked out a small type machine from different scrap and dug out small type battery from it and thrust it into his pocket.

No matter which machine he looked at, there was not a single one that had a cord attached to obtain energy from external source, it seemed that all of it was working using a battery.

And then Stella shook her head to all the battery he found.

“Looks like the mysterious technology is hidden in the battery… It feels like the energy produced by this battery is amplified by the magic power of the user and it then can be controlled freely, I think.”

[My battery], [slave girl whose heart was damaged], and then…[battery that was filled with energy that was extremely familiar with human’s mental power]. And then using that resulted in a [prosperous country].

He had the feeling that the keywords floating in his head was turning into a terrifying connection, Kazuki’s spine got a shiver from an unknown chill.

“Whether this country has a slave system or not, that has to be confirmed. If possible the production location of the battery too…”

‘Let’s move on.’ At that time when he just thought so, he felt presences behind him. Around four people.

{Oi, you. What is an outsider like you doing loitering around this town since some time ago?}

Kazuki was only able to understand about 80% of that English, but he turned back and replied.

{Outsider? I’m a Japanese descent that is born and raised in this country.}

When he turned back, as expected there were four people lining up there, all of them exploded in laughter altogether.

{Born and raised in this country you say!? What a funny joke, you baby talk bastard!!}

Kazuki who secretly had confidence in his English improvement was deeply wounded.

The men had piercing hanging down throughout their face and tattoos engraved in their body. They had the appearance of [ruffian] that even Kazuki who was not an expert in this country’s culture could understand in a glance.

The talk was simple if he was against ruffians. Perhaps he could settle this with money.

{Certainly I’m an outsider. I want to know about this country. I have the money of this country, so can you not ask me anything and give me answers to my question?}

In order to not get Stella into trouble, he kept holding Stella on his back while talking. He had received a share of dollar notes from Hikaru-senpai. He didn’t understand clearly its market price but it was supposed to be an outrageous amount of money.

{You want us to answer question for money!? It’s simpler to just beat you bastard and take it ourself!!}

‘So it’s going to be like that’, Kazuki admired.

The four ruffians assaulted Kazuki all at once. In order to not let Stella on his back got even a scratch, Kazuki carefully slipped through between the four people.

The ruffians turned back in blank amazement at Kazuki who circled to their back like a ghost.

They immediately started their assault again. All of them only swung their fist without any weapon. Their swing and footwork was strangely trained for mere ruffians.

It was the same like Mary, a boxing movement.

{It’s pointless. I have money. Information please.}

Kazuki gave up using difficult English.

As expected there was some difficulty in being assaulted by four people like this.

{Wha, what’s with this bastard!? Are you a newcomer alien!?}

But it seemed that Kazuki’s expression face that feigned calm and his broken English that had no intonation looked eerie and made the men trembling instead. They lost their calm and their punch became rough large swing.

When Kazuki kept evading without counterattacking at all, the men soon got exhausted with heaving shoulders.

{I have money. Please sell information.}

“Haa, haa…fuck! You can have anything with money somehow only in the surface of stripLas Vegas! Fucker like you that think you can make it somehow with money is hated by us of Las Vegas’s downtownhidden just so you know! Everything in downtown is decided not by money but by your fist!! We are going to steal your money using our fist! We are going to rise in the world using our fists!!}

They were unexpectedly men that kept their principle straight, inside his heart Kazuki felt guilty that he thought of them as mere ruffians.

{Got it, if you say that much then I’ll hit you!}

Kazuki evaded the men’s attack and hit them back with counter. One of the men was blown away with a good momentum and crashed into the scrap deposit.

{From now on I’ll hit you guys flying in turn. After that hand over the information.}

Kazuki approached them with extremely clumsy pronunciation. The men trembled even more.

{We are a team, we have comrades! After we stole the money from you bastard we gonna bring it back to our team and split it equally! That’s why…just because the four of us lose ain’t mean that it’s our lose!}

{Eh, what’s with that…what kind of logic is that?}

{Certainly we know about both the beautiful place and also the dirty place of this country! We should be able to satisfy what you want yeah. It’s not over with just this! If you want information…come with us until our hideout!!}

“…I wonder why it turned out like this.”

