The Weight of Redemption: Shirone and Marsha’s Resolve

At that moment, without realizing it, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Ah…" As her vision blurred with tears, the door opened, and a silhouette resembling her stepfather approached.

Marsha.

Torimia Magic Association, Inspection Division.

Sakiri, having obtained all the information from Lucas, leaned back on the sofa, half-unbuttoning his sweat-soaked shirt.

"Phew, this job gets harder every year."

Though he was someone who could make any villain tremble, the effort didn't match the salary.

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

A junior from the Inspection Division entered with a drink, and Sakiri, holding an unlit cigarette, asked, "What's up?"

"You've done a great job this time. Catching Marsha is just a matter of time now."

"..."

Sakiri snapped the unlit cigarette in half.

It was clear the junior had come to gauge his reaction after hearing about the use of the forbidden technique, "Scales of Truth."

"I appreciate your concern, but stop it. I'm tired of being comforted by juniors."

"Hey, it's not like that."

The junior, sitting across from him with a cheeky smile, opened a report lying on the sofa.

"Hmm."

As he read with an intrigued smile, his expression changed at the mention of the term "Rulebreaker."

Sakiri cut him off.

"An Rulebreaker. It's an ability that allows one to utilize others' magic. That's why there was confusion."

"Well, cases like that are tough. Evidence shows up at the scene, but the culprit can't be identified."

"That's not the problem."

The junior looked up, holding the documents.

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

'Dominates their entire life.'

There was no room for argument, as it came from an Rulebreaker.

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 lessen, but no criminal had ever resisted it.

'How does she endure it?'

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

"I heard it can be extinguished. Rulebreaker abilities are ultimately a matter of the mind."

"Catharsis."

Sakiri's eyes darkened.

"If a catharsis that transcends the trauma occurs, the Rulebreaker ability vanishes. There have been a few cases, but they make up less than 1% of all Rulebreakers. It's not something that can be done consciously. That's why no one teaches it. If you recklessly try to treat it, the therapist might go mad instead."

"B-but it's not entirely impossible…"

The junior trailed off.

Before him was Sakiri's true face, something he never revealed.

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

After countless answers ran through his mind, all he could say was, "I'm sorry, Senior."

Sakiri's expression softened.

He knew how much the junior cared for him.

"It's not entirely impossible."

As he sipped his drink, he muttered softly, "It would be a miracle."

Clay Marsha (7)

It was the summer of her 17th year.

Marsha lay in a sweltering room, staring at the ceiling.

When the sun set, her drunken stepfather would beat her, but she had nowhere to run.

No, perhaps it was more accurate to say she had no will to run.

'Why?'

She wanted to ask.

But every time, the thought was too terrifying, and she couldn't bring herself to speak.

'Does Dad… hate me?'

It was unbearable.

More than the beatings, more than having her belongings taken, not knowing the truth was the hardest.

"Marsha."

At her stepfather's voice, Marsha sat up.

Unlike usual, she hid a small dagger behind her back.

"You can hug me."

Even now, Marsha remembers it vividly.

Her stepfather's face, his gaze, the coldness of the dagger, the smell of blood.

But in this moment, the stepfather standing before her gently embraced her.

"I'm sorry, my daughter."

"..."

Perhaps she had lived just to hear those words.

The blade hidden behind her fell, disappearing like a mirage before it hit the ground. And time reversed.

"Hic! Sob!"

Years of pent-up, twisted emotions exploded in an instant, like a spirit bursting forth from a fully opened consciousness.

"Waaah! Dad! Dad!"

Marsha clung to Shirone, crying like a seventeen-year-old girl.

Shirone silently stroked her back.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Though the event never happened, her past was shattering in her mind.

As the twisted logic disappeared and her memories were reconstructed with new logic, Shirone felt all his magic returning.

Freeman looked incredulous.

"M-Marsha."

The reason he had stayed by her side through all the hardships was solely for this moment.

'But… I couldn't do it.'

Giving everything to someone you love isn't a sacrifice.

That's why the weight of what Shirone had given up for Marsha felt even greater.

'It's a complete defeat, Shirone.'

Marsha's crying showed no signs of stopping.

She knew it too. That if not today, the door might never open again.

"Waaah! Waaah!"

The endlessly deep wound was healing.

Late Lunch (1)

The fierce battle had ended.

As the wounded treated each other, Shirone's party also received first aid.

"Hey, give me your other hand."

A subordinate from the Parrot Mercenary Band bandaged Shirone's torn arm.

Though they had no formal medical training, as veterans, they knew basic first aid.

Shirone glanced toward the cliff.

Marsha stood there, staring at the sea, lost in thought.

He had heard a rough explanation from Freeman, but he couldn't fully grasp what had happened.

However, her back looked weaker than before, yet somehow lighter.

