[102] Vajrayana (2)
"I don't want to jump to conclusions about Shirone. We currently lack sufficient information on the Unlocker."
Etella, who agreed with Alpheas, added, "Shirone entered the Immortal Function three months ago. And in this battle he opened it to an extreme degree. The Order regards the Immortal Function as a kind of mental sublimation. It may be something separate from biological life."
"What do you mean by that? We're not here to hear the Order's stance. We want this situation resolved as quickly as possible."
Some of the teachers didn't understand Etella. The Immortal Function wasn't a mere level but a realm. No matter how learned a teacher was, in the domain of enlightenment one could not confidently claim to be deeper than a street beggar.
The teacher who had rebuked Etella spoke directly to Alpheas.
"Headmaster, change your mind. With all due respect, to be frank, this began from a personal debt of yours. Nothing is more important to us than the school. At this rate, the worst could happen."
Alpheas looked around the room. Dozens of eyes pressed on him in silence.
"The worst? What exactly do you mean by 'the worst'?"
"We could receive an order to close the school."
"No. That's not the worst."
A teacher, exasperated, struck his chest. "I can't understand your reasoning. Where on earth is anything worse than the school being shut down?"
"The worst thing for a school is if all the students and teachers are dead."
Silence fell over the conference room. The gazes that had been fixed on Alpheas began to shift one by one.
"If it hadn't been for Shirone, none of you would have lived. And you'd be on that list of the dead."
Alpheas felt disappointed by the way some teachers were trying to exploit a student's death rather than honor it.
"Isn't there even the slightest chance? Even if it's less than one percent, he's a boy who gave his life for us. Isn't it our duty as teachers to at least try—until we can say we did everything? Even if the school must close afterward, shouldn't we do our best for Shirone's return?"
The teachers had no answer. Whatever the reason, it was undeniable that they had been saved by a student's life.
With that the meeting ended. The teachers left the room under a cloud.
Student Council of the Magic Academy.
In the great meeting hall, student council representatives from each class gathered. Unlike the teachers worrying about their livelihoods, the sensitive students felt betrayed by Alpheas's past.
"Greetings. I am Student Council President Amira. I called this meeting to discuss the current situation. Please offer constructive opinions."
Amira of Class Two declared the meeting from the podium. She specialized in weather magic and was twenty-two, the top candidate for graduation.
As a prominent left-leaning figure in the council, the debate's tone was predictable. As expected, the conservatives who supported the school were first to request the floor.
"I'm Seriel of Class Three. I know there's strong criticism of Headmaster Alpheas on campus. But we must be cautious. The school's honor is the students' honor. Attacking the faculty now could have negative repercussions for graduates later."
"I'm Cass of Class Four. Seriel's point has merit, but this concerns teachers' morality. Even if it happened forty years ago, it was a criminal act. If they don't take responsibility, the school has no future."
Amira nodded at Cass's remark, keeping her agreement restrained as befit the chair.
"I'm Olivia of Class Six. The main issue is whether Shirone is dead. As you know, Shirone is dead. Yet a small number of students and teachers are distorting that fact. Because of that, the school missed two suspects who colluded with the Arcane, and the headmaster's denunciation has been delayed. This is clear shirking of responsibility. The student council must act."
Part of Amira's anger came from that same point. Teachers were delaying denunciation by claiming Shirone's status was uncertain.
Seriel countered, "Aren't you overreading the faculty's intentions? Shirone's heart isn't beating, but there's also no decomposition. I've heard the ivory tower has debated the Immortal Function heavily. Considering that, the faculty's judgment isn't entirely incomprehensible."
The students reacted coolly. The Immortal Function was hard even for teachers to understand; from the students' perspective it was unlikely to be accepted. Some didn't even know what the Immortal Function was.
Amira was no different. It was supposedly the highest realm a mage could reach—but what did that actually mean? Magic was a knowledge-based discipline. Grand claims about the highest achievement meant little without something concrete to show for it.
"Um, Veronica from Class Ten."
A child of eight raised her hand. In the student council each class had a representative, so even the youngest voice carried equal weight.
"Yes. Go ahead, Veronica."
"Did Grandpa Alpheas do something wrong?"
Veronica's voice trembled as if she might cry. Amira frowned and sighed inwardly.
This is why I suggested splitting by class.
Veronica sniffled. "Even if Grandpa Alpheas did something wrong, can't we forgive him?"