Kazuki unintentionally talked to himself using Japanese that nobody there understood.

{Hei, Japanese samurai! Your opponent next is me!!}

The place he arrived at was a conspicuously large bar that towered in the center of Las Vegas downtown. There was a boxing ring in the middle of the bar, around it were tables where many rowdy fellows were drinking alcohol while betting who was going to win.

Perhaps this was an underground boxing coliseum.

Stella was raising encouragement “Paapa, do your best!” at the ring side that was going to be bad for her good education. He had left behind words to the fellows around that [It won’t end with just wound if anyone laid even a single finger on this child].

Kazuki constantly paid attention to Stella if there was any threat, he planned to use <Zekorbeni> and instantly invoked attack magic if something happened.

{You think we gonna do something like that, don’t look down on us! I don’t know about attacking rich person on the road, but we ain’t gonna do anything cowardly at all after inviting an opponent to exchange blow man to man on the ring!!}

The men entered the ring one by one in turn and challenged Kazuki. They each did a total of three rounds where a round took three minutes, if the opponent’s magic power couldn’t be extinguished during that time then the rule was there would be a decision. The surrounding men went {I’m gonna bet on that proud man!} and threw their money at the bookmaker.

This place was a space of foreign culture where the smell of alcohol and enthusiasm were enveloping it steamily.

Kazuki Foresighted the movement of the opponent that came at him and evaded. He was also superior in Enchant Aura. Compared to the attack of Ikousai or Beatrix, the opponents were so slow he could yawn.

He perfectly saw through the opponent’s movement and constantly knocked down his opponent with a single counter.

‘It feels fresh hitting with fist instead of sword huh’, Kazuki thought.

{I understood that the sense of values of all of you is that fist is everything. But, how many people I need to defeat before I get the information?}

{You bastard, you can only get carried away until that far! Kukuku, after all the strongest champion of this underground is going to come after this!!}

Kazuki was relieved. If they were going to present a representative, he was thankful that this would be over soon.

{Now, take a good look at boss’s entrance!!}

While intentionally playing entrance music with music player, the door of the bar’s entrance was opening.

Along with a huge cheer, a silhouette was walking lumberingly toward the ring.

{It’s troublesome that you guys suddenly called me… I was busy dealing with unknown heavy rain. Calling me just when the work was finally over and I thought of going home…besides I’m already taken in by the Knight Order and graduated from the underground, you guys don’t just always really on me forever…}

That character entered the ring gallantly while letting out complaints escaping her mouth.

That figure was exposed when she entered the ring right under the spotlight.

Kazuki spontaneously leaked out “Ah” voice.

That person was also leaking out her voice “Ah” when her eyes met Kazuki.

The one that made appearance in front of Kazuki was Mary Mayweather Junior.

“Boxers that left behind good result in this underground ring will be taken in into the Knight Order. It’s a framework where you can rise in life just a little. And then the champion that is the strongest even among them will be tied in a contract with <Pound for Pound>.”

So that was why, this was the reason that he felt high pride and principle from these guys that was different from mere ruffians.

Mary explained frankly to him in Japanese about her connection with the underground.

“I came here because I want to know about the face of America behind the scenes, not only its surface.”

Mary showed him an exaggerated deep sigh.

“By any chance that rain was also the work of you all then…we have no ground to stand on to complaint but, you had done something outrageous. Sheet. Then, you already have enough sightseeing right? Don’t get too greedy of wanting the champion belt too and go back to the hotel.”

{I want you to teach me the connection between this country and the slave system.}

In order to convey to the surrounding people what did Kazuki want that he was here, he changed his words into English. His surrounding turned noisy. Mary made a deep frown on her eyebrows.

“…Haven’t I said before that there is no such thing like slave system in this country? So you don’t believe me then.”

Kazuki pointed at Stella on the ringside.

“That child was a slave. She had lost all her memory except that she was a slave though. This country and her shouldn’t be unrelated.”

Mary’s dissatisfied expression was convulsing in agitation.

