Infinite Mage - Chapter 108: Back to Everyday Life (2)

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Shirone’s face turned incredulous. His friends’ reactions were no different. Amy shook her head in disbelief and then, pressing her forehead with her hand, said,

“Sharelle, what book have you been reading these days?”

“Yes! This one!”

Sharelle eagerly pulled out a novel. The provocatively red cover bore the title “Primitive Snare.”

“This is the hottest book in the bookstores right now. It’s about a married nobleman who falls in love with a maid. There’s this line where the maid breaks his dish and asks, ‘What are you going to do now? Are you going to demand my body?’ Then the nobleman ties her up with ropes and…”

“Stop! That’s enough!”

Amy raised her hand to stop her. It felt like they shouldn’t hear anymore.

“Why? The interesting part is just coming up.”

“Sharelle, even if you like novels, please don’t confuse them with reality. Such books are vivid and provocative to captivate readers.”

“Humph! You say that because you haven’t read it. If you read it just once, you’ll be hooked. Speaking of which, do you want to borrow it?”

As Sharelle offered “Primitive Snare,” Amy quickly turned her head away. Accepting her request would mean enduring a week or more of her reviews.

Shirone leaned back against a cushion and spoke.

“Ah, today’s the last day in the infirmary. Thanks for coming by. You too, Senior Sharelle.”

“Don’t say such disheartening things. Honestly, studying in the advanced class was killing me. It was a nice break for both Amy and me.”

Amy didn’t disagree. The stress of daily ranking competition had reached its peak. Thus, the temporary closure of the academy was like a blessing for the seniors.

Sharelle spoke with a gloomy expression.

“But I’m worried about the headmaster. Honestly, this decision was unexpected. It was something the Creas Autonomous District could handle, but he chose to undergo the Magic Association’s inspection.”

Alpheas had voluntarily filed a lawsuit. Although he could have easily defused the situation due to his high standing in the continent, he accepted all the student council’s demands. Consequently, the case had been transferred to the most dreaded Inspection Division 3 of the Magic Association.

“The Inspection Division 3 is known as the special investigation unit in the Magic Association. They strictly abide by the law, regardless of connections or status. Even Headmaster Alpheas can’t avoid disciplinary action.”

Shirone thought it was for the best.

“The headmaster has been carrying this pain for 40 years. If this opportunity can lighten his burden even slightly, I think accepting the punishment is a good thing.”

Nade commented.

“Let’s just wait and see how things go. Who are we worrying about? It’s Alpheas Myrhe, a Grade-4 mage. We’ll be busy again once the academy reopens, so let’s rest while we can.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

Shirone turned to look out the window.

The afternoon sun poured in lazily.

Bashuka, the Capital.

Viewed from the Jijeon Mountain Range, the scenery of Bashuka was dominated by the towering royal palace, with key institutions spread out around it in concentric circles. The residents of the capital say that the buildings visible from the mountain range symbolize the nation’s key institutions.

One of these was the Magic Association. The 18-story building oversaw the affairs of all registered mages in the Thormia Kingdom and handled the surveillance and intelligence tasks of the mage community in collaboration with other agencies.

While any mage would want to visit the place at least once, Thadd, assigned as the guide for Alpheas, Canis, and Arin’s party, felt like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.

“Master, is this really the best course?”

“This is what I’ve chosen. My only regret is that it took too long.”

Alpheas’s determination was unwavering. Thadd didn’t really expect an answer; he just wanted to reconfirm his master’s will before crossing the Association’s threshold, from where there was no turning back.

“Understood. Then I’ll wait until the trial is over.”

Alpheas looked pleased. Taking Canis and Arin with him, he surrendered to the inspection department, and thus, the three were locked in separate cells for a day.

The next day, Alpheas was the first to be called into the interrogation room. Meanwhile, Canis and Arin waited in an isolation facility decked with magical devices. The magic control devices made entering the Spirit Zone impossible. Additionally, even Harvest couldn’t operate.

After about three hours, they were called.

“Canis, Arin. Come out.”

Although no formal charges had been proven yet, the Association’s staff already treated them like criminals, likely influenced by Alpheas’s report.

Canis and Arin silently complied. As they entered the corridor to the interrogation room, they saw Alpheas approaching from the opposite side. Canis intended to pass by him indifferently, but Alpheas turned to the guards and spoke just as they were about to cross paths.

“Excuse me, could we have a moment to talk?”

“Yes, but please be quick.”

Canis snorted at the guard’s completely different attitude towards Alpheas. It wasn’t Alpheas’s strength but his fame that earned him such treatment. The fact that Alpheas, whose magic skills were inferior to Arcane’s, could exude the air of a victor, irritated Canis.

As the guards stepped aside, Alpheas said,

“Don’t be too tense. Just answer a few questions and you’ll be out.”

“You’re mistaken. We’re not your docile students. We’ve fought countless battles. No situation scares us.”

Having experienced life and death in battle, Canis had something that his peers lacked. But that life also meant many losses. Alpheas wanted to help them regain what they had lost, with their future still so promising.

