The OP Lich is a Returnee, Chapter 53 (Patreon)

Chapter 53 – Foreshadow

As I was leaving the meeting at Phantomline, I ‘coincidentally’ ran across Koyama Shijo, the member of the Magical Affairs Department that had helped Phantomline out with the magical creature-specific CADs, and observed my use of foci, during my initial work at Phantomline. As it just so happened, he was also busy, and didn’t want to take up any of my time. However, he did hand me a note from his bosses, as a friendly gesture.

Akagawa-san,

It has come to our attention that foreign governments are starting to poke around in your business. Those who, like us, have approached you at least somewhat directly, we are not going to do anything about, as we have no desire to interfere with your decisions, so long as they do not harm our country. However, while the British and German governments are reaching out in this way, they are not the only ones wishing to learn your techniques. Out of respect, and a desire to remain friends, we wish you to know that both the Americans and the Russians are moving to try and acquire your secrets by less polite methods.

Sincerely, The Committee

So, ‘the Committee’? Most likely, it was some kind of unofficial grouping in the government, one of those that specialized in back-channel talks and trying to make things run smoothly. Those kinds of groups were not uncommon in the other world. The Shadow Council, in fact, was comprised of influential individuals from some of the most powerful families in the Free Kingdoms. They were the ones who often handled the unofficial diplomacy between nations, to ensure that petty egos and squabbles did not get in the way of the war effort against the Demon King.

The Shadow Council’s goal was to maintain the status quo, across the land. The cataclysmic fall of Athelia, and the birth of my own Risen Athelia, had upset their balance, but at that point the individual nations were too busy fighting against the Demon King to try and turn blades against me. Instead, they had come up with the idea of getting the Demon King and I to fight. That, of course, was just fine with me, so I went along with it.

Of course, the reason I knew about the Shadow Council was because one of the powerful nobles of Athelia used to be a member, before he died, and then rose to join my army. And so, I knew of the Shadow Council, and I knew their identities. It did not surprise me much when I saw that, as proponents of the status quo, they were neck deep in the slave trade, among other things. So, I had wraiths assassinate them, and their families, as I struck down the Demon King. The Shadow Council fell just before I left the other world, and shattered their precious status quo forever.

But, as for this Committee, I had no way of knowing who was involved, or what their agenda was. Even if I stopped and asked Koyama, I doubted he’d have any more information than one of his bosses asked him to deliver a sealed envelope to me, on behalf of another agency, or something like that. The question was whether or not I wanted to go rooting around and digging up this group.

The fact that they were able to talk about how both the British and German governments were trying to get the secrets of the other world’s magic from me, when those inquiries had been made either through back-channels or in person, rather than publicly, told me that they had the intelligence agencies on board, at the very least. Which forced me to consider the rest of the warning carefully. This Committee was clearly trying to stay on my good side, by offering up this warning that the US and Russia were going to try something. However, they clearly didn’t want to give enough information where someone could identify them. Probably on the off-chance that they ever had to move against me.

They had said as much in the warning, after all. Their priority was the nation’s health, and security. Maintaining a ‘friendship’ with me was a good way to help ensure the nation’s health and security, especially since they didn’t know how far I would go if they made me their enemy. I’d already torn one world apart in my vengeance, so they had to consider that I might do the same to this one, if I felt wronged enough.

Perversely, that understanding made me want to trust this Committee. So long as I did not do anything that would harm Japan, they would not try and move against me. And, in order to ensure some stability, they would try and warn me of potential enemies, when they learned of them. In hopes of keeping the damage done outside their borders, no doubt.

That turned my thoughts to the US, and Russia. The warning hadn’t said how they were going to come after me, but I could make some guesses. The US would start by trying to go to their allies, and basically persuade them to share with the class. They might go so far as troubling Eri at her University, but I didn’t think so. The US hadn’t gotten any less litigious over the last forty years, and they knew that I had high-power lawyers just waiting to pounce on whoever displeased me.

Normally, the US could get its way by simply leaning on its economic and military power. Not threatening, of course, but the simple comment of ‘reconsidering their options’ could destabilize the precarious balance of power, especially in the Far East, where China was typically playing against them, the ever-present boogeyman. But that wouldn’t work, this time, since I could withstand any economic assaults that they might send my way, and China and Japan were seeing eye to eye on not incurring my wrath.

There was, of course, the possibility that the Americans might try and send someone to take what they couldn’t get on their own, but I wasn’t worried about that, either. If they tried to move against my family, or any of my people, well, then I would just move against theirs. I knew the game of influence and holding hostages. Nobles in the other world played it often, and while they could never find an opening to draw me into those games, I did study them, all the same.

