Chapter 17
Rattle, rattle, rattle—
Rikal’s leg was trembling violently as he sat in his chair.
Beside him, his aide, Hanon, was watching him nervously.
‘P-Please, let nothing happen…’
Hanon prayed earnestly to the gods once again.
He had to follow Rikal to the Illusion Magic Tower this time as well.
“You’ve been waiting for a long time. So, what brings you here today, Your Highness?”
Riot, the illusion mage, offered tea with a sly smile, like a smug merchant.
“…Slurp. What is this sugary drink?”
“It’s called mixed coffee. It’s regular coffee with lots of milk and sugar.”
“As expected of an illusion mage, even your coffee has to be strange. Slurp.”
Rikal emptied the cup quickly as he spoke.
‘Seems like he liked it.’
Hanon noticed that Rikal liked the milk coffee but chose not to mention it out loud.
He merely decided to give Rikal coffee filled with milk and sugar from now on whenever he threw a tantrum.
“So, what’s your business here? I’m busy.”
“…Slurp.”
Rikal continued drinking several cups of mixed coffee without saying a word.
Even Hanon didn’t know why Rikal had come to the Illusion Magic Tower today.
“…Send everyone out. Hanon. You stay outside.”
“Understood. Rain, could you take the others and head inside?”
Hanon had no choice but to comply and left the room.
He was worried about what Rikal might do, but it was better than defying him and risking death.
“I’ll bring another cup of coffee.”
Ria oat left to get more coffee.
The other illusion mages also went upstairs, leaving Rikal alone on the first floor.
The quiet magic tower.
—By the way, that user called ‘Light of the Empire’… Isn’t he actually a guy?
“…!!!!”
That faint voice came from the stairs above.
Rikal, without realizing it, held his breath and eavesdropped on the conversation between the illusion mages as they headed back to their rooms.
—No way. Why would he do something like that unless he was some kind of pervert?
—But still, there’s no reason for him not to join the expedition, right?
—Or… given the nickname and all, isn’t he someone from the Imperial Family? He’s just being cautious because he’s royalty.
—Even the Emperor expressed his desire to join the expedition, didn’t he? But could he be royalty? No way… Could it be the 3rd Prince?!
“!!!!!”
Startled, Rikal jumped out of his seat.
But he quickly sat back down when the mages climbing the stairs gave him strange looks.
—Come to think of it, didn’t he come here before saying he was harassed? Could he have been a Cleric back then?
—No way, are you saying the 3rd Prince is ‘Light of the Empire’?!
—If that’s true, it’d be creepy. Acting all cutesy in the game while being like that in real life?
Hehe.
The illusion mages laughed as they entered their rooms.
It seemed like they tried to keep their voices low, but Rikal heard everything.
Normally, he would’ve exploded in anger at this situation.
But he couldn’t do that this time because he really was ‘Light of the Empire’.
‘C-Could it be that I’ve been found out? How did they deduce that much?!’
Panicking, Rikal began to sweat nervously, something very unlike his usual self.
“Here’s another cup for you. So, what is it that you really want?”
At that moment, Ria oat returned, still wearing that unsettling smile.
The reason Rikal came to the Illusion Magic Tower this time was none other than because of the expedition.
He didn’t intend to reveal his identity but wanted to ask the illusion mage to create an artifact for him.
An artifact that could disguise his appearance using illusions.
His plan was to use it to change his appearance and join the expedition.
“H-Hmph… I’d like to commission an artifact.”
“An artifact? But don’t you already have ‘Maple Leaf Story,’ Your Highness?”
“I’m not talking about that. I want an artifact that can change my appearance using illusions. That’s something only the Illusion Magic Tower can create, right?”
“It is possible, yes.”
Such a feat was only achievable through illusion magic.
He considered getting a disguise suit from an assassin guild or something similar, but such methods couldn’t hide the build of an adult male.
‘Light of the Empire’ was supposed to be a cute little girl.
To hide his physique, illusion magic was the only option.
“What do you need something like that for?”
“T-That’s none of your business. Just make it.”
“Well, alright… What would you like to transform into? I need a reference to model the illusion after.”
“U-Uh, something like… a small and cute… girl?”
