[230] 3. Where Is Shirone? (5)
Olivia suddenly stopped as if she'd just remembered something.
"This won't do. I'll observe the afternoon classes myself. Start preparing — I'll go from Class Ten onward."
"Yes, understood."
Sade answered as if hypnotized. It was hard to be angry with her; she was simply trying to raise the school's reputation.
Olivia hurried on, and from across the corridor Shirone approached. It was still a bit early for lunch, so Sade cocked his head.
"Shirone? What's the matter?"
"Oh—hello."
Olivia watched the boy come up. The youth Alpheas had said resembled him. But the Alpheas she knew didn't look like this.
Then again, she had met him in his early thirties—after he'd lost his wife and become a wreck. So perhaps this boy was Alpheas before marriage, the pride of the Mirhi house.
"You must be Shirone."
"Yes, nice to meet you."
"It should be lunchtime now, right?"
"I came to see the principal. I went to his office but he wasn't there."
"No wonder. I'm the principal starting today."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Shirone realized his mistake and panicked, but Sade quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"The master will be in his private study. If you go right from the central building there's an annex. Try there."
Sade gestured for him to hurry. Realizing the situation, Shirone bowed and retraced his steps.
"Phew! I nearly suffocated."
Once outside the building, Shirone took a deep breath.
The aura radiating from a second‑rank archmage was unlike anything he'd felt before.
He'd felt pressure from Arcane before, but Olivia's presence had surpassed that. Only after leaving her range did he realize he'd been holding his breath.
Calmer now, Shirone followed Sade's directions to the annex. He took the doorknob and knocked; Alpheas, dressed casually, welcomed him in.
"I've been waiting. Come in."
Shirone scanned the modest annex and then fixed his gaze on a portrait on the wall.
Alpheas pointed to it and introduced her.
"This is my wife, Erina. You've heard of her, haven't you?"
"Yes. Hello."
Shirone bowed to the portrait. For some reason it felt necessary. Alpheas raised an eyebrow at the odd gesture but didn't tell him to stop.
"I'm sure you have a lot to say. But before we start… are you hungry?"
"A little, actually."
"I made mushroom soup. Let's eat together."
They sat facing each other and ate. Alpheas was as curious as Shirone, but neither spoke—starting was always the hardest part.
"Principal, I went to Heaven."
Clatter — a dish fell. Alpheas swallowed, wiped his beard; soup had dribbled beneath his lip.
It was unbelievable, yet when he looked at Shirone, it was plainly true. It wasn't the expression of a traveler who'd seen wonders or an explorer who'd discovered something astonishing.
"You mean… Heaven?"
"I'm sorry. It just happened. Canis—"
After hearing the whole story, Alpheas fell quiet for a long moment. The idea that Arcane had gone to Heaven was news to him.
Then again, the man had always been full of secrets. He'd chosen evil over good, and was almost nihilistic.
"Principal, I'm curious. How did Miro come to take that on?"
Alpheas understood what Shirone was getting at. But his conclusion didn't change. It was done and couldn't be undone. One person trapped by the past was enough.
'Gaold…'
Micaea Gaold. Now one of the kingdom's few first‑rank archmages, but to Alpheas he remained a former pupil, the pure young man from his memories.
"Shirone. Don't try to pry. This is an international matter. The moment you set foot in it, your life will get tangled."
"But what if Miro—!"
"What will change just because you know?"
Shirone fell silent. Knowing wouldn't let him change anything. Even now, the world was being held together by the power of a single person.
"Principal, if Heaven's army broke through Miro's space…?"
Alpheas shook his head.
"After Miro stopped Heaven's army, think tanks in every country began preparing long ago. Understand, Shirone? Nothing will change. You have dreams. Don't wreck your life by getting stuck in truths you can't touch."
It was the same thing Alpheas had said before Shirone went to Gallant Isle, but now Shirone understood it. Just wading into that current had nearly ruined not only his life but his friends' as well.
"All right. Don't worry. I learned that the hard way."
Alpheas smiled kindly.
"Ataraxia even amazes me. In ancient times, what angels could do was called dragon‑slaying magic. If you get the chance, look into the history of the dragonkin. They have a far longer history than humans; you'll learn more about angels from them."
Shirone had unexpectedly gained valuable information. He had only thought of Heaven and humans, but the issue was tied to the whole world.
'I should study other races' histories later.'
With that resolved, Shirone asked, "Should I be responsible for this power?"
"Heh heh, Shirone, there's nothing like that. No one can say how your choice will turn out. You must think and decide for yourself."
"It makes me hesitate so many times."
"Ha ha ha! That's natural. For the instant the Ataraxia opened, you might as well have been stronger than me."
Alpheas wasn't exaggerating. If Shirone's account was accurate, the Ataraxia array, for the instant it opened, would wield power that even a certified fourth‑rank mage couldn't stop.
