Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Vajrayana (6)
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For the first time, Amira’s firmly fixed eyes wavered. Even her iron will couldn't help but melt upon seeing Alpheas’s face.
And why wouldn't it? This was the man she had followed since she was young enough to wet the bed.
“I am sorry. To have put you through such trouble.”
Amira bowed her head, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.
“I don’t mean to cause you pain, Headmaster. It’s because those who are most respected by the world must not cover up their mistakes, and if things continue like this, even the academy…”
“Don’t you think I know? I don’t resent anyone here. You are all the future of this academy.”
Alpheas looked at Amira with pity. All the students gathered here were like foundlings he had raised himself. He was only sorry for hurting them.
Lifting her head again, Amira looked at Alpheas with moist eyes. He was smiling benevolently, just as she remembered from her childhood.
“Won’t you trust me just this once? Once Shirone’s matter is concluded, I will handle everything with transparency. No matter what punishment is given, I will ensure I can stand proudly before my beloved students. I will never run away.”
A hot tear streamed down Amira’s cheek.
“You’ll really come back? The person I respect…”
“Of course. There will not be a shred of deception in my punishment. I promise you this on my lifelong honor.”
Amira wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She absolutely could not cry in front of Alpheas. She wanted to show him how much she had matured since she was a child.
“I understand. Since you’ve given your word, the student council will accept your opinion and reconsider the matter. Please, do not do anything that would tarnish your honor.”
Alpheas smiled, pleased. She had grown into a sharp and intelligent student. The child who used to run up to him, lisping, “Headmathtew!” had grown up so much.
‘Erina, it seems my life wasn’t all in vain.’
Once the student council president made her decision, the protesters immediately dispersed. The conservative faction occupying the entrance also scattered, and the front of the building quickly became deserted.
The only one left, Fermi, scratched his head awkwardly.
“Ah, it was going so well, but we messed up at the end.”
Alpheas let out a hearty laugh.
“Haha! It seems things didn’t go your way this time, Fermi.”
“Can’t be helped. Though honestly, I think it’s cheating for you to step in, Headmaster.”
“Isn’t it about time you graduated? You’ll be twenty-two next year.”
“Well, I don’t know. There’s no better way to make money than here just yet.”
“Is that so?”
Alpheas knew that Fermi was a key figure behind this incident. But he was simply proud of his student who had grown up so much.
“Besides, it’s still fun here. I’ll be going now.”
Without any further pleasantries, Fermi saluted and walked away. He probably wouldn’t set foot in the student council office after today. A peaceful place wasn’t profitable, after all.
Iruki and Nade were silent as they headed to the infirmary. It was the first time they had fought so seriously in five years, and the awkwardness still lingered. But, as expected, Nade couldn’t stand the atmosphere.
“Hey! How can you not say a single word? You didn’t have to fool me too, did you? You just wanted to look cool all by yourself, right?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. What kind of strategy session can I have with a guy doing the butterfly stroke in a sea of sorrow? Besides, if the information leaked, they would’ve come up with countermeasures. Why is your head so thick?”
“Yeah, I’m an idiot! You think you’re so smart!”
Whether he was angry or cursing, once the conversation started flowing, the awkward feelings vanished in an instant. Iruki asked with a worried expression.
“Anyway, how are you? No matter how angry you get, you can’t let your old self show like that.”
Nade, too, was full of regret as he clutched his head.
“Ah, I don’t know. I didn’t have time to think about anything else back then. In any case, we didn’t fight, so it’s fine.”
“Well, I was pretty damn cool. You might have already been erased from their memories.”
“You wish. So you had it all calculated, huh?”
“Hehehe, so what? You should bow to me.”
Their conversation ended when the infirmary door opened. Amy was there to greet them. Iruki scratched his head, feeling awkward. He could handle Nade, but he still found it difficult to be casual around Amy.
“Well, this is how it turned out. In any case, we protected Shirone, so…”
Just as he was trying to gloss over it, tears streamed down Amy’s face.
“Thank you. Thank you, Iruki…”
Iruki’s face filled with terror.
“Tch, whatever.”
Weak to displays of emotion, he fled into the infirmary. But waiting there was another bundle of emotions, Seriel, with her arms wide open.
Using a boxer’s weave, Iruki dodged Seriel’s embrace and took refuge by Shirone’s side.
‘Ugh, this is why I can’t stand girls.’
Seriel and Amy, who had met at the door, hugged each other and started jumping up and down. Nade joined in, and the three of them spun around inside the infirmary.
“Waaaah! He’s saved! Shirone is saved now!”
A faint smile touched Iruki’s lips at the rare bright atmosphere. But deep down, he didn't feel so great. They had only postponed his death on paper; nothing about the situation had actually improved.
Shirone was still motionless, as if asleep. The promise they made to stick together even after graduation was still vivid, yet he couldn't grasp the reality that the person himself was dead.
‘Come back. I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes.’
* * *
Shirone regained his consciousness. To be precise, he went from one state of madness to another. His mind was like a coin spinning rapidly between the North and South poles, alternating between sanity and insanity.
It felt as if he had gone mad a thousand times. He desperately tried to hold onto his crumbling mind, but the immense stimuli flooding in infiltrated his very essence, altering his nature.
