Neid picked up a feather and wrote something on the palm of his hand. The kids who were watching him also recorded the same message.
["I have lost my memory. The person who knows the keywords is a trusted person. The keyword is the North Star."]
Shirone and the others extended their palms in satisfaction. If you mark this in this way, even if you lose your memory, you will cooperate.
"Is it okay? Shall we go outside now?"
After regaining his confidence, Shirone left Istas.
After class, students were coming and going on the campus. When I regained my composure and looked around, there were strange things everywhere.
The students who normally walked in groups of three, three, or five were moving individually. Strangest of all, the directions of movement were chaotic even though they were on the pathway.
"Guys, those people..."
"I know. I felt it too. They have no destination. Aren't they just walking as they please?"
Neid found an acquaintance in the crowd. It was Gabe from Class Five.
"Hey, Gabe. Where are you going?"
Gabe approached. Then he asked in a dry tone as if he were speaking to someone he had never seen before.
"Who are you?"
Neid pursed his lips. But since he had already heard what Shirone had gone through, he didn't mind and asked his questions first.
"No, forget it. Where are you going?"
"Where am I going?"
Neid said frustratedly, patting his chest.
"You were on your way. What's your destination?"
"Me?"
Gabe looked down at his legs. Then he began looking around as if he suddenly realized himself.
"Where is...? Where am I?"
"Hey, calm down. Why are you doing this? What happened in the past few days? Did you see suspicious people?"
"I don't... know?"
"Of course, you know. How can you not know?"
Gabe's face turned pale. He suddenly approached and grabbed Neid by the shoulder and shook him.
"Then tell me! Who am I? No, where the hell am I? Me...? What's my name?"
Terrified, Gabe clutched his head, and Neid slowly backed away and prepared for the unexpected. Fortunately, Gabe didn't become aggressive; he was simply going crazy.
"What are they talking about? I hear a strange noise! Why do I keep hearing this?!"
Gabe's tongue began to twist as he shouted, looking around. Suddenly, a strange sound that he couldn't understand at all came out.
Shirone's eyes widened in shock. He realized the state Gabe was in. On the other hand, Eruki didn't hear the sounds around him as if he hadn't realized yet.
"What are you hearing? Is it a hallucination?"
Shirone said with a trembling voice.
"No, I'm hearing... my own voice..."
"Your own voice?"
"I can't remember the language. You spit out words out of habit, but you don't know the meaning. So I have no choice but to be afraid."
Gabe had completely forgotten the language system. Finally, he made a sound like a man who had forgotten even the syllables.
Shirone and the others shuddered. Judging by how quickly the mind degenerated, the memory was fading quite fast.
As time passed, Gabe's voice faded, his eyes lost vitality, and he finally lost the ability to move. At the same time... Everyone on the street stopped moving.
A terrifying silence descended upon the magic academy. As if a wax figure had been placed, no one showed any signs of moving.
"What...? What has happened?"
"Anyway, we're fine. I'm not optimistic, but there's room for a little more investigation."
Shirone looked at people one by one. It seemed like the world had stopped, like Armin's stopping magic. But time was definitely passing. Moreover, seeing people blink from time to time, they weren't even frozen.
"I think... it stopped."
If it was some kind of magic, it was a more dangerous effect than freezing. It could pose a threat to their opponent. Even a child could have hurt everyone in this place if they had wanted to.
The three ventured into the crowd and conducted some experiments. When they tickled a student, he burst into laughter. However, as soon as the tickling stopped, he returned to having an empty expression. He blinked his eyelids as if threatening to stab them in the eye. It was said that the nerves were alive.
"Oh, I guess they just stopped thinking. Is this unusual?"
"Then does that mean physical strength has its limits too? You won't last long without moving."
"Who did this? Let's look a little more."
Shirone and the others headed north. It was to check if the older students and high-level magic users were in the same situation.
When they reached the uphill road, the older students slipped under the steel gate arch.
Shirone and the others hid in the bushes.
The fact that only the senior class was moving in a situation where no one else could move was reason enough to be alert.
In the crowd of older students, they saw a face they had never seen before.
It was a man and a woman who seemed to be the same age as Shirone, and a man carrying twin swords that had nothing to do with the magic academy.
Lucas whistled and smiled.
"Hehehe, I've seen many eerie scenes in my life, but this is the first time I've seen such a gloomy scene. Have they all turned into zombies?"
Abyss Nova is a magic that blocks the memories of people exposed to Nova for 24 hours. It was not an exaggeration to say it was an inert magic because thinking was impossible without memory. The order in which memories were blocked was from the most recent.
It was Arin's mission to guide those whose memories had been blocked. Specializing in spirit-type magic, she led the seniors to the campus where Shirone and the others had encountered Gabe.
'The shadow of capture.'
And there she cast her magic again. It penetrated into people's shadows as their shadows moved like tentacles.
A unique shape that doesn't exist in the four ways. However, it was a standard type of tentacle for spirit-type mages.
