Chapter 159: Clay Marsha (2)
xX5“Anything is fine. If you spill everything you know, I’ll send you back to prison nicely.”t0m
aIyMIFmLucas remained silent, his mind racing rapidly.OVAPu5O
L9vHaving joined when the Parrot Mercenary Band was actually the Parrot Thieves’ Gang, Lucas had no particular loyalty to Marsha. Thus, spilling the facts he knew should have been easy.RDDEK
oVmBut confessing here meant he might never leave a deep, dark cell until his death.Y5bSrK
ZDb“How about a deal?”GptMQ
8c4aB“A deal? What kind of deal?”
“I’ll tell you everything about Marsha. In return, reduce my sentence. Just make it possible for me to get out before I die, and I’ll give you the information you want.”8lke5
kqMcb“Huh…”wex
NKuSakiri looked at Lucas with a dumbfounded expression, then suddenly burst into laughter, stamping his feet.2aFe
ovK“Hahaha!”Ifao
3tIOlThe desk toppled over with a crash. Sakiri sprang up and advanced, screaming in rage.L0p
oEcjWA“You insane bastard! Do you even know where you are?”DXjbdNO
2iqF28He kicked, and Lucas, along with the chair, toppled over. Yet, even that didn’t seem to satisfy Sakiri’s rage as he stomped repeatedly on the fallen Lucas.Ijr
rRn97But this time, Lucas was desperate too.zpbKGa
S6fznJ8Whether he died this way or that, it was all the same. If he couldn’t achieve some result here, his life was effectively over.Q3yWgEE
a6PDZv“Go ahead! Beat me! I will never talk! Let’s make a deal!”D2yKM3w
EubbvWKSakiri’s kicking paused.MuZT9tu
5ZSj7kWhy are all the bad guys shamelessly brazen? If they hated prison so much, they shouldn’t have committed crimes in the first place.j6rey
MaPI“Ah, this is driving me insane.”6nMxH
KG3ACSakiri calmed his breathing and turned away.bHbT
uoSCEven in his frightened state, Lucas observed him closely. The fact that Sakiri had stopped kicking meant he was conflicted. If Lucas could just hold on a little longer, a channel for negotiation might open.lvnnxb1
oknHowever, contrary to expectations, Sakiri opened the door of the interrogation room and issued a terrifying order.gan
heBhbE“Hey, deactivate the magic restriction device here.”F2TEos
UB0VtueMagic restriction devices differ from anti-magic. These are specifically designed to completely block the initiation of magic.uJywEP6
jRwglGWThough it was also a form of magic, very few thieves could break through the magical circles designed by the top-ranking archmages.I0KN
gMWzLucas swallowed hard. He shouldn’t show fear. It was clear that Sakiri was also making a last-ditch effort. If he could just get through this ordeal, he might see the outside world again someday.TW0A3op
yBBEpSakiri waited calmly. After a moment, there was a heavy sound as the air seemed to settle.3JVHf
EtsLucas couldn’t tell what had changed, but Sakiri approached, appearing somewhat lighter, and twisted his neck.hYwVjva
KLrXShb“Tell me everything you know about Marsha. If you remain silent or lie, unbearable horror will come upon you.”Q7g2vPT
Rl8TJ9“I-I won’t tell. I won’t say a word.”pVj8
8lyTauSakiri, unbothered, extended his hand towards Lucas and, closing his eyes, chanted something like an incantation.j1znVuA
XPA24P“I command as a judge, speech answers to speech. The scales of truth are yours alone.”K9D
mmUUDAzLucas’s complexion turned deathly pale.WLx
mJ78uz6He had mistaken Sakiri for an ordinary investigator. Sakiri was indeed one of those numerous figures who must never be crossed.BJDvKiv
WnOYHI“Damn it!”t11
iSiApTen minutes passed.uvQ
0pj“Aaaaaaah!”jpey5
6QyqA ripping scream echoed through the interrogation room.xPL
VFhInLucas was nearly out of his mind. Even the surgery to amputate his legs hadn’t been this painful.O4G1
EXlny“Okay! I’ll talk! I’ll tell everything, just stop this!”HZUC
ALL4The moment he shouted, the pain disappeared as if it were a lie.You
MdALucas, crumpled in a corner of the room, cowered and looked up at Sakiri.Djk
L7nN“It’s your choice. If you want to be at ease, spill everything.”aHK6
fWciLucas resigned himself. Neither silence nor lies were tolerated.NS63vlW
uWnIn front of Sakiri’s magic, the “Scales of Truth,” no criminal could withhold the truth.4WppAZ
