Chapter 230
Chapter 230
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 230
Chapter Title: Where is Shirone? (5)
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Olina stopped in her tracks as if she'd just remembered something.
“This won't do. I will personally observe the afternoon classes. I'll be starting from Class Ten and making my way through all of them, so please prepare.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Thadd replied as if hypnotized. He couldn't bring himself to resent her, since she was trying to elevate the academy's reputation.
As Olina quickened her pace again, Shirone approached from the other end of the hall. It was too early for him to be returning from lunch, so Thadd tilted his head and asked.
“Shirone? What is it?”
“Oh, hello.”
Olina studied Shirone as he approached. The boy Alpheas had said resembled him. But the Alpheas she knew was nothing like this.
Then again, she had met him in his early thirties, around the time he had lost his wife and become a wreck. Could this boy be Alpheas before his marriage, the one they called the Light of the Mirh family?
“So you're Shirone.”
“Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you.”
“I see. Isn't it lunchtime?”
“I was hoping to see the Headmaster. I went to his office, but he wasn't there.”
“Of course not. As of today, I'm the headmaster.”
“Ah, I apologize.”
Seeing Shirone flustered after realizing his mistake, Thadd quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
“The master is likely in his personal library. If you go to the right from the central building, you'll find a separate annex. Try there.”
Thadd gestured with his eyes for him to leave quickly. Understanding the situation, Shirone gave a small bow and turned back the way he came.
“Phew! I thought I was going to suffocate.”
Once he was out of the building, Shirone took a deep breath.
The aura emanating from a Grade 2 Archmage was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
He had felt pressure from Arcane, but Olina's was on another level—so much so that he hadn't even realized he was feeling it. It was only after he left her presence that he realized he hadn't been breathing.
Calming himself, Shirone went to find the annex Thadd had mentioned. He grasped the doorknob and knocked, and Alpheas, dressed in comfortable clothes, answered the door.
“I've been waiting for you. Come in.”
Shirone glanced around the simple annex, his eyes landing on a portrait hanging on the wall.
Alpheas pointed to her and introduced her.
“My wife, Erina. You've heard of her, haven't you?”
“Yes. Hello.”
Shirone bowed to the portrait. For some reason, it just felt like the right thing to do. Alpheas raised an eyebrow at the odd gesture but didn't tell him to stop.
“Well, I imagine you have a lot to talk about. But before we get to that… are you hungry, by any chance?”
“A little, actually.”
“I've made some mushroom soup. Let's eat together.”
The two sat facing each other and ate. Alpheas was just as curious, but he waited without saying a word. The beginning of any story was always the hardest part.
“Headmaster, I've been to heaven.”
*Clang.* His spoon fell. Alpheas, who had spilled soup down his chin, slurped it up and wiped his beard.
It was unbelievable, but one look at Shirone's face confirmed it was true. He didn't have the expression of a traveler who'd visited a wondrous place, nor that of an explorer who'd made a grand discovery.
“Heaven, you say…”
“I'm sorry. It just sort of happened. Canis…”
After hearing the whole story, Alpheas was speechless for a while. The news that Arcane had gone to heaven was particularly shocking.
Then again, looking back, he had always been a man of many secrets. He had chosen evil over good, but he was closer to a nihilist.
“Headmaster, I have a question. How did Miss Miro end up with that task?”
Alpheas realized what Shirone was implying. But his thoughts remained unchanged. It was in the past and couldn't be undone. One person trapped by the past was enough.
‘Gaold…’
Mikea Gaold. He was now one of the kingdom's foremost Grade 1 Archmages, but to Alpheas, he would always be his student, the innocent young man who lived on in his memory.
“Shirone. Don't try to know anything. This is a supranational issue. The moment you step into it, your own life will become entangled.”
“But what if Miss Miro…!”
“What will change just because you know?”
Shirone fell silent. Knowing wouldn't change anything he could do. Even now, this world was being maintained by the power of a single person.
“Headmaster, if heaven's army breaks through Miro's space-time…”
Alpheas shook his head.
“Ever since Miro stopped heaven's army, the think tanks of every nation have been preparing. Do you understand, Shirone? Nothing will change. You have a dream. Don't ruin your life by getting caught up in a truth you can't touch.”
They were the same words he had said before Shirone went to Galliante Island, but now, he could understand them. Just by dipping his toes in, he had nearly ruined not only his own life but the lives of his friends as well.
“Yes, don't worry. I've learned that lesson the hard way.”
Alpheas gave him a benevolent smile.
“Ataraxia is impressive even to me. In ancient times, the power of angels was called Dragon-Slaying Magic. When you have the chance, look into the history of the Dragon race. They have a much longer history than humans, so you might learn more about angels.”
Shirone had unexpectedly gained a valuable piece of information. Until now, he had only considered the relationship between heaven and humans, but it was an issue that involved the entire world.
‘I should study the history of other races later.’
Having finished that thought, Shirone asked.
“Should I take responsibility for this power?”
“Ho ho, Shirone, there's no such thing. No one knows what results your choices will bring. You must think and judge for yourself.”
“I find myself hesitating so many times.”
“Hahaha! That's a natural phenomenon as well. For the moment Ataraxia is unleashed, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you're stronger than me.”
Alpheas wasn't lying. If Shirone's story wasn't exaggerated, the moment the Ataraxia magic circle opened, its power would be unstoppable even for a certified Grade 4 mage.
