Kays Translations

Chapter 23: The Minato Ward Reclamation Plan

Taruta Kimihiko was an ordinary adult man displaced from Minato Ward and now taking refuge in Shibuya Ward.

In his middle school years, Taruta was a member of the track and field club. Even on days without practice, he would jog with his father, an activity he loved. Running outdoors was his passion.

However, in his third year of middle school, he was in a traffic accident that resulted in complex fractures in both legs. While surgery allowed him to walk again, he could no longer run as he once did.

Heartbroken, Taruta found solace in watching videos of the World Athletics Championships. While he could no longer run himself, studying running forms and techniques gave him a sense of staying connected to the sport.

Gradually, his interests shifted. He started with videos of sprints and middle-distance races, then moved on to marathons. From marathons, his interest expanded to triathlons, which led him to swimming, cycling, acrobatics, movie stunts, and eventually, into the world of fantasy films.

One thing led to another, and this former outdoorsman became a proud fantasy film enthusiast.

As he grew up, this fantasy enthusiast found himself caught in the Gremlin Disaster. And though he would never admit it, a small part of him was excited.

Yes, electronic devices had been rendered useless, and an unprecedented calamity had left even laughter a rare indulgence. Yet, amidst it all, monsters and witches had appeared. Magic had become real.

He found himself hoping, deep down, that healing magic might exist—magic that could repair his legs in ways modern medicine could not. Was it so wrong to feel his heart race at the possibility?

Of course, he kept such thoughts to himself. Watching people die at the hands of monsters left no room to voice admiration for magic or the hope it represented.

Nevertheless, Taruta became deeply fascinated by the magic brought about by this disaster.

He applied to join the Minato Ward Autonomous Guard. Though his legs limited his mobility, he was assigned as a marksman. During his time there, he made a habit of sketching the monsters they encountered. He meticulously documented their characteristics, magic abilities, appearances, times and locations of sightings, and battle outcomes.

While his colleagues risked their lives fighting monsters and defending against threats until the arrival of the ward’s designated vampire mage, Taruta, stationed in the rear with his crossbow, had enough leeway to take notes after battles. Naturally, he also sketched and recorded his observations of the vampire mage.

Even after being forced to evacuate Minato Ward by a giant kaiju emerging from Tokyo Bay, Taruta documented its appearance and behavior.

Unlike others who focused only on surviving the day’s battle, Taruta’s data collection gave him unique insights. He quickly realized something unusual about the blue witch’s magic, which had obliterated the kaiju in a single blow.

While most Tokyoites praised and feared the blue witch as the strongest witch, Taruta, who had been gathering data on both monsters and practitioners, sensed something amiss.

Witches and mages were not invincible.

They struggled against formidable monsters and occasionally faced defeat. Their magic had clear limits.

From what he could estimate, based on the extent of destruction, the blue witch’s magic seemed to exceed what should have been possible for a witch.

While continuing his guard duties in Shibuya, under the rule of the “Eyeball Witch,” Taruta dug deeper into his investigations and discovered the existence of the “Blue Staff Kyanos.”

He had heard of mystic treasures like magic stones that amplified magic power—knowledge that wasn’t exactly rare.

The vampire mage openly carried a magic stone called “Blood Moon,” and such stones were pivotal during the coup staged by the Iruma Mage.

From the few available accounts of the blue witch, Taruta deduced that Kyanos was likely a tool designed to harness the power of a magic stone. Was it simply a staff with an embedded gem to make it portable? He couldn’t say for sure.

The immense power displayed by the blue witch during the Iruma coup was exceptional, but even accounting for the use of a magic stone, the kaiju extermination was unprecedented.

There had to be a secret.

What if Kyanos wasn’t just a tool for amplifying magic? What if it could enable someone like him to use magic?

Taruta found himself daydreaming about the possibilities.

One day, he secretly borrowed a pair of binoculars from the guard’s inventory and set out to Ōme City for reconnaissance.

After staking out the area for half a day, he managed to spot the blue witch patrolling the city from rooftop to rooftop. However, when she turned her gaze toward him through the binoculars, he panicked and fled.

He couldn’t risk angering her and getting killed.

From what little he observed, the blue witch carried a beautiful staff adorned with a blue gemstone. Yet, he had no chance to examine it closely.