The type of tentacle was much more flexible than the four types because it used the spirit zone by unwinding it like a thin thread.
However, it took a long time, and it took at least 20 minutes to go through all the shadows of the advanced students.
While Arin worked, Lucas passed the time watching the female students. As they were nobles, they all had pale skin and smelled good. Scanning their figures with the eye of a viper, Lucas stopped when he saw a woman he liked.
"Oh, look at this."
Even in a state of memory loss, she was a girl with clear eyes. She had a retro style, with reddish bangs falling over one eye, but her appearance was the best among all the students.
"She must have some personality. I like fierce women."
The moment Lucas's hand approached Amy, Kanis grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around.
"Lucas, stop. Please refrain from doing rude things."
"What? Lucas? Stop me? Are you talking to me right now?"
"I won't let you do useless things."
"Ha!"
Lucas let out a weak laugh. Had he fallen so low in the status of the Parrot Bandits?
"Hey, why are you so serious? From what I've heard, it's revenge. Why don't we have a little fun?"
"This is revenge to restore the Master's pride. I won't forgive you for doing bad things."
"And if you don't forgive me, what will you do?"
"I'll terminate the contract."
"It's like anything. Arin is casting the Shadow of Capture. You can be fired at any time for any behavior that interferes with the operation. Of course, if you're not satisfied with that...".
A dark abyss whirlwind surged in Kanis's pupils.
"I'll kill you on the spot."
Lucas sighed and stepped back. He had defeated countless mages before becoming the vice-captain of the Parrot Bandits; he knew how dangerous it was to show hostility in the Spirit Zone, the magical equivalent of the mages.
"I'm the employee. Anyway, if the goal isn't met, I'm the only one who loses."
"You guys are very strict. A person called a master can't even stick their nose in. Where the hell has he been?"
"The Master is making important preparations. Simple things like this mean we can handle them ourselves."
Arcane was currently secluded as he recovered the mental power he had spent with Abyss Nova. However, Kanis kept the fact hidden because it would be pointless to tell him.
"Hehe, I'm sure you'll be fine."
Lucas's eyes glowed briefly for a moment after giving an evasive response and turning away.
'Heh, he's definitely hiding somewhere.'
Lucas was quick to realize if someone was lying. If it was magic that blocked the memories of hundreds of people, it was a level that ordinary mages couldn't even attempt. Even if he were an archmage, it was clear he couldn't use his full power for a while.
'You're just boasting now, kid. I won't miss this fun opportunity, will I?'
After Arin's work was done, the advanced students began to move together. Only after they disappeared from view did Shirone and the others come out of the bushes. From what they had seen, it seemed like they intended to take the entire academy somewhere.
"Who the hell are those guys?"
"I have no idea. But there isn't much time, I don't know what they'll do when they reach their destination. Plus, even the teachers were detained."
Shirone said.
"I thought the magic that girl cast was dark magic. If so, did they do something?"
"I think the chances of that happening are slim. To cast magic of this magnitude, the mage's power must be enormous. Two of the three are too young, and one probably isn't even a mage, as he carries a weapon."
"You mean there's a third person?"
"Exactly. For now, let's focus on tracking. If someone is in a dangerous situation, it's not too late to act."
"To take control of the magic academy? They're crazy. Plus, it's dark magic..."
With an unknown ominous feeling, Shirone and the others followed the unwanted guests.
***
Ethella remained in the training center wearing the same outfit as yesterday. Her eyebrows furrowed as she hadn't even moved from her cross-legged position. Her forehead wrinkled, and her nose twitched. Clenching her teeth, she began to vibrate violently, causing veins to appear on her neck.
Rumbled, Rumbled~
The building shook along with Ethella's body. Dust fell as the walls and ceiling vibrated. Finally, opening her eyes, she let out her ragged breath and collapsed in front of her.
"Ha! Ha!"
Ethella body, which had been fighting Simma throughout the night into the early morning, was covered in cold sweat and exhausted.
"What was that?"
She didn't understand it precisely, but it was a type of magic that infiltrated the human mind and blocked memories. The dark magic belonged to a legitimate magic academy, but the malice contained in the magic was intense enough to make Ethella's limits waver. If it weren't for the laws of the Karsis Order, she too would have lost her memories helplessly.
"It's dark magic. But it must be strictly prohibited on campus."
Ethella checked the time. It was late, and the sun was already shining, but it was past the time to stay even after classes had ended.
"Does it mean you've been trapped in Shimma for more than 12 hours?"
Considering Etella's pure and clean spirit, it was very powerful magic. What's even more surprising is that despite skipping all her classes, no one came to visit this place.
"You're not the only one."
Ethella, who had gone so far in her thoughts, rushed out of the training center without even having time to change her clothes.
***
A flash of light passed over the magic school. Then, as if drawn by a magnet, it bent towards the ground and plummeted. A man landed without even a sound of impact.