Infinite Mage [Remake]-Chapter 181: Claire Marsha (Part 6)

Even as these thoughts crossed her mind, the subordinates of the Parrot Mercenaries continued to teleport away.

As Marsha watched in stunned silence, Tess turned to Amy and asked.

Tess: "What's going on? Why are the enemies running?"

Amy: "That's... a Slow Magic."

It was a sub-light magic that slowed time in a specific area. This was the first time Shirone had used it.

'It must have been the only option available after having his magic stolen. Still....'

If it failed, he would have been killed by the enemy's blades. Shirone had staked his life on this.

Tess: "Slow Magic?"

Tess looked back at the enemy lines.

From the outside, it looked like the enemies were pointlessly teleporting away, but the Parrot Mercenaries trapped in the Slow field were going insane.

'What... the... hell... is... this...?'

Within the spacetime field Shirone had created, time was on Rian's side.

The sword swings moved so slowly it would have been difficult to do on purpose, and Rian calmly observed every attack before swinging his great sword toward the enemies' necks.

Rian: 'What? Do I just cut them down?'

It felt like cutting down restrained opponents, which wasn't pleasant, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down with Shirone nearby.

The subordinates, seeing the great sword slowly but inevitably aiming for their necks, were filled with terror.

Even soldiers who could die at any moment on the battlefield found this waiting for death to be a different level of horror.

Subordinate: "No...."

Unable to endure, one subordinate activated the spatial teleportation magic on his bracelet and vanished.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One after another, loud noises erupted, and soon, no subordinates remained around Marsha.

Seeing Shirone approach, Marsha stepped back.

But the pain from her injuries caused her to stumble and fall.

She was bleeding heavily from the wound Tess had inflicted.

Marsha: "S-Stay back."

Shirone spoke coldly.

Shirone: "If you steal my mental energy, you could counterattack. But it seems you can't use Theft while Plunder is active."

"..."

It was true.

Shirone: "Give up now. You're caught. There's nowhere to run."

Marsha's face was filled with terror.

She picked up a sharp rock and pointed it at her own throat.

Marsha: "Stop! If you come closer, I'll kill myself! If I die, you'll never get your magic back."

Shirone: "This time, it's about magic?"

Shirone didn't stop walking.

Shirone: "The magic you stole was someone's entire life. This isn't something that ends with just returning it."

As Shirone grabbed Marsha by the collar and lifted her up, Freeman's voice rang out from behind.

Freeman: "No! Stop!"

With eyes like a demon, Freeman charged forward, but Rian and Tess blocked his path.

Meanwhile, Shirone stared into Marsha's terrified eyes.

Shirone: "Pay the price. The price you set for yourself."

Freeman: "Aaaaaah! Marsha!"

Ignoring Freeman's scream, Shirone struck Marsha's face with all his strength.

At the same time, Freeman fell to his knees.

Freeman: "No...."

Rian twisted his arm and forced him to the ground, while Tess pressed her rapier to his throat.

Tess: "Don't move. If you try anything stupid...."

She trailed off.

Tears streamed down Freeman's face, and his fighting spirit was gone.

Amy approached.

Amy: "Tell us now. What price will Marsha pay? Can Shirone get his magic back?"

Freeman: "Marsha will...."

Freeman's voice was hollow.

Freeman: "She'll face the most miserable death."

Everyone's gaze turned to Marsha.

Shirone looked down at her as she lay on the ground.

In the silence, Marsha laughed.

Marsha: "Hehe, hehehe."

Her jaw stung from Shirone's punch, but no pain mattered now.

Marsha: "What's wrong? Anxious? You definitely touched me, but your magic hasn't returned, has it?"

Shirone: "I...."

Marsha: "Don't worry. You'll get your magic back. The condition of touching me is just a restriction. Did you really think you could steal someone's magic just by touching them and have them die as the price?"

Shirone: "What's the price?"

Marsha raised her upper body.

She saw Freeman being dragged over with a blade to his throat.

Seeing the emptiness in her friend's eyes, she shook her head.

'This isn't your fault.'

Marsha pushed herself up on her knees.

Marsha: "If you capture me, I'll be 'bound' to the person whose magic I stole. I can't leave your side, and even if you leave, I can't move. Of course, the definition of that is subjective...."

Shirone: "And it's a definition that can never be changed."

Marsha: "Right. Since I can't create the mental framework to deny it, exceptions like this exist."

There was no objectivity in her twisted logic, so the abilities of an exception user were always subjective.

However, to impose it on others, a convincing argument was necessary.

Marsha's sense of 'binding' likely wasn't very broad.

Marsha: "And once bound, I have to say this: 'You may embrace me.' Do you understand what that means?"

"..."

So that was it.

A trauma she had to live with for the rest of her life.

The price Marsha had chosen was the most miserable end to a life that had stopped at seventeen.

Now that they understood her exception, they could guess, but Shirone asked anyway.

Shirone: "What happens after that?"

Marsha: "The magic stolen by Plunder will return to you. I'll have to end my life by suicide."

Even though they had fought as enemies, Amy and the others felt conflicted.

Even if the act of embracing her was subjective, they didn't want Shirone to go through the ordeal of driving someone to suicide.

'But if he doesn't....'

Shirone won't get his magic back.

Marsha: "Don't overthink it. I'm going to die anyway. That's why this is a price, not a defense mechanism. You can't obtain a magic like Plunder without paying this much."

Marsha spread her arms.

Marsha: "Come on, Shirone. If you're too disgusted to do it, you can beat me as much as you want. My stepfather liked that too. Just end it quickly. You need to get your magic back, right?"

Freeman took a step forward.

Freeman: "Marsha."