“Small and cute… And what else?”
“It should give a bright impression, dressed like a commoner or a noble from a rural area.”
“Hmm. Nobody should be able to identify you, after all.”
“Right. But it shouldn’t look too poor.”
“Of course. You do spend quite a lot of cash, after all, so there must be some wealth.”
“Right, plenty of money, but the character should be a lesser-known rural noble… Wait. What did you just say?”
“Sorry?”
“You said I spend a lot of cash?”
“Yes. Don’t you spend a lot on cash items?”
Riot smiled sweetly and looked at Rikal.
In those bright eyes of his, Rikal sensed an inexplicable madness.
Rikal’s body began to tremble violently as a terrifying thought overwhelmed him.
“S-Seriously… you…”
“Your Highness is ‘Light of the Empire,’ aren’t you?”
“U-Uwaaaaaah!”
His heart felt like it was dropping.
Rikal let out a scream and fell backward.
***
Actually, I’d somewhat expected something like this to happen.
<Light of the Empire>. In other words, the 3rd Prince, Rikal, was an early user who had always been at the top ranks.
Given his level and the fact that he had already made the 4th job advancement to Bishop, he should have joined the expedition a long time ago.
However, <Light of the Empire> hadn’t joined the expedition.
I knew the reason for that was his identity as the 3rd Prince.
Now that attending the offline strategy meeting was mandatory, he would have to reveal his true identity.
To join the expedition, Rikal needed to hide his appearance. And even if he appointed a stand-in, that would mean revealing his identity to someone else.
So, it was only natural that I figured Rikal would visit the Illusion Magic Tower and commission an illusion artifact to disguise himself.
As expected, Rikal came to the Illusion Magic Tower and requested an artifact that could alter his appearance.
“Your Highness is ‘Light of the Empire,’ aren’t you?”
“U-Uwaaaaaah!”
Rikal collapsed perfectly at my words.
His panicked expression was quite amusing.
“Don’t worry. Nobody else knows.”
I wanted to tease Rikal a little.
That’s why I asked the illusion mages earlier to talk while making sure Rikal could hear them before they left.
Of course, I didn’t outright say that Rikal was really <Light of the Empire>.
Maybe he caught on, but still.
“Y-Y-Y-You, how…”
“Well, who knows. I just made a guess, but it turned out to be right.”
“D-Don’t lie! You tricked me—”
“Now, now, calm down.”
I quickly held up a brooch in front of Rikal, who looked ready to draw his sword at any moment.
It was an artifact that allowed him to transform into a cute girl like <Light of the Empire>.
I figured he would come, so I made it in advance.
“I thought you might visit, so I prepared it ahead of time. It even hides your voice as a bonus.”
I demonstrated the artifact’s functionality.
As soon as I activated it, a brilliant light spread in all directions, and my appearance started to change.
I added a transformation effect to give off a magical girl vibe.
“You can change perfectly like this! But be careful, if you make physical contact, your real form might be discovered!”
I imitated <Light of the Empire>’s speech pattern as I spoke.
According to the spell I cast earlier, others would hear a bright and cute voice.
But ultimately, it was still all an illusion.
Physically, my body remained the same.
In other words, if someone were to shake hands, they’d feel my large hand instead of <Light of the Empire>’s small one.
Rikal, still on the floor, stared up at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“…Something like this. How do you like it?”
“W-Well, it’s well-made. It matches my idea of <Light of the Empire> perfectly… No, that’s not it!”
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. However…”
Before Rikal could collect his thoughts, I quickly pushed a piece of paper towards him.
It was a contract for the <Light of the Empire> transformation artifact.
Of course, the amount listed on it was an absurdly high price, far beyond what one might expect for a single artifact.
I intended to sell it for a high price while keeping his secret.
This was a valuable card, and I wasn’t going to let it go easily.
“I’ll sell it at this price, under the condition that I’ll also keep your secret.”
“Hey, this is way too expensive!”
He would probably have to buy this artifact completely out of his own pocket.
If he used the Imperial Family’s funds, the artifact’s identity might be exposed.
“If you don’t want it, that’s fine. You do have that much money, don’t you?”
“Tsk…”
It was a steep price, but one I thought Rikal could afford.