Realizing the danger, Taruta abandoned further attempts to investigate the blue witch and returned to his regular guard duties.

About six months later, news spread across Tokyo: a magic university was opening in Bunkyō Ward.

A magic university!

Taruta was overjoyed and immediately decided to apply.

No one could resist this opportunity. The promise of being taught magic was irresistible. Some dreamed of becoming mages and witches, while others saw it as a chance to avoid work while enrolled.

Taruta’s motive was the former, but he failed the entrance exam miserably.

He passed the articulation test and even scored well on the magic capacity test, but his performance on the intelligence test was abysmal.

Even one of his smarter colleagues, a graduate of a national university, had failed. Clearly, the bar for Tokyo Magic University was extraordinarily high, admitting only the most exceptional candidates.

Though dejected by his failure, Taruta couldn’t let go of his obsession and continued gathering information about the university.

The head of Tokyo Magic University, Kei Ōhinata, was a prodigy known as the professor of magic linguistics and a close associate of the blue witch. She carried an elaborate staff called the “Aleister,” shaped like a dodecahedral fractal.

Surrounded by subtle but constant security, Ōhinata allowed no suspicious individuals near her. Unable to observe her directly, Taruta relied on hearsay from university students to learn about Aleister.

Unlike Kyanos, Aleister was a unique staff designed with a dodecahedral fractal motif.

He speculated that Aleister was crafted from a special magic stone. Pyrite crystals naturally form beautiful cubes, so it wasn’t unreasonable to think that a magic stone might naturally take on a fractal shape.

Some theorized it was an artificially crafted masterpiece, but Taruta dismissed such claims. Crafting something so intricate would be nearly impossible given the current state of technology, where precision tools had been rendered useless.

Balancing his duties as a guard, studying witches, mages, and monsters, and preparing for his next attempt at the university entrance exam, Taruta lived a busy life.

However, his efforts bore no fruit.

Taruta failed the entrance exams the following year and the year after that.

In particular, the entrance exam in the second year was a close call.

That year, four new departments—“Gremlin Engineering,” “Monster Studies,” “Mutation Studies,” and “Combat Studies”—were established at the Magic University, which until then had only the Department of Magic Linguistics. Not only were they recruiting students, but they were also hiring professors.

Taruta aimed to become a professor in the Combat Studies department, leveraging his experience in the security force, and in the Monster Studies department, using the independent monster data he had meticulously compiled. However, in both cases, there were candidates who far outshone him.

The Combat Studies professorship was awarded to a genius who excelled not only in staff and shooting techniques but also independently mastered and applied witchcraft magic. Similarly, the Monster Studies position went to someone who not only collected monster data like Taruta but also organized it statistically and categorized monsters by type.

Though Taruta believed he was putting considerable effort into his independent research compared to the majority of citizens who were busy with daily survival, there were always those who were a step ahead.

Taruta was indeed talented.

But it was not enough to pass through the narrow gate of Magic University.

A turning point came for Taruta eight months after he received yet another rejection letter.

Though he had failed the Magic University entrance exams three times and the professor exams twice, his personal information from those applications had been retained by the university.

Taruta’s abundant magic power and his origins from the Minato Ward caught the attention of the Witch Assembly, which directly requested his participation in the operation to reclaim Minato Ward.

Taruta was stunned.

To put it in pre-Gremlin Disaster terms, it was like an amateur zoologist suddenly being summoned for a top-secret operation by the Japanese government.

Of course, he readily accepted the offer.

While doubting slightly whether this might be some sort of prank, he stepped through the gates of the Magic University he had long admired and entered a conference room on campus. There, he found others who had been similarly summoned.

Some looked anxious, while others burned with determination, believing the time had finally come to take back Minato Ward from the clutches of the monsters.

Once the seats in the conference room were filled, the last to enter was a charming beastfolk girl with white fur.

Dragging a small stepping stool from the corner, she stepped onto the podium, offered a polite bow with a warm smile, and began speaking.

“Good day, everyone! Thank you for responding to our sudden call. My name is Kei Ohinata, and I serve as the president of this university. I have been entrusted by the Tokyo Witch Assembly to instruct you in ritual magic for this mission.”

