Chapter: 9
Even without lighting, his blond hair seemed to shine, and his eyes were as piercingly blue as a winter lake.
His slanted eyebrows and narrowed forehead gave off the vibe that he was sharp-tempered.
However, the natural dignity he carried transformed this sharp-tempered vibe into an aura of authority.
This young man was none other than Second Prince Irid, one of the Emperor’s three children.
To summarize in one line, he was handsomely temperamental.
He was accompanied by a boy knight as his attendant. I had seen that face before at the Magic Tower Performance Conference. He seemed particularly interested in the Heavenly Demon, if memory serves.
I awkwardly propped up the broken Tower Master in a prostrate position and stepped forward.
“As she has been tirelessly researching day and night to repay the grace of the Empire, it seems the Magic Tower Master is a bit tired. It is a sin not to show proper respect to the Small Sun of the Empire, but I beg for your mercy, for all this arises from her sincere heart.”
“Your words are lengthy. Have you finished what you have to say?”
“Why are you here?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯?”
When I asked point-blank, sensing he preferred brevity, Second Prince Irid’s expression turned dull. It was as if he had ordered a tuna sandwich and received black bean noodles instead.
“You… Didn’t you just express regret over lacking proper manners?”
His valid point struck me, and I immediately prostrated myself on the ground in a neatly executed bow honed by hours of watching historical dramas. Having shown proper respect, I asked again.
“Why are you here?”
“Just as I expected from a wizard. You’re quite an oddball, huh? I do not expect proper manners from you. It seems you have no interest in idle chatter, so let us get straight to the point.”
“Yes.”
“I heard you demonstrated Dimensional Magic.”
“Excuse me? But this is the Purple Magic Tower…”
“Are you denying it even after showing it yourself? I was informed about the events at the Performance Conference by my knight. Apparently, you peeked into another world using Dimensional Magic.”
At that moment, spark!—a light bulb went off in my brain as the puzzle pieces clicked into place.
The secret behind the suspiciously large Imperial grant was that they mistook our research for practical Dimensional Magic…!
The culprit who raised such a misunderstanding was clear. It was the boy accompanying Second Prince Irid right now, the one who had watched the Heavenly Demon screening with such keen interest.
While the other masters quickly detected the clumsiness of the Heavenly Demon I conjured and criticized it as a poor illusion, that boy… seemed to believe it was real.
How lazy must his swordsmanship training have been to mistake an amateur’s illusion for reality?!
If he was following Second Prince Irid, he must either have skills or connections; since it’s probably not the latter, he must be a child of a duke or something. Or perhaps he was just exceptionally charming…
I needed to straighten out this misunderstanding.
“It is not Dimensional Magic. What we are researching is Illusion Magic.”
“Hm?”
“To be more specific, it’s an Illusion Magic that can show another world, allow you to feel all five senses within it, and even have conversations with the characters conjured inside. It’s as if you fell into another world.”
“……Are you trying to jest with me?”
“It’s the absolute truth. If words can’t convince you, would you like to experience it?”
“Experience it? As in Dimensional Travel?”
“It is Illusion Magic.”
“I can’t fathom why you’re playing possum to this extent. Is Dimensional Travel safe? Can you enter and exit freely?”
“It’s Illusion Magic and is indeed safe. It’s a format that only transfers consciousness, so Your Highness’s body will be lying down, fast asleep.”
“So it’s just transferring the soul with Dimensional Magic.”
“Not the soul—consciousness. And again, it’s Illusion Magic.”
“Fine, I’ll give it a shot.”
“Then please sign here.”
I pulled out a consent form I’d prepped in advance.
– I have been informed and fully understand that all events in virtual reality are fictional and have no relation to real individuals. Signature: –
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Second Prince Irid crossed his arms and silently pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Would you mind stepping out for a bit?”
“Yes.”
I exited the reception room and—
“……Also, take that frozen Tower Master with you.”
“Yes.”
I hoisted the Tower Master onto my back and stepped out of the reception room.
===============================================================
Once the Tower Master and her disciple left the room, the Second Prince crossed his legs and settled into a comfortable position. His thoughts were a tangled web beneath his slightly opened eyelids. There was a lot to consider.
The Second Prince leisurely opened his mouth.
“As rumored, the Purple Magic Tower Master is… frail. Her disciple, the Restorer of Dimensional Magic, seemed bold enough, but certainly not threatening. Was there any need for the knight to accompany me here?”
“A blade is still a blade, even in the hands of a virtuous person, Your Highness.”
“And I am currently guarded by the Empire’s sharpest sword. A sword far too valuable to be concerned over a village woman’s chicken-slaying knife.”
“I see Your Highness is suspicious of my presence.”
“Wouldn’t you say that’s a reasonable suspicion? Answer me, knight.”
The boy knight didn’t take offense at the scrutinizing gaze. It was a perfectly understandable suspicion.
The boy knight was a powerhouse who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, having shed even his physical limitations. Moreover, the current Emperor was quite fond of utilizing talent appropriately. He never employed a butcher’s knife for a task that only required catching poultry.
