The Past of Alpheas and the Struggle Against Arcane

After hearing Alpheas' past, Shirone and his companions were silent for a while. It was such a sad story.

"To think that something like that happened to the headmaster..."

To be a 4th-class official wizard and the headmaster of a prestigious school, it would appear to anyone that it was a successful life.

However, listening to Arcane's story, Alpheas, in his youth, was truly extraordinary.

At a young age, he had won the Gold Circle award for proving the theory of light particles. In particular, the memory transfer experiment was a progressive idea, and research on it had only recently begun in the magical community.

"Alpheas was undoubtedly a genius. But he was weak. If only he had held on a little longer, the world would have been different. But out of a trivial sentiment, he ruined everything. I can't forgive him."

Shirone had many thoughts.

Arcane was a villain recognized by the world, but he was also a wizard. At least, in Erina's experiment, Alpheas would have been a great ally.

"Yes, it may be hypocrisy that the headmaster destroyed your data," Shirone said, stepping a little closer as Arcane's murderous aura weakened.

"But I would have made the same choice."

"Even after seeing what happened to Alpheas, you still say that? Well, in your eyes, a 4th-class official wizard may seem impressive. But if you're swayed by emotions, you can never reach the top. Erina's death is tragic, but magic is magic. In that sense, Alpheas was unqualified."

Shirone shook his head.

Who was right would be judged by history, but Alpheas wasn't swayed by emotions. At least, that was how Shirone thought.

"If more experiments were conducted, countless victims would have emerged. You would have carried out human experiments without hesitation."

"I do not deny that. But with the sacrifice of a few, we can save many. Someone will inevitably suffer. Isn't it the duty of wisdom to sacrifice a few for the many? What would you do if there were parents in front of you with a mentally challenged child? Would you still speak with hypocrisy then?"

"I would."

Arcane's eyebrows furrowed.

"Do you still speak of sacrificing one to save ten thousand? That would be a reasonable choice. But I would never sacrifice that one."

"Then ten thousand will die."

"It's unavoidable."

Shirone was resolute.

"Ten thousand may die. But that's not something we humans can intervene in. The very thought of weighing human lives is arrogance. Even if more people suffer, we should do what we can. And perhaps someday, we'll be able to save ten thousand. What you're trying to do is no different from a dictator standing above humanity."

"Hmm."

To sacrifice the few for the many?

Some might call it good, but in reality, there would not be many who would accept such a situation.

'Humans choose what benefits them between good and evil. But that guy...'

He was at the extreme of good.

Whether a cruel murderer or a savior of humanity, both would be persecuted by the public if they received their due punishment...

'Your life won't be easy either. Dying here might actually be a blessing.'

Arcane raised his killing intent once again.

"We are from different worlds, I suppose. Pity, but you must die."

Shirone quickly stepped back.

Was it several times more powerful? Or maybe dozens?

The amount of murderous intent emanating from Arcane's body was far beyond comparison to before.

"Surprised, kid? Magic is a mysterious thing."

According to the Magic Association's investigation, the mental fatigue when a wizard casts Pure Magic is equivalent to a normal person focusing on one task for 48 minutes.

However, Arcane's concentration defied such simple calculations.

"There will be no pain."

When Arcane raised his right hand, a massive darkness, large enough to obscure the sky, took the form of a fist.

Based on its size, if it were to fall, half of the basin would be blown away.

Shirone bit his lip.

'I can't stop this. I can't even dodge it.'

In terms of raw power, if the force of the dark powers were quantified, it was roughly 0.1N per cubic centimeter, about the strength of an ant's jaw. But when the force exceeded the billion mark, it could sweep away everything on the ground with the force of a thousand tons.

"Stop this foolishness, master."

All eyes turned toward the cliff.

A beam of light, accompanied by a loud sound, bent toward the spot where Alpheas stood, and Sade landed on one knee.

"Sade!"

Shirone's group smiled, feeling as though they had gained a powerful ally.

On the other hand, Sade looked up at the sky with a serious expression and then cast a Fire Line.

A fiery spiral shot up and gathered into a massive fireball in the air.

"Wow."

Looking directly at it would burn the retina, yet Arcane casually looked upward.

He slowly opened his palm, and his dark power mirrored the same motion, reaching out to grab the enormous fireball.

Creeeak!

Shirone's group shuddered.

It was the first time they had heard something burn with such an enormous sound.

As the world fell into darkness again, Sade made a displeased face and summoned a Spirit Zone.

"Tch! Annoying old man..."

Alpheas raised his hand.

"Enough, Sade."

"But, master..."

"This is my matter. It's between me and Arcane. Leave this to me from here on."

Alpheas walked leisurely as Arcane stood with his hands behind his back, waiting.

The darkness that had extinguished the Fire Line spread again like a curtain, covering the moonlight.

"You've aged, Alpheas. After all, even a light mage is just a human in the face of time."

Alpheas ignored the greeting after decades.

At least not today. The foolish and senile old men were not yet at the point of settling their past.

He checked on the injured Iruuki and Neid, then turned his gaze to Etella.

There were bruises on her fair skin, clearly indicating that she had clashed with Arcane.

"You've done well, Etella. It's my fault for being immoral."

"No, I'm sorry. I couldn't save the students."

Alpheas shook his head.

The magic, martial arts, and mental arts that she had were impeccable. He had been perplexed when she came for an interview, but today, he couldn't have been prouder of his judgment.

If it wasn't for her, all the students would have been lost.

Shirone spoke with a worried expression.

"Master, please be careful."

Although Arcane, exhausted, might have seemed manageable for the 4th-class official wizard Alpheas, right now, Arcane was undoubtedly at his peak.

As if he already knew, Alpheas smiled faintly.

"Don't worry. There's no magic that goes against the principle of equivalent exchange."

"But Arcane's mental strength...?"

"Yes, it must have recovered. But that, too, is magic."

"Magic?"

"The Abyss series of magic controls memories. It is the magic Arcane created and is best at using. Isn't that right, master?"

Arcane snorted.

"It seems you're not senile after all. By the way, the magic you were affected by is called Abyss Nova, which is far stronger than the one you're referring to. No need to explain, you've experienced it firsthand."

"It was an excellent magic. Thanks to it, I could recall old memories."

"Don't be so arrogant. You probably ran away terrified and were crying all the while."

"You're right. But you've become quite weak while I wasn't looking. You struggled so much against a group of hundred-year-old children that you even had to use Abyss Memory."

Arcane did not get angry.

When Alpheas was calm, he too remained calm. Decades of resentment couldn't be solved with mere words.

As if savoring the calm before the storm, Alpheas continued explaining casually.

"Shirone, casting magic requires intense focus in an instant. The result of one hour of concentration by a normal person would be used up in just a second. This is why Arcane did what he did."

Alpheas tapped his temple.

"He cast it on himself. The Abyss Memory magic that erases memories."

"Ah..."

If memories used by the brain were erased, the mental fatigue would vanish.

Of course, it would cause serious overload in function, but it wouldn't be life-threatening, at least for a single use.

'Such a method...'

Alpheas read Shirone's thoughts.

"Yes, it's a bold and brilliant technique. Arcane is a wizard who lives in such a world. Without a secret technique to turn the tide, he could never be called a battle wizard."

Arcane made a disgusted face.

"Hmph, you're praising me now? The passing dogs would laugh."

"Are you sure? Even though your mental strength has recovered, it's still a mere illusion of the brain. If you try anything more, I can't guarantee your life."

There is no such thing as free magic.

The mental strength restored by Abyss Memory came with the risk of causing brain death—a mere equivalent exchange.