Chapter 16: The Imperial Prince And The Nutcase Wizard
Even in this tense moment, the wizard remained unruffled.
Instead, he looked at Irid with a hint of pity.
“Prince… this is merely Illusion Magic.”
“Don’t insult the time I spent with her…!”
His grip on the collar tightened. Irid glared at the wizard with the ferocity of someone ready to kill. The wizard let out a heavy sigh, as if he could feel the heat of Irid’s glare.
“What do you think you can gain by denying that it’s Illusion Magic?”
“…What?”
He started to spew the ramblings of a lunatic.
“This approach is far simpler, Prince. Moreover, it’s quite rightful.”
“A no-good wizard has… played a little trick on you, Prince. All the events and incidents you experienced inside were nothing more than a midsummer night’s dream.”
“The next step is easy. Just get justifiably angry and punish the mischievous wizard. That’s it! You, Prince, have nothing to take responsibility for here.”
“However… if you believe that a fleeting illusion is the truth… then what on earth do we even begin to unravel?”
The wizard’s gloomy eyes were fixed on Irid. Despite the still-rising anger, Irid had no choice but to loosen his grip. The indifference swirling in the wizard’s eyes—the sheer madness that seemed to take all of this so lightly—was too much.
“I’ve seen many like you, Prince…”
“Those who can’t maintain their distance and get too involved always meet a terrible end. It’s only natural. Players are always… outsiders. They can’t stay forever. They are destined to part ways eventually.”
“It’s just… Illusion Magic that shows you your most feared form. Isn’t that explanation sufficient?”
Irid’s hands trembled, just as his heart was wavering.
It was a cruel insult that tore at his wounded heart, yet also tantalizing. If all the wounds he bore, Centra’s crisis, and the miserable future of the Wither Emperor were all lies…
Then it would be fine if he didn’t get angry at himself.
He didn’t have to loathe himself for failing to perceive the assault and letting her get caught in the explosion. He could just vent all his anger on the wizard in front of him, and everything would be neatly tied up!
But…
Even now, the memories came rushing back vividly every time he closed his eyes.
Even now, the scent of rosemary lingered at the tip of his nose.
Even now, his heart throbbed in protest.
All of it resisted with all its might.
…He simply couldn’t bring himself to flee toward a more comfortable option.
Second Prince Irid reflected on his nine-day journey. Scenes from the past slipped through his mind like a panorama.
“At first… I was afraid. Falling into an unfamiliar future, lamenting my failures while roaming the back alleys of the city was a horrific experience. Even now, I occasionally hear resentful voices blaming me.”
In the future where he was known as the Wither Emperor, he had considered throwing everything away.
He was terrified and merely wanted to run.
“However… after that, I was quite happy. At some point, I forgot the compulsion to become the Emperor and the depth of my terrible failures.”
She had held onto fleeing Irid, refusing to let him escape.
She had led Irid’s soul like a firefly illuminating the dark.
“It felt as if a hole in my soul had been filled. I received something so precious from her.”
And that was how the Irid of today came to be.
Irid, ensnared in anger and anxiety, could finally look into himself through the twisted words of the wizard. The wizard before him was reflecting the future of himself who had run away in fear.
He couldn’t discard the precious things he’d managed to gather just to escape. He had to embrace not just the hurts but the joys, and take a step forward.
What did the world call that?
Courage.
“…Is that so? Yes, that’s how it was.”
Second Prince Irid had his realization.
Why had he awoken in the Empire a hundred years later?
Why was he able to find the other half of his soul in that vast territory of a future regime?
It was never just coincidence.
“It seems the magic that sent me here randomly was not without design. They say that the gods of the distant past put their champions through trials akin to the two sides of a coin. And to those who overcame those trials, immense power was granted.”
The Trials of Fate. In the time when gods interfered directly with the human realm, it was a grand ceremony held to choose their agent; a ritual meant to shake and overturn predestined fates already laid out on the board.
“Trials and hardships. Is this perhaps dimensional magic that sends the target—someone affected by the magic—to a world intimately connected to their fate?”
“…Is that how you interpret it?”
“You must have experienced it firsthand, Wizard… And in the end, your heart must have shattered.”
“There were some rather unpleasant experiences. But it was all just an illusion, you know.”
The wizard shrugged his shoulders, the action looking extremely mechanical. After casting the magic, the wizard must have attempted dimensional travel as well. And, he likely faced a dreadful failure. With a heart wrecked, he seemed to regard everything as mere illusions.
“You’re a lunatic. Madman! I won’t even comment on your evasion of reality. I mean, I too would have succumbed if she weren’t there.”
But…
“But I— I still have things to do. Cast the spell once more.”
