by Yuu Miyazaki
Copyright
THE ASTERISK WAR, Vol. 7
YUU MIYAZAKI
Translation by Haydn Trowell
Cover art by okiura
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
© Yuu Miyazaki 2014
First published in Japan in 2014 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION.
English translation rights reserved by Yen Press, LLC under the license from KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY, INC. Tokyo.
English translation © 2018 by Yen Press, LLC
Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Miyazaki, Yuu, author. | Tanaka, Melissa, translator. |
Trowell, Haydn, translator.
Title: The asterisk war / Yuu Miyazaki ; translation by Melissa Tanaka.
Other titles: Gakusen toshi asterisk. English
Description: First Yen On edition. | New York, NY : Yen On, 2016– | v. 6–8 translation by Haydn Trowell | Audience: Ages 13 & up.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016023755 | ISBN 9780316315272 (v. 1 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398589 (v. 2 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398602 (v. 3 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398626 (v. 4 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398657 (v. 5 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398671 (v. 6 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316398695 (v. 7 : paperback)
Subjects: | CYAC: Science fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Science Fiction / Adventure.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.M635 As 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016023755
ISBNs: 978-0-316-39869-5 (paperback)
978-0-316-39870-1 (ebook)
E3-20180713-JV-PC
Contents
Cover
Insert
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter 1: Magnum Opus’s Invitation
Chapter 2: Rect Lux
Chapter 3: School Fair Rhapsody I
Chapter 4: School Fair Rhapsody II
Chapter 5: School Fair Rhapsody III
Chapter 6: The Gran Colosseo
Chapter 7: Ladislav’s Youngest Child
Epilogue
Afterword
Yen Newsletter
CHAPTER 1
MAGNUM OPUS’S INVITATION
“So what did you want to talk about?”
They were in the courtyard of Seidoukan Academy. No sooner had they reached the gazebo nestled in the corner of the garden than Julis spoke up.
Just a few moments earlier, in the student council room, Ayato had declared that he would join Claudia’s team for the Gryps as its fifth member. Then, as they’d all left, he’d pulled Julis aside, stating there was something he had to discuss with her.
“Straight to the point, as always, I see,” she quipped back.
“You know I don’t like beating around the bush. And besides, it’s cold out here.”
It was midwinter in Asterisk. The temperature wasn’t as low as it had been in Lieseltania—where they had been staying until just a few days ago—but standing still as they were in the empty garden, the cold seeped deep into their bones.
“Do you want to go somewhere else?” he asked. There wasn’t any particular reason why they had to talk in the courtyard, after all.
“Don’t worry about it. You wanted to come here because you didn’t want anyone to overhear us, right?”
“Well, not exactly… I’m gonna tell the others, too, eventually. It’s just…I thought I’d better talk it over with you first.”
Julis raised her eyebrows slightly. “Hmm… Well, you don’t look very happy about it, whatever it is. We’re going to be busy preparing for the Gryps starting tomorrow, so you’d better just have out with it.”
Now that she had organized her team, Claudia was eager to begin training together immediately and had instructed them all to meet in the training room the following day.
“I know,” Ayato replied, pausing for a moment as he looked at Julis head-on. “I told you earlier about what happened at the hospital…but there’s something I left out.”
“Oh?”
Madiath had contacted him the other day, and he had finally been able to see his sister again. However, it seemed Haruka had used her ability on herself and had been in a state close to suspended animation for the past five years. Even Yan Korbel, the director of the hospital, hadn’t been able to find a way to wake her. That was as far as he had explained to Julis and the others, but then—
“—On the way back from the hospital, I bumped into Magnum Opus.”
No sooner had he spoken the name than Julis’s eyes opened wide, a dangerous glint emerging from deep inside them. “What did you just say…?”
Anger dripped from her muffled voice. It was enough to make Ayato, who had already been steeling himself against her response, flinch.
Her reaction was to be expected. Magnum Opus was, after all, the mastermind who had robbed Julis of her best friend, Orphelia. It was only natural she would hold a grudge.
“…”
But at the moment, Julis merely clenched her fists, standing ramrod straight and grinding her teeth, with her eyes tightly shut. She looked to be attempting to hold back the violent emotions rushing up from inside her.
Finally, after a long moment, she opened her eyes, letting out an all but inaudible sigh. The young woman fixed Ayato with a piercing glare.
“Tell me everything.” She spoke the words as if they’d been wrung out of her body.
Ayato nodded, his expression stern. “It was three days ago. After leaving the hospital, I had parted ways with Commander Lindwall, when I’d heard a voice call out to me from behind. And she said, out of nowhere, ‘If you let me, I can cure your sister.’”
