Chapter 13
Imperial mages are different from the mages of Trinity.
Trinity’s magic towers specialize in researching each elemental attribute.
In contrast, the Imperial mages possess mixed attributes.
In terms of magical achievements alone, they were significantly behind Trinity.
The skills of individual Imperial mages were similarly lacking.
Typically, Imperial magic was developed with a focus on life magic or military magic.
Of course, it wasn’t like that in the beginning.
In the past, there was Lihenz Jere, a grand mage and a member of the Hero Party.
While he served as the head of the Magic Department, the Imperial Magic Department’s prestige soared.
However, that was due to Lihenz’s strength, not because of the Imperial mages.
The Magic Department, which had briefly risen to power, soon found its status declining.
Thus, the current power of the Imperial Magic Department and its head, Lenz Jere, is quite ambiguous.
Their magic lags behind Trinity, leaving only the title of being the descendants of a grand mage.
They were often pushed around even within the Imperial Court.
Naturally, the mages of Trinity also tended to look down on Imperial mages.
As a mage and as an Imperial official, he was never respected, and the dissatisfaction kept building up inside him.
Then, he discovered “Maple Leaf Story.”
He first learned about it when he saw one of the Imperial mages buying the initial release.
“Illusion Magic Tower? This…!”
“P-Please wait, Sir Lenz! This isn’t just an ordinary artifact. Once you start, you’ll never be able to stop!”
“This absolutely needs to be researched. This is… a revolution!”
“Research? What research.”
There were no illusion mages in the Imperial Court.
Therefore, it was impossible for the Imperial Court to identify the nature of this artifact.
Nonetheless, Lenz realized that it was something extraordinary, so he personally purchased the second release.
In truth, it was also because he needed an excuse to take some time off.
His daily life of being disregarded in the Imperial Court was too stressful.
“After all the trouble I went through just to buy this… I must be crazy. Oh, ohhh…!”
And soon, he was completely absorbed in “Maple Leaf Story.”
From his stress-filled life in the Imperial Court, it brought an entirely new experience to him.
He chose the Hunter class, a path where he could swiftly wipe out monsters, and reached the second job advancement.
It was after the second job advancement that his malicious behaviour began.
“Kuhaha…! After being looked down on like that, let’s see how they handle this!”
A mage who was ignored wherever he went.
His anger exploded in this new world called “Maple Leaf Story.”
It was as if he was venting his frustration from being disregarded in the Imperial Court by continuing his malicious acts in the game.
“Light of the Empire?”
He discovered <Light of the Empire> during one of those moments.
Light of the Empire was a sort of title referring to the 1st Prince.
And the 1st Prince was someone who constantly argued that the Magic Department should be abolished and that the relationship with Trinity should be strengthened.
From a rational standpoint, it was a valid argument.
But to Lenz, as the head of the Magic Department, the 1st Prince was always an eyesore.
That’s why he targeted <Light of the Empire> even more relentlessly with his malicious behaviour.
Then the popularity system was updated, and now he’s too afraid to log in.
But he couldn’t quit “Maple Leaf Story.”
Because it was just too fun…
“…So, you’re asking me to restore your popularity points?”
“That’s right. Could you please help me?”
Just when the illusion mages came to the Imperial Court.
For Lenz, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Lowering his head to an illusion mage was something his pride as the head of the Magic Department couldn’t tolerate.
But the addictive nature of “Maple Leaf Story” overcame that pride.
After much contemplation, Lenz found himself in Rai’s room.
“That’s difficult. After all, it was Sir Lenz who engaged in the malicious behaviour.”
Even though he had cast aside his pride to come here, Rai’s response was cold.
“…What did you say?”
“Don’t be too disheartened. It’s natural for hidden desires to surface in an anonymous world. But you should also understand that it ends up eating away at you.”
Rai spoke firmly.
There was no change in his expression.
As if this was a matter of course. As if saying, ‘Isn’t this your fault?’
Perhaps his gaze even held a hint of disregard for Lenz.
It felt similar to the gazes he’d received countless times in the Imperial Court.
The looks from Trinity mages who disregarded Imperial mages.
It somehow felt like the same gaze.
“Still…”
“-Are you trying to lecture me right now? You, an illusion mage, of all people?”
Lenz cut off Rai’s words, his eyes blazing.
How dare a mere illusion mage scorn him, the Imperial Chief Mage, who had swallowed his pride to ask for help.
The shame he’d been holding back and the anger that had accumulated everywhere finally burst out.
“…That’s not what I meant. But I can’t stand hearing such remarks either.”
“Then what will you do? Just an illusion mage. Have you gotten cocky just because your little artifact gained some attention? I saw you spouting arrogant words in front of His Majesty earlier. Do you not know your place as an illusion mage?”
The anger he always kept suppressed.
Having already unleashed it in the world of “Maple Leaf Story,” his rage now erupted more easily.
“There’s a reason why there are no illusion mages in the Imperial Court! We don’t need the likes of you here! Your ‘illusion magic’ is utterly worthless!”
“They say excessive gaming can lead to violent behaviour… Perhaps taking a break from the game might be a good idea.”
“What?”
Rai furrowed his brow and got up, opening the window.
The cold night air cooled down the rage that had risen up to his forehead.
“Ah, I’m not saying I’ll suspend your account. I’m not that petty. But I can’t tolerate anyone looking down on the Illusion Magic Tower anymore.”