According to Professor Ohinata, the operation to reclaim Minato Ward had been planned for some time, but the necessary resources were only now in place.

Minato Ward, once ruled by a great vampire mage, was reduced to ashes by a kaiju attack.

Under normal circumstances, a new witch should have taken over management in place of the deceased vampire mage, but the Witch Assembly was stretched too thin. Its members were already managing regions far beyond their capacity, and no one could take on the care of Minato Ward.

Even the Eyeball Witch, who controlled over 100 familiars and monitored an extensive area spanning six districts, found it impossible to take on a seventh.

Minato Ward, left unattended, quickly became a haven for monsters.

Though the Witch of Itabashi, known for her active role in hunting down threats, periodically culled the monster population, she was also responsible for purging other unoccupied areas such as Katsushika, Ota, western Hachioji, and Inagi. She even handled invasions from Chiba and Saitama. Her workload was staggering, making it impossible to focus solely on Minato Ward.

Even if a witch temporarily eradicated the monsters, the absence of permanent management meant it would inevitably fall back into chaos.

But circumstances had changed.

Unlike two and a half years ago, when all they could do was watch Minato Ward succumb to the monsters, things were different now.

Research from the Department of Magic Linguistics had resulted in the development of practical combat spells that could be cast by humans.

The Department of Gremlin Engineering produced enough general-purpose magic staff to equip the entire Minato Ward Security Force.

The Department of Monster Studies created a draft field manual, categorizing monsters by their danger levels and detailing their traits and weaknesses.

And graduates trained in the Department of Combat Studies stepped forward as volunteers for the reclamation operation.

The Tokyo Witch Assembly deemed the time was right.

The plan was as follows:

Using the “Blood Moon” staff, an artifact left by the vampire mage, the vanguard of wizards would swiftly secure the center of Minato Ward.

The remnants of Tokyo Tower would be repurposed into a watchtower, where a ritual magic team would be stationed to oversee Minato Ward from the high ground, systematically eradicating monsters with ritual magic.

Even after securing Minato Ward, this watchtower’s ritual magic capabilities would remain the heart of anti-monster operations.

“This Blood Moon Staff is the first magic staff crafted entirely by our university using a magic stone. While its performance falls short of the Blue Staff Kyanos, its core has been polished into a perfect sphere, a process we outsourced. Though we have yet to implement internal multi-layer processing for future expansions, the staff holds great potential for future advancements. This staff embodies Minato Ward’s past, serves as a symbol of its reclamation, and will pave the way to its future. Kyogoku Yamato, the top student of the Combat Studies Department, please step forward.”

The muscular man who stepped forward received the Vampiric Staff amidst thunderous applause.

Next, thirteen individuals, including Taruta, were given staff with twisted amber-colored rings attached.

“These ritual magic staff are specially crafted for humans to perform high-mana-consuming rituals. Their cores are protected by a material coating, but they are extremely delicate, so please handle them with care. With the focal staff given to Kobayashi-san at the center, the thirteen of you will divide the mana burden to cast a single large-scale spell.”

Professor Ohinata then used the blackboard to explain how to use the staff for ritual magic.

The target of the spell would be decided by the person holding the focal staff, meaning Taruta’s role was essentially to act as a mana reservoir.

This suited him just fine. Though he had been a dropout who repeatedly failed the university’s entrance exams, being part of the Minato Ward reclamation team and wielding magic—even as a supporting role—was more than enough for him.

“What exactly is the curse-killing spell you mentioned?”

When Taruta raised his hand to ask, Professor Ohinata tapped her pointer on her palm and answered solemnly.

“Good question. The curse-killing spell is a form of magic left behind by the Witch of Koganei, who perished in the early stages of the Gremlin Disaster. Someone with perfect pitch happened to hear and memorize her spell, and it has been recorded here at the university. The spell consumes a significant amount of mana but allows the caster to curse and kill any target within their sight. If the target has less mana remaining than the caster, it will die instantly.”

Professor Ōhinata’s words caused the conference room to stir.

While magic often has its share of extreme capabilities, the curse-killing spell they just heard about was particularly outrageous. The professor waited for the murmurs to subside before continuing.

