Infinite Mage [Remake]-Chapter 183: Claire Marsha (Part 4)

The students stirred.

Shiina's serious expression made some students try to deny the fact that she was a teacher, but it was ultimately futile.

The mind cannot be denied. It can only change.

Student: "Teacher, is this for real?"

Shiina: "No. I'm just showing you the mechanism. If standard magic twists the phenomena of nature, Irregulars twist concepts. I'm not an Irregular."

A sigh of relief spread throughout the room.

Student: "Phew, you really scared us."

Shiina adjusted her glasses and continued.

Shiina: "Of course, even if I were a real Irregular, I wouldn't be able to kill all of you. Even a severely twisted Irregular would find it hard to truly believe in a phenomenon that could kill people. Irregular magic is still magic, even if it's built on false absolute truth. It follows the principle of equivalent exchange."

A student raised their hand.

Student: "What if it's possible? Like... someone who truly believes that anyone who doesn't think of them as a teacher will die. In that case, would we actually die?"

Shiina pondered for a moment.

Shiina: "It's not impossible. But it's rare for a mage to have their absolute truth twisted to that extent. It's like believing an apple is a strawberry—their sense of reality is that far gone. Someone that mentally unstable wouldn't be able to handle magic in the first place, and even if they could manifest it, it's unlikely to affect others."

Student: "So it can't penetrate the mind."

Shiina: "Yes. It lacks the persuasiveness to seep into another's mind. Therefore, Irregular magic comes with significant restrictions and costs. For example, you could create a rule like this: Anyone who thinks of me as a teacher must use honorifics."

Student: "Well, that's obvious."

Shiina: "Right. Irregular magic seeps its own rules into others. Now, let's take it a step further. Students who use honorifics are in love with me."

Student: "Haha! That's also obvious, isn't it?"

The students burst into laughter, but Shiina continued without reacting.

Shiina: "Students in love with me must obey my words."

Only then did some students realize the seriousness and rested their chins on their hands.

Shiina: "Those who obey my words must commit suicide."

Silence followed.

The students understood how Shiina's words seeped into their minds.

Shiina: "This is one of the techniques of Irregular magic: Constraints. By expanding the rules, you bypass the target's defense mechanisms. The proposition 'in love with me' is a kind of gimmick. It might not work well on the same gender, but it increases persuasiveness for the opposite gender. Narrowing the target group is also a technique of Constraints. Of course, none of you were actually persuaded."

Student: "Ahem, ahem."

Someone coughed awkwardly.

Shiina: "Now, that's the theory. Everything so far is just twisted absolute truth. But Irregulars accept this absolute truth as fact. Logical leaps connect to omnipotence close to madness, and such events truly occur. Equivalent exchange. It's magic."

The students swallowed hard.

It was hard to believe just by listening, but honestly, they didn't want to face it. It essentially meant dealing with someone completely insane.

Shiina: "The mechanism I'm explaining to you now is based on the Irregular magic of someone who actually existed in reality. I can't reveal their exact identity, but for the sake of the lesson, I'll tell you this: She was a woman and a major figure in the religious world. I've adapted it to the authority between a teacher and student for easier understanding. Now, let's talk about the cost. The logic of Constraints is as explained, but there's one more condition."

Shiina took a breath and continued.

Shiina: "For a student in love with me to commit suicide, they must spend a night with me."

Now it didn't feel like a joke.

Shiina: "The important thing is that it's self-destructive. The greater the cost of self-destruction, the more powerful the Irregular magic becomes. Because of the principle of equivalent exchange, it can exert force on the target. Revealing the cost itself can become the cost, but some are even willing to give their lives."

The students no longer felt any interest.

They had realized what Irregular magic was.

Shiina: "It's not something you can learn. It's a mental peculiarity manifested through obsession and bias. Their way of thinking is completely different from that of a normal person. For mages who pursue reason, they are the most troublesome opponents."

Recalling Shiina's lesson, Shirone bit her lip with a confused expression.

'Teacher, this is more than just troublesome.'

At the time, she thought she understood, but now that she was facing it, everything was a mystery.

'Marsha absorbs Spirit Zones. If it's Irregular magic, I can accept that. But when? Did the Constraints and costs activate without me even realizing it?'

Shirone suddenly realized.

Shirone: "Ah...."

-You can kill me if you want.

The language was shared between her and Shirone.

The meaning embedded in those words had seeped into Shirone's mind.

'That's it.'

The thought of being trapped in the logic of an Irregular made her heart race.

Arcane was a Grand Mage, but this was a qualitatively different kind of tension.

'Stay calm. There must be a way to counter it.'

According to Shiina, Irregular magic is like weighing one's own mind against the opponents.

If the ability is transcendent, the cost one must bear will inevitably be great.

'Probably...'

If she had used the keyword "You can kill me if you want," Marsha would have had to remain defenseless for quite some time.

And if Shirone had attacked then, Marsha would have died.

'Why couldn't I attack?'

All the pieces fell into place.

'Because I couldn't understand what was happening in front of me. From the very beginning, from the moment I met Marsha, I was already caught in her trap.'

