Chapter: 93
In front of the large carriage heading to Crownhall, a peculiar standoff was taking place, with me acting as the cover. Pink-Balrez and the Tower Master were staring intently at each other.
However, the meanings behind their gazes were vastly different. Pink-Balrez’s was the predatory stare of a wildcat, while the Tower Master looked like a hamster caught in the gaze of a cat.
The Tower Master was hiding behind me, glaring at Pink-Balrez. It seemed that after experiencing the “Kraken” incident once, her vigilance level had shot up to 100%.
Then she tapped my back and asked, “…Why is she next to you?”
“I was going to go somewhere just with you, Tower Master,” I replied.
“I asked her. When I mentioned reporting the unauthorized travel of an ascended individual to the higher-ups, that crazy wizard kindly allowed her to accompany us,” she said.
“…That sounds like blackmail?!”
The Tower Master’s twin tails stood upright in frustration.
Pink-Balrez gracefully knelt on one knee, offering a rose to the Tower Master, speaking soothingly as she adjusted her facial muscles to present her most handsome expression. The sunlight glimmered off her glasses.
“I merely wish to spend at least a little time with the charming one. Please forgive my selfish desire. Yet, the growing fire in my heart, ignited with each thought of you, has become uncontrollable…”
“…Heh.”
The Tower Master was slightly melting under Pink-Balrez’s passionate advances. How dare she try to extend her wicked claws to our precious Tower Master!
Chop. I covered Pink-Balrez’s mouth with my palm, pushing it down firmly. She warned me coolly.
“You’re leaving fingerprints on my glasses. There’s a chance you might die, crazy wizard.”
“Uh, that was the point. Now, let’s board the carriage. The coachman is waiting.”
“Uh, yeah…!”
I led Pink-Balrez and the Tower Master onto the carriage. Since there were no students heading to the capital during the semester, despite it being a large carriage, we were the only three passengers. It seemed like a comfortable trip ahead.
I carefully cleaned Pink-Balrez’s glasses. As soon as she was bare-faced, she started flirting with the Tower Master. I intended to kick her shins, but she swiftly wrapped her legs around mine in a mount position.
And then she began to imprint fingerprints all over my immobile face. Was this revenge for the earlier fingerprints on her glasses? It felt strangely nice, like a facial massage.
Even when I tried to escape here and there, being physically restrained only fueled my competitive spirit. So, I decided to engage in some magical warfare, but the sight of the Tower Master cutely smacking Pink-Balrez with both hands while saying, “Hurry up and let go!” was too adorable to resist. Pink-Balrez wore a satisfied expression. It seemed like the journey wouldn’t be boring at all.
We even played a game of Hali Gali in the meantime. The Tower Master was atrocious at it.
Ding.
“…Heh!”
“Five bananas, indeed.”
It wasn’t that the Tower Master was bad—rather, we were just too good. With my superior brain power and Pink-Balrez’s physical prowess, we dominated.
I could recall the slight scratches on the card’s back and identify the fronts by memory, while Pink-Balrez could quickly spot and ring the bell.
Caught between two whales, the Tower Master took quite the beatdown.
With her hands puffed up, the Tower Master whined, and Pink-Balrez and I comforted her. Through some unspoken agreement, we played the mini-game of Tower Master pampering three times.
“Oh no, I thought it was a grape!”
“Oops. Was it a strawberry…?!”
Both Pink-Balrez and I were skilled in acting. The Tower Master started off suspicious of our pampering but eventually relished the thrill of victory.
Watching the Tower Master mercilessly smack Pink-Balrez’s hand was satisfying enough to fill my own stomach.
End of transmission.
Pink-Balrez managed to secure a date right out of the blue, on the condition that she wouldn’t report it to the higher-ups. More accurately, she stated she wanted to tag along whenever the Tower Master and I went out.
Thanks to the games played in the carriage, it seemed the Tower Master had become quite friendly with Pink-Balrez, looking excited at the thought of us three going out together. I mean, when’s the last time she played with friends?
Sticking with three or more friends was a fantastic kind of fun.
However, there was a hint of regret too, I could tell.
When I suggested that we could explore together just the two of us next time, the little bit of regret that lingered on the Tower Master’s face dissipated. After all, I loved seeing the Tower Master happy.
Happiness is great. I should make her even happier.
===============================================================
Meeting dignitaries like a Second Prince requires time. You can’t just run over like, “Hey, I’m here! Come out!” It’s a rule of thumb to wait for several days with plenty of prep time.
So, fortunately, we had some time to enjoy the capital of the Empire, Crownhall.
We didn’t have anyone picky about sleeping arrangements. Even a rough straw mattress could turn into a plush five-star bed with a bit of illusion magic. So, we checked into a suitably upscale inn and unpacked.