I didn’t know exactly how much the prince’s allowance was, but given the amount of cash he splurged on items, he should have enough.
“Fine. But if you tell anyone, you’re dead.”
“Yes, yes. If you kill me, though, you’ll never be able to play ‘Maple Leaf Story’ again.”
“This bastard…!”
Rikal raised his trembling fist but eventually lowered it again.
Instead, he stamped the contract and snatched up the artifact.
“I’ll transfer the money through the Central Bank.”
“Sure, do that.”
He wouldn’t dare run off without paying. Doing so would reveal his identity.
“Would you like to try it out? I’ll show you how to use it.”
“…Alright.”
I explained how to use the transformation artifact to Rikal.
After a short while, accompanied by a dazzling transformation effect, Rikal’s appearance changed.
“Good. If you want to revert back, simply stop supplying mana to the artifact. If you plan to stay transformed for a long time, make sure to bring some mana recovery potions.”
“Got it.”
<Light of the Empire>’s cheerful and lively voice responded.
“Practice your mannerisms, too. Just like you do in ‘Maple Leaf Story.’”
“…I’ll handle that myself, so shut up already.”
Rikal, seemingly hit by a wave of reality, replied weakly.
Of course, thanks to the artifact’s adjustment, his voice remained as lively as ever.
“Again, if your identity is revealed—”
Knock, knock, knock—
Just then, someone knocked on the tower’s door.
It should be Rikal’s aide standing outside.
Or did another guest arrive?
“I’ll go check. For now…”
Before I could say, “Revert your transformation,”
The tower’s door swung open.
Rikal hadn’t reverted his transformation yet.
“D-Damn it, Hanon—”
Rikal tried to yell at his aide but quickly covered his mouth.
The person who entered wasn’t Hanon, and they had already seen Rikal in his <Light of the Empire> form.
“Excuse me, are you the illusion mage, Riot?”
A polite voice asked.
The man with platinum-blond hair looked somewhat similar to Rikal but had a much more upright and dignified demeanour.
Behind the man, Hanon was trembling violently.
“B-Brother…?”
Rikal, standing beside me, murmured in a small voice.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Nice to meet you. I am the Empire’s 1st Prince, Leo Leonious.”
“…What?”
Leo Leonious, the 1st Prince of the Empire and the Crown Prince.
The true ‘Light of the Empire,’ and the Empire’s next emperor.
If it was him, it made sense why Hanon couldn’t stop him from entering.
But why did he come here?
“I heard Rikal was here, but I don’t see him.”
“Ah… The 3rd Prince went to the restroom.”
Since I’d decided to keep Rikal’s secret, I lied.
Rikal let out a small sigh of relief.
If he had reverted his transformation earlier, none of this would have happened.
No, maybe the real problem was that the 1st Prince knocked and then entered without waiting for permission?
Are there no decent brothers in this family at all?
“I see. Well, I didn’t come here just because of Rikal, anyway. May I have a word with you… huh?”
Leo’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Rikal—no, at Rikal’s transformed <Light of the Empire> version.
He stared as if trying to scrutinize her—no, him.
Leo slowly began approaching the transformed Rikal, his gaze fixed on him.
“Y-Your Highness? Why are you…”
“Could it be that this person… is <Light of the Empire>?”
“W-W-What…? How did you…”
“I knew it! To think I’d meet you here… It’s fortunate that I decided to visit the Illusion Magic Tower.”
“Pardon?”
Leo spoke incomprehensible words.
Rikal and I were both bewildered.
“Are you really <Light of the Empire>? The famed user of ‘Maple Leaf Story’ and the strongest Bishop, JeBbit?”
Leo asked, his eyes filled with anticipation.
I looked back and forth between Leo and Rikal, equally puzzled.
I couldn’t comprehend what was happening either.
Ultimately, the turn to answer fell to Rikal.
Leo and I held our breaths, waiting for his response.
After a brief moment of silence swept through the tower,
Rikal, who had made his decision, opened his mouth.
“Hawawawawa—? You know me? It’s such an honour that the Crown Prince of the Empire knows who I am—!”
…That was the choice Rikal—or rather, <Light of the Empire>—made.
—
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