This extended even to his own children. When the Second Prince was appointed the leader of the Elven Forest Expedition, he requested the boy knight as his escort, but the Emperor rejected it.
“The threat level of the Elven Forest does not necessitate deploying a Swordmaster,” was the reason given.
Ultimately, the Second Prince lost an eye and an arm in the Elven Forest. Although he recovered after three months of intensive treatment, that experience left a lasting impression on him.
This explained why—
This wasn’t a charge into the heart of the Demon Realm; it was merely a visit to the Purple Magic Tower, renowned for its inherent weakness. There wasn’t even any animosity between them, and the other party was sufficiently friendly. So, why was the boy knight ‘guarding’ him?
There had to be another reason.
Maybe he had decided to favor the First Princess or the Third Prince and had come to spy on him…
The outwardly youthful boy knight was wise enough to read the Second Prince’s suspicions easily. And he had more than enough time to dispel them. His clear, youthful voice echoed through the reception room.
“I do not support any of the three candidates. I am simply carrying out my duties… though Your Highness might not believe me. Allow me to elaborate. I am executing three missions assigned to me by His Majesty the Emperor. Are you aware of what they are?”
“Allocation of Imperial Grants. Empire defense. Protection of the Imperial Bloodline from threats.”
The Second Prince emphasized the word ‘threats’ in his response.
“Yes. More specifically, protection from threats that cannot be dealt with otherwise.”
“Even so, my arm was severed, and I lost an eye. Does this imply that the Purple Magic Tower is a threat that cannot be handled by others?”
“It is the Purple Magic Tower Master.”
The Second Prince’s eyebrows twitched at the boy knight’s reply. He knew the knight was truthful, yet the words were hard to swallow.
The Purple Magic Tower was deemed the weakest of all Magic Towers.
And the Purple Magic Tower Master he had just encountered didn’t appear all that formidable.
“Until her announcement of Dimensional Magic, every grant allocated to the Purple Magic Tower… was doled out directly to the Purple Magic Tower Master.”
“Personally you say? What does that imply?”
“There are two reasons why the Imperial Family invests grants in the Magic Towers. First, ‘the development of magic in that particular school.’ Second, ‘a supply of magic manpower in case of emergency.’ The Purple Magic Tower was not expected to meet the first criteria. Illusion Magic lacks practicality.”
The sharp Second Prince was quick to catch on.
“So, you’re saying that one Purple Magic Tower Master is equivalent to the entire manpower of the other Towers? And due to that, the grant was given just to employ the Purple Magic Tower Master?”
“Not even the Blue Magic Tower Master, considered the most combat-adept among the Tower Masters, received such an evaluation.”
“That’s interesting, considering you previously mentioned that Illusion Magic is impractical.”
“If she had studied Fire Magic instead of Illusion Magic, the structure of the Empire might differ from what it is today. She is a genius bordering on monstrous.”
“Such a claim stretches credibility, but… Hah, then do these geniuses, who appear once in a century, continuously choose the Purple Magic Tower?”
“It appears so.”
The Second Prince calmed his rising anger, relaxing his body. There was no reason for the boy knight to lie; it must be the truth. If it’s true, even if it’s unbelievable, one must believe it. Being trapped in outdated ideas would be a perilous poison for a ruler.
The Second Prince reshaped the image in his mind.
Purple Magic Tower Master: Frail halfwit ➔ A Dragon donning a rabbit’s guise.
Disciple of the Purple Magic Tower Master: Regardless of how much of a genius he may be, if he specializes in Illusion Magic, his combat ability must be low ➔ It isn’t just random that he restored practical Dimensional Magic. This guy could also be a prospective Dragon.
Boy Knight: Claims neutrality yet skims off to support Sister or Younger Brother ➔ A true loyalist.
“Let us proceed to the next topic. The Tower Master’s disciple claimed that his magic is Illusion Magic.”
“Isn’t he just pretending to be ignorant?”
“If I said I wanted to experience it, would you stop me?”
“There wasn’t a lie when he said it was safe. It likely has safety measures in place that are suitable enough for a member of the Imperial Family.”
“I shall see for myself what this magic is worth.”
The Second Prince, while impulsive and hot-tempered, also had a commendable amount of courage and fortitude. The boy knight didn’t oppose him.
===============================================================
“I’ve signed. Show me this so-called Illusion Magic.”
“It really is Illusion Magic.”
“Ah, I see. You’re planning to show me another world where I could feel pain and gain knowledge previously unknown, and interact with throngs of people, yet you claim that it’s all Illusion Magic.”
“Remember this: everything is fiction. It has no relation to real events, merely a product of imagination.”
“Got it. Now go ahead.”
“Three hours from now in real-time, I will call for the Prince again. I will leave a mark on your wrist so you can recognize when it’s time to return. And let me reiterate, it’s all fiction.”
“You’re rather persistent, I ge—”
No dramatic roar proclaiming ‘I understand, but if you dare mumble about fiction one more time, I swear I’ll cut the grant in half!’ escaped from the Second Prince.
It was because the magic activated, and the TRPG had begun.
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