And if they tried to move against my home directly? Well, that would be fun to watch. I would put my forces up against anything the Americans had, in a heartbeat, even their vaunted special forces. They simply did not have the training needed to take down my rank-and-file troops, much less my elites, or my own special forces.

The Russians were another story. The Russian Federation stumbled and fell during the Awakening, sparking the Second October Revolution. From the chaos, the New Soviet Union (or Novyy Sovetskiy Soyuz) had risen, like a phoenix, taking back much of their territory in Eastern Europe as governments faltered. Their current leader was a hard-liner, pushing for a return to the ‘old days’, at least politically. Economically? Well, the best that could be said was that the oligarchs had been summarily executed, and their wealth seized.

So far, there hadn’t been any grand building projects, Five Year Plans, or gulags, but the economy had definitely taken a hit. Or, rather, the NSS had moved to make Russia as independent economically as possible. They did trade for what resources they couldn’t get from their own soil, but the rise of magic was making a lot of changes in the country.

Magic was used to such a high degree, in fact, that it was rare to see anyone in a position of power in the government that wasn’t at least trained in Thaumaturgy, to some degree. While it wasn’t there yet, experts predicted that, within the decade, the NSS would be an actual magocracy. Countries ruled by thaumaturges weren’t unheard of in this world, but, up to now, they had all been third-world countries ruled by magically-gifted warlords, so a major country like the NSS moving that way had a lot of people on edge.

Of course, I wasn’t really worried about such things. For one thing, if any magocracy went up against me, I would end up running the magocracy by the end of the next business day. That much wasn’t even up for debate. Not to mention the fact that any forces they sent would, again, have to get into Japan, and then come to my home in order to challenge me, and that wouldn’t go any better for them than it would the Americans.

Just as I was thinking that, I felt a twinge against my wards. Not my personal wards, or the ones around my home, but the ones I put on Athelian Arms. Someone had just bounced off one of the wards at my place of business.

A smile spread slowly across my face, as I recognized what this meant. The games had begun! Now, all I needed to do was go and see who our first contestant was.

With a thought, I teleported to the shop, landing in the parking lot, as I always did. I could have teleported into my office, or the workshop, if I wanted to, but it was more respectful to my employees for them to see me entering and leaving the building normally, so that they knew when I was actually in. And teleporting straight into a craftsman’s workshop was a recipe for disaster. I had no desire to try and patch someone up after surprising them, only for their hand to get caught in the lathe.

That didn’t matter, of course, since the action was outside. It was a team of two men, both speaking frantic English. One was half-way under my office manager’s car, and his buddy was trying to pull him out.

Clearly, the one on the ground had tripped the ward I had against anyone trying to alter or damage vehicles in my parking lot. Probably trying to put a tracer or something similar on it, so that they could get a better record of her movements. I didn’t doubt they’d planned on planting trackers on all the other vehicles in the lot, as well.

Unfortunately for them, I had prepared for this. The moment one of them tried to place a tracker, the trap was sprung, and he got frozen in place, unable to move. He was still conscious and able to speak, and he could feel everything that happened to him, but his body was completely restrained.

His buddy was trying to pull him out from under the car by his legs. That didn’t work, either, because I locked the spy’s spatial coordinates, meaning that someone would need to break my spell to move him. I’m sure the other spy would have gotten it, eventually, but, unfortunately for him, I was on the scene, now.

“Oh dear. We are in trouble, aren’t we?”

The man who wasn’t frozen looked up, hand already reaching for something under his coat. That told me all I needed to know about him, and his friend. Black lightning leapt from my fingertip, striking both of them, and ripping their souls from their bodies. With a wave of my hand, I trapped both souls, crystalizing them into gems.

As the gems settled into my outstretched palm, I considered what to do with such rude guests. But first, I undid the enchantment freezing the one man in place with a snap of my fingers. Another snap, and one of my skeletal warriors was at my side, pulling the two into the open.

A search of the bodies revealed IDs that claimed they were Japanese, but the guns in shoulder holsters spoke differently. The two men were clearly not Japanese. My initial read was that they were Americans, sent to spy on me and mine.

“Now, who are you? And who do you work for?”

The souls didn’t want to speak, at first. But they were already in my power, so it did not take long to flay their souls and find what I wanted. As I thought, they were CIA, and they were just one of several teams that were going to start surveillance of me, and try to find my secrets, since the Japanese government wasn’t telling them anything.

Now, I just needed to find a ‘polite’ way of informing the Americans why this was a bad idea. Fortunately, I knew just the people who could play messenger for me, this time. Pulling out my cellphone, I dialed the number of the second immortal living this world.

“Hello, Tatsum-san. This is Kaori. Would you be so kind as to have a couple of your associates stop by my shop? I have a couple items that require special handling for a discrete delivery to the American Embassy.”