“……Is that so? Then there is nothing else to do other than to box. If you want to force your point through in this town, then you can only do it by your fists.”

Mary put her fist into glove and fixed it on her hand by her teeth biting the glove’s string to pull it.

“My bad but katana or Summoning Magic is no good here. I’ll have you fight only with the fair weapon for all human race, your fist. That’s the American strength.”

“I understand it. What are you saying is that the loser has to listen to what the winner say because this is a fight where you bet your honor right? I’ll do my best.”

“You, your experience in bare-hand fighting?”

“None. I only have sword art.”

“Is that so? …Entering this ring so nonchalantly like that, don’t underestimate this place Samurai!!”

Mary’s spirit swelled up. At the same time 'KAA―N' the high-pitched sound of the gong rang out.

Mary stepped-in before Kazuki sharply and her left arm disappeared in a blur.

…He didn’t mean to look down on boxing.

Jab. Among all the martial arts that Kazuki knew, perhaps it was the fastest.

If thinking simply only about fast movement, than Beatrix and Kanae were overwhelmingly superior, but the movement of swinging a sword was easy to understand visually no matter what.

Compared to that, this left jab that straightforwardly and unerringly flew from a stance where the fist was already lifted and prepared was completely like a needle that came flying.

That skilled movement was impossible to Foresight from the muscle’s preliminary movement or the breathing.

But since the opponent was moving while her body was clad in Enchant Aura, the magic power would flow even earlier before the flesh was moving. From that omen, he was able to Foresight the movement.

When Mary’s left jab flew, Kazuki evaded his body to the left side exactly at the same time.

Next a right straight came flying at the direction Kazuki moved his whole body at.

It was the same straightforward movement, but if the jab before was needle than this time it was a cannon.

It was a fundamental of boxing that even Kazuki knew about, one-two.

Kazuki who moved his body to the left avoided his body to the right side this time as if he was bounced by an unseen spring.

He sensed the flow of magic power that was drawing an arc.

To intercept Kazuki who slide his whole body to the right as it was, a left hook came flying as if it was taking a big detour from the outside.

The hook came flying from outside the field of vision after Kazuki’s eyes had already been made used of straightforward punch. It was a completely unseen punch. Surely if Kazuki had relied to his eyesight for even a little, he would eat that punch completely. But Kazuki was Foresighting the flow of magic power with the intention so that he could dodge even with his eyes closed.

Even while his whole body was sliding to the right, he lifted his right arm that could move freely until the right side of his face to guard and blocked the hook that was going to gouge his face.

When he released a sigh of relieve, he soon noticed.

His body wavered to the right side and lost stability, his posture that was currently raising a one armed guard highly.

His guard was wrenched open.

He was guided into this posture by the combination punch.

It was no good to only read one move ahead. He was being led around because of that.

Weaving its way through that wrenched open opening―a right straight flew at him.

‘UOWAAAAA-!’

Kazuki raised a scream inside his mind and bent his body back forcibly. It was a movement originally impossible for human’s muscle that could even break the backbone, but it was done forcefully using Enchant Aura.

The right straight lightly grazed the face of Kazuki who was bending back, the blue spark of defensive magic power scattered.

Aiming at the upper body of the bending Kazuki, Mari shot a chopping left downward. Kazuki forcibly swiveled his bending upper body. He felt like his hips had completely become a mollusk. This was a dodging movement that was impossible for boxers of the old era.

Due to that Mary was taken by surprise and refrained from pursuing attack.

“That’s astonishing prediction and physical ability…!”

Finally able to catch a breath from the combination attack, Kazuki readjusted his stance in panic while back-stepping. Mary immediately stepped-in and began a combination once more.

She wouldn’t let him stopped her. She was unstoppable.

Fast, was Mary this fast when he fought her on the ship?

No, that time he was using [Ride Lightning].

Furthermore he held his katana and counterattacked when there was opening that time.

But the current Kazuki couldn’t make a move so carelessly. Mary’s boxing skill was not in the dimension where an amateur could so simply interfere. Mary understood that Kazuki wasn’t able to attack so she unleashed a combination like surging wave without any reserve.

