BXBX NOVEL Chapter 97 - The Tower of Illusions (7)
Chapter 97 - The Tower of Illusions (7)
We arrived at the location where the Esto Trade Guild’s founding ceremony was being held.
It must be quite a large trade guild, as the place was swarming with people, almost as if there was a festival going on.
“Impressive.”
“Indeed.”
“Let’s head inside. The Princess should be seated at the front, in the place of honor.”
When the guards at the entrance asked for invitations, Kaiden pulled two out from inside his robe.
“Please, go ahead.”
The guards allowed us in without any fuss after seeing the invitations.
That’s probably magic too.
If only I were a bit smarter, I could’ve become a mage.
“Kaiden, this way.”
As Kaiden stumbled in the crowd, I grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.
“My apologies, Dian. It’s difficult to use magic in the middle of an event like this.”
“If you did, we’d be in big trouble. Just follow me.”
Despite my confident words, it was taking quite a while to reach the front due to the sheer number of people.
This is no joke.
But no matter how big a trade guild is, it’s still a private company.
And yet, they’ve managed to invite the Second Princess, the head of the Imperial Security Office, and she actually came?
Suddenly, I remembered what Kaiden had said.
That the Princess was attending such ceremonies because she seemed ready to overturn the Imperial Capital.
Hmm… so that’s what he meant…
“There she is.”
Following Kaiden’s gaze, I spotted the Second Princess, engaged in conversation with several people.
She had the same tall, striking figure as Ismera, with silvery hair like silk and a scar that disfigured half of her face.
Even if you threw her into the middle of a battlefield with legions clashing, you’d find her right away thanks to her unique appearance.
“She seems to be in an important conversation, so let’s wait a bit.”
Following Kaiden’s suggestion, we moved to a corner and waited for the Princess to finish her conversation.
She smiled as she spoke and occasionally patted her conversation partners on the shoulder.
There was an air of authority in her every gesture and expression, fitting for a princess of the Empire.
Behind her stood a young man in Imperial livery, likely her personal aide.
I think he was the one who guided us when Linus and I visited the Imperial Palace last time.
The aide was scanning the surroundings carefully, almost as if he were on guard duty, and our eyes met for a moment.
After scrutinizing my face, the aide whispered something into the Princess’s ear.
She stopped her conversation and turned her head in my direction.
When I gave a slight bow, she smiled and gestured for me to wait.
Seems like she’s asking us to hold on for a moment.
“Let’s wait a bit. If you’re bored, I could show you some magic.”
Before I could respond, Kaiden had already begun casting illusion magic.
“Dian.”
This time, Ismera and Kirrin appeared in front of me, wearing what looked like string bikinis.
“Whoa, hey…!”
Kaiden laughed quietly and changed the illusion.
And then, Lorname appeared…?!
“Hey, you bastard…!”
“My apologies.”
When Lorname disappeared, I let out an involuntary sigh and wiped my forehead.
The sight of Lorname’s perpetually unfocused, eerie eyes had sent a cold sweat running down my back.
“You’re still afraid of her, I see.”
“Of course I am. You’re scared of her too.”
“She is scary.”
At that moment, the Second Princess started walking toward us.
“Sir Dian. What brings you here? And with Sir Kaiden, no less?”
“Greetings.”
When Kaiden greeted her, a mischievous smile appeared on the Princess’s face.
“Did you run into the Head Mage?”
“I did. He was so overjoyed to see me after such a long time that he didn’t know what to do.”
“I can imagine. So, what brings the two of you here?”
“We’ve come to present a proposal related to the upcoming competition, so we took the liberty of visiting without prior notice.”
“Hmm, the competition, you say. Go on.”
“How about using illusion magic for the competition?”
When the Princess gave Kaiden a curious look, he cast a spell.
Immediately, the surroundings changed into a dimly lit corridor of some facility.
“What the…?!”
The personal aide, startled, gripped the hilt of his sword, but the Princess stopped him.
“It’s illusion magic. Calm down.”
The Princess nodded approvingly as she looked around at the realistic environment and the fake guards standing with their backs to us.
“I see. Sword, please.”
Taking the sword from her aide, the Princess walked forward and, without hesitation, decapitated one of the guards.
As the severed head fell and blood spurted like a fountain, the Princess’s face lit up with satisfaction.
“It’s incredibly realistic.”
“Yes, Princess. Instead of using mere dummies, why not incorporate illusion magic? Kaiden has agreed to assist as well.”
“I like it. No, I love it.”
Handing the sword back to her aide, the Princess looked at Kaiden.
