BXBX NOVEL Chapter 96 - The Tower of Illusions (6)
Chapter 96 - The Tower of Illusions (6)
The tall spires of the Imperial Capital started to come into view through the carriage window.
At the entrance of the drawbridge stood Kaiden, dressed in a black robe, waiting.
It’s hot enough to kill, and yet he’s wearing that robe.
But as Kaiden boarded the carriage, he wasn’t sweating a drop.
“Aren’t you hot?”
“I’m fine. I used illusion magic to make it feel like I’m inside a refrigerator.”
“But that’s fake.”
“Still, it fools the senses. If you believe you’re not hot, then you won’t feel hot.”
Is that even possible?
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Imperial Capital. Not much has changed.”
“There hasn’t been a direct attack here, so there wouldn’t be much to repair or rebuild.”
While we exchanged small talk, the guards at the drawbridge stopped our carriage.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m here to seek an audience with the Second Princess.”
“There’s no scheduled visitors today. Who are you?”
“I’m Dian, Head Combat Professor of the Imperial Special Mission Academy. And this is Kaiden, a mage from the Tower of Illusions.”
“Mage Kaiden…?”
The guard looked Kaiden up and down suspiciously, then his eyes went wide in shock.
“P-please wait just a moment!”
The guard rushed across the drawbridge and returned shortly with a higher-ranking officer.
“You’re saying you’re Mage Kaiden? Do you happen to have identification…?”
Kaiden extended his hand, and with a flash of light, a document appeared.
“Wha…?!”
The officer accepted it with reverence and, after reading it, shouted in astonishment.
“Open the gate! Mage Kaiden is visiting the palace!”
As the heavy gates opened, the carriage slowly began to move again.
“Wow, you’ve got quite the presence.”
“It’s nothing.”
Kaiden took back the document and burned it in the palm of his hand.
“Was that a fake?”
“The contents were real, but the original is kept at the Tower.”
We crossed the drawbridge, and as we disembarked near the palace, we heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.
Several mages in black robes were rushing toward us.
“It really is Mage Kaiden?!”
The mages couldn’t hide their excitement upon recognizing Kaiden’s face.
“Mage Kaiden! What brings you to the Imperial Capital?!”
“Are you perhaps accepting the Magic Division’s proposal?”
“This is no time for questions. Let’s escort you inside right away! You must meet with the Head Mage…”
“No, I’m here on other business.”
Kaiden raised his hand, silencing the mages.
“I’m here to seek an audience with the Second Princess alongside this gentleman.”
“Th-then, after your audience, could you please visit the Magic Division? Even just for a brief tea with the Head Mage…”
“I doubt I’ll have time. You’ll likely just ask me to join the division again, and I’ve already answered that question several times.”
“But…”
“Well then, I’ll be off.”
Kaiden smiled and turned toward the palace.
“Hey, you!”
Just as I was about to follow, one of the mages called out to me from behind.
“Me?”
“You must be Mage Kaiden’s assistant. After the audience, make sure you bring him to the Magic Division!”
“That’s not possible. We’re busy.”
“It’ll only take a minute! Even just five minutes… wait, hold on…”
The mages’ faces twisted as they finally realized I had been speaking informally.
“And who do you think you are to speak down to an Imperial mage? An assistant dares to…”
“But you were the ones who spoke informally first. And besides, I’m…”
“Waaahh!?”
Suddenly, the mages screamed, crouching down and fleeing in a panic.
“Dian. This way, please.”
I turned to see Kaiden standing calmly inside the palace, looking at me.
He must’ve used illusion magic on the mages.
Even the Imperial mages fell for it. This guy, Kaiden… he’s really something else.
“What did you show them?”
“I gave them a little taste of some of the things we’ve been through.”
“You’re cruel.”
“Indeed, I am.”
As we walked down the corridor side by side, the passing ministers stared in confusion. Upon seeing Kaiden, they paled.
“Mage Kaiden? What brings you here?”
“I’m here to see the Second Princess. Is she in?”
“She’s currently out. She had external engagements…”
“Where has she gone?”
“That… uh…”
The ministers hesitated to answer, glancing at me, so Kaiden introduced me.
“This is Professor Dian, Head Combat Professor at the Imperial Special Mission Academy. We’re here to propose something related to the Imperial Security Office\'s upcoming competition.”
Kaiden subtly gestured with a finger that peeked out from under his cloak.
“The Second Princess is attending the founding ceremony of the Esto Trade Guild.”
The ministers, as if under some spell, revealed the Second Princess’s whereabouts without hesitation.
“Shall we head there, Dian?”
“Is this really okay?”
As we left the palace, I asked Kaiden, who chuckled softly.
“No one will notice.”
“Is that so? I wouldn’t know.”
“Kaiiiiden!!”
Just as we were about to exit the palace, an enraged shout echoed behind us.
Turning around, I saw a man in a black robe charging toward us with terrifying momentum.
“You bastard!!”
“Well, this is troublesome.”