He had to save Centra. The blast had been powerful, but if those who knew how to wield mana were prepared, it would only lead to severe injuries. Centra, with her quick reflexes and sharp senses, must have managed to defend herself properly.
The resistance hardliners would come to kill Centra for a definitive resolution. She was vulnerable and in danger. Only Irid could help her.
Second Prince Irid was determined.
The wizard, shaking his head in confusion, finally spoke in a lowered voice.
“…Time is relative, Prince. The other side of time is almost as if it has stopped.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s best to prepare thoroughly, enjoy a nice snack, and play again with a refreshed mindset.”
“It’s a good thing that there is time. How many chances do I have left?”
“…One, Prince.”
“Then I’ll see you in a week. Send me a list of the items needed for the magic recast.”
Irid smoothed out the wizard’s rumpled clothing and turned away. With the incident concluded, both the Purple Magic Tower Master and the boy knight retracted their mana.
Irid took the boy knight and left the tower.
===============================================================
In the tower, now with one side of a wall completely shattered, the Tower Master and I faced each other with blank expressions. What on earth just happened?
I was racking my brain trying to grasp the situation when I finally summarized it in one sentence.
“Right now, am I being mistaken for… ‘A lunatic who got messed up by a Dimensional Magic experiment and then convinced himself it was all an illusion’?”
Even after I put it that way, I was left dizzy and unable to comprehend. Who’s the lunatic here? I announced THREE TIMES that it was fiction!
I genuinely thought Prince Irid was just deep into role playing—err, acting.
I figured he’d understand it was merely an illusion. I mean, come on! What kind of crazy prince tries to test Dimensional Magic on himself?
You’d expect him to let ten subordinates take the fall first and only dive in after ensuring safety!
Didn’t he just send it out because he knew it was an illusion and wanted to mess around while calling it a test?!?
But to think that a completely bonkers prince would actually leap into Dimensional Magic while thinking it was real…
Should I be ticked off about the misunderstanding or should I be pleased that I simulated Virtual Reality so successfully? I was stuck in a loop of confusion when the Tower Master cautiously spoke up.
“Uh, um… But you know…”
“Yes?”
“When comparing you and the Prince, isn’t it you who’s a bit… mentally? Unwell? Might this actually be real Dimensional Magic?”
“???”
At the Tower Master’s ridiculous remark, I was ready to deny it… yet…
After pondering it for a moment, she might actually have a point. When comparing myself to His Highness, wasn’t he way more composed and put-together? Plus, he remembered people’s names.
Was I actually a brain in a vat?
Was I, who thought of myself as the Game Master, actually a Dimensional Wizard?
Was the Virtual Idol Heart-chan, whom I thought I created and sent out, truly my hidden persona???
“AH NO! NO WAY!!!”
Caught in the whirlwind of the Prince’s crazy Talk No Jutsu, both the Tower Master and I descended into sheer panic.
After we turned the totem and pinched each other’s cheeks…
Finally, after reconnecting to Virtual Reality and creating three hundred copies of Heart to participate in a group flash mob…
We thought, “Ah, it was indeed an illusion” and could finally stretch out our legs and sleep soundly.
===============================================================
“Sir Knight, bring in the wizards from the Flame Tower skilled at calculations. Also, please contact my sister.”
“…Are you certain you’re alright? Your Highness, I suspect hypnosis.”
“Then could you try to dispel it from me?”
“May I?”
The boy knight gathered mana in his hand and lightly touched Second Prince Irid’s forehead. Irid staggered a bit before regaining his balance.
“How do you feel?”
“I’m fine. I haven’t felt any sudden highs or lows in my emotions, nor do I have any gaps in my memory. My resolve remains intact.”
The boy knight furrowed his brow. It had only been three hours. In just that time, the Prince had morphed into someone entirely different! His impulsive nature had evolved into unwavering determination. The righteous light in his eyes was a clear reflection of solid resolve.
“What have you experienced?”
“In the future, a hundred years from now… I fell in love. How embarrassing.”
“That sounds quite unfamiliar. Haven’t you typically shown little interest in such matters, Your Highness?”
“Well… it’s just that I hadn’t met an attractive, truly fascinating woman until now.”
“If you’ve fallen that hard for her, I fear I might have to intervene due to my duty as a loyal subject—again, using Dimensional Magic.”
“I’ll be honest. While I’d love to remain in the future, I won’t. I must ensure this Empire resounds with ‘Beer and Song’! And I need to stop the black wizard of the Kingdom Alliance.”
“…”
“I’m trying to gather my courage. But before that… I want to save the person I love. So I’ll set aside my efforts for the Empire temporarily. Will you accompany me, Sir Knight?”
“That sounds delightful and lovely. I shall follow you.”
Irid walked ahead, with the boy knight trailing behind. Just one week remained.
Irid gathered experts from various fields to save Centra.
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