Kazuki didn’t have any experience in boxing. Therefore, he couldn’t fire the most optimized punch in boxing. Even if he understood the theory of how to punch, but if he didn’t repeatedly train the move countless time, his body wouldn’t move in the optimum way.

If he made a move carelessly, the punch would only become something unsightly that far from what he pictured in his imagination. Even so as long as it hit with certainty there would be no problem. All his opponent until now would have their movement stopped even with that kind of punch. It was effective to deceive them if it hit.

But there was no such opening in Mary. She evaded with certainty and his unsightly punch only hit empty air. If he hit empty air his body balance would crumble from the momentum of the swing and exposed a defenseless opening to the opponent.

If it was only evasion then he was on a level that could put a good fight against Mary, but if he didn’t stick to evasion than fault would start coming out.

But if he didn’t let out attack from his side, the opponent’s momentum would only increase and his situation worsened.

“What’s wrong, you are just going to keep running!? Samurai!!” Mary also instigated Kazuki.

If he didn’t open a path of survival amidst this rain of fist, he would…!

Just when he resolved himself and was going to finally let her have it―the inside of Kazuki’s mind became pure white.

What should he do, was it okay for him to attack? What kind of option he had.

You couldn’t use anything other than your two fists in boxing. Kazuki reconfirmed the terrifying fact once more.

There were only six kinds of options one could choose in boxing punch! Right or left straight, right or left hook, right or left upper.

The only target that could be aimed were just two, the face and body. There were twelve kinds of options.

Compared to all the fight he had until now where he had mastered the Hayashizaki-style sword art and furthermore he could freely use the countless magic of <72 Pillar All MagicGoetia>, the available cards here were just too meager.

How could he possibly broke through that Mary’s guard and footwork just with these options!? Against an opponent that gave him so much hardship at the battle aboard the ship even when he had all his cards!

―Once again, he was made to notice how much calculation using logic that Mary made with the combination from before.

She checked him with a jab followed with right straight. Right after she exchanged straightforward punches from left to right, a side blow came from outside his field of vision. When he was unable to escape and raised his right arm to guard his body, she aimed at the opening of his disordered guard with a precise straight punch.

Even though he was able to Foresight, he was completely led around in the direction his evasion and guard took. Before he realized it he had already been cornered to a situation where he didn’t have any way to defend anymore.

A feeling of someone that had solve a difficult math formula personally struck Kazuki’s chest.

He had the image that boxing was a wild clash between two fighters, but when one became as skilled as Mary, it became something completely like a chest or shogi.

Even if he was told to copy her right now, there was no way he could do that.

He had been forced to take on a really absurd challenge.

However―this was a really deeply moving experience.

It was too fast to give up saying this was impossible. This was the world’s greatest [practical practice]. This was a time even more luxurious than the extravagant ship or Las Vegas.

Learn. In order to strike at least a single punch.

The pursuit of the most optimum movement―he was not necessarily an amateur in that respect.

Observed Mary’s movement. The rotation that produced efficient motion energy. Starting movement without any deviation. Her footwork that while being light stepped firmly on the ground the instant she hit.

It had some similarity with Karin’s Chinese kenpo.

If he couldn’t do any repeated training, there was nothing he could do except doing image training in this place.

He would download the perfect movement of Mary in front of him into his body. But when someone saw somebody else’s movement and tried to move their own body exactly like that, a framework called [subjectivity] would become a hindrance.

Looked at one’s own self objectively. Looked down at one’s own figure taking the stance on top of the ring like having bird’s eye view of a doll.

The first time he had swing a sword and got knocked down so many times, the gap between ideal and reality.

Reduce that just with a perfectly objective image training.

In order to make succeed a single counter in a single exchange with certainty.

The cheek of Kazuki who was working his mind at full capacity in the world of imagination was grazed by Mary’s right straight. Suddenly it hit him that this was exactly the moment. He could catch a glance of an opening at Mary who let out combination thinking that Kazuki wouldn’t attack. If he could launch a counter exactly as he pictured it, this was the timing where it would hit.

His body moved even before he thought of it.

The instant gap of Mary’s combination where she was pulling back her fist and began to move her other fist.

