C106
Amira's eyes, which had been firmly fixed, wavered for the first time. As strong as her resolve was, it couldn't help but melt when she saw Alpheas's face.
Why wouldn't it? He had been with her since the days when she wet the bed."I'm sorry for making you go through all this trouble."
Amira lowered her head and trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.
"I don't want to cause you pain, Principal. The more respected a person is, the more important it is not to cover up their mistakes. And if things continue like this, the school itself might..."
“Why don’t I understand? No one here hates you. You are the future of this school."
Alpheas looked at Amira with pity. To him, all the students gathered here were like the fruits of his labor. He felt sorry for causing them pain.
Raising her head again, Amira looked at Alpheas with moist eyes. He had a benevolent smile like the one she had seen in childhood.
"Can you trust me just this once? Once the matter with Shirone is resolved, I promise to transparently handle everything. Even if I receive punishment, I will face my beloved students with pride. I will never run away."
Warm tears ran down Amira's cheeks.
"Will you really come back? The person I respect so much..."
"Of course. There will be no deception in my punishment. I promise you with my lifelong honor."
Amira wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. She could never cry in front of Alpheas. She wanted to show a more mature version of herself than she did when she was younger.
"Alright. Since you've said this, the student council will accept your opinion and reconsider the matter. Please don't do anything that would tarnish your honor."
Alpheas smiled happily. She had grown up to be a bright and intelligent student. The girl who used to run to him, calling him 'Principal Dondaeng-nim!' had matured so much.
'Erina, it seems my life wasn't in vain.'
As the student council president made the decision, the protesters disbanded immediately. The conservatives who had occupied the entrance scattered, and the area in front of the building quickly became desolate.
Fermi, the only one left, scratched his head sheepishly.
"Ah, it was going well until the very end, but it got messed up."
Alpheas burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! It seems things didn't go as you planned this time, Fermi."
"Well, I can't help it. Honestly, I think the Principal stepping in is a bit unfair."
"Isn't it time for you to graduate? You'll be twenty-two next year."
"I don't know. There's no better money-making opportunity than this place for now."
“Is that so?”
He knew at least that Fermi was the key figure behind the incident. But for him, Fermi was just a student who had grown up so much, and he couldn't help but feel proud.
“Besides, it's still fun here. Well then.”
Without saying any further goodbyes, Fermi saluted and walked away. After today, he probably wouldn't visit the student council again. Peaceful places don't make money, after all.
Iruki and Nade, who headed to the infirmary, were silent. It was their first serious fight since five years ago, so the awkwardness still lingered. However, Nade couldn't stand the tense atmosphere.
"Hey! How can you not say a word? There's no need to deceive me too, right? You just want to look cool, right?"
“You’re funny. What strategy are you discussing with the guy swimming butterfly in the sea of sorrow? Besides, if the information is leaked, the other side will also come up with a means. Why don't you think more?"
"Yeah, I'm an idiot! You're so great!"
Whether they were angry or cursing, the conversation flowed and the awkwardness disappeared. Iruki asked with a worried expression.
"By the way, how are you? No matter how upset you are, do you really need to reveal your old personality?"
Nade also regretted it deeply and ruffled his hair.
"Ah, I don't know. I didn't have time to think about anything else back then. Anyway, we didn't fight, so it's fine."
"Well, I was so cool. You might have already forgotten about it."
"You're funny. In the end, you had calculated everything?"
"Hehe, what does it matter? Bow down to me."
Their conversation ended when the infirmary door opened. Amy as there to greet them. Iruki awkwardly scratched his head. It was still difficult to be comfortable around Amy, unlike Nade.
"Well, it's turned out like this. Anyway, since we protected Shirone..."
Tears flowed from Amy's eyes just as he was about to gloss over it.
"Thank you. Thank you, Iruki..."
Iruki put on a terrified expression.
"Tsk, it’s fine."
Being weak to emotions, he ran into the infirmary. However, another emotional figure, Cerielle, was there with open arms waiting for him.
Iruki escaped from Cerielle's embrace with boxing weaving techniques and rushed to Shirone.
'Ugh, this is why I don't like dealing with girls.'
Cerielle and Amy, who met at the door, hugged each other and started hopping around. With Nade joining them, they circled around the infirmary.
"Wow! We survived! Now Shirone is saved!"
In this rare cheerful atmosphere, a faint smile appeared on Iruki's lips. However, his inner feelings were not so pleasant. They had only postponed Shirone's death on paper, and nothing had improved.
Shirone is still motionless as if asleep. The promise to be together after graduation was still fresh, but it didn't feel real that the person in question was dead.
'Come back. I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes.'
-------------------------
Shirone regained his sanity. More precisely, he went from madness to madness again. His mind was like a coin spinning rapidly between the North and South poles, alternating between normalcy and insanity.
He felt like he was going insane a thousand times. He tried desperately to hold onto his mind that was about to flip, but the overwhelming sensations penetrated Shirone's essence and changed his disposition.