Freeman approached Marsha.

"The wounded have been treated. We can leave anytime. Honestly, we don't have much time to clean up."

"Freeman."

Marsha turned her head.

"The Parrot Mercenary Band is their only sanctuary. I can't bear to see them rotting on the streets."

"...I know. I just wanted to remind you that time is short."

For a while, there was silence.

Though she felt she should think, the soothing sound of the waves brought her a sense of peace.

Freeman broke the silence.

"What will you do now?"

"I don't know. I'll live. First…"

Marsha looked back at Shirone.

The Parrot Mercenary Band had agreed to a truce because they had seen the tears of their leader, Marsha, the reason for their existence.

"We need to tie up loose ends, don't we?"

Without sorting out her feelings, Shirone's feelings, and everyone else's, there could be no new life.

"I see."

As Freeman stepped aside to let her pass, Marsha took a deep breath and walked forward.

The closer she got to Shirone, the faster her heart raced, but she mustered her courage.

"How are you?"

Shirone looked up, checking his bandages.

"I'm fine. Just some bruises."

The atmosphere was more awkward than when they had first met.

No, perhaps this was the first time.

The world outside the mask was this terrifying.

"We're leaving the island. It's not possible right away, but we need to find a sanctuary for those pitiful souls."

"..."

"If you plan to stop us, say it now. I'm willing to be caught alone. The Association will know my name. I owe you that much. But my subordinates are leaving the island. This is non-negotiable."

"I'm not a judge."

Shirone repeated what he had said when Marsha was captured by Gamos.

"I have no right to judge others."

Marsha gave a bitter smile.

"You really live a hard life."

Perhaps it was that belief that allowed him to overcome even the trauma of an Rulebreaker.

"More than that, I have a question."

It was the only question that had lingered in Shirone's mind since the battle ended.

"What is an Rulebreaker?"

If it was the manifestation of trauma, no one would want to define their own pain.

After staring at Shirone for a moment, Marsha turned away, forcing out the words she had been thinking.

"Let's eat something first."

Marsha took Shirone's party to her hideout.

The fact that not a single piece of furniture was intact gave the friends a sense of how fierce the battle had been.

"Go upstairs."

While Marsha prepared a simple meal, Shirone's party waited at the table.

Though it was an unfamiliar situation, the hunger from not having eaten since dawn made it impossible to ignore the smell of food.

With Freeman and Yuna joining them, a soup with meat and baked bread was served.

As their hunger subsided, Shirone asked, "Can you no longer use your Rulebreaker abilities? What happened to the magic you stole from others?"

There was so much he wanted to know, and considering that only a few Rulebreakers experienced catharsis, it was even more pressing.

Marsha set down her utensils and spoke.

"I'll tell you everything I know. First, the magic of theft has vanished. Since my twisted logic is gone, I can no longer use the same mechanism. But I don't think the Rulebreaker ability itself has disappeared. It will likely transform into a new form."

There is no standard for a "normal" mind.

"Second, the magic I stole. One of the conditions for using stolen magic is that it must be operated through the Spirit Zone of theft. Therefore, the moment I stole your magic, I could no longer use my original sound magic. It doesn't return to the owner, though. To reclaim the magic, you must capture me. But this time is different."

Amy interjected.

"Because the Rulebreaker ability itself has vanished."

"Right. In cases where the logic is unraveled through catharsis, the phenomenon is restored to its original state. Though it's a minority of cases, it's been verified."

Marsha leaned back in her chair.

"After passing through a long tunnel and returning to the world, I feel differently about what I was obsessed with. I want to grow the mercenary band much larger. Until now, we only took in strays, but I've started to think… doesn't everyone live with at least one painful wound?"

She seemed a little more ordinary now.

"How are the rules determined when an Rulebreaker ability first manifests? Are they designed in advance?"

"It's a bit subtle. If magic is about focusing consciousness, then Rulebreaker abilities are manifestations of the subconscious. From a conscious perspective, the Rulebreaker phenomenon suddenly occurs, and only afterward do you learn the rules. But if that's the case, why don't Rulebreakers feel resistance to the rules? Personally, I think it's because the rules are already defined in the subconscious. I could only consciously adjust the details, not change the overarching framework of theft."

There's no way to control the subconscious.

"So even if an Rulebreaker ability activates in the future, you won't immediately know the mechanism."

"That's right. But it won't go beyond me. Who knows, maybe it'll be a magic that enchants blond mages?"

Amy's eyes widened.

Even without the trauma, her personality remained the same.

Freeman chimed in.

"How about a magic that enchants men without eyebrows?"

"Cough! Cough!"

Marsha, who had been swallowing soup, choked and glared at him.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Are you trying to annoy me? Now that I think about it, you lost, didn't you? You went for the 'Reversal' tech tree again, didn't you?"