Prologue
That Memory
"―Dragon kin, you say?"
On the evening of a certain day. The modern magician Yakagi Suimei heard the name of that famous imaginary being from his father, Yakagi Kazami’s mouth.
―Dragon kin. In the modern world filled with fictional novels, it was a name widely a.s.sociated with monsters that had bodies like reptiles that could breathe poison or fire and had wings on their backs.
In the Orient, dragons were considered as a symbol of virtue, while in the west, they were devils―regarded as the incarnation of deceased spirits filled with malignancy, they served as an ‘evil’ that was exterminated by G.o.ds and angels.
The origin of the image of dragons came from the origin of the reptilian body, the snake. In the Bible, the snake was evil, and was the symbol of sin which tempted Adam and Eve.
Back in ancient times, religions based on the Bible and the indigenous religions of Ancient Egypt which worshipped snakes came into conflict, and as a result, the thought that snakes equal devils spread throughout many western spheres. Because of this, dragons were drawn as the enemies of humankind since ancient times, and were treated as evil.
… The reason Suimei turned around the question like that, was because suddenly the phrase ‘Do you know about dragon kin?’ came flying at his ears from his father out of nowhere. Naturally, Suimei’s knowledge was nowhere near as deep as his father’s, so all he could do was shake his head from atop the sofa.
"Evidence of dragon kin has been left behind in history books and literature, but their actual existence is not recognized. And, among us magicians, they are an existence that we conceal."
"Conceal…?"
"Which means…"
As Suimei frowned at the indirect phrasing, as if to lend him a hand, Kazami tapped the armrest on his wheelchair with his finger.
"In reality, they exist, right?"
"Though it’s already a story of the past."
As expected, his father was gazing out the veranda at the cloudy sky while he spoke. As Suimei waited for the conversation to continue, suddenly, his father shot a gaze towards him.
"Suimei, make some coffee."
"Right in the middle of this talk?"
"I suddenly wanted some. It can’t be helped. It’s a privilege of a parent to have their son make coffee for them."
"What kind of privilege is that…? Is it fine if it’s instant?"
"I don’t mind. But…"
"Black, right? Got it."
"Are you also having some?"
"After putting in milk and syrup."
"Hurry up and get used to drinking it black."
"One day."
Suimei returned a small smile to his father’s expression which didn’t change at all. His father’s expression was always like a stone bust, but it wasn’t like he had no emotions. He simply lost his ability to show his emotions outwardly, just like now, he would still talk frivolously in good humour. Though the only ones who knew this were the ones close to him.
"So, what was that about dragons? They’re being hidden in the world of magicians right?"
"That’s right. They’re hidden because it’s better to have fewer people who know about it after all. However, that is no longer the case."
After taking a sip of his coffee, Kazami continued speaking.
"The Revelation of Light indicates that a dragon will show up in Europe from an alternate plane. It’s a mystical calamity on a scale bigger than any in history so far."
The Revelation of Light was a vessel which predicted phenomenon in the world used by the Thousand Nights a.s.sociation. It predicted everything from trite small phenomena to gigantic apocalyptic ones―Frankly speaking, it could be described as an object that could predict the future. It’s true nature was a little different than that, but setting that aside.
"A scale bigger than any in history so far you say…"
"It’s a vague way of describing it huh. But because of that, it is only a matter of time before it is known to other magicians. At this point, keeping it hidden is extremely inconsequential. Because the last survivors of the dragon kin were wiped out thirty years ago, dragons cannot be born in this world ever again."
"Then, why did the prediction that a dragon will appear come up?"
"That’s because of the phenomena of the apocalypse. An unexpected outbreak of instability in cause and effect at a location in Spain will end up as a A-grade cla.s.s source on a grand scale. From there, a beast like figure will be born, the prediction was that the beast will have a dragon’s form."
"A beast…"
A beast. Short for a beast of the apocalypse, it was one of the phenomena of the apocalypse, apparitions. Suimei was still not clear on all the details, but when the end of the world was determined, it was a phenomenon that appeared to accelerate the apocalypse by annihilating all living beings in the world, they were conceptual existences which took the shape of ‘monsters which attacked the living.’
