Chapter 403
Chapter 403
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 403
Chapter Title: Final Decision (3)
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After finishing the Omniscience Implementation evaluation, Shirone headed to the dining hall with his friends.
He had managed to get a perfect score, but his mind was so troubled that he kept dwelling on several moments where he’d felt unsure.
His friends seemed to have noticed, as the atmosphere at the table was unusually subdued.
Shirone wasn't in the right state of mind to worry about others' feelings.
When would he finally hear from Gaold? No, even if he did, what choice could he possibly make?
Everything was fraught with uncertainty.
“Shirone, is something worrying you lately? You look terrible. Are you sick?”
Amy asked, putting down her utensils.
It wasn't just Shirone; all the students were looking downcast, but today, his face was so pale it was impossible to ignore.
“I’m fine. Just not feeling well.”
“It’s common for students to have trouble managing their condition before the mid-term. I was like that last year. Just hang in there a little longer. The break is coming soon.”
Shirone forced a smile.
Having already experienced the final year, Amy was likely worried to see him faltering just before the 15-week mark.
“Shirone, here’s some water.”
Maya personally poured a glass of water and handed it to him.
He had barely touched his food, just listlessly poking at it with his fork. It was a pitiful sight.
“Oh, thanks.”
Shirone readily accepted Maya’s kindness.
For him, who always measured the distance in a relationship before showing his emotions, this attitude toward Maya was unusual.
Amy pouted, watching Shirone and Maya exchange words.
Maya was a kind and bright girl. It wouldn't be a bad thing for her to befriend Shirone.
But at the same time, a strange anxiety crept into her heart.
It felt as if a place she hadn't even known was hers was being taken away.
Shirone glanced at Maya’s plate and asked.
“Huh? Maya, why aren’t you eating?”
“I’m finished. I don’t have much of an appetite these days.”
Ever since the Peak Conquest evaluation ended, Maya had been eating less.
To be precise, her appetite had returned to what her body truly required.
Realizing she had no talent for vocal music, Maya had decided to follow Iruki’s advice and enhance her sound magic with her natural voice.
Her future depended on achieving her primary goal of becoming a mage.
But more important than her career path was the longing that filled her heart.
She wanted to be loved by Shirone. She wanted to appear before him more beautiful than ever.
Simply by stopping her binge eating, Maya’s appearance had become noticeably prettier.
As she lost weight in her face, her eyes appeared larger and deeper, and the bridge of her nose became refreshingly defined.
Her once-plump figure had slimmed down, making her clothes loose and the shoulder seams droop below her arms.
Even the final-year students couldn't openly ignore Maya as they once had.
In a way, it was a bitter reality, but the human tendency to grant power to beauty seemed inescapable.
Nade and Iruki watched Maya’s daily transformation with sidelong glances of wonder.
‘She really has changed a lot. She’s starting to look like the face from the picture book.’
And with that, a strange tension grew stronger.
Amy was naturally sharp, but Maya was poor at hiding her feelings, and everyone knew she had fallen for Shirone.
Amy suddenly raised her voice.
“How can you even think about eating? Look at today’s Omniscience evaluation. You almost got a question wrong. Class Two is at the stage where we compete with Class One. If you make a mistake in the first half of the year, it’ll be even harder in the second half when your stamina is lower. You need to get your head in the game.”
Having failed the graduation exam once before, Amy knew this was the most critical time.
Even if everyone was demoralized by the Magic Association incident, they had to approach their studies with a firm sense of purpose.
Missing one meal wouldn't kill anyone.
If they didn't focus now, they would miss out on the most important part of their lives.
Amy didn't want Shirone to have any regrets.
“Shirone, have some of this, too.”
Maya cut a piece of Shirone’s favorite meat into a bite-sized portion and placed it on his plate.
Her action seemed to block out Amy’s nagging, and indeed, there was a defiant edge to it.
Having grown close as a team, she had begun to wonder if Amy truly loved Shirone.
Of course, Maya also wanted Shirone to become a great mage, but she believed that someone suffering from nightmares and stress needed comfort, not advice.
‘That’s so cruel, Amy. If I were you, I’d be ecstatic. I would do anything Shirone asked, yet you treat him so carelessly.’
Shirone speared the piece of meat Maya had given him and put it in his mouth.
He chose it because it was perfectly cooked, but he wasn’t even aware of who had placed it there.
