[108] Back to Everyday Life (3)
Shirone's face went blank with disbelief. His friends' reactions weren't much better. Amy shook her head, pressed two fingers to her brow, and said,
"Seriel, what have you been reading lately?"
"Ta-dah! This one!"
Seriel produced a novel as if he'd been waiting for the chance. Its lurid red cover bore the title The Primal Noose.
"This is the hottest book in stores right now. It's about a married nobleman falling for his maid, and there's this line: 'I broke your plate, didn't I? What will you do now—claim my body?' Then the noble binds her with rope and—"
"Stop! That's enough!"
Amy held up a hand to cut him off. She felt she shouldn't hear any more.
"Why? The good part's coming up."
"Seriel, no matter how much you love novels, don't start mixing fiction with real life. Those books use crude, sensational stuff to hook readers."
"Hah! You just haven't read it. If you tried it once, you'd be hooked on that world too. Want me to lend it?"
Seriel pushed The Primal Noose toward Amy. She quickly turned her head away. If she gave in, she'd be stuck listening to at least a week of gushes.
Shirone leaned back against a cushion. "Sigh. Today's the infirmary's last day. Thanks for coming all this time. Thanks to you too, Senior Seriel."
"Oh, don't be so sentimental. Honestly, studying for graduation nearly killed me. Both Amy and I are glad to finally catch a break."
Amy didn't deny it. The daily rank competition had driven their stress through the roof. For graduating students, the temporary closure was a godsend.
Seriel's expression turned sombre. "But I'm worried about the headmaster. This decision was unexpected. The Creas district could've handled it, but he insisted on submitting himself to the Magic Association's inspection."
Alpheas had voluntarily filed the complaint. Given his renown across the continent, he could've smoothed things over, but he accepted the student council's demands in full. The matter had been passed to the Association's Inspection Division Three—the one everyone called the harshest.
"Inspection Division Three are like the Association's special prosecutors. They don't care about connections—everything by the book. Even Headmaster Alpheas won't escape discipline."
Shirone thought it might be for the best.
"He's carried that pain for forty years. If accepting discipline gives him any relief, I think it's a good thing."
Nade said, "Let's wait and see. Who are we even worrying about? It's Alpheas—a public Grade-4 mage. Once the suspension's over, things will get busy again. Rest while you can."
"Yeah. That's right."
Shirone turned to look out the window.
Afternoon sunlight poured in, languid and warm.
* * *
Capital Bashka.
Seen from the Jijeo Mountains, Bashka looked like a crown of spires—the royal palace towering skyward with key institutions spreading out from it in concentric rings. The locals said that the buildings visible from the Jijeo range were the nation's symbols.
One of those buildings was the Magic Association. The eighteen-story structure oversaw the affairs of every registered mage in the Kingdom of Tormia and, through coordination with other organs, handled the Association's inspection and intelligence duties—the state's central hub.
Every mage wanted to tour it, but Sade, chosen to accompany Alpheas and Kanis's party as guide and chaperone, felt like a cow being led to the slaughter.
"Master, are you sure this is the right thing to do?"
"It's what I decided. My only regret is that I waited too long."
Alpheas's resolve was firm. Sade hadn't asked out of hope so much as to confirm his master's will—once they crossed the Association's threshold there would be no turning back.
"Very well. I'll wait until the trial's concluded."
Alpheas smiled. He went in with Kanis and Arin and surrendered to inspection; the three of them were locked in separate cells and waited out the day.
The next morning Alpheas was taken into the interrogation room first. Kanis and Arin waited in an isolation chamber lined with magical devices. Mana-control arrays made entry into the Spirit Zone impossible; on top of that, not even the Harvesters could operate inside.
After about three hours, a summons came.
"Kanis, Arin. Come out."
Though no official charges had yet been proven, Association officials were already treating the two as criminals—likely after hearing Alpheas's testimony.
Kanis and Arin obeyed without protest. As they entered the corridor toward the interrogation rooms, they saw Alpheas walking the other way. Kanis intended to pass him without stopping, but just before they crossed paths Alpheas glanced at a guard and said,
"Sorry—may I have a moment to speak with you?"
"Oh—yes. But it can't be long."
Kanis snorted at the deferential tone the guard used with Alpheas. Alpheas was treated with respect for his fame, not because he was the most powerful mage; that the man carried himself with a victor's ease despite being outmatched by Arkein in raw power annoyed Kanis.
When the guards stepped aside, Alpheas said, "Don't be so tense. Answer a few questions and you'll be free to go."
"You've got the wrong idea. We're not your tame students. We've been through countless battles. Nothing scares us."