But Shirone didn't feel joy.
He understood what Alpheas' caveat—"for the instant the Ataraxia is opened"—meant.
Theory and reality are different. Opening an Immortal Function and remaining defenseless for a minute would be like sticking your neck out and waiting to be cut.
"I know what you mean. It's power I can't handle yet. I'll train hard from now on and make it mine."
"Good. You've got a precious bond. It's yours. Embrace it, and wrestle with it as much as you need."
"Thank you."
Confiding in Alpheas eased his chest. It might be shifting responsibility to an adult, but perhaps that was only right.
What Shirone could do now was grow up fast and share their burdens.
When Shirone returned to the school, Alpheas locked the door and wore a serious expression.
He had new information about Heaven after a year away.
When Miro came back from Heaven, she'd accepted the reality that she must save everyone by sacrificing herself.
Shirone was different. He had fought Heaven.
Struggle makes enemies, but it also makes allies.
As a result of fighting in Heaven, Shirone had gained comrades. The world would take note of this achievement in a way different from Miro's.
"My dear, frankly I'm afraid. I don't know anymore. I don't even know who that child is."
Ataraxia. I told you, "You hold it, you bear it," and those words were irresponsible.
But it wasn't his nature to give advice while facing a power he couldn't shoulder.
"My blood runs hot again. You might hate me for saying this, but perhaps letting you go back then was so I could meet this boy now."
He didn't think only he could teach Shirone. But the failures of his youth would surely be the soil from which Shirone grew.
"What do you think? Can I be a little more greedy?"
In the painting, Erina smiled.
@
Arin strolled happily around the flowerbed behind the advanced class, where autumn flowers were in full bloom. The courtyard was small and seldom used, which made it all the more pleasant.
Even if most of the lessons were familiar, adapting to a school you attend for the first time was harder than expected.
"Arin, you waiting?"
Kanis came running with a rice ball in his hand. Alpheas had paid the tuition, so room and board were covered, but Kanis didn't want the school's help. Using the dorms but refusing the meals might be childish stubbornness, but Alpheas didn't stop him.
This was the school that killed Arcane. Even without invoking his youth, his desire to honor his master's memory was admirable.
"Eat. I wonder if the seasoning's right this time."
Arin sat on the flowerbed and took the rice ball. At first it had been so salty she could barely eat, but its flavor had been deepening.
Kanis chewed and said, "I might have to pick up night work or something."
"Kanis, the principal even gives you pocket money. It's silly to be stubborn."
"I know. But if you take everything for granted you're finished. I'll accept what I must, but I'll refuse things step by step. He was my master's enemy; I can't grovel and beg."
Kanis added, "If it's urgent I'll use it. Still, I don't want to be dependent."
He wasn't wrong. Above all, they were still unused to eating in the dining hall with other students.
"Tch, they're not here either. Where the hell did they go?"
Dante's group entered the flowerbed. Kanis had only heard rumors about them; he didn't want to pay them any mind. Whatever fame they had in the kingdom seemed childish.
"Should we ask them?"
Dante moved closer when he noticed Kanis. Up close, their pitifulness almost made him feel like crying. He'd expected a date, but they were crouched, miserly, eating rice balls. They were being ostracized—every group has its outcasts.
"Hey, are you Class P.O.?"
Dante called, but there was no answer. He'd spoken loud enough, yet their eyes were fixed only on the rice balls.
Closer sneered, "Can't even afford your own food? Do rural schools accept the poor now? Pathetic—can't even look at them."
Arin glanced at Closer, then, as if afraid it would be taken, tucked her chin in like a squirrel.
She'd known since she was small that people who belittle food are the first to grab a fork.
Closer was thrown off. The girl was thin, but she ate voraciously.
"You starving? Eat slowly. I'm not gonna steal it."
There was still no response. Dante grew irritated. Maybe because it was a rural school, sights unseen in the city kept appearing.
"Are they hiding from bullies while they eat? You live pathetic lives. Just act crazy and fight back. Don't let them push you around."
"So what?"
Kanis snapped, unable to hold back. The one thing he hated most was being bothered while eating.
When Dante looked into Kanis's eyes, any illusion he had vanished. Practical? No—there was something darker, something taboo. This kid had crossed a line.
At last there was a reaction, and Closer loosened his fist.
"Oh? Pretty feisty, huh? Want a taste of my fist?"
"Cut it out, Closer."
Dante stopped him. He had a bad feeling that provoking them would only make things messy. Even so, Arin showed no sign of nervousness.
Did it mean she was confident? Or had she survived battlefields strewn with corpses?
"Hey, are you the top of Class P.O.?"
"The top? It's Shirone, right?"
So this one's connected to Shirone too.
Dante thought it over. After Iruki, now Kanis pointed to Shirone. The pieces were finally falling into place. Teacher Olivia had been precisely right.