“Shall we go explore now?” I asked.
“Yeah…!!”
The Tower Master nodded vigorously. Excited, a fluffy, cotton-candy-like aura swirled around her. She then suddenly looked at me with wide eyes and took a deep breath.
“Whew… huff…”
“Feeling nervous?”
“…A little.”
“I might be too.”
I dropped a little bait to the visibly excited Tower Master, and she immediately asked, “…Why?”
“Because I’m thinking about going on a date with you, Tower Master. It makes me feel a bit… nervous too.”
“…!!”
Thud-thud. I could feel her heart racing. No surprise there; how could she not blush like a ripe persimmon?
It seemed my side hit the mark rather well.
I wasn’t lying; I was a bit anxious too, even if not as much as her. I didn’t quite know why.
I felt a sudden urge to create a sweeter mood, almost instinctual. So, I took both of the Tower Master’s hands, gently holding them and giving a slight tug.
And then—
“Shall we depart? Are we not going?”
“…”
“…Oh, uh, right! We have to go…!!”
The Tower Master quickly bolted away. Realizing her excessive embarrassment from external stimuli, she couldn’t hold her ground and fled.
I calmly got up and collected my things. I had visited Crownhall during my virtual-hologram research funding days, but quite some time had passed since then.
Furthermore, I had heard the Second Prince was quite active, so there might be more changes than I expected. This trip would become quite the exploration point.
However, as we were about to set off, a major dilemma emerged. It all started with Pink-Balrez’s casual remark.
“How should we walk?”
“Well, by moving our legs alternately…”
“I meant, our positions.”
Positions.
There were various positions to walk around in public. A classic example being the formation of schoolgirls—a defensive formation that obstructed all pedestrian traffic.
Pink-Balrez was asking how we should arrange ourselves as we moved. This was indeed a significant matter. The Tower Master was oblivious to its importance, her head filled with question marks.
Pink-Balrez’s proposal transformed those question marks into exclamation points.
“How about I have the crazy wizard on my left and the Tower Master on my right? Let’s hold hands as we walk together.”
“I can feel your desires radiating off you.”
“…!!”
The Tower Master quickly realized that this was about who would find themselves on whose skinship-level range and went into serious consideration. Then, she hurriedly walked over and grabbed my hand firmly.
“I-I want to hold your hand. I want to…”
“I want to hold hands with the Tower Master.”
“That’s… a bit…”
“Then I suppose I’ll arm-wrestle with the crazy wizard.”
“That’s out of the question…!!”
The Tower Master shut her eyes tight and willingly offered her hand to Pink-Balrez. Thus, a formation of Pink-Balrez, the Tower Master, and me was established. This felt… well, how should I put it?
“Don’t we look like a family out on an outing?”
“Indeed.”
“?”
With the smallest one in the center, we could easily pass for a parent escorting their child. Though if you asked if the Tower Master looked that youthful, the answer would be no.
But it was nice to see the Tower Master look genuinely happy among her friends.
===============================================================
Pink-Balrez and the Tower Master had completely opposite interests.
Pink-Balrez was surprisingly fond of accessories. She picked up a hairpin from a stand, moving her bangs to the side to examine it before glancing up at me and asking,
“What do you think? Isn’t it pretty? I feel it suits me perfectly.”
“It clashes with your formal wear though.”
“Of course, I’ll use it when I want to appear pure in a dress… or in casual clothes.”
“I see.”
If she kept her mouth shut, she was a beauty, and a slightly moist expression would definitely fit her well. I nodded in agreement, and Pink-Balrez coolly bought the accessory without haggling.
She then picked up a flower bracelet next to her and asked the Tower Master.
“I’ll get you one too, Tower Master. How about this? A bracelet.”
“I-I’m not really into bracelets…”
The Tower Master waved her hands in rejection. I thought maybe it was a polite refusal, but seeing her expression, it seemed she truly disliked jewelry in general.
Now that I think about it, I’d never seen her wear anything but that hairpin. Maybe she was confident in her natural beauty enough to overshadow everything else.
Or could there be some other reason?
In contrast, the Tower Master thoroughly enjoyed smashing anything she touched. The sight of a swindler trying to scam by playing three-card monte was amusing, and I tried to just walk by with Pink-Balrez.
“Wait a sec, I’ll be right back.”
The Tower Master obliterated the swindler’s entire stash in just ten minutes.
“I-I’m sure I hid the ball on the left…!!”
The swindler was left reeling from the loss against a more seasoned player. He slammed the table and began yelling at the Tower Master.
“This is cheating!! You’re cheating, right?!”