With the speed of a light that shined in from an opened curtain, a counter drove in there like a needle―Mary’s face was accurately seized.

The sole of Kazuki’s foot rubbed with the ring’s surface solidly. He killed the momentum of the swing underfoot and straightforwardly pulled back the straightforwardly swung fist and recovered his stance. It was the optimum jab with no openings in it.

Mary staggered from the recoil of the defensive magic power, yet even so she still tried to return a counterattack…she panicked looking at Kazuki who didn’t leave any openings for a counter and stepped back.

The audience of the underground froze.

“You really got careless thinking I’m an amateur. Just now was a good jab if I say so myself.”

When Kazuki said that a little conceitedly, Mary clicked her tongue ‘chih’.

“…I don’t get any feeling that I’m fighting an amateur, that‘s why I wanted to finish this immediately!”

Once again Mary sprang forward with a flexible body like a black panther.

But because of Kazuki’s counter that was like an Iai draw, Mary began to become cautious and her barrage of punch was slightly growing blunt from vigilance. The situation turned better with him not needing to repeat avoiding attacks just barely like walking in a tightrope. Kazuki secretly felt relieved.

‘Yosh, let’s try repeating a counter just like now.’

Right there the magic power at mari’s right arm swelled up and her shoulder moved forward in a twitch.

Kazuki Foresighted it and took evasive evasion even before the shoulder could move.

But there was no punch coming with only the magic power and the shoulder moved.

―It’s a feint! So there is also that kind of thing!

The feint where her right shoulder moved to the front created a twist of the hips at the same time, it was then functioned as the accumulation punch motion of the left arm as it was. The instant he noticed it was a feint, Kazuki who mistakenly took evasive action for left straight had his face completely hit.

His [Foresight] was [led around]!

“Even I am observing you. What make you separated from amateur is your fast reactions that even look abnormal. From now on I won’t be hurried in my attacks and take my time whittling you off.”

The audiences of the underground exploded in cheering and clapping.

What was superior than Foresight was Leading.

When one competed in equal speed, they would completely rely on their reflexes no matter what.

Even in his fight against Beatrix, Kanae, or Ikousai, those rivals with super high speed, there was none among them with whom he could exchange [exquisite leading] with like this.

It was not like there was no feint in sword art, but in regard to the sharpness of the feint of boxing punches that was really compact even under normal circumstances, it was in a different dimension altogether.

―When Mary weaved feint together into her pattern, Kazuki became unable to aim for a counter.

He was unable to estimate the timing of an instant from this change of rhythm that was full of tricks and wiles.

No…remember, how did he get absorbed in resisting Ilayiliya’s [no beat that extremely surpassed the concept of speed]? In Ilyailiya’s attack, there was no telltale sign at all from her whether physically or magically.

But only killing intent was released from her just before her attack.

He sensed that and evaded, only because of that he could exchange blows with Ilyailiya.

Foresight that sensed the persons killing intent. The sign that was released the fastest which could be used to predict an attack.

There was no killing intent inside a feint. It was fine as long as he only sensed the existence of the killing intent.

He sharpened his concentration. He became unable to think of anything except of the opponent in front of his eyes. At time where Kazuki faced against a martial artist that deserved respect, his feeling always became like this.

Kazuki’s Hayashizaki-style that [looked] at the opponent during the fight was a sword art that respected the opponent.

Looking at Kazuki’s expression, Mary was showing a slightly surprised expression. Was he also smiling?

Mary moved. But that move was not filled with killing intent. He knew that it was a feint.

It was a mere pointless movement if he overlooked it. Kazuki launched his fist with big swing without reservation.

Mary whose face was hit stumbled her step and stepped back until the ropes in the edge of the ring.

“The same technique won’t keep working against Hayashizaki-style.”

Kazuki offered his usual catchphrase even to the boxer of a foreign country.

“Don’t you guys dare to give me home decision! I’m the one who know best which one is the loser! Sheet, this unbroken continuous victory record from mother is completely broken!”

Mary yelled at the same time when all three rounds had finished. None of them had been KO-ed with their magic power used up, but their breathing was similarly rough, he felt like hugging each other and praised for a fight well done.

