Before being released from prison, I had a bit of a wake-up call. Thankfully, the generous Second Prince wasn’t too harsh on me. Rather than acting out of spite, it felt more like a warning to tread carefully.
Once I stepped out of prison, the atmosphere was really different. Despite their efforts to make the prison livable, the lively streets were several times better.
The Second Prince, Irid, strolled through the familiar Crownhall. He concealed his golden hair with magic and dressed inconspicuously, blending in with the nameless mercenaries passing by.
Because he was so good looking, even if he dressed down, he still stood out like the main character in a fantasy novel, but at least it was better than flaunting his golden hair.
“So, how was the Academy?”
“Well, it was good.”
Because he asked me out of the blue, I answered reflexively, but it was how I truly felt.
Life at the Academy had been good. I was a bit lonely since the Tower Master wasn’t there, but that issue got resolved… It was fun bickering with the Pink-Haired Lesbian, and I even managed to conduct a session, despite it getting derailed midway.
Teaching children turned out to be more fulfilling than I had anticipated.
I was a professor, not a dungeon maker. I didn’t just throw them into dungeons and tell them to do their best to survive.Instead, I ran detailed analyzers on each student to track their growth, identify their struggles, and nurture their talents. I turned this data into a status window for easy viewing.
Name : Guy That Has A Mole On His Face And Looks Like A Pebble.
Strength : C Agility : B Mana: C …. (Rest omitted below).
Like that.
It felt like I was playing a character training game, which excited me. I even set a goal to elevate that student to the level of a silver-medal mercenary by the time they graduated.
Speaking of the Academy, wasn’t I on an extended business trip to Crownhall?
A professor shouldn’t take a break just for personal reasons. That’s why, while I’m gone, I created a mini-game for self-learning.
Using simulation and battle AI….. I built the Tower of Trials!
It consists of floors 1 to 10, each with a boss monster.
Students could attempt it as often as they liked, solo or in teams and students could attempt it as much as they wanted as long as they had the time to do so. I even gave them a notice saying that those who cleared the 10th floor before I got back would receive a wish ticket.
The wish ticket would let them skip all future classes while still earning an A+.
Some fascinating archetypes emerged from the AI's infinite combat cycles, which led me to create this plan. There was the Battō Maniac who obsessed over Battōjutsu, and Jenny of the Chain Sickle, among others.
It would be beneficial for them to gain as much battle experience as possible. Fighting boss monsters with unusual weapons without dying is an invaluable experience.
“Give me an apple. Wait…. Would you like one?”
“If you give me one, I’ll eat it.”
“In that case, two apples. Here.”
The Second Prince ordered an apple from the woman at the fruit stall, expertly avoiding the bad ones while selecting two.
Whoosh.
I caught the apple he tossed with both hands. The Second Prince bit into his apple, the crunch sounding normal enough…. I touched the shiny surface of the apple. It felt a little weird.
I scratched at it, and a thin layer peeled off, revealing what looked like some kind of polish. I gave the Second Prince a heads-up.
“Looks like they rubbed something to make it look appetizing. Might be wax or slime.”
“......Tell me before I eat it!”
“Why didn’t you check more carefully? You’re an important person.”
The Second Prince seemed ready to spit out the apple but hesitated, maybe not wanting to dirty the streets, and reluctantly swallowed it instead.
“You’re not spitting it out?”
“It’s alright for a prince to eat something slightly weird. I have over ten personal priests.”
Did he mean it was okay to get sick because he had healers at his beck and call? I don’t think the priests were given to him to be used like that.
The Second Prince looked irritated, but it didn’t look like he was gonna hang the fruit vendor.
I don’t think he was ever this nice to commoners, he’s changed quite a bit.
“.....Ptui.”
He rinsed his mouth with water from a bottle and spat it out in a secluded alleyway.
I guess he did feel uncomfortable. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he turned to me and asked,
“According to the report…. You brought two students into Metamorphosis.”
“Yeah, well…. There was a little accident. It won’t happen again.”
“.....What did you do?”
Oh he didn’t bring it up to scold me?
If I told him I was trying to get rid of something in my head and accidentally almost broke my pupils mentally, I'd be in trouble. So, I changed the subject.
“How have you been recently?”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
“Are you physically healthy?”
“If you want to change the subject, put in a bit of sincerity.”
Even though he rebuked me, it seemed he had no intention of prying further. The Second Prince looked up at the sky and sighed like a weary office worker. It was a sigh filled with pure fatigue.