“First of all, it was you who cheated… So, um… is cheating fine then? As long as you don’t get caught.”
The Tower Master stammered lines that sounded like something from a comic book, clearly thrilled.
And the subsequent events were predictable. Big guys lurking in the alley emerged and demanded their money back, but at a wave of the Tower Master’s hand, they collapsed to the ground drooling.
Pink-Balrez’s attempt to impress the Tower Master by heroically intervening had failed. She was subdued before she could even get involved.
I watched as Pink-Balrez awkwardly lowered her raised fist.
“Crazy wizard, please don’t tease me.”
“I didn’t say a word.”
“Restore my eyebrows to their original position.”
After that, we passed by a magical artifact shop. The salesperson was eagerly trying to attract customers.
“This shield is inscribed with ‘Melburton’s Hit Reduction Field,’ developed by the renowned wizard from the Purple Tower! We’ll give 10 gold to any customer who can break it!”
“…”
That was unfortunate since the ‘walking destruction’ Yuna Violet Iris, the magical disrupter of the Purple Tower, happened to pass by at that moment.
“Sugar-coated…”
The Tower Master lit up with zeal. She still hadn’t forgotten that delightful feeling.
“Are you challenging me, Miss? A seasoned mercenary of ten years just failed—”
Thock. Thud. Boom.
Destruction befell both the “Melburton’s Hit Reduction Field” and the shop’s revenue. As the shopkeeper handed me a 10 gold piece with a rotten face, I politely declined. We should be the ones apologizing.
Instead of the shattered “Melburton’s Hit Reduction Field,” I cast a simple illusion spell. A hypnotic effect that would make it seem like gold coins were floating around.
This should be better than the previously sugar-coated version.
“Hehe… it’s crunchy.”
“Impressive work, Tower Master.”
Pink-Balrez seized the opportunity to shower the Tower Master with compliments, ruffling her hair vigorously. The Tower Master purred like a cat.
“…”
The Tower Master’s urge to destroy never exceeded playful limits, but this time it raised a small concern. I resolved to keep this in mind for future reference.
Then I thought to myself.
“Oh! Crazy wizard, look over there.”
“Ooh…”
I admired the pretty women passing by. Perhaps it was the capital of the Empire, but there were plenty of people showcasing exemplary fashion. Some had hats that towered three heads high, while others had shoulder pads reaching their ears.
Then a woman warrior dressed quite boldly passed by, and I felt a sense of grandeur from her attire. As I was mesmerized alongside Pink-Balrez, the Tower Master pinched me sharply in the side.
With pain suppression applied, it felt ironically ordinary.
It was enjoyable. Objectively speaking, there wasn’t much content. I was merely strolling and sightseeing.
But isn’t it delightful just to breathe alongside friends? Time flew by, and before I knew it, the sun was setting.
“Well then, it’s about time to…”
“Yes, it is time to get going.”
“To a pub with a short uniform skirt.”
Pink-Balrez and I spoke in unison. Our shared determination resonated, and it ignited boundless courage in our hearts. I wouldn’t retreat, even if the Tower Master pinched and twisted my thigh.
“…You really are a pervert.”
“…”
I shall not back down!
We walked side by side once more.
The main streets of Crownhall were bustling with people. Having only seen familiar faces at the Tower and Academy, my interest was piqued walking through the city, as it felt vividly fantastical.
There were mercenaries clad in leather armor and waitstaff inviting us into our inn, touting hot stew. All the elements one would expect from novels were alive and moving around us.
Numerous things that couldn’t be grasped through text caught my eye. Judging by the scratches on that armor, it seemed that mercenary preferred to keep his right shoulder forward in battle. That waiter had a smiling face but couldn’t hide the weariness in their eyes.
Life becomes material. After observing all these passing elements, they would surely come in handy someday for my TRPG sessions.
And among the crowd, a boy in a floppy hat intentionally brushed against me while pretending to move stealthily. That would likely become good material.
The boy bumped into me on purpose. I graciously accepted it.
Tap.
“Oh! I’m so sorry! Excuse me!”
The boy bowed at a 90-degree angle to me, then dashed into the crowd. It felt refreshingly standard.
I leisurely checked my belongings. As expected, the money pouch asleep inside my clothing was utterly gone. Professional-grade.
Pink-Balrez asked me with a puzzled look, “Why did you let him get away? You could have chased him down.”
“I wanted to interview him. It won’t take long, just a moment, please wait.”
I also wanted to collect new modeling references and thought I might need specialist knowledge to create a pickpocketing event.
This could be a destined meeting. I touched the magic I had placed on the boy. He would return after thinking he had successfully escaped.
At that moment, I had no idea just how big of a deal it would become.
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