"That's not possible, Veronica. This is a matter of the school's honor."
"But… everyone makes mistakes, right?"
The hall stirred. The remark caused a ripple. The conservatives, smelling opportunity, leaned in and watched how the situation would unfold.
"My mother scolds me a lot, but not that harshly. People can make mistakes. Grandpa Alpheas made a mistake, but he's led the school well so far. So can't we forgive him?"
Mark seized the moment and stood. "I'm Mark of Class Seven. I agree with Veronica. Of course those who commit crimes should be punished. But we who trusted the school's security and advocated maintaining the status quo would be overreaching if we launched an aggressive attack now. Unless the faculty intends to abandon the situation, the student council should also have the wisdom to wait."
Good, Mark.
Seriel gave a thumbs-up under the table; Mark responded with a discrete nod.
With the mood shifting, opinions clashed more sharply.
Amira estimated the votes from the speeches. Overall, the lower-year classes sided with the school while the graduating classes criticized it. The advanced classes were split.
If this continues, we might lose.
At this rate there would be no way to indict Alpheas. They had to find a turning point, but the younger classes were easily swayed by emotion, making it hard to put out the fire.
"I'm Ardino Fermi of Class One."
Fermi, who had been silent until now, raised his hand and all eyes turned to him. He ranked first in the graduating class and was the leading candidate for graduation; naturally everyone wanted to know his thoughts.
Seriel watched him uneasily. The young man's dark brown hair was neatly combed, and he wore practical, businesslike clothes. His authoritative air hid a vicious streak of mischief.
He had the skill to graduate easily, yet he kept failing for some reason. He was a likely next student council president but had ultimately withdrawn and let Amira take the position.
No one really knew what he was thinking. The one thing they did know was he liked stirring things up and enjoyed a universal scramble.
"Everyone here owes Shirone a debt of gratitude. If not for him, we would already be dead. So there will certainly be those who cannot accept his death."
The students grew solemn. They all knew how hard Shirone had fought for the whole school.
Seriel, however, felt anxious. She didn't think Fermi was the kind to feel indebted. Why he'd brought this up now was unclear.
"I too am grateful to Shirone. But the faculty are using him as a shield. Therefore our judgment is not overreach. It's a fight to protect Shirone's memory."
"What do you mean 'protect his memory'? Shirone isn't dead yet—!"
"It's already been five days. Shirone's heart isn't beating. Is there anyone here who truly believes he's alive?"
Most heads nodded. Even if some didn't genuinely feel it, mourning someone's death wasn't a hard thing to do.
"Everyone misses Shirone and is grateful to him. So let me ask again: is there anyone here who really believes Shirone is alive?"
Seriel realized Fermi's tactic. Separate emotion from reason, and guilt dissolves; reality becomes clearer. The students would judge coldly.
"Of course there's no one. It's not cruelty; it's common sense. Yet the teachers still insist Shirone is alive. They speak like a cult."
Seriel slammed the table and stood. "That's not true! There are definitely strange things about Shirone's condition—"
"What exactly is strange? I've read reports on the Immortal Function. But a magical realm and biological death are unrelated. We've also received intelligence that Shirone's body has been embalmed."
"T-That's…!"
It had been on Alpheas's orders. He'd anticipated that if the Immortal Function dealt with the mind, the physical body would need to be managed here.
How Fermi learned a secret known to only a few was unclear.
Amira's eyes flashed. "Embalmed? Is Fermi's statement true?"
Seriel glared at Fermi. His innocent smile made her more irritated.
You brat. You have no stake in this and just want to stir trouble.
"Seriel, speak."
Seriel sighed. A fight she might have won had become uncertain because of a single slip.
"I will invoke my right to remain silent. If you want more than that, hold a formal inquiry."
Remaining silent itself suggested there was something to it, but it was worlds different from speaking outright. The right to remain silent left room for rebuttal; with unknown variables that might reverse the situation, there was no need to wedge in an unnecessary statement.
Amira did not delay. With the momentum swinging, now was the best time to act. She wrapped up the meeting and moved to a vote.
"Then we will begin a secret ballot."
The result was… as Seriel had expected.
* * *
"Alpheas must resign! Submit to the Inspection Bureau!"
"Hold Shirone's funeral! Playing with the dead is unbecoming of teachers!"
About a hundred students, joining the student council's decision, were protesting in front of the infirmary with placards.