Irene Smirnoff

Irene is stern, blunt and openly admits that she dislikes people she considers excessively lucky. She initially responds coldly to Aladdin for precisely that reason, brushing away his attempt at a friendly greeting before beginning her lesson.

She shares much of Magnostadt's institutional prejudice toward the Goi, accepting Mogamett's belief that magicians should govern themselves rather than remain subordinate to non-magical rulers. Yet she is not completely indifferent to the human cost of that ideology. During the war, she hesitates when continued use of Magnostadt's weapon threatens the inhabitants of the fifth district before deciding that the military necessity outweighs the casualties.

Her later reactions show genuine horror when the country's research produces consequences even she had not anticipated.

Irene is a High-Class Magician with advanced knowledge of Rukh. She teaches the Zemi devoted to the properties and alteration of Rukh, including Black Rukh, and is familiar with research into its practical applications. She demonstrates to her class that Black Rukh can be manipulated to produce an artificial Djinn-like construct.

In battle, Irene uses a Borg like other accomplished magicians and commands magical forces during Reim's invasion. She and subordinate magicians employ Shallal Merra while defending Magnostadt.

Her expertise extends beyond direct spellcasting. Irene understands magical barriers, magic tools and Magnostadt's large-scale weapon systems well enough to command sections of the city's defenses.

Irene first appears among Magnostadt's senior instructors and oversees the practical battle examination between Aladdin and Titus Alexius. She later teaches Aladdin about Rukh alteration, giving the story one of its clearest academic explanations of Black Rukh and Magnostadt's research.

When Reim invades, Irene becomes one of Magnostadt's battlefield commanders. She directs magicians and magic-tool troops and participates in operating the city's large weapon. Her decision to continue firing despite the danger to the fifth district demonstrates how thoroughly Magnostadt's social hierarchy has shaped even magicians capable of recognizing its human cost.

Irene is horrified when Mogamett's enormous hidden reserve of Black Rukh produces the Black Djinn and the Medium, realizing that the research she participated in has developed into something far beyond what she understood. After the crisis, she and Magnostadt's surviving High-Class Magicians surrender themselves voluntarily.

Matal Mogamett is Irene's chancellor and the ideological leader of Magnostadt. She supports his state and serves beneath him, although she is unaware of the full extent of the Black Rukh he has accumulated beneath the city.

Aladdin is Irene's student in her Rukh course. She initially dislikes him because of what she sees as his extraordinary luck, but his questions about Black Rukh push directly against subjects Magnostadt has tried to conceal.

Titus Alexius is another student whose examination Irene supervises alongside Aladdin.

Yamraiha shares Irene's background as an advanced Magnostadt-trained magician. In the later reconstruction of Magnostadt, Irene works within the reformed magical institution associated with Yamraiha's leadership.