“However, if the curse-killing spell fails, the caster will suffer a backlash. This can occur if the target possesses more magic power than the spell requires to kill or if they deflect the curse with magic control. In such cases, the feedback is so severe that the user will die. Even with the anti-magic-backflow mechanism in place, survival cannot be guaranteed. When we summoned you for this mission, we were upfront about the lack of safety guarantees. While the danger lies partly in battling monsters, a large portion of the risk comes from this feedback. Please use the monster classification chart to avoid attempting a curse-kill on monsters with excessive magic power. In such cases, call for assistance from a witch or another magician.”

The room fell silent for a moment, and then a few people withdrew.

Some muttered that they could accept being killed by monsters in battle, but they refused to risk dying in an accidental self-destruction. It was understandable. Even Taruta (the protagonist) had second thoughts. He could reconcile himself to dying in battle, but to make a fatal mistake in estimating a monster’s power and die foolishly? That thought was unbearable.

But that’s precisely why the monster classification chart exists—to prevent such errors. After much internal debate, Taruta chose to stay seated. He reasoned that this mission was necessary and that someone had to risk their life for it. He decided he could be that “someone.”

Since the ritual magic would likely need to be activated multiple times per day, nearly 40 individuals were assigned as magic tanks. Despite a few people dropping out, the plan to retake Minato Ward moved forward.

After learning the curse-killing spell chant and undergoing intensive training in ritual magic coordination, Taruta and the others departed two months later. They were sent off by former Minato Ward residents who had gathered at the magic university to give them a rousing farewell.

The abandoned vehicles that once clogged the city streets had already been cleared, making bicycle travel possible. The operation team, in single-file formation, pedalled their way to the outskirts of Minato Ward.

Once there, Kyōgoku Yamato, the commander of the operation, raised the Blood Staff—a ceremonial staff made from the Blood Moon magic stone—against the backdrop of the ruins and the setting sun. He gave a brief, impassioned speech.

“Comrades! We have returned! We have come back to Minato Ward! Each of you may have your own reasons for being here. Some of you may have none, treating this as just another job. But here, today, and in this moment, we are united under one goal!”

Kyōgoku paused, turned sharply on his heels, and bellowed.

“We will reclaim Minato Ward from the monsters! The operation begins now!!”

A thunderous cheer erupted, signalling the start of the reclamation operation.

The march toward the center of the ward was swift and as planned. Advancing cautiously while eliminating every single threat would have drained their magic resources. Instead, the team moved quickly along National Route 1, aiming for Tokyo Tower.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to worry about traps, as their opponents were monsters, not humans. Monsters attempting ambushes were either outrun if they were slow or annihilated swiftly with concentrated magic attacks from the wizards wielding their magical staves.

Should they encounter particularly powerful monsters, the plan was to retreat or find an alternate route. Luckily, there were no such formidable creatures along Route 1, ensuring the second unit would have no issues establishing a supply route.

Although some team members sprained their ankles on rubble or were injured by monsters springing from the ground and had to withdraw, the group reached the base of Tokyo Tower as planned in just over an hour.

Taking a brief break at a charred, abandoned souvenir shop near the tower, Kyōgoku addressed the group.

“Everyone, great work. Now, we only need to ascend the tower, secure the high ground, and position the ritual magic team. Once we can launch curse-killing spells from an elevated vantage point covering all directions, Minato Ward will essentially be ours.”

“But, Commander…” 

One of the team members interjected.

“Yes, the problem is whether we can actually climb the tower.”

Kyōgoku nodded solemnly, peering out of the shop’s window at their objective.

Tokyo Tower had become a monster nest.

Large human-sized cocoons were attached everywhere, and grotesque monsters resembling twisted hybrids of beasts and mantises were tending to them in clusters. These monsters hadn’t been there during the last monster-sweeping operation by the Witch of Itabashi. They must have proliferated afterward.

“Captain, excluding the cocoons, there are 16 beast-mantises. No other monsters in sight.”

“Checking the monster classification chart, since they’re a chimera type combining beasts and insects, the danger level should fall somewhere around here to here.”

“I see… We can’t deal with them all at once. I want the sharpshooters among us, skilled in long-range magic attacks, to take out or weaken 4-5 of them right away. That will make things easier.”