“You’re a child who was picked up. Your parents would have been fine with anyone but you. Do you think they never struggled while raising you? They must have regretted it every time. Regretted picking you up. If you were their biological child, they wouldn't have had such thoughts.”
“No! That can’t be true!”
“You are an illegitimate child. Anyone in this world can be adopted. They are not your parents.”
Shirone’s particles trembled, and the cry of his soul spread out.
Ooooooooh!
“Your essence is that of a vile predator. A being who tramples everyone with superior abilities. Your power inevitably brings about someone else’s failure. You are an unnecessary tumor in this world.”
Ooooooooh!
Shirone went mad again. It felt as if his mind was rotting. When this union was over, what would he be reconstructed as? A vengeful ghost? A Yaksha? A demon? There was no way to know.
The speed of his descent into madness accelerated. As he reached the limit, two opposing natures began to coexist simultaneously in his mind as it spun between extremes.
It was a new world.
In a supreme mental state unattainable by any drug, Shirone finally found the one and only solution to maintain his sanity.
The origin point.
If the perimeter of a circle is the limit, the origin point is the beginning of that limit. But within it lay the potential to encompass the entire world.
Some call it the Spot. Some call it the Spirit Zone. Some call it Taiji. But mages called it something else.
Infinity.
Shirone’s eyes snapped open. The Spirit Zone was sucked into his mind, and the countless particles that had been scattering at superluminal speeds began to restore themselves into a spiritual body.
At the center of infinity, Shirone did not waver. The voice that had tormented him disappeared, and the strength of his spiritual body tightened, becoming as hard as a diamond.
The state of Vajrayana, reachable only after thousands of worldly afflictions.
An indestructible diamond body.
Shirone, his body blazing with a brilliant light, looked toward the exit. There was no more confusion. As he took a step, the warm, bright light of the exit seeped into his body, and they became one.
A small, transparent glass orb floated before his eyes. Inside the orb, small enough to rest on his palm, was the temple he had just been in. From within, the woman looked up at Shirone.
“So you’re leaving after all, Shirone.”
“I’m sorry. But I want to go back.”
“There’s no need to be sorry. To be honest, I didn’t think you would succeed. You are worthy.”
He hadn’t expected the woman to let him go so willingly, which made his departing steps feel heavy. Perhaps that was why. Knowing it no longer mattered, Shirone couldn't help but ask.
“Were you, by any chance, lonely?”
The woman blinked with a puzzled expression before a warm smile spread across her face.
“You’re a kind person, Shirone. But gods do not feel loneliness. I’m just a little sad to see you go. Just a little.”
“Thank you for bringing me back to life. I really wanted to tell you that.”
For a moment, the woman’s expression turned serious.
“Remember this. There are no second chances. Having reached the state of Vajrayana, you are no longer a being that can be invited by me.”
Shirone nodded as if making a vow and walked toward the exit. A warm light enveloped him as his mind began to be pulled into a different dimension of space-time.
‘I’m finally going back.’
In his fading consciousness, he heard the woman’s voice.
-Please give my regards to the Headmaster.
Even in his hazy state, Shirone was puzzled. How did she know Headmaster Alpheas? But the thought didn't last long, and his spiritual body slowly dissolved, being drawn into his physical form.
* * *
The 10th day after Shirone’s death.
“Mmm.”
Amy rubbed her sleepy eyes and woke up. As she stretched back in her chair, her back cracked. From pulling all-nighters every day, her body was moving, but her brain felt like it was still asleep.
She looked around and saw her other friends were not yet awake. After drinking some water and washing her face, she dried her face with a towel and approached Shirone.
“Shirone. Are you coming back today…?”
Amy gasped, her breath catching in her throat. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her eardrums. A shiver ran down her spine, making her shoulders, neck, and face tremble.
Shirone’s eyes were open.
“Huh? Huh?”
Amy called out to Nade and Iruki, who were sleeping on blankets laid out on the floor.
“H-Here… Here, here…”
The words wouldn’t come out. She needed to at least make a sound, but her throat felt completely blocked. Amy resorted to her last option. Taking a deep breath, she squeezed her eyes shut and let it out.
“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
The scream, loud enough to shake the infirmary, jolted Nade and Iruki awake.
“What! What is it!”
Back to Daily Life (1)
Alpheas calmed his trembling heart and reached out a hand. Even for a Grade 4 Archmage like him, the sight of Shirone with his eyes open was startling.
Shirone was currently under a Slow spell. It must have taken him all night just to lift his eyelids. To know if he was truly alive, there was no choice but to release the magic.
Placing a hand on Shirone’s chest, Alpheas reversed time. But Shirone still showed no sign of movement. No one could predict what would happen next. They could only submit to the will of the heavens.
“Hah!”
Just then, Shirone gasped for air and sat up. The faces of those watching anxiously lit up. Shirone, on the other hand, looked horrified, as if he had just returned from hell.
“What? What happened?”
Shirone was terrified by the sudden rush of air into his lungs. From within the Slow state, the world had been an abstract painting full of colors. As the scenery returned to normal, he could see people’s faces. Behind Alpheas were a tearful Amy and his other friends.