Most of these took on the form of a C-grade cla.s.s mix of a dog and a wolf. In the times when an existence known as an A-grade cla.s.s appeared, its form would change and take on a shape which people naturally held a deep fear towards. To the people of Europe, this likely ended up being the symbol of evil, a dragon.
"But if that gets out into the world."
"There would be tremendous casualties in Europe… No, it probably wouldn’t just stop there."
The largest scale in all of history, and if it had the special characteristic of taking on the form of a dragon, it would be impossible to defeat without a superhuman at the level of a hero or saint. But right now in the world, people like Saint George or Saint Sylvester who were written about in the golden legends were nowhere to be found. If they made a blunder in dealing with it, it was possible the world would end.
"Then, father too?"
"Yeah, exactly. I was called for the gathering too. This time around, twenty magicians were chosen to take part in the dragon subjugation. The elite few are going to go defeat it."
"Who’s leading it?"
"The Thousand Nights a.s.sociation. Just this time, they can’t entrust everything to everyone else. The group is unified under the eldest daughter of the Katoraia family, the representative of the Enforcers of the Thousand Nights a.s.sociation, Formelkress. The one aiding her is her little sister, Zealkis."
"The two strongest Enforcers in history, are leading…?"
"On paper. In truth, the duty of leading all the magicians on-site will be left to someone else. Though the two girls will be extremely dependable in the battle against the dragon…"
Kazami quietly trailed off at the end. The two names he brought up were the Katoraia sisters who were currently the symbols of power of the Thousand Nights a.s.sociation’s Enforcement Agency. The two of them used magic which manipulated time, and they had strength that they could boast of as being completely unequal in battle. But because the two of them were still youths in their early twenties, even if they were considered the leaders, they would end up handing over command to the more experienced magicians on site. For Suimei, who was still lowly ranked as a philosopher, this conversation was simply in another dimension.
"A dragon, and the tops of the Enforcement Agency. It’s quite the amazing story. I’ve been to Europe quite a few times, but it still feels like such a faraway conversation."
"No, you can’t talk about this like it’s not your problem."
Confused at the meaning behind his father’s words, Suimei’s understanding of them was delayed for an instant.
"Ha? What do you mean by…"
"From the prediction, the Revelation of Light revealed several possibilities. From the outbreak of a dragon kin, Europe’s destruction, the death of many and the acceleration towards the apocalypse. Naturally, because those are only possibilities, it is also possible to alter them."
After that roundabout way of talking, his father spoke of the heart of the matter.
"And so, the final piece of guidance that the vessel which predicts phenomena gave us, was you, Suimei. That you definitely have to be brought along."
After speaking, Suimei looked at his father’s sharp gaze. And then, Suimei raised his voice as he yelled in shock.
"M-ME!?"
"That’s right. The actual reason for it didn’t seem to come up yet, but it likely means that your power will become the key to fighting the dragon."
Yakagi Kazami spoke of a serious matter with his usual blunt expression. However, from his father’s manner of speaking, just a little, he was able to catch a glimpse of the prideful emotions swelling up inside him. His son’s power was necessary as a vital piece. He was happy about that, but as expected, Suimei could still only hear this like a bolt from the blue.
"But father, I can’t help but think that I’ll be completely useless in that kind of place. I’m a magician whose rank is quite low right?"
"The bestowal of your proper magician’s rank is simply something that has been deferred. I’ve taught you in a way where you have acquired at least that much ability, you’re also confident in your own abilities right?"
"I can fight as a magician. Up until now I’ve followed along with father’s battles after all, and you’ve also taught me about dealing with mystical calamities. But, when it comes to fighting together with such high ranking users, in any event, I’m still anxious…"
Suimei’s voice trailed off quietly at the end. In a sense, it was only natural for him to feel strongly pressured. Regardless of whether low ranked and high ranked magicians were opposing or cooperating with each other, there was a magic law called ‘Rank Disparity Extinction’ which applied. A low ranked magic would be shut down by a high ranked one, so the magics used by a low ranked magician would become extinct if they drew near to the domain of the magic used by a high ranked magician.
By all rights, it wasn’t something that occurred unless there was a large disparity between them, there were also certain conditions for it to come into existence so it wasn’t really something to be too worried about, but because the magicians gathering this time were who they were, the problem would rise to the surface.
