The fierce battle had ended.
As the wounded treated each other, Shirone and her companions also received first aid.
Mercenary: "Hey, give me your other hand."
A subordinate from the Parrot Mercenary Group bandaged Shirone’s torn arm.
Though they had no formal medical training, as seasoned veterans, they knew basic first aid.
Shirone looked toward the cliff.
Marsha was staring at the sea, lost in thought.
She had heard a rough explanation from Freeman, but she couldn’t fully grasp what had happened.
However, Marsha’s back looked weaker than before, yet somehow lighter.
Freeman approached Marsha.
Freeman: "The wounded have been treated. We can leave anytime. Honestly, we don’t have much time to clean up."
Marsha turned her head.
Marsha: "The Parrot Mercenary Group is their only sanctuary. I can’t bear to see them rotting on the streets."
Freeman: "...I know. I just wanted to remind you that we don’t have much time."
For a while, the conversation lapsed.
Though she felt she should think, in reality, she simply let her consciousness drift to the sound of the cool waves, feeling a serene calm.
Freeman was the first to speak again.
Freeman: "What will you do now?"
Marsha: "I don’t know. I’ll live. First..."
Marsha looked back at Shirone.
The Parrot Mercenary Group had agreed to a truce because they had seen the tears of their leader, the reason for their existence.
Marsha: "I need to tie up loose ends, don’t I?"
Without sorting out her own feelings, Shirone’s feelings, and everyone else’s feelings, there could be no new life.
As Freeman stepped aside to let her pass, Marsha took a deep breath and began to walk.
The closer she got to Shirone, the faster her heart beat, but she mustered her courage.
Marsha: "How are you feeling?"
Shirone looked up, checking the bandages.
Shirone: "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 frightening.
Marsha: "We’re leaving the island. It’s impossible right now, but we need to find a sanctuary for those pathetic guys."
Marsha: "If you plan to stop us, say it now. I’m willing to be caught alone. I can make a name for myself in the Association. I owe you that much. But my subordinates will leave the island. This is non-negotiable."
Shirone: "I’m not a judge."
Shirone repeated the words she had said when Marsha was captured by Gamos.
Shirone: "I have no right to judge others."
Marsha gave a bitter smile.
Marsha: "You really live a hard life."
It was that kind of conviction that had allowed her to overcome even the trauma of being an Outsider.
Shirone: "More than that, there’s something I want to ask."
It was the only question that had lingered in Shirone’s mind since the battle ended.
Shirone: "What exactly is an Outsider?"
If it was the manifestation of trauma, no one would want to define their own pain.
After staring at Shirone for a moment, Marsha forced out a response before turning away.
Marsha: "Let’s eat something first."
Marsha took Shirone and her companions to her hideout.
The fact that not a single piece of furniture was intact gave her friends a glimpse of how fierce the battle had been.
Marsha: "Go upstairs."
While Marsha prepared a simple meal, Shirone and her companions 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.
Freeman and Yuna joined them as a soup with meat and roasted bread was served.
As their hunger began to subside, Shirone asked,
Shirone: "Can you no longer use your Outsider abilities? What happened to the magic you stole from others?"
She had many questions, and knowing that only a few Outsiders experienced catharsis made her even more curious.
Marsha set down her utensils and spoke.
Marsha: "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 Outsider ability itself has disappeared. It will likely transform into a new form in some way."
There is no standard for what is normal in the mind.
Marsha: "Second, the magic I stole. One of the conditions for using stolen magic is that it must be channeled through a Spirit Zone created by theft. Therefore, the moment I stole your magic, I could no longer use my original sound magic. But it doesn’t return to its original owner. To reclaim the magic, you must capture me. However, this time is different."
Amy: "Because the Outsider ability itself has vanished."
Marsha: "Right. In cases where the logic is unraveled through catharsis, the phenomenon is restored to its original state. Though it’s a rare case, it’s been verified through existing examples."
Marsha leaned back in her chair.
Marsha: "After passing through a long tunnel and returning to the world, I’ve started thinking differently than before. I want to grow the mercenary group much larger. Until now, we only took in strays, but I’ve started to think... doesn’t everyone carry at least one painful wound?"
She seemed a little more ordinary now.
Shirone: "How are the rules determined when an Outsider ability first manifests? Are they designed in advance?"
Marsha: "That’s a bit tricky. If magic is about concentrating consciousness, then Outsider abilities are manifestations of the subconscious. From a conscious perspective, the Outsider phenomenon suddenly occurs, and only afterward do you learn the rules. But if that’s the case, why don’t Outsiders feel resistance to the rules? Personally, I think it’s because the rules are already defined in the subconscious. I only consciously adjusted the details; I couldn’t change the overarching framework of theft."
There’s no way to control the subconscious.
Shirone: "So even if an Outsider ability activates in the future, you wouldn’t immediately know the mechanism."
Marsha: "That’s right. But it won’t go beyond my existence. Let’s see, maybe it’ll be a magic that enchants a blond-haired mage?"
Even though her trauma was gone, her personality remained the same.
Freeman: "How about a magic that enchants a man with no eyebrows?"
Marsha: "Cough! Cough!"
Marsha, who had been sipping her soup, choked and glared at him.
Marsha: "What nonsense are you spouting? Are you really trying to annoy me? By the way, you lost, right? You went for the ’Reversal’ tech tree again, didn’t you?"
Amy showed interest, and Tess explained.
Tess: "It’s one of the advanced techniques of schemas. Users stack multiple schemas to build up their abilities. Reversal is the act of momentarily reversing the order of these schemas. In other words, the schema that was on top suddenly becomes the base."
Shirone also became intrigued.
Shirone: "What’s the benefit of reversing schemas?"
Tess: "Schema users have different bases depending on their profession. Combatants usually have strength enhancement as their base, with something like cell activation at the end. When a dangerous situation arises, they trigger a reversal. Then, the cell activation schema becomes the base, significantly speeding up recovery. Of course, the strength enhancement schema loses some of its influence. It’s a kind of switch strategy."
Shirone: "Ah, I see."
Amy, who had only learned about opening schemas, was also surprised.
It explained how Freeman had been able to recover so quickly after being struck in the head by Fire Call.
Marsha pointed her fork at Freeman.
Marsha: "This guy is a complete coward. He always avoids decisive battles and opts for defensive strategies when it matters most."
Freeman didn’t argue. If it meant protecting Marsha, he didn’t mind the stigma.
He changed the subject.
Freeman: "What are you all planning to do now? We’ll leave the island as soon as we’re done here. It’ll take a few days. If you need anything during that time, I’ll do my best to help."
Shirone was also a benefactor to Freeman.
Marsha, feeling the same, nodded.
Marsha: "Yeah. We came here for fun and got caught up in all this, so if there’s anything you need, just say the word. The tourist spots here are still ours, after all."
Shirone: "Ah, we’re planning to go to the Kergo Ruins."
At Shirone’s words, Marsha raised an eyebrow.
Marsha: "Kergo? It’s not that interesting, is it?"
Shirone: "Well, actually..."
When Shirone explained the reason they came to the island and what they experienced at the Kergo Ruins, Marsha’s eyes widened.
Marsha: "Wow, I had no idea there was such a secret. I’ve been away from the island, so I didn’t know. Freeman, did you know about this?"
Freeman: "To some extent. Falcoa had dealings with the natives. It’s a place full of secrets."
The mercenaries they met at the ruins were stuck at the Hall of Achievement and Sacrifice, but Falcoa had distributed large quantities of Loop to the taverns.
It was something that would have been impossible without connections to the high priests of the Kergo Autonomous Region.