“I’ve been busy searching for Black Wizards. There’s no end to these smart cockroaches. Even when you think you’ve burnt them all, they multiply the second you look away.”
“You even saw one on the way here.”
“Yes, that part…. Let’s just say that you did a good job. I needed someone to shake things up anyway. The conflict was so complicated that it was impossible to conduct a meaningful investigation with just me and my faction... especially with Redburn involved.”
Second Prince Irid crossed his arms and pressed his temples, the name Redburn seemingly giving him a migraine.
“What did those Red Flavor friends do?”
Irid was the closest person to the throne of this gigantic empire. Of course, the public still supported the First Princess Elaine….. But I knew that was just a facade.
I knew how capable Irid was. Despite his age, he was mature in the way he handled things. How could a prince with such power and ability be so troubled?
The Second Prince tossed the bright red apple he had bit into a trashcan.
Clang, roll.
“They’re too good at covering their tracks. Let me ask you something since we’re working together. If I…. If I told you that you needed to quietly sacrifice yourself for our faction, would you do it?”
“If it’s an order from the Prince, of course.”
“Is what you’d say, but in reality?”
“I’d have to prepare to betray and switch sides, wouldn’t I?”
Irid flicked his fingers.
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Aha….. Do the Red Flavor minions just quietly die? Without revealing any information or switching sides?
“Yes. Every method we tried was futile. We couldn't successfully convert a single one, and even if we tried to extract information by violent means... the magic planted in their heads erased everything cleanly.”
Absolute loyalty…. That wouldn’t explain it.
The Red Flavor Duke’s minion, Viscount Whatshisface, moved based on his own desires and was accompanied by Black Wizards who monitored him.
If he was truly loyal to the Red Flavor Duke, he would have spent the time he used hypnotizing women with the hypnosis app increasing his political influence instead.
“The circumstances lead me to believe Duke Redburn is working with the Black Wizards…. But there isn’t a shred of evidence. It’s a weakness that cannot be exploited. However.”
“However, we ended up doing it coincidentally.”
“Yes, Crazy Wizard. Also…. You don’t have to play dumb in front of me anymore. You must have found Black Wizards at the Academy and followed the information to Crownhall.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯?"
“Just the Academy should have been a big enough accomplishment…. To want even more, must mean you have an even more grand goal. Tell me honestly. Do you want anything from me?”
This guy’s paranoia is acting up again…..
No, it wasn’t. He actually made a correct judgment here. It would be strange to think that the guy who caught the Black Wizards at the Academy would also coincidentally catch the Black Wizards at Crownhall.
Of course, it was just luck that I caught one at the Academy. At Crownhall, I went crazy following the lead about the traitor of the Purple Magic Tower, but the start was... a coincidence of sorts. At least it wasn’t my intention.
So Irid was wondering, What kind of gigantic request is he going to make of me that he’s preparing a spirit bomb?
Wait a moment…… Let’s buy some time , I thought, adopting my mysterious persona.
“Hm….. Do you really want to know? Wouldn’t it be better to wait a bit before opening that box?”
“I don’t want to be led around on a leash. If you don’t reveal your intentions, I won’t acknowledge your accomplishment. Before I become the emperor and silence you for good, take your reward now while you can, Crazy Wizard.”
Immediate shutdown.
What should I do? I want to receive something since he’s offering. What can I ask the Prince for?
Money? Funding? Sure, more funding is always good. It’s beneficial... but that can be earned in many other ways. It felt like a waste to use a wish from the Prince on money.
Should I ask for free advertising for the Purple Tower? No, even if the Prince promotes the Purple Tower, there won’t be any meaningful growth for the Magic Tower. Maybe a few noble children trying to suck up to the Prince.
Or people? Should I ask for people? Asking for 100 of the empire’s best-looking men and women to let me scan all of them just once… No wait, that might make him suspicious since it sounds like something a Black Wizard would do.
Hmmmm…..
“How about three strikes….. So even if I do something rude, you would have to forgive me.”
“If that’s all, you’re asking for less than I expected.”
“Speaking of which, have you still been unable to get over Centra? I have to say I worry about the Prince’s romantic life. You need a different woman for an heir after all.”
“If you don’t watch your mouth…. Ah.”
The Second Prince looked as if he got smacked in the back of his head.
===============================================================
This Crazy Wizard really wasn’t asking for something small!
Irid realized the mistake in his judgment. The focus shouldn't have been on the size of the wish, but rather on what the Wizard intended to do with it.
No, even still.