“Sheet-, even though I planned to give a lesson to a beginner. Your eyes were shining gold when you’re fighting you know. What the hell is that?”

His eyes shined gold…?

Was that why she got surprised seeing his face?

He had a memory of the same phenomenon. When he faced off against Kanae, the moment she had an extreme concentration, the magic power that wrapped her eyes were changing color from blue to gold.

The respect and concentration toward one’s opponent. By any chance perhaps when he was fighting Beatrix and Ikousai, the same phenomenon was also happening in his own eyes.

“Anyway I’ll have you fulfill your promise.”

“Slave huh… Slave isn’t it? Even without me explaining it, you come in good timing, tonight is the time where it’s going to come soon.”

“Time? What will be coming?”

{Soon the specialty of this downtown, the time of the slave director’s hunting is going to start.}

Mary changed into English so that it would get conveyed to the surrounding too.

It was an answer that couldn’t be said except frankly like that.

The bar was suddenly enveloped in a silence of unrest.

{Who is going to get taken away because their payment is overdue this month?} {Sheet-, the tax just keeps getting higher.} {If I remember right the family of Timothy, Emil, Marcus…} The men leaked out stifled voices.

{You can watch it if you wait a little. You are going to wait?}

Mary asked him. Mary herself looked like she was disgusted to explain it from her own mouth.

Kazuki nodded and chose to wait.

'PO―N, PO―N' The clock of the bar informed that the time was 9 P.M.

Mary exited the doorway of the bar and gestured at Kazuki to follow.

They peeked at the situation outside from the opened door.

From the inner direction of the downtown’s street that was still wet from the rain, he could see a procession that was walking in groups. It looked like a Hyakki Yakou.

An eerie man with high stature wearing crimson mantel and the same goggle like the cyborg soldier was walking in the lead. Several cyborg soldiers that seemed to be his underlings were following after him behind, and further behind several dozens of young male and female were following after them with expressionless blank faces.

Mary whispered.

“The guys that couldn’t pay their tax in this country are led away to be turned into slaves.”

“…As I thought, so the poor are the people with weak magic power then?”

“Well, generally it’s like that. But if you’re born with high magic power even if you are poor, you can be taken into the Knight Order if you increase your combat skills. That’s the downtown’s boxer, in other words us.”

When the procession came closer, Mary closed the gap of the door slightly, saying “I don’t really want to show you what happens in downtown.”

Suddenly, Stella was trembling in shivers.

When he looked back, “A…aaa…” she was leaking out voice that seemed to man in terror. “Stella?”

“That, that person…I know him…I feel like I know him…”

The one that she was pointing at was the man in red mantel that stood in the head of the procession.

“…Red!” Stella let out a voice that felt like it was squeezed out from the bottom of her throat.

“That man is the director of slave ministry, Red Metallica. He was the favorite close aide of <King>, the number 2 of this country. It seems he can use Summoning Magic that makes the slave work efficiently. He is an authentic Indian that is already rare in this country, his skin is red under that contraption.”

It seemed that the people of South America that put their faith on Indian Mythology called themselves an Indian but―it looked like that man was the real descendant of Indians in the historically true meaning.

“He is called things like the traitor Indian by many people.” Mary added.

The people in the back of the procession that were led away as slaves were completely like they had their soul left out, like they had hypnotism applied on them, like a sleepwalking person, they had unsteady look and gait.

They didn’t show any resistance whatsoever against the fate that was waiting for them from now on.

On the night street after the rain that was shined slipperily with the gloomy dim street light, the procession of slave hunting slowly passed through the road. After seeing them off, Kazuki and Mary returned inside the bar.

“It’s something that can’t be helped.” Mary sounded like she was making excuse saying that.

“Because American Justice is a weak mythology, <restriction> is attached in order to compensate. That restriction is that their power will increase the more America become a prosperous country, that’s how it is. In opposite, if we become poor we will lose the power. In order to win against Indian Mythology, and then to further compete with other Magic Advanced Countries, there is no other way but to press forward with the extreme rationalization of capitalism.”