Kaiden raised his hand slightly, and a translucent wall sprang up from the ground, blocking the man.
The man’s robe flashed with light as he cast a spell, which shot toward us.
The attack spell, flying like a bullet, ricocheted off Kaiden’s barrier and grazed one of the spires.
“Waaah!”
As bricks came crashing down into the courtyard, people scattered in all directions, screaming in fear.
“Are you not going to clear this up?!”
The man shouted, pounding his fists against the barrier, frothing at the mouth.
“You could at least say hello if you’re visiting! Isn’t that the polite thing to do?!”
“I’m sorry, but I have company. And we were just about to leave. Goodbye.”
“No! Come back! Just talk to me for one minute!”
“I won’t be joining the Magic Division. I’d like to continue practicing the magic I enjoy.”
Kaiden’s cold response left the man looking pitiful.
“Kaiden… is it because of that person? Huh? Are you trying to live your life like that person, the one who left saying they wanted to do whatever they liked?”
That person? I think I know who he’s talking about.
“That was their choice. You’re a mage, aren’t you? A genius unmatched in the Empire. You should join the Magic Division. It’s a crime and an insult to waste your talent!”
“One minute has passed. I’ve heard your piece.”
Kaiden smiled as he turned away.
“Shall we go, Dian?”
“Y-yeah…”
“Kaiden! Stop! If you don’t, I’ll kill myself!”
Despite the man’s frantic, terrifying cries, Kaiden boarded the carriage as if he hadn’t heard a word.
“I don’t care if you’re a man or a woman! Just come to the Magic Division! Just stay by my side!”
The man screamed desperately, but Kaiden indifferently closed the carriage door.
“What was that about?”
As we left the palace, I asked Kaiden, who gave a faint smile.
“That was the Head Mage of the Imperial Magic Division. He’s been trying relentlessly to recruit me into the division.”
“Is that so? But… something seems a little off.”
“You noticed? He’s a bit… unhinged, isn’t he?”
“What do you mean, ‘unhinged’?”
“He’s obsessed with me.”
“Obsessed how?”
“He wants to possess me.”
“Hm…”
It’s natural for someone in charge of an organization to want to recruit talented individuals.
But this doesn’t seem like a simple recruitment effort.
“Dian.”
Kaiden looked up at me and spoke.
“Most mages have some sort of mental defect. It’s the result of spending too much time studying the incomprehensible nature of magic.”
Is that so? But Orendi and Kaiden seem perfectly fine.
“Not all mages are mentally ill, of course. But that Head Mage? He’s definitely not sane.”
Kaiden declared matter-of-factly.
“At first, he approached me because he thought I was a woman. He’s usually someone who’s extremely power-hungry and never allows anyone more skilled than himself into the Magic Division.”
“So, he must’ve really taken a liking to you, in more ways than one.”
“The extent to which he’s been pursuing me, even after learning I’m a man, is quite abnormal.”
To someone who doesn’t know, Kaiden does look like a woman.
His mysterious narrow eyes, and shoulder-length hair, and flawlessly pale skin have an allure that could stir impure thoughts in anyone who looks at him.
That Head Mage must’ve fallen hard for Kaiden’s strange charm.
He seems like the type who doesn’t care whether someone’s male or female, as long as they look good.
But no matter how pretty, a guy is still… well…
“What can I say… it’s complicated.”
“Do you think so as well, Dian?”
Kaiden gave a faint smile.
“I’m not sure what exactly I think.”
“By the way, it seems the Second Princess has been quite busy with various projects lately.”
Kaiden shifted the conversation.
“Yeah, she’s busy. She’s in one of the core positions of the Imperial Capital, after all.”
“That much is true. But even attending the founding ceremony of a trade guild that has little to do with national security…”
There was a sharp edge to Kaiden’s words.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It seems the Second Princess is planning to shake things up in the Imperial Capital soon.”
“Shake things up?”
“She’s not the kind of person to be content with merely being the head of the Imperial Security Office.”
“Are you saying she’s going to start a rebellion or something?”
Kaiden didn’t answer. Instead, he conjured an illusion of the Second Princess dressed in the Emperor’s robes, covered in blood from head to toe.
“That’s hideous. Get rid of it.”
“My apologies.”
Kaiden smiled and dispelled the illusion.
As I watched Kaiden turn his gaze out the window, I thought back to what he’d just said.
A coup led by the Second Princess, huh? It wouldn’t be all that surprising.
Born to a concubine and oppressed, she earned unprecedented achievements during the war and quickly rose to the top of the post-war power structure.
She has taken control of the Security Office with force, consistently growing her power while disregarding the efforts of those trying to check her.
The Emperor is a coward, and her siblings have nothing to boast about besides their bloodline.
It wouldn’t make sense for the Second Princess to be content as the head of the Security Office.
If that was all she wanted, she wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to turn the legitimate forces against her and seize the Security Office.
It’s hard to say when, but sooner or later, something is definitely going to explode.