"You're an abandoned child. Your parents would have been fine with anyone other than you. Was there ever a time when raising you wasn't difficult? They must have regretted it every time, thinking they picked you up for no reason. If they were your real parents, they wouldn't have thought that way."
"No! That can't be!"
“You must be an illegitimate child. Anyone in this world can be adopted. They are not your parents.”
As Shirone's particles shook, the soul's wailing sound spread.
Ooooooo!
"Your nature is that of a despicable predator. With your superior abilities, you trample on everyone. Your power inevitably brings someone's failure. You are an unnecessary tumor in the world."
Ooooooo!
Shirone went mad again. It felt like a foul smell was coming from his mind. What would he be reassembled into if the fusion ends like this? A demon? A monster? A devil? It was an unknown event.
The speed of going mad accelerated even more. As it reached the limit, the two tendencies began to coexist simultaneously in Shirone's head, which was spinning between extremes.
It was a new world.
In an ultimate state of mind unreachable by any drug, Shirone finally found the only solution to maintaining his sanity.
It was the origin.
If the boundary of the cycle is called the limit, the origin is the starting point of the limit. But it contained possibilities that encompassed the entire world.
Some call it Spot. Some call it Spirit Zone. Some call it the Tai Chi. But mages referred to it as this.
Inifinity.
Shirone's eyes widened. The Spirit Zone was sucked into his head, and the countless particles scattered at the speed of light began to be restored into a mental body.
At the center of infinity, Shirone did not waver. The voices that tormented him disappeared, and the strength of his mental body tightened like a diamond.
The state of Vajrapani, which can be reached after thousands of anguish.
It was Indestructible Diamond. (금강불괴(金剛不壞))
Shirone gazed at the exit with a radiantly burning body. There was no more confusion. As he moved his stride, the warm, bright light of the exit penetrated his body and became one.
A small, transparent glass orb floated in front of him. Inside the small bead, which was small enough to fit on his palm, was the shrine he had just been in, and a woman was looking up at Shirone from there.
“You are leaving at last. Shirone.”
"I'm sorry. But I want to go back."
"You don't have to be sorry. To be honest, I thought you wouldn't succeed. You deserved it."
He hadn't expected the woman to let him go so easily, which made his departure even heavier. So, even though he knew it didn't matter now, Shirone couldn't help but ask.
"Weren't you lonely?"
The woman blinked her eyes with a puzzled expression and soon gave a warm smile.
"Shirone, you're such a kind person. But gods do not feel loneliness. It's just a little sad to see you go. Just a little bit."
"Thank you for reviving me. I really wanted to tell you that."
For an instant, the woman's expression became serious.
"Remember, there is no second chance. As someone who has reached the realm of the Vajrapani, you are no longer eligible for my invitation."
Shirone nodded as if making a resolution and moved towards the exit. As his consciousness was pulled into another dimension, he felt a warm light.
'I’m finally back.'
The woman's voice echoed in his fading consciousness.
- Please say hello to Principal.
Even with his blurry consciousness, Shirone was curious. How did she know about Principal Alpheas? But his thoughts didn't last long, and his spirit melted away, returning to his physical body.
-------------------------
Shirone's 10th day of death.
“Mmm.”
Amy woke up from sleep, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She stretched her back while sitting on the chair, making a loud noise. Her body moved, but her brain still felt asleep from staying up every night.
Looking around, the other friends haven't woken up yet. After drinking water and washing her face, Amy approached Shirone with a towel to dry her face.
“Shirone. I will come back later....”
Amy gasped, holding her breath. The sound of his heartbeat reached her eardrums. Chills ran up her spine, making her shoulders, neck, and face tremble.
Shirone opened his eyes.
"Wha? What?"
Amy called Nade and Iruki, who were sleeping on a blanket on the floor.
"Here, here... here, here..."
She couldn't speak. She felt like her throat was blocked, but she had to make some noise. As a last resort, Amy took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and screamed.
“Kyaaaaaaaaa!”
Nade and Iruki jumped up at the deafening scream that nearly shook the infirmary.
"What! What!"
As Part of Daily Life (1)
Alpheas, a fourth-rank mage, couldn't help but be surprised to see Shirone with his eyes open. When he saw Sirone open his eyes, even he, a certified 4th-class magician, couldn't help but be surprised.
Shirone was currently under a Slow Magic spell, so it must have taken him all night just to lift his eyelids. The only way to know if he was really alive was to break the spell.
Alpheas put his hand on Shirone's chest and turned back time. Howe However, Shirone still showed no signs of movement. No one could have guessed what would happen next. They could only follow the will of the heavens.
"Ugh!"
At that moment, Shirone took a deep breath and raised his upper body. The anxious faces of the people watching turned bright. On the other hand, Shirone was terrified, as if he had returned from hell.
"What? What happened?"
Shirone was startled by the sudden rush of air. The world he saw in a slow state was a colorful abstract painting. As the scenery returned to normal, he saw people's faces. Behind Alpheas, Amy and her friends were tearfully watching.
---
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