But Shirone wasn't happy.
He knew what Alpheas's prerequisite—‘for the moment Ataraxia is unleashed’—truly meant.
Theory and reality were two different things. Being defenseless for a full minute while Immortal Function was active was no different from offering up your neck to be cut in a real battle.
“I understand what you're trying to say. It's true that this power is still too much for me to handle. I'll train hard from now on and make it my own.”
“Good. You've gained a valuable connection. It's yours. Embrace it and wrestle with it endlessly.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Confiding in Alpheas lightened his heart considerably. He might have been shifting responsibility to an adult, but in a way, that was the natural order of things.
All Shirone could do was become an adult as quickly as possible and share their burden.
After Shirone returned to the academy, Alpheas locked the door and his expression turned serious.
It was the first new information about heaven in a year.
When Miro returned from heaven, she had accepted the reality that she had no choice but to save everyone through her own sacrifice.
But Shirone was different. He had fought against heaven.
Struggle creates enemies, but for that very reason, it also creates allies.
As a result of his struggle in heaven, Shirone had gained a companion. The world would take notice of this achievement, one different in meaning from Miro's.
“My dear, I must admit I'm afraid. I no longer know who that boy is.”
Ataraxia. He had said irresponsible words, telling the boy to embrace it and bear it himself.
But it wasn't in his nature to give advice about a power he himself couldn't handle.
“It's been a long time since my blood has boiled like this. You might be upset to hear this, but I wonder if the mistake of letting you go was so that I could one day meet this boy.”
He didn't think he was the only one who could teach Shirone. But the failures of his youth would surely serve as a foundation for Shirone's growth.
“What do you think? It's alright if I'm a little more ambitious, isn't it?”
The Erina in the painting was smiling.
@
Arin strolled happily through the flowerbeds behind the advanced class building, where the autumn flowers were in full bloom. It was a place no one visited because the open space was small, but that's what she liked about it.
Even though she knew most of the material in her classes, adjusting to school, which she was attending for the first time in her life, was much harder than she'd expected.
“Arin, have you been waiting long?”
Canis came running, clutching rice balls to his chest. Alpheas had paid their tuition, so room and board were free, but they didn't want to accept the academy's help. It might have been childish stubbornness to use the dorms but refuse the meals, but Alpheas didn't stop them.
This was the academy that had killed Arcane. Even setting aside their youth, their desire to remain loyal to their master was admirable.
“Let's eat. I wonder if the seasoning is right this time.”
Arin sat in the flowerbed and picked up a rice ball. At first, they had been so salty they were almost inedible, but the flavor was gradually improving.
Canis mumbled as he chewed.
“Maybe I should get a night job.”
“Canis, the headmaster is giving us an allowance. Being this stubborn seems a little foolish.”
“I know. But the moment we start taking it for granted, it's over. We'll take what we have to, but we need to start refusing things step by step. He was our master's enemy; we can't just cowardly raise the white flag.”
Canis added one more thing.
“I'll use it if I'm desperate. But I don't want to rely on it.”
Canis wasn't wrong. More than anything, the two of them still weren't used to mingling with the other students in the cafeteria.
“Tch, he's not here either. Where the hell did he go?”
Dante and his group entered the flowerbeds. Canis had heard rumors about who they were, but he didn't care. He didn't know if they were stars of the kingdom or what, but it all just seemed childish.
“Should we ask them?”
Dante spotted Canis as well and approached. Seeing the two up close, he felt so sorry for them he could have cried. He thought they might be on a date, but they were just squatting down, miserably eating rice balls. They were clearly being bullied. Every organization had its outcasts.
“Hey, you two are from Class Four, right?”
Dante asked, but there was no reply. He had spoken loudly enough for them to hear, but it seemed they only had eyes for their rice balls.
Closer said.
“Don't you even have money to buy food? Does this backwater school accept paupers? This is just pathetic.”
Arin glanced at Closer. Then she started chewing like a squirrel, as if afraid someone would snatch her food.
She had known since she was a child that the people who looked down on food were always the first to pick up their forks.
Closer was appalled. The girl was slender, but she ate like a glutton.
“Are you starving? Eat slowly. I'm not gonna take it from you.”
Still no response from the two. Dante was getting frustrated. Maybe it was because this was the countryside, but he kept seeing things he'd never witness in the city.
“Are the other kids bullying you, so you have to hide and eat? You guys are living pretty pathetically. Just act crazy and fight back. Don't let them walk all over you.”
“So what?”
Canis couldn't take it anymore and snapped his head up. There was nothing he hated more than being bothered while he was eating.
Looking into Canis's eyes, Dante realized his mistake. A pragmatist? No, it was a hostility that swirled from somewhere deeper. This kid had crossed a line.
Finally getting a reaction, Closer cracked his knuckles.
“Oh? Playing tough, are we? You need a taste of my fist to come to your senses?”
“Stop it, Closer.”
Dante stopped him. He had a feeling that messing with them would only lead to trouble for everyone. Even in this situation, Arin showed no signs of tension.
Did it mean she was confident? Or had she lived on a battlefield surrounded by corpses?
“Hey, are you the best in Class Four?”
“The best? The best is Shirone, isn't it?”
‘So it's Shirone again?’
Dante was lost in thought. Following Iruki, now Canis had also pointed to Shirone. He finally felt like he was getting somewhere. Master Olina had been right on the mark.