C87
Arin has been starving for three days. Also, since she starved for 3 days, Canis hadn't eaten anything for 20 days.
'Huk! Huk! I did it! I got it! I got bread!'
Canis ran frantically through the alleyway. After shaking off his pursuers, he leaned against a wall and caught his breath.
His consciousness was fading, and all he could feel was hunger. He couldn't even remember how long he had been starving.
At that moment, a piece of bread caught his eye.
Canis gulped down his saliva with eyes stained with madness.
He wanted to eat it. He wanted to put it in his mouth.
'Yes, I have to work hard for Arin to live. I can eat this much. Arin will be able to hold out for a few more days.'
When he thought about it, it seemed like a really great idea.
Could there be anything more reasonable? First, eat this and use the remaining strength to find more food. That's all it takes.
Canis opened his jaw and brought the bread to his mouth. His dried-up saliva flowed like a flood, and his hand trembled.
“Keugh!”
Canis closed his eyes and put the bread into his arms. It was all a lie. How could he gain any strength from just one piece of bread like this?
'I have to endure. It doesn't matter if my body breaks down. But if my mind collapses, it's over.'
Canis looked around like a madman. He even thought about stuffing rocks into his stomach.
He crawled towards some feces someone had left at the entrance of an alley. And before any thought came to mind, he reached out and shoved it into his mouth.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
His tongue, mouth, stomach, and entire body rejected it. But Canis swallowed it anyway.
Better than rocks.
Feces were better than rocks.
After struggling with his stomach for a while, Canis returned to their hiding place with weak steps. His stomach still felt sick, but as soon as he saw Arin, he handed her the bread with a bright expression.
"Arin, ta-da! I got this."
"Wow, really? That's amazing."
"Haha, I know some tricks. From now on, I'll be able to get more. Eat it quickly."
Arin looked at the bread with sad eyes. She wanted to go out and find food together, but going outside as a woman in Radum was suicidal.
She had never talked to anyone but Canis. Thanks to this, she developed an antisocial disorder, but what did it matter? At least she hadn't ended up as someone's food in their stomach.
"Canis, let's eat together."
"I'm good. I picked up some things to eat while walking around. There was a huge wasp earlier, so I got some nutrition from that. You can't eat that, so you should eat this."
"I can eat it too. How long are you going to treat me like a child?"
Canis gently squeezed Arin's shoulder.
"Arin, I know. You're a brave kid. But you can't be like me. You know what I mean? The only reason I can endure this hellish Radum is because I can at least feed you something decent. If you become like me, I might go crazy. So eat up."
It was something she had heard dozens of times before. And every time he said it, Arin would pretend to give in and take a bite of the bread.
But this time it was different.
Arin looked at Canis's mouth with trembling eyes. Something was smeared there, and it smelled.
"Canis, what... what did you eat?"
Kanis was flustered like never before.
"Uh? Ahaha! It's just cake. I licked the cream that fell off, and it must have smeared. Sorry for not telling you. I was just so hungry...!"
Slap!
Canis' face turned fierce. He had been hit countless times in back alleys, but this was the first time he had ever felt such a painful slap.
"Ah, Arin..."
Arin was making a scary expression that Canis had never seen before.
"You bastard... How could you do this to me! Am I a cattle to you? Are you raising me? And then you want me to eat this? What am I to you?!"
"Arin, it's not like that! This is a punishment for me! It has nothing to do with you!"
"I don't need any of that! I don't need this!"
Arin picked up the bread and threw it away. Canis, looking at the bread rolling on the dusty floor, turned his head with an angry expression.
"Arin! What are you doing! How could I have gotten this...!"
Arin pulled Canis' face and kissed him. Tears streamed from her eyes as she licked what was on his lips.
It wasn't a sweet kiss. It wasn't a beautiful exchange of emotions between two humans. It was just two beings, both born sinners, showing sympathy for each other.
Canis only then realized what he had eaten. Tears flowed for the first time since he was born. The sadness he had endured all his life burst out at once.
“Heueuk! Heueueueuk!”
"Don't ever do that again. If you do it one more time, I won't be able to stay by your side anymore."
"I'm sorry, Arin. Don't leave me. You're my only family. You're the reason I live."
"Yes. Let's live, Canis. Let’s live for sure.”
Canis, overwhelmed with sadness, could not even answer and just nodded with a sob in succession. But Arin didn't forgive him. She didn't forgive him until he had eaten all of the bread that had fallen on the floor that day.
Canis recounted his past as if he was reciting someone else's life.
"We lived in hell. But our master saved us from there. He gave us food, the power to protect Arin, and even Harvest, the essence of dark magic."
Everyone's gaze turned to Harvest. Although usually talkative, the magical creature remained silent for once.
"I understand."
Shirone said.
"I know the life you've lived. But that doesn't justify killing people. Just because you've had a harder life doesn't make it right to do wrong."
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not defending myself, I'm trying to teach you. How shallow your sense of justice is, how hypocritical your world is. It wasn't your so-called justice that saved Arin and me. I'm just doing what I believe in."
"There's nothing to gain from hurting people. If you don't try to understand others first, you'll never find comfort for your past."
