Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Back to Daily Life (2)
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For Shirone, it felt as though hardly any time had passed. After entering the Immortal Function, he had met a woman and then escaped through a black hole. That was all. But in reality, ten days had already gone by.
Shirone smiled awkwardly and raised a hand.
“Haha. Hey?”
“Don't you ‘hey’ me, you brat!”
“Oof!”
Amy punched Shirone across the face. There was no impact, but the force sent him tumbling onto the bed. Shirone looked back, his face crumpled in a grimace.
“Ow! What was that for?”
Fat tears began to stream down Amy's face.
“You jerk, making us worry like that… You stupid jerk!”
Shirone looked dazed. Everything was happening so fast; it was bewildering. But he soon realized something and gave a warm smile. Amy's tears told him everything he needed to know about what had happened while he was gone.
“I'm sorry. Because of me…”
“Shirone's back!”
Nade and Iruki shoved Amy forward, piling onto the bed and burying Shirone. Amy, who had unintentionally landed in Shirone's arms, yelled with a beet-red face.
“Aah! Hey, get off!”
“Agh! That hurts! I said it hurts!”
Shirone also cried out in pain, though it was more from embarrassment than actual agony. Thinking he wouldn't be able to look Amy in the eye later if this continued, he twisted his body with all his might, sending his friends tumbling to the floor.
“Whew, what was all that about?”
Sitting on the bed, Shirone looked like a refugee who had just survived a bombing. On the floor, a fallen Amy was rubbing her sore back while chewing out Nade and Iruki.
“Quite the grand welcome. Youth is a wonderful thing.”
Shirone saw Alpheas and straightened his expression. His very presence here told Shirone just how serious the situation had been.
Shirone asked Nade the question that was burning in his mind.
“What happened to Arcane? And the others? What in the world went on?”
Nade, who was still getting an earful from Amy, shouted with a look of disbelief.
“That's not the issue right now! You were dead for ten whole days!”
“What? Ten days? And dead?”
“Of course, you idiot! How can you be alive if your heart isn't beating? You'd better start explaining what happened.”
Shirone was so shocked he couldn't speak for a while. He knew he had to explain what he'd been through, but he had no idea where to begin.
The infirmary door opened, and the teachers walked in. Shina's face showed surprise when she saw Shirone awake. Of course, she had prayed desperately for his return, but seeing it with her own eyes was still a great shock.
Though she hadn't awakened to infinity like Shirone, she could vaguely imagine how terrifying and agonizing it must be for a human to return after their consciousness had been deconstructed.
‘Still, you made it back safely. Thank you.’
Shina smiled and glanced sideways at Etella. She had been tormented by immense guilt for the past ten days. As expected, she approached Shirone with a face on the verge of tears.
“Shirone.”
“Professor, I'm sorry. I again…”
Before Shirone could finish, Etella pulled him into a tight embrace.
“I'm sorry. It's my fault. If I had just paid a little more attention… This will never happen again.”
To his friends, it looked like a beautiful embrace between teacher and student, but for Shirone, it was torture. Etella was hugging him so tightly he couldn't breathe. Embarrassment aside, he felt like he was actually going to suffocate.
“Uh, Professor…”
“Yes?”
“I'm sorry, but… please let me live.”
“Oh my!”
Hearing Shirone's stuffy, nasal voice, Etella hastily pulled away.
“I'm sorry. I was just so happy, I got carried away…”
Shirone, his face pale blue, gasped for air. But even this sensation was a part of the living world. Simply happy to be back, he smiled and said,
“Now it finally feels like I'm back.”
Seeing his friends' sour looks, Shirone realized his mistake and quickly waved his hands.
“No, that's not what I meant. I mean, this is…”
“What's that supposed to mean, you punk?”
Amy rushed over and pinched Shirone's cheek.
“What? Am I not realistic enough for you? Huh?”
“No! That's not what I meant!”
Nade and Iruki burst out laughing. Alpheas watched Shirone interacting with his friends with a pleased expression before slipping out of the infirmary unnoticed. From now on, he would be the busiest one of all.
“Headmaster.”
He turned around to see Shirone, who had also slipped out, closing the infirmary door and walking toward him.
“What is it? You should be resting for a while. Catch up with your friends. The academy will be closed for the time being anyway.”
“Yes, thank you for your concern. But… there's something I'm curious about.”
“Oh? And what might that be?”
Shirone recounted everything he had experienced, from the moment he entered the realm of infinity to how he returned to his own world through a black hole.
At first, Alpheas listened with interest. But as the story went on, his expression gradually hardened. Especially when Shirone described the woman's abilities, he closed his eyes and sighed.
“Did she say she knew me?”
“Yes. She asked me to give you her regards. My memory of it is hazy, but I think that's what I heard.”
Shirone wondered if he'd said the wrong thing. Alpheas's expression was far worse than he had expected.
“Yes, I think I know who you're talking about.”
“What? You know her?”
Shirone's eyes widened. Alpheas was certainly a brilliant mage, but the woman resided in a place beyond life. It was strange to think that he had met two people who lived in different worlds.
But Alpheas thought otherwise. It was not coincidence, but destiny. Shirone was fated to meet her from the moment he awakened the Immortal Function.
“Who is she, exactly?”