Was it appropriate to discuss the heir issue directly with the Prince? The extremely politically loaded topic that could become a game-changing nuke depending on who he married?
On top of that, the Wizard knew about Irid’s efforts to save Centra!
“Well, you…. won’t be able to meet her anyway. Even if you try your best to live as long as possible, Centra will be born when you’re a grandfather, you know? And it’s not like you can remain single until then….?”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
“And even if you get married despite the 100 year age gap, that’s a bit… You know?”
“You fu—”
He held it in.
Was this an assassination attempt to frustrate him to death? The Second Prince Irid seriously wondered.
Still, the Wizard probably wasn't speaking randomly.
Even though he was crazy, he was still a dimensional wizard. One of only two people aware of the Wither Emperor and Crownhall's future a hundred years from now. The words of such a wizard…. Even though they were incredibly rude to the point it made him dizzy, it must have some meaning.
Irid speculated that the Wizard wasn’t acting alone. He was either creating a faction or was part of one already.
The idea that he was merely a capable person had been completely thrown out the window after the incidents at the Academy and Crownhall. Information gathering of that magnitude was too grand for a single person.
Finding the Black Wizards hidden at the Academy and Crownhall with such ease—could all that be possible for just one person?
Irid framed it as a reward for his accomplishments, but he was really asking , “What does your faction want?” And the response he received was that it was a secret.
His… faction.
The faction with the Crazy Wizard and the Purple Tower Master at its core, with uncertain depth and goals. It may have seemed like it was under the Second Prince’s control on the surface, but in reality, their goals just happened to align.
However, it was obvious they wanted the empire to prosper and continue on.
They woke up the Second Prince Irid from deep suspicion, and resolved the discord with First Princess Elaine. They had already shown him their loyalty. That’s why he could trust them.
They would be working together for a while longer. Irid decided to ask,
“Are you worried about the empire?”
“More than that, I worry about the Prince. Isn’t it such a waste…. Somebody who has everything, chasing a non-existent lover and getting nothing in the end.”
“If you’re worrying about me, watch your mouth Crazy Wizard. You’re making me ill.”
“Well…. Someday somebody will have to ask… about this problem of yours.”
The Wizard crossed his arms and spoke cheerfully as if talking to a friend. Look at this, who could possibly make such a comment to the Empire’s Prince? They genuinely wished for the Empire’s survival.
That’s precisely why this mad Wizard wouldn’t hold back his words, even if Irid became the Emperor. When viewed from that angle, it could be seen as loyalty in its own twisted way.
He spoke.
“If you want to gift Centra an awesome empire, then all the more reason for you to think about marriage. The heir issue could destabilize the Empire. Perhaps…. forgetting her would be best for both of you.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
He was right.
If they could never meet again, it would be best to forget each other.
If he is warning Irid to this extent, maybe…. the Crazy Wizard and his faction had once again peered into the future. As he said, perhaps in the distant future the empire would struggle due to his heir problems.
Once again there was a prophecy given right in front of him.
However, he was no longer afraid of prophecies that seemed like curses. He had already overcome a prophecy called the Wither Emperor. Why wouldn’t he be able to do it again?
“It’s the opposite.”
“Sorry?”
“If I create an empire so powerful that a mere heir problem wouldn’t affect it, couldn’t I love her for the rest of my life?”
"⋯⋯??"
He just had to do whatever it took. To create a peaceful empire that wouldn’t collapse even a hundred years after his death.
Then Centra would be happy in the future, and he also…. wouldn’t have to lose these feelings and could stay happy.
“So please stop giving me such rude advice, Crazy Wizard. I’ll manage just fine on my own.”
“......Why does such pure love exist for someone that doesn’t even exist. Ow!”
He couldn’t hold it in anymore. The back of the Crazy Wizard who didn’t understand the human heart was brutally smacked by Irid's palm. The Wizard screamed and twisted his body.
The Second Prince laughed for the first time in a while. It was immensely satisfying.
===============================================================
“Second Prince, there has been a protest about the fact that the Purple Tower Master entered Crownhall without authorization. Should I reply that it is a baseless rumor?”
“Second Prince! The Capital’s Knight Order expresses their regrets, and warns that if an act of violence that crosses the line occurs, they would swiftly respond….!”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Creaakkkkk.
The Second Prince’s neck creaked as he turned towards the Crazy Wizard.
The Crazy Wizard assessed the situation briefly, and then fled the scene.
Irid grabbed the chair next to him and chased after the Crazy Wizard.
That day, the Crazy Wizard was able to live thanks to his strikes. And still had one left over.
***
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