“Hah! To begin with, illusion magic is trash…”
“-A fact that everyone in the world agrees on. But that’s merely because the world thinks that way. Just because it can’t do what other magic can doesn’t mean illusion magic is worthless. Everything has its own value.”
Just like games. Everything has its own worth.
Of course, playing games excessively can also cause uncontrollable aggression, like this.
It’s a double-edged sword.
“I think our illusion magic is much greater than your Imperial magic.”
“What…! How dare you—”
Lenz, unable to hold it in any longer, kicked his chair and stood up.
At the same time, massive mana began to gather in his hand.
“Calm down. You wouldn’t use such a powerful spell inside the Imperial Palace. Instead, how about this?”
“…?”
“Tomorrow, let’s have a magic duel. One of the Imperial mages against one of our illusion mages here.”
“W-Wait, Rai? Me?”
“Yes. No matter what, I’m still the youngest in the tower, so it wouldn’t be fair to fight against the head of the Imperial mages, right? This is an Illusion B-rank mage. Just bring a suitable opponent.”
“Why should I agree to that?”
“If the Imperial side wins, I’ll restore your popularity points. Change your nickname as you please. But if we win, you must officially apologize to us and formally recognize illusion magic as a legitimate form of Imperial magic. Moreover, you must take responsibility and publicly announce it in the Imperial Court, so that the world acknowledges the value of illusion magic.”
Up until now, the Imperial Court had never acknowledged illusion magic as a form of true magic.
However, if the Imperial Court were to recognize it, the global perception of illusion magic would certainly change.
“…Very well. What nonsense. Just make sure you keep your word.”
After taking a moment to catch his breath and think, Lenz replied.
Of course, he thought there was no way he could lose to something as insignificant as illusion magic.
Since he couldn’t retrieve his popularity points anyway, he decided to suppress his anger and accept the proposal.
“Yes, don’t worry.”
Bang—
Lenz didn’t reply and slammed the door shut as if it would break.
Rai smirked as he watched Lenz’s retreating back.
On the other hand, Rain was in a state of panic.
“R-R-Rai! What kind of promise did you just make? A magic duel? How could you!”
“What’s the big deal? You can win, right?”
“How can I win! It’s illusion magic we’re talking about!”
“You can win. I’m not telling you to kill someone, it’s just a magic duel.”
“Haa… I don’t know…! How could you make such a decision on your own!”
Rain held her head and threw herself onto the bed.
Rai looked at her with a bitter smile.
“…Still, it’s time to show everyone how incredible a mage you are, Rain.”
“…!”
“You… didn’t think I remembered?”
Lenz is the Chief Mage and also Rain’s father.
Rain had been cast out by him shortly after she took her Attribute Affinity Test at the age of ten—an event from so long ago.
Now, after so much time had passed, he didn’t recognize his own daughter even when she stood right in front of him.
“…Did you do this on purpose, Rai?”
“Maybe it’s just that Rain became too beautiful for him to recognize? From what I saw, the Chief Mage is quite short, so maybe he couldn’t imagine his daughter would grow up to be so tall.”
“…Pft. What’s that supposed to—My mother was tall! No, that’s not the point! What are we going to do now!”
Rai answered with a laugh.
“You just have to win. I know how amazing your magic is.”
Having witnessed her magic firsthand, Rai knew.
Rain’s magic was far from lacking. Despite being ranked as a B-rank, it was so extraordinary that he even thought it was superior to his own S-rank abilities.
And he also knew just how hard Rain had worked to hone that “insignificant” illusion magic.
Rain was, without a doubt, an outstanding mage.
“We’re mages too, after all.”
And so, the next day arrived.
***
“A magic duel with an illusion mage all of a sudden? And that’s the one who created that ‘Maple Leaf Story’?”
“They say it’s a different illusion mage? From what I’ve heard, they were the ones who challenged us.”
“Not from any other tower, but the Illusion Tower… Do we have to be looked down upon even by those guys?”
“Hey, be careful or you’ll end up on the blacklist. Good luck.”
The Imperial mages were in an uproar since morning.
After all, today there was an unexpected magic duel with an illusion mage.
‘Sigh… I need to play my game quickly.’
And the one chosen to participate in the magic duel was Domur, an Imperial mage with a B-rank Steel Attribute and the Chief Mage’s nephew.
Recently, he’d been deeply immersed in “Maple Leaf Story,” and he was annoyed by the sudden schedule.
“Domur. You must win.”
“I know, Uncle. Like I’d lose to an illusion mage?”
Domur gave a half-hearted response and headed to the training grounds.
He wanted to finish this quickly and get back to playing his game.
“This is my first time seeing a magic duel with an illusion mage.”
“Right? Do we even get any points for this?”
“They must have gotten cocky because their artifact sold well. But still, challenging us to a magic duel is a bit…”
“That must be her? Heh. How pitiful.”
There had never been a case where illusion mages participated in magic duels.
Illusion mages didn’t even show up at such places to begin with.
There simply weren’t any illusion mages who engaged in magic duels.
For Domur, too, it was his first time witnessing illusion magic, let alone participating in a duel with an illusion mage.
‘I just have to finish this quickly and get back to my game.’
Domur’s thoughts were solely focused on his game.
After all, he thought he could crush someone like an illusion mage without much effort.
That was the same for the other Imperial mages who were watching.
But,
“…What?”
“Hey, what’s wrong with him?”
“H-He’s going to lose at this rate…!”
The reactions instantly shifted when the magic duel began.
—
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