C107
From Shirone's perspective, not much time had passed. After entering the Immortal Function, he met the woman and escaped through the black hole. However, in reality, it had already been 10 days.
Shirone awkwardly raised his hand with a smile.
"Haha. Hello?"
"Hello? You jerk!"
"Ouch!"
Amy punched Shirone in the face. Although there was no shock, Shirone, who was pushed back onto the bed by the force, looked back with a tearful expression.
"Ouch! Why are you doing this all of a sudden?"
Amy shed tears like raindrops.
"You bad guy, making us worry like this... You bad kid!"
Shirone had a blank expression. Everything was urgent and confusing. But soon, he realized something and gave a warm smile. Amy's tears told him what had happened during that time.
"I'm sorry. Because of me..."
"Shirone is back!"
Nade and Iruki pushed Amy forward and buried Shirone on the bed. Amy, who was unintentionally embraced by Shirone, shouted with a flushed face.
"Kyaak! Hey, move away!"
"Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!"
Shirone also screamed in pain. In fact, it was more embarrassing than painful. Feeling that he wouldn't be able to look at Amy later, he twisted his body hard, causing his friends to fall to the floor.
"Phew, what's going on?"
Sitting on the bed, Shirone looked like a refugee who had been bombed. On the floor, Amy, who had fallen, was rubbing her sore back and scolding Nade and Iruki.
"Quite a grand welcome. Youth really is great."
Shirone looked at Alpheas and fixed his expression. Just the fact that he was there showed how serious the situation had been.
Shirone asked Nade the most curious question.
"What happened to Arcane? And the other people? What on earth happened?"
Nade, who had been scolded by Amy, shouted with a ridiculous expression.
"That's not the issue right now! You've been dead for 10 days!"
"What? 10 days? Dead, too?"
"Of course, you idiot! How can you be alive if your heart isn't beating? Explain what happened."
Shirone couldn't speak for a while, as if shocked. He knew he had to tell the story of what he had experienced, but he didn't know where to start.
The door to the infirmary opened, and the teachers entered. Sienna was surprised to see Shirone awake. Of course, she had been desperately praying for him to come back to life, but the shock was still great when she actually saw it.
She couldn't awaken to the infinite like Shirone, but she vaguely guessed how terrible and painful it was for a human to return from a state of mental disintegration.
'Thank you for coming back anyway.'
Sienna glanced at Ethella with a smile. She had been tormented by an enormous sense of guilt for 10 days. As expected, she approached Shirone with a face that looked like she would cry at any moment.
"Shirone."
"Teacher, I'm sorry. I did it again..."
Without giving Shirone a chance to finish, Ethella embraced him tightly.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault. If only I had paid more attention. This will never happen again."
To their friends, it seemed like a beautiful hug between teachers, but from Shirone's perspective, it was unbearable. Ethella hugged him so tightly that he couldn't breathe. Besides being embarrassed, he felt like he was actually suffocating.
"Um, teacher..."
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry, but please spare me."
"Oh my!"
As a choking sound came from Shirone, Ethella hurriedly let go of him.
"I'm sorry. I was just too happy, and I didn't realize..."
Shirone gasped for air, his face turning purple. However, this feeling was also part of being alive. He smiled, realizing he was truly back.
"Now it finally feels like I'm back."
Seeing their friends' eyes narrowing, Shirone realized his mistake and quickly waved his hands.
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, this is..."
"You little brat, what's up with that?"
Amy rushed over and pinched Shiro's cheek.
"Why? Am I not realistic enough? Huh?"
"No, that's not what I meant!"
Nade and Iruki burst into laughter. Alpheas watched Shirone happily interacting with his friends and then secretly slipped out of the infirmary. He would be the busiest person from now on.
"Principal."
As Shirone closed the infirmary door and approached, Alpheas turned around.
"What is it? You should rest for a while. Listen to your friends about the progress. The school will most likely be closed for a while anyway."
"Thank you for your concern. But... there's something I'm curious about."
"Hm? What are you curious about?"
Shirone recounted everything he had experienced, from the moment he entered the realm of infinity to returning to the original world through the black hole.
At first, Alpheas listened with interest. However, as the story progressed, his face gradually hardened. Especially when Shirone explained the woman's ability, he closed his eyes and sighed.
"Did that woman say she knows me?"
"Yes. She told me to send her regards to you, Principal. It's a vague memory, but I think that's what I heard."
Shirone wondered if he had brought up something unnecessary. Alpheas's expression was much worse than he had expected.
"I see. I think I know who she is."
"Really? You know her?"
Shirone's eyes widened in surprise. Although Alpheas was an exceptional magician, the woman had been staying in a place beyond life. It was a strange coincidence that both of them, living in different worlds, had met her.
However, Alpheas's thoughts were different. It was not a coincidence, but a necessity. Shirone's meeting with her had been predetermined from the moment he realized the Immortal Function.
"Who exactly is she?"