LUV“Marsha is clever. And she makes no mistakes. Initially, she lets her opponents expose all their weaknesses while pretending to be losing. But she never allows herself to be hated, laying traps to ensure it.”mLYRkaC
1LY850“Typical con artist’s tactics.”y2VV0
4973Zg1“Heh, con artist? No, she’s not a con artist. Do you know what makes her terrifying? She doesn’t lie to deceive someone. Her entire life is a lie. Ordinary methods won’t catch her.”1Yep
cUr4“Hmm, I see her type now. But mere intelligence shouldn’t have the intelligence reports so jumbled.”nQP
KwHBSakiri leaned on his chin and pondered. Then, a possibility struck him.BlE3RqE
8XwSNo one else might understand, but he could be certain of why the intelligence was inconsistent.P81A
Bzu3Qx“Could it be? Is she perhaps…”Mdw21
krahnH3“Yes. She’s one of your kind.”ticgFOM
FvbwokARelieved that he would no longer suffer, Lucas spoke with force in his voice.1vDDs
TeW“Marsha is… an unregulated eater.”hKSdP
GLnp***cxSG19
Ue7PShirone analyzed her by any means necessary. Yet, he could understand nothing. She was completely different from any person he had met in his life.jZCIMvH
prdD“Even if you kill me…”QqKS
89WG“Heh, yes. You hate me, right? So feel free to kill me.”6IFUhle
BSthzShirone thought no longer. If there was no answer to be found, he would stick to his convictions.Ta3
alX“If Yuna is safe, then I have no reason to fight you.”qNNr
fy6ujnjA crack-like faint smile etched across Marsha’s lips.fS0L
SwW64xXAs her Attack Form of the Spirit Zone lunged in, Shirone immediately teleported.3ON
2VfD‘Eh?’ogjMD
TNr5ZBShirone was puzzled. The Spirit Zone suddenly vanished, and his teleportation unraveled.SuMF7ts
pEnUFIn that moment, the roar of the Sonic Cannon passed by, scalding his ears as if they were on fire.OaZr5
OfBjUnable to withstand the shock, Shirone rolled on the ground, prompting Rian to exclaim in surprise.mondB
sx1“What? Why did Shirone suddenly do that?”KiZil
X1YQoThe Sonic Cannon compresses sound waves, so it doesn’t disperse sound indiscriminately. Therefore, his friends, who were at a distance, only heard a high-pitched scream.QhW6ck
g3aPV“That’s the Sonic Cannon. A type of Sound Magic. But that’s not the problem.”uxOBqEx
RusWmAmy spoke up, and Tess chimed in.5txyJX
gOpL1Q“Right. Shirone got hit.”IVrUhJC
JE4A dark shadow crossed Amy’s face. It seemed that Shirone had tried to escape using teleportation, but the photonization had been disrupted just before the magic activated.Uoy8m
QbynR“That’s not just being hit. It was stolen.”exHLca
j4XMpL“Stolen? What was stolen?”Ke5
EtFR4ZmAmy, through synesthesia, could confirm it. She had seen the moment Marsha siphoned off Shirone’s Spirit Zone like dew.1jExzY
iOIuP“Perhaps… his mental power.”VkO97I
idX“That’s impossible. How can someone steal another’s mental power?”SDP
1L0Amy hurried towards Shirone.d9pVJ
NkgClay Marsha.3Woi
kzqIf she was right, then this woman was extremely dangerous.0Nv
o1VaK“Shirone! Be careful! That woman is an unregulated eater!”UeYnYP
bk24Shirone’s head snapped up. Though his ears felt like they were bleeding from the Sonic Cannon’s power, his indomitable spirit was still intact.o62j
NJOyrRt“This… is unregulated consumption?”Ur2Uq
j0E“Oh, you know about unregulated consumption too? You guys are really something. You must have long straps on your bags.”iJZ
eKuMCMages develop numerous spells every day, and the association registers these as regulated magic.16C2tsr
h09xVFHowever, there exists magic that can never be registered—unregulated consumption.RDN
RGOwuBThe omniscience of unregulated consumption is unique.bcHIV
bZm7bhpIt’s not based on universally known facts but solely on the blind ideology of the individual.Ape
pO7ZEnAIn other words, these magicians create their own rules and can impose them on others.F4h
eVdShirone recalled a lesson about unregulated consumption he had attended with Siena.Wht
kfpp“Omnipotence is belief. The reason the speed of photons can be categorized into four types, the temperature of flames can change, and plasma can be produced even at moderate temperatures is because the omnipotence of mages supports the omniscience.”FBGtw2