“…”
Julis startled. She seemed to be about to say something, but Ayato continued:
“And then, she—Hilda Jane Rowlands—called herself Magnum Opus…”
Ayato lifted his gaze slightly and in a quiet voice began to tell her everything about the encounter.
“You’re…Magnum Opus…?”
The unexpected name caused Ayato to brace for trouble.
But the woman who had called out to him—Hilda—nodded calmly, with a faint smirk. “Ah, don’t misunderstand me. It isn’t as if I asked for such a high-and-mighty name. I’m actually quite humble. But you know, everyone at Allekant just started calling me that, so I never had much choice. Never mind how strange or uncomfortable it might make me feel… Anyway, as long as you
can produce results over there, they give you a marvelous environment to pursue research, no matter what you do. Most of the time, at least. It’s a wonderful place, really.”
The night was already late. The hospital reception had long since closed. The complex did of course have an entrance for emergencies, but it was located on the other side of the building, away from the main gate. The darkness around them was illuminated only by the faint light of the streetlamps.
“Let me ask you something… Is it true you turned Orphelia Landlufen into a Strega?”
“Oh my, so you know about that, do you? I don’t believe that experiment has even been publicly announced yet… But truthfully, that makes things a bit easier,” she said, her eyes narrowing as she broke out into her distinctive, rasping laugh. “Indeed, indeed. That was quite a special specimen, you know. Ah, if only I still had my hands on it, who knows how much invaluable data I would be able to glean? It’s really quite a shame how things ended up.” She shook her head as if in sorrow, pouting sourly. “It’s all the fault of those vixens at Le Wolfe, you know. Stealing someone’s hard-earned research out from under them—how awful could you be? It’s unforgivable.”
From the way she was talking, it was clear that Hilda viewed Orphelia as no more than a research subject. Ayato couldn’t help but frown in distaste. She seemed to lack any sense of human empathy.
“But there’s no point brooding over it now, is there? Us researchers have to keep our eyes on the future. Which. Is. Why,” she continued, in a staccato rhythm as she pulled herself toward the boy suddenly, flashing him a strangely satisfied and clearly ominous smile. “What do you say, Ayato Amagiri? Why don’t we help each other out, for the sake of both our futures?”
“Help you…?”
If he had been his normal self, he would have turned her down immediately, but the image of his sister, whom he had not seen in more than five years, floated up before him, and he found himself hesitating.
“Miss Rowlands… Is it true that you can heal her…?”
Once more, the woman broke out into that strange laughter. “You can call me Hilda. As for your question, the answer is yes. Leave it to me, and I’ll wake your little sleeping beauty.”
She beamed, giving him an exaggerated bow.
“…How?”
“Well, now. There’s no short explanation for that, but if you wish… Your sister used her own abilities as a Strega to bind herself, correct? Normally, to dispel that kind of ability externally, we would have to forcefully expel the mana, but in order to do that, we would first have to analyze the junction pattern between prana and mana. It’s a lot like a fingerprint—different for everyone. The reason Director Korbel has had such a hard time with your sister is because, in her case, her junction pattern is so complicated. Do you understand so far?”
Ayato nodded.
Hilda continued slowly, as if lecturing a child. “But that isn’t the biggest problem. Even after analyzing the junction pattern, we would need a special device in order to actually dispel the mana. But in your sister’s case, the prana used to bind her is so strong that it’s beyond the scope of the technology available to this hospital. After all, the greater the amount of prana that’s involved, the greater the amount of mana acting in concert to it.”
“What kind of special device are you talking about?”
“It’s called a mana accelerator. In short, it’s a device for controlling mana, at least to some extent, without having to rely on using the prana from a Strega or a Dante as an intermediary. By accelerating mana, it’s possible to reach a high-energy state without requiring mediation through prana. Just so you know, it can’t re-create an ability—but by tracing the junction pattern with mana in this state, it is possible to cancel out the effects of one. So if you want to dispel the effects of your sister’s binding ability, you’re going to need a mana accelerator quite a bit more powerful than what this hospital has to offer.”
The details still eluded him, but Ayato was beginning to comprehend the theory. It still wasn’t enough to convince him to give his consent, however.
“In that case, as long as he used a powerful enough mana accelerator, even Director Korbel ought to be able to dispel it, then…”
At this, Hilda interrupted, clicking her tongue and waving a finger at him. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’m afraid Director Korbel doesn’t quite have the aptitude required to use that kind of mana accelerator. But it isn’t just him. No, I think you’ll find that I’m the only researcher who has experience using one on a human subject. Hee-hee-hee.” That dry, rasping laughter erupted forth once more, before finally subsiding as Hilda glanced back at him, her eyes upturned. “Ah, but if you insist, there’s no harm in asking the director yourself. I won’t mind.”