The extreme rationalization of capitalism… That was the ideal ruling of American Justice.

“Frankly speaking, what do you mean by that?”

“The taxes keep getting raised one-sidedly every year, social welfare and livelihood protection doesn’t exist at all. The disparity of wealth that is created from doctrine of strength based on magic power cannot be reconsidered at all, the human basic right is also ignored, if there are people that drop-out from society they are not helped but taken advantage of to be completely used as slaves, it’s that kind of society. But if we don’t do that, we will be defeated and everything will fall to ruin! Those Indians, they are destroying all the civilization that America has build until now!”

All the dissatisfaction that Mary had been harboring until now was spitted out to the outsider Kazuki in telling him this.

Las Vegas strip―the America that he had seen until now was just beautiful thing only.

“With the combination of alchemy and slaves…even just imagining it is the worst don’t you think?”

“That’s so isn’t it. But what is called alchemy is to consume a person’s mental power and they can create wealth even from zero using that. In other words alchemy is an industry that can exhibit the greatest result by trampling humanity! Who can deny this fact!? It’s a flame that burn using humans as the fuel!”

It was a truth that should be feared,

Surely those slaves would be taken away to the alchemy factory after this.

“In what way is this battery created?”

Kazuki took out the battery that he thrust inside his pocket and asked.

There was no doubt that this was the key of America’s alchemy culture.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know about this. It’s called <Cyberbrain StorageElecbrain>. But the production facility of this battery is under the jurisdiction of the Slave Director and not even I know.”

Ginny and Mary were the Knight Order’s number 5 and 6. But for this thing to not be made clear even to them was…of course there was no doubt that it was also completely hidden from the public.

A battery that he pilfered from the scrap spot. Its content was already empty. But―what in the world was entered into it?

The instant he imagined it, he felt repulsion toward all machine that was working in this America.

Those soldiers that had their whole body clad in machine…what in the world they had their whole body wrapped with?

“It can’t be helped. If we don’t do this then America cannot win through this staying as America.”

“This country right now…is it really America?”

“…It’s America. Saying it truthfully, Japan is really enviable. You guys only got lucky to be chosen by the Solomon Mythology right? But as long as we just have prosperity, even America can compete against other countries. If the King’s contracted Diva <Transcendental PersonSuper One> can just gather wealth, King won’t lose to any other Basileus of other countries,”

<Super One>. So that was the chief god of American Justice.

Mary’s cell phone rang out in its ringtone. The ringtone was America’s anthem <Star-Spangled Banner>.

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming…

Mary stopped their talk with “Sorry” and took out her phone. Her expression was stiff with nervousness.

When her phone was over, she immediately made the topic known to Kazuki.

“It seems they can see the movement of attack preparation heading to Las Vegas from the other side of the military boundary line. There was emergency summon. Sheethead, what a day.”

“…By any chance is the rain the cause?”

“Las Vegas fell into confusion because of the heavy rain’s sudden visit, so they are going to use this chance…that’s the gist of it. But well, the rain immediately cleared up unnaturally, so the other side’s attack became leaked to our side. We are going to turn the table on them with our perfect condition.”

Mary said that cynically, she looked at Kazuki with a bitter look that seemed hateful and imploring.

There was no mistake that Kazuki and others became the trigger that set off this situation. But…

“We won’t participate in the battle. Right now we cannot cooperate with you all.”

“Is that so? …Well, I won’t say that this is all your fault. Something like this is a skirmish that often happen. After all those sheetheads are always aiming for Las Vegas that is the symbol of civilization.”

“I think we are going to surrender to the Indian side and take a look at the other side’s situation.”

“Is that so? …Are you completely disappointed in America? But there is no mistake that doing it that way is the best for you guys. This means that you are going to put us and the Indian on the balance.”

He couldn’t possibly imagine that a heaven was waiting in the Indian side, however…

“I want to see through the deception of the things that I cannot agree with no matter what, that’s all.”

“You said that’s what you want, but in the end do you have the authority to influence the national policy of the country called Japan?”

“I am the KingBasileus.”

Mary had her eyes wide open in shock, she was at a loss of words.

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