Sitting on a chair in the shop and listening to the captain’s strategy meeting, Taruta suddenly noticed a faint noise.

It was a trivial sound, but something about it nagged at him. He looked out the window, only to see a squad member who was on watch being decapitated by a beast-mantis that had snuck up from the roof.

Taruta’s heart skipped a beat, and he screamed.

“Enemy attack! The lookout’s been killed! There’s one or more monsters on the roof!”

Even though he was on the verge of panic, Taruta managed to provide an accurate situational report, likely thanks to the two months of training.

However, not everyone was able to act as calmly as Taruta. Two beast-mantises crashed through the shop windows and threw the team into chaos.

The captain, Kyogoku, stood out with his commanding movements, raising his voice to restore order while quickly aiming his blood staff, Vampir, at the beast-mantises.

But before he could act, the mantis fired thorny projectiles from its abdomen at the team.

Most of the thorns missed, embedding themselves in the shop’s walls, but one unlucky shot—a freak accident—hit its mark.

Incredibly, the thorn struck Kyogoku’s hand, knocking the Vampir staff out of his grasp and sending it flying through the broken window to the outside.

To make matters worse, the staff rolled to the feet of a particularly large, colorful, rainbow-patterned beast-mantis creeping out from Tokyo Tower.

The rainbow beast-mantis stopped in its tracks, tilting its head in an insect-like manner as it curiously observed the staff that had literally rolled into its path.

Kyogoku and Taruta’s eyes met for a brief moment as they both stared in shock at the catastrophic turn of events.

In the next instant, Kyogoku was pinned down by the massive body of a charging beast-mantis.

The situation descended into utter chaos.

The inside of the shop was a scene of panic and confusion. Unable to attack the beast-mantises properly due to the risk of friendly fire, the team was rendered nearly useless. Their dependable captain had lost his trump card and was now pinned under a monster, and the crucial Vampir staff lay at the enemy’s feet.

Overwhelmed by the madness and terror of the situation, something snapped in Taruta’s mind.

He felt a strange calm wash over him, his thoughts sharper than ever before. In what would likely be a once-in-a-lifetime moment of clarity, Taruta made a split-second decision.

Snatching a focus staff from the bewildered Kobayashi nearby, he shoved his own staff into Kobayashi’s hands and dashed toward the exit.

“Prepare the ritual magic! Focus on me, Taruta! Countdown: 3, 2, 1!”

Taruta shouted in what was almost a scream as he kicked the shop door open and leaped outside.

“I love you, Natu Yave!”

He ran.

For the first time in ten years, he ran with everything he had.

Though his body had grown rusty, his form remained intact.

The chant he’d practiced hundreds, no, thousands of times flowed from his lips, and he could hear the same words being recited by his comrades behind him.

“But Denni, I’m Clara the demon, so Baiyen.”

His legs screamed in agony, and with every step, it felt as though his bones were shattering. Yet Taruta roared his spell like a beast, enduring the excruciating pain.

“This is Fuxiwa, my Clara’s form of love, Fifi Yave!!”

The ritual curse magic, emanating as a murky black wave centered on Taruta, struck the rainbow beast-mantis, which had just picked up the Vampir staff with its scythe-like claw.

The rainbow beast-mantis lost its strength midair and fell to the ground, lifeless. Taruta rushed over to its corpse and pried the Vampir staff from its claw.

Turning back, Taruta saw Kyogoku, bloodied but still standing, using a short sword to fend off a beast-mantis through the shattered window. Extending his left hand, Kyogoku gestured for the staff.

As a former marksman in the guard unit, Taruta was skilled in throwing techniques.

The blood staff Vampir flew straight into Kyogoku’s hand, who immediately used it to unleash a devastating blow, blasting away the two beast-mantises that had plunged the shop into chaos.

That marked the turning point.

The rainbow-patterned beast-mantis had been the leader of the swarm, and its death left the remaining monsters disoriented and weakened.

Although the ambush had resulted in several casualties, there were no further injuries after that.

The team successfully secured Tokyo Tower, and as planned, the high vantage point allowed them to use the ritual curse magic to ensure the surrounding area’s safety.

It was December 25th, Christmas Day.

After two years and eight months, Minato Ward was reclaimed by humanity—at the cost of much blood.

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