His head felt like it was about to explode from all the tangled thoughts.
Had Gaold met with Alpheas?
If he got caught by the National Intelligence Directorate, continuing with the evaluations could be dangerous.
Just as the navigation system didn't guarantee a student's safety, it was foolish to entrust one's life to someone else and remain optimistic.
Shirone slammed his utensils down.
Nade and Iruki, witnessing the brewing showdown between Amy and Maya, flinched and turned to look.
“Sorry. I’m going back to the dorm first. I really don’t feel well.”
Maya immediately stood up, but Shirone avoided everyone’s gaze and left the dining hall.
Amy was filled with frustration.
She knew Shirone had been to the Association. That’s why she had hoped he would confide in her first.
Like when he went to heaven, like when he went to Kazra, like when he went to the old castle ruins—she had wanted him to come to her.
‘What’s the reason? Why won’t you say anything this time?’
Maya watched the door until Shirone was gone, then bit her upper lip and turned back to Amy.
She had no reason to hate Amy. What angered her was her current situation, where even her own feelings seemed to require Amy’s permission.
Feeling Maya’s gaze, Amy looked up, then hastily turned away.
Seeing the unwavering determination in Maya's eyes, Amy thought, ‘It’s finally here.’
“Amy, can we talk for a minute?”
Amy’s heart sank.
She had told herself it couldn't be, but a part of her had always known this moment would come. Yet, now that it was here, all she could think was, ‘Just a little later.’
“C-can we do it later? I have something busy to do today…”
“It’ll only take a minute. I’ll wait for you outside.”
As Maya walked away with her tray, Amy’s mind went blank. But with the sliver of rationality that knew the future was inevitable, she rose from her seat.
Nade and Iruki shrugged as they watched Amy’s back, following Maya as if in a trance.
***
In the headmaster’s office, a book titled ‘Seeing Darkness’ on the shelf tilted to a 45-degree angle and slid back into the bookcase on its own.
With the sound of grinding gears, the bookcase closed, and a lock clicked into place from within.
It was a secret place Alpheas had designed long ago to store his memories of Erina.
But now, all her mementos had been moved to the annex, and the room on the 3.5th floor was empty.
Alpheas and Olivia descended the stairs side by side.
While Alpheas wore a bitter smile, Olivia’s expression was fierce. Perhaps she was nervous.
“Keke, it’s been a while, old timer.”
Gaold, sitting cross-legged on the bare floor, greeted them with a raised hand that had been propping up his chin. Flu stood guard beside him.
“Good day. I am Flu, a certified 8th-Grade Mage.”
“It’s been a long time, Flu.”
Flu lowered his gaze at Olivia’s greeting.
Though his conscience was clear before the heavens, he had appeared as a traitor in the eyes of society, so he couldn't face his former teacher.
‘He was such a bright child. Why did he get involved with a man like Gaold…?’
She had kept an eye on him since her time as the headmaster of the Royal Magic Academy.
But now his bright future was blocked. No, he was a fugitive whose very life was not guaranteed tomorrow.
And it was all because of Gaold.
How many people had this one madman inconvenienced, and how much chaos had he brought upon society?
Gaold looked around with an interested expression.
“So this is the infamous panic room. I never thought it actually existed. You’re quite the sly one, old man.”
Alpheas cut to the chase.
“Why have you come to me?”
“My, my… an alumnus visits his alma mater, and you’re already trying to kick me out? Isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“The entire academy was thrown into an uproar because of you. Agents came by every single day, turning the place upside down. If you had come just a few days earlier, everyone would have suffered.”
“Keke, the great Alpheas has really lost his touch. The brats here probably don’t even know the agents were here, and if they were still around, you wouldn’t have let me in.”
“You know that well. So I’ll ask again. Why did you come to me?”
Gaold let out a sigh.
As someone here to ask a difficult favor, he should have been more humble, but he could never bring himself to feel any affection for this school.
“I plan to enter Istas.”
“So… you intend to meet Miro after all?”
“Keke, what did you think? That I came back for something I left behind?”
“Gaold, your unilateral actions are throwing the world into chaos. Miro no longer wishes to see you. She accepted everything and entered of her own free will.”
“How would you know that?”
Gaold’s eyes shot open.