Tess pressed the rapier closer to his throat, stopping him.

Tess: "Don't move. At this distance, even a fool wouldn't make a mistake."

Marsha smirked.

Marsha: "Sorry, Freeman."

Freeman: "No! Marsha!"

As Shirone walked toward her, Freeman shouted.

But what surprised everyone more was Shirone's friends.

Tess: "Shi, Shirone."

There was only one reason they didn't stop him.

The dream of becoming a mage—Photon Cannon, Rampage, Teleportation... Shirone's fervent desire couldn't be crushed here.

Shirone: "Marsha."

As Shirone approached, Marsha closed her eyes.

The next moment, she felt warmth enveloping her.

When she opened her eyes in surprise, Shirone was holding her.

-You may embrace me.

The words she had spoken to her stepfather at seventeen.

Her heart pounded as if it would burst, and her stomach churned. But beneath it all, a tremendous rage boiled.

Marsha: "This is wrong. This doesn't meet my standards."

Shirone: "I'm glad."

He had expected as much.

Marsha: "Why are you doing this? Do you think you can still persuade me? No, it's over."

Shirone: "This might feel like hypocrisy too, but...."

There's no right answer in life, and any choice would have been fine.

No one in the world would blame someone for wanting to reclaim what was theirs, but....

Shirone: "This is the life I've chosen."

In the end, Shirone couldn't choose the wrong answer.

Shirone: "Live."

Marsha's eyes shook in shock.

Even Rian and Tess, and even Freeman, couldn't believe what was happening. Tears welled up in Amy's eyes.

'Shirone....'

Everything was blurring again.

Marsha: "Liar!"

Marsha screamed.

She tried to push Shirone away, but her strength failed her.

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Marsha: "You're not going to undo the exception? Then you'll never get your magic back! You'll lose everything you've worked for your entire life!"

Shirone: "I know."

Marsha: "Do you think you can do it? I'll run away for the rest of my life. You won't even be able to go to school, let alone become a mage! And you'll still follow me? You'll give up your dream?"

Shirone: "Yes."

Marsha was so frustrated she could barely breathe.

She didn't want to believe this.

'This can't be real. This is hypocrisy. Pretending! There must be some ulterior motive.'

That's why he gave up on magic.

'He must be planning to hand me over to the authorities. He'll report me to the association and make a bigger deal out of it.'

That's why he's giving up his life.

Marsha: "Ugh."

She didn't understand.

Why was he doing this? What could Shirone possibly gain from this?

'Could it be....'

Is it really...?

At the moment that doubt arose, a single tear rolled down her cheek without her even realizing it.

Marsha: "Ah..."

Through the blurry vision caused by her tears, the door opened, and a silhouette resembling her stepfather approached.

Marsha.

Tormia Magic Association, Inspection Department.

After obtaining all the information from Lucas, Sakiri leaned back on the sofa, her shirt half-unbuttoned and soaked with sweat.

Sakiri: "Huu, as the years go by, I can't even handle this kind of work anymore."

Though she was someone who could make even the most hardened criminals tremble, the work wasn't worth the salary.

Junior Inspector: "Haha! Even you're complaining now, Senior."

When a junior inspector entered with a drink, Sakiri lit a cigarette and asked,

Sakiri: "What's going on?"

Junior Inspector: "You pulled off a big one this time. Catching Marsha is just a matter of time now."

Sakiri: "..."

Sakiri snapped the unlit cigarette in half.

It was clear that the junior had come to gauge her reaction after hearing the news that she had used the forbidden technique, "Scales of Truth."

Sakiri: "I appreciate the concern but stop it. I'm tired of being comforted by juniors."

Junior Inspector: "Hey, it's not like that."

The junior sat down across from her with a sly smile and opened a report lying on the sofa.

Junior Inspector: "Hmm."

As he read through it with an intrigued smile, his expression changed when he reached the word "Outsider."

Sakiri cut him off.

Sakiri: "An Outsider. It seems to be an ability that utilizes others' magic. That's why there was confusion."

Junior Inspector: "Well, cases like that are tough. Evidence comes up at the scene, but you can't pinpoint the culprit."

Sakiri: "That's not the problem."

The junior looked up, still holding the documents.

Junior Inspector: "Magic is selective concentration, but an Outsider's ability dominates their entire life. The fact that she hasn't been caught until now is proof that she's extremely suspicious."

'Dominates their life.'

As an Outsider, there was no room for argument.

The "Scales of Truth" placed Sakiri's mental anguish on a scale, transforming it into physical pain.

If the trauma were diluted, the pain would weaken, but until now, not a single criminal had resisted.

'How is she enduring it?'

Only a handful of people, including the junior, could even guess what Sakiri's trauma was.

Junior Inspector: "I heard it can be extinguished. After all, being an Outsider is ultimately a matter of the heart."

Sakiri: "Catharsis."

Sakiri's eyes darkened.

Sakiri: "If a catharsis that transcends the trauma occurs, the Outsider's ability will vanish. There have been a few cases, but they make up less than one percent of all Outsiders. It's not something that happens consciously. That's why no one teaches it. If you recklessly try to treat it, the therapist might go mad instead."

Junior Inspector: "But it's not entirely impossible..."

The junior trailed off.

Before him was Sakiri's true face, which she never revealed.

Sakiri: "Do you think I can escape it? Really?"

After running through countless responses in his head, the only thing he could say was,

Junior Inspector: "I'm sorry, Senior."

Sakiri's expression softened.

She knew how much the junior cared for her.

Sakiri: "It's not entirely impossible."

As she sipped her drink, she muttered in a low voice.

Sakiri: "It would be a miracle."