"Adrias Miro. Back then, she was called Miro the Mage of Space and Time. She was my student who majored in Scale Magic."
Shirone had a blank expression. He never dreamed she would be Alpheas's student. He was especially shocked to learn that her ability, which he thought was divine power, was actually magic.
"What is Scale Magic?"
As Alpheas chose his words to explain, he scratched his eyebrow.
"Shirone, in the magic society, those who have reached the Immortal Function are called Unlockers."
"Yes, I've heard of it."
"Then the story will be easier. Miro is also an Unlocker. From a young age, she had an incredible curiosity. She delved deeper and deeper, into a world larger than the universe and smaller than particles. Scale Magic is magic that can only be used by those who have realized the infinity of space and time."
Sirowne recalled his encounter with Miro. Indeed, her main ability, the glass bead, freely expressed the relativity of space and time.
"Miro said she watched me all along. Is that possible?"
"You don't need to worry. Miro is in a different dimension from you. However, when the Immortal Function is opened, she can momentarily reach the same dimension. Miro must have been waiting for that moment."
"But why did she choose me specifically? Unlockers are rare, but according to Arcane, there aren't that few. There must be many Unlockers more talented than me."
Alpheas stroked his beard and hesitated. What he was about to say was a top-secret matter known only to teachers who had worked for more than 20 years.
"Miro is the founding president of the Supernatural Psychic Science Research Group."
Shirone recalled Miro's face. It was surprising that the person who founded the research group he belonged to was almost unchanged in age, even though she was an almost 20-year-old figure.
"Miro did not obsess over phenomena. She saw too many things that could not be explained by knowledge. She and her colleagues worked together to establish the research association in Istas. The current president of the Thormia Magic Association, Mikea Gaold, was also one of the founding members."
Shirone imagined the members at the time. According to Nade, the master key of the Magic Warehouse Istas was made by a Savant ability user, just like Iruki. It wasn't Miro or Gaold. He had a rough idea of how talented the founding members were.
While Shirone was lost in thought, Alpheas recalled the events of 18 years ago. Miro was a kind girl. If it weren't for that day's incident. Realizing there was a forgotten fact, he looked back at Shirone.
"Shirone, by any chance, do you know how many students are in total?"
As if not waiting for an answer, Alpheas continued.
"Of course, the total number always changes. Someone graduates, takes a leave of absence, or gets disciplined. But no matter how many students there are, this school is always short of one person."
Alpheas turned his head to look out the window.
"Miro didn't graduate. She's still staying at this school."
Shirone swallowed hard. It felt like hearing a ghost story passed down through the schools. But what did it mean that she was still staying? Hadn't she said she was living in another dimension?
At that moment, the concept of Scale Magic came to Shirone's mind.
"Then, could it be...?"
Alpheas nodded and said,
"Yes. Miro is in Istas. Of course, it's a higher dimension created by Scale Magic. People who know about it call it the Upper Level."
Alpheas patted Shirone's shoulder.
"Shirone, promise me. Don't tell anyone about what happened today. The Upper Level isn't something you should get involved with. Never, never get involved with the Upper Level. It could plunge the world into chaos."
Shirone couldn't answer right away. The unknown world. Unlocker. Scale Magic. All of the information was shaking his heart. Of course, he had no intention of recklessly entering dangerous places. However, saying that he would never get involved would be a lie in one way or another.
Alpheas sighed, as if he expected it.
"If you really want to know about Miro, I'll allow you to investigate the Kergo ruins. I'm not suggesting this just to appease you. Going straight into the upper level is too dangerous. So please keep this promise."
Shirone finally nodded. There must have been a reason for Alpheas to be so adamant. And he also wanted to approach things step by step.
"Alright. But it's creepy to think that she's staying in Istas. I don't think I'll be able to sleep at the research group. She could suddenly appear."
"Don't worry. Miro will never leave the space she created."
Shirone tilted his head. This level of certainty meant there must be a way to prove it.
"But she's an incredibly talented person. Is there a special reason?"
Alpheas looked out the window with a sad expression. It wasn't a statement made with confidence. But he knew that Miro would never come back.
"For Miro, this world is... too painful."
Alpheas, Canis, and Arin left for the capital, Bashka, to be investigated by the Magic Association. According to the teachers, the temporary suspension would continue until the Association made a decision.
Shirone was admitted to the infirmary. The medical staff decided to monitor his progress since his heart had not beaten for 10 days. Shirone didn't want to do anything for a while, so he spent time with his friends.
"Shirone, I'm sorry. You must have been so upset."
Cerielle said with a teary face. The thing she regretted the most after regaining her memory was pushing Shirone away coldly when he bought coffee for her.
"No, it's okay. It was because of the magic. You didn't do anything wrong, Senior Cerielle."
"Even so, how could I forget you?"
"It's really okay. Don't dwell on it too much."
Cerielle's eyes became gentle like a deer's.
"Shirone is really kind. So, what are we going to do now? Are you going to ask for my body?"
"Yes?"
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