"Heh! Comfort? You're just talking nonsense to the end. Let me tell you the situation now. Our master will destroy this entire school. Your friends are included in that."
"No. You can't hurt anyone. Except for yourself."
As Shirone raised a photon on his hand, Harvest spread its wide palm to block Canis's front. But as if that wasn't enough, it reached out to its arm on the other side and wrapped Canis around.
“What are you doing, Harvey? There is no need to be so frightened.”
"It's dangerous. His energy is strange."
Canis snorted. He had already assessed Shiro's abilities from their previous encounter in the forest. For a magic school student, Shiro was quite talented, but ultimately no more than a flower in a greenhouse.
"Hmph. Anyway, to me..."
Canis' expression went blank. The Photon Cannon floating on Shiro's palm was vibrating at an alarming speed. It seemed to have even more power than the Photon Cannon Shirone had cast in the forest. However, considering Shirone's injuries, it didn't look like he was hiding his true abilities.
'What on earth happened? With this kind of power...'
Canis and Harvest's analysis is largely correct. However, they had both overlooked the fact that Shirone was an Unlocker who had opened the realm of the Infinite.
"This is your last chance. Release the mind control."
Canis frowned. The fact that he could no longer look down on Shirone hurt his pride.
“Sounds funny. Even if I die, I will follow my master's will. You can't break my beliefs."
Shirone's eyes turned cold. The power of the Photon Cannon, reinforced by the power of the Immortal Function, was on a completely different level than before.
He didn't want to kill anyone. But if Canis tried to harm the students, Shirone had no choice.
"Return everyone's memories. If you don't..."
The Photon Cannon exploded with light, transforming into a painfully cold, white sphere.
"I'll have no choice but to hurt you."
-----------------------
The forehead of Thad, who was casting the Photonization Magic on Alpheas's head, was already wet with cold sweat. Viltor Arcane. Although he is an annoying person, but the power of the spell he had cast was beyond imagination.
'Phew. Such a powerful mind control. It would still be effective in this day and age.'
At first, Thaad thought it would be easy. No matter how great a title of Archmage one had, 40 years had passed. Magic had evolved over several generations, and dark magic was on the decline.
However, Abyss Nova was an accumulation of intricate circuits that even Thad, a beneficiary of cutting-edge magic, couldn't analyze.
After 20 minutes, Thad finally felt the light's energy penetrate the core of darkness. From that moment, he pushed the light in with all his mental strength. The curtain of darkness lifted, and Alpheas' memories began to unfold brilliantly along the flow of light.
---------------------
40 years ago. Capital Bashka.
An unprecedented Magic Frenzy swept the land of Tormia Kingdom. The 12th king, Adolf XII, was different from his predecessors, who revered military power. He was a wise and benevolent ruler.
After ascending the throne, he made the magic department, which had been limited to military affairs, independent and attracted numerous talents.
Not only local talents but also those from other countries came to study in Bashka, and thanks to that, the streets of the capital were filled with the voices of intellectuals every day.
It was a common sight for fresh graduates from magic schools to gather at bars during the day to engage in debates.
The fashion at the time emphasized vibrant colors and gypsy-style clothing.
For women, short hair that revealed the neckline was a symbol of intellect. In contrast, men's hair was long, reaching down to their waists.
In the bars, factions were formed due to academic disputes, and it wasn't uncommon for brawls to break out, leading to participants being dragged away by the guards.
The most famous bar in Bashka was an indigenous-style tavern called "The Hometown of the Ancient Gods."
With over 200 tables in a massive hall, people would regularly take to the central podium to expound on their magical ideas.
Various voices converged, and the topics of discussion were diverse.
Although ‘The Hometown of the Ancient Gods’ was a place where magical debates is dominant, it is also a place where real-time gossip circulated among the nobles.
It was an age of romance.
Alpheas fondly remembered his golden youth during those days.
"Oh my, guys! Look who's here, Alpheas is coming!"
A woman at the entrance of the bar made a fuss, and the women sitting at the tables turned their heads towards the door, whispering excitedly.
"Hello, ladies! It's bustling in here as always!"
Alpheas, a pretty young man with blonde hair up to his waist, has entered the bar. Accompanying him was a young man with a buzz cut, which was out of fashion at the time – Ogent Klump, Rian's grandfather.
Though Klump, a swordsman, hadn't cast an invisibility spell, the women treated him as if he were invisible, focusing their attention on Alpheas instead.
"We've been waiting for you, Alpheas! What magic will you teach us today?"
"First, let's wet our throats. My tongue will dry up quickly if I don't have a drink."
“Kakakak! You're so funny, Alpheas."
Although his current disciples would likely jeer at his corny humor, Alpheas was a popular figure at the time, and everything he said was well-received.
As the scion of a first-class family, a top graduate from a magic school, and blessed with good looks and sophistication, would there a women who hate him?
On the other hand, men looked at Alpheas with disdain. Even those who were not narrow-minded enough to be jealous of others couldn't help but have a less than favorable view of him, revealing the resentment he sparked among men.
The Light of the Mirhi Family.
That was the official title for Alpheas at the time, but among those who knew him, he had another nickname.
Arrogant Alpheas.
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