“…”
Faced with the girl’s overwhelming sense of confidence, Ayato found himself at a loss for words.
She was probably telling the truth.
“…In that case, what do you want?”
“Oh?”
She had suggested they help each other, so there had to be something she wanted from him in return.
“Oh, I see, I see, you’re a quick learner, aren’t you? Well, you don’t need to worry. It isn’t particularly complicated.”
“H-hold on a minute!” Ayato stammered, trying to remind Hilda that he hadn’t yet accepted her proposal, but he found his body stiffening as she continued.
“—All I want from you is that you win in the Gryps.” She spoke calmly, quite as if she were doing no more than placing an order at a local restaurant.
“You want me to win…?”
“The Lindvolus would have been fine, too, but I’m afraid I can’t afford to wait until next winter. Don’t worry; I’ve already heard. You’ve joined the student council president’s team, right?”
“That doesn’t mean we’ll be able to win, though…”
Given its members, it would without doubt be a powerful team, but that didn’t mean they could afford to underestimate what the tournament might throw at them.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. So long as you and that student council president work together, it’s all but guaranteed,” Hilda said, nodding to herself.
“…In other words, you’re hoping to have your wish granted through me?”
“Well…if you want to put it that way, I guess you could say that,” she answered, her slightly dissatisfied expression suggesting she wasn’t particularly happy with that description.
“What do you want, specifically?”
“Yes, well, assuming you win the tournament, I’d like you to have my penalty canceled.”
“…Your penalty?”
“That’s right. The truth is, there was a little accident a few years ago, and for some reason, I alone had to take the blame for it. And well, that’s why I said Allekant’s a good place most of the time. I guess it was one of those things that fall outside that range. Personally, I didn’t think just one or two laboratories would really matter that much to them… But anyway, ever since that happened, I haven’t been free to do what I want anymore.” She let out a deep sigh. “The worst part of it all is that they’ve put restrictions on my use of the facilities, and I’m not allowed to use anything designated level five. So my research has reached a standstill. Thanks to that, I’ve been spending my time dealing with assigned work that I don’t have the slightest interest in… I’m fed up with it all.”
She shook her head exaggeratedly, but she stopped suddenly in mid-movement, before turning back to Ayato, her head tilted down, eyeing him over the rims of her glasses. “But the real issue is this. At one of those level-five facilities, in Geneva, there’s a heavy-duty mana accelerator. That’s the facility my team used in the past. I had it customized for my research.”
“!” Ayato was startled as the pieces finally clicked together.
In other words, Hilda would have to use that facility in order to awaken Haruka. That had to be it.
Hilda nodded as she let ou
t a joyful laugh. “Hee-hee-hee. Yes, yes, that’s right. It’s a matter of give-and-take, an equal trade, if you will. If you can get my penalty canceled, I’ll be able to resume my research, and if I can resume my research, I’ll be able to wake your sister. It’s beautifully simple, really.” She seemed so amused by it all that her body was visibly trembling.
Ayato, of course, wasn’t so naive as to accept it all at face value. “Before that, could you tell me a little about your research?” he asked.
“Hmm?” Hilda seemed to be taken aback by his question; her eyes widened with surprise behind the rims of her glasses. “Well, why not? To put it simply, my research involves finding a way to create Genestella a posteriori.”
She spoke as if it were an everyday matter, but the idea bordered on the preposterous. The differences between normal humans and Genestella started with the presence or absence of prana and extended all the way to the strength of their physical builds, their muscle tissue, and even the composition of their blood.
If, for example, her research goal was to increase the possibility of yet-unborn children being Genestella, that would be one thing—even if there was of course an ethical problem with that—but changing the body of a posteriori was, from Ayato’s perspective, tantamount to playing God.
Normally, he wouldn’t have given the notion so much as a second thought.
Now that he knew about Orphelia, however…
“But in that case, hasn’t your research already been successful…?”
“Ah, you mean Orphelia Landlufen?” Hilda nodded, her expression conflicted. “I certainly haven’t had a success like that again. Not only did I manage to clear the hurdle of turning a normal human into a Genestella in one go; I turned her into a Strega—perhaps the strongest in history at that.” But despite what she was saying, her expression was clouded. “However…to be perfectly honest with you, that was somewhat irregular, even for me.”
“Irregular?”
“I formulated the perfect theory, built on years of research, and put it into practice, creating what you might call the ultimate Strega. There’s no doubt about that. But then, when I repeated the experiment with the exact same conditions, I couldn’t reproduce it…”