Kanis had things other boys his age didn't—he'd been forged by war. But that life had also cost him losses. Alpheas wanted to help them reclaim what they'd lost while they were still young.
"In fact, that's exactly why I wanted to see you."
"What do you mean?"
"When all this is over, how about enrolling in the Magic Academy?"
Kanis felt like spitting a mouthful of curses. Did Alpheas not know how he'd lived? He'd learned magic on the edge of life and death; telling him to mingle with sheltered students was absurd.
"Don't be ridiculous. You didn't lose because you were weak. If it hadn't been for Abyss Nova—if we'd faced them properly—I could've dropped you in one blow."
"That might be," Alpheas admitted, "but if things had gone differently I might've been the one to kneel and beg for mercy."
Kanis bit his lip. He couldn't accept the sentiment, but he had no retort.
"Kanis, that's how evil works. No matter how justified, it attracts hatred. You can climb higher. I want to give you a bright future, not one of darkness."
"Why do you care? Is this pity?"
"I was once Arkein's disciple too. For you, it's practically a death sentence. Just as time can't be rewound, ties don't always last forever. If you want a new life, I'll help."
Kanis said nothing. What new life could there be now? All he'd learned was combat; his fate was the battlefield.
When Alpheas moved on, the guards seized Kanis and Arin and led them into the interrogation room. Far from the Inferno-like prison they'd imagined, the room was neat and clinical. A small-framed man sat at the table with his back to them; from behind, only his silver hair was noticeable.
"Investigators, these are the suspects in this case: Kanis and Arin."
"Ah, come this way."
His voice was like a blade being sharpened. Fitting for an operative of the notorious Inspection Division Three, his presence felt razor-sharp. Kanis and Arin sat across the table and faced him. Contrary to expectations, he wasn't terrifying—his chin was sharp like a cat's, his narrow eyes curved with a smile.
"I am Sakiri, an investigator with Inspection Division Three. You are Kanis and Arin, correct?"
"Yes."
Kanis answered calmly. Arin did not reply. Not wanting to offend the investigator, Kanis turned and asked, "Arin, what's wrong?"
Arin trembled, her face pale. From the way her gaze wavered at Sakiri, Kanis knew something was off.
What could she be seeing that shocked her so much?
"Kanis, I can't read it…"
Arin, who had aura perception, couldn't be unable to sense something unless there had never been anything to read—or someone had deliberately erased the sense.
What Arin saw was grotesque. Sakiri's entire body gleamed like polished metal; his egg-shaped face had no features at all. His hands and feet were cones, making it impossible to detect subtle emotions. This was a form that could only appear when emotions were perfectly sealed off—a total aura-blank.
"Oh? The young lady is startled, is she? That aura-reading of yours, right? We blocked the magic, but you can't stop inherent traits so easily. I don't expect you two to cause a scene, of course."
Sakiri sounded amused. He set his pen down and crossed his legs—each leg a cone, twisting and untwisting like a spiral pastry.
This wasn't mere emotional suppression. He had absolute control over his emotions.
"Focus."
Arin snapped her head up. The investigator's mirror-smooth face extended into a sharp cone pointed straight at her brow.
"Do it for me. It's official business, after all. Arin, yes?"
"Yes…that's right."
Terrified, Arin didn't even realize she'd answered. The sharp cone aimed at her brow felt like a piercing stare. She'd never seen aura perception manifest so cleanly; any criminal facing him would be torn apart.
Only then did Kanis and Arin face reality: they were in the hands of the kingdom's most powerful, authoritative judicial organ. The cone receded and Sakiri's face returned to its smooth, metallic egg shape.
"Well, we drafted a report based on Alpheas's testimony, but there are a few points we need to confirm. Answer my questions, please."
Sakiri ran them through a Q&A to check various details. Kanis and Arin answered honestly. After about an hour, Sakiri, looking satisfied, organized the files and said,
"Yes. Most of your statements match. There are discrepancies, but they're not significant."
It was far too casual a line from an Inspection Division investigator. He leaned back in his chair as if it didn't matter and continued.
"So, in the end, it's some kind of brainwashing, isn't it? In other words, Arkein used your miserable lives to indoctrinate you from childhood."
"What?"
Kanis's eyes hardened. He'd sooner call Arkein a villain. Sakiri's words assaulted the very roots of Kanis's life, denying everything he'd been through.
"My master never forced anything. What I did, I did myself."
Arin watched anxiously as Kanis snapped. But Sakiri's aura-form showed no change.
"It's a cruel trick. Save them, make them revere you, then say, 'This is what I need—though it doesn't have to be you personally.'"
Kanis couldn't make sense of the investigator's words. He'd come here to pay for his crimes—and now they were talking about brainwashing. Were they planning to lock him up in an asylum?