The realization that she had been played according to Marsha's script sent another chill down her spine.

Talking about the past, pretending to have killed Yuna, not actually killing her...

Shirone: "All for this moment?"

Marsha laughed heartily.

She was delighted by Shirone's bewildered expression.

Marsha: "Hohoho! Of course. Did you think I was a Class-A political criminal for nothing? Ah, of course, meeting you was a coincidence. But turning coincidence into inevitability is the true mark of ability. I prepare for every situation that comes my way."

Shirone had to admit it.

Marsha probably considered everyone she had ever met as an enemy.

It was a pitifully miserable life, but it was this level of meticulousness that allowed her to evade the Magic Association's dragnet.

Marsha: "Shall we begin in earnest?"

Shirone slowly backed away.

She tried to teleport, but it still didn't work.

'I can't enter the Spirit Zone.'

To be precise, the moment she tried to deploy her Spirit Zone, it was absorbed by Marsha.

Marsha: "Hoho, I'll make good use of your mental energy."

Using the mental energy she stole from Shirone, Marsha fired an even more powerful sonic cannon.

Shirone: "Ugh!"

Covering her ears with both hands, Shirone threw her body to the side.

Even if it was sound-based magic, a direct hit while defenseless could be fatal.

Marsha: "Hehe, I'll commend you for abandoning your pride. But now that you're under Deprivation, the fight is over."

She was an Irregular who deprived others of their possessions.

The magic she used on Shirone was called "Plunder," the ability to steal Spirit Zones.

Even as she listened to Marsha's taunts, Shirone didn't stop.

'I need to buy time.'

No matter how complex the prerequisites, being able to steal mental energy just by saying "You can kill me if you want" didn't align with equivalent exchange.

'There must be a time limit. And it's not long.'

As Shirone rolled on the ground to avoid the sonic cannon, her eyes suddenly lit up.

'Got it!'

The effect of the Irregular magic had worn off.

Deploying her Spirit Zone, she didn't even have time to look around before unleashing her狂暴 (Rampage).

Marsha stopped her pursuit.

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The sight of the pulsating light barrier excited her.

Marsha: "Amazing magic. Truly impressive."

Shirone's eyes widened fiercely.

The key was to subdue Marsha before she could use Plunder again.

Shirone: "Here I go!"

Countless spheres of light gathered in front of Shirone and shot forward at incredible speed.

Even as the massed light shot toward her like a cannon, Marsha remained composed.

'Shirone, you still don't understand.'

What Irregular magic is. How complex a person's trauma is as a crystallization of emotions.

Marsha: "Plunder."

Marsha waved her hand, and the approaching Photon Cannon evaporated like smoke.

"Huh!"

Shirone, realizing something, knelt down with an expression of disbelief, and her friends rushed over.

Amy: "Shirone! Are you okay?"

Aside from the disappearance of the Photon Cannon, Shirone hadn't been particularly shocked.

Amy: "What's wrong? Snap out of it!"

Amy shouted anxiously. It was the first time she had seen Shirone look so startled.

Shirone: "M-Magic...."

Shirone couldn't believe it.

No matter how irregular this situation was, something like this happening was unthinkable.

Tess asked Amy: "Did she lose her spirit power again?"

Amy: "No. The Spirit Zone hasn't disappeared. But the Photon Cannon vanished...."

The moment Amy realized it, Shirone spoke.

Shirone: "My magic was stolen."

Tess: "What?"

Tess turned her head, and there stood Marsha, arms crossed, looking triumphant.

Marsha: "That's right, Irregular Plunder. By understanding the opponent's Spirit Zone, I can forcibly steal their magic. Of course, there are restrictions. I have to feel the Spirit Zone of a specific magic being activated with my own Spirit Zone. Like just now."

She explained the restrictions as if doing them a favor, but Shirone was certain this wasn't the whole story.

'This doesn't make sense.'

While it might sound plausible at first glance that stealing someone's spirit would allow you to steal their magic, digging deeper revealed a huge logical leap.

Marsha raised her right hand.

Marsha: "Now then...."

She swung her arm toward Shirone, a sphere of light condensing in her palm.

A flash of light burst forth, and Shirone's group scattered in all directions.

Fragments from where the Photon Cannon had struck flew and stung Shirone's face.

'This is real. This... is the Photon Cannon.'

The feeling of being hit by her own magic was truly bizarre.

Marsha: "Huuu."

Marsha's face had turned paler than before after test-firing the Photon Cannon.

Marsha: "What is this? The mental strain is insane. How did you keep firing this thing?"

This time, it wasn't mockery.

When she fired the Photon Cannon, Marsha actually felt a slight dizziness.

'This is an incredibly heavy spell. Without sufficient mental stability, it's too much to handle.'

It wasn't about concentration but the state of one's mind.

Marsha could guess what kind of resolve and attitude Shirone had lived with.

Marsha (thought): 'I can't steal this.'

No matter what she stole, she couldn't change the life that had already been twisted.

Marsha's gaze turned cold.

Marsha: "You should feel it too."