Sensing the extreme heat of his energy, Flu winced, but Gaold’s face merely contorted with rage; he didn't unleash his killing intent.
“You know how many of those who tried to approach Istas I’ve sent to their graves. In twenty years, not a single person, including myself, has been let in. So how would you know what Miro is thinking?”
“Gaold, Miro is…”
“Enough. I’ll enter Istas myself. We built it, after all. Actually, I have one other favor to ask. I need to impose on you.”
Alpheas asked in a resigned voice.
“Alright, what is it?”
“As you know, my hands and feet have all been cut off. The Association rounded them all up. Of course, the core members are still fine, but a head alone can’t do anything. Lend me some people. Some competent ones.”
As brilliant as Gaold was, he couldn't carry out all operations by himself.
He needed not only someone with a powerful punch but also a strategist, executors, and support—a minimal party.
“I heard he’s at this school. The Bishop of the Karsis Order.”
Olivia stepped forward, incensed.
“You think I’d send precious school personnel to their deaths? What you’re trying to do goes against the very survival of humanity. Wasn’t being a traitor enough? Now you want to throw the world into chaos?”
“You stay out of this.”
For the first time since entering the room, Gaold looked directly at Olivia.
His energy didn't explode, but his gaze alone was enough to feel like it could bore holes through her body.
“Do you know why I’ve let you live this long? Huh? Do you! Answer me.”
Olivia’s lips were sealed shut as she glared back fiercely.
“Because you’re not even worth killing.”
A grinding sound came from Gaold’s teeth.
“Abstain? A person in charge of auditing the faculty council, when a student of the kingdom was about to be dragged into a dimension of eternal suffering, you chose to… abstain? Do you know what they call people like you? A hypocrite. You don’t like this, you don’t like that, you hold one of the twenty cards that could decide the fate of humanity, and the choice you made was to abstain?”
Olivia’s lips trembled. Her glare faltered, her eyes slowly drifting downward.
“I-It was unavoidable.”
No matter what she chose, it wouldn't have been the outcome she desired. No, in truth, even that thought was an excuse.
She was just scared. She had been so terrified that she couldn’t choose anything at all.
The memory of her powerlessness was so vivid that translucent tears welled in Olivia’s eyes.
Gaold looked away with a disgusted expression.
She was the world-renowned 2nd-Grade Archmage, but in the end, she couldn't shed her womanly shell. That’s why she was *only* a 2nd-Grade Archmage.
‘This is why I didn’t want to come to this school.’
This place was filled with nothing but the past.
A past that could never be erased, no matter how hard he tried.
Gaold, who couldn't even remember what happened an hour ago, could recall the scenery from the day of the Judgment of the 20 with perfect clarity, down to the antennae of an insect on a leaf.
“Haa.”
Gaold turned back to Alpheas.
He wore an expression that everyone who knew him was likely seeing for the first time—one that was utterly human.
“Please… help me. Master.”
“……”
There was a day known as the Judgment of the 20.
The day when twenty individuals, representing the world and Miro’s position, gathered to decide the future of humanity.
The result was 16 in favor, 1 against, and 3 abstentions.
The only person who valued one life more than all of humanity was Mirh Alpheas.
He was the only one who had stood on Gaold’s side, willingly marking his card with a vote of opposition.
“You know. I don’t trust anyone but you, Master. Help me. We have to find Miro. She’s not dead. She’s alive and well right over there, so why is everyone refusing to look for her?”
Alpheas was lost in thought.
Perhaps Olivia’s choice during the Judgment of the 20 was the most rational decision goodness could make.
But he knew. He knew the feeling of watching someone more precious than anything in the world disappear before his very eyes.
His was not a choice made for the world. Alpheas, too, was an incorrigible madman.
“I will… ask Etella.”
Etella would probably agree.
A Bishop of the Karsis Order and the direct successor of the Yin-Yang Wave Fist.
Had she not humbled her body and mind with the creed of Ilnyeom-samcheon, her talent was far too great to remain at her current position.
She was more than a worthy asset for Gaold to use.
“Stay here for the time being. Olivia and I will handle the agents. Let’s prepare to open Istas.”
As Alpheas turned away with an exhausted face, Gaold finally regained his smile.
Then, as if a thought suddenly occurred to him, he raised his hand.
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Alpheas stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned back.
“While you’re at it, there’s one more person I’d like you to recruit.”