“That’s actually why I wanted to see you.”

“What do you mean?”

“How about enrolling in the magic academy after this is over?”

Canis felt insulted. Didn’t Alpheas know how he had lived? Being told to mix with sheltered students after learning magic in life-threatening situations.

“Don’t joke around. We didn’t lose because we were weak. If it weren’t for Abyss Nova, or if it had been a fair fight, master could have taken you down in one hit.”

“That might have been possible.”

Alpheas readily agreed.

“But if it hadn’t been for that method, maybe I would have been the first to kneel and apologize.”

Canis bit his lip. It was an unacceptable statement, yet he couldn’t argue against it.

“Canis, that’s what evil is. No matter how justifiable the reason, hatred is inevitable. You can rise higher. I want to give you not darkness but a bright future.”

“Why do you care about me? Is it sympathy?”

“I, too, was a disciple of Arcane. You could say it’s a death sentence for you. Just as time can’t be turned back, connections last forever. If you want to start a new life, I will help you.”

Canis didn’t respond. What could a new life possibly mean now? He had only learned combat, and thus, it was his fate to live on the battlefield.

As Alpheas walked away down the corridor, the guard grabbed Canis and Arin and dragged them back to the interrogation room. Contrary to what he had imagined about Inferno’s prison, the interrogation room was neat and tidy. A slender man sat at the table, his back turned, unidentifiable except for his silver hair.

“Investigator, these are the suspects in this case, Canis and Arin.”

“Ah, come this way.”

His voice was chilling, like sharpening steel. Fitting for someone who roamed the notorious Inspection Division 3 fields, there was a blade-like aura about him. Canis and Arin walked around the table to face the investigator. Contrary to expectations, he wasn’t a fearsome sight. His chin was pointed like a cat’s, and he was smiling with narrow eyes.

“I am Sakiri, an investigator of Inspection Division 3. You are Canis and Arin, correct?”

“Yes.”

Canis answered calmly. However, there was no response from Arin. Not wanting to irritate the investigator, Canis turned to her and asked.

“Arin, what’s wrong?”

Arin was trembling, her face pale. Canis realized from her eyes, shaking with shock as she looked at Sakiri, that she was horrified.

‘What did she see to be this scared?’

“Canis, I can’t read it…”

Arin, being at the first stage of her psychic abilities, should not be unable to sense the feel of objects. This meant the object originally had no feel, or the feel was artificially erased.

Indeed, Sakiri, as seen by Arin, appeared bizarre. His whole body was like smooth metal, mirror-like, and his egg-shaped face lacked any features. His hands and feet were pointed like cones, making reading even the slightest emotion impossible. It was a form of the first stage that could only appear in a state of perfect emotional blockade.

“Oh, it seems the lady is startled. It’s the first stage, right? Magic is blocked, but there’s no way to block inherent traits. Of course, I don’t think you two will cause any trouble.”

Sakiri seemed intrigued, putting down his pen and crossing his legs.

Arin watched as his cone-shaped legs twisted. They coiled and uncoiled like a pretzel.

‘This person is playing games.’

It wasn’t just about suppressing emotions. He was someone who could perfectly control his own emotions.

“Focus.”

Arin jerked her head up. The mirror-like face of the investigator extended sharply into a cone, coming right in front of her forehead.

“Please do. We are on official duty, after all. Arin, is that correct?”

“Yes, it is.”

Terrified, Arin didn’t even realize she had answered. The sharp cone pointing at her forehead must have been Sakiri’s intense gaze. It was her first time seeing the first stage manifest in such a clean form. Any criminal caught by this man would have no bones left to pick.

Canis and Arin finally faced reality. They were caught by the most powerful and authoritative judicial body in the kingdom. As they waited, deflated, Sakiri’s face returned to its smooth, egg-shaped metallic form.

“Well, I have prepared a report based on Alpheas’s statement, but there are a few things I need to confirm. Please answer my questions.”

Sakiri checked several things through question and answer. Canis and Arin answered honestly. An hour passed, and Sakiri, looking satisfied, organized his files and said,

“Yes. Most of the statements match. There are some discrepancies, but nothing important.”

His words were too casual to have come from an investigator of the Inspection Division. But Sakiri leaned back in his chair, seemingly unconcerned, and continued.

“So it’s like a kind of brainwashing, isn’t it? Basically, Arcane used your unhappy lives to brainwash you from childhood.”

“What?”

Canis’s eyes narrowed with intensity. He would have preferred to be called a villain. Sakiri’s statement was no different from denying the root of Canis’s entire life.

“Master never forced anything on us. I did it, and I committed those acts.”

Knowing the investigator’s strength, Arin was nervous as Canis became angry. However, Sakiri’s first-stage form remained unchanged.

“A vicious tactic. To save and make you respect, then to say this. I need this, but of course, it doesn’t have to be you who does it.”

Canis couldn’t understand what the investigator was saying. He had come here to pay for his crimes. And now, brainwashing? Were they planning to put him in a mental hospital?

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