“Sir Kaiden.”
“Yes, Princess.”
“If I recall, we’ve sent you several summons to the Imperial Palace in the past.”
“That did happen.”
“You didn’t respond at all back then, yet now you’ve suddenly emerged from the Tower of Illusions. Why is that?”
“It’s because Dian asked me to.”
At Kaiden’s straightforward answer, the Princess’s half-smile grew wider.
“I see. You must have quite the special bond with Sir Dian.”
“We’ve overcome many hardships together. And Dian is also my savior, the one who brought me back into the light.”
“I see. If that’s the case, then it makes sense that you’d drop everything to help.”
Kaiden responded with a slight bow.
“I approve of using illusion magic for the competition. And while we’re at it, what do you think of transforming the entire evaluation venue with illusion magic?”
“It’s possible.”
“Good. Sir Kaiden, let’s proceed with that. Though it took going through Sir Dian, I still appreciate your willingness to assist the Imperial Palace.”
“I’m only helping Dian, not the Imperial Palace. Once the competition is over, I’ll return to the Tower of Illusions.”
“Haha, as you wish.”
At Kaiden’s rather blunt reply, the Princess’s aide looked uncomfortable, but the Princess herself simply smiled without any sign of displeasure.
# # # # #
After Dian and Kaiden left, the Princess’s aide whispered to her.
“Your Highness. Is this truly okay?”
“What’s the problem?”
“Mage Kaiden. He has refused every summons to the Imperial Palace until now, but suddenly he appears out of nowhere…”
“There’s no problem. Sir Kaiden has no interest in anything other than magic.”
“But why would someone like that involve himself in non-magical matters…?”
“You heard him, didn’t you? It’s because of Sir Dian.”
The Princess said this while watching Dian’s figure as he walked away.
“Sir Dian was a member of the Demon King Slayer Task Force. So is Sir Kaiden. They’ve entrusted their lives to each other. A request like this is nothing to them.”
“I see…”
“That’s why Sir Dian, who had been missing for ten years, gladly became a professor at the academy when Sir Linus asked him.”
“It’s truly strange.”
“What’s strange?”
The aide pondered for a moment before replying.
“During the war, there were many special task forces, but most of them met unfortunate ends. They were either wiped out or driven into extreme situations, leaving their members at odds with one another. But for some reason, Sir Linus’s Demon King Slayer Task Force remains astonishingly loyal to one another.”
“I wonder why that is. Let’s go now.”
The Princess and her aide brushed past the people trying to approach them for attention and left the ceremony.
# # # # #
“Woooow! That’s amaaazing!!”
Kirrin shrieked with excitement, her ears perked up.
“Unbelievable! Is there anything Dian can’t do? This, perfect! That, perfect! Everything, perfect, perfect, perfect!!”
“Please, Headmaster, compose yourself.”
At that, Kirrin’s ears drooped dramatically as she glanced nervously at Ismera, who was seated beside her.
Right now, Ismera was shooting daggers at Kirrin with her eyes, or rather, she was staring emptily at the table.
It must be because I had proudly claimed I’d get approval from the Second Princess, and then actually did.
“The competition’s tomorrow, right? So I’ve got an idea.”
Still keeping an eye on Ismera, Kirrin spoke up.
“To cheer everyone up, I’d like to treat the kids to something delicious tonight. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine, but let’s stay home to eat. It’d be a disaster if something happened while we’re out.”
“Oh, right, right. In that case, I’ll bring some stuff to your place. Professor Ismera… you’ll join us, right?”
But Ismera didn’t respond. It wasn’t that she was ignoring her, but it seemed like she didn’t even hear the question.
“Yes. Professor Ismera will be there. She’s always at my place around that time.”
“Oh, really…? Even in the evening…?”
Kirrin hesitated, stumbling over her words.
“Hmm, why would Professor Ismera be at your house in the evening…?”
“She’s there to supervise the kids’ evening study sessions. What on earth are you thinking? Huh? She doesn’t stay overnight, you know.”
“What? Ah, right. Well, that’s a relief.”
What exactly is “a relief”? Honestly, she’s such a scatterbrain.
“So, that mage Kaiden won’t be joining us?”
“He went back to the Tower.”
“Why? I wanted to treat him if he came.”
“It wouldn’t be fair. Besides, he’s not very sociable.”
“I see… Well, there’s no helping it. Let’s just eat by ourselves. It’ll be a party, a party.”
The Dark Elf beamed brightly, while the Pure-Blooded Elf looked like a withered leaf.
What a rare sight.