C79
Nade picked up a pen and wrote something on his palm. The friends who were watching did the same.
- I lost my memory. Whoever knows the keyword is a trustworthy person. The keyword is Polaris.
Shirone and the others spread their palms in satisfaction. With this mark, they would cooperate even if they lost their memories.
"Alright, are we good? Let's go now."
Regaining confidence, Sirone left Eastas.
Students who had finished their classes were coming and going in the schoolyard. When they regained their composure and looked around, they noticed more than one or two strange things.
Students who would normally walk around in groups of three, three, five, were moving individually. Most strangely, they were walking busily, but their paths were all over the place.
"Guys, those people..."
"I know. I felt it too. They don't have a destination. They're just walking around aimlessly, right?”
Nade found an acquaintance in the crowd. It was Gabe, a classmate from Class Five.
"Hey, Gabe. Where are you going?"
Gabe approached, and then asked in a dry tone, as if dealing with a stranger for the first time.
“Who are you?”
Nade pouted his lips. However, since he already heard what Shirone had experienced, he didn't care and asked his question.
"Never mind, where are you going now?"
“Where am I going?”
Nade spoke as if he was frustrated, tapping his chest.
"You were walking continuously. Where is your destination?"
"Me?"
Gabe looked down at his legs. Then, like someone who suddenly realized something, he began to look around.
"Where is... this place?"
"Hey, get a hold of yourself. Why are you acting like this? What happened in the last few days? Did you see anyone suspicious?"
"Do you... know me?"
"Of course I know you. How could I not?"
Gabe's face went pale. Suddenly, he grabbed Nade's shoulder and shook him.
"Then tell me! Who am I? No, where is this place? My... what's my name?"
As the frightened Gabe clutched his head, Nade slowly stepped back and prepared for an unexpected situation. Fortunately, Gabe didn't turn aggressive. He was just going crazy.
"What is this noise? I hear strange sounds! Why do these sounds keep coming!"
Gabe's tongue began to twist as he shouted as he looked around. Eventually, he made incomprehensible strange noises.
Shirone's eyes widened in shock. He realized what state Gabe was in. On the other hand, Iruki listened to the sounds around him as if he hadn't noticed yet.
"What noise is he hearing? Is it hallucinations?"
Shirone spoke in a trembling voice.
"No, he's listening to his own voice."
"What? His own voice?"
"He can't remember language. He's habitually speaking but doesn't understand the meaning. So he have no choice but to be afraid.”
Gabe had completely forgotten the language system. Eventually, he seemed to have forgotten even the syllables and yelled like a primitive person.
Shirone and his companions were alarmed. Considering the speed at which their minds were deteriorating, their memories were disappearing quite quickly.
As time passed, Gabe's voice faded, the vitality in his eyes disappeared, and eventually, he lost the ability to move. At the same time... everyone in the vicinity stopped moving.
A terrifying silence came to the magic school. It was as if everyone had become wax figures; there was no sign of movement from anyone.
"What on earth... What's happening?"
"Anyway, we're safe for now. We can't be optimistic, but there's still room for further investigation."
Shirone examined each person one by one. It felt as if the world had stopped, like Armin's stop magic. But time was definitely passing. Moreover, people occasionally blinked their eyes, so they weren't completely frozen.
"Their thoughts... have stopped."
If it was a type of magic, it had a more dangerous effect than Stop magic. It could pose a threat to the opponent. If one put their mind on it, even a child could harm everyone in the area.
The three of them went into the crowd and conducted a few experiments. When they tickled a junior, he burst into laughter. But as soon as the tickling stopped, his expression immediately hardened. When they threaten and about to stab their eyes, he blinked. It meant that his nerves were still alive.
"Wow, only their thoughts have stopped. This is unusual, isn't it?"
"That means they have physical limits. They won't be able to stand for long. What on earth is the purpose of doing this?"
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