In this case, if the high ranking magicians took heed not to use magic which would cause Rank Disparity Extinction to occur, their annoyances would only increase by one. It was the important stage of subjugating a dragon. On the battlefield where high ranking magicians needed to freely use all their skills, they shouldn’t have any leeway to take care of a low ranking magician. It would be a different matter in the case of support or bestowal magic where one did not need to worry about Rank Disparity Extinction, but Suimei did not think the support and bestowal magics he could use would be of any use to the high ranking magicians in the first place.
In that case, he just couldn’t nod back if he was asked whether he would be of any help. Kazami then shut his eyes.
"The reason you are seized with anxiety right now, could also be because my way of raising you was poor. Kiyoshiro told me that he found faults regarding that too."
"… What do you mean?"
"Frankly speaking, it means I’ve been overly strict. Unless it was something fairly extreme, I’ve never praised you right?"
"Uh… Umm, well, you certainly haven’t…"
While Kazami taught Suimei magic, even when Suimei showed skillful manipulation of magic, Kazami did not offer him much in terms of praise. That was certainly true. However, Suimei thought that it was something that couldn’t be helped and put up with it precisely because he knew his father was of the disposition where he did not talk much. He didn’t understand why that meant it was a poor way of raising him. He didn’t see the point of the roundabout way his father was speaking.
"… Suimei. You can use large scale magic right?"
"Eh…? Yes, of course. It was father who said that for one who names himself a modern magician, it was essential to be able to use at least one. But taking into account the chanting speed, it would be rather difficult to use in actual battles, but…"
Because of the tests his father imposed on him, a little while ago, he worked out a few that could be used in actual combat. Because he followed along with the intense battles that were entrusted to his father more often recently, he chose to develop those magics, but to use them in actual combat, his powers were still insufficient.
"In the fight in Spain, the number of magicians who have the ability to use large scale magic independently without using a major ritual, including you and me, would only be about five people at most."
"So for the battle this time, other than those two from the Enforcement Agency, there aren’t that many strong magicians coming? In spite of a monster springing forth which could bring a great calamity to Europe?"
"Aah, no, that’s not what I meant, but… Fumu, to think that my inadequacies would come out after coming all this way."
His father’s figure with his eyes closed deep in though, as well as the words he spoke, were all nothing but mysterious to Suimei.
… However, for Kazami, he understood that the way Suimei was unable to guess his intent, was also because of his own inadequacies.
Currently, even compared to the other high ranking magicians, Suimei held sufficient combat prowess to take part in the battle against the dragon. However, Kazami hated the idea of Suimei becoming a magician filled with self-conceit, and imposed nothing but difficult problems upon him as his magic teacher.
Kazami never properly informed him that the magicians around him, including Kazami himself, were all magicians with unusual levels of skill. He thought it would be bad for Suimei to live a life that was soaked in nothing but magic, and wanted him to focus on life as a normal person without any relation to magic―originally, being a magician was supposed to be an extra way of living for him, but it could be said that that way of raising him led to Suimei’s misunderstandings.
He was a son Kazami could be proud of no matter where he was. Even the other magic organization would gladly welcome his skill and talent. However, the negative effect of teaching him as much as he could, was the birth of ‘a timid magician who did not correctly understand his own strength.’
It could be said that he destroyed that magician’s greatest enemy known as ‘self-conceit.’ But, to compensate for that, his prudence was turned around against him, and just what kind of enemy that would turn in to was an issue for Suimei to resolve on his own from here on out. But, right now―
"You’ll understand the reason if you go. Of course, don’t lose your focus. This battle will likely be the most relentless battle you will ever face from here on out after all."
"… Yes."
Suimei nodded back to Kazami, and after they finished drinking, he stood up and brought their cups to the sink. While staring at the water flowing out of the faucet, he noticed a sense of discomfort towards the unreasonable flow of events.
"A dragon, huh…"
He could feel an ominous feeling on the back of his neck like it was being scorched. That strange red hot sensation was just pulsing as it attacked him. From what his father said, this was because of a power his mother had. Though Suimei had no way of knowing what it implied at the time.
… And so, it could be said that the magician Yakagi Suimei’s battle, started on this day.