0SBSiena wrote the word ‘unregulated consumption’ on the blackboard.qBrXIjN
RmMThe emergence of the unfamiliar term caused a stir among the students, but she continued undeterred.NolXeyr
r5VRvX“However, there are those in the world who use omnipotence for personal gain. That is, they don’t just support omniscience; they twist it entirely. The magic used by such individuals is called unregulated consumption.”cafVXzE
pnIqu“Teacher, I don’t quite understand?”eCIza
hS0TYR“Let me explain now. What’s my job?”6dygk
Lsq5“Of course, you’re a teacher.”p8xL
8FJ5LH“Right. I’m a teacher. Shall we start? Is there anyone here who doesn’t think I’m a teacher? Raise your hand.”iOjm
rOdqZ1Naturally, no one raised their hand. It was an impossible notion. Knowing that she was a teacher and then denying it would be a contradiction.filEr
e0h4PQk“This is exactly the nature of the mind. Unlike the body, the mind does not push out a concept that enters it. Instead, it absorbs it and forms a new mass.”nUZjD38
sqKDdIZSiena emphasized her point by raising a finger.95XN
AJWf“In other words, other people’s thoughts can be applied to others, and in fact, all the thoughts that make us up are obtained from others. Now, let me demonstrate unregulated consumption.”P4vp
QRlefw3Siena stepped down from the podium and looked squarely at the students.U3l5R
nZpsfA“Those who think I’m a teacher will die.”bcF9hNc
nFCAJbThe students murmured. Siena’s statement was serious, and although some tried to deny it, it was ultimately impossible.eTaJN
mRf6The mind does not get denied. It just changes.Zg4lL
v5koOCh“Teacher, is this for real?”VWj
Q53“Don’t be alarmed. I was explaining the mechanism. I’m not an unregulated eater.”IcQF
PcyA wave of deflation washed through the students’ voices.XrFk
KPscCSiena adjusted her glasses and returned to the podium.UWt
K01“Of course, it’s not that simple in reality. No unregulated eater could inject a fundamental concept to kill someone. Unregulated consumption is also magic. The principle of equivalent exchange always applies.”9WzAdB
8Zg8zA male student raised his hand.JD7G
jYKheS“But there could really be such a person, right? Someone who believes that the rule you mentioned earlier is fair.”gWEG
bpU“Sure, it’s possible. But magic is a product of rational thought. Someone that deranged couldn’t handle magic in the first place, and even if they existed, it wouldn’t work on you.”Qs8p3Xb
k12nOLQ“Because it can’t even penetrate the mind.”aAntbR8
848pUHt“Exactly. Therefore, unregulated consumption has significant constraints and costs. For example, here’s a rule that could be made: Those who think I’m a teacher must use honorifics with me.”DbWnkMU
a48H“Hey, that’s obvious.”pGC
thUO“Right. And this is the scary part of unregulated consumption. Just as you accept this as obvious, unregulated eaters can implant their own rules into others as obvious. What about this? Those who think I’m a teacher must love me.”tUYlPB
KC0xd“Haha! That’s also obvious, right?”jgwN
NDuuf5IThe children laughed heartily. Siena continued without concern.DXAs0Zc
56eLN“Those who love me must obey me.”rMyJXKY
BDk5MHThe laughter in the room gradually subsided.BMkaZ
TgG“Those who obey me must die before me.”hrv
WHqIqSilence fell in the classroom.RUNpD
fBMq“This is one of the techniques of unregulated consumption called constraint. It imposes several constraints to extend the rules. Where logic leaps, omnipotence connects. Because they really believe it, such events occur. Therefore, once caught, there’s no escaping.”A59R1c
dWcIgwfA gulp sounded. Could such magic really exist in the world? If it did, they would never want to encounter such a magician.BHTtqUw
BqykL“However, the real reason unregulated consumption is tricky isn’t the constraints but the cost. Earlier, I said you couldn’t kill someone with a fundamental concept, but if a cost is involved, it’s a bit different. Let’s try it now. Those who don’t think I’m a teacher will die.”AOA
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