“Adrias Miro. Back then, she was known as the Labyrinth of Spacetime. She was my student, and she specialized in Scale Magic.”
Shirone stared blankly. He never would have dreamed she was one of Alpheas's students. He was especially shocked to learn that her abilities, which he had thought to be the power of a god, were in fact a form of magic.
“What's Scale Magic?”
Alpheas scratched his eyebrow, choosing his words carefully.
“Shirone. In the magical community, those who have reached the Immortal Function are called Unlockers.”
“Yes, I've heard of them.”
“Then this will be easier to explain. Miro is also an Unlocker. She had an incredible thirst for knowledge, even as a child. She delved endlessly. Into worlds larger than the universe, and worlds smaller than a particle. Scale Magic is a magic that can only be wielded by one who has realized the infinity of spacetime.”
Shirone recalled his meeting with Miro. Indeed, her primary ability—the glass orb—had freely expressed the relativity of spacetime.
“Miro said she's been watching me for a long time. Is that possible?”
“There's no need to worry. Miro resides in a different dimension from you. However, when you open the Immortal Function, you might momentarily reach the same dimension. Miro was likely waiting for that moment.”
“But why me, specifically? Unlockers are rare, but according to Arcane, there are a fair number of them. There must be many who are more skilled than I am.”
Alpheas stroked his beard, hesitating. What he was about to say was a top-secret matter, known only to teachers who had worked at the academy for over twenty years.
“Miro… is the first president of the Paranormal Research Society.”
Shirone pictured Miro's face. It was surprising enough that she was the founder of the club he now belonged to, but if she was the first president, that would make her a figure from nearly twenty years ago, yet she hadn't seemed to have aged at all.
“Miro wasn't obsessed with phenomena. She believed there were too many things that couldn't be explained by knowledge alone. She teamed up with her peers to establish the society in Istas. The current head of the Tormia Magic Association, Mikea Gaold, was also one of the founding members.”
Shirone imagined the members from back then. According to Nade, the master key to the magic warehouse, Istas, was created by a Servant with the same abilities as Iruki. It couldn't have been Miro, nor Gaold. He could roughly guess just how brilliant the founding members must have been.
While Shirone was lost in thought, Alpheas recalled the events of eighteen years ago. Miro had been a good child. If it weren't for the incident that day… Realizing he'd forgotten something, he turned back to Shirone.
“Shirone, do you happen to know what the total student enrollment is?”
It seemed he wasn't waiting for an answer, as Alpheas continued immediately.
“Of course, the total number always fluctuates. Some graduate, some take a leave of absence, some are disciplined. But no matter the total, this academy is always short one person.”
Alpheas said, turning his head to look out the window.
“Miro never graduated. She still remains at this academy.”
Shirone swallowed hard. It felt like he was listening to one of those ghost stories passed down in every school. But what did it mean that she 'remained'? Hadn't he said she lived in a different dimension?
In that moment, the idea of Scale Magic flashed through Shirone's mind.
“Then, don't tell me…?”
Alpheas nodded and said,
“That's right. Miro is in Istas. In a higher dimension created by Scale Magic, of course. Those who know of it call it the Upper Floor.”
Alpheas placed a hand on Shirone's shoulder.
“Shirone, promise me. You won't speak of today's conversation to anyone. The Upper Floor is not something you should know about. You must never, ever get involved with it. It is a matter that could plunge the world into chaos.”
Shirone couldn't bring himself to answer right away. An unknown world. Unlockers. Scale Magic. All this new information was shaking his resolve. Of course, he had no intention of recklessly stepping into a dangerous place. But to say he would *never* get involved would, in some way, become a lie.
Alpheas sighed as if he'd expected as much.
“If you truly wish to know about Miro, I will permit you to research the Kergo Ruins. I'm not suggesting this just to appease you. Delving directly into the Upper Floor is too dangerous. So please, at least abide by this.”
Only then did Shirone nod. There had to be a reason why Alpheas was forbidding it so strictly. Besides, he also preferred to approach things one step at a time.
“I understand. Still, it's creepy to think she's residing in Istas. I don't think I'll be able to sleep in the club room anymore. She could just appear at any moment.”
“Don't worry. Miro will never leave the space she created.”
Shirone tilted his head. To be so certain meant there must be a way to prove it.
“But she's so incredibly talented. Is there a special reason?”
Alpheas looked out the window with a sad expression. It wasn't a statement made with absolute certainty. But he knew Miro would never return.
“Because to Miro, this world… is too painful a place.”
* * *
Alpheas, Canis, and Arin left for the capital, Bashkar, to be investigated by the Magic Association. According to the teachers, the academy would remain temporarily closed until the Association reached a decision.
Shirone was admitted to the infirmary. The medical staff decided to keep him under observation since his heart had been stopped for ten days. Shirone didn't feel like doing much for the time being either, so he was just killing time with his friends.
“Shirone, I'm sorry. You must have been very upset.”
Seriel said, her face crestfallen. Now that her memories were back, her biggest regret was harshly pushing Shirone away the day he brought her coffee.
“Not at all. It was because of the magic. You didn't do anything wrong, Seriel.”
“Even so, how could I have forgotten you?”
“It's really okay. Please don't take it to heart.”
Seriel's eyes softened like a doe's.
“You're so kind, Shirone. So, what now? Are you going to demand my body?”
“Huhh?”